American Press Travel News-May 29th, Nacoochee Village, Helen, GA.-Bob and Barb “On the Road Again.”
65 to 70-countries in the world grow coffee, and coffee grows best between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. So what does that mean for us caffeine addicts? Well, as scientists have discovered more than 800 different aromatic compounds in coffee there’s no wonder addicts like us drinkers (150-million Americans alone) really pay attention to an early morning, aromatic and tasty wakeup-call from “siren” coffee!
Oil is the first most traded commodity and coffee is 2nd. For over a thousand years coffee has been consumed, world-wide! Drinking a single cup of coffee provides 300 phytochemicals, which act as anti-oxidants and stay in the body for up to a month. Coffee beans are actually berries and it takes about 40 beans to make one Espresso cup. Dark coffee has less caffeine than from a light roast set of beans. Legends have it that goats actually discovered coffee berries (beans). Seems a herder noticed his goats jumping and running around happily and the herder noticed they had been eating coffee berries. More on coffee nest week, got to go get me a cup so I can jump around some more before I sit down in front of the computer again!
Barbs favorite pose-about to chow-down on really great, home-made dishes!
APtravelnews-Jan 19th,-Bob and Barb, Stopping to Smell the Roses, and chowing down at St Lucie West, FL-Linda’s Restaurant, on St Lucie West Blvd. First thing we both thought, was that so far we’ve visited and experienced mom and pop food spots, this time we are dining at a son and mom restaurant. Andy and mom Linda have got it “going on.” Want really good Chili, Andy makes it, want pastries and pies as well as “jumpin'” great apple, coconut, blueberry and other delightful muffins, mom makes them. This is a 7-day per week breakfast and lunch stop, for so many dedicated patrons and after we chowed down here for a breakfast veggie omelette and a marinated chicken breast with bacon, L&T on a Kaiser Roll, that Barb ordered, you knew (as I chewed the beans and delicious beef melange of Chili) as well as trying some chicken and beef soup, that this was our “it” place for lunch and breakfast from now on. The pies, oh the pies-chocolate as smooth as any gourmet restaurants can make it ,on a homemade crust that was worth eating too! An Apple pie that looked just out of a Amish oven (the best pies are Amish and Mennonite, we’ve found as we go “On The Road Again, & Again.” Hours are: 7 Mon-Friday and 7:30 Sat: and Sun. till 2pm. Come on Barb, it’s breakfast time again (next day as I write this) lets visit cousin Linda!
Marinated chicken sandwich par excellence! The omelette was filled with mushrooms and a variety of my favorite veggies!Muffins non pariel (no peer) with coconut, apple, blueberries, etc.Our forks raced over the towards the last forkful, yeah, it was that good, we left no crumbs!Enter the hungry, exit the satisfied!Linda, always vigilant of her customers needs and constantly seeks to make sure everything stays consistently perfect!
Felt like we were having lunch with the cast of American Graffiti at the very iconic Trowbridge’s ice cream and samdwich spot on Main St. in Florence, AL.Everybody loves Trowbridge’s!
APtravelnews-October 25th- Florence, Alabama-Barb and I travel quite a bit all over the place. You would know this if you’ve been a regular visitor to our APtravelnews.com. Once in awhile we stumble across a place in time and space that just makes us marvel at all the great things a tourist, or local can experience without going to a big city, or taking a cruise, or visiting anywhere else in the world!
Florence, AL. ( Florence is Firenze in Italy) and the American city of Florence, in many ways is reminiscent of that special city in Italy known for the Renaissance and the “Enlightenment” period that pulled much of Europe out of the Dark Ages!Florence, AL.is known as a place that birthed the Blues, and visiting the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum pulls at the heart strings of anyone who thinks they can whistle a tune about crying over losing their wife, their dog or their boat, that so many Country songs draw on for song content thematic’s. We visited several venues that featured all manner of music history and up-to-date music digital publishing of the latest songs coming from the souls and lips of would-be and hopeful stars and those that already have made a name for themselves in the music industry as well. We spent some time at FAME Studios2 for a tour of the facility and found out that anyone who wishes can cut a digital mastered song for hourly or daily fees that seemed quite reasonable to us. For more information go:http://www.fame2.com after visiting this studio we headed for the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio at 3614 Jackson Highway. This location is known by anyone interested in Country Music as the small studio that the likes of Cher, Wilson Pickett, Rolling Stones, Paul Simon,Bob Segar, Aretha Franklinand so many others too numerous to mention. This location is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The location is being renovated at this time thanks to a very generous million dollar gift from a music maker and lover! Their website encourages donations. Check out their website: www.msmusicfoundation.org
After heading over to Bunyan’s BBQ in Downtown BBQ sandwich.
The sandwiches come with a sort of mustard cole slaw and I even tried some of it with the ribs and great bean. What a lunch!A diminutive location with big flavors!At one of the spooky church spots you pass by, you best wear a diaper, the whole place is so realistic, you may need some bottom-end backup! Ha, it’s Halloween time, isn’t it!
Have you ever been spooky scared? Do you enjoy Halloween? Would you like to be frightened out of your shorts and pay 20-bucks for it? Would you make a donation to serious children’s causes (that’s where the 20-bucks go)? Go do it, but my caveat: Its not for the faint of heart. Arx Mortis is probably the greatest haunted attraction anywhere. Well over one hundred volunteers are actors and enjoy scaring the pants off of you. Promise; this is the best spooky spot in America. People drive their families here for over one hundred miles to get scared nearly to death! www.arxmortis.com
And this was just the gift shop!Barb just couldn’t wait to get into the act!Frank Lloyd Wright designed and had built some of the most iconic homes in the world. The Rosenbaum home in Florence, AL. is but one of them. Fantastic experience to visit this home that balances form so well with function!
.Frank Lloyd Wright designed and had built some of the most iconic homes in the world. The Rosenbaum home in Florence, AL. is but one of them. Fantastic experience to visit this home that balances form so well with function! The Rosenbaum House will be featured in our next article: “Florence, AL. Adventure 3”
Grilled TN. Sour Mash Whiskey Pork Chop. Best chop I can ever remember!Salmon encrusted in pecans and a sauce to remember with wet lips!Really enjoying our meal at the Brass Lantern!
APTRAVELNEWS -September30th,-, Crossville, TN.–When James and Denise Weismuller, new owners of the Brass Lantern welcomed us to their excellent fine, yet casual dining establishment, we had hoped for a great dining experience and we were not disappointed at all. A bit about James background: Chef James worked for the Marriott Corp. in Food and Beverage for 15 years prior to moving to the 2000 foot elevation of the Cumberland Plateau. Chef James for the past 14-years prior to recently taking over the Brass Lantern, operated the Stonehenge Grille and was the Director of the Food Services for the Good Samaritan Society in Fairfield Glade for 2 years. His wife Denise said it was about time they finally opened their own restaurant and I’m sure the folks of Crossville would say the same! The Food: We started our repast with two special soups, one always on the menu; the French Onion and the other called “Hamburger Soup” was hard to stop eating it was so good. A hint of bacon, top round chop meat and the stock was hearty enough to dip the home made, specialty rolls in-delightful both of the soups. The side salads were “right on” excellent with all the greens, oranges and reds as in tomatoes just right and ready to be bathed in a raspberry vinaigrette or as Barb liked her salad dressed with blue cheese dressing. In perfect timing, out came our main dishes; a baked pecan salmon finished with Chestnut Hill (winery just next door) Volunteer Peach Wine. We caught this wild salmon on the plate! We both ate from it and it was exceedingly perfect-nothing dry, moist tasty, no fishy aroma-perfect. The sauce was divine! My Grilled TN. Sour Mash Whiskey Pork Chop was worth calling home base about. Incredibly tasty. The 8-ounce chop was glazed with fine sour mash whiskey and James secret spices. The taters were excellent, but I must say, this chop was the best ever! We finished our meal with excellent cheese cake smothered in sliced, sweet strawberries and fresh decaf coffee. What a dinner, and if your headed on highway I-40 too, or from Knoxville, or Nashville get off Exit 322 and they are just down 1000 feet away. Our waiter was top notch, very attentive as we noticed for us and his other table charges as well. All in all, on a scale of 1-10 this meal was an eleven-period! Of course they also have great steaks too! Give a call and be prepared to thank us on line when you dine at the Brass Lantern located at: 79 Chestnut Hill Road Crossville, TN inside the Chestnut Hill Winery. 931 484-7657 Besides their reasonable priced dinners they are now open for lunch too!
A libation and a meal lunch or dinner is what awaits the smart diner!New York Cheesecake and strawberries. Terrific!
American Press Travel News-May 29th, Nacoochee Village, Helen, GA.-Bob and Barb “On the Road Again.”
