The Explore All 50 States Project
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Miami has a huge Cuban population-most of whom arrived here seeking political asylum after leaving Cuba when it became a communist country under Fidel Castro. Cuban food is very flavorful and unique combining the Caribean island flavors with those of spanish origin. To get to know more about the Cuban influence in Miami and to explore it's cuisine I decided to treat my kids to a Cuban food experience at one of my … [Read more...]
After escaping all things Disney, and having a wonderful time doing a bunch of nifty science stuff at Wonderworks we were famished. After asking a few locals, we were directed down the block walking distance to the Copper Canyon Grill. If you are looking for something a little more gourmet but still family friendly, this place is just incredible. The food here was just beyond delicious and we left the restaurant … [Read more...]
What a stark contrast—from the sleepy little town of Sanibel Island to the hustle and bustle and visual overload of Downtown Disney…It was like walking around in a huge outdoor mall with tons of shops and restaurants and of course tons of Mickey and Minnie gear in every direction so bring your walking shoes and a fat wallet. There are lots of eating options here, but we found out the hard way that … [Read more...]
Looking through our guidebooks for somewhere interesting and fun to have dinner, we happened upon the Prime Quarter Steak House. Now a steak house is not somewhere I normally would go since we weren't eating meat, but they had a nice fish selection so we decided to give it a go and here's why ... what's really unique about this place is that you cook the food yourself (so pretty much, you burn it, you're of luck). I … [Read more...]
I figured since our theme was all about The Immigrant Experience, and since we were in Madison, home to a population with strong German roots, that it would be fun to find a German restaurant with live polka music (and who doesn't love polka music?). According to all our guidebooks, the Essen Haus was the place to go for a dining and dancing experience not to be missed and so we headed right over. Walking in … [Read more...]
Osseo is a tiny town with a mostly Norwegian population and their claim to fame is the bakery and family style restaurant known as the Norske Nook. After reading about this find in one of our guidebooks, and of course pie being one of our favorite desserts, we could not wait to dive in. This is some of the finest pie you will find in the whole country, and they have the blue ribbons to prove it. (For any of you … [Read more...]
If you love root beer (and even if you don’t), Fitz’s American Grill and Bottling Works is a fun place for dinner that everyone will enjoy. I found this place in a couple of my guidebooks and it sounded great-high end burgers and sandwiches, which to me read kid friendly sports bar cuisine. Located off the beaten path near the Washington University Campus, driving there we got a great view of the real St. … [Read more...]
You just can't go to Chicago without sampling some of the iconic foods, the most famous of which is Chicago style deep dish pizza and so after asking folks on the street and double checking with our guidebooks, everyone pointed us in the direction of Uno Chicago Grill. This place was super busy, which is always a good sign, but the wait was 45-minutes to an hour which I hear isn't unusual. We decided to give it a … [Read more...]
Discovering Perkins was a complete godsend. Living in Southern California, we'd never heard of Perkins till we got out on the road in North and South Dakota. Our friend Avrille spotted one on the road telling us it was a great place for some family friendly food, so we tried it and we were hooked ever since. You cannot go wrong for breakfast, lunch or dinner at Perkins. There is something for everyone, even your … [Read more...]
Searching for breakfast in Portsmouth we happened upon The Friendly Toast, a fun and friendly place and since it's one of the few restaurants in town that do a real breakfast, it was packed. The decor looks like grandma's garage exploded. Kitschy weird is an understatement here -mismatched table items, all kinds of advertising signs from another era, Kentucky Fried Chicken lamp fixtures you vaguely remember … [Read more...]
