La Hacienda in Albuquerque NM…

When you travel to New Mexico and you are a foodie of any type you have to eat some classic New Mexican food smothered in either red or green chili, or both as is my preference. Now the chili in New Mexico isn’t just any chili – it is the Green Chili also called the Hatch Green Chili. In and around Demming and Hatch, New Mexico is where most all of these chilis are grown. Green Chili comes from freshly picked chilies roasted over open fire until the skin peels away. Red Chili come from the ripened red chilies that are dried and then reconstituted into a thick pasty red sauce.

These chilies will spice up and flavor any food item you  order from the unassuming little spot in east Albuquerque called the La Hacienda Burrito Express. You find this unpretentious little spot at 4300 Eubank Blvd NE in Albuquerque, NM. Order in or to go at their drive through.

They specialize in burritos and I would recommend you get one with Carne Adobada and make sure to order it with both red and green chili sauce. Below is the sign at the take out window so you can see the variety of food they have to offer as a quick take out meal that will beat the socks off of any fast you have had before.

We even stopped by one morning and had their Huevos Rancheros for breakfast and all I can say is order it… This fantastic little Road Treat is not only super tasty but it also won’t put a dent in your eating out budget…

Rattlesnake Saloon, Tuscumbia, AL…

If you are ever stuck in Red Bay, Alabama or you find yourself nearby Tuscumbia Alabama you have got to go find the Rattlesnake Saloon…

There are not a lot of interesting places of interest in this area but the 23 mile trek over to the Rattlesnake Saloon is more than worth the effort as this is a real unique Road Treat!!!  Upon arrival you really aren’t sure you are at the right spot as it appears you are at a working ranch with a dirt parking lot but the signage all suggests you are in the right place.

The saloon is situated next to a western resort of sorts and there is a gift shop, RV hookups ($20 a night) and horse corrals. When you park your car a truck drives over sporting a Rattlesnake Saloon logo and a kind western looking gentleman informs you that he is your taxi to the saloon. He gave us a card with the resort number and showed us the huge map of horse trails on the resort and then off we went...

The truck drives past the gift shop and the pool for overnight guests and then we disappear over the edge down a steep, winding hill that suddenly gives way to an amazing view below. To your right is a large cave with small waterfalls pouring over the edge, and inside the cave is an outdoor stage, lots of tables and chairs as well as an indoor saloon. To the left is a deck overlooking a tree-lined river. The views are breathtaking, I can’t imagine how wonderful this place would be in late spring and early summer.

The saloon itself has a great vibe, decent beer selection and friendly staff making for a great dinner or happy hour setting. Now let me warn you they only serve beer, no wine or spirits, and no alcohol is served before 5 PM!!! Also you better bring you ID since they believe no ID no beer… Our choice of some nice draft Yuengling seemed to be a perfect choice to enjoy the grandeur before us. What can I say… DON’T MISS THIS PLACE!!!!

Road Treats of Key West, FL…

Some of our favorite things we did while here in the Keys:

• Best Happy Hour outside of Key West – Hogfish Bar and Grill
• Best Happy Hour in Key West – Boat House Bar
• Best local food establishment in Key West – Mr. Z’s
• Best Beach – Higgs Beach
• Best Happy Hour Menu – Boat House Bar
• Best Street to Walk – Duval Street, Key West
• Best Event to Watch/Photograph - Key West Race Week
• Best Biking – Anywhere in Key West
• Best People Watching – 100 to 300 block of Duval when cruise ships are in
• Best Bartender – Patty Wacker at the Hogfish Bar and Grill
• Most fun event – Key West Seafood Festival

High Tides @ Snack Jacks, Restaurant/Bar Flagler Beach, FL…

Wednesday we discovered a new road treat as there is a small restaurant/bar on the beach here at Flagler called High Tides @ Snack Jacks. We like to walk along the beach and noticed that this place was within walking distance. The actual address is 2805S. Oceanshore Blvd, Flagler Beach, FL. The Story of Two Women and a Dream on how this place came to be is an interesting read… So we were there on a Wednesday and we looked it up on the internet to see if they had a Happy Hour and guess what? It was Wacky Wednesday at High Tides @ Snack Jacks… whoopie…

Off we went about a quarter mile down the beach and after a short stroll up the stairs, we were at a table overlooking the ocean ordering some frosty beverages. Now what is Wacky Wednesday? Domestic bottles and pints are only a buck fifty!!! Well what can I say we stayed and watched the sun set over the water before making our way back home. Oh by the way they serve food here too but with beer at a buck fifty and an ocean view who is eating…

Bullfrog Brewery - Williamsport Pennsylvania

Williamsport Pennsylvania, where every little league player dreams to end up playing baseball or softball in the Little League World Series. However, there is more to Williamsport Pennsylvania than little league.

Williamsport is home to many people of wealth and their abundant million plus dollar restored homes. These homes and their varied architectural styles are can be found along fourth street but something else can be found on Fourth Street – the Bullfrog Brewery – a Road Treat.

Bullfrog Brewery, on 229 West Fourth St. was founded in 1996 and was named small business of the year recently. This award winning brewpub is more of an upscale microbrewery than I generally like but it does sport some nice brews.

We sampled three of the beers. First we tried the Billtown Blonde ale. This is a lightly colored ale with a smooth clean and crisp flavor at about 5.5% alcohol. We both liked this brew and my bride decided to have a pint of it. Next we tried the the Apricot Wheat beer since we had one in Spartanburg that we both loved (it was actually peach but close enough). The beer had no real flavor of apricot (a negative) and was a bit bitter. So this one was not to be a choice for a pint. The third one we tried was my favorite. The Edgar IPA is a hoppy and lively beer with just a hint of bitterness (8% alcohol). The beers went really well with a Rueben sandwich we ordered to split which came with a side of sweet potato fries. The sandwich was great!

The place is a bit pricier than I would prefer it to be but on this day we splurged since it was International Beer Day . In case you didn’t know International Beer Day is a worldwide celebration of beer held annually on August 5th at local pubs, bars and breweries all over the world.

Key West - Hog Fish Bar & Grill…

The title says Key West but actually this bar and grill is located on Stock Island just outside of the town of Key West. We actually stumbled upon the Hog Fish Bar & Grill while looking for Boyd’s RV park and Campground. I had read about it in all my readings about Key West but until I saw a small sign poked into the ground that read Hog Fish Bar & Grill with a little arrow pointing down the road I hadn’t given much thought to looking for it.

SO one sign led to another and after winding through a maze of roads through a rather ratty part of town you near the water’s edge where you will then discover Stock Island's Hog Fish Bar & Grill…

Once parked you can enter the front of the bar and grill, all open aired as is done in typical Key West fashion, you are treated to an atmosphere that is genuine and exudes the feeling of “we are going to really like this place.” This place is probably more like the bar and grills of old Key West than any of those now found on Duval Street, the main drag of Key West.

The bar and grill sits right on the water and offers both covered indoor and outdoor seating. In fact while we were there our first time they put a new blue awning over the picnic tables outside near the docks on the water’s edge. But we like to sit right at the bar.and mingle with the locals who have a lot of stories to tell about how Key West use to be.

Here is where during happy hour you can get $1.50 Yeungling’s – yes that is what I said - $1.50 Yeungling’s. We have heard the food is excellent and during happy hour they also have some half priced appetizers. One evening we shared the nasty nachos and had plenty for the both of us –Warning they are a bit messy!

This setting is an ideal Key West setting to just sit back and relax while enjoying the warm summer sea breezes while gazing out over the views of the shades of blue and other colors offered by the sea water and varied boats docked nearby. Here is where we have learned what Key West was really like from the locals like Captain Ed, Guenther and Axel while the bartender Patty brings us round after round of cold $1.50 Yeungling’s…

The Hog Fish Bar and Grill is definitely off the beaten track and you will have to search for it but once you find it you will discover what we did – a laid back old Key West establishment with good food, drinks and people… Heyduke says stay till sunset and check it out!

GPS address or just follow the signs… 6810 Front Street, Stock Island, FL

Kenny’s Country Restaurant–Pinebluff, NC

We were getting propane from a local dealer in Aberdeen, NC when my darling bride struck up a conversation with one of the local ladies who was on break. Well the result of that conversation was that she said we just had to go try out Kenny’s Country Restaurant in Pinebluff, NC. So a few days later we had a craving for a good old fashioned hamburger so we googled  Kenny’s and headed over to the town of Pinebluff, NC.

       Kenny’s is located at 110 N Walnut St, Pinebluff, NC, Coordinates to plug into your GPS are 35.0982 -79.4782. The place itself is an unassuming little country diner along the main road going through Pinebluff. Nothing would make you want to stop there except the parking lot is stuffed with cars… always a great sign. The first time we stopped in was for a to go order of one of their specials. We had decided we were hungry for a burger and thought we would split one for lunch. Instead of a regular burger we ordered one of the daily specials – a cheese steak hoagie. That sucker was way more than both of us could eat and it was smothered in grilled onions and mushrooms convincing  us we had found another road treat.

                                  

What makes this place even better are the people who work there. You can tell they love their jobs and have all the important facets of providing great customer service covered. We stopped by one more time for breakfast before we departed the area and all I can say is look at the picture of this omelet… can you say give a little hash browns with my small omelet… Yum Yum!!!

So I said there appeared to be no reason to stop there but let me tell you there are many reasons… the food, the service, the hospitality, and you just have to stop by and chat with the cook and the hard working and efficient waitress… Heyduke says check it out!!!

Papa’s Breakfast Nook–Spartenburg SC

Spartanburg, South Carolina is home to a wonderful breakfast spot called Papa’s Breakfast Nook. Since we were in town we headed over there for breakfast which turned out to be a road treat.

This place isn’t just for breakfast either as it is open 24 hours. We dined here early one morning and were treated to an inexpensive and scrumptious breakfast. The is just a typical old style diner that has a flat grill that is visible from the dining room where you can watch the cooks make your trashcan omelets for breakfast or your Spartenburgers for lunch.

The place stays crowded with locals and was especially crowded the morning we were there on Easter Sunday. All I can say is the home fries are to die for and you won’t leave hungry.  Heyduke says you have to try the road treat when in the area....

     

Track Restaurant… Pinehurst, NC

                         

I mentioned this road treat in my blog On the Road to Retirement as one of those places that if you are in the vicinity of Pinehurst, NC that you must go to this place. Why? Two reasons…

1 – the food is really good and is very reasonably priced

2 – you can’t beat the location near Pinehurst and it is located on a harness training track

The restaurant is a short drive of only a few miles from Pinehurst. For the GPS the address is 180 Beulah Hill Rd, Pinehurst, NC 28374. You will turn on a small dirt road driveway, veer left and it will lead you around to the Track restaurant. It is located in one of the older track buildings that was likely a kitchen area for the workers of the track in the day. The breakfast here was delightful but maybe not the greatest food in the world. The place is packed with locals and despite its appearance as a bit of a dive the wait staff were efficient and friendly and the blueberry pancakes were both packed with blueberries and really tasty. The prices are very inexpensive especially considering how close to Pinehurst it is.  But it is the wonderful surrounding views of the harness track that makes this such a nice find which has qualified it as one of our Road Treats.

                

Check it out…

Locos Grill and Pub–Athens Georgia

We were looking for a small eclectic “collegey” hangout to get a cold one between softball games when we came upon the Locos Grill and Pub in Athens near the University of Georgia. The pub started here in Athens when a couple of college kids decided to open a store/deli that later became a pub/grill and is now franchised in several other locations.

The menu is mostly pub fair and the bar has a good assortment of tap beer with daily specials during happy hour.  We sat down and ordered a couple of pints and found ourselves in an older than expected crowd considering it was near the UGA campus. The wait staff were friendly and attentive and after our second pint we decided it was worthy enough of being designated a Road Treat. We ordered some extra hot wings and they were pretty darned good but definitely not extra hot by Texas standards but still tasty nonetheless.

An interesting area out back is complete with an old Georgia bulldawg scoreboard that is surrounded by benches and tables and as the sign attests is available for rent as a rather nice setting for a post tailgate party.

If you are in the area it is a nice relaxing place to hit happy hour and though we didn’t try any food the menu had a diverse array of pub fare.