Meat Lover Omelet
at White Palace Grill

We arrived at my Aunt’s house and hunkered down for three days in Chicago.  Our first morning driving into the city, we stopped at White Palace Grill for a breakfast.  There was no parking lot, but you can leave your car at the curb for 30 minutes or less provided that you leave on your emergency flashers. (Go figure)  We went in and found a comfortable booth where we could keep an eye on the car.  We ordered a meat lover’s omelet with toast and hash browns.  Our waitress was friendly, and efficient.  The food came right out and it was surprisingly delicious.  I was expecting a boring, run of the mill coffee shop breakfast, but this was clearly a step above.  The place was immaculately clean too and they had some great art work.  We always love it when we are pleasantly surprised and get more than what we were expecting.

Buckingham Fountain in Chicago

After a bit of time downtown, we drove up Lake Shore Drive where we found some free parking at a park (Lincoln Park?) and got out to walk around.  The wind blowing off Lake Michigan chilled to the bone, but we hung out there as long as we could stand it.  The bathrooms had heaters, but we couldn’t go in one together and give people the wrong impression. Continue reading →

Virgil’s Cafe

We arrived in Cincinnati in time for lunch and crossed the river into Bellevue, Kentucky.  Virgil’s Café is a charming little place, located on a charming little street full of shops and nice people.  We visited an art gallery, a tea house, gift shops, a creamery and more; and we bought a set of dishes that I couldn’t live without.  Be sure to allot yourself two or three hours to explore and enjoy some of the tasty treats. Unlike the corporate malls, these shops are owned and operated by real people with style and character who want to do things their way.

The Brat Dog at Virgil’s Cafe

Virgil’s Café is quaint and decorated quite nicely.  The dining room is cozy, but elegant with a high ceiling, and old world charm. This was one of those other places that slipped through the cracks planning wise.  I forgot about Chef/Owner Matthew Buschle, and all the wonderful food he made on the show (Etouffee, frogs legs, sausage biscuits and gravy, Andoulle, chili, cheddar and jalapeno hush puppies, and more).  I ordered a cheeseburger and Anna ordered a brat dog with blue-cheese cole slaw and bacon on a homemade brioche roll (which was buttered and grilled to perfection).  Both orders came with the house made potato chips.  Anna says it’s the best dog she’s ever had; and I suppose that’s because the house made brat was crafted by someone who really knows (and loves) food.

Cheeseburger at Virgil’s Cafe

As for the burger, I wasn’t expecting much; and when it first came out, I thought it looked dry and wasn’t very happy.  That all changed as soon as I took my first bite.  The burger was so good it was like a flavor explosion in my mouth.  This burger was one of my earlier experiences with a hand-crafted burger made by a chef who really understands food.  He starts with his own blend of chuck, short rib and brisket, tops it with sauteed mushrooms and onions, cheese (melted to perfection) and the kicker is the house made Kaiser roll which has to be experienced to be believed.  It’s light as a cloud, pillow-soft, oven warm, delicately grilled with just a hint of a satisfying crunch, all with a fantastic flavor that complements the burger without overpowering it.  A superb balance of ingredients, flavors, textures and aromas.  I just sat there, eating that burger bite after bite, shaking my head in disbelief that somebody could make a burger that good.  At the time, I didn’t realize the roll was fresh out of the oven.  Anna kept raving about how good the Brat-dog was, but I could have cared less.  I was in hamburger heaven. Continue reading →

Tacos at Parkview NiteClub
My PBR is just out of the shot

We rolled into Cleveland, no trouble, and headed straight for the Parkview Nite Club.  The place was super packed, but we got a table quickly.  I ordered a beer and a full complement of tacos.  It was a long wait for the food, and the tacos disappointed.  I suppose they could have been good, but they were prepared on deep fried flour tortillas, which ended up being dry and lacked flavor.  Out here in California, we only use corn tortillas for fried tacos, and it just doesn’t occur to me to ask when we’re away from home.  Flour tortillas can be just fine for tacos, but not deep-fried.  We were so hungry we just ate them anyway.  The rest of their food might be great, but we didn’t sample anything else.  The place is super popular with the locals.

Lucky’s Cafe

It was our first time to Cleveland and I knew we were going to get some killer food.  On our first morning we went to Lucky’s Café.  The place is charming, inside and out.  We were hoping to meet the owner and chef, Heather Haviland, but she was out sick.  Our server took excellent care of us, and we treated ourselves to some fresh coffee.  We ordered both items from the show, biscuits and gravy and a Reuben sandwich.  If you haven’t seen this segment, Heather makes everything from scratch, and I do mean everything.  She even corns her own beef. Continue reading →

Hot Turkey Sandwich at Earl’s Drive-In

We arrived in Buffalo after a leisurely morning and having found a room for the night in a little town called Waterloo.  Before driving into Buffalo proper, we cut south for lunch at Earl’s Drive-In in Chaffee.  Earl’s is a bit old-school, but it is big and roomy.  We settled into a table without a wait and considered the lunch selection.  We went with our faithful standby, the BLT, and I ordered an open-face turkey sandwich which is one of my diner favorites.

BLT at Earl’s Drive-In

I’d say the BLT was the best part of the meal.  The turkey sandwich tasted about how it looks in the picture… fair (which also describes the service).  It was another of those situations where our server could care less that we drove all the way across the country because we saw them on DDD.

It appears that Earl’s Drive-In has since closed its doors for good, and that the owner, Earl Northrup, passed away earlier this year.  I’m sure Earl’s Drive-In will be missed by all their regulars. We didn’t get to meet Earl, but he loved music, and serving good food in his own restaurant, so that’s good enough for me. Continue reading →

Inside the Pilgrim Monument Looking Down
Provincetown, Massachusetts

We had a nice comfy night, a spot of breakfast the next morning and headed out for Cape Cod.  We enjoyed the scenery and drove up to Provincetown.  They have a museum and a Pilgrim Memorial Monument, both of which we enjoyed (even though it was pouring down rain).  Inside the monument (which is made of massive granite blocks) there are ramps instead of stairs.  The picture is from the top looking down. The granite is so hard and impressive that this monument looks like it will last forever.

We stopped in downtown Hyannis to do a little strolling, shopping, and maybe find some lunch.  We bought a few souvenirs, and chatted with some lovely ladies.  I was even treated with a drum shop called Jack’s (which I gave a good going over).  Poor Anna knows that when I go into a music store I may not come out for hours.  Some locals recommended a place in the next town that is renowned for their chicken pot pies (which sounded perfect to us as the weather was drizzly, rainy, overcast, and cold).  We managed to find the place, but they had just closed for the day.  We pushed on to Plymouth and checked out all the sights there.

We rolled on into Boston and eventually managed to find a room for the next three nights (in Framingham).  I struck out for the nearest place to find some dinner to go and found a Panera Bread.  We rode the train into downtown the next morning and treated ourselves to a Sticky Bun at Flour Bakery and Café (which beat Bobby Flay on Throwdown).

We walked around a bit, taking in the sights and the onslaught of traffic.  All that really mattered to me though was lunch.  Before I tell you what we had for lunch, I’ve got to share a moment with you. Continue reading →