The 'Haze Craze'

'Clear beer' and Hazy IPA

I had never heard of Hazy IPA until I saw it on the menu in a Washington, D.C. restaurant. I was intrigued by the entry; I ordered it, and it was one of the best beers I’ve ever had. This beer had a hint of citrus flavor, and it was tasty and satisfying. When we returned home, I began to explore more of the hazy IPA trend.

Apparently, this has been a thing for quite a while. Clearly, I am behind the times on this. Then again, it took me a long time to get into craft beers in the first place. 

I Despise Jalapeños

I live in Texas, where things like jalapeños are an important component of meals. Texans eat jalapeños with all kinds of things: bacon, beans, beef, chicken, pasta, eggs, fish, cheese – just about everything. It’s kind of an obsession in Texas, like sweet tea, chicken-fried steak, brisket, chili (without beans), kolaches, Tex-Mex, and more. I’m okay with most of these food items.

Except for jalapeños - I hate the stuff.

Not liking such a staple food makes me a bit of an outlier. I don’t much like chicken-fried steak or okra either, but I pretty much keep that to myself. The jalapeño thing can be a problem though when eating in a restaurant if a meal that otherwise looks appealing comes with jalapeños.

Fantastic Road Trip Food

Road trips are usually fun; however, road trip food can be hit or miss. Our recent drive from Texas through Nashville, Tennessee, to Washington, D.C. and back gave us many opportunities to try various foods. Fortunately, we lucked out on most of what we tried.

Arepitas – Harker Heights, Texas

We were looking for pizza, but ended up with an unexpected and delicious Venezuelan dinner. We had never heard of arepa or arepita, but after dinner that night, we were hooked. The restaurant is called Arepitas, in Harker Heights, Texas, and this place is a keeper.

We walked into what had been our favorite pizza restaurant. We noticed that the sign was missing from the storefront, but two men were working on ladders and we figured they were remodeling and had temporarily taken the sign down.

Bella Sera – Copperas Cove, Texas

Many of us go to a restaurant expecting, or at least hoping for a spectacular meal. I have been fortunate to have experienced this at several places, and Bella Sera in Copperas Cove, Texas, provided one recently. It was nothing fancy, but it was the best lunch I've had in recent memory – their exceptional Stromboli.

Down Unda Trading Post – Lampasas, Texas

Who would have thought that a pleasant forty-mile drive through the Texas countryside would lead to – Australia? Well, not exactly, but such a trip will give you a nice taste of the country 'down under.'

The 'Down Unda Trading Post', located on US Highway 281, sixteen miles north of Lampasas, Texas, provides a tasty glimpse of Australian food, including Vega Mite, Anzac biscuits, Australian Chocolate, and meat pies. It was the meat pies we were interested in, so we set out on a warm, sunny Spring day in search of this unlikely Aussie outpost.

Where the Present Meets the Past

Less than a mile southeast of the Glasgow, Scotland Airport, the intersection of Renfrew and Dundonald Roads in Paisley, Renfrewshire, is a place where the present meets the past. Where those two roads cross sits a Kentucky Fried Chicken store. Next door is an Esso gas station, and beyond that, a Tesco Express grocery. Directly across Renfrew Road from the Esso station is a stone cairn, sitting on a concrete triangle that splits the lanes of Dundonald Road. The cairn contains a plaque commemorating an event that happened on that spot seven hundred years ago – long before anyone bought gasoline or ate chicken made famous by a Kentucky Colonel.

The Blue Bonnet Cafe - Marble Falls, Texas

Who doesn’t love home cooking? Who doesn’t want to eat the food that you grew up with – food so good that only a Mom can make to your satisfaction? That kind of food only exists at Mom’s house, right? Not quite. There is a place where you would swear your Mom must be in the kitchen, cooking your favorite food – The Blue Bonnet Café, in Marble Falls, Texas.

The Elusive Pappy Van Winkle

If you are a bourbon drinker, you probably know of the legendary Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve. It is allegedly one of the world's greatest bourbons, produced in extremely limited quantities by the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery Company. I say allegedly, as I have not had the privilege of tasting it. In fact, the chances of me ever getting a taste of this magical spirit are close to zero.

Zio's Italian Kitchen – Georgetown, Texas

You have to wonder about a restaurant where the appetizers outshine the entrée. It doesn't happen often, however, at Zio's Italian Kitchen in Georgetown, Texas, the salad and appetizer were so outstanding that it was a bit of a letdown when the main course showed up.

Off-Centered With Dogfish Head

The recent craft beer popularity explosion affords beer drinkers more quality choices than ever before. Sam Calagione and his Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware, is one of the best of the microbreweries. With a name like Dogfish Head, you know this has to be good stuff, and Sam and his team produce an incredible array of unusual and extremely interesting craft beers. "Off-centered ales for off-centered people," is the official description.

Kentucky Bourbon: Great American Whiskey

I did not know bourbon was whiskey. I didn't know what it was made from, how it was made, nor had I tasted it. I've tried drinks with Canadian whiskey, Scotch whiskey, tequila, vodka, and gin, and didn't enjoy any of them enough to stick with it, always returning to beer as my adult beverage of choice. Then, a trip through Kentucky in the summer of 2014 got me interested in bourbon.

A Special Texas Kind of Feeling

Luckenbach, Texas has a special feeling about it. It's the feeling you get when you meet a legend in person, although of course, Luckenbach is not a person. It may only be a place, but it has a distinct personality, located deep in the heart of Texas – literally and figuratively. If you've been there, you know what I mean. If you've never been there, you owe it to yourself to make the trip to this Texas landmark, ten miles southeast of Fredericksburg, Texas.

April 19, 1995 - Oklahoma City

April 19, 1995 – twenty years ago. I was living in Tulsa, OK at the time, and the next day, after the bombing, I had to work in Oklahoma City. A group of us drove downtown, parked and walked to within a few hundred feet of the Murrah Building.

Sam Adams – Great American Beer

The first time I tried a Sam Adams beer (The Boston Beer Company), I couldn't believe how good it was. It was Boston Lager, the taste was full, the color was a deep beautiful amber, and I was in love. I had never tasted anything like this before, and it was so much better than the mass-produced beers I was used to. My next thought was, why did I spend so many years drinking that other stuff?

Holly's Drive-In – Post, Texas

If you love hamburgers and soft ice cream, Holly's Drive-In, in Post, Texas, is a must visit. If you live in or travel through the Post/Lubbock area, take the time to try the food at this great drive-in. It's a classic small town sort of place; a place where you can step back in time to a kinder, gentler era.

Cracker Barrel – Harker Heights, Texas

If you do much traveling, you've seen Cracker Barrel restaurants just about everywhere in the US. These popular eateries are usually conveniently located at major highway exits, and are well advertised on roadside billboards. We have visited several Cracker Barrel locations; the Harker Heights, Texas store is one of the best.

Voss' Bar-B-Q – Utica, New York

If you travel through Utica and you don't eat at Voss' Bar-B-Q, you're missing out on a treat. We stayed in Utica in the summer of 2014 and of course, one of our stops was this outstanding food stand that offers exceptional hot dogs, bar-b-q, ice cream and more.

Red Roof Inn #180 – Utica, New York

Hotel/motel prices tend to be ridiculously high, especially in the summer tourist season. If you want to stay in a decent hotel, you're generally going to pay $100 or more and you still take your chances. How many times have you booked a room at what you considered a higher than normal price and ended up being disappointed with the accommodations?

Not so at the Red Roof Inn in Utica, New York.

Schlotzsky's – Killeen, Texas

You have to appreciate the humor behind the slogan on the door of their stores: "No shirtzsky, no shoezsky, no Schlotzsky." Schlotzsky's makes one of the most unique sandwiches anywhere - The Original® (yes, it's a registered trademark). What began in a small store on South Congress Street in Austin, Texas in 1971, grew to more than 350 stores, primarily in the southern and southeastern US.