On our way back to Fort Lauderdale from Key West we stopped at this Cuban bakery for breakfast. When I tried to find this location a list of this bakery came up. It must be a local Florida shop. We each had a Cuban breakfast sandwich. I wanted a glass of milk. They don’t have it on the menu. I spent 5 minutes explaining that I just wanted a glass of milk. It’s like they never heard of it. I don’t think they understand English very well. The manager finally came over and poured me a glass of milk. It was a nice place. I think they just recently opened. The bakery goods all had a Cuban touch to it. I can’t really explain it. There was nothing there that touched my west coast taste.

This restaurant is in the marina. The fish you eat was caught that morning out in the ocean. The place was packed. We sat out on the patio. I don’t remember the fish I ate. My wife had the salad and the soup. It was a good atmosphere.

This is in the morning in Key West. We walked around looking for a place to have breakfast. We found the Stinkin’ Crawfish. It wasn’t hot and humid yet so we sat on the patio. It was a small place but a nice atmosphere, I ordered the breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs and sausage. It came with a side of tots. Pam had a fruit bowl with toast. I had milk; she had coffee. It was a nice meal to start the day.

This place was featured on the CNBC show “The Profit.” It featured Marcus Lemonis, who is the CEO of Camping World. He goes into failing businesses and helps them get turned around. I watched the show and since we were in Key West I wanted to check it out. It is a nice place, somewhat small, but decent. Since I don’t eat pies I just wanted to see it. My wife bought some saltwater taffy so that we didn’t look too touristy. The girl at the counter has probably seen this a million times and wasn’t really enthusiastic about serving us. We were also the only people in there. I don’t know if there are other issues going on that could have cause the girl behind the counter to be indifferent to us but I would think at the beginning of summer it would be busier than it was. Oh well, not my problem.

An outdoor patio with many chickens roaming the place. We stayed in Key West a few days after our cruise. This place captures the essence of Florida. Thatch roofs, umbrellas, an outdoor stage with a band. The food was ok, about what you’d expect. It was more for the motif and experience of the Keys.

Lunchtime at our stop in Puerto Rico. Decided to try the local fare. Does take some getting used to. Our friend Jackie had the mofongo, a local dish. I tried a little of it, not my taste. I split the chicken quesadilla with my wife. The atmosphere was the highlight. Chickens walking around everywhere. Plus a guy with these beautiful parrots charging $10 for a picture with them. That was enjoyable.

The place has a perfect location. The river run right in front of it. The weather was perfect. This was the day before we went on our Caribbean cruise. The food was ok. The grilled carrots were delicious. The butter bread was ok. I had the salmon with whipped potatoes. Passable. We ate more for the atmosphere than the food. If I’m ever back there I’ll eat somewhere else, more for the variety than the food. The bar across the river looked pretty inviting.

This is the Granada Hills Farmers Market. They hold it every Friday night. We’ve never attended it until tonight. I ordered two hot dogs with mustard and onions. Pam had the street tacos with chicken. The drink was from another vendor who sold the Mexican juices. It was a good experience. I went to another farmer’s market at the Northridge mall. I had the chicken teriyaki bowl that time. I had fecal explosions for the next two days. Sometimes you just gotta take a chance. The Ducks skull I bought from another vendor.

I went to this place because it was close to the training center where I went to qualify for my CCW. It is small but clean. I had a chicken burrito. It was really good. The person who I assumed was the owner was very friendly. I went back the next day and it was closed. Not sure why. I had to eat liquor store food. I’ve driven by it several times since, sometimes open, sometimes closed. Maybe the owner just decides to open when he feels like it.

This is our neighborhood Italian restaurant. It changed ownership awhile back and they refurbished the place. The food is good. I love their cheesy bread. They still call the one room the Sinatra room. The old place had tv’s from the 80’s that always played Sinatra tapes. Since they remodeled they have big screens with sports on them. They still have pictures of Sinatra up on the walls but not as crazy about him as it once was. Rumor has it the Frankie heard about the Sinatra room back in the 70’s and actually ate there but I don’t know if it’s true. You think they would have put up a plaque like Bob’s Big Boy did at the booth where the Beatles sat and ate. The Angel hair pasta is my wife’s fav. The pizza is ok, not great. I’ve had their spaghetti and lasagna before and it is really good. I would get that next time. They have beer and wine so go in and eat, drink and be merry.

After the rehearsal dinner I walked next door to check out this ice cream parlour. I didn’t order that night but we came back the next day and bought a chocolate ice cream cone. They also had chocolate candy, brownies and anything chocolate. One of my favorite places. Because of the chocolate. My grandson says i’m a chocolate monster. He’s right.

We visited this trattoria in Boulder for my nephew’s rehearsal dinner. I like Italian normally but this was a different flavor for me. I thought I would play it safe and order lasagna but even that didn’t do it for me. The calamari was so chewy that I had to spit it out in my napkin. The garlic bread was too garlicky and lousy. They seemed pretty busy but it just wasn’t my taste. Even the dessert, while well presented, sucked. I went next door to an ice cream place which will be my next review.

We went to Red Robin after years of avoiding it. Last time we ate there it was awful. But this time it was surprisingly good. The burger was hot and juicy. The fries were crispy. And the chocolate shake was great. We will be back again.

It’s Thanksgiving Day. We celebrated early with our grandkids so we didn’t cook a turkey. This shop had just opened a few months before so we decided to get two turkey sandwiches. As the name suggests all the sandwiches are made on sourdough rolls. You can get it cold or toasted. I had mine toasted. The sandwiches were really good. My only complaint would be the sandwiches were a little on the small size. Otherwise it is a sandwich shop with chips, cookies and sodas. We will be back again.

This is a food truck that is parked outside a medical office building on Balboa Blvd in Granada Hills. Not sure what the name of the truck is but it’s always there after 6:00 in the evening. I’ve tried many of the food trucks in the area, and many are good, but this one is the best. The picture is a chicken burrito mojado. Translation: a wet chicken burrito. It’s big with the chicken grilled and chopped. The green sauce is very spicy hot which makes makes your eyes water. Also loaded with rice, cheese and beans. Topped with an avocado to make it a healthy choice for dinner. It’s awesome!!!

This is our local IHOP. The breakfast is good. The one I really like which isn’t pictured here is the chicken fajitas omelette. I did have it recently when I was in Boulder Colorado. A cousin of mine use to own a series of IHOPs in the Detroit area. I think he sold them all for a nice profit. Good thing, cuz the restaurant business sucks.

A small soft-serve yogurt shop on Chatsworth St in Granada Hills. They have been open for over a year, which surprised me. It’s a little store and you have to park on the street or in the back, which only has two spaces. The menu looks big but they only have enough machines to make 6 flavors a day. I had the green tea with chocolate chips. Pam had a chocolate cone. The yogurt was good and hopefully when you go in they will have your flavor that day. But I can see that if there is no parking you are going to keep driving to 31 Flavors.

These are little cubicles built in a parking lot behind the businesses on Van Nuys Blvd. My mom worked in the BofA close by. I went to school here in Panorama City as a kid. I’m very familiar with this area. We went to see a youth hockey game at the rink nearby. The rink is in the former Panorama Bowl that closed in the early 90’s. We walked over to eat afterwards. One plate was soft tacos with rice and beans. The other plate was suppose to be chicken enchiladas. Maybe that’s the way the make them in El Salvador. That was my order but I wasn’t crazy about how it looked. I think they got it wrong. But because I’m against ever sending anything back ( because I think the people in the kitchen may spit on the food, or worse). my wife said she would trade. She thought it looked good. I ate mine and it was ok. However that night I had the worst stomach ache that I have had in years. It may not have been chicken in those tacos. Plus I noticed no cats in the area. Not accusing, just spitballing, I don’t think I’ll eat Salvadoran food anytime soon.

Our last day in Anchorage. We stop at this diner down the street from our hotel. It had a 50s motif and vibe. Pam had the pancakes with blueberries. It looks like she had 4 blueberries but there were a shitload underneath the flaps. I had the French toast, which was ok. Ben-jammin and Jackie split the breakfast burrito. The food was ok but it had a good atmosphere. The traffic flow was a little different in Anchorage. Ben started to turn down a one way street the wrong way, realized it, made a u-turn and almost created a tragic accident. Luckily all the cars missed us with horns blaring. Screw them eskimos if they can’t take a joke.

This is one of the finer dining experiences in Anchorage. We went in there for a late lunch. Plus the fact that it was near the end of our trip and we have eaten a ton of food. Pam had the clam chowder. I had the French dip au jus. Ben & Jackie had something that I can’t remember, but they split it. It looks like something fried for the sandwich. There is some historical pictures there. The bar looks nice. You can walk around and check it out if you have to wait to be seated. You can see the one picture I posted. It’s also in an office building. The blue sign is really the only thing that lets you know there is a restaurant inside. We had to ask a guy who runs a bike rental kiosk next door where the restaurant was located. Food was good and service was excellent. The view of the river made for a nice ambiance.

When we got off the ship in Whittier Alaska we took the bus to Anchorage. It’s about a two hour ride. The bus driver told us that the best ice cream is at Wild Scoops. He was right! I think the wife had some sort of brownie with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream with caramel drizzle. But the star of the ice cream was the scoop of German chocolate cake on a waffle cone. From what I can ascertain they make it there in their shop. It was awesome. I used to think that Baskin Robbins made a great German chocolate cake ice cream but this was even better. It was so good that we went back the next day and got another. If you are ever up there you have to visit it for dessert.

The Palmer Alehouse in Palmer Alaska. My wife loves this since this is her maiden name. Nice atmosphere, typical beer pub motif. Big screen TVs on every wall. Many beers on tap. They have a diverse menu with pizzas, sandwiches and burgers. They also have this locally made root beer which I ordered and it was really good. I had the pizza which was delicious. Ben and Jackie spilt the sandwich. Pam had the soup. Can’t remember what it was. We stopped there after going to a musk oxen farm to check out those big ugly animals. The locals use their fur to make sweaters, rugs and other wearables. It was interesting.

Now we are in Anchorage. First time in Alaska. This was a cool place. Nice atmosphere. It was crowded. Pretty popular from the looks of things. I forgot to take the pictures when the food arrived. You can see the bites we took out of the food. It had a good size gift shop but I didn’t care for the t-shirts. I try to get a t-shirt everywhere I go but I’m particular about the material. The food was good. I didn’t try the beer. The only downside was where they sat us. I had to move my chair 3 times because they had to move the beer kegs through and it was narrow at our table.

Dinner time in Skagway. I tried to eat in each town where the cruise ship stopped. Since we have done nothing but eat since we left on this cruise we weren’t too hungry but wanted to eat here. I had a hot dog with Curley fries. I’m not sure what the others ordered. It looks like something fried. The restaurant itself was in an older building with old time charm. Talking to the people there this town pretty much closes up at the end of the cruise season. And cruise season ends in the middle of October. Then everyone leaves until April. I found this interesting. I guess there is a skeleton crew that hangs around to look after things.

A bar and grill off the main drag in Skagway. We had a lunchtime meal. Pam had clam chowder ( her fav) with a salad. Ben and Jackie shared Buffalo wings. Since we are in Alaska I try to eat fish every chance I get, so I had a salmon burger with fries. I looked over at the next table and the pizza looked good. I’ll have some later. This place had a good selection of tap beers. It had a good atmosphere.