So long 2013 and thanks for the memories...

I had it in mind to do a list of the HappiTraveler highlights for 2013. This won't be a top 10 list exactly but please indulge me while I take a look back at the past twelve months.


Well, for starters, the Dining Companion and I spent time in four different parts of the country in 2013. Lots of moving hither and yon without a lot of downtime. That's actually a good thing but makes for a very hectic year.

Finally got out to the West Coast to visit family for a few days of laughter and fun. We enjoyed our visit to California and look forward to getting back there. Much fun was had by all.

Also got to visit my East Coast family. The trip became a whirlwind when airline delays lopped over a day off of the trip. It was a super quick trip but we had a great time.

This is also the year I finally ate, what for me, was the best BBQ in the country. I have no doubt.

We ate a lot of good food. Not all of it was great but we landed on that side more often than not. Some of it was even memorable. (see BBQ mentioned above)

 And last but not least we got a dog. She's a great traveler, a must in this family, and has brought more happiness to us than we could have thought possible.

We feel blessed and thankful for everything. Including the ups and downs, the high and lows and all of the in betweens we had in 2013.

I hope your coming year is filled with Health, Happiness and Prosperity and all of the people and things that bring you joy.

Happy 2014!

Note: We visited the San Jacinto monument this week. I'll be posting about that coming up.

Happy Holidays

Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa and a belated Happy Hanukkah from the HappiTraveler family. The Dining Companion and I wish you Peace, Health and Prosperity in the New Year.

May the return of the light find you blessed with all of the things that make you happy and fill your hearts with love.

The happiest of travels to you and yours.

Half Shell Oyster House - Gulfport, Mississippi

Lunchtime in Gulfport, Mississippi. What to do, what to do? Eat something right? So we asked the hotel staff for a lunch recommendation. Sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't, this time we did. The staff directed us to the Half Shell Oyster House. The restaurant is located in an historic building in downtown Gulfport. It was the first location of this small chain.

We sat with our menus and admired the beautiful surroundings. The interior is all hardwood, exposed brick and wrought iron. A big nod to New Orleans.

To start we ordered the Fried Green Tomatoes and Crab Cakes and the Voodoo Shrimp. Both starters were good but the Voodoo Shrimp just edged to the front. Sweet and spicy, fried to a crunch, great flavor.

Voodoo Shrimp

The Fried Green Tomatoes and Crab Cakes had a nice contrast between the crisp fried tomatoes and the tender crab filled cakes. Great flavors that worked really well together.

Fried Green Tomatoes and Crab Cakes

Our entrees followed shortly. We had the Royal Reds (large shrimp) with drawn butter and the Seafood Pot Pie. The large shrimp were, well, really large. These shrimp have a flavor very much like lobster and the drawn butter only reinforced this. So good.

Royal Reds

Then there was the Seafood Pot Pie. It was a mix of seafood in a traditional pot pie filling covered with a buttermilk crust. The picture below won't do it justice. The buttermilk crust is hiding a rich, savory blend of shrimp, crab and crawfish with the standard mix of pot pie veggies. I'd order it again.

Seafood Pot Pie with Parmesan & Garlic Potatoes

Last but not least was the luscious Key Lime Pie we had for dessert. The perfect blend of sweet and tart. One of my all time favorites. 

Key Lime Pie

We really enjoyed our lunch at the Half Shell Oyster House and if we're ever back in Gulfport I have no doubt we'll be back.

Happy dining!

Como's Pete's #4 - Greenville, SC

Como's Pete's #4 combines two of my favorite things: diners and cheeseburgers. The story of Como's Pete's #4 is an interesting one that goes back to the 1930's. Pete's is a burger and hotdog place and quite a bit more. They have a pretty diverse menu but all of my diner favorites are there. However, the reason I was there was to try their Pimento Cheeseburger.

Pimento Cheeseburger

Somewhere in there is a very tasty Chicken Salad Sandwich

Steak fries are a favorite of mine so I was happy to see them on the menu. It's a toss up between crinkle cut or steak fries for me. "Shoestring" style fries make me sad. I could never understand the love but I know they have their fans.

The burger was a typical flat top cooked burger. True to its diner roots my burger was well done and basically seasoned. Nothing gourmet here. But I wasn't expecting anything else. It's the magic of the pimento cheese that transforms something so ordinary into something so damn good.

The Dining Companion had the Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwich. He said it was good. From what I could see it was an overstuffed sandwich on Texas toast, served with slaw and a small salad. Looked good to me.

I have no doubt that Como's Pete's #4 will be around for a long time. It's been around for a long time already after all. While I might not make a special trip to visit it is definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

One of these days I'm going to compile a list of all of the burger places we've visited, There have been so many. A few clinkers in the bunch sure but a few gems as well.

Happy dining!

Note: We'll be on the road again in the next week or so. Heading back to the gulf coast and out of this area for a while.

Sacha's Cafe - Greenville, SC

The Dining Companion and I were looking for something different for lunch the other day. We looked around a bit and settled on Sacha's Cafe, a local Colombian place. We've both had Colombian food before and really enjoyed it.

Sacha's has the feel of a local's neighborhood place. 

 We settled in and looked over the menu.

I think that translate roughly to Your Meeting Place

We decided on a stuffed arepa (Arepa Rellenas). We got the one stuffed with steak tips, onions, green peppers, cheese and jalapenos. While not the prettiest sandwich in the world it is packed with flavor. Delicious ingredients melded together with warm melt-y cheese, perfection.

Arepa Rellenas Asada - The picture does it no justice

Next we decided on the Paisa Bowl and something called a Picada. The Paisa Bowl is just that, a bowl full of tasty things. The one we ordered featured rice and beans, steak, chicharones, an egg, sweet plantains, avocado and a fried arepa.

While it looks a bit of a mis-mash all of it was wonderful. The rich egg and avocado, the savory steak and crisp bacon, so good. Not the lightest lunch fare by far so a siesta may be in order.

And there's still more. Last but not least is the Picada. Picada means chopped in Spanish and is another mixed grill plate. The one we ordered had some of the same things on it that were in the Paisa Bowl. Along with the steak and bacon there was also yuca fries, pork sausage, pork tips, potatoes, limes, tomatoes and some patacones (which I know as tostones, fried green plantains). All of it was great.

I didn't get a picture of it but there are three sauces on the table. A mild pink sauce reminiscent of a remoulade sauce, a white garlic sauce and a nicely spiced green jalapeno based sauce. The green sauce was my favorite and was the perfect foil for all of the richness of the food.

While not just a very filling lunch, dining at Sacha's reminded me that A I really like South American and also Caribbean influenced food and B how many different places there are to try if you just take a look around.

If you haven't yet tried Colombian food definitely look for it in your area. It may turn out to be a new favorite.

Happy dining! 

The Northgate Soda Shop - Greenville, SC

 
The Northgate Soda Shop has been serving Greenville, SC since 1947. Nowadays it's a throwback; a nod to a bygone era. Besides being a local institution, it's also one of the best places to get a Pimento Cheeseburger in the area.

Inside you're greeted with all manner of mementos and local memorabilia.

 

Once you're seated you'll notice a few of the tables have small brass plaques attached them. These small plaques are there to commemorate some long time customers.

There are many things I've come to appreciate about living in the south. Two of those things are Pimento Cheeseburgers and Slaw Dogs. The first is obvious, the second may not be but the clues are right there in the name. A Slaw Dog is just that, a hotdog served with some standard condiments and coleslaw. All I can say is if you get the chance you should try it.

Carolina Slaw Dogs

 

Northgate Soda Shop's Famous Pimento Cheeseburger

The original slaw dogs here feature chili, onions, mustard, pimento cheese and slaw. But you can definitely have it your way. If the original seems like overkill feel free to change it up.  The slaw dogs shown here are being served with just pimento cheese and coleslaw per request.

The Northgate Soda Shop and the Pimento Cheeseburger are featured in the book Hamburger America. If you're a hamburger fan at all you'll find a lot to love in this book. The burger at the Northgate Soda Shop is served with lettuce, tomato, mayo and pimento cheese on a great grilled bun. The only downside is possibly the doneness of the burger. If you like your burgers on the rarer side (as I do) then you may find the burger a tad overcooked. There is so much flavor and so much more to recommend it that I find I can overlook that for this one iconic burger.

Truth is there are many places where you can get a pimento cheeseburger around here. But for me the Northgate Soda Shop will always be my first stop when slaw dogs and pimento cheeseburgers are what's for dinner.

Happy dining!

Fall in the Carolinas

The Dining Companion, me and the 4 Pound Wonder are still getting settled here. Hard to believe we've only been here a little better than a week. It's fall in the Carolinas and the weather has been really wonderful. Warm days and cool nights, so refreshing and enjoyable.

I was wondering out loud the other day how can it already be November? Seems like it was just summer on the Gulf Coast. (Probably because it still feels like summer on the Gulf Coast)The Dining Companion reminded me that with us living in three states in the past year it's no wonder time feels like it zooming by. It's a whirlwind but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Now that things are calming down a bit we'll be back to normal programing here soon. Thanks so much for stopping by and following along with our crazy journey.

à votre santé!

Another Sunrise, Another Beginning

We had a nice trip through the south. The weather was good and our newest family member proved to be a great traveler. We really couldn't have asked for more.

Ready to hit the road!

Along the way we enjoyed some beautiful scenery.

We even managed to make time to stop for breakfast at my favorite breakfast spot in the country, The Red Eyed Mule. Love!

Best breakfast sandwiches ever - The Red Eyed Mule - Marietta, GA

And now we're back in the land of the biscuit breakfast. Not that I'm complaining. There's definitely an art to great biscuits and there are no shortage of wonderful examples here.

And all of this for the princely sum of $3.50

To say nothing of the Pimento Cheeseburgers, Shrimp and Grits, Low Country Boil. I'm happy to be back in the South. And just to be on the safe side I've added some extra time to my workouts cause you know, Southern Food!

It's nice to be in familiar surroundings and also interesting to see how things have changed over the years. I'm sure we'll revisit some favorite places and discover some new ones along the way. I'll be posting my thoughts and impressions as well as thoughts on the places we visit and the great food I know we'll be eating. Now pass the biscuits and lets get this party started!

Happy travels!

Note: The title is a quote: Another Sunrise, Another New Beginning ~  (Jonathan Lockwood Huie)