Final BBQ tour post January 31, 2009

….so then we arrived in Austin.

Austin is just as cool as everyone has ever told you, if not more so.   Julia and I made multiple jokes about how every indie looking person we saw was thinking about or working on their screenplay.   The city has  gotten to be quite large, but the fact remains that you can do lots of neat stuff there and eat a bunch off good food and it has not lost its small city feel.

We went out drinking twice, once to a bar called the Ginger Man, which is mostly outdoors.  I had a great local brew there (well, Houston) called St. Arnold.  Most bars and restaurants  in Austin are outdoors, or have large patios, and did I mention it was 75 degrees nearly every day? The second time we went out was Saturday, when we saw some good local bands:  Built by Snow and Hollywood Gossip at Club De ville, which is a neat outside venue built into a cliff face (so, the backdrop to the band is…a cliff face, its very nifty).

We went birding with a nice retired teacher name Marilyn who I found through a great website called birdingpal.  You type in where you are going and it gives you a list of locals willing to take you birdwatching.  She took us to some neat local parks (one great thing about Austin is you go about 15 minutes out of the city and you are in the middle of nowhere).  One of the parks, Hamilton Pool, features a large grotto that you can swim in!  I bet its nice in summer. I saw some birds I had not seen in 10 years, Lesser Goldfinch and Golden-fronted Woodpecker, and also a lifer, the Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

The food in Austin is fantastic,, and we branched out from the Barbecue.  Some of the culinary highlights include:  El Chile (the Chile Relleno is a work of art!), Kerbey Lane Cafe, and the amazing Uchi, which has to be the most interesting Japanese restaurant I have ever been too.  We had rice with amber jack sashimi, Benito flakes, and an egg yolk served in a 400 degree bowl.  You stir it and it all gets cooked and is amazing.  I think if I lived in Austin I would eat there every day.

Austin has about a zillion miles of green way, and we spent my last full day hiking around.  I think we went about 6 miles in the city.  And we did some shopping and eating, too!

One thing I have to tell you is that if you find yourself in the Austin Airport, get a brisket sandwich from the Salt Lick!  Best Brisket Sandwich ever!

Barbecue Tour Part II January 29, 2009

Reid once told me not to speed driving through Louisiana, because the cops are out in full force, and then went on to comment that I probably just shouldn’t even stop in LA if I could help it.  Well, we stopped, spent the  night, and even did some birdwatching.   I think we are OK, but then, both mine and Julia’s typhoid and hep A/B shots are up to date.   Our trip continued with a drive through Alabama, Mississippi (where we did not stop) and into Louisiana.  We spent the night in Lafayette, where I realized one flaw in our “BBQ only plan”.  I love Cajun food more than BBQ, and when given the choice I say bring on the crawdads.   So, we ate Cajun that night.

The place we ate is called the Blue Dog Cafe and it was tasty and the bartender well versed in his bourbon.  In fact, maybe too well versed.  Anyway, it was one of those “draw on the paper tablecloth places, so here are some photos of the bisque we had with our artwork

Julia's artwork

OK, I can’t put my artwork (wordpress is smarter than me) in but maybe I will put it in later.  Anyway, the next morning we did a mini bird trip to Cypress Island Preserve and saw a Rusty Blackbird, but we didn’t stay too after that and headed down the road and into Texas.

We arrived without incident in Austin at about 5pm.

more next!

Barbecue and Brown Liquor Tour 2009 Part 1 January 28, 2009

Well, its been a while since my last post, for which I apologize, but my pal Julia and I drove to Texas.  She has a new, kick butt job out there, teaching UT Austin students, and I went with her to help conquer the miles between Raleigh and Austin as well as eat a bunch of barbecue, Cajun food, and Tex Mex.  Oh yeah, and look at some birds.

We left on Monday January 19, escaping Raleigh before the 6 inches of snow.  After much pre-trip debating, we decided to avoid the cold weather and drive via Atlanta and the deep south instead of through Tennessee.

We hit the road with a very full car on Monday, and had an uneventful day.  A few highlights we saw included the SC Gaffney Peach, in front of which a “Fats” restaurant has been built.   The “Fats” sign is now alarmingly close to the peach, which already looks like a giant behind anyway.  Further down the road we saw a big fake pirate ship on the ground in front of a tent near a church.  The ship had torn up black sails.  We didn’t know what those baptists were up too.  In Greenville SC we saw the California Dreaming restaurant, which is shaped like a castle and used to have a moat though now its a parking lot. Later on we passed “Quaker Steak and Lube” and then made our first barbecue stop.  Hickory Wind Barbecue.   We were disappointed with the dry pulled pork sandwiches we had, but chalked it up to the fact that maybe you just shouldn’t order pulled pork when you are in a state that is not NC.

Hickory Wind BBQ

Our first tourist stop was about 5:30 in Tuskegee, home of the Tuskegee airmen, the first group of African American Pilots who fought in WWII and the Tuskegee Institute.  We did a drive by of the school, founded by Booker T Washington, and admired the lovely architecture.  But then it got dark so we snapped a photo and continued on.

we were here!

We decided to change course again and go via Montgomery, where we finally arrived at about 7:30.  We emptied out the back seat of the car (which filled up an entire luggage cart from the hotel, which we then kidnapped into our room for the night).   We hit the streets of Montgomery to see what is going on down there, and I will tell you they were deserted!  We wandered around a bit and ate salad for dinner at a super fancy place, which was the only place open.

The beauty of Montgomery was apparent itself the next morning.  En route to the  Rosa Parks Memorial we admired many, many murals painted around the downtown area.  We had noticed them the night before but the full vibrancy of the art (not too mention how many murals there were) was amazing in the bright morning sun.  The artist was RP Adams, and google as I might, I cannot find any information about him.  The mural subjects were things like: a man with a Northern Flicker (a type of woodpecker and the state bird of Alabama) pecking the word “fool” into his forehead.   An amazingly muscular Bald Eagle holding the 10 commandments.

We were very luck at the Civil Rights Memorial and Museum, which is where we stumbled upon a free screening of the Obama Inauguration.  That was really special, to watch such an event in a location with so much history regarding the fight for Civil Rights.  There was not a dry eye in the house, including mine.

We checked out at noon and headed towards the coast, with a stop outside Greenville Alabama for barbecue at the Smokehouse.  I was convinced by the waitress to try the fried chicken, which I have to say, was fabulous. Julia had a barbecue sandwich (pulled pork, despite our misgivings)  and said it was really good, though the sauce was rather ketchupy.  The highlight of this meal was the fried green tomatoes, which were light and crispy and tart.  Good stuff!

More to follow….

And check out the photos, over here!!

Vegetable Enchiladas January 19, 2009

The secret to these babies is the sauce.  Its sooo good!  They are pretty easy and even Chris will eat them, despite being meat free.  OK, he ate one.  And complained about the lack of meat.  BUT you should try them anyway.  The recipe is originally from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures, a favorite cookbook of mine.

Ingredients:

Filling:

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 med onion, dices

2 med zucchini, chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 4 oz can chopped green chiles

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

1 28 oz can tomato puree

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 c chopped cilantro

1 large garlic clove pushed through a press

1/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

also:

8 8-inch flour tortillas

2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

1) heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute 5 minutes.  Stir in the zucchini and oregano and cook until tender but not mushy, about 7 minutes.  Remove the pan from heat and stir in chiles, kidney beans, salt and pepper. Let cool

2) preheat oven to 350.  To make sauces, combine tomato puree, cream, cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper

3) to assemble enchiladas,  pour a layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish.  Spoon 1/8 of the bean mixture along the center of a tortila, the sprinkle on 2 tbsp of cheese.  Roll the enchilada and place seam side down on baking dish (don’t worry if the tortilla breaks a bit).  Repeat with remaining tortillas.

4) spoon remaining sauce over enchiladas, and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

5) bake 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Movie Review January 12, 2009

Recently Chris and I watched some good movies, that I think are worth everyone seeing.  And a few that should be avoided!

The Good:

American Teen (2008).  This documentary follows 4 high school students during their senior year in a small town in Indiana, that could really be anywhere in the US.  There is the jock, the princess, the arty chick, and the geek.  It reminds you of how high school was, but also how different it is now (the only thing worse than being dumped via text message would be being dumped face to face while the dumper is texting someone else).   The kids are all so honest: the director never makes their lives seem trivial or cartoonish. Very very good.

Man on Wire (2007).  This documentary is about the tightrope walker who walked between  the World Trade Center Towers in 1974.  Lots of amazing footage of this truly spectacular and illegal feat  (and no, he didn’t die).

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008).  Fun chick flick about the glamorous American actress and the drab, conservative “social secretary” she hires.  Francis McDormand is so amazing, and so is Amy Adams.  Great music and scenery, too.  It is set post in WWI London.

Son of Ranbow (2007).  Charming British comedy about two young boys inspired by “First Blood” to make a homemade version of their own.  The 80’s soundtrack and hair styles were really hilariously, horridly spot on.

The Bad:

Leatherheads (2008).  Even George Clooney couldn’t save this flimsy script.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).  OK, I did totally cry at the end of the movie but the extremely long length and creepy makeup and animation made it come off as a wanna be “Forrest Gump”.

The Ugly:

Tongan Ninja (2002).  We rented this because it stars Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords.  Sadly, it was not good, and only slightly funny.  If you want a kung fu spoof, watch “Kung fu Hustle”.

Making a city great: Raleigh Comprehensive Plan January 3, 2009

Raleigh has an unfortunate nickname:  Sprawleigh.   Though most would say it is deserved, it is clear that a lot of folks hope we can shed this nickname.   The city officials want it also, hence the updating of the The Raleigh Comprehensive Plan (RCP).   This is a document that guides how the city grows and how decisions are made concerning that growth (“policy framework” was the term they used).  This really effects everything in Raleigh from waste to parks to street maintenance. Our current RCP has been in use for 20 years, and it is time for an update.  The city also notes that from now on the RCP will be updated every 5 years, instead of 20.

I have been impressed so far by the way the RCP has been developed:  they really do want our imput.  Lots and lots of it!  They have had oodles of public meetings as well as the opportunity for online comments.  I attended a meeting last spring to comment on a draft of the “Vision” for the RCP.  We were broken into small groups to discuss certain issues of our choice: I chose transporation (more bike lanes, please) and green development and I was excited by all the great suggestions that I heard:  have a mandatory park and ride lot at every subdivision,  have the city give enormous trax credits for green (LEED certified) renovations and buildings, and public transit, public transit, public transit.  Also, city officials have been at all sorts of public events armed with maps, documents, websites, etc.

So, now a draft of the RCP is available.  It is bold and exciting.  Here it is at a glance.   The plan acknowledges that we have a sprawl issue, and suggests that many of our current issues are because of that.  Having to maintain miles of roadway, inefficient water use, etc.  The RCP proposes funneling 60% of future growth (72,000 homes)  into eight growth centers that are in locations with combined highway and targeted transit access.

The centers include downtown Raleigh, Brier Creek, the Midtown area near North Hills, Crabtree Valley, west Raleigh, the area around Cameron Village and North Carolina State University, the area near Triangle Town Center mall and New Bern Avenue around WakeMed.  The plan also focuses on growing and revitalizing 18 areas around town that could, frankly, use a little fiscal love, including Capital Blvd, Raleigh’s ugliest street and the one I live near.

Transit is a HUGE part of the RCP, both the creation of some sort of rail system, making things easier for pedestrians and lots and lots of bike lanes.

So, if you want to participate, go read the plan and comment, or attend one of the upcoming meetings.   The local libraries have paper copies of the RCP (note, you cannot remove it from the library) or there are some meetings coming up where they will explain the whole thing to you.

Most of you who know me know that I am a big believer in making the place you live better by being involved.  This is a great way to do that.  Hopefully Raleigh can one day shake its horrid nickname.