Ask anybody in Kansas City where the best barbecue is and you’ll probably get one of three answers: Jack Stack, Oklahoma Joe’s, or Arthur Bryant’s BBQ. These guys are the Big Three of barbecue in the town. My sister’s favorite is Jack Stack and we’ve had that in the past when visiting her. Her neighbor recommended Oklahoma Joe’s to us, and when we found out it was in a gas […]
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It started with this comment in my post about hot dogs: “Sure, there’s In-N-Out out here in California, but, honestly, it’s not that different than Culver’s in the midwest.” Fightin’ words, apparently. Scott tried to ban me from ever getting an Animal Style burger again. James educated me about In-N-Out fries. But the question remained: were they really that different? Later, James emailed saying: “I’m pretty sure Arizona is the only place you can […]
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This is not so much a recipe as it is a suggested order of events. Pocket dinners are more of a trial-and-error kind of thing. They’re elusive and mystical and can’t be easily replicated. At least that’s what I keep telling myself, because our first attempt at pocket dinners fell more on the error side of things. Here’s what you need to make pocket dinners, the luxury feast of campers […]
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Fine, fine — the wine is great. The weather is wonderful. It’s close to the ocean, mountains, and San Luis Obispo. Paso Robles is perfect in every way. Whatever, Lisa. Let’s get this straight — the only criteria that matters is the one wrapped in a tortilla. If this place doesn’t have decent Mexican food, I’m leaving. Don’t you remember looking for tacos in Vermont? How about this place, Papi’s? […]
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We stay at the cheapest of the cheap motels when we’re not camping. A La Quinta is a very, very rare splurge — they’re too pricey. A Marriott? A Hilton? Can’t do it. The places we end up at tend to be around $40 a night, and they all have free waffles at breakfast. For a while, I just figured it was a few of the chains that offered these, […]
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“The food is worth the wait!” we overhear the hostess promise another round of patrons. “But, we’re going to be late for our tour at the Hearst Castle!” the patroness indignantly exclaims. The hostess puts a sign up near the chalkboard menu — the restaurant cannot guarantee service in time for tours during rush periods. “You know, I thought it was the cashier that was the bottleneck — but it’s […]
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We wanted a hearty meal, but we didn’t want to light the stove. Remembering a good white bean-based salad we once had (with parsley and red onion), we concocted this: 1 can mixed beans, rinsed (our can had black, kidney, and pinto) ½ diced onion (we used a white one) ½ can diced tomatoes, drained (you could use fresh ones, just get rid of the extra water) 1 handful chopped […]
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Look at Jalama Beach on a map — it doesn’t look like much, does it? It’s just a tiny red dot, close to evil-sounding towns like Solvang and Lompoc. It’s on a sharp bend in the Californian coast, where the land had been moving west but suddenly decided to correct itself and proceed again to the north. To the north, Jalama Beach is bounded by a large air force base. To […]
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We’ve found the best beach camping spot in California (so far): Jalama Beach (say: Ha-Llama). It’s perfect right now, their off-season. We’re one of only a handful of people camping here. There’s no cell service, no WiFi, no neighboring town, no brewery. There’s not even a Pizza Port in walking distance. This place is remote. To the north is an air force base. To the south, basically nothing. But here’s what they do […]
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Yummy, yummy San Diego, which, if you listen to 91.1 FM long enough, you’ll learn “San Diego” means whale’s vagina in German (thanks, Mr. Ferrell). Great radio stations in this town pair nicely with the great tacos. Here’s where we ate. Rubio’s Rubio’s has dethroned Chipotle as my chain Mexican purveyor of choice. These may spread everywhere because they’re delicious. They’re the self-proclaimed originators of the fish taco. Seems dubious, […]
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