Friday Food 07-13-18

There isn't much "local" food available when traveling.  Yes, there are themed restaurants that serve what passes for local, but the true local, small neighborhood restaurants are not very accessible to travelers.  Unless one has local contacts - that is the trick.   But I do occasionally find different restaurants especially chains that are only in certain parts of the country.  Like "In N' Out Burger" which is a SCalifornia fast food place that has expanded a bit into some adjoining states. 

In June of 2012 I was in Kalispell, Montana, and my traveling companion was familiar with the HuHot restaurants that serve a variation on, I guess, Mongolian Bar-B-Q.  I haven't seen a HuHot anywhere in the West, but I don't visit a lot of towns looking for places to eat.  

They give complete instructions on how to proceed. 

Notice the instructions on no "doggie" bags. 

A great selection of sauces, I think I probably had the first or second choice, I just can't eat spicy stuff anymore.  And I miss it!

This is where you "commandeer" your bowl.

This is the "grill of epic porportions".

Each pile of ingredients belongs to a different customer. 

The tip jar is strategically placed before you have your hands full of your bowl. 

Here are the guys on the grill when we were there.  They were complete clowns, but did their job efficiently. 

The food was good.  Like any buffet place one needs to go several times before finding just the right combinations.  My choices were lots of veggies with shrimp.  And it was a happy place with many families.  

So, if you ever see a HuHot restaurant, you will be understand what you are getting into.

#   #   # 

KoKo stays home alone 07-12-18

Today I met my friend Beth in Oceanside at Harney sushi restaurant which we have enjoy previously.   It was very good again.  The town has grown so much in the last few years and now there is a new high rise going in where the parking lot used to be across the street from Harney's.  So it took a few loops around several blocks to find a parking place, too bad if you are handicapped as there is nothing close by.    We had a nice lunch and a visit and struggled home in the traffic on I-5, both north and south.  It took me half again as long to get home as it should have, just too many cars on the road.  And when I backed into my garage it was 90F outside at about 4pm and 120F in my west facing garage.  We are all tired of the excessive heat and wonder if this is what the entire summer will be.  It is also quite humid.  

KoKo, of course, had to stay home with his Froggie and the A/C!  He was eager to chase Froggie when I wanted a little nap.  Guess who won?  

#   #   #

Wordless Wednesday - Glass 07-11-18

#   #   #

Monday Browsing 07-09-18

#   #   #

A Rose.......... 07-07-18

My favorite rose is Brandy, it is about 30 years old now, still my favorite.  

It was only 109F today.  This is September weather! 

#   #   # 

Friday Food - Coupeville, WA 07-06-18

In May 2013 I took a class at the Pacific NorthWest Art School in Coupeville, WA, on Whidbey Island.  It was a great experience and I hope to go back for a different class one day.  One of the pleasant discoveries were several restaurants with great food.

The class "angel" took orders for lunch and went to Knead and Feed for takeout.  This tuna salad was delicious and we all decided that Knead and Feed would be our lunch choice for the rest of the week.  A great choice.  

We were usually on our own for dinner, but one night we all went to Frasier's in Oak Harbor.  Very elegant, excellent service, and really good food.  One of  my classmates had the lamb chops and had to have a box to go home.  

Across the table a lady had the fish soup and raved about it.  Don't know what kind of fish, but was certainly an elegant presentation. 

I ordered the crab cakes appetizer and they were much like the crab cakes I have eaten in Virginia.  Outstanding.  My main course was local Penn Cove mussels  

One evening I ate dinner alone at Christopher's in Coupeville, just a few steps from my little cabin.  I'm always a sucker for salmon.  This was salmon with raspberry sauce, zucchini, carrots, kale, raw spinach. Perfection.  

And an aside....   My phone showed it topped out at 115F today, one of the hottest days ever.  Hope tomorrow is cooler.  I am not in an area that has wild fires.  

#   #   #

Blue - To help you stay cool. 07-05-18

It has been a rather cool June in SCalifornia, what we call June Glooms.  But now at the start of July the temperature has risen to new heigths.  Projection for tomorrow is 111F.   So, I ran through some picture files looking for some cool blue to take the edge off the heat. 

Some of these pictures were ripped off the Internet.  

Blue Teapot nest for a house finch.

"A Cold Day" quilted sculpture by Susan Else.  Piece is contained in an 8" square acrylic box. 

"Gilia" Ruth B. McDowell - Colrain, MA  2011  22.5"W x 38.5"L

Painted Bunting - NYC  2015

Puget Sound from Whidbey Island 2013

Agapanthus  2013

Blue Flowers  (name?)  Washington State  2013

Blue Fountain  2013

Blue Sky - New Mexico  2013

Blue Rhody (this is a little more violet than blue, but it is so beautiful) Eugene, OR

Blue skirt on a very tall lady - San Diego Trader Joe's  2013

Blue Iris - Kalispell, MT    04-28-10

Blue Whale hooked cushion 

Blueberries and white peaches  08-15-08

Great Blue Heron  02-27-14

Eastern Bluebirds in their bath   02-10-13

Blue door in Orange, CA.  01-15-10

Scaveola, or fan flower  06-17-12

Blue Toad   05-19-03

Blue Tree puzzle from one of Ruth McDowell's quilts.  04-27-15

Gosh I could go on for pages.  Hope this cools us all down. 

#   #   #