Old Mill Candy Kitchen – Pigeon Forge, TN

2 10 2009
  • 177 Old Mill Avenue
  • Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
  • (865) 453-7516
  • Website
  • Menu
Old Mill Candy Kitchen on Old Mill Street in Pigeon Forge.

Old Mill Candy Kitchen on Old Mill Street in Pigeon Forge.

After lunch at the Pottery House Cafe & Grill, we walked around the Old Mill District to see what else they had to offer. At some point, we picked up a coupon book which had an offer for a free piece of fudge if you bought two from the Old Mill Candy Kitchen. Since we were already in the area, we decided to drop in. 

The Old Mill Candy Kitchen reminded me a lot of the candy shops on Mackinac Island. It’s in a tourist district on Old Mill Street and just like any good candy place, they make their creations right in the window so you can watch. 

We looked around the store a little bit to see what else they had. J picked up a jar of peppermint sticks then we went to get our fudge. They didn’t have a huge selection, but they had half a dozen or so including my favorite, Cookies ‘n cream.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Candy, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Pottery House Cafe & Grill – Pigeon Forge, TN

1 10 2009
  • 3341 Old Mill Street
  • Pigeon Forge, TN 37868
  • (865) 453-6002
  • Website
  • Menu
Pottery House Cafe & Grill in the Old Mill District of Pigeon Forge, TN

Pottery House Cafe & Grill in the Old Mill District of Pigeon Forge, TN

Day two in the Smoky Mountains began with lunch. We started to drive towards The Parkway which is where all the attractions are in Gatlinburg when J said she sort of wanted breakfast. Had I continued the way I was going, we would have ran into about a dozen different pancake houses, but as we were driving on Dollywood Lane, I saw a sign for The Old Mill Restaurat. 

We headed back for the Old Mill, but when we got there, while it looked cool, the menu was too “old lady-ish” according to J. I could have found something to eat, but it didn’t do much for me either. 

Instead of getting in the car, we started walking around the Old Mill District which has a number of cute little shops. Across the street, I saw a cafe and we found a menu that was more our style. 

The Pottery House Cafe and Grill sits on Old Mill Street in Pigeon Forge’s Old Mill District. The whole area is cute and sort of rustic and The Pottery House fits that style. The restaurant is off the road a little bit, but they put menus out near the sidewalk. We liked what we saw so we walked up. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Burgers, Cafe, Pigeon Forge, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Tennessee

Ben & Jerry’s – Sevierville, TN

1 10 2009
  • 1635 Parkway #1290
  • Sevierville, TN 37862
  • (865) 908-7778
  • Website
  • Menu
Ben & Jerrys Homemade Ice Cream on The Parkway in Sevierville, TN

Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream on The Parkway in Sevierville, TN

After BBQ, J and I needed dessert. We were going to go check out the Parkway and see what we could find, but we stumbled across an outlet mall….and wouldn’t you know it, it’s a Tanger. J’s got some big changes coming up at work (more later….in another post) and needs to get some new clothes. I noticed there was an Under Armour Outlet and I wanted to look for Cold Weather Gloves. 

As we were weaving our way through, we saw a Ben & Jerry’s. It’s another one of those places that neither of us had ever been to and I’ve never even had Ben & Jerry’s from the grocery store, so why not. 

Ben & Jerry’s is in the Tanger Outlets in Sevierville on the Parkway. It’s a corner building with not a lot of space, but it’s designed to keep people moving. Pick up some ice cream then get back to shopping. I think there was only one or two tables in the whole store.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Ice Cream, Sevierville, Tennessee

Tony Gore’s Smoky Mountain BBQ & Grill – Sevierville, TN

1 10 2009
  • 1818 Winfield Dunn Parkway
  • Sevierville, TN 37876
  • (865) 429-7771
  • Website
  • Menu
Tony Gores Smoky Mountain BBQ & Grill just outside of Sevierville, TN

Tony Gore's Smoky Mountain BBQ & Grill just outside of Sevierville, TN

Finally. We made it to the relaxing cabin high up on one of the Smoky mountains. We had a little trouble finding the place at first, but once we made it up, we changed into bathing suits to hit the top outside overlooking the wilderness. Great idea….until I got stung by a bee on my head. That hurt….a lot and it scared J from getting back in. I found some wasp & hornet spray, but it didn’t kill them off right away. I then dragged out a hose and tried to drown them out. No luck, so J called the leasing office and they sent someone up with more spray. He tried and thought he got rid of them, but they came back. So, we decided to go to dinner and give them time to die off. 

The Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area of Tennessee is really touristy and I’m not a touristy person. I don’t like fun I guess. I’m sure we’ll hit up some of the tourist spots while we’re here, but I really like the out of the way places too. 

On our way in to Sevierville, we passed a BBQ joint alongside the road. It looked like an old joint and there weren’t a lot of cars, but it was a Monday night. 

We drove back down the mountain and headed back the way we came. It was a few miles and I damn near missed it because the sign was knocked down, but I caught it out of the corner of my eye.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : BBQ, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, Sevierville, Tennessee

Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum – Corbin, KY

1 10 2009
  • 688 US Highway 25W
  • Corbin, KY 40701
  • (606) 528-2163
  • Website
  • Menu
Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum

Harland Sanders Cafe & Museum

Two chains in a row. I know what you’re thinking. And to make things worse…a KFC? Again, I know, BUT this isn’t just any KFC. It’s the original KFC. 

The Sanders Cafe & Museum is on US 25 West on the outskirts of Corbin, KY. It’s not in a highly developed area. It sits along a two lane road right next to a gas station. Ever since my first trip to the region in 2006, I’ve wanted to stop, but usually my travel companions aren’t as excited about it as I am. 

This time, I had J and I knew she would enjoy, so we pulled off the Interstate and followed the signs to chicken. 

From the outside, this place looks nothing like a KFC. If it wasn’t for the modern signs, it would be hard to even tell. Instead, it looks like the original cafe. The hotel and service station are long gone, but there is a lot left of the building that gave us Kentucky’s greatest gift.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Chicken, Corbin, Fast Food, Kentucky, Restaurant, Reviews

Romano’s Macaroni Grill – Louisville, KY

1 10 2009
  • 401 S. Hurstbourne Parkway
  • Louisville, KY 40222
  • (502) 423-9220
  • Website
  • Menu
Romanos Macaroni Grill on Hurstbourne Parkway in Louisville, KY

Romano's Macaroni Grill on Hurstbourne Parkway in Louisville, KY

I’m just as surprised as you are to see a chain restaurant review on my honeymoon….but we had a really good reason.

We got to Louisville fairly late. After checking into the hotel, it was after 8:00 on a Sunday, so we knew there wasn’t going to be a lot of time to do any sort of exploring. We were also pretty far from downtown out on the east side of town.

On top of that, my mom had given us a gift card to Chili’s before we left. The company that owns Chili’s also Romano’s and neither of us had eaten at a Romano’s. To make things even better, we passed one on the way to the hotel.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill is on the east side of Louisville on Hurstbourne Parkway. It’s in an area with a lot of other chain restaurants and small shops.

We pulled up closer to 8:30 just hoping they were still serving. Neither J nor I knew what to expect because we had no idea what kind of restaurant we were walking in to. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chains, Italian, Kentucky, Louisville, Restaurant, Reviews

Triple XXX Family Restaurant – West Lafayette, IN

1 10 2009
  • 2 N. Salisbury Street
  • West Lafayette, IN 47906
  • (765) 743-5373
  • Website
  • Menu
Triple XXX Family Restaurant on Salisbury Street in West Lafayette, IN

Triple XXX Family Restaurant on Salisbury Street in West Lafayette, IN

If you’ve figured out J and I, it should come as no surprise that we chose to take a honeymoon that revolves around food. After the wedding, we loaded up the car and headed to East Tennessee. It was too far to make in one night, so we decided to stop in Louisville for the night. Since we were in no hurry, the first stop on our culinary excursion was in West Lafayette, IN at a place we saw on Diner’s, Drive-In’s, and Dives.

The Triple XXX Family Restaurant is on the hill in West Lafayette just down the street from Purdue University. It’s a 24 hour place that serves good, cheap grub for those late “study breaks.” It’s been so long since I saw the segment on Triple D and the building we found was not what I was expecting for some reason.

Triple XXX (named after the Root Beer brand they serve) is an old drive in on the corner of State & Salisbury. The car stalls have turned into parking and the only business they do is inside. The building itself is not huge, but it’s bigger than you think. There are no tables, only lunch counters. They weave around the building so there are a lot more seats than I thought there would be. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : 24-Hour Diner, breakfast, Diner, Indiana, Local Flavor, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches, West Lafayette

Marriott Chicago Midway

1 10 2009
  • 6520 S. Cicero Avenue
  • Chicago, IL 60638
  • (708)594-5500
  • Website
Marriott Chicago Midway on South Cicero in Chicago

Marriott Chicago Midway on South Cicero in Chicago

Well, our big day is finally here.  If you haven’t figured it out over the last couple days, September 26, 2009 is the day J and I got married. 

Everyone told us the planning process would be stressful.  In a way, it was, but we decided right away that we didn’t want to drag it out a year.  The longer the engagement goes, the more you have to think about.  We didn’t want that.  I proposed in May.  We’re married in September.  We got the fall wedding we both wanted even though it took me so long to man up and buy the ring. 

When it came time to pick a venue, we both knew we wanted it in Chicago.  We really only had two criteria.  It had to be a hotel (we didn’t want people to have to drive anywhere) and it had to offer or let us bring in a “late night snack (more on that later).

At first, I had my heart set on the Hilton on 94th & Cicero in Oak Lawn.  They have a top floor banquet room with a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline.  J called them…they STILL haven’t called us back. 

I went to work one Saturday and J sat on the computer looking at venues. She came across the Marriott Chicago Midway and instantly fell in love.  They had all their prices listed in a .pdf file on their website and the pictures of the place were beautiful.  J put in a call right away and was told she would get a call first thing Monday morning….and she did. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, hotel, Illinois

Ann Sather Restaurant – W. Belmont, Chicago

27 09 2009
  • 909 W. Belmont Avenue
  • Chicago, IL 60657
  • (773) 348-2378
  • Website
  • Menu
Ann Sather Restaurant on West Belmont in Chicago.

Ann Sather Restaurant on West Belmont in Chicago.

Every wedding has to have a good story.  When I was the best man in brother’s wedding, we went golfing at 6 AM before the ceremony.  He damn near flipped a golf cart.  The grass was still wet from the morning dew and he was going a little too fast looking for his bar.  He slammed on the breaks and turned the wheel.  He did a pretty good donut and got a couple wheels off the ground, but it stayed upright. 

For my wedding, my brother and I got the bright idea to run to Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood to get cinnamon rolls for the morning.  Not a bad idea…except rush hour had just begun. 

My mom called to see if they had any rolls left.  The lady who answered the phone said they had three dozen left, but they were closing in 50 minutes so we had to get there before then.  Sounded like a challenge that we were about to take. 

Ann Sather’s has four locations in Chicago.  They’re a “Swedish” breakfast place.  They also have pretty good cinnamon rolls.  I don’t remember which show it was, but I saw it on the Food Network.  The rolls looked good on TV, so I had no reason to assume they weren’t going to be good in person. 

The restaurant we chose was the location on West Belmont just east of North Clark Street.  Our hotel was on the extreme south side of Chicago near Midway Airport.  For those of you not familiar with the city, Belmont and Clark is on the far north side.  It was only 14 miles, but even on a good day, that’s a half hour drive….and it wasn’t a good day. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : breakfast, Chicago, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

The Original Maxwell Street Station – S. Cicero, Chicago

27 09 2009
  • 6659 S. Cicero Avenue
  • Chicago, IL 60638
  • (773) 581-3500
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
The Original Maxwell Street Station on South Cicero in Chicago.

The Original Maxwell Street Station on South Cicero in Chicago.

My brother loves Chicago Style hot dogs.  You would think that someone who lives so close to Chicago would have access to a Chicago style dog, but you’d be wrong.  Where he lives, just an hour south of the city, no one does them right.

My whole family packed up and headed north for the weekend.  Once we got checked into our hotel, we went looking for lunch.  We went for a walk.  There was a little shack right across the street from our hotel that had everything we wanted.

The Original Maxwell Street Station on the corner of South Cicero and West Marquette Road is one of a handful in Chicago.  The building is very tiny and is really the kind of place I love.  There is very little seating inside the bright yellow building.  There are no tables.  Just a counter that overlooks the kitchen with a few bar stools.  Since we had my one year old niece, my brother decided that wasn’t a good idea.  The only other option is a couple picnic tables right outside.   Again, it was very close to the very busy Cicero Avenue and that made him a little nervous.

It just so happened that the special for the day was 2 Chicago Style Dogs and 2 Fries.  That was perfect.  My brother wanted two dogs and I would take one of the fries.  My dad did the same and my mom took the other order of fries from his order.  They both got the dogs without the tomato wedges that are common on Chicago dogs.  What my brother really likes is the sprout peppers and the poppy seed bun. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : 24-Hour Diner, Chicago, Restaurant, Reviews, Sandwiches

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