Super-fantastic Journeys

I absolutely love travel locations that focus on food, so it should not be a surprise that I had to visit the Best Maid Pickle Emporium.  Living in Texas for 12 years, Best Maid Pickles are a part of the local food culture.  Best Maid Pickles have been being produced since 1947 in the same factory since 1947.  They have grown and changed with the times, so they now offer a wider variety of pickle options.  I love trying different types of pickles and love to snack on a jar of pickles while I am preparing dinner.    The Pickle Emporium is Best Maid's latest addition, providing pickle lovers a place to come and find everything possible related to pickles.  While 90% of the Pickle Emporium is focused on merchandise and food items, there are a few displays that show the pickle making process.  The store is just a fun place to visit and Smily, the Best Maid character is standing proudly over the store.  If you are coming for food items you will not be disappointed.  You will find pickle

Known in Fort Worth on many a burger list M&O Station Grill serves up a delicious classic burger done right. Located in the Foundy District M&O is a great place to eat a burger before visiting the distillery or wine bar in this up-and-coming neighborhood.  M&O is a casual dining restaurant that feels a bit like an old-fashioned dinner.  Their burgers are made from grass-fed Angus sirloin.  You can get it in the classic style or as a keto meal as well. With 12 different burger options, you can find a burger to fit your mood.  I wanted to try the M&O Original to get a baseline established and understand the flavor that their specially marinated beef brings out.  It was a classic burger with melted cheddar and their house dressing. The bun was warmed and was the perfect size for the patty. My wife got the Mushroom & Swiss Burger which looked very good.  It had gilled mushrooms and stringy melted swiss cheese on top.  This is another classic style burger that they do ve

Muenster Texas is located in north Texas, about 90 minutes north of DFW.  Settled in 1889 by German Catholics as westward expansion occurred with the railroad coming through this area.  The German culture lives strong in this town today that has a population of 1,418 people.  Muenster is known for its two annual festivals celebrating the German culture.  German Fest is held in April each year and Oktoberfest in October each year. Fisher's Thriftway 304 N Main St. Muenster, TX 76252 940-759-4211 Website Closed on Sundays When you visit Muenster, you want to take a cooler with you because one of the town's highlights is the food options in town.  The highlight of your food options will be Fisher's Thriftway.  This market has all the standard grocery items, but what makes it unique are the specialty German foods.  Decorated like a German-style building with a clocktower, the German spirit grows as you go inside. The best place to start is in the back of the store.  As you are

Located in the rolling hills of far north Texas, 4R Ranch provides a beautiful location to relax and enjoy great food and wine while enjoying the fantastic views.  Located near Muenster, Texas, the winery sits in a unique geographic location that provides rolling hills and rocky terranean near the Red River, the border between Texas and Oklahoma. 1473 Co Rd 477 Muenster, TX 76252 940-736-3370 Website Reservation Needed: Yes (as of September 2021) Tasting Cost: $10.00 Wines:  Rose, Roussanne, Reisling, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Red Blend, Hausfray Hooch Service : 4 Atmosphere:  5 Wines Tasted:  8 Wines: 3 .5 Make sure that you have the winery loaded up in your maps app before you leave Muenster. The drive to the winery takes you along several county roads, both paved and unpaved, with some twists and turns, and even a u-turn for us because we through one of the roads must have been a driveway.  Once you arrive at the gate, you know that the drive was meant to bring

2430 South Interstate 35E #172 Denton, TX 76205 940-383-2431 Website Service: ✮✮✮✮✮ Food: ✮✮✮✮✮ Cleanliness: ✮ ✮✮ ✮ I learned about R G Burgers & Grill because they participated in Burger Week for Denton County,  and I am now a big fan because they make a really great burger.  There are 17 different burgers on their standard menu, and they even have a burger of the month that changes and brings new flavors to the table. The patty itself is nearly an inch thick, and we are not talking just about any old burger; this is some awesome meat. I would love to know what kind of meat they are using.  It is expertly seasoned, and there are many wonderful options on how they finish it.   The featured burger for burger week was the "Big Daddy."  It was definitely big. Those first few bites were a real challenge to get your mouth around.  This burger is served on a brioche bun that was fresh and soft.  It then had spicy mustard, pickles, the gigantic burger patty, swiss cheese, bacon,

825 W Royal Lane #120 Irving, TX 75039 972-707-7277 Website Service: ✮✮✮✮✮ Food: ✮✮✮✮✮ Cleanliness: ✮ ✮✮ ✮ ✮ Just went to Tikka Taco for the first time and really enjoyed the amazing flavors of the food. I ordered the Lamb Kheema bowl with the Tikka Taka Tak sauce.  The bowl was layered with rice, a minced lamb cooked with garlic, ginger and Indian spices, and topped with shredded lettuce and onions. It had just the right amount of heat to it to awaken my taste buds while still allowing the flavors of the minced lamb with garlic and Indian spices to come out.  The serving size was right on the mark as well.   The Biryani rice is really worth trying if you have not tried it before.  The rice is flavored with spices and it really accompanies the dish well.  White or brown rice is available if you prefer.   The service here was great.  While you order at the counter when you walk in, they brought our meal to us and the wait time was minimal.  I visited with the owner briefly and learned a

The community of Denton, Texas is located north of the DFW area about 30 minutes and is home to multiple colleges, so it is no surprise that they have multiple breweries for all those thirsty students and the rest of us beer lovers.  There are currently four breweries located in Denton along with a number of other tap houses.   Let's Get a Drink in Denton: 1. - Armadillo Ale Works Brews on Tap:  15+ Food:  Food Truck on Location Indoor Seating:  Yes Patio Seating: Yes Wait Staff: No Beer to go: Yes, cans, and growlers Web Site:   www.armadilloaleworks.com Located in a trending section of Denton just southwest of the town square, Armadillo Ale House is a local brewery that you do not want to miss.  Their wide selection of beers provides something for everyone no matter what your favorite style of beer might be.   When we visited they had over 15 beers on tap and had some great seasonal and limited release beers on tap as well. The location is easy to get to and there was plenty of

 Fort Richardson State Park located near Jacksboro Texas provides hikers with four short hiking trails that feature different micro-ecosystems within the park.  The trails are not very long and are probably not noteworthy if you are traveling there just for the hiking.  If you are camping or already find yourself in the area then these trails will take you to some of the best spots in the park. I have ranked these hikes in my order of preference.  I visited in early November so the leaves were changing color and it wad for a really pretty day. I ended up hiking all four of these trails in one morning.  I arrived a little after nine o'clock and was off the trail by noon.  The trails do not connect so you have to move to a new trailhead to start each of the hikes. 1. South West Bank of Lost Creek Trail Distance: 1 mile Elevation Gain: 46 feet Moving Time: 29:13 Total Time: 32:32 Difficulty: East My Rating: 4 Stars AllTrails Link This trail  2. Rumbling Springs Trail Distance: 1 mile

 This weeks view from the Wing Tip is of downtown Dallas, TX.  We had taken off to the south and turned left heading to Charlotte, North Carolina.  It was a nice clear day so you could see all of downtown without any obstruction.  The area is also a major hub for multiple highways so this area is called the mixmaxter, you can certainly see why from this view.

 So when you talk about Mexican Food in the state of Texas, you have to be careful about what you are going to get.  There is a real variety but the most popular in Texas is really Tex-Mex.  What makes Tex-Mex different, we will start with the cheese and beef.  Tex-mex restaurants love Queso, a melted cheese sauce that is either served with chips as an appetizer or is used excessively to cover a burrito or enchilada.  Texans love to smother everything with queso and it is nasty, way too much for me.  The second item that separates Tex-Mex from other regional Mexican food is the use of beef.  When you order and enchilada with chili sauce (because you do not want all that queso) it is a red sauce with ground beef crumbled up in it.  This is not the same as a green chili from New Mexico or even a red chili from Arizona.  Beef also shows up in the ever-popular fajitas, sliced skirt steak grilled and served on a sizzling platter with lots of sides like guacamole, lettuce, pico, and you gues

 The brewery scene in Texas has been growing like crazy after state laws were changed to allow for craft brewing establishments to open.  The Dallas/Fort Worth area now has a wide range of breweries to choose from and this post will be dedicated to those that are located on the west side of the DFW airport.   #1 Cowtown Brewing 1301 E Belknap St, Fort Worth, TX 76102 (817) 489-5800 Website Brews on Tap - 16 Food: Yes - Barbeque Indoor Seating - Yes Patio Seating - Yes Wait Staff  - Yes, very friendly and helpful Beer to go - Yes Located just east of downtown Fort Worth, Cowtown brewery combines great local craft beer with smoky barbeque, a perfect combination in Texas.  There is a large selection of beers on tap, 16 when I visited, covering a wide range of beer styles.  There are seasonal beers so you are able to continually experience new beers.  The food is really good and features Texas barbeque in many of the dishes.   Read More about Cowtown Brewery: Coming Soon #2 Shannon Brewing

Don't forget to look up, you may be missing one of the best parts! As you travel the United States visiting the State Capitol Building, or in some places called the State House, is a great activity to build into your trip plans.  As a governmental building, the State Capital is open to the public and often provide tours, either guided or self-guided.  While visiting the house and senate chambers and learning something about the history of the state taking a moment to pause in the  rotunda  and looking up can be rewarding. Take a look and see some of the rotundas I have been fortunate to visit. State of Washington State of Texas State of Maryland State of Illinois State of Connecticut State of New Mexico State of Montana State of Arkansas