As Nancy and I were doing our 10k state capital walk in Santa Fe, we happened upon a group of people waiting outside Tia Sophia’s at 210 West San Francisco, just across from Burro Alley. That crowd looked like a real endorsement, so the next morning we got up at zero dark thirty (we were staying on Eastern Time) and were outside Tia Sophia’s a … Continue reading Tia Sophia’s Restaurant, Santa Fe, New Mexico
The barbecue scene in the Washington area is exploding! When I first started this Blog, Washington was a virtual barbecue desert. Now, the desert is blooming. New places spring up wherever high rents will permit, and now and then I uncover a hidden gem in the far reaches of once-rural suburbs and beyond. I meant to post the list months ago, but I kept hearing … Continue reading The Best Barbecue Places in the Washington, DC, Area, 2023
You may remember Sean Ludwig from our back to back dinners at Smokecraft and Ruthie’s All Day. Sean, of course, is the genius behind NYCBBQ, which has all the news in the Smoked Apple, and with Ryan Cooper publishes The Smoke Sheet, a guide to barbecue news and events everywhere. The Smoke Sheet recently has migrated to Substack, a paid platform. They have great plans … Continue reading Hill Country Barbecue Market, Penn Quarter, Washington, DC
I finally managed to get together for breakfast with my friend and neighbor, Eric Zabiegalski, whom you’ve met one several of my Southern Maryland food outings, most recently to Chaptico Market and Abell’s Diner. Eric and I got together again for breakfast one morning and, after consulting Paul of St. Mary’s, settled on Helen’s Cafe. Helen’s is at 29890 Three Notch Road in the original … Continue reading Helen’s Cafe, Charlotte Hall, Charles County, Maryland
My very good friend Darryl Morin shot me an email recently asking where he should eat in Birmingham. Now, Darryl came up in hardscrabble South Texas and has built a very successful tech company, so you can go to either end of the restaurant spectrum with Darryl. I sent some suggestions, high end and low, and then sent another email that just said, “Rusty’s!” It … Continue reading Rusty’s Bar-B-Q, Leeds, Alabama
The route of our 10k state capital walk in Santa Fe took us through Sena Plaza, a delightful shaded courtyard. The walk then took us out Palace to its intersection with Canyon Road and back to the start near the capitol. Hot and tired, we checked into La Posada, our hotel.. What a great place to stay! It’s an older hotel, with some inconveniences, but … Continue reading Casa Sena, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Just when I was about to publish my list of the Best Barbecue Places in the Washington Area, I heard from a bunch of people about The Pit Stop, an all-wood place out in Loudoun County, Virginia. Actually I’d heard about them years ago from Liza, but I’d never made it out there. It’s a hike from DC, and at that time it was just … Continue reading The Pit Stop, Sterling, Virginia
Here’s one more report from our sensational Romantic Danube river cruise with Viking — the flight home. After the flight home from our 2019 Viking river cruise down the Rhone, I approached this year’s flight home with fear and trembling. It meant a transfer and a lengthy wait in the Frankfurt airport. Nancy and I had been through the ordeal before. Then, we were effectively … Continue reading Lucullus Nero, Airport Concourse Z, Frankfurt, Germany
Nancy and I decided to explore North Beach and have dinner at Hook and Vine, of which we’d heard good things. It’s at 4117 7th Street, right next door to the charming Vaughan Cheese. There’s plenty of parking nearby despite being only a couple of blocks from the Bay. That block also boasts Plaza Mexico and, across the street, The Wheel House Beer Garden, neither … Continue reading Hook and Vine, North Beach, Calvert County, Maryland
It was the last day of our Viking River Cruise extension in Budapest, and what a day! After our tour of the stunning Hungarian Parliament and a great traditional Hungarian meal at Tüköry, Nancy and I continued to tour the Pest side. Our first priority was a tour of the gorgeous Hungarian State Opera House. The tour closed with lovely live opera arias performed by … Continue reading Pest-Buda, Castle Hill, Budapest, Hungary
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