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An American Gastropub
Evening in the Olde Town It had been a hot day, so as we headed towards the pub, it was nice to see the old street becoming quieter and cooler as the sun went down. All those poor employees in their hot costumes! From Costumes to Uniforms As we traveled down the street we noticed some different costumes. There seemed to be a number of men in uniform, looking very serious. There was also some crime tape around an area near the historic City Hall. It seemed someone had left a backpack on a wooden bench near a barrel. Moving Along We were curious, but continued down the road towards the pub, where we knew beer and food awaited. Cute Building The pub on the corner was appealing, with tower and weathervane above. There was a small crowd dining outside, which looked inviting. Inside The inside was actually pretty comfortable, with a bar and a few levels. Lots of big windows and iron light fixtures. But we are from Texas and we don't get to do much patio dining in the summer, so we waited for an outside table. Beer and Food Made With Beer Don was most excited about all the beer options. But I was pretty delighted with so many unusual choices on the Small Plate Menu.
The Rueben Croquettes were pretty crazy! Panko covered corned beef, Swiss and sauerkraut! And then Don went for some Mulligtawny, a yellow curry soup with chicken and coconut milk. Welsh Rarebit was my favorite of the three. Excitement Besides Food We enjoyed our food, while watching the tourists and locals wandering by the patio area. Then we had more to a watch, as a parade of emergency vehicles flew by, with sirens blasting. It was dark, but we were pretty sure we saw the words, "bomb squad" on the side of one. Eat and Run Since I'm always up for a dining adventure, I pushed Don to get the bill so we could go see what all the excitement was about. But we could no longer get anywhere near where the backpack was sitting on the bench. (which is a good thing) The crime tape area had been enlarged and we wandered around to the end, where the most important trucks were parked. We watched one man put on a suit that looked pretty much like the Michelin Man. All is Good There really is nothing amusing about this at all. It's a sad thing that a backpack, probably holding a water bottle and a guidebook, must be treated with such caution. But that's the world we live in now. Don and I watched while 2 suited men disappeared towards the backpack. Before long they returned, holding the pack. Their body language showed relief. There were high fives and the hot suits were removed. Good Ending
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Gem of the Spanish Restaurants Don and I spent a few days in St. Augustine last January. We were delighted by the atmosphere of the historic city. Many times, we'd walked by this wonderful building with whirling fans and trickling fountain. Since 1905! 1905 is pretty young for St. Augustine, which was founded in 1565! But the building was inviting and 1905 is old in my book. How could we resist? So Many Options for Seating! We entered the charming building at 9:30, on a Sunday evening. Luckily, there were still enough diners to make things festive. The hostess seemed a little tired, though. She walked us through the arched entrance of the room marked "El Patio". She put menus down, at a cramped table for 2. When I cheerily asked for another table facing the fountain, she yawned and moved us. I didn't ask her to move the broom and dustpan that rested up against a column. I'm pretty sure someone was eager to use that and get home, but I tucked them behind the column where I didn't have to stare at the eyesore. Exploring Before ordering, I did a quick "Race to the Ladies Room", which means, I went exploring. There were so many rooms in this great old place. Family I wanted to know all about the 5 generations of The Hernandez Family who have been running Columbia since it first opened. And More Seating The murals, stucco, iron and tile felt very Spanish, but Mr. Hernadez, Sr., evidently immigrated from Cuba. The foods on the menu reflected that. Looking Down I took a quick glance down towards our table from the railing above. My photo doesn't show a very clear shot of fountain in the center of the dining room, but there was quite a curious sculpture. The glowing, white legs are wrapped up in the tail of a dolphin! It gave us lots to ponder. Food and Drink I was hoping for a very old server who could tell me some stories, but our young server was at least very gracious and didn't rush. She brought us warm Cuban bread, which was heavenly. Don had a Pisco Sour and I celebrated with a Margarita. Then she tossed up our "1905 Salad" right next to the table. The salad was iceberg, mixed with ham, Swiss, tomato, Spanish olives, Romano cheese, Worcestershire and lemon. I actually liked the plate it was served on, just as much as the salad! The Original Cuban Sandwich A recipe from 1915 was used for this perfect sandwich. Genoa salami, smoked ham, pork loin, Swiss, pickle, and yellow mustard was pressed and melted inside long slices of Cuban bread. Fun Food Not only was it the best tasting sandwich I've had... since a Muffaletta in New Orleans... But it was just plain fun. Look at Don. He looks like he's eating giant cigar. Which is kind of funny because I found out later that some of Mr. Hernandez's first customers were workers from a nearby cigar factory. They often bought the Cuban sandwiches to eat walking to and from work. The Bad News Don and I enjoyed our dinner, even though we sort of closed the place down. We even managed to laugh at the disappointing restaurant trivia, that we learned after our meal. I asked about Columbia's history and our young server answered with a smile. "Oh it's been here since the 1980's" I cringed and asked, "Well is the building old?" "No, it used to be a parking lot." What? So there are 6 locations of Columbia. The original is in Tampa. So much for my love of historic dining!
Small Town Food?
Taste of Mexico Don and I were traveling through Postville, 2 years ago when we stopped for lunch. We didn't see many listings on Yelp, but we found Taste of Mexico, in this old corner building. Out of Towners
Authentic Decor Living in Texas, we've eaten at a lot of authentic, family owned Mexican restaurants. This kind of decor is not unusual. But this restaurant had its own Mexican grocery store and a party hall as well. There were also restrooms, but I didn't pay a visit when I heard of Don's adventure. "I had to step over some kind of frozen meats to get into the restroom!" He laughed. He also was amused that there was a cup with toothbrushes in the men's room. Food Luckily we had already eaten our meal before Don shared that story. The tostada and burrito plates were only about $5.00! And the food was right out of Mexico. Perfecto! Don even had a chance to speak some Spanish with the owner, who warmed up quite a bit. Shopping After lunch, we walked down the block to the Glatt Market to get some food for dinner that night, since we would be staying at a farm B & B outside of town. Nearby In the Shop When we entered the store, a man with the traditional hair, beard and dress of an Hasidic Jew, looked up from his conversation with the shop keeper. "Don't you look good!" He spoke to Don with an accent. That was an odd greeting, but Don responded with a cheerful, "Thanks!" The gentleman was eager to know all about us and why we were shopping in a Kosher grocery store. We were obvious outsiders, but I was amused at his question, since a number of people have thought I was Jewish in the past. But we had quite a good time chatting for a while, until he needed to hurry on. Shopping and Recent History
Somehow in recent years, the local Iowa folk, Hasidic Jews, Mexicans and Muslim Somalis have managed to live in this small town, combining their cultures. It's a complicated story that lead me to some interesting books. The history is worth Googling. Dinner Snacks Nadia was not Jewish, but she showed us around. She pointed out the Kosher wine used for Passover and helped us pick out a few snacks to have with our light dinner later at the barn. We headed out of town, but didn't manage to spot any cafes that might have been Somali owned. That would have completed our diverse dining experience! Postville 1916 As we headed out of town, we spotted a mural featuring an image of The Ringling Brother's visit to Postville in 1916. We had a feeling this was the bit of Postville History that the old timer locals are most proud of. Barn B & B We traveled just a few miles to our B&B down the highway. Our hosts were Iowa natives and went to Postville schools. Our barn looked over a field of corn. There were cows and chickens and breakfast couldn't have been more All-American.
It's been almost 2 years since our visit to Postville and my mind is still kind of boggled by the memory. I would love to go back, stay longer, eat more... and ask more questions. |
The Dining Blog
This is a blog about Dining Adventures. Sometimes, I talk about food. Below, you can read how this started. On July 4th 2011, I set a goal to try 50 culturally diverse restaurants in one year! (I knew that was possible, living in the Houston area) I spent the year pulling in friends and family to join me, on some unusual dining adventures. I met some curious people, tried some scary foods and explored places and cultures I never would have otherwise. Even though I met my goal, I learned too much to end my adventures in dining. I have continued blogging about memorable dining adventures of all kinds, near and far... and all the discoveries and funny things I've learned along the way! Locations and types of dining adventures, are listed further down. Archives
November 2023
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