Camacho Watcho

I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Iowa City and Chicago so I’m trying to get back into sorts. It was a great trip and I had a great time catching up with family and friends!

I also used this trip as an opportunity to break in my new camera that I am totally in love with. With this in mind, my sister obliged me by taking me on a photography tour of Chicago. We had overcast skies and drizzles while we toured but it was fun nevertheless. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph the “bean” in Millennium Park on a Tuesday with no other tourists around. So I was able to get this shot of me, the bean and the Chicago skyline. I hope you enjoy!

Located on the banks of the Illinois River in East Peoria, Illinois is the Burger Barge restaurant. No, it’s not an actual barge, but it certainly looks as though a barge or boat of some type ran ashore and then took off again, leaving behind remnants such as weathered anchors, ropes, and other nautical items. Unfortunately it was a rainy day when I went to lunch at the Burger Barge, so I didn’t stay outside long to inspect the outside, but rather ran right inside to get eating.

The inside is just as nautical with nets hanging from the ceiling and boating gear everywhere. As I took my seat at a table near the door, I noticed a very large (maybe 3 feet tall) parrot perched just behind me on an oversized bird swing. I knew I was definitely somewhere different and I hoped I was in for a treat. The Burger Barge claims that they serve the “best burger this side of paradise.” Of course playing on a few thoughts here. The first is that the Burger Barge is located right next to the Par-a-dice casino, which is a gaming boat parked on the shores of the Illinois River. And the second is the thought of East Peoria being paradise…I’ll just leave it at that. Regardless of the play on words, they claim to have a fantastic burger.

I was impressed with the menu, featuring fifteen different burgers and also a variety of barges (other hot sandwiches from what I could tell). I decided to go simple and ordered a plain cheeseburger and fries. My brother, on the other hand went all out and got the Ship, Captain and Crew Burger (a cheeseburger with the works including coleslaw and fries between the bun) and my mom also got a cheeseburger but with the works, which included their dock sauce.

Our food arrived and I was immediately drawn to my brother’s burger. It looked so good with the creamy, sweet coleslaw and french fries. My mom’s looked tasty as well, especially the tangy dock sauce that dripped from the side. My burger definitely lost in the “looks” category, being that it was very plain and had shredded, unmelted cheese. The Ship, Captain and Crew Burger was definitely the winner. The verdict? The Burger Barge is a really good burger. It’s not greasy and it’s served on a great bun. The next time I’m shipwrecked that side of paradise, I will definitely be back.

The Burger Barge
1401 N. Main St.
East Peoria, IL
309.694.9191

I was visiting home last week in the lovely town of Morton, Illinois. I had a great time with friends and family and arrived back to Minneapolis exhausted! I did visit a few restaurants and, of course, the Pumpkin Festival…all of which I will write about soon. However, for today I thought I would just share a few highlight pictures of my trip home.

Good homecooked eats by my parents…

A fantastic chocolate cream pie from my Grandma…

Lots of fun babysitting and playing with my nephews…

Especially this rousing game of hide and go seek…(he was so hard to find!)

As a note, you’ve got to try the tomato and watermelon salad in the top picture. A link to the recipe is here…I love the mix of the tomato with the sweet watermelon (in yellow), but the star of the salad is the tarragon. Yum!

I’ll be back soon with more from my trip home…

When thinking of Philadelphia, I naturally think of Philly cheesesteak, the Liberty Bell and the Declaration of Independence. After that, however, nothing much comes to mind. That’s why I was so pleasantly surprised by the food scene that I experienced while there.

When traveling to another town, I’m usually the first one to do research to figure out which restaurants I would want to try. But this time was different…perhaps it was because my last day of my job was the day before we left, or just because I had low expectations for the food, but regardless I did absolutely no research.

My good friend Greg, however, had done his homework and set us up for dinner the first night at a fantastic restaurant called Rx in West Philly. Located in a former pharmacy building in an interesting neighborhood, Rx is a great restaurant for locally grown/produced food. And it’s BYOB – love it.

I absolutely love the atmosphere inside this restaurant. Some might say it’s a little cramped, but I thought it was a wonderful setting of bistro tables and decoration that created a cozy feel. Looking around the restaurant, the walls are painted a buttery yellow with white crown molding, accented with hunter green. On one long wall is a dark wooden bookcase with built in mirrors, glassware, and antique recipe books and cooking utensils. Contrasting the antique feel, contemporary art by local artists hangs on the walls, which changes the feel to a more modern and vibrant atmosphere.

Our group settled in at our table near the kitchen with five bottles of wine..what can I say…we were thirsty. With one glance at the menu, I knew I was in for a treat. That night was a special, which was an appetizer, entree and dessert for $25. I started with the Rx salad, a wonderful mix of greens, candied pecans, red pepper and a crostini with chevre. My next course was the winner of the evening – chicken with tomatillos, pepitas, sweet corn and chorizo hash and a cilantro crema. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water…absolutely fantastic! And for dessert, I had their pecan pie. They claim that it is the best they’ve ever tasted, and I have to agree. It was yummy! Other dishes that were a hit at our table was the ceasar salad (the interesting part is that the croutons are really cheese curds) and the NY Strip steak with truffle butter. Another ‘wow’ goes out to that one!

All in all, I loved Rx…from the atomosphere, to the BYOB, to the fantastic, local food. I would definitely eat there again next time I’m in the Philly area.

Click here for more Philly pictures.

Rx Restaurant
4443 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
215.222.9590

I love steak…I love cheese…I love bread…so when in Philly I KNEW I had to try a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Better than that, along with two friends, I tried three Philly cheesesteak sandwiches at three different restaurants…all in one day.

It sounds worse than it was. But, even though we split a sandwich at each place, it was still a lot of cheesesteak in one day. I will admit that the third sandwich was not by plan; it was a last minute airport munchies decision using the rationale of my friend Andy who said, “when will we be in Philly again?”

The two places that we tried first were Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steaks. We had gotten the recommendation from a friend who said that Pat’s was the original, best place for cheesesteak. In fact, Pat’s is credited with creating the cheesesteak sandwich in 1930 and opening the sandwich stand in the location that still stands on the corners of 9th Street, Wharton and Pussyunk Avenues. A little over 30 years later Joe Vento, the founder of Geno’s, decided to go into the cheesesteak business. He decided that he would open on the corner directly across from Pat’s on the same intersection. I like Joe’s spunk.

Although we didn’t know the whole history when we went to this intersection of cheesesteak magic, it was immediately apparent that the competition was tight when we got out of our cab…Pat’s to the right and Geno’s to the left. Pat’s is a more understated structure, with a white and blue theme and two simple, although quite large, signs that advertises the name. Geno’s, on the other hand, is a mass of orange, white and black with flames and lightbulbs highlighting the large signs and the simple statement that says “The Best.” Both sandwich stands have outdoor seating only, walls covered with pictures of celebrities who have tried their cheesesteak, a cash only business, and a strict policy on how to order.

How to order a Philly cheesesteak? First, have your cash in hand and ready. The sandwiches cost $7.50 each, so be prepared. Second, all they want to know is what kind of cheese (provolone, American or Cheese Whiz) and with or without (wit or wit-out) onions. Wait for your sandwich and then step down to the next line for a drink and fries or other side orders. That’s it – sounds simple, but you’d better be ready.

Pat’s King of Steaks Cheesesteak

Geno’s Steaks Cheesesteak

So what was the verdict? The three of us agreed and preferred Geno’s over Pat’s cheesesteak sandwich. Although we did not order the exact same at both (Geno’s was the Cheese Whiz wit onions and Pat’s was American with onions), the bread and meat were still different enough to compare. All of us were very skeptical of putting Cheese Whiz on our sandwich, but we agreed that it was best cheese we tried for this sandwich. Regardless of the cheese, the deciding factor for me was the meat. Geno’s was juicy and perfectly cooked and Pat’s was a little dry and had little flavor. All in all, Geno’s wins the Best Philly Cheesesteak Award from me.

Life is full of lessons. Sometimes you have to search for the meanings they bring us and other times they almost reach out and smack us across the face. Who would have known that there was a little life lesson in handling rental car keys? Not me.

Kyle and I recently returned from a week long trip to Hilton Head, where we sat by the pool, drank beer and grilled dinners for seven straight days with our friends John and Kate and their son Ben. Life was good; it was the ultimate in relaxation. Little did we know that life was lurking in the shadows, just waiting to teach us a lesson on our last day.

Our last day brought us an early getaway from Hilton Head and the need to hang out in Savannah, GA before our 7pm flight. We arrived to Savannah with visions of a relaxing drive through town to view the historic homes and a long, very late lunch. Those sweet, sweet naive dreams….

We parked the car and decided to walk through the historic district, which consists of about 8 or 9 plazas hinged along subsequent blocks. Roughly 25 minutes and 8 blocks later, we were on our way back to the car when the sky opened up with lightning, thunder and a sheet of rain that caused us to seek shelter in the doorway of the nearest building.

Okay, so you’re thinking…what does this have to do with rental car keys? You guessed it…as soon as the rain cleared, we headed back to our car. Upon the approached I noticed Kyle frantically searching his shorts pockets and the backpack he was carrying. I knew we were in trouble when he turned to me and asked, “um…did I give you the keys the car?”

The next hour is somewhat of a blur, consisting of huge claps of thunder, lightning streaking the sky and a total downpour of rain. I recall calling the Savannah Welcome center, the police and Budget rental. I recall standing alone on the front steps of a large, historic building getting pelted by rain and trying to save our computers and camera from being ruined. I then recall giving up and walking out in the somewhat lessened downpour to continue the search for the missing keys…I must have looked like a mad woman pacing around getting drenched, but not noticing since I was staring at the ground in search of the keys. All the time I kept remembering the Camacho family story of losing our car keys at the bottom of the Wisconsin River…I couldn’t believe it was happening again!

I then recall calling Kyle to ask how his search was going…only to find out that he was still seeking shelter a few blocks away because he didn’t want to get wet. Let me say that again…he was still seeking shelter because he didn’t want to get wet. Very quickly after hanging up with me, he was out in the rain in an earnest search for the car keys. It is truly unbelievable that Kyle found the keys. As a last resort he wandered into a tea shop where we had previously stopped for about 2 minutes and asked if they had found any keys…and they had.

The lesson learned is really this…when renting car do one of two things: 1. Remove the second key from the key ring and put it in a secure place (not inside the car) or 2. Put a contact phone number on the key ring so that someone can call you if they find your keys.

Quite the drama to end our week of relaxation. So life goes…

There is nothing like waking up in the morning to a wonderfully, home cooked breakfast. I’m not usually a bed and breakfast fan – typically the bed(room)s are too Victorian and the breakfast is an awkward event of eating in a common room with complete strangers. While I would say that eating with complete strangers is pretty much ineviable at a b&b, The Napa Inn really makes it worth your while. In preparation for our long day ahead of us, we enjoyed yogurt, fruit, granola, blueberry crumble and quiche. Yum! Breakfast is such an essential meal when visiting wine country.

To get to our first stop of the day we drove north, almost to Calistoga, to Sterling Vineyards. We were in pursuit of an aerial tram ride to experience, what we hoped would be, spectular views of Napa Valley. We were relieved that arriving early in the day meant that there were absolutely no lines for the tram and that the self-guided tour and the overlook balcony were scarcely occupied by other view-seeking tourists. What a way to start the day…standing high above the vineyards with the sun shining overhead…it’s truly lovely. While the tram is definitely worth the visit, my overall assessment of Sterling is that I highly recommend the tram ride and the self-guided tour, but the wines were just ‘okay’.

We had intended to head south to our next winery directly after leaving Sterling, but while we were enjoying the view from the overlook balcony we had noticed a huge castle just across the road. Honestly…it has turrets and everything…a true castle. Our curiousity got the best of us, so we immediately headed over to the castle to get the scoop. It turned out to a castle built by the Sattui family for their winery, Castello di Amarosa. Although we were interested in touring the castle the next public tour wasn’t scheduled for quite awhile, so we settled for a wine tasting. Interestingly, while I’m not usually a big fan of rose or dessert wine, I really enjoyed both at this winery. While this was not a planned stop, I do think it was fun to visit the castle and have some tasty wines. Oh, and also, there were rumors that Adam Sandler was there filming a movie. While we did see the trailers and other equipment, we didn’t see Adam himself…darn!

Lunch was on our minds as we left the castle and headed south. We aborted plans to go to V. Sattui to the picnic area, as even the overflow parking was overflowed, and headed into Yountville to see what restaurants were there. Lucky us, there was a father’s day car show in Yountville so it was completely crowded and there was quite a wait for any restaurant in the area. Despite this, we were hungry so we decided to wait it out. My crispy fish ‘n chips and beer were worth the wait.

Our plan was to end the trip at Artesa, a winery at the very southern end of the Napa area, in the Carneros Valley. We had visited Artesa on our last trip as well, and thought it was the most spectular building and view. Truly it is amazing to drive through the winding roads, not seeing a winery in sight, when suddenly you come upon Artesa. Parking in the lot, you’re still left wondering a bit about what you are about to see. But, climbing the steps lined with a trickling fountain and beautiful stainless sculptures, your imagination is put to ease and your breath is taken away. At the top are pools of water, shining in the sunlight. Abstract sculptures rise from the water, watching over the fruits of the valleys below. Simply beautiful.

We went inside, eager with anticipation, to taste a flight and then enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony. Despite this, we were sorely disappointed. The servers were unfriendly and hardly uttered a word to us beyond those necessary to ensure we kept on track with our flight. We quickly finished and asked to purchase a glass to head outside but were told that if you had drank a flight that they would not sell you any further alcohol. Huh? We did go outside on the balcony but left shortly after in search of a winery that stayed open passed the normal 5 o’clock.

We hit the jackpot in discovering the Domaine Carneros, a winery that specialized in sparkling wine, was both open late and located just across the highway from Artesa. Score! Ending the day with a flight of sparkling wine was simply perfect. I highly recommend Domaine Carneros for a truly relaxing wine experience with beautiful views.

The summary of our trip? Great friends, great food and good wines. I honestly can’t ask for more than that.

First of all, thank you so much for all the recommendations of places to visit in the Napa/Sonoma area. Although we could not visit them all, we did hit several and we had a great time!

Going to wine country can be daunting with so many wineries to choose from. We had been to the Napa area once before and spent most of our time in two valleys – The Russian River Valley and Napa Valley. We decided for this trip, we would focus the first day on Sonoma Valley and the second on Napa Valley.

Our first day was a short day, as we started in San Francisco by picking up some good friends from the airport and then made our way up north. Our first stop was Matanzas Creek Winery, located near Santa Rosa. It is, of course, a winery but it also is known for its lavender fields. This is actually why I wanted to visit Matanzas Creek, as I had read the lavender would be in full bloom during our visit. The setting is beautiful with the road winding around the lavender fields and then ending at the base of a beautiful wood building. Inside, we had our first flight in our wine country tour and also sampled the many lavender products. Although we didn’t buy any of the wine, we did purchase some cooking lavender, which I am looking forward to experimenting with soon.

After our wine, we took some time to wander through the lavender fields. With the lavender blowing slightly in the breeze and the sun shining bright, we all took a sigh of relief and realized that, yes, vacation had officially started.

Our next stop was to pick up some sandwiches at a nearby deli to take to Gundlach Bundschu Winery, located just east of downtown Sonoma. We really loved this winery. First of all, it is a sustainable, organic vineyard, which I think is really interesting. And secondly, it was such a laid back winery experience, which is such a breath of fresh air in wine country. We quickly side-stepped the tasting crowd, bought a bottle of Tempranillo and settled outside on a hill to eat our picnic lunch. Nothing can be better than drinking a bottle of wine and knowing that the grapes were grown and the wine was made on the very farm you are sitting on. Truly amazing. After lunch we took a walk down to through portion of the vineyards – no guide, no fuss, just a leisurely stroll amongst the vines. Lovely.

Once the crowd was gone, we went back to the tasting room to try more of their wines. I really loved that as you were tasting, they would take out a map of the farm and show you which plot the grapes were grown on that made the wine you were drinking. We decided on a couple bottles to buy and were pleasantly surprised when they packaged them in a Gundlach Bundschu bag. The bag holds up to six bottles of wine and is reusable or, if preferred, completely recyclable. These guys have got their act together.

After a quick nap at our B&B, we headed back to Sonoma to wander the plaza before dinner. Unfortunately the stores were closed, but I’ll have to make a note to do a little shopping there on our next visit.

Dinner reservations were at a restaurant just off Sonoma Plaza at The Girl and the Fig. Now, I know that I tend to get excited about food and restaurants, but I want to make something clear…All four of us left this restaurant agreeing that this was one of the best meals we had ever had. Ever. I know it was partly the combination of being on vacation in wine country with great friends, but we all agreed that from the setting to the food to the service, it was fantastic!

We were seated outside on a large patio with lush plants and blooming flowers throughout and two fireplaces and strings of lights that set the scene so perfectly. After much pondering of the menu, my friend and I decided to share several items. We started with steamed mussels with garlic, leeks and herbs and also a cheese and cured meat sampler. The mussels were so fantastic that after we finished them, we mopped the sauce up with the grilled bread and then wished we had more. Our next course was a fig and arugula salad with toasted pecans, chevre, pancetta and a port vinaigrette. Yummy! Our main entree was the flat iron steak served with green beans and a truffled goat cheese macaroni and cheese. I would have licked my plate clean if it would not have been impolite. Dessert (yes, we ate dessert after all of that) was shared among us all – a plum crumble and a chocolate tart. This was all washed down with two bottles of wine and some coffee. Two and a half hours later, we stumbled out of The Girl and the Fig. Bellies full, we were ready for a full night’s rest in preparation for our adventures in Napa the next day.

We spent a long weekend in California last week – visiting both San Francisco and the Napa Valley area. It was a much needed respite and a great time with friends.

Our first day was spent in San Francisco and, while I had hoped to do a little more sightseeing, the day got away from me due to work so I only had a little time before dinner to enjoy the day. The first stop for me was Chinatown. Last time we were in San Francisco, we spent a little time in this area, but really did not concentrate much on it. It was late afternoon, I was hungry, and I was determined to eat some good Chinese food.

I wandered through the streets of Chinatown, enjoying the sights and sounds and stopping into a few stores. Interestingly, several stores were sensitive to cameras and would not allow pictures to be taken. In particular, there was an entire store of what looked like variations of ginger root and other assortments that I was interested in. But, as soon as the camera came out, I was chastised…so I left.

Searching for that perfect place to get a late lunch, I ran across several options. There were tea shops (both regular and bubble tea), food stands, and other traditional looking restaurants with many tourists enjoying a bite. The options that I went for, however, was the least visually appealing one that I could find. In fact, it was the one with large glazed birds in the window that apparently had done a great job driving away tourists, since I was the only one there.

Despite the lack of tourists, however, the place was plenty crowded. I walked in and was immediately draw to two large tables, filled with plates of prepared food, located near a food preparation counter. There was a woman sitting nearby as well who appeared to be “guarding” the food in some fashion. I could not figure it out. Although I was curious to find out the meaning behind this, I went ahead and sat down to order my meal. I grabbed a seat near the back of the restaurant, to get the best people-watching vantage. Observing this large display of food and seeing people come in and out of the restaurant, I had a sudden “ah ha” moment…it was a version of take out! The premise, however, is that each portion is served on a regular plate, so that when the to-go patron comes in, they pick the plate they want and go to the service counter where it is put in a to-go box and bagged up. Interesting! I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out, but well, it did.

Once this mystery was solved, I was free to observe the other patrons of the restaurant. One table that I enjoyed, in particular, was a table of 6 or 7 old men sitting near me. They were doing nothing much…sitting around, some casually eating a bite, some drinking tea, others drinking beer…some reading the newspaper, others staring into space. Occasionally they would say a word to each other, which would strike a brief conversation, but this would end quickly and each would return back to their own doings. I was amazed. It was apparent that these old men had been coming to this restaurant for such a long time and were so comfortable with each other’s presence, that it was just habit to be there reading the newspaper, drinking a beer, and not talking. I both found comfort in these actions and felt sad as well. I am certain that these old men were not sad or resentful of being there. Nor did they seem resentful that they were not talking, but it did make me want to get together with a group of my best girlfiends and spend time…only we would be talking, all as one group, to share everything that is current in our lives. I left Chinatown, excited for the upcoming weekend with good friends and more adventures to come.

After Chinatown, I walked along the Embarcadero, past several piers and watching the trolley cars until I met up with Kyle. From there, we decided to hit the Castro District, which is a predominantly gay neighborhood of San Francisco. We didn’t do much, but walk along the streets and enjoyed the livliness of the area and its distict flair and pride of its residents.

We didn’t have much time in San Francisco on this visit, but I enjoyed the hours that I did spend. Our last visit was much more focused on Alcatraz, Haight-Ashbury and the Golden Gate Park. This was a relaxing break from the touristy areas, but also allowed us an opportunity to explore some great areas in a city that is full of culture. I’ll continue soon our Napa/Sonoma part of the trip…pictures galore!

PS – I just re-read my post and realized I didn’t say much about the food! Imagine that! I did enjoy my meal in Chinatown (BBQ pork and white rice) although I do wish I had gone with the beef and vegetables since the next table was enjoying it so much! We had a great dinner that night at really cool place, so I’ll dig up the pictures and share soon as well.

I’m looking forward to an upcoming trip to the Napa Valley area…can’t wait for some good food and some good wine! I’m dreaming of a time not so long ago when I was lounging at Bouza Winery in Uruguay. Ahhh, the memories!

We’ve been to the Napa area one time before and loved it. Our favorite wineries of that trip were Artesa, Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyard and Hanna. We also loved the picnic area at V. Sattui. Located right on the Silverado Trail, V. Sattui has a large fresh deli with salads, cheeses, breads and other great picnic items. They also have a large picnic area outside their tasting room that is perfect for a mid-afternoon snack or lunch. The Freets recently returned from a trip to Napa and sent the following pictures along of his picnic at V. Sattui.

I’d love to get recommendations for other wineries and for restaurants to visit on our upcoming trip. Please send me your favorites and what you like your recommendation. I can’t wait to experience Napa again! Pictures and stories will shortly follow.