Food Adventure: Nevada

Nevada's state food is a little strange. It's not really a specific food, it's more of a food experience. And it makes sense because buffets are a dime a dozen in Nevada, or at least in Las Vegas. Buffets aren't really my "cup of tea." (It's something about the endless piles of food sitting under heat lamps.) The exception, however, is breakfast. I love breakfast buffets. Endless amounts of carb heavy dishes, fresh fruit, omelet bars, etc!? I'm into it. I knew that our food adventure for a buffet had to take place in Las Vegas, and I knew that it had to be at the Bellagio, and had to be for breakfast. The buffet at the Bellagio is actually called The Buffet and is pretty amazing. There was just so much food. I think our favorite part of it was the omelet bar. Pick your fillings and a chef cooks up (a really delicious) omelet before your eyes. I highly recommend going to The Buffet for breakfast, but I have no doubt that it's great for lunch or dinner too, I know I'll be back. It was such a fun morning stuffing our faces and enjoying each other in Las Vegas.

  

 

 

 

On our "yumm scale" we rated The Buffet at the Bellagio a Super Yumm.

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: California

While in California we visited the most charming farmers market. One of the first booths we happened upon was selling grapes of all shapes and sizes and colors. Lucky for us grapes are the state food of California so bought a couple of bunches. The grapes were delicious. We bought a bunch of green grapes and a bunch of large red seeded grapes. The green grapes were tart and even a bit sour. The red grapes were sweet and juicy. It's not currently "grape season" in California right now, so our grapes were probably in some sort of high tech storage facility for the last couple of months, making them not as fresh as the could have been. But I'm sure that during the harvest in the fall the fresh California grapes couldn't be more delicious. Maybe another trip is in order for later this year. In the mean time these California grapes did the trick - they were pretty tasty.

On our "yumm scale" we rated California Grapes as a Yumm

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Florida

 The state food of Florida is the orange. So of course last week while we were in Orlando we visited a local orange grove for our Florida food adventure. We picked the freshest, juiciest, most delicious oranges ever. Luckily for us winter is peak orange season in Florida, everything was ripe and ready for picking. The Showcase of Citrus is one of the largest "you pick" orange groves in Florida. This grove was full of many different trees growing over 25 variations of citrus fruits, from oranges to grapefruits to lemons and limes. Picking oranges in Florida was one of the coolest things I've ever done. The grove was beautiful and smelt amazing! As far as the oranges go they were so yummy - the freshest I've ever had. The honey tangerines were probably my favorite (I'm actually eating one right now - yumm) they're so sweet and juicy. The traditional navel oranges were great too, I'm excited to make some juice with the oranges we brought home. These straight-from-Florida oranges are definitely the best I've ever had.

 

On our "yumm scale" we rated Florida Oranges as a Super Yumm!

 

 For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Idaho

Really, if you have a problem with strips of potato fried to a crispy golden brown, sprinkled with salt, and served with some type of dipping sauce, you should probably stop following this blog. If you're not a "fry fan", seek psychological help. Please. It's for your own good. Because seriously I've never met a french fry I didn't like (aside from the occasional cold batch from Wendys).  It's no secret I love french fries, so naturally I was looking forward to partaking of the state food of Idaho: the potato. Of course I planned to seek it out in my favorite form, and seek it out I did. I read about the amazing, famous house cut waffle fries from the Snakebite restaurant in downtown Idaho Falls. On their website they boast about using fresh Idaho potatoes, so I knew we had to try them. The restauant itself is in a cute historic neighborhood and is totally eclectic - exposed brick, tile mosaic flooring, cool local art... it was the perfect environment to enjoy a plate of fries. We ordered a plate of "Mesa Falls Fries", a local favorite according to the menu. After my first bite I totally see why. They're addicting. I just couldn't stop eating. I mean really I could have eaten the entire plate. The fries were really crunchy with lots of texture, and the soft "potato-y" inside was not to be overlooked. My favorite pieces were the ends. They were extra thick, and so yummy. Adam liked the really crunchy pieces, and all of the tiny middle tid-bits that were left over after cutting the potatoes into the waffle shape. The fries came with ketchup and fry sauce. As a Utah girl, I couldn't pass up my fry sauce. I like to think the french fries were just that good because they were made from fresh Idaho potatoes. There's a reason why Idaho potatoes are famous and are used in homes and restaurants all over the WORLD. They're just plain good. Overall a great fry experience at the Snakebite! Thanks for the amazing french fries.

 On our "yumm scale" we rated The Snakebite's Idaho Potato french fries as a Holymolycanoliyumm!

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Pennsylvania

This weekend we made a quick trip up to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. While there we had to make a really tough decision: Would we eat a Philly Cheesesteak at Pat's or Geno's? The Philly Cheesesteak is the state food of Pennsylvania, and we knew that to get a really good cheesesteak we had to go to the South Philadelphia intersection where the "best cheesteak" war rages. Pat's King of Steaks was the restaurant that started first; Pat actually claims to have invented the Philly Cheesteak. Geno's came along a few years after Pat's opened its doors, and people say that Geno's Steaks perfected the cheesteak sandwich. Either way I'm sure that both restaurants are delicious, but we went with Geno's -and all I can say is wow. Somehow when you combine thinly sliced beef, a soft hogie roll, caramelized onions, and cheese wiz you get a food creation that can only be described as perfect. On our way over to Geno's we had a local cab driver who had lived in Philly his whole life. Luckily he gave us a heads up about how to order at Geno's. He said, "When you order you either say 'Wiz with' or 'Wiz without', don't be a provolone snob." Sound advice. Wiz with obviously means a Cheesteak sandwich with cheese wiz and with onions and a Wiz without is the same thing only without onion. We both ordered a Wiz with and some some "freedom fries" and waited patiently while they put our order together. Once we got our food we found an open table and got down to business. The thinly sliced meat was a little crisp on the edges because they cook it on a flat top grill, the cheese (which they were very generous with) was gooey and warm and the onions added a whole other dimension of flavor. The white bread was soft and the perfect vessel to get the meat, cheese and onions to my mouth. Over all I'd say that this is one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. Adam concurs. Although I'm still not sure if he even tasted his it was completely gone before I even had a chance to have my first bite. Pennsylvania, thank you for the Philly Cheesesteak! It will not soon be forgotten.

On our "yumm scale" we rated Geno's Steaks Cheesesteak Sandwich a Holymolycanioiyumm!

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Virginia

The state food of Virgina is ham. Virginia Ham. To be completely honest I didn't think that "Virginia Ham" would be any different than regular old ham. I thought maybe the pigs in Virginia were happier or special in someway, making the ham taste better, but after a quick Wiki search I learned that the actual pig doesn't have much to do with the process of making Virginia Ham. Well of course you need a pig, but any pig would do, not just a Virginia one. Anyway, Virginia Ham is special because it's a cured meat, meaning it has been soaked in a salty/watery solution for a long time. The aging process is important in curing the meat because it brings out so many flavors. After the meat has been cured it is smoked over hickory chips and then is again left to age for "several months or up to 2-4 years" (according to Wikipedia). Making this stuff is a process, to say the least. In our quest to find Virginia Ham this weekend we visited Alexandria Virginia, home of President George Washington's estate at Mount Vernon. There was the most adorable little restaurant on the property there that we decided to give a try. Appropriately Virginia Ham was on the menu, as a sandwich, we of course had to give it a try. The sandwich came with a thick slice of pepperjack cheese which seemed out of place to me but Adam loved it so go figure. The ham itself was really flavorful and extremely salty thanks to the curing process. It was pretty tasty, but at the end of the day it was still a ham sandwich. Virginia Ham or regular ham it is all pretty similar, just as I had suspected. Truth be told my favorite part of the meal were those amazing home made chips. They were to die for. Thanks for the ham Virginia!

On our "yumm scale" we rated Mount Vernon Inn Restaurants Virginia Ham Sandwich a Yumm. 

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Massachusetts

I am a big fan of soups, chowders, bisques, basically any hot liquid thing that is served in a bowl with a spoon that ends up in my tummy. That's why New England clam chowder (or "chowda" if you're a local), the state food of Massachusetts, had me so excited. I knew where I needed to get it, I knew it had to be served in a sour dough bread bowl. I was ready for my bowl of clam chowder. I was ready to eat like a Bostonian. We made our way to Quincy Market a busy shopping and dining area in downtown Boston, we found the Boston Chowda Co. stand, and finally we ordered our chowder. They serve up a healthy helping of the thick white chowder in a crusty bread bowl with a side of oyster crackers. I couldn't sit down fast enough to try my first bite. It was everything that I want in a clam chowder it was rich and creamy and super simple no flairs nothing fancy just clams, a few potatoes, some cream and butter and that's it. The clams are right out of the water so fresh and awesome that's a luxury of being so close to the ocean, it makes such a difference in the over all taste of the chowder. The sour dough bowl was the perfect accompaniment for dipping. It was delicious!
Mmm Mmm Mmm I'm ready for another bowl now. 

 Thanks for the "chowda" Boston, I loved it!

On our "yumm scale" we rated Boston Chowda Co.'s New England Clam Chowder a Super Yumm. 

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Ohio

Ok I'm going to be completely, totally honest right now, I was really not looking forward to Cincinnati style chili. Spaghetti noodles topped with chili laced with cinnamon sprinkled with cheddar cheese. Eek. Not my idea of a good time. Regardless of what I wanted, we made the stop in Columbus, Ohio at a restaurant called Skyline Chili for Ohio's state food. Upon entering the restaurant I was still not super excited about what we were about to eat so we ordered a small plate and hoped for the best. Our food arrived quickly and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The cinnamon flavor in the chili is very subtle but gives it a sort of sweetness that I really didn't hate. I actually kind of liked it. Adam really liked the chili over spaghetti, he suuuper liked it. So much that he's requested it for dinner in the near future. It's still not something that I am in love with but I could do from time to time. Overall I am not in a huge hurry to head back for another round of Cincinnati style chili but I can say that it's better than it sounds.
Thanks for the adventure Ohio!

On our "yumm scale" we rated Skyline Chili's Cincinnati Style Chili as a Yumm.

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Indiana

Arriving in Indianapolis was a relief. Driving was getting really old and I was craving popcorn. Lucky for me I was in the state known for good popcorn. After a restful night we headed up to an area called Broad Ripple Village, an adorable little town full of great restaurants and shops. It's the perfect location for a gourmet popcorn shop. Just Pop In is a locally-owned shop with some seriously good popcorn. They have some of most imaginative flavors I've ever seen.

The popcorn itself is different than normal popcorn. One main difference that I noticed is that there are very few kernels in the actual corn pieces. That way there is less chance for a kernel to annoyingly get stuck in my teeth. But if one DID get stuck in my teeth I wouldn't need to search for floss or a toothpick because Just Pop In has you covered. They actually attach an individually wrapped toothpick to each of their packages. How thoughtful, right?! We picked up the "Indy Style" flavor combo of sharp cheddar cheese and caramel. Before you get all worked up and cast judgements let me just tell you how delicious it is. I'm not kidding. Do you remember getting those big tins of popcorn as a kid? Typically as a Christmas gift? Ok well it's like that. (Only waaay better) I loved it when the cardboard dividers came out and the cheese and caramel flavors mixed together. Still not doing it for you? Ok how about this one: Adam decided on a bag of Buffalo Wing and Ranch Flavor. All I can say is that popcorn tastes more like buffalo wings dipped in ranch than actual buffalo wings dipped in ranch. It's like magic. The final flavor we decided on was the caramel corn dipped in milk chocolate.
Super yum.

Thanks for the popcorn (that I'm currently munching on) Indiana!

On our "yumm scale" we rated Just Pop In gourmet popcorn as a Super Yumm.

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Illinois

Because we are traveling via i-70 and Chicago is several hours off of our interstate of choice we were not able to go to Chicago to taste Chicago-style pizza. However, just off of i-70 is a little town called Champaign, home of the University of Illinois. And lucky for us those students love them some Chicago-style pizza. Papa Del's reminds me a lot of a university pizza place that I frequent often in Salt Lake City. It's called The Pie and it's great. But, (I have some friends who might kill me when they read this) Papa Del's pizza sorta blew the pies out of the water. There I said it. This pizza was hands down the most delicious concoction of pizza ingredients I have ever encountered in my life. The crust was 2 inches thick and so soft warm and doughy on the inside. There were layers of melted mozzarella cheese topped with an insane pizza sauce. We chose sausage, green peppers and mushrooms as toppings, but honestly they could have put dirty socks on top and I still would have loved it. That pizza was NUTS. I am salivating as I type and am kicking myself for not ordering a pizza to go. Thank you for the nearly religious pizza experience Papa Dels!

On our "yumm scale" we rated Papa Del's Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza as a Holymolycanoliyumm!
For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!

Food Adventure: Missouri

Our state food stop in Missouri took place in the city of St. Louis. We stopped in at a "local chain" restaurant called IMO's Pizza. You know it's good when this is the place where the locals are yuckin it up on their lunch breaks. We placed our order for a ten piece toasted ravioli basket for two and waited anxiously as the IMO's staff prepared our food. Finally an aluminum foil lined basked was placed in front of us and we dug in. The ravioli were slightly larger than typical ravioli (Adam let me know that they are smaller than the ravioli of his choice, the American favorite Chef Boyardee. Awesome). The ravioli is filled with a standard meat filling and breaded (think mozzarella sticks) and then deep fried, served with a large helping of fantastic marinara sauce. We both agreed that they were not what we were expecting but still realllly good. It's meat, enclosed in dough, breaded and deep fried.
Come on now, you cant go wrong.

On our "yumm scale" we rated IMO's toasted ravioli as a Super Yumm.

For your reference the "Yumm Scale" :
1. Yuck
2. Yu...
3. Yumm
4. Super Yumm
5. Holymolycanoliyumm!