Sweet Spice – Savannah, GA
Southern charm can make anything taste better. Well the people at Sweet Spice are as friendly as you will find, and the food was pretty decent as well. I had their lunch special of jerk chicken with rice and peas topped with mac and cheese.
Pocono Mountains – Jim Thorpe area – 2019
What a fun and beautiful area to visit with plenty of outdoor adventures to be had around every turn. They also have quite a fun little culinary scene going on.
Moya – Jim Thorpe, PA
This was such an enjoyable meal. Every course was delicious and the atmosphere is divine with impeccable service. Highly recommend. Had Ecuadorian style braised lamb shank in beer sauce, boneless beef short rib in port wine sauce, fresh orecchiette with mushrooms and spinach, sautéed vegetable medley with shallots and olive oil, order of flatbread, shrimp with red curry and ginger in coconut milk, crab cake with cilantro vinaigrette, and scallops with green onions in an orange sesame oil vinaigrette.
Cafe Arielle at the Stabin Museum – Jim Thorpe, PA
A great quirky museum with the work of Victor Stabin is housed in the same building as the restaurant. We were lucky enough to be seated for dinner with a stream of water underneath the table that you can look at through glass. Once you order food you can stroll around and look at the art and then enjoy a nice meal. We had sweet and spicy shrimp with ginger noodles, baked brie and pear, chicken piccata, and mussels in champagne cream sauce.
Bonnie & Clyde Pub and Grill – Lehighton, PA
The food here was pretty good and service was top notch. The desserts are made in house and our waitress was actually the pastry chef as well. Cool décor, nice setup, and great beer menu. Had clam chowder, colossal lump crab meat swimming in a creamy butter with sautéed veggies and brown rice, and crème brulee.
Muggles’ Mug Coffee Shop – Jim Thorpe, PA
A cool little hangout with lots of Harry Potter themed things going on here. Enjoyed this cookie while playing a game of chess on a Harry Potter chess set.
Big Creek Bar-B-Q – Lehighton, PA
A fancy food truck type of setup with quick service. All the food was tasty, meat was moist, and prices extremely reasonable. Had full rack of ribs, 3 chicken drumsticks, pulled pork, and beans.
Sunny’s Pizza – Lehighton, PA
This pizza place had some of the friendliest service around, price you can’t beat with specials, and they even have a nice miniature golf course that they let you play in the back of the restaurant while your food is cooking. If in the area and want pizza, you definitely should stop by here as the pizza was delicious as well.
We also hit up all the ice cream places. Wood’s Ice Cream was good for soft serve, Bear Appetite Cafe for hard serve, and Curiosities Coffee and Ice House for a delicious milk shake from fresh homemade ice cream.
Belize – 2019
Ever heard of Belize? If you said NO, you’re not alone and I was surprised before I left how many people have not. Maybe it’s because they were previously named British Honduras until the 1980’s or maybe it’s because they are a tiny little country hard to find on map since they are the same size as the state of Massachusetts. Either way, it was a wonderful place to visit and hope to return again sometime soon. My base camp in Belize would be Hopkins Village which is a coastal village in Southeastern Belize. Hopkins is a Garifuna village on the coast of the Stann Creek District in Belize and is considered by some Belizeans to be the cultural center of the Garifuna population in Belize (that last part was from Wikipedia to make this post sound smart). I’m all about the food, not the history, so below are some of the places I visited during my stay around the area, book a vacation for yourself, tell them I say hello, and hope you enjoy now that you have heard about Belize.
Nice Cream – Hopkins, Belize
I can’t believe I don’t have a single picture of any of their ice cream here as I visited Nice Cream EVERY single night I was there (except Monday as they are closed) as their ice cream is AWESOME and the owner was such a joy to get to know. This is a MUST stop for anyone visiting Hopkins.
Ella’s Cool Spot – Hopkins, Belize
This is a really COOL SPOT with delicious lobster coconut curry. This was the first time I ever had breadfruit fries and I must say they were really good. They have a swing that was able to fit my entire family right at the waterfront for us to relax until the food was ready and service was top notch.
Maxim’s Bar and Grill – Hopkins, Belize
Hidden a bit down the main road is a good meal waiting to happen. We had fresh plantain chips that were to die for and I would love to see some spots in the states add this to their menu, fish fingers that were finger licking good, and an entrée of coconut milk shrimp with rice and beans. This place was hopping with all tables filled and a smile on everyone’s face.
Geckos – Hopkins, Belize
This was such a treat eating here. The jerk chicken was being smoked with wonderful scents floating around everywhere as we sat at the table and the chicken and sautéed veggies were awesome. The owner was really nice and even let us be at the restaurant even though he wasn’t open yet. We’re sure glad he did!
Lucky Lobster Bar and Grill – Hopkins, Belize
A little further down the main road in the Sittee Point area of Hopkins is a nice stop. You have Lucky Lobster and right next door is Oasis Fitness Gym & Café. They are both owned by Gary and Kathy. We were LUCKY enough to run into Gary the night we were there and he was so kind and such a joy to hear his story of how they ended up in Hopkins. He also provided us a flyer map of the Hopkins area that after receiving it I took it everywhere as it was AMAZING and even better than Google Maps. Not only was the company good, but the food was good as well as I had the grilled lobster tail, sautéed mixed veggies, and double baked potato.
Driftwood Beach Bar and Pizza Shack – Hopkins, Belize
They have a nice setup here with a good bar, plenty of games to play while waiting for you food, and beach volleyball available. The food was delicious as well, so that never hurts. I really liked the vibe here. I had a plain small pizza and lobster tacos.
Tina’s Kitchen – Hopkins, Belize
With a great wide open view of the beach, church, and playground area is Tina’s. They even have a few Garifuna dishes as well. I went with a chicken quesadilla that was really good and the traditional Bundiga topped with a whole fish. The fish was so TASTY!!!
Innies Restaurant – Hopkins, Belize
Sitting right on the main street makes dining here a good spot to people watch and see what’s going on around town while eating. I had their chips with fresh salsa and stewed chicken with rice and beans.
Shadel’s Magic Pastry Shop – Hopkins, Belize
This is a tiny little shop with a bunch of different choices that you may not expect from them. I had the vanilla and chocolate cake and lemon meringue pie.
Jashlenn’s Corner Bakery – Hopkins, Belize
Some of the friendliest people you will meet run this bakery. They have a nice variety and I only wish I could have tried everything, but they were going on vacation for 3 weeks. I had the fresh glazed donut with sprinkles and it was great.
MeetU – Hopkins, Belize
Once you tire of eating outdoors and want a little comfort, air conditioning, television to watch, and modern ambiance then MeetU has you covered. The service was very friendly and they brought the food out extremely quick compared to other dining destinations in Hopkins. I had the Spicy Ginger Beef which was extremely tender, flavorful, and overall just phenomenal and an order of wonton soup.
Che’il Mayan Chocolate – Cockscomb Jaguar Sanctuary, Belize
Sitting at the foot of the Cockscomb Jaguar Sanctuary is a delicious little treat to get you ready to hike the trails. I had the orange mile chocolate and it was divine. The chocolate was so creamy and rich and just melted in your mouth immediately. I even bought another bar leaving the Sanctuary.
Bunches of Fun Banana Farm Tour – Stann Creek, Belize
You are able to tour a working Fyffes banana farm that was spotlighted on HGTV and see how their daily operations work. The tour is extremely informative, well done, and definitely worth a visit. Once the tour is over, you get to enjoy fresh green banana chips that were cooked while you are there. They were SOOO good!!!
Martha’s Restaurant and Bar – Pomona, Belize
Sitting in the tiny little town of Pomona is Martha’s where the locals dine. I ordered the coconut rice and beans and stewed beef, and it was out of this world wonderful. Highly recommend.
Hibiscus – Armenia Village, Belize
Just a few minutes North of St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park and Caves on the Hummingbird Highway sits Hibiscus. They place was filled with people the day we stopped and the delicious food and prices couldn’t be beat. I had the baked chicken that fell right off the bone with rice and beans.
Pirate Crab – Voorhees Township, NJ
Pirate Crab is a restaurant within a restaurant as you have to enter in the doors of OkiMaki Sushi Burrito and walk to the rear of Oki Maki to get to the hostess of Pirate Crab to be seated there. It’s an interesting concept and two very different crowds of who is walking through the doors for what. I had the shrimp with head on and crawfish boil with the pirate sauce that includes potatoes, corn, and sausage. This is a messy meal, but it was enjoyable and tasty. The presentation could use a little assistance as they serve you your meal in a plastic bag. Prices are reasonable and competitive for seafood, but not budget by any means.
Concerto Fusion Cuisine – Morrisville, PA
You can tell Concerto Fusion has had a storied past from the awards and medals shown as soon as you step in the door, but things change at times. The decor and setting is trendy, but could use a little touch up and maintenance in certain areas. We had four appetizers which were baked scallop Hong Kong flavor, steam shrimp dumplings, baby back ribs, and soft shell crab. I would skip all four the appetizers altogether if I ever visit again as I don’t like like to go negative, but needless to say I wasn’t happy and I would instead try their sushi as others in the restaurant seemed to be enjoying their sushi selections as an app. What I wouldn’t skip was my entree which was really good. I had the Thai Salsa Black Pepper Beef. Every bite was tender and extremely flavorful and would highly recommend going here if they consistently make this dish this well as an entree.
Double Knot – Philadelphia, PA
With its sleek ambiance and exceptional service Double Knot really shines, but they go above and beyond when they create the perfect trifecta with amazing and delicious food to boot. The chefs tasting is the way to go as why not let the chef send out what they think will be the best thing to serve that day. Every course was delicious and can honestly say each was fantastic. I highly recommend a visit here and make sure to dine downstairs if possible.
The Love – Philadelphia, PA
Sitting at the doorstep of Rittenhouse Square from Aimee Olexy and Stephen Starr is The Love. It is a beautiful dining destination with a warm ambience. With impeccable, personable, and friendly service they shined throughout service. Each meal was explained and served with care. So you ask what about the food? Well that’s where they definitely showed THE LOVE. I enjoyed the meal as everything was delicious and would certainly return. Pictured is:
Salted Halibut croquettes
Summer Corn Soup with coconut milk, lemongrass, miso, crispy rice noodles, and togarashi spice and this was the highlight of the meal. REALLY GOOD!
Love Bird which is buttermilk fried chicken over comeback sauce, buttery Georgia grits, braised collard greens, and a side of steak fries.
True Love which was strawberry shortcake sundae, strawberries, poppy, and buttermilk ice cream
Macona BBQ – Collingswood, NJ
The BBQ game is just getting better and better around the Philadelphia/South Jersey area. This is a tiny little spot, but a nice diverse menu with a good choice of specials daily. I had the 3 meat platter with ribs, pork, brisket, beans, mashed potatoes, and corn bread. The brisket and pork were a highlight. The brisket was some of the best around and the pork had a Latin sort of flair to it with its seasoning which was a nice touch. The corn bread was a surprise as well as usually I am not a fan, but their version is delicious and closest to a muffin that is moist, silky smooth, and yummy with real pieces of corn throughout. They are a welcome addition to the wonderful Collingswood dining scene.
Olor de Mar at Palo Verde Hotel – El Zonte, El Salvador
Situated on the Pacific Coast with a black sand volcanic beach front dining view is Olor de Mar at Palo Verde Hotel from Chef Carlos Burgos. If ever in the area, this is a must stop and stay destination and somewhere you can watch surfers catch some waves or take a surf lesson and do it yourself. Pictured is Ensalda Extrema with snapper carpaccio, Snapper Pargo Verde, and traditional pizza. As with many places around the world, the majority of El Salvador gets a bad rap, but this area is a tropical paradise with some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet. You could even brush up on your Spanish or try to learn it from scratch while attending lessons right at the hotel with Spanish School El Zonte instructors. Travel the world and find out for yourself. It is what is inside each other that matters, not what politics tell you.
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