Fort Bragg Confidential

Iris at sunrise : Fort Bragg, CA

We stopped for the night in Fort Bragg, California. If you haven't traveled north of San Francisco, Mendocino and Fort Bragg are the places to go. The latter is especially down-to-earth and accessible to all kinds of people. (Mendocino is picturesque and lovely, but tends to be a little snootier than blue-collar Fort Bragg.) It use to be a logging town and Georgia-Pacific still has a presence there, but most of the town's commerce seems to be tourism.

Sea foam and kelp : Fort Bragg, CA
(Click image to enlarge)

There are good places to eat and some fun shopping. The town also boasts a former garbage dump on the ocean (no, they no longer dump trash into the sea, but they once did) where you can find sea glass in abundance. We skipped that, but did enjoy good eats at the Egghead Restaurant. I highly recommend Dorothy's Revenge--Eggs Benedict with dungeness crab layered between the Canadian bacon and the poached eggs. Yummy.



Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09

San Francisco Confidential

Ti Couz--which means The Old House--is one of San Francisco's
best restaurants in terms of food. The main fare: crepes made by chef Sylvia Le Mer
in the style of her hometown of Brittany in northwest France.

Today, we spent a few hours in Berzerkeley and Stan and Fran's Disco (that's Berkeley and San Francisco to the rest of you.) My long-time friend Thea Hillman lives in the former and is about to have a baby, so we popped in for a quick visit. After that, we braved traffic, crossed the Bay Bridge, and drove into San Francisco. The goal: Ti Couz. This is, hands down, the best restaurant in the universe. Seriously. One word: crepes. Yum.

We enjoyed smoked salmon with scallions and creme fraiche and shrimp and scallops with seafood sauce. To top it off, we split a dessert crepe with bananas, nutella, and vanilla ice cream. We each washed it down with a made-to-your-taste Citron Presse. That's just a fancy word for make-it-yourself lemonade!

Mission Dolores, named for a nearby creek,
the Arroyo de los Dolores--or the Creek of Sorrows.

Having filled our bellies, we then went for a walk in the Mission District and took photos of the Mission Dolores and the basilica. The mission is the oldest intact building in San Francisco and the only remaining chapel out of 21 mission chapels establish by Father Junipero Serra along the El Camino Real. Finishing up the evening, we drove out to Treasure Island and watched the last of the sunset behind Baghdad on the Bay (again, that's San Francisco. Sometimes, it's also called the Barbary Coast.)

A quick note of thanks to my friend Sid and his partner Toz for letting us stay with them at the last minute after our accommodation arrangements fell through elsewhere.

And now, it's time to head up the coast!



Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 05/09

New Orleans Confidential: The Daylight Edition

French donuts--or beignets--with orange juice and
the Cafe du Monde's special blend: coffee with chickory
(Click image to enlarge)

After the eye-opening fun that was Rue Bourbon, the next day shed a better light on New Orleans, and the charm and beauty of the Crescent City came out in the streets surrounding the French Quarter. Of course, you can't go to N'awlins and not have beignets at the Cafe du Monde. That's how we started the day.



After beignets, we strolled through Jackson Square and then over to Saint Louis Cathedral.

Saint Louis Cathedral at Jackson Square
(Click image to enlarge)

Here are a few extra pictures showing the inside of this beautiful church.



I took more than 100 pictures of New Orleans, but this is all I have time to post. If I get a chance, I'll come back to this city and post more pictures of the beautiful ironwork, building and door colors, and people that make this one of America's most unique cities.

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 04/09

Meridian Confidential

Shan Little: Metal Artist and Director of Events at the Chili House

Halfway between Birmingham and New Orleans on I-20/59 and just over the border in Mississippi is the town of Meridian. At the exit for 31st Avenue, there are the typical interstate offerings for culinary fare and sustenance. Rather than eat lunch at Cracker Barrel or McDonald's, though, we drove into downtown Meridian and had lunch at the Chili House across from the post office. It was there that we met Shan Little*--a metal artist and Director of Events at Meridian's spicy gustatory spot. In fact, she made both of the metal pieces featured in today's photos. Shan is also the newest addition to my 100 Strangers series.

Repurposing a 55-gallon drum lid : Created by Shan Little for the Chili House
(Click image to enlarge)

If you want good eats, stop in Meridian at the Chili House where the motto is Good Mood, Great Food! And, if you're interested in blues and bikes, be sure to be in Meridian on June 13 when Shan and the good folks at the Chili House will be hosting Meridian's first Bike & Blues Festival. The event will feature bikers from all over, as well as music by The Dominoes and the Ned Addy Band. The event is free. If you want more information, contact Shan.

* For the record, her name is really Shan. It isn't short for Shannon or anything else. Just Shan.

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 04/09

Checkmate

Checkmate: Some speed chess and lunch with a view.
(Click to enlarge)

Continuing with 100 Strangers, I give you three strangers and an extra. Mike, Victor, and David were playing speed chess the other day outside the Brown Bag, but it was the guy in the window who first caught my eye.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential/Janet Kincaid.

Canton Confidential

The Pro Football Hall of Fame : Canton, Ohio

On this trip across America, I'm traveling with Brenda Hansen. Brenda is a huge fan of football and we decided, since we were driving through Ohio anyway, we'd go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. We got a late start on Wednesday night and ended up staying the first night in New Stanton, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is home of the Steelers--six time Super Bowl Champions (1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, 2008) and the only team to win six Super Bowls.

We Americans claim there's nothing more American than mom, baseball, and apple pie. Depending on who you are, you might debate that and toss baseball aside in favor of football. More Americans watch the Super Bowl than the World Series. A supreme court justice has played football, as well as one U.S. president--Gerald Ford who played for University of Michigan.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame was opened in Canton, Ohio, in September 1963 with 17 inductees. According to Wikipedia, "Canton, Ohio was selected as the location for the Hall of Fame primarily for three reasons: First, the NFL, then known as the American Professional Football Association, was founded in Canton in 1920. Second, the now-defunct Canton Bulldogs were a successful NFL team based in Canton during the first few years of the league. And finally, the community of Canton successfully lobbied the NFL to have the Hall built in their city."

My favorite display: a tribute to the teams in Washington and New York
following the September 11th attacks. The teams are: the Washington Redskins,
the New York Giants, and the New York Jets.

The hall of fame is chock full of memorabilia and factoids about America's gridiron. When football first started, forward passes were illegal and the field was set up in a grid. The first longest successful field goal attempt in the history of the NFL was kicked in 1970 by Tom Dempsey of the New Orleans Saints. He kicked the ball 63 yards and did it with only half of a foot. (See the slideshow to see the special shoe he wore.) Decades later Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos equaled the distance, but with a whole foot.

Here's a quiz:

1. What was the original name of the Tennessee Titans?
2. What was the original name of the New York Giants?
3. What team has gone to the Super Bowl four times, but has never won?
4. Which has a larger viewing audience: the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, or the season finale of American Idol?
5. Which team is the youngest in the league?
6. Which teams have never gone to the Super Bowl?

*****

White Castle:
The first hamburger fast food joint in America

After the Hall of Fame, we went to White Castle for lunch. White Castle was founded in the 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, and was the original hamburger fast food chain in the U.S. They sell sliders. People rave about these. Frankly, it was the most disgusting hamburger I've ever eaten. The pickle was thicker than the patty. I wouldn't feed it to my dog or my worst enemy. That said, though, I can now cross that off my list of must-eats in America. Please, if anyone knows the secret behind why these are a must-eat, share. The White Castle burger was lost on me and my stomach. My poor, poor stomach. Poor stomach. It's salads from here on out!

The original slider: a White Castle burger in a box. Yucky!

*****

More pictures of the Pro Football Hall of Fame...



*****

Answers to today's quiz: 1. The Tennessee Titans were originally the Houston Oilers. 2. The New York Giants were originally the New York Titans. 3. The Buffalo Bills have gone to the Super Bowl four times, including three years in a row, and they have never won. 4. The Super Bowl is watched by more viewers than the World Series, the Olympics, and American Idol. 5. The Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguers. They both entered the league in the mid-1990s. 6. The Detroit Lions and the New Orleans Saints have never played in a Super Bowl.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential in Canton and Akron, Ohio, 03/09

Random

Downward Mysterious
(Click to enlarge)

This is a photo I took a few weeks ago at a Thai restaurant in Alexandria. I think the door leads to the kitchen, but I'm not sure. I just liked the lighting.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential

Two Things Challenge: Partial / Whole

Whole : Ham and Pineapple on the left and on the right Pepperoni, Mushroom, and Black Olive

This week's Two Things Challenge was Partial / Whole. You'd think this one would be easy, but darned if I could find anything to shoot for this. So, in a fit of desperation, I went with last night's dinner: pizza. Hilariously, several other interpreters of this challenge chose another kind of pie--the one in the sky. Be sure to check out how others responded to this challenge, which calls to mind that great song of the 1950s, "That's Amore!" And now, I think I'm going to re-watch Moonstruck...

Partial: No fuss, no muss!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 01/09

Waiting

Waiting

Caught this picture of a woman waiting for her husband. She'd just had a slice of pizza. He had nothing. They both had tickets to the movies.

The Thai restaurant behind her? Not so good. (My litmus test for good Thai? Their chicken satay and their pad thai have to be outstanding. In the case of this restaurant, horrible.)

*****

Mount Timpanogos : Sunset and Moonrise : Circa 1986

In addition to my newest gadget being a really cool printer, it's also a really cool scanner. I scanned in a few photos I have in some albums lying around the house. The photo above was shot with a Minolta Maxxum 7000 in 1986 or thereabouts. From the front yard of the townhouse my family lived in in Orem, Utah, this was the view: Mount Timpanogos. I managed to capture the sunset on the clouds as the moon was rising.

*****

Finally, a note regarding yesterday's entry and the pictures of the Our Lady of Hope Chapel in the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Bob and Dolores Hope donated the money to the Catholic Church for the construction of the chapel. The chapel commemorates the appearance of Mary in Pontmain, France, in 1871. Yesterday's entry should have included this link about the chapel. The name of the chapel commemorates the events in Pontmain and not the name of the donor.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 01/09

Vendor

Gastronomic wonders abound, sort of. If you don't mind indigestion, that is!

When you visit Washington, you have a number of options for cuisine. If you want to fork over the big bucks for a restaurant, there's no end to the possibilities. If you're down on the National Mall visiting the museums and such, your options are kind of limited. If you don't want to pay the high price for food in the cafes and restaurants in the museums, your only other option is to buy something from one of the many vendors that line the Mall on Pennsylvania, Constitution, and Independence Avenues.

While this photo is in black and white, if it was in color, it would show that this food vendor's trailer is yellow. The trailers in this size are all yellow, so you can't miss them. You also can't miss them if you're downwind! In this particular photo, the building behind the trailer is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential

What Next?!

Brats? In a vending machine?! Are you friggin' kidding me?!?!

Let me start this entry by confessing two things. First, the other day, I thought I had a bright idea. As you'll soon learn, it was an idea, but it wasn't very bright. And second, I'm a food snob. I admit it. I have some foods about which I am absolutely an elitist. One of those foods is bratwursts. But I'm jumping ahead.

The other day, I had lunch with a friend downtown (Connecticut and 18th.) I decided after lunch that I would walk home. It was a beautiful day; no humidity, temps in the high 70s, slight breeze. My route of choice was Connecticut Avenue to National Zoo, then cut through the zoo and come out on Beach Drive. From there, Beach Drive to 16th Street via Blagden. If you could see a map of D.C., you'd think "sounds okay." Yeah. Not so much. By the time I hit Blagden, I had to call a friend to come and get me because my plantar fascitis was screaming.

That said, though, had I not walked almost home that day, I wouldn't have walked through the zoo. And if I hadn't walked through the zoo, I wouldn't have run across what you're seeing in the picture above: a bratwurst dispenser. Let me repeat, bold, and color that:

A BRATWURST DISPENSER!

You know that saying, "Just when I thought I'd seen it all..."? Well, this is the pinnacle for me. A vending machine that dispenses brats is just beyond the pale of what constitutes cuisine and offends my elitist sensibilities regarding what constitutes a brat and how it should be served. Frankly, if I was Germany or Austria, I'd go to war with us over this culinary offense!

There you have it. My snobbery vis-a-vis brats and the thing of all things that I think will at last be the thing I can say with finality, "Just when I thought I'd seen it all..."

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 09/08

The Dairy Godmother

The Dairy Godmother--a Del Ray/Alexandria institution

About a year ago, while watching the local PBS station WETA, there was a little video about a custard shop called The Dairy Godmother (how great is that name?!) in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood. I kept saying I was going to go there and then I'd forget. Well, the other day, the video ran on WETA again and this time I wrote down the name of the place and made a commitment to go. Last Wednesday found me and some friends in Del Ray enjoying frozen treats at this wonderful little independent, woman-owned business!

Liz Davis: The Dairy Godmother herself!

The Dairy Godmother is to Del Ray what Ben's Chili Bowl is to D.C.--and worth every lick. If you like frozen custard or creative sorbets, this is absolutely the place to go! And, if you have a four-legged friend, owner Liz Davis also sells goodies for the pups. If you stop in, be sure to look for Liz and say hi! She's a down-to-earth woman who exudes joy in what she does and who has created a neighborhood space of lasting value. Believe me, I'll be going back very soon!

The Dairy Godmother is located at 2310 Mount Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, Virginia, and is open seven days a week.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 07/08

Two Things Challenge: Alliteration

Crisp, crunchy cucumbers...

The first part of this week's Two Things Challenge was Alliteration. Here is my interpretation for that. Farm fresh fare from fields afar featured for a fee... at the Eastern Market on Capitol Hill.

Premature, pucker-puss peaches...

Perky, pedestrian peppers...

Sweet, succulent strawberries...

Asparagus awakens affection for... um... hollandaise!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 6/08

Fish Market

Captain White Famous Fish at the D.C. Fish Market

The Maine Avenue Fish Market on the Southwest waterfront is one of the last of its kind on the East Coast. Established along the waterfront in the 1930s, I've heard tale it was once--and possibly still is--the largest fish market in the United States, but I find that hard to believe given the fish market in Seattle. I could be wrong, though. What I do understand, though, is fish markets like this are largely non-existent now in port and seaboard cities along both coasts, so this is a rare treasure I guess.

Folk shopping for fresh fish and shrimp

Snapshots of the fine seafood available at the fish market
(Click on images to enlarge)

Located near the top of L'Enfant Plaza and mere blocks from the National Mall and all the tourists this town takes in, it is a local favorite and one of the few places not overrun by the aforementioned touristing types. If you want fresh fish and seafood, this is the place to go!

View of the Fish Market from the top of L'Enfant Plaza.
I-395 is on the right and passes over the market.

Here are some fun articles on the Fish Market: ZipUSA: 20024 (National Geographic); Fish Market Forces (DCist); and Washington DC Fish Market (Great Public Spaces).

Shiny and decrepit, all in one!

This last picture was a just a random composition I photographed as I was leaving the market. I'm trying to see a potential picture in everything and these shiny vending machines against the weather-worn building seemed photo-worthy!

And now, I'm off to Richmond and the Capital of the Confederacy for a day trip. I'll be back tomorrow and will have pictures aplenty to post from that great southern city, I'm sure!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 05/08

Ben's

Ben's Chili Bowl: A Washington Institution for 50 Years!

In August 1958, Ben and Virginia Ali opened one of D.C.'s newest restaurants at 1213 U Street NW--Ben's Chili Bowl. For almost 50 years, Ben's has been an anchor on U Street in good times and bad. When they opened, the national business failure rate was nearly 56%. Ben's has been an icon through the good years when U Street was known as "Black Broadway" and artists like Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole were playing clubs in the neighborhood and could be seen hanging at "The Bowl."

The assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968 brought riot and devastation to the neighborhood, but Ben's stayed open providing food and shelter to those who were trying to restore order to the neighborhood. Decline came to the area after the riots, but Ben's stayed open. In the 1970s and 80s, the U Street area was plagued by open-air heroin markets with dealers and junkies coming and going. Still, Ben's stayed open.

In the late 80s, when Metro put in a Green Line station across the street, most of the businesses closed during construction, but Ben's stayed open providing a place for workers to grab a bite. Now the U Street Corridor and the Shaw neighborhood are experiencing revitalization and gentrification and Ben's remains a constant presence on the street. Fancy restaurants open and close like political deals come and go in this city, but one locale remains stalwart and ever present: Ben's Chili Bowl.

If you're in the city, drop in. You never know who you might see when you do. Bill Cosby is a frequent diner when he's in town. And on a quiet day, you might be lucky enough to meet Ben's matriarch, Virginia. She's a lovely lady who bakes the cakes and always has a warm word for those who venture in for the best half smoke and chili cheese dog in the world!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 2/08

Krispy Kreme Triptych

HOT NOW: Krispy Kreme Original Glazed = Ambrosia in a Doughnut

Tonight, I had dinner with my parents and siblings. Afterward, my brother wanted to make a trek to Krispy Kreme out on Route 1 in Alexandria. So, we piled into my car and made the trip to the very first--and for a long time, the only--Krispy Kreme north of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Now, there are franchises all over the country, but in Virginia, this was the first.

Mmmmm. Dooooughnuts.

Note: To view a sharper image, click on the image and it will open in a separate window.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential, 1/08

Spicy

Cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon. There's Vietnamese, Chinese, Indonesian.... Who knew, right?

Not only that, but it's "fancy" too!

Like the sign says: Spices A - Z. If you can't find it in the retail store, you're sure to find it in Penzey's catalog where the inventory is even larger.

If you enjoy cooking and you like to keep a good stash of dry spices around, your purveyor of choice should be Penzey's. Recently, the spice trader has started opening retail locations around the country. Case in point would be two locations in the D.C. area--one in Rockville, Maryland, and one in Falls Church, Virginia. (The pictures here are from the Rockville store.)

This store has ten or 12 kinds of peppers, five kinds of cinnamon, six different grinds of sea salts, curries galore, four kinds of basil, taco seasonings, salad dressing mixes, and even hot chocolate! There's something here for every connoisseur, backyard BBQ'er, gourmet hobbyist, and stay-at-home mom/dad.

I spent $65 on eight bottles of spices and seasonings, as well as a gift pack as a birthday gift for a family member.

If you like to cook, head out to Penzey's. You'll love it!

In Rockville at 1048 Rockville Pike
and in Falls Church at 513 W. Broad Street.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (09/07)

Moroni Who?

Stretch of Georgia Avenue between Decatur and Delafield looking north.
Note the yellow and red awning half way down the block.

Moroni and Brothers Pizza--
one of Georgia Avenue's newest business ventures!

Recently, the city government of D.C. announced $100 million in economic development for impoverished and blighted Georgia Avenue, which stretches from Florida Avenue in the south to Silver Spring, Maryland, in the north. This is a hard-scrabble stretch in the District, suffering urban decay for decades. But hope is on the horizon.

One of the newer businesses to open its doors on Georgia is an El Salvadoran pizza joint called Moroni and Brother's Pizza Restaurant. If you grew up Mormon or you have friends who are Mormons, the name should cause you to sit up and take notice. If it was just Moroni and Brother's without the trumpets, you might think "how quaint" but with the trumpets thrown in,* you have to wonder if the owners aren't connected to that American-born faith. (I'll leave it to my readers to visit the establishment and ask the proprietors themselves.) I will tell you, though, there is a Moroni; I've met him. He's the youngest son of the owners and he does have a brother--Alberto. And he looks nothing like the statue of the angel, Moroni, affixed to the top of the Mormon Temple off of Connecticut Avenue in Kensington, Maryland!

I had pizza from Moroni and Brother's Pizza the other night with friends and it's not bad. They bake it in a brick oven and it's thin crust, which is my favorite. The menu also includes Salvadoran fare and is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Moroni's is open six days a week and closed on Sundays. Here's to Moroni and Brother's and their contribution to the revitalization of Georgia Avenue!

Zip: 20011

* Click on the picture to see a larger version. Note in the corner of the awnings are trumpets. They're sort of hard to see but they're there.

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (Janet M Kincaid, 08/07)

Best Buns

Best Buns Bread Co., 4010 28th Street South, Arlington, VA

Inside Best Buns

Located minutes from downtown is the Arlington County neighborhood of Shirlington, Virginia. The area includes an arthouse cinema, numerous restaurants, retail, and apartment and condominium living. It is also home to WETA 90.1 FM. This morning, my brother called and asked if I'd like to go out at lunchtime to Best Buns Bread Co. I couldn't say no. This is the only bakery in the D.C. area I've found that makes a sourdough loaf comparable in crust, heft, and flavor to what can be found in San Francisco. They also make great scones, cupcakes, muffins, cookies, and sandwiches.

Best Buns is part of the Great American Restaurants' chain in the D.C. area that includes the Carlyle Grand, Mike's American Grill, the Sweetwater Tavern, and Coastal Flats. If you're in the mood for good food, any one of these will satisfy. And if you love key lime pie, Mike's, Sweetwater's, and Coastal's serve the best key lime pie I have ever eaten outside of Florida!

Zip: 22206

P.S. This one is for my friend, Zanne. We waited here for the Gunfighter one Sunday afternoon and the three of us had a lovely time!

Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (Janet M. Kincaid, 07/07)