Traveling the dreaded I-10, from Baton Rouge to Houston, my family knows what to expect: like forcing an elephant through a drinking straw, it often seems the entirety of the Gulf Coastal U.S. is trying to get over the Mississippi River Bridge at the same time as I am. This is the usual state of […]
Dining Well at Disney
Beauty and the Beast: It was 8:30 p.m., and we had hopped two monorails to get to Epcot after arriving just a few hours earlier at The Contemporary Hotel in the Magic Kingdom. We were late for our reservation at the Biergarten in Epcot’s Germany Pavilion, and people were packing themselves in like beached sardines […]
Friday Night Maque Choux
Mild days and cool nights. Our hybrid summer/fall weather this month has been glorious. So on a crisp Friday night, what better way to enjoy the last of the Texas summer sweet corn than with a transitional dish that showcases the freshness of local corn—an easy shrimp maque choux stew. This is a heartier, richer […]
Vancouver 2: TaiwanFest, Granville Island, Stanley Park After Dark & More
(This is Part 2 of our Tour of Vancouver, B.C. Read Part 1: Visiting Vancouver? Eat. Drink. Play. Repeat.): We took the city’s public transit rail, a.k.a., the Sky Train, through downtown to Granville Street, cutting through Yaletown once again, on our way to the southern edge of the city. Unexpectedly we came upon a local festival in […]
Visiting Vancouver? Eat. Drink. Play. Repeat.
(This is Part 1 of our Tour of Vancouver, B.C. Read Vancouver 2: TaiwanFest Granville Island, Stanley Park After Dark & More): What are the key elements of an ideal travel destination? How about magnificent scenery, abundant seafood, a diverse international vibe, well-rated regional wines, and good coffee close at hand? Look no further than […]
Brisket is My Kryptonite
A question that is music to my ears: Would you like lean, fatty or burnt ends? It’s not by choice that I love smoked brisket. Apparently I was born this way. Or maybe all that meaty smoke just overwhelmed my taste buds when I arrived here from Louisiana years ago. Some of my favorite blog […]
Night and Day in Austin, Texas
We make our way through the picturesque farm and ranch country of central Texas, headed for downtown Austin and then to the north shore of Lake Travis. It’s a spur of the moment road trip. An impulse to get out of town before the summer slips away, do a little wining and dining someplace fresh […]
Summer Salads, Creole Style, Courtesy of Chef Johnny Schulze
The summer doldrums of late July have hit–I can’t stand the heat, and I want to get out of the kitchen! You would think with the extra hours of daylight in the evenings, I would be inspired to dive into some of those really involved recipes that are waiting for me in my recipe file. (No, […]
A Texas Smokehouse Fourth of July
The north shore of Lake Travis, not far from Austin, Texas, is a great place to spend a summer holiday. And getting there from Houston is half the fun. The trip along Highway 290 West takes you through the ruggedly scenic, rural hill country of central Texas. Best of all, this part of the state […]
Baby, You’re So Classic
It’s lunchtime, and I am driving the I-55 overpass in southeast Louisiana, between LaPlace and Hammond. Lake Maurepas is below me, old fish camps on slender stilts and moss-covered cypress trees dot the sparkling noonday water–a gorgeous, classic Louisiana photo-op, if you are willing to risk your life and pull over to snap a picture […]
Breadnbottle 