Eatin’ and Drinkin’ in the Land of Lincoln

September 19, 2018June 27, 2020 - Scott Leave a comment

By my count, there are 421 restaurants in the greater Springfield, IL area, though a few of them may have closed while I was counting. Here are four of my favorites.

Little Saigon

Just about every town has some kind of Chinese restaurant, either a buffet or a hole in the wall carryout place. Some are better than others, but they all pretty much taste the same.

I have found that Thai and Vietnamese food is much more interesting. One of the best places to get it around here is Little Saigon on Wabash. It’s not fancy, but oh is it delicious!

One of my favorite drinks to cool off with in the summer is a Thai Iced Tea ($4.95). Imagine a sweet tea with condensed milk added and you’re getting the idea. They also have 20 different flavors of freezes (also $4.95), which you can get with black pearl tapioca at no extra charge.

Thai Iced Tea Little Saigon Springfield Illinois — Thai Iced Tea

Their menu has a wide variety of Thai and Vietnamese dishes, plus a few Chinese standards for the somewhat less adventurous. The Crab Rangoon appetizer is some of the best around.

Little Saigon has 11 different soups, including variations Hu Tieu (a clear bean noodle), Mi (egg noodle) and Pho (rice noodle). If you really want an authentic pho experience, try the Pho Saigon ($9.95). The roast beef, meatballs, onions and cilantro are recognizable enough, but there are other cow parts involved that I could not quite identify. Definitely an Andrew Zimmern moment for a Midwestern white guy such as myself.

via GIPHY

Let me pause for a moment and address the word “authentic.” I’ve never been to Vietnam. Or Thailand. Or India (more on that in a minute). I really have no way of knowing if the pho I’m eating in Springfield, IL tastes the same as what you would find the locals eating in Southeast Asia. So when I say “authentic,” I am judging by how many people eating in the restaurant look like the people working in the restaurant. Or if they are speaking a language native to the ethnicity of the food being served. If it’s home cooking to them, then as far as I am concerned, it’s authentic.

Now back to this menu. As is common in East Asian restaurants, some of the entrees have a picture of a chile next to them, indicating that these are spicy dishes. Some Thai and Vietnamese restaurants are known for really cranking up the heat. Little Saigon is not one of those. Depending on who’s in the kitchen, you might get a little more curry on some days than others, but there’s nothing really outlandish. You can always ask them to dial it down too. They will make any dish just the way you want it.

Curry Noodle Little Saigon Springfield Illinois — Curry Noodle ($9.95) Normally comes with onion and green onion, but my wife doesn’t like onions.

Curry Fried Rice Little Saigon Springfield Illinois — Curry Fried Rice. This one has chicken, but you can order it with any meat that you want. **LRF PRO TIP:** If you order something other than a fried rice dish, get a side of fried rice for only $3 extra. You’ll be very glad you did.

Gateway to India

I have been a fan of Indian food for quite some time. I like to try things that are different, and from my point of view, Indian is about as different as it gets. The colors, fragrances and spice combinations are unlike anything else I have ever encountered.

I have yet to meet an Indian restaurant that I haven’t liked (St. Louis has some REALLY good ones), but the one that started it all for me is Gateway to India on Chatham Road just south of Wabash.

I must confess; I have never actually ordered off the menu here. The first time I came was for the Sunday lunch buffet, so I could try a little bit of everything. And that’s all I’ve ever done since. I guess I just don’t want to limit myself to one thing.

Before I even get to the food, I want to mention the service. My wife and I eat out a lot (probably more than we should). As a result, there are several places in the area where we definitely qualify as regulars. There’s just something about being known in a place when you walk in. It makes a restaurant feel like an extension of your home, or at least the home of a family member you enjoy visiting. I love that. My wife is sick of hearing me say how much I love that.

So how cool is it then, when you can walk into a place where the people look nothing like you, have a different primary language, cook food that’s like nothing anyone in your family tree would have ever made, and you STILL feel like you’re at your sister’s place? Where they know your drink order, and your favorite table? Where they notice if one of your family members didn’t come this time, and ask how they’re doing? Where they know what your favorite menu item is, and make it special for you if it’s not on the buffet that day—before you even ask—even if it’s been two months since you were there last?

That’s what we get at Gateway to India. Every single time. The Patel’s absolutely spoil us. It’s the best!

So what’s good at Gateway? Honestly, I recommend you go for a lunch buffet and just try everything. This cuisine, as I said, is so different from anything else you’ll eat, that you probably ought to sample until you find something you like.

Some of this food can get really spicy though (again, it depends on who’s in the kitchen that day). So if hot is not your thing, here are some relatively safe bets:

Naan—a buttery, fried bread, kind of like a pita. This goes with everything. In fact, I have seen several Indian customers use it as a utensil. It’s certainly good for mopping up sauces.
Tandoori Chicken—smoky leg quarters cooked with onions and peppers and gosh knows what else. Very craveable.
Vegetable Korma—a vegetarian dish in a bright yellow sauce. I think coconut milk is involved. Quite mild.
Chicken Makhani—this one can scooch up to medium heat some days, but it’s a good entry-level Indian dish. The red sauce has a creamy, nutty flavor. People I have taken to Gateway that weren’t fans overall usually still like this.

Gateway to India Springfield Illinois — (Clockwise from top left) Naan, Chicken Makhani, Saag Paneer (spinach and homemade cheese over Jeera, which is lightly spiced Basmati rice)

Pie’s the Limit

Pie’s the Limit has an absolutely genius concept. They take the build-your-own system used by sandwich shops and fast-casual Mexican restaurants like Chipotle and Qdoba and apply it to pizza. For $8.99, you can custom design your own 11-inch pizza with ANY combination of seven sauces, eight cheeses, nine meats and/or 16 veggies. Anything you want, and as much of it as you want for the same price. The Pie’s the Limit! (See what they did there?)

Our go-to used to be the one on Freedom Drive off of Lindbergh because it was the closest to us. However, this location has unfortunately become a COVID casualty. There is another location closer to downtown on MacArthur, and now there’s even one in Champaign!

With a 750-degree revolving deck oven, your pizza is usually ready in about five minutes. They stay busy, but they also move things along. There’s usually a fairly steady stream of people coming in, but I’ve never had to wait for a table.

It’s hard to make specific recommendations in a place like this, since you are essentially designing your meal yourself. I’m not even about to try to do the math to figure out how many potential combinations of ingredients there are. Suffice it to say you’ll never run out of options. Here are a few we’ve tried:

Pie's the Limit Springfield Illinois — Chicken and Spinach with Cheddar Jack Cheese and Spicy Sriracha Marinara.

Bella Milano

A lot of people think that because I’m Italian on my mother’s side that I would be an Italian food snob. That’s actually not the case. I’ll eat at Olive Garden. Or the Spaghetti Shop. Or a Lean Cuisine chicken Alfredo fresh out the microwave. I don’t care. With my family background, Italian food isn’t ethnic to me. It’s just food.

That having been said though, I really do appreciate places that do it well. Around these parts, the legendary place to go for Italian food is The Hill in St. Louis, a small neighborhood that was settled by northern Italians in the late 19th century and stayed that way. Lots of family-owned restaurants on The Hill, from casual to fine dining, but they all have a certain distinct flavor that is immediately recognizable to anyone who has ever been there.

One of the best tastes reminiscent of The Hill in Springfield is Bella Milano on far West Wabash. They started about 15 years ago in Edwardsville, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi. From the toasted ravioli to the Milano salad with provel cheese and crispy prosciutto, Bella Milano definitely brings the St. Louis vibe to Springfield.

At Bella Milano, you can go family style starting at $35 with a salad for four and two pizzas or entrees to share. Or you can order off the menu. There’s always a special or three as well, so make sure to ask about that.

LRF Pro tip—the dinner prices are significantly higher than the lunch prices. HOWEVER, if you go to lunch on Sunday, you get the lunch price, not the dinner price as is common in most establishments. Needless to say, we go on Sunday a lot. Going tomorrow in fact.

Lots to enjoy on this menu. I recommend just about anything labeled as Bella Signature, particularly the Tortellini, the Spaghetti Carbonara and the Pasta Three Way (pictured below).

Bella Milano Pasta Three Way Springfield Illinois — Spaghetti, ravioli and penne in meat sauce, topped with lots of provel cheese and a meatball, and baked. $13.99 on the lunch menu.

Hungry yet? My work here is done. Now go GETCHA SOME!

Eight (or so) of My Favorite Breakfasts

August 17, 2018September 19, 2021 - Scott Leave a comment

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I’m not sure who “they” are, but they sure say a lot of things, don’t they?

In any case, here at LRF Headquarters, breakfast is usually two cups of coffee.

Low-Rent Foodie Headquarters — Having kids in the food service industry does wonders for your decor.

Lately, I have been favoring Blonde Espresso or Guatemala Huehuetanango from Redbud Coffee.

Now this liquid breakfast may be enough to jump start a workday, or get me through third service at church, but at some point, some actual food needs to enter the equation. For this reason, I am a big fan of Sunday brunch.

So when exactly does breakfast end and brunch begin? I don’t know that it matters, really. I’ve seen brunch start as early as 10AM and breakfast served all day. I’m not as concerned with when it’s served as much as who’s serving it.

via GIPHY

A favorite here in Springfield, IL is D’Arcy’s Pint. They are known far and wide for their specialty horseshoes, and their long lines if you don’t time your arrival just right. For the longest time, they weren’t open on Sunday either, but then they started serving brunch.

Combine brunch with specialty horseshoes, and you get the Irish Breakfast Shoe.

This non-menu item was most noteworthy to me for having two kinds of bacon—American and Irish Rashers (which taste a lot like Canadian bacon, if you’ve never had them).

Canadian bacon is an ingredient in one of my favorite breakfast/brunch items, Eggs Benedict. A traditional Benedict is two poached eggs and Canadian bacon served on an English muffin topped with Hollandaise Sauce. This is tasty enough, but why stop at traditional?

The Yankee Clipper Diner in Beacon, New York, serves up five different kinds of Benedicts. My favorite there is the Copenhagen Benedict.

Yankee Clipper Beacon New York — The Copenhagen Benedict substitutes corned beef hash for the Canadian bacon.

My daughter’s favorite at the Yankee Clipper is the Nutella Banana French Toast.

I would say, though, that my favorite variation of Eggs Benedict is the Crab Cake Benedict. Crab cakes are awesome on their own, but get that poached egg yolk running through them with the lemony tang of a good hollandaise, and that’s some next-level breakfast right there. The first time I ever had this was at Ann Sather’s in Chicago. A Crab Cake Benedict plus a cinnamon roll the size of your face makes for great fuel before a day game at Wrigley Field.

Another great variation of Crab Cake Benedict is served up at Kitty’s Kafe in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Kitty's Kafe Gulf Shores Alabama — $8.99 for 1 egg, $11.99 for 2. With some cheesy grits on the side, because Alabama.

There are so many awesome places to eat in Gulf Shores, that’s going to have to be its own post.

As it turns out though, I don’t have to go to the beach or Wrigleyville for my Crab Cake Benedict fix. They have them right up the road at the Chatham Cafe, which is getting to be one of my favorite places to go for breakfast. Since it’s easy walking distance from where I drop my car off to get it worked on, I have had occasion to try several of their offerings while I wait. I’ve already mentioned the breakfast horseshoes. My new go-to is the Breakfast Burrito, pictured at the top of this post. Two eggs, chorizo (not too salty or greasy), onions, peppers and cheddar cheese wrapped up and served with hash browns for $8.29.

While we’re on the subject of local diners, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Sunrise Cafe on South 2nd Street in Springfield.

One of my happiest days was when the indoor smoking ban was enacted in Illinois. Before that, you couldn’t walk three steps into the Sunrise without dying from smoke inhalation. I am so grateful that this is no longer the case.

The Sunrise is known for arguably the best cheeseburgers in Springfield, but their breakfast is no slouch either. My favorite is the Sunrise Country Breakfast, which is two eggs, a 6-ounce smoked pork chop, potatoes and biscuit & gravy for $7.25.

Sunrise Cafe Springfield Illinois — $8.50 if you add a chop. I added a chop. Some pretty tasty pancackes too!

Eating out for breakfast is a family tradition for long road trips. We’ll leave stupid early, get down the road a ways, and then find a place to eat. Our one rule is that we never eat anywhere that we have at home. And my personal, unofficial rule is to avoid nasty hotel food whenever possible.

One year ago this week, we moved my middle son down to Florida. We had a great breakfast going down, and another coming back.

A fantastic diner with tasty food, friendly service and great prices as well is the Cozy Table in Benton, Illinois, just off I-57. This is the Country Omelet.

It is FOUR eggs and sausage with hash browns and a half order of B&G for only $6.19!

For an off the charts brunch experience, though, I recommend Oy! In Atlanta, Georgia.

Walk through the front doors and be overcome by a tangible wave of bacon aroma (apparently, despite the Yiddish-sounding name, it’s not a kosher restaurant).

“OY” stands for “Overindulgent Yumminess,” but it’s also what you’ll say as you waddle out after stuffing yourself with their decadent Challah French Toast Casserole, smothered with syrup and caramel sauce. Or the Challah Egg and Cheese Soufflé.

Challah Egg and Cheese Souffle Oy Atlanta — $8.99 for small, or $12.99 for regular, pictured here. Small is enough. Regular is suicide.

Their Monster Pancakes are 14 inches across (the size of a large pizza, if you’re keeping track). They come in six different flavors, plus the Pancake of the Day. For $10.99, you can even get one of these stuffed with bacon.

via GIPHY

Going out for breakfast is great, but sometimes, I just want to sit at my own dining room table with my family and have breakfast for dinner.

Hungry now? I hope so. So go GETCHA SOME!

LRF Rocks the Rockies: Part 4–Fort Collins

July 11, 2018July 11, 2018 - Scott Leave a comment

I have mentioned the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway in a previous post. Here is another day trip from Estes Park that I recommend. Come back down through the Big Thompson Canyon and hang a left on Rt. 287 in Loveland to get to the college town of Fort Collins.

If you love your craft beer (and boy do I), this is the place to go. Rocky Mountain snowmelt into the Cache la Poudre River provides the main ingredient for the product of 20-odd craft breweries. Some you may have heard of, such as New Belgium Brewing Co. (home of Fat Tire, among others), some you may not, like Funkwerks, Black Bottle and Horse & Dragon.

Since many of these breweries are within walking (or staggering) distance of each other, you might want to consider a brewery tour. I would recommend a guided tour though, unless you’re REALLY good with directions. I am convinced that whoever laid out Old Town had been on a few too many brewery tours himself. I like to think I’m handy with a map, but DANG! At least if you get yourself lost (not that this happened to me, except that it . . . might . . . have . . . happened to me), it’s a gorgeous town to get lost in.

Old Town Fort Collins Colorado — Kids playing in the street fountain in Old Town.

Flowers and brightly painted murals everywhere you look.

Alley Fort Collins Colorado — Every shortcut alley we took to get back to our car looked at LEAST this nice. Oh yes, and bikes everywhere. It amazed me how many people we saw on bikes in the mountains when people in Illinois will drive around the corner.

Plus, there are random, artistically-enhanced pianos scattered all over town that you can just sit down and play. (The more breweries you’ve hit, the better you sound!)

Fort Collins Colorado street piano — These must be a bear to keep in tune. Of course, it is a LOT dryer in Colorado.

But if you’d rather take a brewery tour without the frustration of getting misdirected, might I suggest Beau Jo’s Colorado Style Pizza? Beau Jo’s is a Colorado chain with half a dozen locations that is famous for Mountain Pies. Which look like this.

Beau Jo's Mountain Pie Fort Collins Colorado — (Front) Skier Mike’s, which is canadian bacon, chicken and green peppers on honey white crust. (Rear) Hamburger and Pepperoni on honey wheat crust. Both $12.50.

These are smalls. They only weigh ONE pound. An extra-large is FIVE pounds. You’d need a whole vanload of Low-Rent Foodies to tackle one of those bad boys.

Beau Jo’s pizza also comes in a Prairie Pie size crust, but what fun is that? Go big or go back to the cabin. The crust comes in honey white or honey wheat. (Note for the non-gluten folk—almost everything on the menu can be made gluten free for an additional charge). I recommend the honey wheat, which is delicious in its own right, but dip it in the honey that they keep on the table, and you’ll wonder why more pizza places don’t do this.

There are a mind-boggling number of choices for customizing your pizza. Beau Jo’s offers 11 different sauces, 15 meats, 18 vegetables and 10 different types of cheese to top your mountain pie. There are also three tiers of specialty pizzas, such as the Sky Hawk (pepperoni, Hatch green chiles, mozzarella and feta cheese); the Cajun (andouille sausage, pepperoni, onions, jalapenos, cheddar and provolone cheeses); and the Motherlode (salami, pepperoni, meatballs, bacon, Italian sausage, ham and mozzarella), to name just a few. (Note: the meatballs are NOT gluten-free.)

And of course, you have to have something to wash it down with, right? Did I mention that Fort Collins has a few beers?

Beers at Beau Jo's Fort Collins Colorado — Thirsty?

I love it when places with a large beer selection offer “flights” (those samplers with small glasses of several different kinds of beers). This way, you can try several different beers without getting too hammered to find your way home (or getting stuck with a whole pint of something you don’t like). At Beau Jo’s, you can go first class, or coach. Here’s a coach:

Coach Flight Beau Jo's Pizza Fort Collins Colorado — Clockwise from front (I think): New Belgium Citradelic, WeldWerks Hefeweizen, Odell 90 Shilling, Black Bottle Tropical Depression, Sam Adams Summer Ale

There are still a lot of Fort Collins beers that I haven’t tried yet, but my favorite so far is the Sad Panda Coffee Stout from Horse & Dragon Brewing Co. I don’t know why the panda is sad, but it made me happy!

So if you find yourself in Fort Collins (or Evergreen, Idaho Springs, Arvada, Steamboat Springs or Longmont), GETCHA SOME! (Before you do that, though, click on the pic below for a special deal on a gift card!)

LRF Rocks the Rockies: Part 3–More Estes Park

July 8, 2018July 11, 2018 - Scott Leave a comment

Usually you don’t put “light” and “buffet” in the same sentence, but that is what you get at the Baldpate Inn on Fish Creek Road south of Estes Park.

Baldpate Inn entrance, with view of Estes Park down in the valley.

The Baldpate is a historic B&B/restaurant that sits about 9000 feet up the side of Twin Sisters Mountain. The inn was named after the mystery novel “Seven Keys to Baldpate,” in which each of seven visitors thinks he or she has the only key to the inn. I haven’t read that book, but apparently, down through the years, a tradition has developed where visitors will bring a key when they stay at the Baldpate. As a result, the inn now boasts a collection of over 20,000 keys, which they keep on display in, where else, the Key Room.

They are also known locally for their soup and salad buffet. The salad bar is actually an old bathtub.

Baldpate Inn Salad Bar — Clean eating indeed!

Soup and salad doesn’t sound like a lot of food, especially at $16.50 a head, but between the choice of two hearty soups (we had chicken noodle and an EXCELLENT buffalo stew), fresh desserts and LOTS of homemade bread, you’ll get plenty.

When you’re finished eating, take your time to stroll around the grounds or lounge on the porch. If you go over by the hummingbird feeders, you’ll be treated to one of my favorite sounds in Colorado (second only to waterfalls). Where I come from, hummingbirds buzz like giant bugs and make me nervous. Here in Colorado, they whistle. Give a listen to this:

That’s the sound I woke up to every morning on the deck of our cabin on the Big Thompson River.

Need a warmup for the mountain hiking you’re going to do later? How about a little street hiking in downtown Estes Park? Many of the shops along the south side of Elkhorn Ave. are also accessible from the rear along the Riverwalk, which is essentially one long park stretching about a half mile from the Visitor’s Center to George Hix Riverside Plaza, where the Fall River meets the Big Thompson.

If you like ice cream, there’s somewhere to get it roughly every 200 yards in any direction in Estes Park. Another fun place for refreshment is Rocket Fizz, a shop that specializes in unusual and retro sodas. Grab one out of the cooler and enjoy it at a table out back along the riverfront.

Rocket Fizz Estes Park Colorado — A Black Cherry for the wife, and I’m going full Harry Potter with a Flying Cauldron Butterbeer.

If you find yourself still puttering around downtown when dinnertime rolls around, check out the Grubsteak.

The Grubsteak Estes Park Colorado — Betcha they got some MEAT up in here!

This pub is known for burgers, some of which trend to the unusual side. Elk burgers aren’t that weird, considering you are in the Rockies, which are teeming with elk. But have you ever tried a yak burger? If not, you need to. A slightly milder flavor than beef, but SO juicy!

Elk Burger Grubsteak Estes Park — Cheddar BBQ Bacon Elk Burger. $15.75

Yak Burger Grubsteak Estes Park — Cowboy Yakburger with bacon and a roasted Anaheim Chile. ($16.25) Paired with a Stinger Honey Wheat from Estes Park Brewery ($6.00)

If you’re wanting to get away from the tourist-packed downtown area, another place I recommend is Sweet Basilico for Italian.

Seafood Alfredo Sweet Basilico Estes Park — Seafood Alfredo with jumbo shrimp, bay shrimp, scallops and crab. $22

Shrimp Diavolo Sweet Basilico Estes Park — Shrimp Diavolo, with scallops and LOTS of red peppers. $20

Or if you’re in the mood for some BBQ, try Smokin Dave’s.

Smokin Dave's BBQ and Taphouse Estes Park Colorado — Dave’s Double Platter ($16.95) with brisket and ribs, accompanied by red beans & rice, smashed potatoes and a Rock Cut Pils ($6). There may or may not have also been a bowl of green chili involved.

They have two locations. We ate at the one on Estes Park Golf Course, which has an awesome view of Long’s Peak.

Longs Peak Rocky Mountain National Park — Longs Peak (elev. 14,259) from the Estes Park Golf Course.

I also recommend the roasted chicken, pulled pork and green beans at Smokin Dave’s. So go getcha some, and then come back for Parts 4 and 5, where we’ll talk about some day trips.

The Devil Dog of Costco

April 18, 2018December 3, 2022 - Scott Leave a comment

This is the story of how I became acquainted with the best hot dog I have ever eaten. I am speaking of the Kirkland Signature Beef Dinner Frank, affectionately known in our family as “The Devil Dog of Costco.”

A Costco membership is not the most practical thing to have in Central Illinois, as the nearest warehouse is 71 miles away, across the river in St. Peters, Missouri. We’re pretty much in Sam’s territory here.

Nevertheless, my wife, Diana, is from the Toledo, Ohio area, and most of her family is still there. Two of her nephews, and the wife of one of them, all work for Costco. When you first hire on there, you are given a few free memberships that you can give to friends and family. Since we were a fan of their products and travel service, we decided to go ahead and sign up, despite the fact that we knew we would not be able to visit all that regularly.

A couple of months ago when we were back visiting family, we had some time to kill, so we thought we’d stop in at Costco to stock up on. . .whatever. Upon arriving, my wife said she was thirsty, and went over to the food court to get a Mountain Dew. Having had one of my mother-in-law’s lavish country breakfasts earlier in the day, I didn’t want anything.

After a few minutes, Diana came back with her soda (excuse me, her POP. We’re in Ohio now.) along with one of the biggest hot dogs I had ever seen, slathered in ketchup. (I’ll pause a moment for the Chicago folks to regain their composure.)

“What did you DO?” I asked. “I told you I wasn’t hungry.”

She replied, “It’s a special–a dog and a drink for only $1.50. Plus I can get one refill on the drink. I couldn’t pass that up!” I had to admit, that was quite a deal. Eventually, she convinced me to take a bite. Oh my. Juicy and full of flavor, but not as overwhelmingly spiced as a Hebrew National, which is now my SECOND favorite hot dog.

“You’re the devil,” I said. I’m not sure if I was talking to my wife, or the dog itself. Despite my not being hungry at all, I put down half of that dog in about 30 seconds. Later on, as we were browsing the store, we saw that these dogs were on special for $11.99. We grinned at each other, almost wickedly, and grabbed a package.

Kirkland Signature Beef Dinner Franks from Costco — Kirkland Signature Beef Dinner Franks. Using my shiny picture because I didn’t feel like dealing with Costco’s copyright department for their prettier one. Low-rent, you know.

These devil dogs come advertised as “1/4-pound plus.” To be specific, 4.36 ounces apiece, which is to say, at least twice the size of a normal hot dog. They come 14 to a pack. Since there are only the two of us at home, we realized quickly that there was no way these were all going to be consumed in one hit. Diana had the idea to freeze them in fours–one each for dinner, and one for my lunch on a day when I would have a time conflict at the dinner hour.

One of the tricks to the proper consumption of devil dogs is finding a bun that can successfully corral them. I think I have found the perfect one–the pretzel buns from Shop ‘n Save, a chain of supermarkets in Illinois and Missouri. (UPDATE–Shop and Save was bought out, and has since closed all their stores in this area. On my birthday, no less. Figures.)

Costco hot dogs and Shop 'n Save pretzel buns. — Four dogs and four buns. Solving the age-old conundrum of making the number of dogs and buns come out even.

I have discovered that an excellent flavor combination is the Costco dog on the pretzel bun with dijon mustard. This way, in a single bite you get the flavor combinations of hot dog/mustard as well as pretzel/mustard, both of which are great individually. My choice of complementary beverage is a Yuengling Traditional Lager (another thing I have to travel to get).

Costco Hot dog, Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese and a Yuengling — Adding some Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese to round out the meal.

Find a Costco near you and getcha some!

OK, Maybe I Will Pay for Coffee. Sometimes. (UPDATED 11-8-2020)

March 24, 2018November 8, 2020 - Scott Leave a comment

In 2016, Konner Dudley, a high school classmate of my oldest son, started Redbud Coffee Co. in Auburn, IL. Konner and his wife, Jennafer, roast and deliver ethically sourced, single-origin coffee (and now tea as well) to caffeine addicts across southern Sangamon County as early as the next day (if you time your order right).

I could tell you the story of how Redbud Coffee came to be, but I’ll just let Konner do that.

What impresses me most about Konner and Redbud is that he understands that people are more important than coffee. Instead of just slapping a Fair Trade label on his packaging, he strives to ensure that the beans he roasts are from regions and farms where the farmers are taken care of in terms of pay and work environment.

Also, Redbud Coffee donates $1 for every bag of coffee sold to the Aruna Project to help combat human sex trafficking.

Oh, and did I mention the coffee is really, REALLY good? Konner mixes up the flavors a bit from time to time, but current offerings (as of November 8, 2020) include:

Brazilian Honey–a light to medium roast processed with honey. The sweetness of the honey does come through in the flavor, but is not cloying or overwhelming at all. This is my favorite one to order at the Redbud Food truck, which now has a semi-permanent location on Route 4 on the north end of Auburn.

Ethiopia Guji–a light roast with a pronounced aroma and taste of blueberries. I love this one.

Redbud Coffee Auburn Illinois Ethiopia Guji — From $16.00

Decaf de Mexico–this has a mild, roasty flavor and is my go-to for making half-caf blends with whatever else I have lying about.
The Tempest–the Redbud website describes it as, “A balanced but somehow wild blend crafted specifically for espresso. You can use it for whatever you want though. We’re roasters, not cops.”
Costa Rica Natural–haven’t tried this one yet, but it has notes of raspberry, lime, sugar cane, & floral, according to the website.

Redbud Coffe sampler. Auburn, IL — Can’t decide? Get a sampler!

Prices for 12 ounces of coffee range from $14 for the Decaf to $18 for the sampler (six of those little bags in the picture above). Yes, that’s a bit more than Maxwell House, but come on people. You get what you pay for. I’m telling you, there’s nothing like coming downstairs in the morning to find a bag of coffee on your front porch that was roasted less than 48 hours ago by someone you know personally. (UPDATE–coffee can now be ordered in four sizes, from 12 to 60 ounces.)

Oh, and by the way, if you’re not from around here, Konner will also ship outside the local delivery area. Redbud City Coffee is also now available in select retail establishments as far away as Jacksonville, Petersburg and Lincoln. Check the map here.

So what are you waiting for? GETCHA SOME!

St. Martin Part 2: The French Side

March 14, 2018June 13, 2018 - Scott Leave a comment

So last week I told you the story of our trip to Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of that tiny island in the Caribbean. We had heard that the food was legendary on the French side, so we planned to visit the town of Grand-Case (pronounced grahn cahz) to see about lunch. At the suggestion of Alton Brown in his show Feasting on Waves, we decided to seek out the lolos, cheap outdoor restaurants on the beach.

So, how to get there? St. Martin has lots of cars, but not a lot of roads, so getting anywhere takes a while. We hailed a cab, and told our driver where we wanted to go and what time we needed to be back to the ship. He told us it would be virtually impossible to get a cab to bring us back from Grand-Case, but he didn’t want to see a pair of tourists stranded in a foreign country, so he offered to wait for us while we ate, then drive us back to Philipsburg himself. I said if he would be willing to do that for us, I’d buy him lunch. This turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made on a vacation.

French Side St. Martin — Crossing over to the French Side. I was on the wrong side of the taxi to have the camera, apparently.

When you arrive in a foreign country on a cruise ship, you are a tourist by definition. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially in a country whose primary industry is tourism. Yet, somehow, it never felt quite right to me to identify myself as a tourist. Somebody just there to see stuff and leave. If I’m going to go all the way out to some island, I want to make some kind of connection with the place and its people. I have found that food is one of the fastest ways to make this connection.

Our cab driver’s name was Roberto Pantophlet, but everybody on the island calls him “Choo-Choo.” We hit it off immediately, as he commented on my ubiquitous Chicago Cubs cap. It turned out that his son, Simon, was pitching in the Cubs farm system that year. All the way around the island in the slow, slow, traffic, we talked about baseball, family, faith and island living. By the time we finally reached Grand-Case, I felt a lot less like a tourist.

Grand Case St. Martin — Boulevard de Grand Case

So, the lolos. My goodness, where to begin. Have you ever been to an outdoor barbeque, maybe at a county fair or some such place, with huge amounts of meat cooking on a grill right in front of you? And the incredible smells making you want to permanently excise the word “diet” from your vocabulary? Where the only thoughts jockeying for position in your mind are what you want to try first and how much of this can you eat without dying? OK, now multiply that by about six, and you’re starting to get the idea.

Lolos Grand Case St. Martin — Lolos. Pro Tip–one Euro = one US Dollar at the lolos. So not only are you getting awesome food, but the best deal in the Caribbean as well!

We chose The Rib Shack, the last Lolo on the right, for no other reason than due to sensory overload, we just needed to sit down.

Rib Shack Lolo. Grand Case, St. Martin — The Rib Shack

Honestly, I could have spent at least a week in this place. There was so much to try, a single visit didn’t even make a dent. Of course, you have to get ribs at the Rib Shack. They are marinated in lime and cider vinegar with onion and garlic and served with “rice and peas,” which we would call “red beans and rice” stateside (see photo at top of post). We also tried several other local favorites, all of them fantastic.

Stewed Conch and Curry Rice. Rib Shack lolo, Grand Case, St. Martin — Stewed Conch and Curry Rice. So good that I about had it gone before I remembered to take a picture of it.

Saltfish and Carib. Rib Shack lolo, Grand Case St. Martin — Saltfish fritter with Carib beer. Every island has its own main brew. This one is actually brewed in Trinidad and Tobago.

Crab Back. Rib Shack lolo, Grand Case, St. Martin — Crab Back. A spicy stuffed crab that is quite possibly the best thing I ate all week.

This experience was over way too soon. Yes, the food was great, and I wanted more of it, but this day remains the best “local” experience I have had on a cruise. For a few hours, I wasn’t just in another world, but felt like I was actually part of it, not just some foreign interloper with American money.

Choo Choo Pantophlet. St. Martin — That’s Choo Choo on the left.

Hurricane Irma update

The pictures in this post were taken in 2010. On September 6, 2017, Hurricane Irma tore across this island as a Category 5 storm. As you can imagine, it made a hell of a mess.

Six months later, as I write this, the island is making a near-miraculous comeback. Many hotels and restaurants have reopened, and many areas have been cleaned up. The Huffington Post has some remarkable before and after shots, published just a few days ago.

I never did hear what happened to Choo Choo or his family. Facebook isn’t really much of a thing on the island. I found a couple of people who might be relatives, but they didn’t respond to messages (not surprising, I guess).

I hope they’re OK.