Most Popular Cuisine By State

I haven't posted since November 9th? Wow, that's ridiculous! Apologies readers! Let's just call this my winter break and move forward, shall we? :-)

I still owe you one final entry from my Labor Day weekend trip to Atlanta (I know, I know...). I'm actually headed BACK to Atlanta next week, which is how I remembered that I still hadn't posted about Sun In My Belly. I'll make it a video and post some pics. For my next foray into the "A", I have tours of CNN and Chick-Fil-A already scheduled. I really wanted to go to the Waffle House Museum, but I won't be there when it is open. Meh. I think I'll survive.

Additionally, I have a major update-- I have a car now! Yes, the Queen of Public Transportation has sold out and purchased a 2012 Nissan Rogue SV. Now, don't think this means I don't still have the skills needed to navigate my way without one! But, I do have to admit it makes the thought of completing my journey in the year and 8 months I have left more realistic and affordable (still holding out for an airline or hotel sponsor of some sort...) I have a LOT of travel planned for 2015.

That's my un-named baby! Well, the Edmunds stock image of her anyway

Anyway, let me get to the point of THIS article. I often see articles (mostly on the Huffington Post) that talk about the top/best/worst/largest/greatest/nicest/etc of stuff for each state. I often reference these for ideas on what unique aspects to check out for my adventures. I thought I'd start sharing them with you on here! Just click the "50 State Lists" topic over there on the right (or where ever it ends up once I upgrade my site to something people in 2015 actually like to look at) and check them out!

Out first 50 State List discusses the food preferences of each state based on Yelp reviews. Now, admittedly that's automatically a little biased, because only a certain type of person even uses Yelp to begin with, but as it has cheesesteaks as the top food in PA (the state of my birth and current residence), it kinda makes sense, I mean, with Philly being IN the state and all. Of course you'd expect lots of seafood in New England, and beef in America's heartland (in the form of steaks or burgers). But there are a ton of random ethnic foods categories scattered across the country as well, such as Peruvian food in the Mid-Atlantic, and Hawaiian food in land-locked Utah. I'd be interested to learn what this means about the people in our country- I think it shows we are a lot more diverse than we may care to admit-- and I don't think that's a bad thing! This has probably been my favorite part of my blog- yes getting to travel and see new places- but learning how our differences are much less significant than we'd otherwise believe and seeing how interconnected we really are!

Okay, enough with my "world peace" speech, here's the link...enjoy!

Here Is The Most Disproportionately Popular Cuisine In Each State

PS, you can read about all my food adventures here!

What'll You Have? What'll You Have?

Hello readers! I've had a busy fall, so I am super duper behind on blogging about my time in Georgia.

When I first moved back to Pittsburgh, it was a huge adjustment. One of those adjustments was not having cable. No more HBO series, no more ratchet reality television. But I did get lots and lots of cooking shows and public television specials. One of those shows was "A Hot Dog Program", and one of the locations featured was a place called The Varsity in Atlanta. Having previously lived in Atlanta and having tons of friends from there- yet never hearing of this place- made me intrigued to see it. This Labor Day trip made it possible.

The floor underneath the lines to the registers

I went to the first Varsity location with one of my best friends Tunicia. We pulled up to a huge diner-looking building with two parking decks packed with cars. Later I would find out that this location is actually the largest drive-thru in the world. We went inside and it seemed as if we had stepped back in time- but in a good way. We walked past small displays that covered the history of the restaurant, and an ice cream shop was to our right...while crowds lined up to several registers

The menu

Eagerly I approached the woman at the counter wearing a paper Varsity cap (that was no match for my huge afro...the only other people wearing them were Tunicia and a bunch of little kids who awaited their food) and was greeted with their famous "What'll ya have? What'll ya have?" welcome. I ordered two number ones for us. Tunicia got an orange frosty looking thing and recommended we each get one of their famous pies (they offer apple and peach- seeing as it's Georgia I opted out of my usual apple and ordered a peach one at her suggestion).

My Varsity cap-- before it fell apart on my afro

The food came relatively quickly, and tasted pretty good. I mean, there isn't but so delectable a hot dog and onion rings can be and the only other famous dog places I know are Ben's Chilli Bowl in DC and Original's here in Pittsburgh. I actually hate the taste of Ben's (greasy and flavorless in my opinion) and Original's is ok, but Varsity is the best for sure. (I'm sure many of you remember my trip to Chicago where I had a Chicago dog...but that's more of a regional thing, not a specific restaurant). I really enjoyed my food but more importantly, I enjoyed spending time with my friend in her hometown while we caught up on all of our girl talk stuff.

My hot dogs and orange drink

My peach pie

I WILL say that I loved the peach pie. Again, peach usually isn't my flavor of choice but this one was delicious. Not too sweet, not "fake" tasting. It was probably the best homemade but not in a house dessert I've had in a long time. I will probably cajole one of my Atlanta friends into taking me back for a round two the next time I'm in the city (which will be at the latest January 2015).

Tunicia and I with our Varsity caps

Well, now that life has started to slow down a bit, I can get the last of these Georgia blog posts out. It's starting to get cold though, so the snow is probably not far behind. It will most likely hinder my travels until the spring, but we shall see.

In the meantime, thank you for your patience and for following me on my journey! As always, I'll see you on the next adventure!

Tours Go Better With Coke

Hello readers. I want to issue you an apology. I've been sitting on these Georgia posts for WEEKS and just have not had the energy or time to sit and get my experiences to you all. Is it weird I'm starting to get anxious about how many people know about the blog...and how far I have yet to go? I mean, in 2011, this was just a kooky idea I'd come up with, and now I have organizations and museums checking out my posts across America (even my JOB wants to use my post from those dreadful mansions in Rhode Island for a presentation to a NATIONAL museum organization). Even my friends try to help, forwarding me special event Groupons and trip suggestions for new states. While I'm happy about all of this...it is a bit...different. I'm dedicated to seeing this through...even if it takes beyond 2016 (which I'm hoping it does not...I need some passport stamps!).

FYI...cruise ships don't stamp passports. Hence why mine is still super bare

Anyway, enough about my emo development as a travel blogger (is it safe to call myself that?). Let's talk about Atlanta. I used to live in Atlanta for a very brief period of time and yet the only "touristy" thing I ever did was visit the Underground...a bunch of generic stores with stuff I was never interested in purchasing that are literally, underground. Since I was coming down for Labor Day to see my god family and friends, I didn't want to make my schedule TOO jam packed (people tend to frown at rigid itineraries) but did want to get some sight seeing in. Enter the World of Coca-Cola.

This was the first thing I did when I came to Atlanta. I had my suitcase with me, and took the Marta train (which had vastly upgraded since my last ride on it ten years prior!) straight from the airport down to the area where pretty much everything major to do in Atlanta is situated. I walked a few blocks and eventually got to the tour building (it's pretty huge) and paid for a general admission.

The line to get IN...should've taken the hint but noooo...

Let me just go ahead and warn you now. There will be a LOT of people. You WILL stand in lines as if you are waiting for the newest roller coaster at your favorite amusement park. Once you get inside, a group of about 70-80 people are ushered into a small lobby with some jumbo-sized decorated Coke bottles...and one poor soul standing at the front trying to keep everyone interested by telling jokes and doing magic tricks. Now, if you know anything about me, I HATE not being able to hear what my tour guides are saying. And with people of all ages, races, and levels of quiet present, I pulled a young man to the side and pleadingly asked if there was a more exclusive, less crowded tour option. He and another of his co-workers brought me back out to the ticket booth, and upgraded me to a VIP tour for only $12 more. TRUST ME. IT'S WORTH EVERY DIME! Not only do you get priority access to EVERYTHING, you get discounts on pictures in the gift shop and other neat swag that the general public does not. You also get a dedicated tour guide and special earbuds so you can take an actual tour, not just aimlessly roam around and hope you can figure out what you're looking at.

Travelin' T, coming to you live from the VIP...tour

Now, you do a LOT on this tour, so I'll just give you brief descriptions of the different phases of the visit. First you enter a room full of Coke paraphernalia from all around the world. An employee warms up the crowd with jokes, encourages you to take pictures, and talks about highlights of artifacts in the room.

I was up front with my fellow VIPers

From there you enter a huge theater with a 10 minute movie that shows a bunch of different people celebrating random life occurrences (like a first grandchild, or a surprise birthday party) and how Coca-Cola is a part of all of that (you know, good times). We were specifically asked to not take photos or video in here, so I obliged. From there though, you go out into the actual museum (I think it's safe to call it that) where VIP folks had to put on our headphones. We had the chance to (cut the line) and take a picture with the biggest creepiest polar bear you can imagine though, which other than the hurt faces of the kids I got to cut in front of, was pretty hilarious to do.

Next we went into a mini production section (the slowest and smallest Coke bottling factory in the world!) where we learned about technological innovations in the making of Coke. The bottles we saw being made are special in that they make all the souvenir bottles you get at the end of your tour (but we aren't there yet...)

FIZZY-Bot making bottles of Coke

Next you go into the most museum-ish part of the building, the story of how Coke was invented, and how the company (and product) grew and expanded over the years. Here is where you'll appreciate that personal tour guide most, because it was SO crowded and there were SO few captions what without their explanations you'd miss a lot of cool information.

Probably the coolest part of this section was getting to hold an actual Olympic torch. Remember the 1996 Olympic Games were in Atlanta, and Coca-Cola was a huge sponsor.

Can't you just hear the Olympic theme now?

Next is a section I nicknamed the "hater and biter" section. It talks about how so many companies tried to mimic Coke and make fake versions of the drink or to somehow tarnish the Coke image. It's here that you will get to see the vault that contains the secret Coke recipe that for years was stashed in an old lock box at a Suntrust bank.

Nothing like the real thing indeed...

Guard in front of the vault

Now before I go on...here is the only part of the tour I was ready to punch someone in the face. In this section you are CLEARLY TOLD to not cross a certain line because an alarm will sound. So what to these dummy parents let their kids do?? Cross the security line...which caused our earbuds to give a VERY loud screech and mechanical wail each time one of those little grubbers laughed and danced across it. I yelled at one woman to "get her kids together"- that REALLY hurt my ears!

From there you enter a room full of art inspired by or made from Coke and Coke materials. Tucked away in the bottom of a case was a bottle of the old "New Coke" that I'm sure most company reps would like to pretend never existed (this tickled me to see...I vaguely remember the huge brouhaha changing the formula caused).

From there we were taken to a 4D theater (and I was starting to wonder how much longer we would be on this tour). While you wait in line (again, much like a roller coaster set up) you watch a video of a woman that looks a LOT like Tracie Thoms ask a bunch of random people on the street what kind of flavors they like...or something like that. I wasn't paying much attention (or rather, didn't know I should have been paying attention). She runs off the screen saying she needs to find someone named Brigsby, and then you enter the theatre. No pics, you know, I was kind of in the moment. But you watch what seemed to be a 15 minute video of her and this Brigsby dude act goofy and discover more ways Coke is all over the world. It's 4D because the movie is in 3D (yes you get glasses) but your seats move and air and mist spray on you to coincide with the action on the screen as well. It was fun, if not a little corny.

Finally, after nearly 2 hours of tour guide led fun (thank you Deepak!) You are given an exclusive pin and dumped into the tasting room. Here you can sample Coke products from every continent (though really, if you are from America and you only stay at the North America section...you're pretty lame). This was fun in a way...some very interesting flavors from Africa and Asia (it was getting close to the time I needed to meet my friend so the rest of the world had to wait) but MAN those floors were STICKY!!! I almost broke my flip flops TWICE because the soles stuck to the floor. They should really have someone there whose sole purpose is to run a damp mop over the floor to clean up spilled pop.

The tasting room

After that, you picked up your souvenir on-site made bottle of Coca Cola and headed into the gift shop where there was a TON of red and Coke themed merchandise. Inside tip, that polar bear pic I took earlier? I got 30% off the purchase of it because I was a VIP tour member.

Thank you FIZZY-Bot!

I had to leave mine in GA with a friend though...it's not TSA carry-on friendly :-/
She's going to mail it to me though :-)

Overall, I had an amazing (if not exhausting!) time at the World of Coca Cola. They truly have set the standard for what a food or beverage factory tour should be (though to be fair, it wasn't a full fledged facility like other places). Please, if you can, buy the VIP ticket. It will really save part of your sanity. A special shout out should be given to the ENTIRE staff there. Not. One. Employee. was rude, unfriendly, or unhelpful. I mean...it was almost a little scary how nice they were. I was very impressed and pleased!

So. More on Georgia to come. I didn't do all the tours I wanted to do...but boy oh boy did I EAT a lot while I was there!

As always, thank you for following me on this journey and reading my blog. Even if it kinds freaks me out a little bit I appreciate your time taken to read it. See you on the next adventure!

Super Sonic

This is going to be a very brief post. I've since gone and come back from Atlanta, Georgia for my Labor Day vacation, but I would be remiss if I didn't include this entry for my friends that are in the number of fans of Sonic Drive-In restaurants. My friends rave about the slushies and all the varieties and options available to diners. I'd never eaten the food before (I've never actually lived close to one), but because I was there at the National Headquarters for Sonic, I figured I needed to remedy that.

View of the Sonic HQ from the Water Taxi

I must say that yes, the menu was a bit overwhelming to a new customer. There are literally dozens of drink flavor combos- and you can mix and match them. Let alone at least 15 meal options. The cashier was very friendly once she realized that I was a complete rookie. Oh- and this is another interesting thing. Apparently most (if not all) Sonic restaurants are drive-ins only- something my friends pointed out in amazement as we sat in the spacious and COOL bright blue and yellow dining room.

I will be honest and say I don't remember how much I liked the food- I didn't hate it, but I wasn't in love with it the way some folks are (like my sorority sister who was super excited that the headquarters location had a menu item that was discontinued in her home state of Virginia). I certainly would eat there again- and yes the slushie was delicious (I had a cherry/lime/pineapple flavor going)!

In the meantime, I am going to try and get these Atlanta posts out in a more timely fashion. Not too sure what the rest of my travel schedule will look like for the rest of this year, but I know 2015 will be super busy!

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and I'll see you on the next adventure!

Beats N Burgers

So, the heart of the reason why I ended up in Oklahoma in the first place. If you remember last summer I went to Massachusetts and Rhode Island, states I was able to cover en route to the National Convention of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity and Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority. I am a Life Member of Tau Beta Sigma, having joined at THE Eta Delta Chapter while playing clarinet in the marching, pep, and concert bands of Howard University.

That's me and my friend/ soror Melanie...you all first met her on my Illinois entries

I won't make this a post about the great feats and accomplishments of my organization, but I will say that sorority membership has allowed me to travel to many states and cities over the years. This time, my musical family brought me to the state of Oklahoma- where our National Headquarters is located. We gathered to dedicate a memorial garden in honor of our recently deceased founder Wava Banes Turner Henry.

That's Wava!

So, enough mushy mushy. Back to the reason you come to my blog! Stillwater is a city about an hour away from Oklahoma City. It's the home of Oklahoma State University, and again, the National Headquarters for our two organizations. I'll be honest, there wasn't a whole lot of ritzy glitzy stuff to do there- in fact it appeared most of the city was simply the campus of OSU, which is also THE largest campus of any school I've ever seen. Outside of the actual dedication ceremonies, most of my time spent in Stillwater was spent socializing with friends and fraternal family.

Headquarters!

One place I did get to visit though was a spot called Eskimo Joe's. It was STUPID packed, and obviously owned by a super proud Republican- the owners have signed PERSONALIZED letters from both President Bushes and their wives hung in the gift shop. The letters mentioned their famous cheese fries- something that everyone said we should try. However, we weren't actually that hungry so my sorority sister and I ate very light meals.

Eskimo Joe's

I ordered an Oklahoma traditional food- an onion burger- although it wasn't called that on the menu. Onion burgers started decades ago as a way for restaurant owners to stretch their beef longer. Once beef prices dropped, many just kept it up because the burgers just tasted great that way. 

My onion burger

EJ's wasn't a disappointment. The food was good, and once we were seated we were served promptly by a super friendly waitress. We even got cute souvenir cups with our drink orders. In fact, minus the stupid long wait (which is not their fault) I have no complaints. I DO, however, have an observation. The logo for Eskimo Joe's (as a black woman who is very aware of race issues in my country) sorta bothered me. I mean- it's an Inuit person with huge teeth and squinty eyes. Granted, I am apparently the only person who noticed this. I mean, it would be the equivalent of having a Native American mascot with cherry red skin or an African American mascot with big pink lips and a watermelon slice in their hand. But. They've been around for 20+ years, and seemingly haven't needed to address this. More power to them. I don't think they are intending the image to be harmful or anything...just...you know. Kinda noticeable.

Also ironic they chose a cold weather mascot in a city that was 105 degrees the entire
time I was there lol

Well readers, I still have quite a few entries for Oklahoma, and God-and-finances willing I will be in Atlanta, Georgia in a few weeks. You KNOW I've already got my touristy plans brewing. Until then, thank you all so much for reading along for my journey, and as always, I'll see you on the next adventure!

A Sweet Goodbye

One of the first excursions I planned (read: told my sister I was going to do whether she wanted to come along or not) was a trip to the Hoover Dam. That post is coming (in fact it will most likely be my next blog entry) but this is going to be about how our Hoover Dam tour ended- with a factory tour of Ethel M Chocolates.

How someone thought making chocolate (a substance that easily melts) in the desert (a place that is generally super hot) was a good idea, I'll never know, but it has proven to be a pretty smart business idea. In case you were wondering, the "M" in Ethel M stands for Mars...like Mars, Inc. As in, the company that makes some of the most famous candy in the world: M&Ms among many other favorites. Ethel was the mother of the founders of the company, and Ethel M chocolates began when one of them decided it was a good time to retire....and start another chocolate company.

And he named it after his mother :)

The factory "tour" is in actuality a long hallway with windows that let you look onto the production facility. Seeing as I went on a Sunday afternoon, there wasn't very much activity going on. Only a few workers doing what looked like maintenance work.

Wonka's Factory it was not.
Image from www.notcoming.com

The good news is they had signs posted along the hallway that described what each section would have been doing if production had been going on. At the end of the hallway was a very nice woman with free chocolate samples. You could choose between white, milk, and dark chocolate (I chose dark, in case you were interested, though I haven't met a chocolate I didn't like yet!)

The Empty Factory

FREE CHOCOLATE!!!

Of course, after the hallway you turn into the gift shop, which is nothing but (expensive!) treats for you to take home. There was a man giving out samples of Chocolate Pecan Brittle...delicious! My sister and I each got ice cream (her flavor was Bananas Foster, I stuck with a plain Chocolate) and browsed the offerings. We didn't buy anything, partly because we'd only had 20 minutes to see the entire place thanks to our Dam tour running over, and partly because we were both concerned our candy would melt before we got back to our hotel room (it was over 100 degrees that day).

Our ice cream

Had we had more time, I would have loved to have strolled along the cactus garden that is also on the site. A few people on Tripadvisor said it was worth a few minutes of your time to see the beautiful desert gardens. Alas, 'twas not meant to be. For such a short (and completely unrelated) add on to a much larger tour, I really enjoyed myself at Ethel M. The candy was delicious, and I highly recommend you take some home with you if you think you can get it back un-melted (you can also order some things on their website and have it shipped directly to you).

I have plenty more Nevada entries to bring you all, so stay tuned. Make sure you check out the rest of my Facebook pictures (and hit that like button!) Thank you for reading my blog, and as always, I'll see you on the next adventure!

Brontosaurus-sized Pork Chops

This will be a super fast entry- mostly because when I was at this location I was more focused on the person I was with than the actual location. It's a favorite restaurant of his, and I must say Cap City Fine Diner and Bar proved itself to be an awesome place.

At my friend's suggestion, I had the pork chops, and he had the meatloaf. What I got was a plate with two huge chops, with veggies and mashed potatoes tucked underneath. It was delicious, even though I would never be able to be a member of the "clean plate club" eating there! Too much food!

My pork chops

His meatloaf

Again, everything was tasty- and the staff (at least at the bar where we ate) was super nice. I was excited to see another citizen of STEELER NATION at the bar, and inadvertently entertained the entire bar area while trying to figure out the name of an old Tom Cruise movie (it ended up being Legend).

Again, thank you all for reading my blog. By the time you read this, I will be en route to Las Vegas! Enjoy your Memorial Day weekends, and come back soon!

As always, see you on the next adventure!

Sausage Fest - No, Not Like That

Again, many apologies readers for the delay in posts! I have this, and one more entry to fill you in for my third outing in Ohio for the blog. One week from today, I'll be in Las Vegas, and you can bet I already have my itinerary full of things I want to see and share with all of you. It's gonna be a party!

Unless for some reason you hate museums- in which case the party will look like this.
Image from http://santarosacru.blogspot.com/2011/02/departing-twelve.html

Speaking of guys at boring parties, let's talk about another kind of sausage fest- my time at Schmidt's Restaurant und Sausage Haus, or just Schmidt's for short. Every website and travel blog I perused while planning my trip to Columbus mentioned- and praised- this German restaurant.

Now, growing up in Pittsburgh (and you know, being Black), I grew up with what I consider the best of both worlds when it comes to comfort foods. The very best of soul food, paired with highlights of European immigrant fare (we've already established I love pierogies). It's nothing for me to dream of a meal with fried chicken with baklava for dessert. Or to eat pierogies and want a slice of sweet potato pie on the side. As much as I love the European fare I grew up exposed to, there are a few countries with cuisine I've just never been a fan of- Germany would be one of those countries. I just am not keen on the idea of eating sausage filled with blood. But. I was determined to try it both for this blog, and on the faith of dozens of random Internet posters that insisted I try it out.

Sausages on display when you first enter

I ordered the Autobahn meal, which for $15 gets you all-you-can eat access to a buffet of German sausages, sides, and surprisingly, fried chicken. I didn't eat much, but I think part of that was I had a raging headache while I was there, and when you are in pain, eating just isn't on your mind. I would have done better getting a regular meal, but I wanted the "experience" you know?

The Autobahn Buffet. It was near Easter, so that explains the ears and basket.

I went to Schmidt's with a (vegetarian) sorority sister. I'm sure there's comedic gold there with how to find acceptable food as a vegetarian in a place based around meat. But we were both able to indulge in what is said to be Schmidt's best item: the Jumbo Cream Puff.

I got the traditional vanilla, she got the mocha almond special

Man, listen. I wish I had gotten an extra one of these for the road. HUGE (neither of us finished ours), and a perfect balance of flavor and sweetness. Light and creamy filling, delicate pastry. These were amazing. One is certainly enough for two people, but we didn't know that at the time. They had other desserts on display at the front, but, no. Don't even waste your time. Get a puff. Any puff. And thank me later.

Across the street (well, if that tiny cobble stone path can be classified as a street...) there is also a Schmidt's Fudge Haus. Inside there are tons of handmade German confections. While waiting for our hotel shuttle to pick us up, we went inside. There was a man making fudge right in the shop. You could watch him work his magic in person- we didn't just because he informed us it is a time intensive process, and we only had maybe 10 minutes until our expected pick up time.

He's the fudge-maker

I bought my grandmother four "turtles" candies, two with caramel and two without. I only bought four because they (like everything else in that area) were super huge and heavy- and they sell the handmade candies by weight. (And I'm starting to wonder why I didn't take a picture of them....) She loved them, saying they reminded her of the way they used to make candy when she was a kid (keep in mind my grandmother was born in 1922). 

Some tips and advice if you are going to come to Schmidt's. First and foremost- come early. My soror and I arrived RIGHT at 11 when they opened and there were maybe 4 or 5 tables already seated. By the time we left about an hour later, a line was just starting to form to get in. I've read travel account where folks say the wait can be more than an hour (or that it's impossible to get in). Second, don't get the Autobahn unless you REALLY like German food. While none of it was terrible, as someone who isn't a big fan anyway, it made my selection very difficult. Finally, add some time to your visit to take a picture in the head-in-the-hole outside where you and one other person can look like 19th Century German children, and stop in the Fudge Haus and pick up some candy. Trust me, factory made/tasting confections these are not!

Well, I'll try and get the last entry (my trip to the Ohio Statehouse) on the Internet before I leave for Vegas! While I'm gone, check out my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter.

Thank you all so much for reading my blog, it really means a lot! As always, see you on the next adventure!

Goat Cheese Ice Cream- Not As Bad As It Sounds!

So after a ridiculously long winter featuring everyone's favorite polar vortex, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things with travel.

My first trip out of Pittsburgh happened because I attended a regional conference in Columbus, Ohio with one of my sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Pretty in Pink and Gorgeous in Green!

Naturally I was not going to be in a city I'd never visited before and NOT add some entries to my blog- even if Ohio has been covered already. Enter my outing to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.

Sorry it's a rough shot, but that's the outside of the Jeni's I ate at

My friend that was so gracious to take me to Jeni's (after I told him ahead of time I REALLY wanted to go. It's a Columbus-based ice cream company, JUST the sort of thing I like to cover on here) told me that the "short line" of 5 or 6 people was a good thing- that this place is usually packed and lines easily continue out the door. While he talked on the phone, I was left to try and figure out what I was going to try. I'd heard that local flavor favorite "The Buckeye State" was a must, but there were flavors with wonky names like "Oregon Fir" and "Savannah Buttermint". What caught my eye though was the "Goat Cheese with Red Cherry". 

I know, that's how I looked too buddy
Image from www.drawception.com

After some coaxing by the super friendly staff, I tried it. To my surprise, I liked it! Very light taste, almost like cheesecake. And the cherry part actually tasted like cherry-- not overly sweet red syrup swirled in for good measure. It gave me the confidence to go ahead and place my three scoop order: The Buckeye State (that's the spotty looking scoop), Brown Butter Almond Brittle (the other non-chocolate scoop), and Dark Chocolate (pretty obvious which one that was).

Be jealous. It was THAT good.

Buckeye State was by far my fave of the three, but BBAB wasn't bad at all. I LOVED the Dark Chocolate, but by the time I got to it my taste buds were on overload. Jeni's ice cream is REALLY rich and flavorful, and after eating my first two scoops, my body just couldn't handle anything else sweet (though, I must say it was the best chocolate ice cream I've ever tasted-- you could SMELL the chocolate!).

Too bad I wasn't able to buy a pint to take home with me, being in a hotel and all kinda hinders
ice cream preservation for more than a few hours.

Fear not, friends who don't live in or near Columbus (In theory, I live about 3 hours away). The Jeni's website has a complete listing of flavors, location finders to see if your local grocer carries Jeni's products, and instructions on how to order your favorite flavors in case your local store doesn't ($13 flat rate shipping, which considering you would be getting artisan ice cream delivered to your door, is pretty reasonable). 

More blog posts about Columbus are coming, and I will be visiting a NEW state (Nevada!) in a few weeks as my elder sister and I both take our first trips to Las Vegas (I promise, everything I do there won't stay there- I can't wait to share it with you all!)

Until then, thank you for reading and sharing this adventure with me!