Charlie's Diner - Spencer, MA

Brandy's - Flagstaff, AZ

Review to follow...

Lake Effect Diner - Buffalo, NY

Review to follow

The Tomahawk - Vancouver, BC

Review to follow...

The Red Wagon - Vancouver, BC

We made the most out of a pre-cruise layover in Vancouver, knocking The Red Wagon and The Tomahawk off of the Triple D to-do list. Our plane touched down around 9:00am and by 11:00am we had made it to our hotel and onward to The Red Wagon. Not exactly on the sunny side of the street, but well worth the cab ride through the Hastings district - I do not advise walking to this location.

How was it, you ask?  Five words: Jack Daniels Pulled Pork Pancakes... need I say more. I do not classify myself as a pancake-type-of-guy, but these blew me away.  Light and fluffy, porky goodness with maple and a hint of booze... the perfect balance. The coffe was fresh and plentiful, and you could tell there were a lot of regulars in the joint - on a Thursday!  Be sure to visit if you're in town.

Cabo Fish Taco - Charlotte, NC

Cabo Fish Taco is about a 15 minute cab ride from downtown Charlotte, tucked away in a little artsy district called "NoDa".  There was a pleasent atmoshphere and some decent beers on tap - good start.  Tortillas and homemade salsa were delivered, the salsa was great and the tortillas were very fresh.  For my lunch, I ordered the BBQ Mahi Tacos, as featured by Mr. Fieri and they did not disappoint.  All in all, I would return in a heartbeat.

Smoque BBQ - Chicago, IL

Not exactly in the heart of the city (about 30 mins away from the downtown core by car), Smoque is worth the drive!  Classic BBQ and killer sides; it was, hands down, some of the best  food of its kind since I visited Matrin's BBQ in Tennessee.  I had the brisket and the pulled pork, with their signature baked beans, slaw and their mac and cheese.  I strapped on the feedbag and went to it, bloody fantastic!  It was a Thursday night and the place was packed, the line moves quickly though and the helpful staff will help you find a seat to devour your cow and/or pig.

The one downside, they are not licensed to sell liquor.  Not a huge deal, but a beer would have been nice with this meal.  That being said, you can BYOB, which I did not know ahead of time.  In summary, grab a few cold ones and head on down to Smoque, you will not be disappointed.

Beer Review: Flying Monkeys Smashbomb Atomic IPA - Barrie, ON

Flying Monkeys continue to impress me, and now that all of the legal issues are resolved and Smashbomb is finally available for sale in bottles at the LCBO, I couldn't be happier.  This has quickly become one of my favorite Canadian made beers.  I can't quite put it in the same category as of some of the US Micro heavyweights like Firestone Union Jack, 60 Minute or Greenflash West Coast IPA, but they are not far off.  Flying Monkeys have come a long way in a very short time and are easily my favorite Ontario brewer.  Robust IPA's in Canada are few and far between...keep up the good work!