Making Memories in Florida

This year our vacation was a trip to Florida and included Byron, Theresa, Nicole, Travis, Ashley, Mady, Lily, Jimmy, and me. Regretfully, Cody and Tiffany were not able to join us, and I missed them terribly.

We left on a Friday afternoon and drove to Spartanburg, South Carolina. We spent the night at a Sleep Inn, and as hotels go, it was OK. We left the next morning and headed to Savannah where we had reservations at The Lady and Sons for lunch. Our first bump in the road came when we showed up at the restaurant, and they didn’t have the reservation down, despite the fact I had called six weeks earlier to make it. I was concerned because we were a party of nine, and often it’s difficult to seat that many; however, they managed to get us in just 20 minutes after our original reservation time, so I was appeased. We all ordered from the buffet, and we enjoyed it. Neither Jimmy nor I are fond of chicken with bones and skin, and that’s what’s available on the buffet. He wasn’t so crazy about it, but I liked it alright. The mashed potatoes and gravy, though, were out of this world. We had choices of peach cobbler, ooey gooey butter cake, or banana pudding for dessert. These, too, were fabulous, especially the ooey gooey butter cake.  It was so fabulous, Nic and I can’t wait to try making it ourselves.

After leaving The Lady and Sons, we headed on toward Kissimmee to check into our condo. Traveling with little ones makes the trip longer than normal, but that’s OK. The girls traveled really well to be so young. We stopped every 2 1/2 to 3 hours so they could get out and run around. That helped. Finally, about 10:00 that night, we checked in at the condo. The next three days were devoted to Universal Studios for Byron, Theresa, Nic, Trav, and Ashley. They’d bought their tickets online when there was a “buy two days, get the third day free” sale. Nic was especially excited to see all the new additions to Harry Potter World. While the big kids were at Universal, Jimmy and I were babysitting the girls. The condo had a playground, and we took the girls out there one day. They loved it. On Monday, we took the girls to Universal in the afternoon. Mady rode a couple rides, and Lily stayed with us to eat lunch at Margaritaville. She loved the mac and cheese there. I loved the jambalaya there, even though I was starting to get a sinus infection. Both Mady and Lily stayed to watch the parade while Jimmy and I went back to the condo. The worst part of the trip was this afternoon and evening when the sinus infection was taking hold of me. The next morning, though, I called my doctor, and being the wonderful person that she is, she called in an antibiotic for me to the Walmart pharmacy just down the street from our condo.

So, on Tuesday afternoon, while the big kids were yet again at Universal, we picked up my antibiotic and began packing things up for the next leg of our vacation. On Wednesday morning, we checked out and drove over to the Daytona area. We ate lunch at Aunt Catfish’s on the River, which was good as usual. I was able to enjoy the crab cake, which was really good, but I only was able to eat about half my fish because of the sinus drainage. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their lunches though. It was still a little too early to check in to our hotel, so we visited a couple gift shops. We checked in and then spent the remainder of the evening on the beach.

I loved having the opportunity to watch the girls see the beach and the ocean for the first time. Mady was excited about building sand castles but was determined not to get into the water. Both girls loved playing in the sand, but Lily was ecstatic about the ocean. She would have stayed in the water and been perfectly content. We really had to keep an eye on her because whenever she noticed the ocean, that’s where she was headed. She loved walking in it, sitting in it, and splashing in it. She sometimes liked being held while in the ocean, but often this just frustrated her because she wanted to be down and actually in the water. Mady warmed up to the ocean. The first night, she let me carry her out but we couldn’t go too far. It couldn’t be far enough that she would actually get wet. The second night, she let me take her further and was OK with getting splashed by the waves. She’d even warn me to get ready because “there’s a big one.” Also, on the second night, the big kids built a tub and let it fill with ocean water, and we were able to convince Mady to stand in it. When the waves actually were swirling around her feet, she was OK with it. The last night, she let me walk out so that the water was actually touching her feet and the waves splashed her almost as much as they did me. We were pleased with the progress she made.

We had a couple of other good meals while in the Daytona area. Thursday afternoon, we went to Dustin’s BBQ and ate. Jimmy and I were probably the least pleased here because we ordered the turkey and what we received were deli slices, though the menu didn’t indicate it would be deli slices. It was OK as far as deli turkey goes, but we were hoping for something more. The others seemed to enjoy their meals, though, especially Trav who created his own combo platter. Friday afternoon, we ordered pizza from Luigi’s Pizzeria, and Jimmy and I picked it up and brought it back to the hotel. Let me just say, that if you order anything with garlic, I hope you really like garlic because they were very generous with it. We ordered a variety of pizzas, some bruschetta, garlic knots, and a sandwich. We were not disappointed with this food.

Saturday morning saw us on our way home. We returned to Spartanburg for the night, staying at the Super 8 across the street from the Sleep Inn from the previous week. This was simply due to non-smoking rooms being unavailable at the Sleep Inn when I made the reservations rather than problems with the Sleep Inn. We checked in then walked to the Denny’s beside the hotel and enjoyed a late supper. Sunday morning, we checked out and headed on home.

All in all, I would have loved another few days at the beach, but I am thankful for the trip we had and the memories we made. The girls may not actually remember the trip, but we have lots of pictures to show them and lots of stories to tell them about it, and that, too, will be fun.

We Never Travel on an Empty Stomach

My husband and I love to eat out. Whenever we are planning to travel, one of the first things he does is to look online to see what restaurants are available in the area. When he finds one that piques his interest, he will pull up the menu to see what food choices are available. After that, he will send me a link to the restaurant’s menu and ask if I’d like to eat there. Over the years, he has found some very good places to eat. I’ll share a list of some of our favorite places to eat. Trying to rank this list became nearly impossible, so I’ll just list them alphabetically.

Aunt Catfish’s in Daytona Beach, FL – Located on the Halifax River, Aunt Catfish’s serves traditional seafood, catfish, steak, gator, crab cakes, and soups and salads. If you need a suggestion, try the catfish and the crab cakes.

Bucca di Beppo in Louisville, KY – This restaurant serves traditional Italian dishes, family style. The portions are huge, and you will definitely need to get a to-go box when you leave.

Calhoun’s in Pigeon Forge, TN – Our first visit to this restaurant was on our honeymoon. The loaded potato skins appetizer (stuffed with bbq pulled pork) made Jimmy ignore his no potato peels rule. The steak dinner was also amazing.

Dustin’s BBQ in Daytona Beach, FL – We ate here for the first time this past summer while on vacation. Our waiter had a wonderful Australian accent, but the best part was the food. The portions are huge, and the bbq pulled pork was fantastic.

Fat Patty’s in Huntington, WV – This is another new addition to our list of good places to eat. The prices are very reasonable and the food was really good. Portions here are also huge. They serve a variety of burgers; we tried the Burger on the Bayou. The onion rings provided a great side dish, and Nicole ordered a West Virginia Steak Sandwich – fried bologna and cheese – which she said was very good.

Five Guys – If you want a hamburger, forget McDonald’s or Wendy’s, you need to go to Five Guys. They make their burgers fresh as you order them, and they don’t use pre-made, frozen patties. You can order a wide variety of toppings for your burger, and the French fries are great. Jimmy will even eat some of the fries, in spite of the fact that the skins are still on the potatoes.

Japanese Steakhouse in Pigeon Forge, TN – Our honeymoon provided us with our first dinner at this restaurant as well. The Hibachi-style food is fabulous, especially the fried rice. After eating this rice, Jimmy looked for a recipe, found one that was close, and now we can have great fried rice whenever we want. I’ll warn you, though, that after having their fried rice, plain, steamed, white rice just won’t do.

Johnny Carino’s in Lexington, KY – This is my favorite of all the places on our list. I always order the same thing – Bowtie Festival. Jimmy will try different things, but I love the Bowtie Festival too much to order anything new.

Malone’s in Lexington, KY – This is Jimmy’s favorite of all the places on our list. It’s probably my second favorite. The filet mignon is definitely what you should order from here. Have the waiter butterfly it, and don’t be afraid to tell him to cook it well-done. The meat is still so tender and juicy and has such a great flavor that you’ll never want anything but a well-done steak again.

Old Chicago in Lexington, KY – For a variety of pizzas, this is the place to go. We generally get the supreme. These pizzas are loaded with toppings, and you’ll need a to-go box when you leave.

Outback Steakhouse – As you know, you can find an Outback almost anywhere. You can’t go wrong with a good steakhouse. The one thing you have to get at Outback, though, is the bloomin’ onion. Others may have a version of this wonderful dish, but Outback has the best.

Penn Station – Again, this is a place you can find all over the map. For sub sandwiches, Penn Station is the place to go.

Peking’s in Pikeville, KY – When we’re in Pikeville, Jimmy always takes me to Peking’s for a great Chinese buffet. The crab Rangoon won-tons are among the best I’ve had, as is the Mandarin chicken.

TGI Friday’s – This is another huge restaurant chain that can be found almost anywhere, and if you get the chance you should try their Jack Daniels steaks, with a side of garlic mashed potatoes. It’ll be one of the best meals you will have.

Variety Pizza in Jackson, KY – The only place from my hometown to make the list, Variety Pizza is locally owned and operated. The supreme pizza with everything (except mushrooms) is the best pizza they have, but even the one-topping pizzas are the best in town.

One of the great parts of a vacation is finding a good place to eat. I hope if you’re ever in the areas listed above that you’ll give these restaurants a try. If any of these are also among your favorites, be sure to let me know. And as we are always looking for another good place to eat, if you have a favorite that’s not on my list, please share it with us.