Steak Tartare at Orsay - Jacksonville, FL

One of the measures of a good place is to have raw steak and not get sick.
This one has bigger chunks and you can see the quality of the meat. Very
good. Also, the fresh bread in the background with sea salt butter is
awesome. I was also happy with the strong dark beer from France on draft!
Eric Gongora 404-539-8185

Mini Hamburgers and Morty

After a wrong turn, I ended up at 30 Rock and turned around. Ended up at
the Ritz Carlton Bar and met a bartender named Morty. He had been there 29
years and referred to A-Rod as a whore - I like him and he is my friend. I
ordered these mini burgers with a beer and was excellent. Morty wouldn't
steer me wrong.
Eric Gongora 404-539-8185

My Gray Papaya Weiner

It is very good. The relish and the sauerkraut along with the grill not
cleaned in 30 years makes it taste artery clogging awesome. The juice is
good too - nice and refreshing.
Eric Gongora 404-539-8185

Gray's Papaya

In all my treks here, I have never had one. It is the cheapest ever - 1 hot
dog and a papaya drink was $2.
Eric Gongora 404-539-8185

Bermuda Work

I have finally made it to an international destination I don't loathe. I am
in Hamilton and everything is familiar even though I only came here on a
cruise. The Hamilton Princess is the nicest hotel in town and I am happy to
stay there. There are no Hotel 6 here.

Aimless wandering...

Walking along an abandoned Front Street with all the shops closed makes it
hard to sight-see but I will be able to do a bit on Friday before I leave
Hamilton.

Closet Vegetarian

In search of veggies away from a pregnant carnivore household, I ordered a nice salad and these wood grilled veggie skewers. 10 years ago I would have mocked this sort of thing but going without greens is hard for me. :(
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Houston Lego-esque Sculpture

I am sitting eating my dinner and noticed the view in front of me was a cool sculpture. The restaurant in the middle of the park idea is nice. I will be ordering something light to compensate for my fancy First Class food on the plane (bananas and Twix - seriously!).
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Final Houston Meal - The Grove

This place was recommended a while ago by my lovely wife but I had not gone for some reason. It is in a large park and was a short 10 block away from my hotel.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Me and Tiny Larry are Mad!

The University Inn was closed. No sausage and pierogies for me. Oh well. Maybe my heart was telling me something. It is only open for dinner on weekends. What kind of crap is that? Maybe you have to work off the food the rest of the day.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Secret Elvis Picture

This picture is illegal but I had to take a pic because the Elvis section in the Rock n Roll museum is cool with his old Caddy and a jumpsuit. I got yelled at by a guy in a hipster doofus shirt but it was worth it.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Voice - Dessert

The last course was welcoming. We were thrilled the portions were small so we could reach this deconstructed chocolate crunchy berry rich goodness. It was good but a little too rich to follow something like a pork belly. Either way it was excellent and this restaurant's regular restaurant menu was better to do than the bar menu. Highly recommended.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Voice - Pork Belly

When this course came out we became sure we were on the main course. Due to my mixed positive results of cooking an entire pig, I have much respect for chefs who can cook it well and balancing the fat and meat so they give you enough of both for flavor. This picture is a little better but I always have an issue with dark restaurants and my pitiful camera not washing it out. Where as some of my other pictures have the resolution of a sasquatch or loch ness photo, this one looks like paparazzi approached the pork belly. Oh well - it was good.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Voice - Fish Course

This flaky fish sat upon tomatillos and potatoes but for the life of me I don't remember what the waiter said. He told us the name which at several iterations sounded like Calicojack, Africotupac, and/or Lojack. Either way it was very good and even though the courses were not full size we lost count if this was the main. A 5 course tends to turn into a 6 or 7 with amuses, bemuses, and tremuses.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Voice - Snow Pea Ravioli

This was probably the most unusual course. The fresh ravioli were filled with a marscapone snow pea puree that melted in your mouth. The sauce that had a taste like chicken-a-la-king was a nice contrast. The picture with the lack of light and white plate make this look like a pale child in a snowstorm but believe me it was good.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Voice - Good Tuna

This was a very nice piece of tuna and the pickles, asian pears, and mango puree worked well with it. It tasted very fresh and was cut thick enough to feel the texture. Mmmm...chicken of the sea.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Voice - Truffle Porcini Cappuccio Soup

I am in a restaurant called Voice. I ate here previously but ate at the bar and had sliders because I was low class. This time the 5 course meal was in order. The amuse bouche was a porcini mushroom bisque with truffle foam in a cute cup. It was very good and had no caffeine.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Southern Pit Plates

When food comes in compartmentalized plates you know that style over
substance is not a priority. Cheryl got the ribs and I got the pork and
beef plate. All the meat was very good but the sides were excellent.
Brunswick stew, baked beans, finely chopped cole slaw, and cracklin'
cornbread (with pork cracklins) show me they have skills. I would highly
recommend it even with overly white atmosphere. Let's just say Griffin
hasn't seem the memo regarding about the end of segregation. Nuff said.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

McGhin's Southern Pit Bar B Que

This is the kind of place you can tell is going to be good when you see the
decor. Old trucker hats stapled to walls and lots of happy pig
paraphanalia. The clientele made up of obese rednecks and old people give
the place an authenticity that Piccadilly cannot hold a candle to.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Proper Princeton Picture

On my way out it stopped raining for 10 seconds and I was able to get this
picture. I think it is famous because it is tall and regal.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Triumph Brewing Company

Next door to the Princeton Bookstore I had to take my new sweatshirt for a
spin to see how it would handle beer. The $8 sampler of 7 beers was very
good and I think this place is frequented by smart people.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

That's Princeton, I Swear

My proof is not great but I can prove it with my t-shirt purchase. I fought
my impending pneumonia by buying a Princeton Lacrosse sweatshirt (with a
free t-shirt) for $15. I should be fine now and am going to look into what
Lacrosse is.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Palmer Square - Princeton

I should feel smarter but I am soaked by the rain. This picture was taken
from a pub so I could eat and dry out. The area is very nice and has a
different feel than University of Florida. Lot if fun to see Einstein's old
haunts.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Wegman's Market Cafe

This is just the prepared food section and it was overwhelming to see the
dedicated kosher meat area, cannolli assembly line, sushi bar, and sub
shop. The food looked incredible and I ended up with an Italian sub and a
cannolli to honor the area. All very good.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Wegmans!

Cheryl told me that I should head here to bask in the glory of the coolest
grocery store ever. This was no Kroger and was a NE institution. Getting
dinner seemed like a good idea since I didn't feel like going to a
restaurant. I know I said I resisted a restaurant. The plog is sad.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Asbury Park Theater

I am unsure if this building was a theater originally but the Art Deco
styling implies to me it was some sort of meeting place because there were
some bars and restaurants in it. Even though it was run down the place
added to the character.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Asbury Park Boardwalk

This was quite interesting. It definitely looked like something that was
hopping back in the 20's but has been let go. It was cold and dreary and
the only people around were fishing or loitering.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Monmouth Mall in NJ

I arrived to the hotel in Tinton Falls and since it was raining, I decided
to make my way to the mall to stretch my legs. These types of classy stores
are among the goombas making out with their feathered hair girlfriends
eating pepperoni pretzels and they scared me. I also think I saw a guy
sniff something off a baby changing station in the bathroom. Needless to
say I left.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Asbury Park

The GPS is a wonderful way to get lost and see new things. I went under
attractions and did not realize how close I was to the Jersey shore. I had
the guidomoblie and headed to Bruce Springstein's inspiration. It was cold
and dreary and looked like a Sopranos episode. It is amazing how it looked
abandoned yet beautiful.
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Welcome to New Jersey

For some reason Avis thought I needed to look like some sort of white
teenager who thinks he's a thug. I could not be more obvious from a
speeding standpoint so I will be taking my time driving south. Thug life!
Eric Gongora
SunGard Availability Services
404-539-8185

Bistro Sofia - Dessert

My last course sounded like it may be weird but the orange scented olive
oil cake with mandarin orange compote was moist and sweet. It reminded me
of the Cuban borracho cake but without the alcohol.

Bistro Sofia - Coworker's Main Course

I typically don't comment on other people's food but this puff pastry with
vegetable stew was worth mentioning not only because it was beautiful but
also a nice vegetarian choice that tasted good. Any idiot chef can make a
pasta for vegans but to make a dish a carnivore wants is a skill.

Bistro Sofia Main Course

My entree was a grilled hanger steak with fries, haricot verts, and baby
carrots in a caberbet demi. Usually this type of meat is tough but it was
cooked and marinated in such a way that made it buttery and juicy.
Surprisingly good and the fresh green beans and carrots were great.

Bistro Sofia - Course 1

The 3 course dinner for $25 is an incredible price for the quality of the
options on the menu. I decided to choose roasted beet carpaccio with feta,
haricot verts, and orange vinaigrette. It was a good veggie style version
of a carpaccio. The beets tasted fresh and was a nice start.

Bistro Sofia

In my continued quest to eat in nice places when I travel, we went to
Bistro Sofia in Greensboro. The rumor was that they had a prix fix menu
that is underpriced and overwhelming. It looked good on the reviews and my
friend Carey had recommended it as a local place done good.

Sky Club Interior

Even if the sign is a failure, the club itself is nice. Notice my pet
peeve, outlets at every seat have been addressed.

Welcome to the New Sky Club

In Concourse C they have replaced the title of the Crown Club to Sky Club. In typical Delta fashion, they did it half-ass. How about cleaning up the wallpaper holes before doing the sign. They are a failure.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Magical Place - Liquor Barn!

We are 1/3 of the way home. We stopped in Lexington, KY and saw this
magical place. Cheryl is standing in the bottom left hand corner to give
you scale. It has a ton of beer and wine along with groceries. We are
making a 9:00 am stop before getting on the road again. FYI - it is exit
108 off 75.

Pot o' Food

We are driving from Columbus, Ohio to Newcastle, Indiana for a family funeral and I am looking for humor where I can. I liked the advertising for this and how straight forward it was. It is like, don't be concerned with the type of food, just eat.
I also loved the huge truck stop adjacent to it. They had almost everything in the world except buckeyes. They did have shirts with wolves and Amish literature. I also enjoyed the announcements that your shower. Futuristic yet disturbing.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Hillary was with me...

I was ready to get the hell out of Santo Domingo and when I drove up in the
taxi at the airport I saw this plane with "United States of America" on it.
It was much smaller than Air Force One and I remembered that there was some
summit in Mexico with Obama but I did not know she was there. Apparently
she was pushing for the Dominican Republic to have a better relationship
with Haiti or Obama wanted her out of the way. FYI - the pantsuit matches
the plane.

Me and the Dirt People

Here is my view on an American Airlines flight wearing a suit with others
who aren't for the most part. I have to do this to keep in touch with the
real people.

La Carreta!

I finally got to have my Cuban food! I cannot express the sadness I felt
from not being able to access it last night. It was like I was being held
against my will from garlic. I had a croquetta and a pastellito with guava.
Along with my cortadito espresso, I should make it through my long
Dominican day.

Miami Airport Hotel Room View

Welcome to Miami! This is your overnight stop on the way to the Dominican
Republic. Enjoy the view of the roof and chillers. They must have not
noticed by Cubanosity.

T'afia - Course 5

The dessert course was a nice but heavy ending. The strawberry galette with
white chocolate was great. I think galette is french for "butter vehicle".

T'afia - Course 4

OMG. The bison bolognese with nettle raviolis and snow peas is my favorite
yet. I love bison and doing it as a bolognese is brilliant from a flavor
standpoint because the fat from regular meat would change the flavor.
Mmmmm.

T'afia - Course 3

The heirloom tomato salad with red wine mint vinaigrette is a simple but
delicious joy. Speaking from experience, our local farmer Maryann has
gotten me hooked to the taste of a real tomato not found in the local
grocery.

T'afia - Course 2

The beet and carrot soup with sweet onion and garlic is something that
looks like tomato soup at first but has a more complex flavor than I
thought it would. Surprisingly sweet and salty.

T'afia - Course 1

This the first of 5 off the tasting menu. It is a feta from the Pure Luck
people who seem reputable. Along with pickled carrots and upland cress it
is a nice starter especially with my infused wines.

T'afia - Proper Bread & Butter

Not only do they serve their sea salt butter at room temperature but the
fresh bread is incredible. It has tarragon and sea salt in it and is an
amazing combination.

T'afia's Ratafias - Infused Wines

They do an unusual thing with their wine. The "Ratafias Flight" is three
different wines infused with different fruits. They included infusions of
pineapple and white wine, meyer lemon and white wine, and strawberry and
red wine. Very interesting but I think Cheryl would question the purity.