Rum House brings Caribbean flavor to NOLA

New Orleans has long been considered one of the great cities in the United States for food lovers.  But if you think that reputation is built solely on its roots in Creole and Cajun cooking, you just haven’t spent enough time eating in the Big Easy.  Like the city itself, New Orleans is a melting pot of the world’s cuisines … you’ll find outstanding restaurants serving everything from Italian to Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian and African dishes, to name a few.  

It’s probably no surprise given its location near the Gulf of Mexico that Caribbean cuisine is well represented, too.  And I’ve found no better example than the food being served up at the Rum House Caribbean Taqueria.

Scenes from Shamrock, Texas

With a nickname like “The Road To Nowhere,” it’s fair to expect the drive on U.S. 83 from Canada to Mexico to be quite boring.  And I can attest that, at times, it is exactly that. 

But the drive also delivers its share of pleasant surprises.  And one of the stops along my drive that I felt most rewarded by was my overnight stay in Shamrock, Texas.

A commoner dines at Fried Green Tomatoes, Galena, Ill.

When Midwesterners are looking for a romantic weekend getaway, Galena, Ill., often makes the short list of ideas.  Wedged in the northwestern tip of Illinois, Galena offers a superb blend of history (the town is full of sites related to its most famous resident, Ulysses S. Grant), shopping, outdoor activities and small-town charm.  With the surrounding area being unusually scenic and hilly for Illinois, Galena tends to be more popular in the fall and winter months (the only ski resort I know of in the state is nearby), but it truly is a year-round destination. 

It should be no surprise, then, that Punky and I try to make a trip to Galena every year at a minimum.  And whenever we go, we rarely miss an opportunity to dine at one of our favorite restaurants in the downtown area.  Its menu and décor might make you think of a modern Tuscan-style trattoria, but its namesake dish is a classic southern appetizer – Fried Green Tomatoes.

Driving the Road To Nowhere – Kansas and a pair of panhandles

I started my third day driving on “The Road to Nowhere” with fairly low expectations for what I’d find south of North Platte, Neb. 

For the most part, Kansas proved those expectations were warranted.