June 2009
15 posts
Drinkable Architecture
How many beers do you need to drink to construct a Beer Can House? It took this guy twenty years to make this gem out in suburban Houston.
3 tags
Feasting in Texas
A weekend in Austin, Texas made us yearn for a little relaxation so we made the four hour drive east to stay with a friend in Houston. I’ve heard a lot of mixed things about Houston, but the promise of good times with friends made us go. Strangely enough, there were several things I wanted to do in the city. The Astros had a homestead, an artist I wanted to see was in town and, of course, there...
Tabasco Island
Avery Island is home to the McIlhenny Company, makers of Tabasco sauce. Avery Island is also conveniently located fifteen minutes from Lafayette. Where else can you do a hot sauce tasting?
Eatin' Country!
After a blissful week in New Orleans we decided it was time to get a move on. The next destination: Texas. Texas, to me, is a strange place. Just as some folks find Manhattan overwhelming, Texas is just too much for me. The state is huge land mass full of people that I know nothing about. We decided to make our first stop Austin, Texas in order to ease the pain but I was still reluctant. To...
4 tags
NOLA Goodies
Char-broiled Oysters Shrimp and Green Tomato Po’ Boy (The ones from Parasol got wolfed down too quickly!)The outside of Abita Brewing. I was too late for a tour but… …I was able to get the sampler at the brew pub!
It's Hard Leaving The Big Easy
After spending a week in New Orleans I can safely say it is one of the best cities in the world. It is so awesome that I would gladly live there despite the oven-like heat and suffocating humidity; it was as if I could taste the thick, muggy air. While the climate was devastating the city itself was extraordinary. We were lucky enough to know someone living in city—lucky also because she knows...
A Taste of The Crescent City
Here are a few of the New Orleans “originals” I’ve been chomping down. If you’re wondering where the pictures of all the gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, andouille sausage, alligator, crawfish and various Étouffée dishes are, well, I just couldn’t help myself; I didn’t have the will power to snap a photo before I demolished them. Good thing the seafood...
You can never can trust those Canadians
What a bust!
3 tags
Finally...New Orleans!
Memphis was fantastic! I gorged on as many ribs, pork shoulders, tamales and bowls of chili as possible. Last night, however, we arrived in New Orleans and my senses are exploding with excitement. From a beer point of view New Orleans is home to Abita and Dixie Brewing Company. From a food point of view—not to mention music and straight up character—New Orleans is a place I’ve been meaning to...
4 tags
A Belly Full of Grits
As we motored into Nashville from St. Louis and the familiar pangs of hunger started to kick in, we stopped at the Loveless Café, a landmark for good ol’ southern cooking. In order to fuel myself for the evening of honkey tonks and dancing I decided to have to southern sampler. The plate came out heaping with catfish, fried chicken, pork shoulder, greens, grits, fried okra and biscuits. I...
5 tags
The King of Beers? St. Louis, MO
When we arrived at St. Louis I figured my beer options would be slim. After all, we were in the land of Anheuser-Busch. I assumed all we’d find were the ubiquitous red bottles. I was dead wrong. Just before we pulled into the city of Westward Expansion, I finished reading Maureen Ogle’s Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer. The book was a thorough and extremely informative trip through...
Nothing but Greens!
Home to Chuck Berry and toasted ravioli, St. Louis also hosts the Soulard Market, a bastion of fresh produce, meats, and just about any southern green imaginable.
Kentucky Ale: A Sweet Southern Surprise
On the way to Lexington, Kentucky I noticed a billboard for the 2010 World Equestrian Games. Now I enjoy sports, but when it comes to horse racing I’m completely ignorant. The reason the sign caught my eye was that it promoted Kentucky Ale as the official beer of the games. Kentucky Ale you say? We were staying at a friend’s house in Lexington and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try...
Chicago Dogs, the Cubs, Honker's Ale and some Old...
I made my way to Chicago with a lot of conflicting ideas. I’ve been to the Windy City before and left thinking I missed a lot. This trip, I was grappling with how to approach the metropolis. Should I focus on architecture? Sports? Food? Beer? In the end I decided to relax. We only had one full day, so we wanted to take in the essentials, things that only Chicago can offer. The day started...
4 tags
New Glarus Brewing Company
Wisconsin isn’t home to many things: Cows outnumber the people and, after Milwaukee, the cities are few and far between. Despite this, the fine folks of Wisconsin do a few things really well: sausage, cheese and, most importantly, beer. After crossing into Wisconsin from Illinois we made a beeline towards New Glarus, a small town about an hour south of Madison. New Glarus is often called...