United States

Blues, BBQ & Bourbon Roadtrip: Wigwam Village and Maker’s Mark Distillery

March 5, 2013
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After Nashville, we drove a bit further north to sleep. Why? Because in Cave City, Kentucky, kitschy Americana awaits. The first Wigwam Village was built in 1936, and by 1950, six more had popped up across the USA.  Three still remain today, including the second of the franchise, built in 1937, here in Cave City, […]

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Blues, BBQ & Bourbon Roadtrip: Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee

February 28, 2013
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After we packed up at the Shack-Up, we drove up to Memphis to get some breakfast. Blue Plate Café is a big, clean, welcoming place nestled in Court Square. We ordered simple breakfasts of eggs, grits, bacon, and their famous biscuits and gravy.  The biscuits were giant fluffy pillows of buttery goodness, and the gravy […]

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Blues, BBQ, and Bourbon Roadtrip: Shacked Up in Clarksdale, MS

January 9, 2013
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Our itinerary was ambitious, so after our boisterous morning in Mamou, we had to hit the road again. After a spell we stopped off for a cheap bite at a fast food joint, and then it was my turn to take the wheel.  I love driving, especially when the road is open and the speed […]

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Blues, BBQ, and Bourbon Roadtrip: Cajun Country

December 17, 2012

Here’s part 3 of our recent roadtrip adventures! If you missed them, check out part 1 and part 2! Though New Orleans was nice (and warm), our time there seemed surprising mellow. After solving the case of the missing car rental building, we were off to lesser travelled parts of Louisiana. Some unexplainable traffic on […]

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Blues, BBQ & Bourbon Roadtrip: New Orleans, Part 2 (Reviews: Cochon, Butcher, Jim Russell’s Records)

December 10, 2012

(This is a continuation of our New Orleans to Chicago roadtrip… to read part one, click here!) After enjoying a drink in the unseasonably warm sunshine, we made our way to Jim Russell’s Rare Records. The shop, which opened in 1969, is packed full with rows after row, box after box, of LPs, 45s, cassettes, […]

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Blues, BBQ, & Bourbon Roadtrip – First Stop: New Orleans! (Review: Surrey’s Cafe & Juice Bar)

December 3, 2012

With the temperatures quickly plummeting in Montreal, it’s hard for me to believe that, just a couple weeks ago, this was me: It was 75°F (24°C) in New Orleans that day, and a gin and tonic was just the thing. We were lounging out on the patio of a place with goofy name, Down the […]

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Adventures in San Francisco: Sally’s Famous Fishwich and Alcatraz Island

December 7, 2011
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During my San Francisco trip, I got to do most of the things I’d hoped to do. One thing I didn’t get to see was the redwood forest, since I realized it was farther outside the city than I’d thought. One destination that wasn’t on my list, though, was Alcatraz. I guess I just thought […]

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Adventures in San Francisco: Mangosteen, Radiolab and Club Mallard

November 28, 2011
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In case you didn’t know, I’m a huge nerd. A food-bloggin’, bento box makin’, theremin playin’, nihongo learnin’ nerd. I’m also an NPR nerd, so when I found out my favorite NPR show/podcast was doing a live show at UC Berkeley the day that I arrived in San Francisco, you know I had to be […]

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Foodbuzz Festival 2011: Day 3 - Brunch!

November 17, 2011
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To wrap up the events of the Foodbuzz Festival, we all headed to Perry’s on the Embarcadero to enjoy a delightful brunch.  The place was airy and sunny with great views of the bay.  Tables were laid out with all sorts of goodies! Breakfast foods aren’t my favorite, but the selection here was great. Even […]

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Foodbuzz Festival 2011: Day 2 (Taste Pavilion)

November 16, 2011
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For the Taste Pavilion portion of the Foodbuzz Festival, I headed down to a place called City View at the Metreon. It lives up to its name with a stunning view of downtown San Francisco. Inside the giant venue were over 60 providers of food and drink, many local, waiting to offer us everything from […]

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