Seafood in a Bag

Okay, I have to tell you about my latest food obsession, seafood in a bag. Now, I realize that this might not sound that exciting to some of you and if you are not a fan of seafood, you should probably stop reading now. But if you do enjoy seafood, especially shellfish, then this post is for you!  

What's on the menu today?

The concept of these restaurants is pretty simple. As you enter the restaurant, there is a chalk- or white-board informing you which types of shellfish are available that day (generally shrimp, scallops, various types of crab, crawfish, and lobster) as well the current market price per pound. Prices change daily. Choose the seafood you want and decide if you want any add-ons, such as red potatoes, andouille sausage, and corn. Finally, you decide which seasoning calls to you. The options are usually lemon butter, garlic, our Cajun. But if you want to be adventurous (and don't mind some serious heat, go with all three together! That is the ONLY way to go in my opinion.

Once you have placed your order, the cook puts everything in a bag and boils it. That's it. When it's ready, the waiter brings it to you and you can start eating, right out of said bag. If you are familiar with the concept of a 'low-country boil', you know what I'm taking about. Totally casual. Unpretentious.

Shrimp and Cajun Fries

Pound o' shrimp

The first place I found that serves up this awesomeness was The Boiling Crab in Pasadena (I found it on my Food Network app. Apparently, it was featured on an episode of 'The Best Thing I Ever Ate'. Enough said. Added bonus- there are other locations in southern California, as well as one in Las Vegas!) Since then, I have also tried (and found equally good) The Angry Crab near Phoenix, Stinkin' Crawfish (don't you love the names?) in Downey, CA, and The Big Catch in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. (One thing I really like about this place is that you have the option of ordering the shrimp already peeled. This definitely makes it easier to eat, plus you don't have to deal with the awkwardness of having your meal stare back at you.)

Might not be for the faint of heart!

Lemon Butter Lobster (no bag)

Hopefully you now understand why I am obsessed with this new dining concept and are ready to give it a try. I wouldn't exactly recommend bringing someone here on a first date or anything, but then again, who knows, maybe it actually would be a good idea. I mean, what better way to get to know someone then by watching them eat seafood with their hands? Hmm... food for thought. (I know, that was a TERRIBLE pun.) On that note, I will sign off. However, if you know of any other places like this you'd like to recommend, feel free to let me know in the comments section below. I am always looking for more places to try. Until next time, bon appétit!

Don't forget to sign the wall!

Around the Country in 31 Days

August 2014

What a crazy month it has been! I mean, August is always our busiest time of the year, with schools starting up again and all, but this month may have been the busiest yet! After the workshops, though, you know I have to finding something interesting to see or good to eat. So with that being said, here are a few of the highlights from the past month. 

Fort Myers, FL

My friend/coworker Rob was also in town so we met up at this restaurant he recommended called Ford's Garage. This cool little automotive-themed burger bar that has a selection of beers that rivals Yard House (I went with the Blue Point Blueberry) and an eclectic selection of burgers. For dinner, I chose the the Lobster Mac and Cheese as an appetizer and the Ford's Signature Burger (with bacon, cheese, and barbeque sauce) for my entree. Good call Rob!  Definitely planning on coming here again.

Ford's Signature Burger

Awesome sinks

Blue Point Blueberry

Pembroke Pines/Sebastian, FL

Somewhere between Pembroke Pines and Sebastian, in the little town of Green Acres, is Kersmon Carribean Restaurant, the very definition of a hole-in-the-wall. Believe me, it doesn't look like much from the outside, but what a find this was! Althea, the owner, is this incredibly sweet Jamaican woman who will strike up a conversation with you while she is cooking, talk with you as if you were a longtime family friend, and tell you what you want to eat.  Apparently I wanted the Spicy Chicken. When I asked her what seasonings were in it, she gave me a reassuring smile and said in her thick Jamaican accent "All good things." She was right, it was amazing. When I told her that I was enjoying the dish, she actually went back into the kitchen and made me extra! You don't see that every day. 

Cathedral City, CA

In all the years that I lived in California, I never made it out to Palm Springs, which is where one of my favorite singers, Frank Sinatra, lived for much of his adult life. If I ever get back out here again, I would love to see his original estate, which is now a museum.  However, after doing a little research, I was able to find another way to pay tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes in nearby Cathedral City.

"The Best Is Yet To Come"

Mahi Mahi

Lexington, KY

Although I was only in Lexington for a short amount of time, I had to make sure to get a few things in, being that it was my first time in Kentucky and all.  So I took a short drive down a scenic byway off of the main highway where I drove through acres and acres of rolling hills and numerous farms where race horses were bred and trained.  Also along the highway, In the other direction, is Castle Post, an impressive structure that used to be somebody's home, but is now a luxury hotel. For dinner, if you are in the southeast part of town, I highly recommend a pizza restaurant called Crust.  Try the 'Sunny Side' pizza, which included fior di latte and pecorino cheeses, and yes, a sunny side up egg on top.  Just for good measure, I also decided to add prosciutto.

Boston, MA

I absolutely LOVE Boston! There is just so much to see and do here.  If you are a history buff or simply love lobster, Boston has to be on your to-do list. The only other time that I went here was in 2006, when Aly and I had first started dating.  It was fun walking around the city and recalling several of the things we saw during that trip, such as the Beantown Pub, Boston Common, and Boston University.  For dinner, I met up Paula, a friend of ours at The Gallows, located in "Southie". The menu here always changes, so if you go, prepare to be surprised, but not disappointed.  We opted to order several appetizers, somewhat tapas-style, because so many things sounded, well, "wicked awesome". (Do I sound like one of the locals yet?)  I wasn't able to fly home until the next day, so I decided to take this as an opportunity to take a morning run to prepare for the 10k and half-marathon I would be running on Saturday and Sunday.  And what a great chance to soak in the beauty of Boston.

So there you go.  My month in a nutshell.  Hopefully, some of these stories or pictures will inspire you to visit a few of these places or at least give you a few new recipe ideas.  Before I log-off though, I would like to take a moment to say thank you to all of the teachers out there and good luck in the upcoming year.  I hope it is a stress-free and successful one.

Boston Common

Boston Public Garden

"Where Everybody Knows Your Name"

Kenai, AK

Kenai, AK

10/7-11

If given the opportunity, there are several places that everyone should go. I learned in high school that Theodore Roosevelt said that place should be the Grand Canyon. Aly would probably say the place to go would be Disney World. The driver that I cut off the other day would probably say I should go to... well, you can probably figure that one out.  I, for one, would recommend that Alaska be on your bucket list as well. It has to be one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Seriously, go add it now.
I'll wait...

There, now that that's done, let me share with you some of the highlights during my week in Kenai, AK. Kenai is located on the southern end of the state, on the aptly named Kenai peninsula, about 3 hours (driving) or 15 minutes (flying) south of Anchorage.  I was a little nervous leading up to this trip because I had been warned that snow could be in the forecast (and living in California and Nevada doesn't exactly prepare you for that).  Fortunately for this guy, it never got that cold, so the gloves, scarf, hat, second jacket, ski goggles, hand warmers, arctic boots, space heater, and firewood remained in my suitcase the whole trip. Yay!  The majority of the week the weather was overcast with occasional rain.

Guessing an upgrade to First Class
is out of the question...

Captain's Saute

Because of the inclement weather, I didn't venture out too far during the first couple of days. Instead, I spent them sightseeing in the Kenai/Soldotna area and eating at the Louie's Seafood Restaurant, which was the overwhelming consensus amongst the locals as THE restaurant to go to.  In fact, I went there a total of three nights during the week.  One night I had the Captain's Sauté, which was a broiled combination plate of salmon, halibut, scallops, and shrimp. Always looking to try something regionally distinct, I opted for the razor clams on another night.  And of course, I had had to go with another local staple, 1 lb. of King Crab legs on the other night.  All three meals were great, but have to say, this was the best.  Aside was eating, I spent my evenings driving around, trying to catch a glimpse of a moose or caribou to get a picture of.  Although the locals did their best to point out all the local moose hangout spots, when all was said and done, this was as close to a moose as I got:

Try the Road Kill Cinnamon Roll!

Fortunately, on Wednesday, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and I was able to take the two hour drive that everyone insisted I take down to the town of Homer to drive down the spit.  As I drove down Highway 1 (not to be confused with the Pacific Coast Highway), I felt the need to roll down the windows.  The air was chilly for sure, but it was so crisp and clean I just had to soak it up.  Along the way I was treated to some of amazing views of mountains (a couple of which are actually active volcanoes).  Looking back, I regret not pulling over to snap some photos, but I wanted to be sure to make it to Homer before dark.

Love this view!

I made it to Homer just before sunset.  After passing through the town, I took the 2 mile drive to the end of the spit, parked the car, and made my way to the waterfront.  I spent the next hour or so strolling around, soaking up the serene landscape and snapping as many pictures as my freezing hands could muster.  Perhaps bringing the gloves here would have been useful. 

Salty Dawg Saloon

So can we call this a
Singles Bar? (I know, that
joke was horrible)

After taking enough pictures to make a member of the paparazzi shake his head, I had to the stop by the world famous Salty Dawg Saloon for a drink. The decor of the bar is unique to say the least!  Every inch of wall and ceiling space was (literally) covered with dollar bills. Apparently the story behind the cash was that back in the 70s, if someone wanted to buy a drink for a fellow fisherman, they would write that person's name on a dollar bill. When that friend came back from sea, he would come to the saloon, find the single with his name on it and have a drink, courtesy of his friend. I glanced around at the old salts around me for a moment and then at my attire and found myself humming the tune 'One of These Things is Not Like the Others' in my head. Unfazed, I joined in the conversation and we spent the next hour talking about the finer points of fishing, drinking, and, of all things, the education system. 

Kalifornsky Beach
(K-Beach if you're a local)

Thursday evening was spent exploring the town of Nikiski and devouring (about half) of the Veggie's Haters Pizza at Charlie's Pizzeria. On Friday after work, I took a short trip to Kalifornsky Beach to enjoy one last view of the sea before heading to the airport to go back home. Although I didn't get to see any family on this trip, it was a great week nonetheless. And perhaps the best news of all, I just found out recently that I will be returning for another week in Kenai in June. I'm guessing the weather will be better because the sun will be out quite a bit then (about 19-20 hours of sunlight per day). Good times!

Sunset in Kenai

If no one claims these,
can I use a couple?

 

King Crab (need I say more?)

Alaskan Razor Clams

Homer

Channeling my artistic side

Mt. Redoubt - active volcano

View from the bridge near Kenai

Kenai

Brookings and Grants Pass, OR

August 13-22

Allow me to begin by quickly summing up the less than relaxing two weeks for me following Seattle:

Tuesday, in Louisiana:  Found out they have drive-thru margarita bars (no, I'm not kidding). Flight home was delayed 7 hours.  Learned that yes, Dominos will deliver that late to an airport.

Thursday, in Chowchilla, CA:  Met parents for dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory.  Found out one of the principals attending workshop was a former classmate and friend from college.

Friday, in Fairfield, CA (near Napa):  Discovered you can buy Boudins sourdough bread at the Oakland airport.  And there was much rejoicing!  

 Next Monday, in Frisco, TX (near Dallas):  Worked and went straight to airport to fly to El Paso.

Tuesday, in El Paso:  Worked and went straight to airport to fly back to Dallas.

Wednesday, in Frisco again:  Worked and went straight to airport to fly to El Paso again.

Thursday, in El Paso again:  Where am I?  What time zone am I in?

Waiting with Rachel for flight out of  Louisiana.  We even got the TSA agent to  join us for pizza!

!

For the alcoholic who's always on the go... but no U-Hauls (because that would be... dangerous???)

August 28-29

Pinned to the wall in my office is a small map of the U.S. showing the states I have been to.  To date, my total is 22.  One of those states already colored in was Oregon, because well, technically I had been there before.  Now, I was only 4 years old at the time, so my memory of the trip is obviously pretty limited.   Basically, the only thing I remember from the trip was being in tears because I was totally convinced that my parents had stolen my snow during the train ride up there and replaced it with water.  (Since I had never seen the stuff before, they scooped some snow into a cup for me during one of the stops.)  They kept trying to tell me some bogus story about how snow melts and becomes water... blah, blah, blah, but come on, would you buy that story?  Yeah, me either ;)

Well, this trip gave me the opportunity to return to the scene of the crime and see California's neighbor to the north.  On the agenda for this trip were the towns of Brookings and Grants Pass.

The trip began with a flight from Las Vegas to Crescent City, CA via San Francisco.  Aly was not with me this time, so of course I got into and out of SFO with no delays.  As the plane began its ascent out of SFO and towards Crescent City, I was able to get these pics of the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges:

View of Golden Gate Bridge
from the plane

... and the Bay Bridge

I heard that there was a lighthouse in Crescent City that was worth checking out, so after landing, I took the short drive to the Battery Point Lighthouse and grabbed these shots:

Welcome to Oregon, enjoy your visit...

Cool fact- this lighthouse is also a museum, but apparently somebody lives here, so I didn't want to be rude and get too close.  Also, the lighthouse is located on an island which requires a small boat to reach it.  This made the decision even easier.  Maybe another time.  I strolled around the area for a bit, then it was time to get in the car and head north to the Oregon border and the town of Brookings.

I love the coast

Brookings is a really small town located along the Pacific Ocean.  My hotel, while not the best hotel I've ever been to, scored major points for being located right on the beach.  Man, nothing beats opening the window and enjoying the cool breeze, smelling the ocean air, looking out on the endless horizon, and reading the tsunami warnings that were posted EVERYWHERE!  Wait...what?!  Not because they were expecting anything, but as a precaution.  Geez!  You guys sure know how to make a guy feel uneasy.  Maybe I should grab dinner to get my mind off that possibility- after all, I've already had a couple of close calls with a hurricane, an earthquake, and a tornado in the past year.  I'd prefer to not add to the list.

After a dinner of scallops and fish at the Hungry Clam, I was ready to head back to the hotel to unwind and prepare to present the next day.

Fast forward to the following day at 4:00 and I'm back in the car (nope, didn't get the family truckster) heading to Grants Pass.  Now, if you look on a map, you will see that Grants Pass is northeast of Brookings, not that far away.  So why, I ask, is my GPS telling me to go south?  Well, let me to tell you- that's because you have to drive over an hour an a half BACK into California before you can cross over again into Oregon and continue another hour to make it to Grants Pass.  Definitely not the most direct route possible, but it was a nice, scenic drive nonetheless.  Here's a small sample:

Somewhere in Oregon

Somewhere Else in Oregon

Knowing it was going to be a quick turnaround, I didn't even bother unpacking anything.  Just wanted to check-in, drop-off my bags, and go eat.  After a quick search on Yelp, I found that Musashi Sushi Restaurant was the place to go.  Located in the downtown area, near "that one bar" and "the other bar" (I might mention here that Grants Pass is pretty small too), Musashi's claim to fame is the JD Roll, which consisted of shrimp tempura, salmon, onions, tobiko, and topped off with several lemons, sliced so thinly that you were supposed to eat it as part of the roll, rind and all.  It was an interesting concept to say the least, but you know what, it actually worked.  It really added a 'punch' of lemon, but not too overpowering.

All in all, it was pretty good couple of days in the Beaver State.  No rest for the weary, though.  After my work day it was time to head back to the airport (Medford this time) to meet up again with Aly, Chris, and Katie.  This time, though, I would be meeting them in Anaheim because we were about to embark on something really dumb, or maybe I should say Dumbo?  That's right, it was time for the Dumbo Double Dare Race Weekend!  I was about to run 19.3 miles in two days because, you know, half-marathons are so last month ;)  Never a dull moment!

Seattle, San Francisco too...

August 2-August 8

My legs are sore, my frequent flier points have skyrocketed, and my body has no idea what time zone it is in.  This can only mean one thing- I have survived another August!  Now that the dust has settled and I have a few days off, I finally have some time to recall and begin writing about this whirlwind of a month!

It's 'Go' Time!

It started off with a weekend trip to San Francisco for the 'Giant Race' half-marathon.  After Aly got off of work on Friday, we packed a few things and flew out to the city to meet up with Chris, Katie, Kevin, and Kourtnee.  Having Aly with me on a flight to SFO could guarantee only one thing- it would be delayed, and once again we were not let down. After several hours of playing on the IPad and talking to random people, we were able to board the plane and make the hour and a half flight to one of my favorite cities.

The Stater Family

Chris, Katie, and the kids showed up the next day and we had a great time spending time together and walking around the city.  Not too much walking around though, because tomorrow was the big run.  And what a great run it was!  The 13.1 mile course started out at AT&T Park (aka Heaven on Earth), led us down Fisherman's Wharf, past Ghirardelli Square, and continued all the way to Golden Gate Park.  Just before we got to the Golden Gate Bridge, we made a U-turn (Dad- you probably would have recognized this), and headed back toward AT&T Park again.  Perhaps the highlight of it all was that the finish line was inside of the ballpark!  Here, we all met up, had some snacks, and snapped a few pictures.  The weather was great, the scenery was beautiful, and to top it off, Aly and I both set personal records!

Showing off the Medals

On hallowed ground

After showering and checking out of the hotel, the six of us met up again for lunch.  Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot of time to relax because I had to go from there straight to the airport because I was off to Yelm, WA (about an hour south of Seattle) to work for a week.

Finding the Mariner fan was a little bit like playing Where's Waldo?

Having never previously been to Seattle, I figured this would be a great opportunity see a couple of the city's highlights.  Something I quickly became aware of was how green everything was.  Living in Vegas for the better part of a decade has definitely taught me to appreciate this.  Emerald City indeed.  On Tuesday night, I drove up to Safeco Field to catch a Mariners game.  I have to say, this is definitely one of the better ballparks in baseball.  Intimate seating, good food options, and outstanding views of the downtown skyline!  Oh, if the only the people of Seattle could see it. Seriously Seattleans... Seattlites... Seatles... uh, Citizens of Seattle, feel free to SUPPORT YOUR TEAM!  The stadium was completely taken over by Blue Jays fans!  Final score:  Blue Jays 7, Mariners 2.  Both Mariner fans went home disappointed.

The next evening, I drove to the north end of Seattle (side note: Seattle traffic is brutal!  Did not anticipate that.) to have dinner with a friend whom I haven't seen since she moved here from Vegas 3 years ago.  Tanya recommend this place called Bizarro, a funky little Italian restaurant founded by circus performers that was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (you may have noticed from previous blog entries that this is one of my favorite shows.)  Obviously they heard I was coming, because we were given the:

I'm kind of a big deal around here ;)

 

If it's good enough for Guy Fieri, it's good enough for me!

The house specialty is linguini and clams, so I had to go for that.  Outstanding!  And by the way, if your cell phone starts ringing, don't even think about answering it here.  There are signs all over warning that if you are seen using your cell phone, there will be an extra charge to your bill.  Haha, love it!  You know, perhaps more businesses should adopt this approach.

There is so much more to see in Seattle, but I promised Aly I would save the rest of the touristy stuff (Pike's Place, original Starbucks, Space Needle, etc.) for another time when I could take her.  This also includes one destination that I had no idea I would be so infatuated with, and that is Mount Rainier.  I was absolutely blown away by how majestic it looked from a distance.  Seriously, I couldn't stop staring at it!  Except, you know, when other drivers yelled at me for not paying attention to the road, but what do they know?

Mt. Rainier- trust me, this picture does not do it justice!

Anyway, at 14,111 feet, it rises over 11,000 feet above everything else around it.  I was also told that people climb this peak when training to hike Mt. Everest.  That's pretty intense.  Hmm... perhaps hiking it is out of the question, but visiting the national park and just standing in awe of it is definitely on the to-do list.  Anyhow, this concluded my first week of August.  From there, it was time for a quick trip home, then off to Louisiana and California!  See you there!