Food Patrol

I want to thank John for bringing this winner to my attention. When you drive up, you would never imagine what you will experience when you get inside. Very simple on the outside, unique and beautiful on the inside.  You walk into several lovely dining rooms. You can also choose to enjoy the outdoor dining. This dining has panoramic views of the Indian River, which is so much fun and very romantic.

These are 2 restaurants in Venice that will give many boomers smiles! They are inexpensive, fun and yummy!

I always stroll through ABC furniture, then Union Square Green Market (right dab in the center of Union Square) and try to time my last stop at Union Square Café around 2pm. I try every time I am in the city to make this afternoon treasure experience my first!

I love love love the Hamptons! On the very tip is beautiful Montauk. There is so much to enjoy here and miles and miles of unspoiled ocean beach. Perched way up on the hills is the wonderful Gurneys Inn Spa. There are five national parks nearby, hiking, fishing, kayaking, surfing and I love the art shows. I am sure you will also spot whales and dolphins out in the ocean too.

A gluten free diet is a very important, crucial part of our time and people's lives. It is so important for travelers to know where they can eat as they travel on this diet. I am not an expert on this and you should always ask as many questions as you need to for your dining experience. There can be cross contamination with the ingredients and other concerns. Many of the restaurants below are in airport terminals. A great tip is to bring your own items such as buns, muffins, chips, and treats for the airport and airplane. I do that myself, being on a regular diet. 

I love to find unusual places to dine, that are complete fun and also very affordable. When I think about Tom+Chee, I think goody goody, skippy do da! Trew and Corey, two very humble guys, had so many great experiences leading them up to this dream becoming true. They started serving good ole grilled cheese from a tent in Cincinnati and then were able to open their first shop. These two guys are making a huge splash in the food industry and it sounds like they are becoming a grilled cheese empire! They blew out into a lot of national press and had success on the show I adore, Shark Tank!

I was born in Texas so I love to read this story of an amazing family who has kept their roots alive starting with Scotts (current owner) great grandmother, Bettie in 1867. Just about 100 years later Thurman, Scott’s father started to create Salt Lick.

It is so exciting to take the short ride from Austin, through flower fields, unspoiled land, and right in the middle of the Texas Hill country.

The Red Lion Inn has been taking care of travelers of all ages (a lot of boomers visit) for over 200 years! It is the oldest Inn in the United States and New England still running. This is a place you want to have the magical luxury of visiting at least one time in your life. I have visited at least 50 times!!!! It will take you back to a different time in history. As you sit in the rocking chairs on the long porch you will glance down the street and feel as though Norman Rockwell is sitting right next to you. He lived right down the street. This town is all about history and the inn is a charter member of Historic Hotels of America.

The Old Mill has been a top rated restaurant in The Berkshires for over 30 years. The rustic simplistic elegance is exactly what you would expect from Chef-Owner Terry Moore. There is a contemporary New England cuisine here with so many special chef touches.

As boomers we have seen the unfortunate disappearance of many of the smaller local drive-ins, diners, restaurants, and quaint local motels that we grew to love as children. Also many of the small shops and stores have also bitten the dust.  I remember the joy of going up to the neighborhood Rexall soda fountain for a chocolate or cherry coke, looking at the latest comic books and then walking down to the Woolworth’s five and dime where I could buy some new toy figures and soldiers that we used in our creation of new worlds in the family den during bad weather.

Capri is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. This article provides snapshots of four restaurants in the main town also called Capri.

I am so excited to write about this true treasure. It is about 20 minutes outside of beautiful Seattle and is rated one of the top 40 restaurants and the top 10 in America. That says it all!

In 1995 Heston Blumenthal, a self-taught cook, bought a 450 year old pub in Bray. It opened as a bistro serving French classics. It was a hard road for a while, soon the reviews began. In 2000 the restaurant was refurbished and from then until now, the international awards are pouring in as fast as his diners. 

The Black Pearl is one of Newport’s best loved restaurants since 1967. The executive chef, Daniel Knerr has been here for over 20 years. He is one of the best loved chefs around too (I personally know him and he is truly is a gem!)

This is such an institution, a true treasure and one of my best! It opened as a coffee stand during the Gold Rush time. All of these years later, it truly is one of the very top restaurants in the fabulous city of San Francisco. You never have to worry about the consistency and quality here. You might want to try lunch and then a few days later come back for dinner.

This is a very tiny sushi bar in Tokyo that makes the best sushi in the entire world. It is a 3 time Michelin star winner. The cost of 20 pieces is around 300.00 and they do not take credit cards here! This is not a place you will find California rolls. I have grown to love and even crave sushi and this is the best for just that. There are only 10 seats here, near a subway station, so you can imagine why this is the hardest reservation to make ever. It takes up to a year!

My precious daughter, Briana arranged an entire day filled with pure excitement for all of her dear friends and their Moms. We all started our journey by hopping on the train ride from Westport to Grand Central station.  It is always so exciting to arrive in Grand Central and be able to gaze at the beauty. Some Moms were not used to the subway so there were a few kid leaders watching over those who felt a little uneasy.

Blondee tells us about four special vineyards to enjoy wine tasting.

This is one of those family treasures you find as you travel the world. I grew up in California and never knew what a hogie was until I moved to New York. I never really had any interest in them until I tried this place. Guess what - I am now craving them! 

Sweet Mochie, the dog in the photos, dreams everyday about the red velvet bones that Shake Shack has from Woof Delights. I know since he lives with me and barked at me so!!!

This fabulous place opened 2013 and is located in the Royal Opera House. The first location was in Madison Square in Manhattan. There is not anything that my friend Danny Meyer does in the food industry that is not brilliant including my favorite Union Square Cafe located in Union Square in Manhattan.

It is a Thursday, around 12:30 and it is as busy as ever, a lot of the visitors are boomers! This fun spot is a weekly visit for me and my family. It is placed right in the middle of a neighborhood surrounded by charm, trees, top restaurants and shops nearby. Randall Selland and Nancy Zimmer operate all of the four top culinary delights above along with their children.

Susie couldn’t go for long without shouting out about a great pet-friendly restaurant in our home town of Louisville, Kentucky. Recently the whole family, Susie, Beau, Mama and Daddy all went for lunch to Selena’s on a beautiful sunny and cool late spring day. 

This is such a beautiful place to visit. You can fall in love with the quiet and the breathtaking views of the deep blue sea. You can bring some exciting books to read while staring at the sea.  There is also an exciting nightlife here if that is what you desire.

It was raining in the streets of Tiburon, as my family started out to enjoy dinner out. We peeked into this sweet American traditional, very inviting restaurant that seemed  welcoming and proceeded to enjoy dining for the next few hours. It was a single dining area, large windows all along the left side and the front, hardwood floors and darling blue and white checkered tablecloths (that’s the boomer in me, remembering those tablecloths from back when….). A long, beautiful mirror and fresh flowers were also a focus of the restaurant.