One of the great pleasures of full time travel is being able to visit with our son, Tate, and his partner, Zoe, for extended periods of time each year as we pass through their city.

It was Nashville for a few years after they graduated from Vanderbilt which was always a great time with new restaurants to try, but recently they relocated to Arlington, Virginia just across the Potomac River from DC.

We were there for over a week and got to check out some truly great restaurants. I should note that both Tate and Zoe love to cook and experiment with new recipes and family meals while visiting were also notable.

​DAS in Georgetown

Dōgon by Kwame Onwuachi

​The New York Times review. Because it's poetry.

Pho 75 Arlington, VA

If you’re after authentic, satisfying pho — rich broth, generous portions, quick service, and classic Vietnamese simplicity — Pho 75 delivers. It doesn’t try to be fancy or fashionable. Rather, it commits to doing one thing (or a few things) well: giving you a clean, hearty bowl of pho that hits the spot.
For a casual lunch or late-night pho craving in Arlington, Pho 75 is reliable and a beloved go-to spot. Just come expecting straightforward, unfussy eating — but trust that the soup will meet expectations.

Your Only Friend

Shortly after arriving in DC, Tate and Zoe took me out for dinner at Your Only Friend in Washington, DC. It was Friday night and the special was a fish sandwich which I dutifully ordered and enjoyed.
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Your Only Friend is a delightfully unpretentious — but carefully considered — spot. It’s the kind of place where sandwich nostalgia meets culinary playfulness: big, flavorful sandwiches, playful cocktails, welcoming ambiance, and enough character to make it feel like a hidden gem worth revisiting.
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If you care more about bold flavor, creativity, and casual comfort than about formality or fine dining, Your Only Friend is one of D.C.’s most fun and satisfying sandwich-bar experiences. Recommended. 

Harbinger — Des Moines, IA

Chef’s Tasting Menu Spotlight

Melanie and I dine at Harbinger every time we pass through or near Des Moine, Iowa. We first dined there in October of 2020, then again in May of 2021. We enjoyed the tasting menu on previous occasions so we decided, without much discussion, to try it again.

Because Harbinger is now one of our favorite restaurants in the country, a bit more explanation as to why seems like the thing to do.

Harbinger doesn’t shout; it whispers, then surprises you. Chef Joe Tripp’s vegetable-forward, Southeast Asian–leaning cooking has earned national attention, but the best way to understand what makes this Drake neighborhood restaurant special is through the Tasting Menu.

The format shifts often, usually five tightly (we had six) composed courses, each one a small study in contrast: bright citrus against deep umami, clean herbs beside fermented heat, delicate seafood framed by peak-season produce. Tripp uses the tasting menu as a canvas for ideas he’s refining for the main menu, so the progression feels both personal and experimental without slipping into preciousness.

Service is warm and well-paced, and the room—dim, intimate, almost contemplative—keeps the focus on the plate. Portions are intentionally modest, but the flavors are anything but. It’s a meal built for diners who enjoy curiosity and craftsmanship over opulence. I liken it to dining at Le Bernadin in New York City, but infinitely more accessible. 
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In a city whose dining scene is maturing quickly, Harbinger remains one of Des Moines’s clearest expressions of modern, chef-driven cooking. If you want to taste Joe Tripp’s perspective at its most focused, the Tasting Menu is the move. 

Brass Kitchen & Bar

Brass Kitchen & Bar was nice start to our few days in Steamboat. In summer, the restaurant has roll up doors that open out to Yampa street where there are a number of tables situated under trees and not too far away is the Yampa River Core Trail that follows the Yampa River for miles.

A cold beer was nice after our drive over from Jensen, Utah. Melanie had a White Sangria to start our dinner experience.

I chose the Smoked Trout & Chopped Kale Salad, Melanie had Pan Seared Rocky Mountain Trout. Brass Kitchen is a solid dinner choice.

Sunpies Bistro and Bar

Sometimes a lunch spot becomes not so much about the food, but the local beers and, well, the locals. That was our experience at Sunpies. 

We sat at the outside bar, open during the summer months, and had a delightful time meeting a couple of long-standing locals, chatting with the barkeeps, one who'd recently seen our buddies, Mountain Grass Unit, in Telluride and ate and drank in blissful touristy fashion.

A hole-in-the wall place where the locals go to catch up.

When we decided to travel from Jensen, Utah to Grand Junction to visit Colorado National Monument, I checked out the dining situation in Grand Junction and found Bin 707 Foodbar where James Beard nominated finalist and owner, chef Josh Niernberg, is located.

I made a dinner reservation for us.

We shared an appetizer of Elk Tartar which was served with their house-bake bread. Melanie's entree was their Halibut and I had the Cured Duck Breast. 

From start to finish our meal and experience was over the top great. Service, food, ambiance. Yes.

Earlier in the day we'd cycled in the monument and needed a snack before we headed back to camp to cleanup for dinner.

A few people with whom Melanie works recommended Taco Party to us when they learned we were traveling to Grand Junction. Specifically, and to a person, Taco Party's guacamole was mentioned.

Taco Party happens to be a sister restaurant of Bin 707 Foodbar so this seemed a natural choice for a mid-afternoon snack and libation.

Welp, the recommendations were not wrong. Best guac we've eaten lately, maybe ever. The beers were cold and refreshing too after our cycling. Great snack and just enough to get us back to camp, showered and then out again for a Bin 707 Foodbar dinner.

We recommend both restaurants highly.

We left Massachusetts in November and quickly headed south. The following is a quick catch up of restaurants we deem worthy since November 2024. There are a variety of cuisines and price ranges represented, but each restaurant has something that recommends it, at least they did for us. Reminding you we are not restaurant critics and will only mention a restaurant if we found the food, service, ambiance, etc. worthy of a mention. 

Melanie has an affinity for Chinese cuisine. She's generally the one who mentions finding Chinese food for lunch or dinner.

Last year our son, Tate and his partner, Zoe, moved to Arlington, Virginia. Located in nearby Fairfax, Virginia, Mama Chang was the first restaurant at which we ate while visiting in November and it is the first recent Chinese restaurant that rivals our favorite in Birmingham, Red Pearl.

I made it to 71 years old while we were visiting Tate and Zoe. They made a birthday brunch reservation for us at Anju in Washington, DC.

The KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) and Waffles was my choice and a very good one it was. 

As we travel west for winter each year, we always stop at least for a night in New Orleans. We camp in a public parking lot just outside the Quarter near the Visitor Center and have dinner out somewhere.

This year we dined with Emeril Lagasse at his newest restaurant, 34 Restaurant & Bar. Our dinner was an all around great experience.

Dedicated to Emeril's Portuguese heritage inspired by his late mother, Hilda. 

It was a travel day. We were headed from Vidor, Texas to San Antonio. And. We were hungry.  Melanie found Schulze's in Seguin, Texas for lunch.  Good Brisket is one of my culinary weaknesses and Schulze's was great.

Our friends, Kim and Steve, who live in San Antonio, Texas met us out for dinner at Liberty Bar while we were there. 

Liberty Bar was a great place to catch up with them and enjoy a great meal, too.

A few year's back we discovered Boca by Chef Maria Mazon in Tucson. We had lunch there last week and after we attend a 50501 protest this afternoon, we intend to cycle over and eat there again. Yes, it's that good.

If you order anything, make sure to get the Chips and Salsa Flight. Tacos are marvelous too.

Chef Mazon is a James Beard finalist.

We traveled north to Sedona, Arizona for a few days and one evening had dinner at the bar at Elote.

We couldn't get a reservation for their dining room, but our seat in the bar was about perfect.  The bartender/waiter made our experience a great one. 

Melanie enjoyed the Duck Carnitas and I had (and enjoyed) the Buffalo Mole Poblano. 

One of the best parts of the evening was our walk to and from dinner. Sedona may be the Gatlinburg of the West, but the scenery is way, way over the top.

Finally, I'll mention a couple of other restaurants that still have a place for our palates. 

In Mesilla, New Mexico, we always have lunch at La Posta de Mesilla. In Tucson, we have lunch (Indian Fry Bread) at Cafe Santa Rosa. In Prescott, lunch at Farm Provisions. 

Melanie and I had a great lunch at Carriqui, she the Fried Fish Tacos, me the Brisket Bowl (Monday special). Great food, great service in a nicely restored space. Highly recommend.

From the website:

In the early days of Pearl, which date back to the 1890s, Boehler’s Liberty Saloon served as the watering hole and social center for the brewery’s workers. This storied place saw the neighborhood through times both flush and lean. 
In 1933 when Prohibition ended, folks lined the streets and cheered as delivery trucks rolled out of Pearl Brewery. And the first stop for legal beer was right here.
For nearly 130 years, this building was an anchor of the neighborhood and a hangout for many. As stewards of this iconic place, we strive to deliver an equally special hospitality experience grounded in sincerity and warmth.

We're approaching 2 months living in Gloucester and working in Salem, Massachusetts. We've had enough time now to try out a few restaurants and, since we have about a month and a half to go before we hit that ol' road again, I'm relatively sure I'll add a few more to the list below.

The Rudder

Located within the Rocky Neck Artist Colony, Melanie and I had a nice meal here on a relatively quiet August Sunday evening. We chose the covered deck overlooking the cove. A very nice setting for dinner.

The restaurant's celebrated chef has a number of restaurants and has won numerous awards over the years, including being inducted into James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America.

​That said, while our dinner was truly solid, the service and ambiance great, it wasn't what I expected given all the accolades received by Ms. Lynch.  My Steak Tartar and Mustard Tagliatelle (braised rabbit and rosemary) dish was fine, Melanie's Seared Halibut was superb. 

My problem is I've eaten Frank Stitt's rabbit dish at Highland's Bar and Grill in Birmingham, Alabama on several occasions and, honestly, I can also be a bit precious at times when it comes to dining out. 

I think most importantly our meal at The Rudder was a good value, that is, I didn't come away thinking I'd paid too much for an overhyped dining experience. Recommended.

Laughing Gull, Manchester-by-the-Sea

One of my favorite bicycle rides is from Salem Common to Magnolia, Massachusetts. 

Between the two points on my ride is Manchester-by-the-Sea and Laughing Gull, located there.

While we haven't tried many items on their menu, I do know their scones and cat head biscuits are worth darkening their door for. The locals gather to see and be seen and catch up. Recommended. 

Donna, our bartender one afternoon at 51 Rocky Neck, recommended a number of local places to eat and drink.

Blue Collar Lobster Company was one she highly touted.  She wasn't wrong.

Blue Collar served up the best Lobster Roll I've had in awhile, maybe ever.  Served hot or cold and containing 8 ounces of fresh lobster, it's more than one person should eat. But I did. Pro tip:  Two people can easily share one Lobster Roll and come away satisfied.

Not everyone had lobster, but everyone was pleased with their food.  Recommended.

We're new to the area and have had little time to check out local Cusine since our arrival on July 12th.  We're camped in West Gloucester, but Melanie works for the National Park Service in Salem.  She also is the Executive Director for a legal non-profit.

After a Zoom call with the non-profit was over and after she had worked all day for the NPS, we stopped at Sala Restobar in Beverly for dinner on the way home.

We shared a Tomato Salad, I had the Duck Mole Tacos, Melanie had the Chicken Fried Rice. Ambiance, service and the meal were all great and we're sure to dine at Sala again before we depart Massachusetts in November.

aMelanie found lunch for us at Isaac's Way on a travel day. Great lunch outside on a nice Summer day in Fredericton. 

Side Hustle was also recommended by Craving Dani a Halifax influencer. Great dinner in downtown Dartmouth.