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!

Docked.

If you ever find yourself winding through the gorgeous tiny twisting turns of the autumn-time Adirondacks, you simply must make a pit stop at Walt’s Diner.

How can you drive by this?

Grab a stool at the counter between Tiny and Russ or Bob and the pregnant lady with her 80’s hair.  You’ll be able to eavesdrop (without trying) as the older guys–just a bit rough around the edges- flirt with the local waitresses- who are even rougher around the edges.  They all seem to be inflicted with a wet, loose phlegmn/smoker cough, but don’t worry, because they cough into the crooks of their arms and they will NEVER let your coffee cup empty below the halfway mark.  They sure will take care of you.  Each guy who walks through the front door nods or grunts a ‘hi’ to all the other guys at the counter and to the ladies in the greasy kitchen through the service window.  It’s the Adirondack’s ‘Cheers’  in diner form.  LOVE it.

Anticipating corned beef hash.

The dry erase board boasts after dinner delights from apple crisp to rice pudding–all of which are probably the best you’ll ever have.  Collections of cast iron skillets–ranging from doll house sized to larger than most stove-top sized–adorn the walls along with the locals’ wedding, prom and family photographs, newspaper clippings and little league shots.

Doughnutty

When you go, you’ll definitely want to order corned beef hash and watch the lady line cook season it up on the griddle while she flips a giant mickey mouse-eared pancake the size of Andre the Giant’s head with her other spatula.  Greg’s attention was so focused on the ingredients of the hash….  he is still talking about how good it was!  Get a side of real oatmeal doused with brown sugar, cream and raisins and a breakfast sandwich on a homemade roll to go.  You will not regret it.

It was just the slice of America I had been craving.  Makes me want to be a local somewhere.

If you then decide to head toward Burlington, Vermont like we did, you will pass through a billion lakes… so many they are named numerically.  Seventh Lake was my favorite–flanking either side of the road that lead us through itty bitty town after town.  Oh, and each town has it’s own boat shop, souvenir lodge, hardware store and coffee joint should you need anything.  Some have bait and tackle shops with clever names like ‘catch ya later’.

The roads are ours

The trees will get shorter as you ascend the mountains– and looking ahead, you’ll see snow-dusted hill tops!  We didn’t think it was possible, but our journey got even more gorgeous as we continued toward Vermont!  Greg and I could not stop marveling at the pristine stacks of firewood piled neatly in each home’s shed or carport.  We imagined their homes to smell of camp firey lodges year round.  There are tons of references to Moose and Lakes in each cabin’s name and although it may seem deserted, you won’t find one single house without a cozy swirl of smoke rising up from the chimney.  There must be a lot of knitters here.

100% Milkfat.

It's her downfall.

One last thing.  As you arrive in Burlington, you may want a new knit hat, because it’s super chilly and you’ll get an overwhelming urge to eat ice cream!

We cannot wait to share this special time with all of you, our loving family and friends, and the food will only sweeten the experience.  Now, on to the ordering of the CUPCAKES from the one and only Brown Betty! An update: we are now getting our cupcakes from Rebecca Michaels’ Flying Monkey Patisserie.

Keeping score

Tasting Menu

The Chilean sea bass was ridiculous

The filet tasted like glorious meat should

What I really wanted to tell you about is the fact that we will be headed to the catering facility tomorrow for our food tasting. We start at 3PM, and Dan, our food planner, told us to ‘come hungry’. No problem Dan.

They have a lot for us to try apparently, and more than one person has mentioned this is one of the best parts of the whole process. We will let you know how it goes.

Afterwards, we may drive out to the Airstream and plug it in to get the fridge cold for our maiden voyage starting Saturday. More on that in another post.

I just had some of the butter here. Whoa. Good butter.