Once a Funeral Parlor, Now a Bar

I've got no photo for this place, except one of the menu, so I'll pass on that. When in Springfield, IL and walking around down near the capitol building, make sure to swing in to Norb Andy's Tabarin (closest guess on translation is "tavern," but I have no idea which language). Monday night $5 martinis are super strong (try the caramel apple martini; girls at the bar said it was their absolute fave). I only found this place because my presenter had to pee, so we stopped in the only place that seemed open on a Monday night. Cool partially-underground bar with an Irish/nautical theme. Opened under new ownership just about a month ago, so stop in and buy some beer or other beverage.

Jeremy, the owner, is super nice and is a skilled bartender. Tell him you work with Josh, the guy from Gainesville, Florida, as in "The Gainesville Murders." He may remember the conversation.

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Don't Get Sand in Your Wine

Beachfront Italian cuisine. Sirena Ristorante.

Tucked away next to a group of high-priced condominiums above shops and other restaurants, this place is a little expensive for our general price range, but not abnormally expensive for upper class beachfront restaurants. Anyway, the food is really delightful and, on a Wednesday evening, the service was quick and friendly.

The mushroom ravioli was yummy and the view out onto the cold New Jersey shore was really peaceful after what had been a somewhat hectic day. When at the Holiday Inn in Long Branch, NJ (seminar hosted at Monmouth University), this place is only a short 5-10 minute drive away. Beware of the crazy left/u-turn setups in this small town; you've got to use arterial "exit ramps" in advance for either of the afore-mentioned turns. It's insane and will probably also drive you that way.

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Books, Books, Everywhere Books!

I have never been anywhere as uniquely- and well-decorated! Found out about Library ² from the front desk staff at the Hampton Inn in Voorhees/Cherry Hill, NJ and was surprised, when I got there, at their nonchalant attitude when telling me about it. This place has the epitome of a unique fine dining experience. The walls, shelves, and even parts of the ceiling/support beams are covered in books. Strange, however, for a place that is lit mostly by candlelight. Fine art, fine literature, and fine decor really make this place special, in my opinion.

Unassuming from the outside, Library ² is an upscale restaurant with a steakhouse theme. Looking at the partial menu above, you can see that many of the entrees at this place focus on meat and seafoods, but don't give up, my little veggies, the salad bar that is included in each entree price is to die for! About $12 on its own, the salad bar is worth every penny, even without a tender beef or chicken main dish. Super fresh ingredients, fresh baked breads and rolls; and rolls of cheese with knives to cut your own servings...this thing has it all.

It's a bit pricey to visit this place, but I would suggest going at LEAST once in your time with BER. I plan to return and will, most likely, just get the salad bar and fill up on that alone. Just trust me on this place.

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Bright Beacon of Bethlehem

Pizza, a staple of any meal, is one of your choices for a quick, cheap, meal while out on your lunch break in Bethlehem, PA. Ask any of the hotel staff or the locals and they'll tell you: Lehigh Pizza's the best in town. Luckily for us, it's also a very short walk from the Comfort Suites.

Sizable slices and fair prices can't really compare to the one thing I really love about their pizza; the relatively unique toppings choices and combinations. The veggie slice is my favorite so far, but there are lots to choose from. Also, they serve beer, but I wouldn't recommend that during a lunch break, haha!

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Ty Cobb's Cousin Made a Salad

I don't remember it being presented as such, but the in-house restaurant at the Hampton Inn near the airport in Spokane, WA has quite a delightful Cobb salad, pictured at right. Not only was it delicious and hand-made with really fresh ingredients, but it was not priced outrageously either. From what some of the participants said, most everything on the menu was served fresh and tasty, so it's worth checking it out, especially since you'll likely be at the hotel without a rental car and there are no options within a short walking distance.

Also, the complimentary food area (not just breakfast) is available to hotel guests 24/7. After main meal hours, the cereal, fruit, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and etc... are still out and available to grab. Definitely worth a check to replenish your instant oatmeal/fruit stash in your luggage.

Southern Cookin' in Detroit

Yes, once again, I said Detroit.

Embassy Suites Southfield has become a bit of a home away from home for me, and the last time I was here, a participant came back raving about this amazing southern comfort food restaurant, Beans and Cornbread. With Rachel in town for a same city, we went to check it out. It's about a mile from the hotel on Northwestern Hwy, but it's tucked in a strip mall, so watch out for it or you'll miss it. U-turn and come back if you have to, it's a definite MUST EAT.

These truly tasty little morsels are sweet potato muffins. Rachel and I ate as many of these as our waitress would bring us (and she was definitely not stingy!). They also serve piping hot cornbread which is very tasty as well. But they were only the appetizer...

The entree options were mostly fried, but all looked amazing. I ended up with pork chops, "seasoned" (that means fried) and smothered in red eye gravy. Rachel had the roasted chicken, which was moist and amazing (and one of the not fried options!). We each chose 2 sides for our meals (you can also get them with 3 sides, or a vege plate of 3 sides, which I would definitely recommend!). The sides you see are: collard greens (the best I've had in a looooong time), country corn, mac'n'cheese (melt your brain good), and red beans and rice (again, eye-bugging amazing). See the pattern here? We have leftovers for lunch even.

Even if you're not in Southfield, this place is definitely worth going to. It makes everything about being in Detroit so much better!

Traditional Lobster Bibs (and rolls) at Dimillos

My last trip to Portland, ME pulled me away from Street & Co as my presenters wanted a real, full lobster-bib experience. So we went to Dimillos Floating Restaurant. A tourist trap for sure, but a tasty one. If you're determined to do lobster, this is a good place. Both of my presenters went for the full meal deal-- $38 for a 1 1/8 lb lobster, stack of maine clams, potato, vegetable, as well as chowder, salad, drink and blueberry cobbler. If that is what you want, this is an amazing deal. You won't pack any of it to eat the next day, it's all seafood, but damn if you won't still be full the next day! Just avoid the haddock chowder... it was mostly butter.

I went for their special lobster month special lobster roll and it was beyond divine (even if in the bad lighting it looks a bit disgusting). If you're more in the $13 range, that is definitely what you should get to get the most lobster without the bib.

Penn State Eatery

If this opening line from their website doesn't convince you, I don't know what will:

"A place where Students and Alumni, Rockers and Scholars, Beer Drinkers and Wine Lovers, Football Fans and Futbol Fans come together in Penn State Tradition."

Cafe 210 West in State College, PA is just another local college bar that serves some pretty great junk food and some really cheap beer, but isn't that what we all really love at heart anyway? It's across the street from campus in a long row of shops, bars, theatres, and other eateries that would probably all be good places to choose while staying at the Days Inn on South Pugh Street.

The cafe has daily specials for both food and drink, have some pretty perfectly-textured french fries, and is really quite cheap. What else could you ask for? $2.75 TWENTY-THREE ounce Miller Lite draughts, all day every day?! $5 Miller Lite pitchers, all day every day?! Really, how can you afford to not visit this place? I had the chicken parm. grinder and was absolutely stuffed afterward; it was delicious.

If you're not up for the veggies at Green Bowl (see one of the previous posts), go to this place.

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210 W College Ave
State College, PA 16801
(814) 237-3449

It's All in What You Order

Today was a case in point in knowing what to order. I got off my plane in Philly knowing that I was hungry and craving Pizza but if I go for the full cheesy, meaty, greasy Sabaro slice it’s never a happy ending. I walked up, fully expecting to pop a tums on my connecting flight, and saw it: a veggie pizza of my dreams. Broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, peppers... all on top of the fluffy yet greasy and crunchy crust that I was craving. I won’t kid myself that it was healthy, or that I should put my antacids away, but damn if it wasn’t a decent compromise.

And isn’t that what we’re looking for so much of the time? The option that isn’t going to stick in your gut, that’s going to give you a couple of vitamins, yet will fill that comfort food need that traveling brings out in even the best of us.

Good Food in Detroit?

Okay, so I know it's hard to convince yourself to leave your hotel in Detroit. I hardly ever do it, especially when I get into town in time for the Embassy Suites manager's special (carrots and broccoli! free booze!!). However, I was in town with a presenter who wanted a real meal, was vegetarian, and didn't like the look of the mini corn dogs. So we went on an adventure. Turns out, on Orchard Lake Rd, between 12 and 13 mile roads (closer to the 13 mile side), there are a ton of ethnic restaurants. Primarily indian hole-in-the-wall joints, there's also an halal restaurant and the one we ended up at, Thai Peppers. It wasn't exactly knock-your-socks-off good, but it was decent thai food, in Detroit no less. If you're looking for Indian, your prospects look even brighter considering there were about 5 places tucked in the various strip malls.

So there you go, an option for Detroit especially if you're at the Embassy Suites Southfield.

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Packable Secrets: Applesauce

By now, the endless run of restaurants is starting to get tiring. For a while, I was able to scrounge apples from the baskets at the front desk of my various hotels, but I know the days are coming when all of those fresh and tasty red delicious apples will turn into the waxy, freezer-burned, mealy nightmares that bring a pained tear to my washington-apple lover's eye. Many of you can turn to bananas as a source of fresh fruit, but since I'm not exactly a fan (read: can't be within 10 feet of a banana without wrinkling my nose) I had to find another option.

Enter: unsweetened applesauce in individual cups.

Leave a little space in your checked bag for these little cups of joy. They require no refridgeration and without the overly-processed taste of most restaurant foods they can save your sanity in an all-fly week. Just remember that since they're over 3 ounces, TSA will freak out if you forget to take one out of your carry-on bag. The concept is easily expandable to dole fruit cups (peaches, pinaples, yum!) and all of these varieties are easily purchased at Target or any other local grocery store while you're traveling.

San Chez Bistro--Tapas in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids has a wonderful downtown with lots of options, but one of the best I've found is San Chez. They do Tapas and if you find yourself with a non-picky presenter who loves the idea of sharing a great meal, or you happen to have a same city in town, book it over here. It's hard to order for one, and even with two you're going to have to make some tough decisions, but it's incredible and more than worth it. I didn't snap any pictures, which was a shame because presentation is beautiful, but the food was gone as soon as it arrived!

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Say Yes to Sayville

Long Island. Two words that make any PM want to curl up and die. Yet, if you've got access to a car and are staying at the Holiday Inn in Ronkonkama, you are not doomed to eating at the Applebees across the street. Take a right out of the parking lot, then a left at the lights and drive for about 10 minutes to get to Sayville to grab dinner or lunch.

There's a great pizza place, a nice little french bistro, a greek place, and plenty of shops and cute windows to look in. It's a nice breather from what awaits during your seminar day.

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Treasure in the Ghetto

Staying at the Holiday Inn next to the Newark, NJ airport is basically miserable. Feeling up for a fancy (read: pricey) night out? Check out a place called Tony da Caneca in what, as far as I could tell, is the Little Portugal section of Newark.

The color of the photo on the left is kinda' weird (thanks, camera phone), but it's a heaping portion of beef sirloin topped with prosciutto, topped with an over-easy egg, surrounded by homemade potato chips in a delightful sauce. This was just one of the many "Portuguese-style" dishes at this mom-and-pop restaurant.

It's fairly expensive, but only one exit away from the hotel on the highway and totally worth taking half your entree back to the hotel to eat the next day. Just PLEASE don't forget the GPS when you head out because the mix of one way streets, road construction, and the spaghetti-like jumble of highways around the airport made my trip back to the airport about 40-60 minutes longer than it should've been (again, thanks GPS phone).

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Joe's Pizza

Looking for a great cheesesteak sandwich while in the Philadelphia area? Forget driving downtown to Geno's! If you're at the Radnor hotel in St. Davids, PA, this place is only a short 5-10 minute drive if you hop on the highway and head into Broomall. Found this place through reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor and many locals say it's their absolute favorite place for a good cheesesteak, especially the chicken. Try it traditional, with spinach and honey mustard; with buffalo sauce and blue cheese; or whatever you'd like: they're all fantastic. Large portions and low prices with a down home feel.

I love this place and will certainly come back next time I'm in the area! it's so "local" that the servers were surprised to hear that I found them based on reviews online.

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