Philly Cheesesteak Throwdown: Pat’s versus Geno’s

This is a guest post from my husband, Michael, who travels the world and brings home stories of his many culinary adventures.

During a December business trip to Philadelphia with friend and fellow carnivore Garth Jenson, I realized the shipyards where I was giving a briefing was a mere three miles from what many would consider the Mecca of cheesesteaks, the quaint part of the city where two world renowned competitors stake their turf across a busy intersection. Garth and I couldn’t let this opportunity pass by. We had to settle the matter for ourselves: which was better, Pat’s King of Steaks or Geno’s Steaks. Both are open 24 hours a day seven days a week, which makes you wonder how many cheesesteaks they sell at 4 a.m. on a Sunday. Read more

At The Martha Stewart Show

The alarm went off at 6 am, but I really didn’t need it as I’d hardly slept a wink. I was too excited and my body clock went off at 5 am, though I managed to coax myself into a few more minutes of sleep. Breakfast was just a glass of milk, not enough to fill me up but just enough to stave off the hunger pangs and last minute dashes to the ladies room.

My new dress shoes felt comfortable enough until I started briskly walking the streets of New York City, then I began to wish I had worn my nice fuzzy LL Bean Comfort Mocs instead. They aren’t nearly as cute but so much more comfortable and warm. My toes were freezing as I stood in line outside the studio building and grew numb as the wait stretched on. Read more

An Afternoon in New York City

Martha Stewart is doing another show on blogging tomorrow and I’ll be in the audience along with many other bloggers. I am thrilled for the opportunity to see Martha in person and to meet more bloggers that I follow. Pim will be on the show making her famous pad Thai (I hope there will be enough for the audience) and other bloggers will make appearances as well.

Though I’ve been to New York City twice before on business, those trips did not allow time for sightseeing. Each time I left the city with a longing to return and explore, to see some of the places that capture my imagination. Today, ten years later, I finally got to do a little of that. Read more

The Rainbow Drive-In

This is a guest post from my husband, Michael, who travels the world and brings home stories of his many culinary adventures.

When traveling to even familiar places it’s nice to know a local. My friend Donn has lived in Hawaii all his life and when I asked him about the Rainbow Drive-In his face broke out in a grin as he chuckled, “It’s not very touristy.” In Honolulu with all the visitors, crowds, and overhype something like this simple drive-in has a certain appeal. Read more

Stuttgart Markthalle

This short jaunt to Germany has been so much fun, and I have to say one of the highlights was visiting the Stuttgart Markthalle, an historic market in the old part of Stuttgart. A vegetable market has been in this location since 1864, and the building was constructed between 1911 and 1914. The building was reconstructed after receiving heavy damage during World War II and the interior underwent extensive renovations after a 1993 fire. The building has been noted as a cultural monument since 1974. Read more

Restaurant: Calwer Eck, Stuttgart, Germany

Billed as the “kleinste bräuerei Stuttgarts” (the smallest brewery in Stuttgart), Calwer Eck is a brewery restaurant worth a look. In a central downtime location on the Calwer Strasse, a pedestrian street near the Stadtmitte S-Bahn stop, it’s easily accessible and close to a number of tourist attractions in the Altstadt (old part of town). When walking down the Calwer Strasse, look for this menu station and the sign above that says “Hausbrauerei,” then go up the marble stairs to the left, or you can dine outdoors in front of the entrance. The interior is warm and inviting, with walls covered in stained wood and beautiful windows overlooking the Calwer Strasse. They have large raised booths with wooden benches or tables with chairs.

The restaurant features traditional hearty Swabian favorites and they have both German and English menus available, though I had fun trying to dust off my high school German from years ago translating the menu for Michael. They serve breakfast daily lunch specials (Mittags) including drink from 11:00 am to 5 pm, dinner after 5 pm, and a Sunday all you can eat brunch from 10 am to 4 pm. The daily lunch specials are very reasonable at just €6,50 with soup and salad extra at just €1,80. Read more

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