Trafford - Warren, Rhode Island

I was recently in New England visiting family. It's a beautiful time of year to be in that part of the country. While I was there I had lunch at Trafford in Warren with my lovely sister and my awesome BIL.

Trafford is located by the water in Warren and takes advantage of that fact with great outdoor seating and pretty views. It was a gorgeous day.

 

  

 

While we looked over the menu our server told us about the daily drink special. It did have a name, I think. Wonderful Peach something or other. I remember that it involved fresh peaches and other things and was very tasty.

We selected a couple of starters to share while we sipped our peach drinks and admired the view.

Trafford Crab Cakes - Roasted corn salsa, Chipotle aioli and micro cilantro

Fried Oysters - Fruit salsa, Chipotle remoulade

The crab cakes were very nice; more crab than filler. You'd be surprised at how many disappointing crab cakes I've had that tasted more like cracker cakes. Not so here. The fried oysters were small but flavorful. The fruit salsa really set off the flavors. I wouldn't have thought the combination of fruit and oysters would work but it did here.

After another round of peach drinks we ordered our mains. My BIL and I had the Fish & Chips and my lovely sister had the Chicken Panini.

Fish & Chips - Fresh cod, tartar sauce, coleslaw and fries

Chicken Panini - Balsamic glaze, mozzarella, tomato and basil pesto

The fish wasn't dipped in the type of batter I've come to expect with fish and chips. This was a lighter, less greasy coating that let the flavor of the fish stand out. I enjoyed it. A surprising but overall better option than the heavier, traditional batter. 

The panini looked great and I was told tasted great as well. Both the panini and the fish and chips came with the same hand-cut fries. 

The food at Trafford was just different enough to be interesting while still keeping enough traditional elements to be familiar.

Trafford is a lovely restaurant both inside and out. The food is good and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable. A nice place to enjoy a summer day and catch up with friends and family.

Happy dining!


 

 

Hemingway's Bar and Grill - Marietta, Georgia

A recent sunny weekend found our intrepid trio once again in search of a pleasant patio. Their search was helped again by BringFido. This time they found themselves at Hemingway's Bar and Grill on Marietta Square where we pick up our story...

Marietta Square surrounds Glover Park and is home to many dining and entertainment spots. Hemingway's Bar and Grill is one of them. Parking is located on the street as well as in public lots that dot the area but may be a challenge at peak times. Plan accordingly. We grabbed a spot not too far away and walked over. Well, not directly. Walking with the 4LB Wonder is always interesting. She has to investigate along the way which means stopping to SMELL ALL THE THINGS. We made it to the restaurant by and by.

Hemingway's patio is located in a bricked lined alleyway. Covered tables provide plenty of shade in this sunny spot.

 

It's a great spot and because we were there mid-afternoon it was pretty quiet. Except for the train. A train track crosses the alley on one side. As trains go through the crossing they blow their whistles. Loudly. And often. It's over fairly quickly though and quiet is restored but it was a bit of a surprise.

We were there at end of shift and in between lunch and dinner so things were a little slowed down. We waited a bit but were happy just to sit and enjoy the day.

With our drinks the 4LB Wonder received a bowl of water and a treat. A nice touch and a sure sign that Hemingway's is as pet friendly as we thought.

The human members of our party decided to split an order of Chili Tots and the Classic 1/2lb Burger.

Classic Burger - Served with Lettuce, Vine Ripened Tomato & Mayonnaise on a Toasted Kaiser Roll - The tots were perfect by the way

Chili Tots - Tater Tots Smothered with Chili, Topped with Jack & Cheddar Cheeses

Hemingway's makes a pretty good burger; well seasoned if not exactly to temperature. The tots though were prefect. The exact crispness that I enjoy and not at all greasy. I'd go back just for an order of tots and a beer. The chili tots benefited from having the perfect tots as a base. The chili was mild but flavorful and the whole thing worked well enough.

It's been a pleasure to find dining spots that provide not only a welcoming environment for out 4-legged friends but also good food and a nice place to enjoy it. We're more than happy to support these establishments and will definitely be returning to Hemingway's soon.

There are also several other places around the square that look interesting. We'll be back to check those out too.

Happy dining! 

National Beer Day - Prost!

In honor of National Beer Day I thought I'd talk about one of our favorites. The family of Shiner beers.

The Spoetzl Brewery, where Shiner is brewed, is located in the small town of Shiner, Texas. The brewery was started by German and Czech immigrants in 1909. They couldn't find the type of beer they enjoyed in their home countries so they decided to brew their own. The brewery gained in popularity and the owners decided they needed a trained brewmaster to helm it. That brought in Kosmos Spoetzl. He bought the place and changed the name but kept the Shiner name on the beer. It's changed a bit from the tin shack it was then but the beer is still brewed with care and like they say, every drop is still brewed in Shiner.

Shiner has a standard line-up of beers and also brews special occasion and seasonal beers. One of the summer seasonal brews we've enjoyed is their Ruby Redbird. It's a tart, refreshing beer made with Texas Ruby Red grapefruit and ginger. The perfect thing for a long, hot, summer day or anytime something refreshing is in order. Happily, the Ruby Redbird has made the jump to a standard offering and is now available all year.

Iced beer in troughs is located on the way to the counter at some BBQ joints

A few years back we started seeing Shiner Prickly Pear in the summer. At the time the only places we found it were occasionally in the iced beer troughs at Rudy's BBQ and in Shiner Family Reunion six packs. It's one of our favorites and we bought it whenever we came across it.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago and imagine my surprise when we found this...

...in a grocery store, in Georgia! We'll be happily drinking this all summer.

Shiner is now available everywhere. Lucky us that means we can now find it in most of the places we visit. It's not a craft brew or a micro-brew. It's just good beer brewed in a place steeped in tradition.

Definitely check out the Shiner Ruby Redbird or Prickly Pear if you can find it. They both go well with BBQ, good friends and long summer days.

Prost!

It's Five O'Clock Somewhere

Boys and girls, summer is on the way! It won't be long before we're all sitting outside, sipping a cold beverage and enjoying the warm weather. Maybe on a patio somewhere or poolside or in our own backyards.

It'll be time for fruity Umbrella Drinks and ice cold beers (what's better than that on a hot summer day?)

  
Maybe a frosty iced tea is more your style or a crisp ginger-ale with a squeeze of lime, so good.

One of my favorite warm weather refreshments is iced coffee. Nothing like a large cold press to start the day off. Frozen coffee drinks are great too and Caribou Coffee has a Northern Lite Caramel Cooler that I love.

Whatever your favorite is, summer is about to light the drinking lamp.

It'll be time to get outside, stake your claim on a lounge chair and raise a toast to warm weather, sunshine and friends.

Cheers!

Franklin BBQ - Austin, Texas

Every one of the overly effusive (5) star ravers was right. So very right. Franklin BBQ is the pinnacle of BBQ, the very best OVERALL BBQ that we've had.

Sausage, turkey, brisket and a rib

Turkey and brisket

Unless something in Memphis blows that away, I don't see that changing. We've had good ribs before, good brisket, good sausage, good turkey, but Franklin is hands down the overall winner in BBQ across all categories. Great ribs, great sausage, great turkey and great brisket. All done with care and served up with the evidence that shows it.

If you get tired of standing this nice man will rent you a chair

 

Almost there!

We'll continue to eat other BBQ of course. This was never about finding the best then no longer needing to eat any other barbecue again. I'm glad I got the chance to have the experience. All I can say is that if you really like barbecue and want to taste what may be the best then fly or drive to Austin, Texas, wait in line for however long it takes and enjoy the best barbecue you're likely to ever have.

Inside of Franklin's modest dining room

The best friend of good Texas barbecue

Go there, really, you won't be sorry. Pilgrimage worthy, line-waiting-in worthy, well you get the idea. Just go.

Happy dining!

John Mueller Meat Co. - Austin, Texas

The John Mueller Meat Co. is one of the two barbecue places we were in Austin to try. The Mueller name is legendary in Texas barbecue circles and depending on the survey and who you ask, John Mueller Meat Co. is either number one or number two for the best barbecue in the Austin area if not in all of Texas.

This was the line behind us. There were as many people ahead of us too. Maybe 30 people all told.

 
The place starts serving at 10:30a but the line starts way before that. Like most of these independent BBQ places, to be sure you're going to get the items you want, it pays to arrive early. They serve until the meat runs out and that's that. We lucked out and the day we visited the line was short even at 10:15a.

One True Map of American Barbecue by Jon Contino printed in Texas Monthly Magazine June 2013 issue

We spoke to some of the people lined up with us about barbecue in general, barbecue regions and opinions there of and mostly passed the time recounting adventures and disappointments of the search for the best.

So we're standing there, in the 100 degree Austin heat, drinking a cold beer (free!) surrounded by the intoxicating smell of woodsmoke. There was a band playing and enough excitement up and down the line to make the wait if not enjoyable, at least tolerable. This is gonna be good.
(Altogether we waited about 30 minutes or so.)

John Mueller Meat Co. is essentially a food truck with a covered seating area nearby. You make your way through the line to the order window, place your order (stay or go) and pick up your food and pay at the window around the front corner. (If you're going to eat there your food is placed on a tray at the order window, if you're getting takeout food your order is picked up at the next window around the corner.) Drinks are available and are in a trough full of ice in front of the pay/pick-up window.

We decided on what we were going to have and were ready once we made it to the window. We went with the brisket, beef rib, turkey and sausage. No sides other than a stack of white bread, some pickles and a few jalapeno peppers. We took our weighted down tray and headed over to the outdoor seating area. The picnic tables are under and awning so even with the heat it was comfortable enough to sit out there and eat.

That turkey up there? Sublime...I would gladly have traded every other thing on the plate and just ate that.

The food was good, no doubt about it. The turkey was extraordinary and the sausage was great. Beef ribs are a Texas BBQ staple and this one was a fine example but just not my thing. The meat was flavorful and tender but I prefer a pork rib. Sacrilege maybe but there it is. The brisket we had was a bit uneven. Part of it was cooked to perfection and part was a just the tiniest bit dry.

Overall the food at John Mueller Meat Co. was very good. Is it pilgrimage worthy? Maybe. If you're at all a fan of smoked turkey and good sausage I would say yes without reservation. If you're here go ahead and get the beef rib too, you need to try it at least once. I'm sure the unevenly cooked brisket we had was an anomaly however if you skip it and get more turkey no one could blame you.

If you're a fan of barbecue then definitely make your way to the Austin/Hill Country area of Texas. Barbecue here is a religion and the folks running the open pits and smokers take it very seriously. It's well worth a visit and I know with all of the fine smokehouses to choose from you won't come away disappointed.

Happy dining!