Hello Lists On Life followers! Most of you likely love Kristin as much as I do and are going through some serious friendship withdrawal while she’s gone frolicking through the alps with her naturally (hate her) blond locks tied
into two braids bouncing on her head and little talking/dancing/singing birds flying circles around her.
At least that’s what I’m imagining she’s doing in Switzerland at the moment.
Well, hopefully I can ease a wee bit of your withdrawal symptoms with a list of my very own inspired by my blog on food, travel, photography and everything in between called Blackberry Food Blog. Why Blackberry? Because I experience the world through food and use my Blackberry phone (well, Droid at the moment but it WAS a Blackberry), to document my most fabulous meals and accompany the pics with witty banter and some pretty good stories.
1. Google is your friend.
Start by looking up local food blogs and if you find one, READ IT! For example, I just googled “Charlotte NC food blog” and stumbled upon 4-5 good reads for local eats. Charlotte Food Blog looks like a pretty active blog with a bunch of restaurants profiled. Nice! These blogs are written by real people that tend to give a solid opinion of a restaurant minus the bias from sponsors or advertisers.
2.TV is your friend.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a TV special profiling local eats with ridiculous-sized cinnamon buns, overstuffed lobster rolls, cheesy, gooey deep dish pizza and towering, juicy burgers. What’s great about these shows is that you can generally find episode guides for each online at TravelChannel.com or use this helpful map from the Food Network if you forgot to jot down where you can find the featured tasty treat because you were too busy scanning your cabinets, fridge and freezer to attempt to fulfill the ravenous craving you now have for cinnamon buns, lobster, pizza and burgers.
All at once.
Like a pizza topped with cinnamon buns, lobster and ground beef.
Or a lobster burger with cheesy mozzarella on cinnamon bread.
Oh yes, I would try either.
3. People are your friends.
It’s true. The world is full of good, nice people who, like you, seek soul-satisfying meals and no one knows these places better than the locals themselves. Put yourself out there and ask your hotel staff to give you a recommendation on their favorite Thai restaurant, ask your taxi driver where you can find some authentic NY-style pizza, make a friend in the park and ask which food truck has the best Korean tacos. Whatever your searching for, odds are the locals not only know where to find it , but who makes it best.
Say you didn’t follow steps 1-3 and you find yourself starving and desperate in Austin, TX not knowing whether to turn left or right when you leave your hotel/hostel/friends couch to find a comforting meal. First, follow your nose. Smell something yummy around the corner to your right? Go there. Catch a whiff of something sweet and warm ahead on the left? Starting running. You may also experience a different problem … too many places to choose from. How do you narrow down which outdoor seafood stand to patronize along Fisherman’s Wharf in San Fran? You use your eyes and spot the stand overrun with people shoving their dollars into the faces of the staff for just one little Dixie cup of sweet, succulent crab meat with lemon. Always, always, always choose the restaurant, food truck, bar with the most (or if you don’t like crowds, a decent) amount of people dining there. Numbers don’t lie. These folks are there because the getting is good and you
need to be getting your fair share of it. Works. Every. Time.
So, the list might not be long, but it’s proven and it works. Time and time again, I leave a new location with a happy full belly and a happy, full smile because I took the time to follow the steps above and ensure I experience a little bit of food heaven on earth. I encourage you to do the same and, if you’re brave enough, to try anything once. This is what always makes up the stories in between, and they’re usually some of the best.
How do you find the best foodie haunts?