Day 4 - Is There Anything That's NOT Corn East of Colorado??

Thank heavens for air beds. I finally caved and bought one yesterday, as my sleeping pad and sprung a leak, and wasn't really serving its purpose in the first place. I woke up this morning feeling so much better than I had the past two days, and had even had over 5 hours of uninterrupted sleep, a first for this trip. Still, I packed up an hour or so before dawn, and set out to bang out a few more states on my way home.

The rest of Iowa was corn. All of Indiana was corn (and obnoxious highway tolls). And the half of Ohio I managed to get through was, you guessed it, corn (and equally obnoxious highway tolls).

As such, I took even less pictures today than I did yesterday, and I'm sorry to say I don't really have too many scenic pictures of my drive. I did, however pass the couple trucks hauling these suckers down the highway:

Gigantic blade of a wind turbine

Wind power is pretty big out here, which is cool. I saw a bunch of wind farms in Iowa, and it was a common site to see a wide-load truck loaded with turbine equipment every hour or so. And no, I not get the so-called "wind turbine syndrome" headaches. Though that may be because I couldn't hear anything over my car shaking. I really got to get those bearings replaced...

Anyway, now I'm all set up just east of Toledo, Ohio. It's a big humid here, which sucks. I'd forgotten just how much humidity makes every extra degree so much worse. If only I had an air conditioned tent. But, if I could afford one of those (if they exist), I probably wouldn't be camping in the first place.

I decided to head into the nearby small town to see if there were any neat places I could get dinner. And boy, did I hit a road trip jackpot:

Say hello to the Speedtrap Diner!

 This place was just the thing you'd hope to find in Smalltown, USA. A backroads diner with license plates covering the walls, coffee served all day, and nothing but straight-up American food. Like this gem of a burger:

It wasn't the best I've ever had, but it certainly wasn't the worst. And for less than $10, I was pretty happy. And full. 

Tomorrow, I'll be waking up bright an early and complete my trip home! And then immediately do laundry, re-pack, and head to my Uncle's cottage for the weekend... 

Bacon, Goats, and A Capella. Weird Combo, Great Results

In the month leading up the San Diego County Fair, all my co-workers kept telling me was, "Oh, you have to go to the fair!" "They have great food at the fair!" They have all kinds of beers at the fair!" So, with the thought of good food and beer in mind, and some free tickets I won on from a radio station in hand, I set off to see what the hullabaloo was all about.

So. Many. People.

Seriously, it was absolutely nuts how many people were walking through the fairgrounds at any one time. It was like a sea. If the crowd has willing, one could probably crowd surf for over a mile without hitting a sparse area. 

But my crowd anxiety abated rather suddenly when I saw THIS:

Complementary cardiologist referral with every purchase!

I needed it. All of it. In my mouth. Fortunately, I had the sense to realize that would probably kill me. So I settled with just these:

Yeah, I'm gonna need that cardiologist

On the left, you've got french fries, fried in fortified bacon grease, covered in sour cream and bacon. On the right, bacon-bombs - bacon wrapped, deep-fried, beer-battered cheese balls, literally floating in melted garlic butter. If you're not drooling by the third hyphen, you're not American.

Do I regret my decision? No. Did I have to do extra 2 hours of cardio at the gym just to make myself feel OK with my decision? Yes.

There were other great things about the fair as well, including a large petting zoo, several as-seen-on-TV vendors, and a pretty decent Pentatonix concert that was also included in my free ticket.

From the pic's vantage point, you can tell the tickets were free

Must. Squish. Face.

Lamb, Cow and Pig, Oh My!

As I neared my lunch hour today, I casually glanced at the lunch I had packed for today. Leftover homemade pizza, and a yogurt. Worthy of a lunch, no doubt, but it was lacking....oomph. I wanted something hearty and juicy. 

It's Friday, and as such, I deserve a reward for making it through the week without falling asleep at work. So I decided to head over to Company Pub and Kitchen for a bite. I hadn't been there in a while, and was keen to try their fish and chips. I tried to convince a few coworkers to go with me, but they said no on the grounds that they have yet to go their without enjoying a martini, and wouldn't ruin that streak by going there for lunch on a work day. 

My meal made them regret their decision.

Upon sitting down, my waiter asked me if I was interested in today's lunch special. I had already planned on getting fish and chips, but out of curiosity I asked him what is was. I'm so glad I did.

Behold, the Glorious-ness of the Farm Burger!

THAT, my friends, is a Farm Burger. The name is deceptively vegetarian sounding, but I assure you, this burger packs a meat trifecta. A beautifully cooked 1/2 pound patty, equal parts beef, bacon, and lamb,
topped with a sunny-side-up egg, grilled onions, roasted tomatoes, lettuce, mayo, and drizzled with an amazing garlic aioli, in between a toasted ciabatta bun. This burger... it was... it was so good... I think I shed a small tear on my first bite.

The aioli had permeated the patty, making every bite a blessedly juicy, with a hint of garlic, and a punch of tender, meaty flavor. The combination of these 3 meats was pure genius, and I wish to kiss the shoes of the chef that came up with it. Not to mention this restaurant's notoriously delicious Company Chips that just sealed the deal, and brought me to food-coma bliss just an hour later.

After I had consumed this amazing dish I had been blessedly recommended by my waiter, he made my day even better.

"Yeah, it's been getting such good feedback, we're gonna make it a regular menu item starting next week."

I must remember to renew my gym membership this weekend... I'm gonna need it

So Burger. Much Delicious.

After our completely lazy day, my girlfriend and I decided we needed to leave for a while and seem like active members of society, instead of the couch potatoes we'd been all day. So we went to one of the many restaurants around here lauded by Guy Fieri on the show, Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. 

Tioli's Crazee Burger, from the outside, looks like a very small, under-lit street food restaurant on a side street. But then you walk inside, and you realize it was all a ruse. numerous tables surrounded the order stand, extending into the building next to it, all very clean and full of happy families. The employees were extremely polite and there was local art hanging on every inch of the walls, giving the place a hip, but homey vibe.

And then there's the burgers...

Never again will I be able to eat Clarkson's Servery burgers, nor any fast food burger. Crazee Burger has spoiled me with the most delicious, juicy, and fresh tasting burger I've ever had in my life. And their menu is clever and exotic, with choices like Nutella-Bacon-Plantain, 1/2 lamb - 1/2 beef w/ tsatsiki sauce, and numerous exotic meats like gator, buffalo, ostrich, antelope, and others. And I plan on trying them all. Or at least until I go broke from eating out so much.

I mean, look at this stuff!

1/2 Lamb, 1/2 Beef with Tzatsiki sauce

Those are fried plantains under the bacon, and the bun is slathered with Nutella. 

Idk Who Daphne Is, But I Like Her

In my perpetual quest to try as many new foods and venues as possible during my stay here, I decided this week to try out a local Greek food chain, called Daphne's California Greek. 

I've started to take a liking to the Greek fare here, something I never really had back in New York. I'm not sure if that's because I was never introduced to it there, or if it just isn't as popular, and therefore aren't many places to enjoy it. The combination of strongly seasoned meat with the fresh, crisp greens used in these dishes are both filling, and refreshing.

Eating at Daphne's Greek, in particular, was an enjoyable and delicious experience. A great thing about Daphne's is their ability to order your food online. Not a groundbreaking service, I know, but one usually seen only on national food chains, such as Dominos or Pizza Hut.

Now, onto the dish itself. I had a delicous "Pita Chicken Burger". Instead of buns, the burger was in between two pieces of pita bread. The chicken was amazingly juicy, with a flavorful, spiedie-like seasoning, topped with "Fire-Feta" a spicy, cheesy sauce that put the sandwich over the top. Soooo good. I'll definitely be going there again. Maybe tomorrow. And the next day. And maybe the day after that...

It's Like They're Not Used to Bad Weather...Oh Wait

This weekend marked Southern California's first "big" rainstorm in the past 3 years. And in the apparent SoCal fashion, people lost their shit when the sky turned gray and the ground went damp. 

New Yorkers, you'll have to forgive me for using the term "big storm" very loosely. I use it more in reference to the usual weather than I do in terms of actual severity. In North-East terms, this was more of a "scattered showers" kind of event. You know, the kind you brake 10 feet earlier, turn your wipers on LOW, and otherwise have a normal daily commute. To any Mid-Westerners reading this, I imagine this storm equated the thought of a slight drizzle on your way to work.

But for some reason, San Diegans thought it was the coming of Ragnarok, and promptly panicked and forgot how to drive in a straight line. There were over 450 accidents in San Diego County alone! I'm fairly certain there were fewer accidents than that on I-81 during Thanksgiving weekend, when snow came down by the foot anywhere above Syracuse. And that accident was just for yesterday! Who knows how many more have happened today during weekend traffic. I for one refuse to leave my house for fear of someone flipping their car trying to avoid a puddle.

Now, I will say that while the weather around the city did not warrant this level of anarchy, there were some serious mud slides outside the city that were pretty serious, and I don't want to lump those people actually affected by the storm with those who just don't know how to drive on anything but bone-dry asphalt. To the former, I'm sorry your driveway turned to quicksand. To the latter, feel free to drive through a puddle. I promise, it won't send your car spinning. Probably.

Sweet Glorious Delicious-ness, Batman!

Yesterday, I had a borderline religious experience. I felt the heavens smiling down on me, all was good in the world, and I could slowly feel my arteries clogging. Yes, my friends, I had my first California Burrito.

For those of you who know what a California Burrito is, and grew up eating them, you know not how lucky you are. For those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, allow me to attempt to describe this absolute heaven-in-a-tortilla.

Delicious, tender, flavorful carne asada, fresh, juicy pico de gallo, sweet, sauteed onions, lots and lots of delicious cheese that just deliciously binds everything together And then the kicker: 

French Fries. 
IN the burrito!

Whoever came up with this concoction deserves a medal. The delicious, thin cut french fries, mixed in with the rest of the burrito, elevate this humble behemoth of a burrito to an almost god-like status. Words cannot accurately describe how flavorful this burrito was. And best part is, it was only 6 bucks! It had to have been over a pound of ingredients in that burrito, and it was cheaper than a small salad at the Mediterranean place I usually frequent.

I will definitely be getting one of those again. Probably on Monday. And maybe Tuesday. Wednesday doesn't sound too bad either...