Living 2 Eat |

While visiting Dallas, Texas, I had the opportunity to stay at the legendary five star hotel, Mansion on Turtle Creek.   This property has been featured in every luxury magazine in the world.  Oprah Winfrey has even plugged it as one of her favorite hotels.

When you travel each week for work, you will quickly learn that room service (or In Room Dining) is your best friend.   Meals times are relegated to eating at the desk while answering office e-mails, returning calls, and reviewing plans for the following days appointments.

Every evening this hotel slips an evening ‘movie’ menu under the door.   Imagine my surprise when I discovered they were offering a corn dog!   Needless to say, I quickly called and had two corn dogs sent up — when they arrived, the presentation was amazing (all that pomp and circumstance for corn dogs!) and included flowers, fresh mustard’s and Heinz ketchup.  

As the person who eats several corn dogs when attending the county fair, I know corn dogs… and the Mansion’s version included a thick beef hot dog battered with a buttermilk coating and deep fried.    Hard to imagine a five star hotel having an excellent deep fried food as the evening highlight, but this corn dog is a winner!

Should you ever stay at ‘the Mansion’, try a corn dog as well as their other offerings.  I know they have an impeccable reputation and their menu is worthy of Zagat’s highest ratings.

NOTE:  According to FoodReference.com  “Corn dogs are hot dogs dipped in corn batter, deep fried and served on a stick. Corn dogs were supposedly created in 1942 for the Texas State Fair by Neil Fletcher. Corn dogs are an excellent source of calories, fat, cholesterol and salt.” 

 If ever there is a list of legendary Florida establishments, Joe’s Stone Crab would be at the very top.   Years ago, my sister and I joined my parents at the Miami Merchandise Mart and after the event we decided that seafood was our choice for a late lunch… and Joe’s is the only place for seafood in our estimation!

We arrived mid afternoon on a Saturday and were quickly seated (something that never happens during high season) — it was old Florida and a visual flashback to the days when Miami Beach was host to Jackie Gleason, Gloria Swanson and every other Hollywood A-list that loved a tan. 

Since we were four at the table, everyone ordered something different and everyone tasted everything, a buffet of sorts.   Chilled lobster salad, jumbo shrimp cocktail, colossal stone crab.   The ‘colossal’ order included the biggest claws that I have ever seen.    The meat was plentiful, sweet and succulent.    Joe’s homemade remoulade sauce is the perfect complement to any crustacean.  To this day, I have never had better.  

No trip to Joe’s would be complete without an authentic piece of Florida’s official dessert, Key Lime Pie.  No green food coloring or bottled lime juice in this pie.   It was tart, sweet and concluded an outstanding repast.  Note, the flan was delicate, filling and perfectly glazed.

As the waiter dropped off our bill, we learned several things… don’t leave home without your American Express card.  Also, be sure you are aware of exactly what ‘market price’ means when ordering anything with jumbo and colossal in the description!

  Joe’s Remoulade Sauce

Mix all ingredients together. Use a dip for shrimp Cocktail or with Joe’s Stone Crabs.

NOTE:  

This restaurant is only open seasonally.  So, call ahead to insure it is open.  

Joe’s will ship stone crab and key lime pie directly to your front door.  Check out their online store.

Plain and simple, for the biggest, best, and juiciest peaches, head to Fredericksburg, Texas!

Several years ago, I was traveling to Fredericksburg to meet with an incredible entrepreneur by the name of Dian Owen Stai.   She and her late husband built one of the finest health care companies in the world.   Dian exudes everything Texas — blonde hair, thick Southern accent, and a sprawling historic ranch.

While en route to Dian’s ranch from San Antonio, I passed thru Fredericksburg and noticed countless advertisements for peaches, peach preserves, peach salsa, peach chutney, peach ice cream… everything peach.

Being a huge fan of anything peach, I bought a few peaches before returning to San Antonio.   Once back at my hotel, I could not wait any longer, I quickly washed one of the peaches and took a huge bite… the juice ran all down my face, and onto my shirt.   Although this was a good dress shirt with peach juice all over it, I figured it was worth every stain!

Each peach literally oozed sweet nectar requiring no sugar.   The flesh was firm and almost melted in your mouth. I am not sure I have ever had a fresh peach that piqued my taste buds as much.    After asking around, it seems that Fredericksburg (the hilll country of Texas) is known throughout the West for their peaches.    Unlike the hard baseballs sold as peaches at the Florida grocery stores, these are soft, juicy, very aromatic and the size of softballs.

By the way, check out the history of Fredericksburg… very fascinating.   A strong German heritage with Texas hospitality.    My friends, George & Sarah Seay of Dallas, recently hosted a dual 40th birthday celebration in the area but I was unable to attend.    Apparently, everyone in Texas knows about Fredericksburg but I have yet to find any non-Texan that has ever heard of the town (or its peaches).

Fredericksburg peaches are available for shipment, click here.

Perhaps the most widely recognized symbol of the Pacific Northwest is Seattle’s Space Needle.  Built in 1962, the Space Needle served as the symbol of that year’s World’s Fair. It has since become the landmark of Seattle, Washington, and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. Interestingly, the Space Needle is privately owned.

At the top of this structure is the Sky City revolving restaurant that provides the diner with a 360 degree view.   No worries, the revolutions are ever so slow… no Dramamine required!

My Northwood University colleague, Jason McDonell, and I were in Mukilteo, Washington to meet with Kathryn Hach Darrow (a wonderful lady).   Being Jason’s first time in the Seattle area, we ventured to  the Space Needle.  Although I had been visiting Seattle every couple of months, I had not really been a tourist.   Jason’s presence prompted me to venture outside the hotel and he continually reassured me that Northwood University would not cease to exist if I went sightseeing for an hour or two.   You will note that I traveled extensively for the school, but rarely visited any location attractions, museums, landmarks, etc.  

Once at the Space Needle, we found ourselves surrounded by tourist and a quite a few locals.  The restaurant seemed to attract Pacific Northwestern’s celebrating special events - brithdays, anniversarys, etc.    If I am not mistaken, I believe a small charity fundraiser was being hosted there that evening.   Lots of well dressed people, and some casual ones as well.

My friend Heath Evans played for the Seattle Seahawks had mentioned to me that the food was rather pricey, but the view was awesome.   Jason and I had been ‘on the go’ for well over a week and our food expenses had largely consisted of fast food stops.  So,  a nice dinner would be ok.    Surprisingly, the food was not as pricey as what I had anticipated.

Usually, tourist attractions are not known to have five star cuisine, however, Jason and I were extremely impressed — it was fresh, beautifully presented and reflective of the region.   The meats were extremely tender, well seasoned and cooked to perfection.   Salad greens were all organic and not Iceberg.

Of course, the salmon is always fresh and available a hundred different ways.   Folks in Seattle pride themselves on 101 different ways of eating salmon, and Sky City was amenable to cooking it in any way upon request.  By the way, the service was great too.

If you are visiting Seattle and would like a unique dining experience that will be a fond memory, dine at Sky City!

Just reading the title of this post, I suspect you already have a mental picture of this hotel.  Based upon the legendary reputation, the mention of the name Waldorf=Asotria evokes images of the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, the Astors… sipping tea, smoking a cigar, sipping on brandy or enjoying an elegant meal served on the fine china.

Countless trips to Manhattan required meeting over the breakfast hour and Peacock Alley seemed to be the location of choice.   Modern and elegant, this stunning restaurant embraces the future and yet pays homage to the history of the Waldorf. Located in the heart of the bustling main lobby, Peacock Alley’s setting is opportune and ideal for getting a glimpse into how the Vanderbilts and others once lived.

Each breakfast at Peacock Alley generally included Eggs Benedict.   The Hollandaise sauce was never salty but perfectly pleasing with thoroughly poached eggs.  The English muffin was not soggy, but crisp and the foundation for a nicely cut piece of Canadian bacon.  

NOTE:   Although my dining experiences at this hotel have been great, my overnight stays were problematic and resulted in apologies from the management.   Due to the age of this hotel, the rooms are older and not nearly as luxurious as their counterparts such as the newer Ritz Carlton properties.

Being a guest at the Westin’s Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta (GA) several times per year, I dine at Pittypat’s Porch every time I am in town. 

Pittypat’s was founded in the early 1960’s by A.J. Anthony.  He stumbled upon a  winning concept — providing out of town guests with a Southern experience, and that includes fried chicken!  Even the decor reflects the Old South with a rocking chair lounge, and dining under the porch.

The chicken salad on “Pittypat’s Sideboard” cannot be missed, nor can the “Blackeyed Pea Cakes”.   The pea cakes are incredible and were a first for me.   Finish the evening with the Bourbon Street Bread Pudding, you will have sweet dreams.  

Gwen, an older lady with graying hair, walks the restaurant with pride and overlooks all the tables with the attention of a doting grandmother.   She seems to know when the sweet tea needs a refill or the “I’m too full” statement should be overlooked and a sinful treat be delivered to conclude a fine meal.  Gwen is the best server at Pittypat’s and she takes great care of me every time, please tell her that I sent you!

A trip to Atlanta is not complete without a meal at Pittypat’s.   It is worth the trip just to meet Gwen.

NOTE:  I must tell you that over the past ten or so years, I have dined at Pittypat’s and been sorely disappointed.   HOWEVER, new owners took over and things returned to five star standards.  

Did you ever make s’mores when you were a kid?   I did, and loved it!   Did you ever make s’mores as an adult?  I have, and loved it even more!

Fresh graham crackers, big chunks of Hershey chocolate bars, plump squishy marshmallows, skewers and a volcano shaped flame emerging from a Chinese pupu platter dish was delivered to our table… and six adults became kids and shared childhood stories of campfires, Scouting, and special moments.

For about an hour, I sat with two couples having little in common and over this dessert we bonded, laughed, nearly cried and exited the dinner having a newly found love and respect for one another.   This special order seemed to bring us all together and helped us fondly recall times in our lives where no bills existed, no 60 hour work weeks and no heartaches.   With each sweet bite we were all transported back in time.

The backdrop for this blast from the past was the five star Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.   The only existing hotel in the world with a Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced design, The Arizona Biltmore has been an Arizona landmark since its opening on Feb. 23, 1929 when it was crowned “The Jewel of the Desert.”

The Biltmore Grill is an outdoor restaurant at the resort that serves S’mores… along with lots of other fine foods.   The layout is rather simple and heavenly during the winter months.   An outdoor fireplace gently warms the area and removes the chill from the rapidly cooled desert nights which are free of humidity (and bugs!).   Stars shining bright, a roaring fire place, s’mores and great conversation… what more could anyone ask!

NOTE:   If you would like to order a S’mores Kit for yourself or as a gift, check out Cosi.  

For the past six year or so, I have earned Delta Airlines’ highest annual status, Platinum Medallion.   This means that I travel way too much and find myself trekking thru Delta’s east coast hub at least several times per week.

Despite the glamorous perception of having a job that requires extensive air travel, I nearly starved on many trips as I longed for real food… not room service, not a burger on the go, and not another rubber chicken dinner at some hotel banquet hall… I wanted something good that would stick to my ribs.   Quickly, I discovered the Atlanta airport (ATL) had great Southern food… Paschals.

Paschals is located in several places throughout ATL.   I have dined at each of them and all offer winning cuisine that makes this Southern boy smile!   Being a weary road warrior, a nice fried chicken meal complimented with collards and black-eyes hits the spot.   Also, the beef-a-roni type of entree is awesome too. The proverbial icing on the cake is always the sweet tea.   I never cared for their desserts as their cobblers are a bit too laden with spice and cinnamon.   The tea was dessert enough for me.

I know very little about Paschals and their background, but I do know they serve a great ‘fast food’ meal to the weary traveler.

 Earlier today, I dined with some folks at The Flagler Steakhouse.  Our table included a stunning view of The Breakers’ beautifully manicured golf course.Located in the heart of beautiful Palm Beach, Florida, this establishment is part of The Breakers — an internationally known five-star resort.

In my quest to sample every hamburger in the USA, I ordered “The Flagler Burger” which is probably the juiciest burger that I have ever eaten.   My order arrived a perfect ‘medium’ and was quickly topped with nothing but ketchup and yellow mustard.   The meat was flavorful, extremely juicy and succulent.  By far, one of the best gourmet burgers that I have ever eaten.

My guests ordered French onion soup to start and both raved about it.  I have tried this before and found it to be wonderful.  The flavor of the soup is always rich and robust with a hint of sugar.  

One of my guests concluded his meal with THE BEST dessert in Palm Beach… “Cookies and Milk”.  This childhood favorite includes four nice thick freshly baked chocolate chip cookies surrounding a glass of ice cold milk.  The aroma of this dish is enough to conjure up childhood memories.  

Our server, Tim, was terrific and made sure our glasses were never empty.   Prompt, courteous and always attentive.   He made our visit perfect and I so appreciated it because one of my guests was a first time visitor.

Simply put, The Breakers hits a home run on this meal!  

In 1997, my parents and I were returning to the United States after spending two weeks aboard a French cruise-liner touring French Polynesia.   Although exploring the Tahitian Islands was one of the neatest experiences of our lives, we were starving for real food… meat and potatoes!

We arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) early evening after a very long and tiring journey from Tahiti with plans to stay at a local airport hotel before resuming travels back to the East Coast  the next morning.  Some how, some way, we found our way to a very unique dining experience.

At the center of LAX stands the landmark Theme Building which is home to the spectacular Encounter Restaurant. With 135-foot high parabolic arches and a futuristic design, the structure is certainly unique and has become one of the most recognizable buildings in the United States.

The building is surrounded by lush gardens, including a courtyard with plaques commemorating the opening of the new jet-age airport in 1961 and LAX’s first employee in 1928, Henry Bakes. The Theme Building was completed in August 1961 at a cost of $2.2 million; and the Encounter Restaurant, with its space-age interior and spectacular exterior lighting, opened in January 1997, serving fantastic cuisine and offering 360 degree views of the airport

Our meal included lots of meat and hearty potatoes side dishes… no more French food for us!   I remember that I ate a very well prepared roasted pork chop with a savory sauce.   I think my parents may have had steak.   Honestly, you would have thought that we had no eaten for days.   The dessert was a huge platter that contained samples of each dessert… and it was served with a very chic chocolate designed angular feature.   We commented on it so much the chef came to our table, and he told us his father lived in Lehigh Acres, Florida… which is about 25 minutes from our hometown of Immokalee!  Small world.

Over the years, I have dined at the Encounter with friends and always enjoyed it.  The food on repeat visits was not five star, but the atmosphere and view make up for anything the food lacked.    By all means, if you are in the area, GO!