Trip to Chattanooga, TN

This week I had very limited time to work on a blog post. It has been a crazy week. I have been at work so much trying to get a new system up and working in our formula room. It was been nuts. We had been on a short vacation time to Chattanooga, TN over the holiday weekend and that was amazing. Coming back to a weird week at work after a vacation is rough stuff.  

I thought it would be fun to write up a little bit about our trip to Chattanooga and then talk about some of the new places where we ate. We had a fun trip down to Tennessee. We were able to leave early in the morning on Friday and then came back on Monday. It was a 6.5 hour drive from our house to Chattanooga. We took William and our dog, Einstein. It is always an adventure traveling with a toddler and a dog. Thankfully the dog is easy to travel with, it is the toddler who can be crazy. 

We were able to get at almost all local restaurants. That is a fun thing that we try to do whenever we travel, eat at only local places. We did stop by two fast food restaurants because you that is life when you travel. 

Embargo 62 - This was a great cuban restaurant in Chattanooga, not far from our Airbnb. I have been to a Cuban restaurant in Indianapolis, but have limited experience with Cuban food. This was amazing. We got sandwiches and they were yummy! They came with fried bananas and it was delicious. We definitely recommend this place!

Edley’s BBQ - This BBQ restaurant was also near where we stayed and it was soooo good. I think this was the best meal we had the whole weekend. I got their brisket tacos and they were amazing. I loved the slaw that was on top and the meat was smoked and just contained so much flavor. I am sure there are lots of good BBQ places, but this one was definitely top notch in our opinion. 

The Daily Ration - This was the brunch spot we went on Sunday and I struggled to only pick one thing on the menu. There were so many amazing choices, from sweet to savory it was all so delicious and presented beautifully. I got the coconut chai bowel and shared that with William along with a breakfast sandwich. Chas got the Kimchi rice bowel and he ate the whole thing. It was a hit. 

Milk and Honey - This was a super cute coffee shop and restaurant. They had so many different food and drink options. There was something on this menu that everyone would enjoy. Their signature, Milk and Honey latte was quite good and we got some other amazing brunch items the day we headed out of town. Definitely two thumbs up! 

We ended up ordering some food from other restaurants and had it delivered to our Airbnb houes. Sometimes with children it is just nice to eat at home and not always be in a restaurant. These places were definitely some of our favorite food spots. 

We also took the time to go to a couple of fun places. We went to Lula Lake, which is a land preserve on Lookout Mountain. It was amazing. We hiked and got to see a beautiful water fall. We also took a tram up Lookout Mountain and that was fun to be able to see all above the city. One afternoon we walked into downtown, across the river from our house. It was a fun-filled weekend with out friends Joshua, Angela and their son Henry. We loved out time in Chattanooga and if you want a fun place to go that isn’t too far away, check it out! 

Exploring St Louis

We had the opportunity to explore St Louis a few weekends ago. We took an extended weekend trip down to St Louis, Missouri, which happens to be about 5 hours from our home in Indianapolis. We decided to head to St Louis to meet up with some friends for the weekend who live in Mississippi. It was so great to get away and get to spend time with some amazing friends. This was also William's (my 4 month old son) longest car ride to date. 

We had a wonderful weekend. Of course we took the time to eat at some delicious restaurants along the way. As you may remember, whenever we travel, you avoid all chain restaurants and only eat at local places. 

• On our way out of Indiana we stopped in Terre Haute and ate lunch at Traverse Pie Company. It was amazing! I got a quiche and Chas ordered their pot pie. So delicious and of course the combos came with pie for dessert. Totally worth and such a delicious treat. I definitely recommend this spot if you find yourself on the west side of Indiana. 

• When we arrived to St Louis we had to stop for some St Louis style pizza. Now if you aren't familiar with what that means - here are the qualifications ... a thin, cracker like crust, Provel cheese and sliced in squares (instead of triangular slices). There was a local pizza shop not far from our Airbnb. Pizza-A-Go-Go is in a cute neighborhood and has some delicious pizza. It is a small shop and only serves pizza. We had to wait awhile, but it was worth and such a tasty treat.
• No trip to St Louis is complete with a stop at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard. Well good thing we were staying just a block or two away from one of the locations. We walked there the first night in town and of course had to partake in yummy ice cream. It is always so delicious and quite a busy place to be.
• For brunch on Saturday morning we went to the Mud House. It is a super cute cafe/coffee shop and had not only delicious coffee, but amazing food. It was very busy on a Saturday morning, but obviously being so popular is a good sign = good food! We really enjoyed the grits and I loved the huge bowl of fruit that I got. It was a little expensive, but we thought it was worth the cost. 

• One of our excursions on Saturday was to the Anheuser Busch St Louis plant location. We went on a tour of the Brewery and had a chance to enjoy a beverage afterwards. None of us had been there before and it was a activity for a cold/rainy afternoon. 

• For dinner on Saturday evening we ended up getting hotdogs. I know that sounds lame, but they were quite yummy. Steve's Hotdogs were awesome! I am not a huge hotdog fan, but these were made from quality ingredients and had some unique toppings. It worked out well for the boys to go get them and bring the back to the Airbnb for us to enjoy. 

• Sunday morning was filled with church and then saying our good byes to Joshua and Angela. Then before we hit the road back to Indiana we had lunch at a cute cafe with some amazing brunch food. You may have noticed a theme that we love brunch. 

Overall we had an amazing trip and really enjoyed the chance to get away for a weekend and enjoy time with friends. This was our first big trip with a baby and it went great. The Airbnb we stayed at was lovely and we enjoyed having good food and time with some amazing friends. If you find yourself in St Louis any time soon, check out some of these local eateries and enjoy your time exploring an amazing city! 

Being An Adventurous Food Traveler

We had the chance to travel out to Maryland this past week for a wedding. We took the opportunity to turn this trip into a little "babymoon." We hadn't gone on a big summer vacation or anything this year, because we have been saving money for the upcoming arrival of our newest addition at the end of December. So with this wedding out in Maryland, we decided to make a long weekend trip out to the east coast and were able to see Salisbury and Baltimore Maryland and ventured up to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

One thing we love to do when we travel is make an effort to only eat at local restaurants. There is too much good food in the world, to eat at a chain restaurant when on vacation. This trip was no exemption to that rule. 

Eastern Shore, MD - 

• Rise Up Roasted Coffee - This was a super hip and cool coffee shop in the middle of Easton, MD. This shop actually was where the coffee roasting happened for the coffee that this store sold. They had a delicious smoked salmon bagel, a very smooth latte and a fantastic atmosphere to just hang out in for a little bit. We ended up just hanging out at this shop for a good 1.5 hours. It was neat to watch the employees roast the coffee beans that they sell. We picked up a package of their fall seasonal roast and are excited to have use it for our coffee at home. 

• The Atlantic Hotel - We ventured over the Berlin, MD from Easton and checked out a historic hotel that had a cute, little restaurant attached. The town of Berlin is near the coast of Maryland. The lunch we got was yummy. I had a crab chowder and Chas got a crab roll sandwich. We were able to sit outside on an enclosed porch and enjoyed a quick walk around the downtown area after our luncheon. 

• Specific Gravity Pizzeria - For dinner we checked out this pizza place in Salisbury, MD on the recommendation of a our friend, Lee. This is supposedly the best kept secret in Salisbury. We had a pizza with chorizo, manchego cheese and fried shrimp. It was absolutely amazing! One of the best pizzas I have had. The crust was thin and the manchego cheese was delicious. Then we also got DOUGHnuts for dessert and that just ended the meal on a high note. I definitely recommend it if you find yourself in Salisbury, MD.  

• The Barlett Pear Inn - The wedding that we traveled all this way to attend, we held at this adorable inn. Immediately following the ceremony there was a reception with amazing hors d'oeuvres. It was such a nice venue and they had a beautiful spread for us to snack on.

• The Red Roost - This local establishment is kind of in the middle of nowhere in the country. It was such a neat restaurant. I am so glad that we got to go and eat blue crab that were caught right there in the Chesapeake Bay area. I have to admit at first I really struggled, but it was a great experience and so much fun! 

Philadelphia, PA - 

• Famous 4th Street Delicatessen - This restaurant ended up being our 2nd option for our brunch date in Philly with my sister, but it was so worth the walk. The restaurant was so beautiful and the food options were so diverse. The portions were huge and it tasted delicious. I got Challah french toast and Chas had an amazing Reuben sandwich. 

• Jasmine Rice - This local Thai spot has a couple of locations in Philadelphia. We got to meet the owner, and he was extremely nice. I had some friend jasmine rice with vegetables and tofu and it was delicious. It is was light and full of flavor. Chas had some wonderful Tom Yum soup. 
• Menagerie Coffee - This local coffee shop is where my sister use to work. I was excited to be able to go and see it. It was super cute and the cold brew coffee we had was quite good. It had a great atmosphere and I would see it being a great place to hang out at, drink delicious coffee and work on things.

Baltimore, MD - 

• Cafe Jovial - This little cafe was right down the street from the townhouse that we stayed at in Baltimore. It got good reviews online and we walked down there for lunch. The owner was nice and the hot sandwiches that we ordered were quite tasty.
• Sabatino's Italian Restaurant - As our last stop, we walked over to Little Italy in Baltimore and checked out some of the local restaurants. We ended up stopping at this local place and enjoying some traditional Italian food before heading to the airport. Chas ordered a shrimp alfredo and I had some gnocchi. The pasta portions were quite large. It was all very good and a fun place to stop before we headed out of town.

I am not sure if you have heard of or watch my YouTube, but Sorted Food is a great channel with some fun guys who do a great job at promoting new foods. They had a great blog post up on their website about being an adventurous eater and trying new things - CLICK HERE to read the post. Here were a few of my favorite comments that they made ... "every meal is exciting, and you have the best stories to tell," These are two of the best parts of eating out and trying new things in my opinion. 

I would encourage you when you plan your next trip to scope out some of the potential eating establishments in the area and try to find some local food to eat. Now I also like to try to make sure that there are some "healthier" options available as well. Even though it is vacation, it is important to try to remember the importance of a balanced diet.