I earlier had a post on the Guberburger, a local specialty of Sedalia, Missouri. A Guberburger is a hamburger with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and (drum roll) peanut butter. I have, alas, never been to Sedalia and, what with the long list of places I need to visit and the limitations on travel imposed by my duties as Senior Assistant Nanny (SAN) to Miss Ella Grace … Continue reading Local Sandwiches Update: The Guberburger Taste Test
Following our Breaking News Bulletin, its back to Texas and the closing chapter of the 13th Annual National Parks Trip . The return from Big Bend involved an overnight in Midland, Texas. Nancy asked me to suggest a barbecue restaurant there, so, being bereft of contacts in and around Midland, I checked the internet. The top place in both Yelp and Trip Advisor was True Texas … Continue reading True Texas BBQ, Midland, Texas
Sam Jones was arrested for car theft! Sam Jones, of course, is the scion of the legendary Jones family, the Jones family of the Skylight Inn and Sam Jones Barbecue. Sam Jones is a James Beard semi-finalist and a leading light in the world of real barbecue. This video from North Carolina Public Radio is well worth a watch. Sam Jones is not the … Continue reading Sam Jones Arrested! — In Error, of Course
You will arrive at Boquillas Restaurant by boat. By rowboat, that is, from Big Bend National Park, just as did the newlyweds in Robert Earl Keen’s song, Gringo Honeymoon. That’s how you get across the Rio Grande. It now costs $5 per person to go to the Mexico side, and $500 per person to get back to the US. Not really. The alternative to the … Continue reading Boquillas Restaurant, Boquillas del Carmen, Coahuila, Mexico
If you’re going to Big Bend, you want to stay in a relatively central location. It’s a huge park, and there’s a lot to see. The place to stay is Chisos Mountain Lodge, centrally located and with a range of accommodations. You can camp, or stay in one of a variety of rooms. All rooms have microwaves and mini fridges, and most have air conditioning. … Continue reading Chisos Mountain Lodge, Big Bend National Park, Texas
I promised to touch on the Marfa art scene. Marfa has extraordinary cultural resources for a small town in the high desert of West Texas. Marfa has its own NPR station, an independent book store, 16 art galleries and the Chinati Foundation, and a foundation-funded writers-in-residence foundation. Marfa is a sort of Mecca of minimalist art, which tends toward maximalist in size. This kilometer-long … Continue reading Mando’s Restaurant and Bar, Marfa, Texas
Nancy and three of her friends, Nancy Breul, Jean Saillant, and Ellen Buchanan, chose Big Bend National Park for their 13th annual national parks trip. Nancy and I thought about going to Big Bend while I was teaching at Baylor Law School for a term, but it was a 9 1/2-hour drive each way, and hours away from the nearest airport, the Midland International Air … Continue reading Jett’s Grill, Marfa, Texas
I am a fan of local foods — not just local vegetables and the like, but dishes that were born in a particular area and have pretty much stayed there. The Horseshoe in Springfield, Illinois, and the Crownburger in Salt Lake City are good examples. A good source of little-known local foods is Atlas Obscura, which recently had an article about another local sandwich, … Continue reading Local Sandwiches: The Guberburger
UPDATE I did take a trip to flesh out the places on there Our State list of 26 essential barbecue places that I had not visited. You can read reviews of the places I tried. They include Switzerland Café and General Store (ugh), the excellent Richard’s Bar-B-Q, and Morris Barbeque (great sauce). While I was on the road, I got sidetracked by Countryside BBQ (good), Log Cabin Barbecue (really good), a … Continue reading 26 Essential NC Barbecue Places
When I go to a city, I always google “best bbq in _________.” It’s brain stem activity by now. When Nancy and I were headed to Sarasota for a few days en route to Marco Island, I automatically googled “best BBQ in Sarasota” and, lo and behold, the top pick was Nancy’s Bar-B-Q, right downtown, only a short walk from our hotel. There are … Continue reading Nancy’s Bar-B-Q, Sarasota, Florida
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