7 posts categorized "Region: USA"
March 28, 2009
March 21, 2009
The Bull Market is Back (At Least Temporarily)
Coincidence? Who cares. Yee-haw!
January 29, 2009
November 30, 2008
Holy Smokes, Texas Style
The home of the best barbecue in the United States is a debate of biblical proportion, but it is generally accepted that the German-influenced meat markets in and around central Texas are of an exceptional quality and character, whatever denomination you subscribe to.
Many of the top-rated smokehouses in Texas Monthly's quinquennial review of the fifty best barbecue joints in Texas are within an hour's drive of Austin and San Antonio, making it theoretically possible to visit several of them in a single day's tour, as your correspondent did recently while passing through Austin and the Hill Country area:
Many of the top-rated smokehouses in Texas Monthly's quinquennial review of the fifty best barbecue joints in Texas are within an hour's drive of Austin and San Antonio, making it theoretically possible to visit several of them in a single day's tour, as your correspondent did recently while passing through Austin and the Hill Country area:
The last time your correspondent had “real” barbecue was at Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous in Memphis (see earlier post here). This meal consisted of chopped pork topped with coleslaw, served up on a bun by a waiter in a white apron.
The central Texas barbecue was an experience of a considerably different sort.
October 25, 2008
Eureeka!
Photo courtesy of N. Gama's flickr photostream
Some men hit it big by striking gold. In 1948, while cleaning the basement beneath his Memphis diner, Charlie Vergos hit it big by striking coal - or, to be more precise, a coal chute. The rest, as they say, is history.
He expanded from ham-and-cheese sandwiches to ribs, for which the establishment (now run by Charlie's kids) is well known. They also make a mean pork shoulder sandwich, as your correspondent can attest from his recent visit.
The staff, with names like Big Jack, Stinson, Robert Senior and Robert Junior, are nearly as legendary as the food. You can read their bio's and order a few slabs of their world-famous ribs (for delivery via Fedex, another Memphis hometown favorite) on their web site - www.hogsfly.com. It's worth a visit.
August 28, 2008
Weekend in "Michigin"
The town of Leland, Michigan sits on the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, just north of Traverse City, the "cherry capital of the world."
It is a picturesque little village located on a sliver of land between Lake Michigan and Lake Leelanau, on the beautiful Leelanau Peninsula. Everything is in within walking distance of Leland's historical district, known as Fishtown:
On a recent August weekend, it was the perfect spot for a traditional summer wedding, filled with lemonade, cherries and lots and lots of corn:
Here are some visitors playing a game of "cornhole", a popular Midwestern pastime (see here for rules and regulations, courtesy of the American Cornhole Association):
And another favorite pastime, roasting 'smores on the shore of Lake Michigan:
