Review of Juicy Pig Barbecue [Denton, TX]

When it finally opened, the husband I knew we had to try out Juicy Pig Barbecue as soon as possible. We love the nearby GreenHouse Restaurant and Loco Cafe which are owned by the same person. Plus, we're both a sucker for good barbecue. I actually bought the book, Follow the Smoke: 14,783 Miles of Great Texas Barbecue, and we've slowly been crossing off BBQ joints as we visit them.

The Juicy Pig is a relatively small building, so there are only about four bistro tables to sit at inside. It can get pretty crowded, pretty fast! You can also order at the walk-up window outside the building and either take it "to go" or sit at one of the wooden picnic benches. The husband and I ended up sitting at one of the benches since the inside was full.


You can order beef brisket, pulled pork, ribs, three kinds of sausage, or smoked chicken. Since it was our first time, we both ordered the Whole Pig, where you could choose three meats, two sides, and also get two deviled eggs. I decided on chopped brisket, habanero sausage, and smoked chicken. For my sides, I chose their smashed potato salad and Slaw #3. Slaw #3 is their seasonal slaw, consisting of warm braised red cabbage with apple and bacon. I was not a huge fan of the smashed potato salad (I'm strangely traditional about this side), but everything else was amazing! The chicken was so tender it just fell away from the bone, the sausage had just the right amount of heat, and I could just eat Slaw #3 by the vat!


Diners get their choice of three house-made sauces to add that special pizzazz. Left to right, they are Carolina Style (vinegary with tart green apple), JP (more "traditional" but with a tamarind and mango fruit base), and Chipotle Peach (a bit of sweet heat). My favorite was the Carolina Style by far, and the twang of vinegar and apple paired beautifully with the pork.

The smoker itself sits behind the building. If I lived in the surrounding neighborhoods, I would wander over every time the amazing smell wafted my way. It's also a somewhat pretty view as a small creek runs behind the property.


I was so full from lunch, I had to take my dessert home: a charming mini pecan pie. Luckily, the husband is not particularly fond of pecan pie, so there was just more for me!


The husband and I both were really impressed with the Juicy Pig. It is definitely on our list of places to re-visit!!

January Excursion [Portland, OR]

I recently traveled to Portland to spend some more time with my lovely sister and her family.

After picking me up at the airport, we had several hours to run around, just the two of us. She took me to a lovely place to eat in the Boise-Eliot neighborhood called Gravy. I love that they decorated with gravy pitchers!


Although everything on the menu looked amazing, I decided to try the Chile Verde dish. It was filled with tasty pork, cojita cheese, tomatillos, and more!

We walked around the neighborhood, peeking into quirky little stores. (The weird hyena-giraffe was labeled 'Vermicious Knid,' which is the best Roald Dahl reference ever!)


We also had to stop at Blue Star Donuts to get a snack for later. I decided on the Orange Olive Oil donut, my sister the Hard Apple Cider one. Felix seemed fairly approving of our choices.


While I have odd collections of trinkets myself, this was a bit odd for a front window display.


On the way to pick up my nephew, we stopped at Dairy Queen. Why would I travel half-way across the United States, from Texas (which is already known for being DQ Country), to eat at chain burger restaurant? Because of this. Behold the cherry-dipped cone.


Growing up in Alaska, we had Dairy Queens for a while. You could get a chocolate, cherry, or butterscotch dipped cone. Cherry was my absolutely favorite flavor and I was sad when all of the DQs eventually disappeared from town. Flash forward to moving to Texas and discovering that I could once again go to a DQ ... and then being crushed when apparently Texas Dairy Queens have no idea what you are talking about when you ask for this cherry-flavored witchery in a cone.

Portland. I love you.

When we all got home, I'm very pleased to say that I think I won "Aunt of the Year" award this visit when I gifted my nephew a reptilian hoodie that was promptly dubbed his "Godzilla" jacket. We roared. It was magnificent. (It was even more magnificent watching him wear this hoodie all week with his real "Texas cowboy" boots we bought him for Christmas. I love this kid!)


This trip was a delightful mix of spending quality time with my family and taking solitary trips downtown via mass transit. On my first day of taking the MAX, I got downtown pretty early. Since not a lot was open, I decided that more coffee would be best. (And honestly, when is more coffee not a good idea?) My stop put me right outside of Case Study Coffee Roasters. I decided to go with a latte made with house-made bourbon caramel and an olive oil coffee cake. A delightful way to wake up!


I wandered through shops like Crafty Wonderland and Fat Fancy, all the time heading closer and closer to my favorite downtown destination, Powell's! I spent a long time scouring the shelves for hidden literary treasures. I did find this amazing column in the SciFi & Fantasy area!


After all of those books, I decided to explore more of downtown. I spent a bit of time in the Museum of Contemporary Craft, explored a high-end deli, found an elephant statue, then decided it was time for lunch.


Although my first thought was to try one of the myriad and interesting food trucks that can be found downtown, the weather was getting a bit iffy and I didn't want to eat in the rain. So I headed to the Deschutes Brewery to rest my feet & have a nice lunch (and beer or two). And what better food to have when it's dreary than a grilled cheese and soup? Although, this was technically a grilled cheddar, chevre-cream cheese, hazelnut kale pesto, and apple onion slaw sandwich with butternut squash soup. So decadent!

I also decided to try a small glass of the Abyss 2015, an incredibly dark Imperial Stout that was aged in bourbon, oak, and pinot noir barrels for 12 months. Powerfully good (and a powerful 12.1 APV), but one small glass was enough. I tried several other beers, but decided to not have photographic evidence. My husband was already sad he couldn't come with me this trip. Flaunting my awesome beer selections just seemed mean!


It was soon time to be picked up by my sister. As I headed to meet her, I came across these posters. I couldn't immediately tell if they were serious or sarcastic. This is Portland, after all.


Over the rest of the week, I had several more adventures!

My sister, nephew, and I went out for Sunday brunch at Watson Hall. I had a lovely hash while the nephew and his dinosaur friend shared their own meal!


He also got to try his hand at shuffleboard, where he did surprisingly well.


One day, I decided to take the light rail and bus to get out to the Hawthorne District and explore the delightfully odd resale shops, local artist boutiques, and satellite Powell's bookstores. I started out having breakfast at the Cup & Saucer Cafe.


For hours, I wandered through stores such as Presents of Mind, Red Light Clothing Exchange, and the show-stopping House of Vintage (containing over 13,000 square feet of vintage clothing and various other home goods). I topped it all off with lunch at the Fried Egg I'm In Love food truck. (Enjoying the "Sriracha Mix-a-lot" and a Hopworks Urban Brewery hard cider)


I don't always get to see my sister in her natural baking habitat, but I did get to visit her business, the Desert Tray, this time around. She was very excited about the decorating project she was working on. Ha!


The two or us were able to get away for lunch one day. We decided on the Cedar Hills McMenamins pub. My sister decided on a well-deserved beer. I decided on a well-deserved whiskey flight!


There was one more place I wanted to visit before I returned to Texas and we managed to drop by for breakfast right before I headed for the airport. I had a very lovely meal at La Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie, but I was most enamored with my hot chocolate flight! So incredibly rich and tasty! My favorite was the Spice: smooth & decadent, with a touch of heat.

Although, I was glad to see the husband again, I felt that my trip was over too soon. I look forward to the next time I can visit my sister and her family again!

White Christmas in Abilene

My all-time favorite holiday movie is White Christmas! Bing & Danny ... Rosemary & Vera-Ellen ... beautiful costumes, classic song numbers, and some great (and sometimes sly) one-liners that make me laugh every time!

Every other December, the Paramount Theater in Abilene showcases White Christmas as its holiday movie.(In alternate years, the movie is It's a Wonderful Life, which has never been my personal Christmas movie of choice) This year my good friend and I decided that not only did we need to see White Christmas on the big screen, we also needed to dress up! Our inspiration was the beautiful red dresses from the final musical number.

The Paramount was very festive for the event! We got to hear local students perform Christmas tunes before the movie started, as well as during intermission.

The husband and I looking equally festive!


The two women in red! We had stopped at Michael's earlier in the day and found Christmas foliage to make into decorations for our hair. I think it was the perfect look!

It is so much fun to dress up for these kind of events. We had multiple compliments on our outfits and everyone kept asking if we'd just come from a party! I was also pleased that I managed to wear some of the highest heeled shoes that I've ever worn without falling on my butt.

The next time White Christmas comes to the Paramount, my friend said we should go in the blue dresses from the "Sisters" number. I guess we have two years to come up with the outfits! I can't wait!

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox [The Bomb Factory, Dallas, Texas]

My first indication that Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox even existed was when a friend posted this video on social media:

I was blown away. The talented Haley Reinhart sings her heart out in this cover of Radiohead's hit, Creep. She makes the song soulful and sad, staged as if she was singing in vintage jazz band.

This quickly led to me watching all of PMJ's brilliant Youtube performances that I could. Not all of their cover songs are done in a 1920s jazz style. For example, their cover of Aqua's Barbie Girl is done in a Beach Boys/surfer style, while Nicki Minaj's Anaconda is vintage bluegrass.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for clever cover bands (Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, Hayseed Dixie, etc.). However, the quality of Post Modern Jukebox's singing, the fun staging (often seemingly recorded in a someone's apartment!), and the beautiful costumes made them stand out even more. (And tap dancers! Who records with tap dancers anymore? Glee!!)

So, when I heard that PMJ was going to be at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, I immediately jumped on tickets. The husband I had never been to this venue, but I knew we were going to have to make a splendid evening of it.


We dressed up for the event. The husband in his retro Star Trek shirt and myself in a swing dress (complete with a can can and dance shoes!)We got there early and ate at the lovely pizzeria, Cane Rosso. After a delicious wood-fired pizza and a few beers, it was time to head to the show!

It was great watching so many people arriving in their vintage finest! We even ran into some friends who were also dressed to the nines! [We all need more opportunities to dress up, in my opinion]


Not all of the Bomb Factory is ticketed seating, but the husband and I now consider ourselves "old" and want to make sure we have something to sit on. I was able to actually get us seats just a row from the front! I love being close enough that you can actually see the expressions on the performers' faces.


We had an amazing time! The performers were dazzling and everyone gave them a standing ovation. They also performed one of my favorite songs, a cover of Ellie Goulding's Burn! If Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox ever comes back to the Metroplex, I will definitely buy tickets again.

Here are a few more of my favorite PMJ songs. Enjoy!

Review of 940's Kitchen & Cocktails [Denton, Texas]

As soon as I heard that we were getting a nice restaurant that served craft cocktails right off the Denton Square, I was very excited. I have been very pleased with the caliber of restaurants opening up in Denton lately, and 940's Kitchen & Cocktails was no exception. (The "940" in the name refers to Denton's area code!)

The first time we attempted to try it out, we unfortunately tried during "prime-time" hours on the Square. I love downtown Denton, but if you try to park between 6-8 on a Friday or Saturday night, you will have a hard time finding anything remotely near your final destination. We decided to come back a few weeks later, aiming for an earlier time during the week.

We found a space without any difficulty and I got to have my picture taken with some of the fun public art that you find downtown.(Another reason that I adore Denton!)


We were quickly seated and perused the menu. We started out with a small appetizer of potato chips and poblano onion dip. The husband isn't usually fond of poblano, but even he loved it! Although I looked at several options, I eventually decided on the shrimp and poblano cheese grits.


The husband opted for the fried chicken, which came with mashed potatoes, chipotle gravy, creamed winter greens, and blue cornbread.


940's Kitchen & Cocktails also cemented my love of a good Old Fashioned. The Old Overhold Fashioned is a scrumptious mix of Old Overholt rye, Old Grandad bourbon, and orange bitters. I also tried the Duke of Gordon (Monkey Shoulder scotch, Ramazotti, sweet vermouth, maraschino, and orange bitters). It was good, but no Old Fashioned!


All in all, the husband and I really enjoyed our evening and are looking forward to going back. If you're looking for a nice night on the town, I would highly suggest trying out 940's Kitchen & Cocktails!