Cozy Dog

The two corn dogs on top are hugging.

Our trip to the expresscare clinic confirmed that he was okay and had no concussion or need for sutures, so we promptly rewarded ourselves with a ‘Cozy Dogs’ lunch of deep fried corndogs and shoestring fries. So, that was my first corndog… While I very much enjoyed the sweet, crunchy corn-bready batter blanket, I really don’t need to have another one for maybe 12 years. At that point I may be craving one at a festival or parking lot carnival.

Scotchsational Scotch Arms

After getting back on schedule for what promised to be a swift 2.5 hour drive to St. Louis, we encountered awful traffic and basically arrived in time for only drinks and dinner. Thanks to recommendations from our dear friend, Kohli–who grew up in St. Louis–we visited the Scottish Arms for a lovely pre-dinner drink and Greg marveled at their robust collection of Scotch.

Dinner at ‘Moxy Bistro’ was delicious! Kohli informed us that we would be fed by one of St. Louis’ celebrity chefs by dining there, and I have to admit, my first impression upon approaching the bistro was that they were trying WAY too hard to be modern. However, the food spoke for itself. It was amazing. Dear restaurants of the world: Let your food do the talking, and the rest will fall into place, thankyou.

Our meal was endcapped by the very best pumpkin cheesecake I have EVER had, enjoyed between bites of sticky toffee pudding. Yes, Greg and I are enjoying our food tour of America, and will need a major workout routine upon our return to reality.

Smoked heaven

This brings me to our ‘leaving St. Louis lunch’ this afternoon… We indulged in smoked chicken, ribs and ‘pick2 sides’ from an awesome little joint called Super Smokers!!! I mean, the best ever, with lots of BBQ sauces on the table next to our very own roll of papertowels for face-wiping.

Her head isn't really that long

With our bellies full and our cat consistently comatose on the co-pilot’s lap, we are hurling towards Lawrence, Kansas in a torrential downpour and rolling fog on interstate 70.

We will post more photographs soon!

That said, we’re nearing the magical day, and our emotions have shifted in joyous anticipation of this weekend. We keep checking the weather, and it’s been tricky to figure out what’s going to happen. The latest is that we can probably expect partly cloudy skies, and maybe a spritz here or there. Just to be sure, we opted for the ‘rain/heat’ package with the event planner, which means sidewalls for the tent and those fancy portable heaters for nighttime. Saturday night is supposed to get to around 50.

Melissa and I spent her birthday last Sunday at the liquor store buying all of the ‘necessities’ for the event. You can see the fruits of our labor below.

You're all a bunch of lushes.

We also spent the better part of that afternoon cleaning up the Airstream for our big trip. We washed the outside, vacuumed the inside, changed the linens, etc. I even installed LED lights in the ceiling to replace all of the battery-hogging halogens that were in there. It now looks like a spaceship inside.

We wanted to remind all of you that are coming into town from afar and those of you who are staying at Sweetwater that our Friday night BBQ starts at 5PM. It will be at Sweetwater Farm, out back. Come hungry, the spread will be impressive.

More soon. Get ready to get ready.

This is the finalized menu:

• Voodoo Shrimp – Get your fingers dirty with this peel’n’eat Louisiana favorite.  Tossed in our blend of herbs and spices and served with cocktail sauce.
• Road House Salad – With tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and aged provolone cheese. Served with our own Sweet Basil Vinaigrette.
• Gram’s Potato Salad
• Blue Ribbon BBQ St. Louis Pork Ribs – Our St. Louis pork ribs are dry rubbed and slow smoked with hickory wood until they are just right. Cut individually and served with our own barbecue sauce.
• Wood Roasted BBQ Chicken – Mixed pieces, hand-rubbed, smoked, and lightly bathed with our own barbecue sauce.
• Slow Smoked Beef Brisket – Rich and flavorful brisket smoked for at least 12 hours.
• Corn Cobettes
• Barbecued Baked Beans
• Cornbread with Whipped Butter
• Southern Sweet Tea and Cranberry Lemonade
• Apple Cobbler

We’ll also have beer and wine for all of you lushes out there. This should be a great way to kick off the weekend.

P.S. – If you’re a vegetarian, you might want to bring a PB&J or something.