My wife is addicted to caffeine, a fact to which she will readily admit. In the morning, she has two large latte mugs of coffee, and at various prescribed times throughout the day, she'll have a Diet Coke. If she misses a dose, she gets...cranky, also a fact to which she will readily admit. One year during college, she declared that she would give up caffeine for Lent. By the end of the first week, people were anonymously leaving cases of Diet Coke outside the door to her dorm room. Things I cannot make up.
When we were traveling in and around London, we had several dicey moments because we were in a place where she couldn't get a hit. I'm ashamed to say that we were saved several times by Starbucks. That's when I hit upon a brilliant idea. If you're a caffeine addict, just kick your habit before you travel. (Ha ha! I couldn't even type that with a straight face.) No, seriously, the answer is chocolate-covered coffee beans. Much more portable than a double cappuccino. Just drop them in your purse, backpack, or other touristy carrying accessory, and when you feel the headache about to set in, pop a few in your mouth.
And if you think my wife's dependency is bad, we have a friend who hit upon the diabolical idea of brewing coffee with caffeinated water. I seriously don't think she's slept since.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Travel and Food News Roundup for July 11, 2008
- New York Times: Creative Plates at a Good Price in Barcelona
- Jaunted: Best of Britain: Fish and Chips Score Number 1 Spot
- Jaunted: Food Travel: A Cherry Good Time
- World Hum: Does Creme Brulee Qualify as a Global Treasure? UNESCO Says No.
- World Hum: Spam Conquers the World (Sort of)
- Gadling: Big in Africa: Bizarre foods from across the continent
- Gadling: Who eats which kind of ice-cream? What flavor are you?
- Frommers.com: 11 Ways to Have a Great Meal on Your Next Cruise
- Yahoo News: No Dog Meat on Menus During Olympics
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Cows
It must be a Canadian thing. Don’t get me wrong. The ice cream is very good. They take the Ben & Jerry’s approach. You know, “Our product is absolutely loaded with fat and sugar. That’s what makes it so good!” And they’re right. Try the Moo York Cheesecake or the Peanut Butter Cup Cup.
What makes Cows different is the merchandising. They sell shirts, caps, mugs and Christmas ornaments with themes such at “Pirates of the Cowibean” and “Dairy Potter.” People are fanatical about these things. It’s very scary. Hey, everyone, there’s ice cream! Priorities!
At any rate, they have locations all over Prince Edward Island, so if the cow-related puns don’t put you over the edge, then by all means pay them a visit.
What makes Cows different is the merchandising. They sell shirts, caps, mugs and Christmas ornaments with themes such at “Pirates of the Cowibean” and “Dairy Potter.” People are fanatical about these things. It’s very scary. Hey, everyone, there’s ice cream! Priorities!
At any rate, they have locations all over Prince Edward Island, so if the cow-related puns don’t put you over the edge, then by all means pay them a visit.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Kimo's
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, United States
Or, how to cause steam to erupt from a waiter’s ears. We were on Maui over the Holidays with my wife’s family, and we wanted to treat everyone, but we didn’t want any drama when the check came, so my wife pulled the trick where you say you’re going to the bathroom, but you really slip the waiter your credit card. Well, she learned that trick from her father, who did the same thing, and then when the check came, my wife’s grandmother was also shoving a credit card in the waiter’s face. I’m not sure who wound up paying. Poor waiter. We didn’t mean to make him hyperventilate.
The one thing that Kimo’s does really well is, of course, fish. The way their menu works is different. You pick fresh fish, like ahi or ono or mahi mahi, and then you pick how it’s prepared, like grilling it or baking it. From time to time, the fish and the preparations change. It’s always good, though. They also have what’s called a hula pie, which is macadamia nut ice cream in a chocolate crust with chocolate syrup, macadamia nuts, and whipped cream on top. Believe me, too many of those will sink your outrigger.
The location couldn’t be any better, either. Located on Lahaina’s main drag, the dining area also overlooks the harbor and offers up some spectacular sunsets.
One thing to watch for is the ambiguous gender demarcation on the restrooms. The last time that we were there, the women’s restroom was indicated only by a picture of an orchid while the men’s restroom was indicated by a hibiscus. We’ll just leave it at that.
Here’s the address: 845 Front Street, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761; Telephone: (808) 661-4811
Or, how to cause steam to erupt from a waiter’s ears. We were on Maui over the Holidays with my wife’s family, and we wanted to treat everyone, but we didn’t want any drama when the check came, so my wife pulled the trick where you say you’re going to the bathroom, but you really slip the waiter your credit card. Well, she learned that trick from her father, who did the same thing, and then when the check came, my wife’s grandmother was also shoving a credit card in the waiter’s face. I’m not sure who wound up paying. Poor waiter. We didn’t mean to make him hyperventilate.
The one thing that Kimo’s does really well is, of course, fish. The way their menu works is different. You pick fresh fish, like ahi or ono or mahi mahi, and then you pick how it’s prepared, like grilling it or baking it. From time to time, the fish and the preparations change. It’s always good, though. They also have what’s called a hula pie, which is macadamia nut ice cream in a chocolate crust with chocolate syrup, macadamia nuts, and whipped cream on top. Believe me, too many of those will sink your outrigger.
The location couldn’t be any better, either. Located on Lahaina’s main drag, the dining area also overlooks the harbor and offers up some spectacular sunsets.
One thing to watch for is the ambiguous gender demarcation on the restrooms. The last time that we were there, the women’s restroom was indicated only by a picture of an orchid while the men’s restroom was indicated by a hibiscus. We’ll just leave it at that.
Here’s the address: 845 Front Street, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761; Telephone: (808) 661-4811
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Travel and Food News Roundup for July 3, 2008
A day early this week because I'm traveling tomorrow.
- New York Times: Oakland, Calif.: Camino
- Forbes.com: The Best Barbecue Worth Traveling For
- Forbes.com: World's Top Brewery Tours
- Jaunted: British Travel: Curry's Causing Chaos
- Jaunted: Upstate Wineries Worth Visiting: Dr. Frank's
- Jaunted: New NYC Restaurant: The General Greene
- Jaunted: Upstate Wineries Worth Visiting: Six Mile Creek
- Jaunted: Upstate Wineries Worth Visiting: Villa Bellangelo
- Jaunted: Pizza Americana: Says Who?
- Jaunted: Food Travel: Gastronomy by the Seine
- World Hum: R.I.P. Florent
- Gadling: Jesus travel: Eating in the land of milk and honey
- MSNBC: Bring a bib to America's best barbecue joints
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Admiral Codrington
London, England, United Kingdom
The Admiral Codrington is a pub, but we didn't really get pub grub when we ate there. (Trust me, when its 80 degrees outside, the last thing you want is shepherd's pie.) As it turns out, the Admiral Codrington is also a restaurant, or a gastropub, if you will.
We didn't have any reservations, so the hostess (or whatever they're called in England) said we could eat if we were done by eight o'clock. As it was barely six-thirty, we said okay. We were expecting to be rushed through our dinner, as we probably would have been at an American restaurant. We should have had more faith. It turns out that we had some of the nicest wait staff I have ever encountered. They told us to take our time and enjoy our meal. Imagine that.
It was a very good meal, too. I had the red snapper with minestrone, and my wife had the fish cake with peas. For dessert, I had the blood orange sorbet, also excellent. I think my wife won though. She had what they call honeycomb ice cream which was vanilla ice cream with ribbons of frozen honey. Watch the drool on the keyboard.
The Admiral Codrington is located in the Brompton area of London, within walking distance of the South Kensington tube station. The address is 17 Mossop Street, London, SW32LY; Telephone: 020 7581 0005. It was recommended to us by the concierge at the highly recommended Pelham Hotel.
The Admiral Codrington is a pub, but we didn't really get pub grub when we ate there. (Trust me, when its 80 degrees outside, the last thing you want is shepherd's pie.) As it turns out, the Admiral Codrington is also a restaurant, or a gastropub, if you will.
We didn't have any reservations, so the hostess (or whatever they're called in England) said we could eat if we were done by eight o'clock. As it was barely six-thirty, we said okay. We were expecting to be rushed through our dinner, as we probably would have been at an American restaurant. We should have had more faith. It turns out that we had some of the nicest wait staff I have ever encountered. They told us to take our time and enjoy our meal. Imagine that.
It was a very good meal, too. I had the red snapper with minestrone, and my wife had the fish cake with peas. For dessert, I had the blood orange sorbet, also excellent. I think my wife won though. She had what they call honeycomb ice cream which was vanilla ice cream with ribbons of frozen honey. Watch the drool on the keyboard.
The Admiral Codrington is located in the Brompton area of London, within walking distance of the South Kensington tube station. The address is 17 Mossop Street, London, SW32LY; Telephone: 020 7581 0005. It was recommended to us by the concierge at the highly recommended Pelham Hotel.
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