Posted in: Exploring Maine, Food

Cheesecake On Demand: Momo’s Cheesecakes

We were in the mood for something sweet, but a lot of the places were either in downtown Bar Harbor or had already closed. (Lots of places seemed to close pretty early.) We didn’t want to go back into Bar Harbor, as it was getting busy and the parking had been full when we left. After Maps directed us to someone’s house instead of a pie store, Ben found another option. A cheesecake shop that was open 24/7. What?! Yes, please!

Momo’s was located inside a converted garage of the nearby house. There were several display fridges of individual cheesecakes, as well as some whole cheesecakes for sale. Payment was on the honor system and they took cash, PayPal, Venmo, or checks. You could also order a cheesecake and those were placed in a separate fridge. The store had boxes or bags to help carry out your goodies and even had stickers available.

There were so many options that we ended up buying 7 slices to try. Our favorites were the mocha and lemon raspberry. Nick and Ben liked the confetti.

If you are in the Bar Harbor area, I would definitely check this place out!

Video: Walking Through Momo’s Cheesecakes

Posted in: Exploring New York, Food, Sightseeing

New York City: Junior’s Restaurant

We stopped at Junior’s for a late lunch. They had several locations around the city, but we ate at the 45th St. location near Times Square.

We had a nice seat on the outdoor patio and an amazing waiter. We ordered the Something Else, a Ruben sandwich, and the Brownie and Strawberry Cake Shakes.

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We ate dessert first. The Cake Shakes were huge and we all shared them. Our waiter brought out plates, so we took the cheesecake off of the shake glass to eat. Everything was so good. The other cheesecakes on the menu looked amazing as well. Our sandwiches were also good. The Ruben was a big surprise because we are not normally Ruben lovers. However, our waiter recommended it so we gave it a try. It was the best sandwich we had eaten in a while! Their dressing on the side was delicious and really brightened up the sandwich.

If you have a chance to stop at Junior’s, try their cheesecake and a Ruben!

Posted in: Exploring Pennsylvania, Food

Alaska Pete’s

So our initial plan was to go on another hike (not part of the Park Service). We got to the trail and were told it closed at 4:00 (it’s 4:30). It worked out in the end, since this placed charged to hike. We were a little hungry, so we headed back into town and stopped at Alaska Pete’s for dinner. It was a large restaurant and we had seen a lot of signs in the area for it.

It had a fun interior and an interesting menu, although the prices were not cheap. (Milkshake $8.95. Cheeseburger $13.95. Hamburger $12.95. Chicken Sizzler $19.95. Side of Mac & Cheese $3.50. Water $10.) We ordered waters for everyone, but were told that they were not “allowed” to give out cups of water. We had to buy a bottle of water at $2.50 (soft drinks were $3.50). This is the first time we had heard of anything like this, but it’s not like you are going to eat your entire meal without a drink!

It had a neat name, an interesting interior, and a huge outdoor patio that had its own separate bar. The food was ok. They brought some toasted bread to the table while we waited for our food. The burgers were well done (not medium as ordered), the Mac & Cheese only tasted like Velveeta, and the chicken was plain on the sizzler plate. However, the fries were really tasty. The shake was good, although it did not look like what was advertised on the menu. We were full, but I would not go back there again. It was too expensive for what we got.

Posted in: Exploring Virginia, Food

The Island House Restaurant (Virginia)

After exploring Assateague for a few hours, we decided to head back home. We kept seeing signs for The Island House restaurant, so we decided to stop for linner (lunch/dinner).

We asked to eat outside and sat on the back deck on the Bay. It was a great view and kind of peaceful with the water and birds. We saw a couple of fishing boats coming in and out.

The boys shared a Seafood Platter, so they got to try some new foods (flounder, crab cake, scallops). We started the meal with a garlic clams appetizer. They also brought out sweet potato biscuits. The clams were local and the boys seemed to enjoy them. Ben had a soft-shelled crab sandwich. He’s been wanting to try soft shell crab for a while, but we haven’t been in the right season at any of our stops so far, so he was excited to see it on the menu. I got a BBQ pork plate and a side salad. I am not a big fish/seafood fan, although I did try a clam.

The food was pretty good, although maybe a bit more on the expensive side. The boys got to try new things, which is always good. Will liked the flounder, Nick did not. Nick liked the crab cake, Will did not. They both seemed to like the scallops and the clams, which was a little surprising. They tried a bite of the crab sandwich too, which was a hit with all three of my guys.

It was a nice meal and had a nice location. There were lots of little gnats unfortunately, so we didn’t stay for dessert.

Posted in: Exploring Virginia, Food

Sting-Ray’s Restaurant (Cape Charles, Virginia)

For our adventure at Kiptopeke State Park, we stopped at Sting-Ray’s Restaurant to pick up some food for a picnic lunch. The restaurant is attached to an Exxon gas station and other than some taxidermy fish and shark on the walls, isn’t too much to look at. However, we had read several good reviews and wanted to give it a try.

We ordered a few different things to share: a BBQ pork sandwich with fries, an order of hush puppies, a rockfish sandwich, a salad with grilled chicken, a side of coleslaw, and a 3 piece fried chicken with green beans, mashed potatoes, and cornbread. I also got a sweet tea. It wasn’t a super cheap meal at $51.02, but we enjoyed all of it!

The salad was surprisingly good with grape tomatoes, croutons, a mix of lettuces, carrot and onion slices. There were a few radish slices as well, which Nick gobbled up.

The fried chicken was delicious. They had a really nicely flavored breading.

All in all, it was a good meal and just goes to show that you can find good food in surprising places! If you are in the area, I would check it out.

Posted in: Exploring South Carolina, Food, Sightseeing, YouTube Video Link

Gretel’s Candy House

Hi guys, it’s Nick and this is my blog about this candy place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina so here is the story. My Dad and I were driving home when we saw this candy store. We had seen it before and thought it would be fun to go to, so we drove on over and got some pictures of it from the outside. Then we went in, well let’s just say the outside is the cool thing about this place.

Inside it had two things that looked cool: one was called a Goo Goo Cluster and the other was Devil’s Toe. There is a big fake tree in the middle but that is it. It was just about all the normal candy you get at a basic candy or grocery store. I would not most likely go back to this place, but it is good for pictures and there is an ice cream place across the street. People were using this places parking for it though. So that is our candy store adventure.

Video: Walking in Gretel’s Candy House

Posted in: Animal Sightings, Exploring Georgia, Food, Hiking, Sightseeing

Sunshine, Water, Sand Dollars, and Crabs…Tybee Island, Georgia

Two words: Go early!

We had stopped at Fort Pulaski on our way to Tybee Island. We got to Tybee, parked, and was on the beach by 11:00 am. We really lucked out on finding a parking spot, as the small lot we were in filled up within minutes. Traffic is a mix of cars, bikes, and golf carts. All parking at Tybee is paid parking, with most spots being $3.50/hour. There was an app you can download to your phone (Park TYB). I was hesitant to download yet another app, but it did make it pretty convenient, as it sent you a reminder when your time close to being up and you could add additional time right on the app instead of running back to the meter. That turned out very helpful in our case, as we had been walking down the beach and were pretty far away.

We didn’t go swimming, just walked along the beach and waded for a little bit. The sun was nice and warm, but the water was very cold. We found part of a conch shell and a sand dollar. Nick was so excited to have found a larger whole one, but this one turned out to still be alive! It had little hair like pieces on it that we could see move, so he placed it back in the ocean.

Tybee was full of touristy shops, souvenir shops, bars and restaurants.

We ate lunch based on a recommendation (Thanks Pete!) at The Original Crab Shack. It was a little bit out of the main town, but on Tybee. It had a great atmosphere with an indoor and outdoor seating. The outdoor seating was a large covered patio. Each table had a hole cut out in the center with a garbage can underneath. We ordered a few different things to share: Low Country Boil, BBQ park sandwich, and half a chicken. It had a really fun atmosphere with live alligators (small ones, born in captivity), alligator statues, baskets for light shades. The only downside was that based on location of the patio and the garbage cans at each table, we did get bit quite frequently by bugs. I would recommend wearing bug spray.

When we left Tybee, there were cars lined up for miles. I’m pretty sure there were not enough parking spots to fit everyone. I would definitely recommend going early and downloading the parking app.

Posted in: Exploring South Carolina, Food, Sightseeing

Pie Hunting in South Carolina: Carolina Cider Company

We are likely posting this a day late as Pi Day was yesterday on 3/14. But, really Pi day is everyday if you are living life well.

We first saw the Carolina Cider Company store while exploring the area around us. It was closed for the day, but that did not deter us. We came back the next day. It was super cute inside with several different types of cider, pies, and jellies.

It was close to closing time, so there were only 3 pies left. We got a pecan apple pie, a small blueberry cider, small Black Bing Cherry cider, and a Muscadine jelly (a type of grape). ($38.80 total)

There was also a coffee shop attached to it, Clockwise Coffee. Ben got a plain coffee and I got a mocha. Mine came with a nice design in it!

Everything was delicious and I am glad we stopped, it was definitely worth the trip.

Hope you had a great Pi day! If you did anything special to celebrate, post it in the comments. I can’t wait to read all about it.

Posted in: Exploring Georgia, Food

Goose Feathers Cafe, Savannah, Georgia

We headed back down to River Street in Savannah. There were so many restaurants to try, that we decided to grab breakfast in the downtown area while exploring the city. We found a great parking spot right on the river and walked around for about an hour. We were pretty hungry and stopped at Goose Feathers Cafe for breakfast.

We got a coffee, a frozen mocha, a Baileys Mint Chocolate Whoopie Pie, a breakfast burrito (eggs, cheese, potatoes, turkey sausage), an “Eggetarian” (poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on a croissant), and a blueberry bagel with cream cheese. ($31.43, plus tip)

It was the boys’ first time trying a whoopie pie, so they thought it was a nice treat. The cake part was a little dry, but the flavor was nice. The Bailey’s and mint were a nice nod to Saint Patrick’s Day.

Everything was good, but Savannah has so many amazing restaurants, I wouldn’t go back instead of trying another new place. The Cafe did have a few tables outside and the tables inside were pretty well spaced out. It seemed they were doing the best they could with the pandemic, although I’m sure the ambiance was not quite the same as it used to be. The inside decorations were really cute with a glass display case and a tin ceiling.

If you have been to Savannah, what were your favorite restaurants?

Posted in: Exploring Louisiana, Food

Eating in New Orleans: King Cakes

We have King Cake back home in bakeries for Mardi Gras, but it’s all one kind (cinnamon filling). Don’t get me wrong, it’s good and we buy one every year. But, there are different kinds down here! We were surprised, and wanted to try some new flavors. We stopped at King Cake Hub, where they sell king cakes from a variety of local bakeries.

So many King Cakes! There’s even ice cream!
Our haul. We may have spent too much.
Sample plates

We added our Rouses King Cake to the samplings. This one was bought in a Rouses grocery store, not at the specialty King Cake Hub. They do offer several different types of king cake, and it was a nice change from the cinnamon filling we normally have. We picked the Cream Cheese Pecan Praline King Cake.

Sugar Love Bakery Bread Pudding: I am a sucker for bread pudding, so we had to give this one a try. Even Ben liked it, and he is not normally a bread pudding lover. It had a great taste, with maybe a slight rum aftertaste. I loved it.

Bittersweet Confections Chocolate. This king cake had a cocoa type of filling, but it wasn’t a strong taste. I think most of the chocolate flavor came from the icing on top. It was a nice soft bread and the chocolate crunchy balls on top add nice texture.

Cannata’s Rougagooey: Tough to say, but delicious to eat. This one was my favorite. It was baked really well. Day one, it had a sweet bread taste with icing that tasted like a cream cheese icing to me. The decorations were fun and the information card was a nice touch. The boys enjoyed reading it. This one was even better the second day! It didn’t make it to the third…

NOCCA Cake Cafe Apple Goat Cheese: We saw raves about this on Instagram and gave it a try. Ben liked it. It was okay, but not one that I would buy again. It was not an overly sweet filling. The apples were still slightly crunchy, with the peel on. The crunchy apples were nice. It could have been the one we got, but the bake wasn’t the best. I don’t know that I would buy this one again. #Soggybottom

We didn’t even really make a dent in the types of King Cakes offered! There was a coffee one I was interested in, and several types of fruit filled cakes as well. However, at an average price of $25-$30/King Cake, we probably won’t get through all of them. Plus the RV door is only 24 inches wide. Not sure which would lose first our bank account or our waist line, but we will show some restraint in the Big Easy…at least as far as king cakes go.

~Sarah and Ben (just the funny parts)

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