Road Food (long rant)

Argggghhhh . . . . . ROAD FOOD!



We're fixin to get the heck out of Houston for a few weeks. Plans are to
fly to Las Vegas, rent a car, and drive back to Colorado to visit
family - - - then return to Vegas, turn in the car and get rich in the
Casinos. Along the way, we'll see some delightful scenery, enjoy some
wonderfully cool temperatures in the high country; re-connect with a buncha
kinfolks we dearly love -- AND - - endure some of the least satisfying food
on the face of the planet. ]



OBSERVATION: Good food and good scenery are mutually exclusive.



This is a fairly broad statement, but it comes from a ton of observation.
About three times a year (usually in the summer) we head west - - - British
Columbia, the Pacific Northwest or the Rockies. We always come home hongry.
I'm not positive what the reasons are, but would hazard a guess that it is
because:



1) A lot of the places we visit have short seasons. Ourey, Colorado for
instance has a season of about 90 days. After that, the town shuts down and
the residents head for Ridgeway or Grand Junction. I chatted with one
restaurant owner who said that when the season started, he had to find a fry
cook, come up with a menu and have it printed, line up busboys and
waitstaff, arrange for supplies and then hammer the whole mess into a
functioning restaurant. After he accomplished this, he could coast through
the remaining two weeks of the season. Talk about good intentions getting
gutshot.



2) A lot of the places we visit have high overhead. They can't break even
selling cheese sandwiches. After a day of hiking the trails or walking
beaches, the soul calls out for a bowl of chili, stew, sphagetti or fried
chicken and (of course) cocktails, table cloths and a decent bottle of wine.
Comfort food. Unfortunately, the menu will usually have something like
Beef Wellington, Saddle of Venison and three items involving fish. We've
also noticed that the better the view, the worse the food. A month or so
ago, we tried a restaurant, the Inn at Spanish Head, in Lincoln City.
Beautiful restaurant, a view to die for. Awkward menu loaded with
meaningless adjectives, poorly executed cooking and bad service. When she
saw the view, my partner commented, "I have a bad feeling about this". Sho
nuff . . . The meal was a disaster, but we filled up on appetizers
(buffalo wings) in the bar and enjoyed a sunset that made up for it.



3) The locals don't eat out. Either because they can't afford to or
because it isn't part of their culture. Restaurateurs don't have to sweat
return bidness. If the scenery is good enough, there will be a steady
supply of wallets passing through. There is also some mileage to be gained
from hyping something as a local delicacy, particularly when you are laying
the con on folks who don't know what the real deal is supposed to taste
like. Mo's, a chain along the Oregon coast, makes a big production out of
their "internationally acclaimed clam chowder". Basically, it's milk and
flour with clams added. Leave out the clams and we would use it to smother
a chicken fried steak.



By contrast, Houston has one of the best dining scenes in the country. Bad
restaurants don't last. Even good ones face stiff competition. They aren't
supported by tourists. We don't have 'em. Wish we did, but let's face
it - - - anyone sappy enough to come to Houston as a tourist has more
serious issues to deal with than culinary proclivities. The eight or ten
tourists a year that wind up here by accident generally get ambushed by
Tilman Fertitta and his ferris wheels and fish tanks. Our restaurant scene
makes it purely on the basis of local patronage and we have one heckuva lot
to choose from. Multi-cultural doesn't begin to describe it. We've got
eateries run by and for every national and ethnic wingding known to Google
and all known sexes. Our population eats out more than any other city in
the country. We've got the fat butts to prove it.



So . . . . it will be great to get away from here for awhile. BUT I know
for a fact that it will be even GREATer to get back. Back to cockroaches
the size of chipmonks. Mosquitos that could stand flat-footed and make love
to a turkey. Heat, humidity, hurricane alerts, mildew in the showers . . .
..but also back to Pho Danh II, Sylvias, Lupe's, Spanish Flowers, Kenny and
Ziggy's, The Cattleguard, Paddington Station, Taco Cabana . . . . . .



It's unfortunate that there are only THREE meals in a day.

"Bubba wrote:

[...]

3) The locals don't eat out. Either because they can't afford to or
because it isn't part of their culture. Restaurateurs don't have to
sweat
return bidness. If the scenery is good enough, there will be a steady
supply of wallets passing through. There is also some mileage to be
gained
from hyping something as a local delicacy, particularly when you are
laying
the con on folks who don't know what the real deal is supposed to taste
like. Mo's, a chain along the Oregon coast, makes a big production out
of
their "internationally acclaimed clam chowder". Basically, it's milk and
flour with clams added. Leave out the clams and we would use it to
smother
a chicken fried steak.


[...]


So . . . . it will be great to get away from here for awhile. BUT I know
for a fact that it will be even GREATer to get back. Back to cockroaches
the size of chipmonks. Mosquitos that could stand flat-footed and make
love
to a turkey. Heat, humidity, hurricane alerts, mildew in the showers . . .


And Professor VonRoach....


.but also back to Pho Danh II, Sylvias, Lupe's, Spanish Flowers, Kenny and
Ziggy's, The Cattleguard, Paddington Station, Taco Cabana . . . . . .



Let's face it: most food outside of the larger towns or cities stinks...I
grew up in a rural agricultural area (Western Illannoy) and frankly, the
food there was bland and awful. And this was despite having the best of
ingredients, e.g. great quality meat and fine produce...and it's still that
way (or even worse, as much stuff that used to be home - cooked has been
replaced by bland mass - produced crap)....

The vast, VAST majority of people simply see food as sustenance and little
else....

--
Best Greg in Chicago

"Bubba wrote:

[...]

3) The locals don't eat out. Either because they can't afford to or
because it isn't part of their culture. Restaurateurs don't have to
sweat
return bidness. If the scenery is good enough, there will be a steady
supply of wallets passing through. There is also some mileage to be
gained
from hyping something as a local delicacy, particularly when you are
laying
the con on folks who don't know what the real deal is supposed to taste
like. Mo's, a chain along the Oregon coast, makes a big production out
of
their "internationally acclaimed clam chowder". Basically, it's milk and
flour with clams added. Leave out the clams and we would use it to
smother
a chicken fried steak.


[...]


So . . . . it will be great to get away from here for awhile. BUT I know
for a fact that it will be even GREATer to get back. Back to cockroaches
the size of chipmonks. Mosquitos that could stand flat-footed and make
love
to a turkey. Heat, humidity, hurricane alerts, mildew in the showers . . .


And Professor VonRoach....


.but also back to Pho Danh II, Sylvias, Lupe's, Spanish Flowers, Kenny and
Ziggy's, The Cattleguard, Paddington Station, Taco Cabana . . . . . .



Let's face it: most food outside of the larger towns or cities stinks...I
grew up in a rural agricultural area (Western Illannoy) and frankly, the
food there was bland and awful. And this was despite having the best of
ingredients, e.g. great quality meat and fine produce...and it's still that
way (or even worse, as much stuff that used to be home - cooked has been
replaced by bland mass - produced crap)....

The vast, VAST majority of people simply see food as sustenance and little
else....

--
Best Greg in Chicago

"Bubba" wrote in
:



3) The locals don't eat out. Either because they can't afford to or
because it isn't part of their culture. Restaurateurs don't have to
sweat return bidness. If the scenery is good enough, there will be a
steady supply of wallets passing through. There is also some mileage
to be gained from hyping something as a local delicacy, particularly
when you are laying the con on folks who don't know what the real deal
is supposed to taste like. Mo's, a chain along the Oregon coast,
makes a big production out of their "internationally acclaimed clam
chowder". Basically, it's milk and flour with clams added. Leave
out the clams and we would use it to smother a chicken fried steak.

NOOOOO! That chowder I stood in line for with 20,000 other tourists wasn't
the real deal. the horror, the horro. Or was it just horrible. My daughter
wanted to do it and could I say no . . . Will the next time she still
apologizes for it. come to think of it that makes the place pretty damn
priceless.

"Bubba" wrote in
:



3) The locals don't eat out. Either because they can't afford to or
because it isn't part of their culture. Restaurateurs don't have to
sweat return bidness. If the scenery is good enough, there will be a
steady supply of wallets passing through. There is also some mileage
to be gained from hyping something as a local delicacy, particularly
when you are laying the con on folks who don't know what the real deal
is supposed to taste like. Mo's, a chain along the Oregon coast,
makes a big production out of their "internationally acclaimed clam
chowder". Basically, it's milk and flour with clams added. Leave
out the clams and we would use it to smother a chicken fried steak.

NOOOOO! That chowder I stood in line for with 20,000 other tourists wasn't
the real deal. the horror, the horro. Or was it just horrible. My daughter
wanted to do it and could I say no . . . Will the next time she still
apologizes for it. come to think of it that makes the place pretty damn
priceless.

Gregory Morrow wrote:

The vast, VAST majority of people simply see food as sustenance and little
else....

--
Best Greg in Chicago

The wife of a guy I work with once asked him "what do you want for
dinner?" His reply..."I don't care, it's food. Just cook it". (True
story)!
--
Kelly Younger

Gregory Morrow wrote:

The vast, VAST majority of people simply see food as sustenance and little
else....

--
Best Greg in Chicago

The wife of a guy I work with once asked him "what do you want for
dinner?" His reply..."I don't care, it's food. Just cook it". (True
story)!
--
Kelly Younger

"Bubba" wrote in message
...
Argggghhhh . . . . . ROAD FOOD!


There are some good road restaurants. In fact I think Food TV did some
episodes on road food. But they are far and few in between.




We're fixin to get the heck out of Houston for a few weeks. Plans are to
fly to Las Vegas, rent a car, and drive back to Colorado to visit
family - - - then return to Vegas, turn in the car and get rich in the
Casinos. Along the way, we'll see some delightful scenery, enjoy some
wonderfully cool temperatures in the high country; re-connect with a
buncha
kinfolks we dearly love -- AND - - endure some of the least satisfying
food
on the face of the planet. ]



OBSERVATION: Good food and good scenery are mutually exclusive.



This is a fairly broad statement, but it comes from a ton of observation.
About three times a year (usually in the summer) we head west - - -
British
Columbia, the Pacific Northwest or the Rockies. We always come home
hongry.
I'm not positive what the reasons are, but would hazard a guess that it is
because:



1) A lot of the places we visit have short seasons. Ourey, Colorado for
instance has a season of about 90 days. After that, the town shuts down
and
the residents head for Ridgeway or Grand Junction. I chatted with one
restaurant owner who said that when the season started, he had to find a
fry
cook, come up with a menu and have it printed, line up busboys and
waitstaff, arrange for supplies and then hammer the whole mess into a
functioning restaurant. After he accomplished this, he could coast
through
the remaining two weeks of the season. Talk about good intentions getting
gutshot.



2) A lot of the places we visit have high overhead. They can't break even
selling cheese sandwiches. After a day of hiking the trails or walking
beaches, the soul calls out for a bowl of chili, stew, sphagetti or fried
chicken and (of course) cocktails, table cloths and a decent bottle of
wine.
Comfort food. Unfortunately, the menu will usually have something like
Beef Wellington, Saddle of Venison and three items involving fish. We've
also noticed that the better the view, the worse the food. A month or so
ago, we tried a restaurant, the Inn at Spanish Head, in Lincoln City.
Beautiful restaurant, a view to die for. Awkward menu loaded with
meaningless adjectives, poorly executed cooking and bad service. When
she
saw the view, my partner commented, "I have a bad feeling about this".
Sho
nuff . . . The meal was a disaster, but we filled up on appetizers
(buffalo wings) in the bar and enjoyed a sunset that made up for it.



3) The locals don't eat out. Either because they can't afford to or
because it isn't part of their culture. Restaurateurs don't have to
sweat
return bidness. If the scenery is good enough, there will be a steady
supply of wallets passing through. There is also some mileage to be
gained
from hyping something as a local delicacy, particularly when you are
laying
the con on folks who don't know what the real deal is supposed to taste
like. Mo's, a chain along the Oregon coast, makes a big production out
of
their "internationally acclaimed clam chowder". Basically, it's milk and
flour with clams added. Leave out the clams and we would use it to
smother
a chicken fried steak.



By contrast, Houston has one of the best dining scenes in the country.
Bad
restaurants don't last. Even good ones face stiff competition. They
aren't
supported by tourists. We don't have 'em. Wish we did, but let's face
it - - - anyone sappy enough to come to Houston as a tourist has more
serious issues to deal with than culinary proclivities. The eight or ten
tourists a year that wind up here by accident generally get ambushed by
Tilman Fertitta and his ferris wheels and fish tanks. Our restaurant
scene
makes it purely on the basis of local patronage and we have one heckuva
lot
to choose from. Multi-cultural doesn't begin to describe it. We've got
eateries run by and for every national and ethnic wingding known to Google
and all known sexes. Our population eats out more than any other city in
the country. We've got the fat butts to prove it.



So . . . . it will be great to get away from here for awhile. BUT I know
for a fact that it will be even GREATer to get back. Back to cockroaches
the size of chipmonks. Mosquitos that could stand flat-footed and make
love
to a turkey. Heat, humidity, hurricane alerts, mildew in the showers . . .
.but also back to Pho Danh II, Sylvias, Lupe's, Spanish Flowers, Kenny and
Ziggy's, The Cattleguard, Paddington Station, Taco Cabana . . . . . .



It's unfortunate that there are only THREE meals in a day.

"Bubba" wrote in message
...
Argggghhhh . . . . . ROAD FOOD!


There are some good road restaurants. In fact I think Food TV did some
episodes on road food. But they are far and few in between.




We're fixin to get the heck out of Houston for a few weeks. Plans are to
fly to Las Vegas, rent a car, and drive back to Colorado to visit
family - - - then return to Vegas, turn in the car and get rich in the
Casinos. Along the way, we'll see some delightful scenery, enjoy some
wonderfully cool temperatures in the high country; re-connect with a
buncha
kinfolks we dearly love -- AND - - endure some of the least satisfying
food
on the face of the planet. ]



OBSERVATION: Good food and good scenery are mutually exclusive.



This is a fairly broad statement, but it comes from a ton of observation.
About three times a year (usually in the summer) we head west - - -
British
Columbia, the Pacific Northwest or the Rockies. We always come home
hongry.
I'm not positive what the reasons are, but would hazard a guess that it is
because:



1) A lot of the places we visit have short seasons. Ourey, Colorado for
instance has a season of about 90 days. After that, the town shuts down
and
the residents head for Ridgeway or Grand Junction. I chatted with one
restaurant owner who said that when the season started, he had to find a
fry
cook, come up with a menu and have it printed, line up busboys and
waitstaff, arrange for supplies and then hammer the whole mess into a
functioning restaurant. After he accomplished this, he could coast
through
the remaining two weeks of the season. Talk about good intentions getting
gutshot.



2) A lot of the places we visit have high overhead. They can't break even
selling cheese sandwiches. After a day of hiking the trails or walking
beaches, the soul calls out for a bowl of chili, stew, sphagetti or fried
chicken and (of course) cocktails, table cloths and a decent bottle of
wine.
Comfort food. Unfortunately, the menu will usually have something like
Beef Wellington, Saddle of Venison and three items involving fish. We've
also noticed that the better the view, the worse the food. A month or so
ago, we tried a restaurant, the Inn at Spanish Head, in Lincoln City.
Beautiful restaurant, a view to die for. Awkward menu loaded with
meaningless adjectives, poorly executed cooking and bad service. When
she
saw the view, my partner commented, "I have a bad feeling about this".
Sho
nuff . . . The meal was a disaster, but we filled up on appetizers
(buffalo wings) in the bar and enjoyed a sunset that made up for it.



3) The locals don't eat out. Either because they can't afford to or
because it isn't part of their culture. Restaurateurs don't have to
sweat
return bidness. If the scenery is good enough, there will be a steady
supply of wallets passing through. There is also some mileage to be
gained
from hyping something as a local delicacy, particularly when you are
laying
the con on folks who don't know what the real deal is supposed to taste
like. Mo's, a chain along the Oregon coast, makes a big production out
of
their "internationally acclaimed clam chowder". Basically, it's milk and
flour with clams added. Leave out the clams and we would use it to
smother
a chicken fried steak.



By contrast, Houston has one of the best dining scenes in the country.
Bad
restaurants don't last. Even good ones face stiff competition. They
aren't
supported by tourists. We don't have 'em. Wish we did, but let's face
it - - - anyone sappy enough to come to Houston as a tourist has more
serious issues to deal with than culinary proclivities. The eight or ten
tourists a year that wind up here by accident generally get ambushed by
Tilman Fertitta and his ferris wheels and fish tanks. Our restaurant
scene
makes it purely on the basis of local patronage and we have one heckuva
lot
to choose from. Multi-cultural doesn't begin to describe it. We've got
eateries run by and for every national and ethnic wingding known to Google
and all known sexes. Our population eats out more than any other city in
the country. We've got the fat butts to prove it.



So . . . . it will be great to get away from here for awhile. BUT I know
for a fact that it will be even GREATer to get back. Back to cockroaches
the size of chipmonks. Mosquitos that could stand flat-footed and make
love
to a turkey. Heat, humidity, hurricane alerts, mildew in the showers . . .
.but also back to Pho Danh II, Sylvias, Lupe's, Spanish Flowers, Kenny and
Ziggy's, The Cattleguard, Paddington Station, Taco Cabana . . . . . .



It's unfortunate that there are only THREE meals in a day.

In article ,
"Bubba" wrote:

OBSERVATION: Good food and good scenery are mutually exclusive.

The best bowl of New Mexican Red Chile I've ever had in my life was
found in a strip center diner in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. I went back
every day I was there.

--
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Art Gorski * Cigar Aficianado (_{@}______|| ~~~ * Houston, Texas