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!

Review of Meers Store & Restaurant [Meers, Oklahoma]

So, we've been heading up to Lawton, Oklahoma twice a month now to meet up with a great role-playing group. (See the "nerd" part of Road Trip Nerd!) Another good friend who lives in Oklahoma told us about this amazing burger joint we HAD to visit. It was apparently a bit of a hole in the wall, but very well known locally. According to GPS, it was only about 30 minutes north of our final destination, so the husband and I thought it would make a good lunchtime stop before our game session started.

We followed the directions on my phone, but I started to worry a little bit when we started turning down smaller and smaller country roads. I told the husband that I hoped this wasn't some sort of twisted Oklahoman ploy to lure unsuspecting tourists into a trap! However, we persevered and soon the Meers Store & Restaurant came into view!


The Meers Store & Restaurant can boast that they've been "a historic dining establishment since 1901." One of the big reasons why people come from all over to eat a Meers Burger is that they're made from high quality meat from the restaurant's own Texas Longhorn herd. And come from all over they did. The line for seating started behind a small chained off area, snaked down a ramp, coiled around, and then went out the door. I started to get worried when 20 minutes passed and the line didn't move at all. However, some big groups finally left and the rest of us in line started moving forward slowly.


When you sit down, you have a laminated newspaper-style menu that lists all of the food options (plus, some other commentary on politics, the "wife," and more). I got quite a kick out it! The restaurant also takes their burgers pretty seriously. The menu lists the "rules" on ordering your burgers correctly:
• Our famous burgers are cooked medium well done and are served with mustard, dill pickles, tomatoes, purple onions, and green leaf lettuce. We use American cheese because our burgers are American burgers. We have been fixing them this way since the beginning, for over 50 years and this is the way our cowboys like them. 99% of our customers like them this way so this is why we respectfully call this burger (and your hats off boys) the COWBOY BURGER.
• Some folks like mayo on their burgers instead of mustard but call burgers with this a SISSY BURGER! Other folks like ketchup on their burgers instead of mustard. We call burgers with this a YANKEE BURGER! Cowboys believe ketchup belongs on fries, not beef.
• A few folks out there want all three---mustard, mayo, and ketchup---on their burgers. The poor fools are simply confused.
We don't care how you want your burger fixed. We will fix it any way you want it. We cook your burger to order. Try one with bacon, jalapeno or both. However, if you order something other then a cowboy burger, please be patient; our cooks rarely encounter sissies, Yankees or confused souls.

While there were other options that looked interesting (I really had my eye on the chicken-fried steak), it seemed only fitting to have a Meers burger for our first visit. I also ordered the fried pickles. Rather than dill pickles, they were actually made with bread & butter pickle chips, and were delicious!


We also decided to try the house beer, Meers Gold Brew, which is apparently brewed from an original recipe from the Choctaw Nation. There are no other options than the big 22 ounce bottle! The Meers folks believe that's what it takes to wash down one of their enormous burgers!

I wish I would have had room to try their homemade cobbler and vanilla ice cream, but we were both stuffed after our meal! The husband and I will definitely visit the Meers Store & Restaurant again, because there's so much more to sample off the menu! If you decide to go, make sure you're not on a tight time frame and bring cash. (The store doesn't accept credit cards, but there is an ATM onsite) However, the most important thing to bring is a big appetite!

October in Portland, Oregon [Part 3]

The other lovely event happening this trip was the wedding of a close family friend. I've known the bride since I was in High School and she is still a very close friend of my sister. I was so incredibly happy to hear of her engagement ... and was even more pleased when I realized we would be able to attend the wedding!

The venue was the spectacular Elysian Ballroom in downtown Portland. For a virtual tour of the Ballroom, click here!


The husband & I were incredibly color-coordinated and my sister was elegant (and somewhat crazed) in her bridesmaid's black!


I love weddings! Everyone just glows with love and happiness, and the bride and groom were no exception. The entire evening was romantic and beautiful. I actually got up and danced for several songs with another friend also attending the ceremony. (How can you NOT dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller?) Afterwards, my sister and I made sure to get a bunch of pictures of our small group.


We're judging you. Judging.


We took a few more pictures, but eventually said our goodbyes to the newlyweds and headed home!

We only had one more morning in Portland before our flight home, so my sister suggested La Provence Boulangerie & Patisserie. Oh, so tasty! Breakfast is one of my favorite meals, but the one I never really make for myself, so this was a real treat! (I'm not sure my nephew was quite awake, though!)


From here, it was last-minute packing and heading for the airport. It's always sad to leave family behind, but I knew we'd be coming back to Portland soon. I just can't stay away!

October in Portland, Oregon [Part 2]

Once we left Edgefield, we spent the rest of our trip with my sister and her family. It was the best mix of all: some small adventures throughout the city, but also making time to stay at home and just enjoy each other's company.

We ate lunch one afternoon at the Lucky Labrador Brewing Company which offers a great selection of tasty sandwiches as well as their own brew. The husband obligingly made a "scared face" in all of my pictures (I'm usually after him for not smiling!!), and my nephew really got into his PB&J!


As many times as we have been in Portland, we never had visited the Lan Su Gardens. The garden is a collaboration between Portland and her sister city, Suzhou, and its name means "Garden of Awakening Orchids."


We decided to have lunch and a cup of tea at the "Teahouse in the Tower of Cosmic Reflections." As you might imagine, they had an extensive tea menu. The kind of tea you ordered also determined the cup it came out in, which was interesting! We also ordered several small bites to share, including a gorgeous Marbled Tea Egg.


We couldn't have asked for nicer weather this day! A sunny day in Portland isn't a routine event!


We stopped by Forest Park and wandered the outskirts of the Pittock Mansion. Forest Park is 5,157 acres which makes it the largest urban forest in the United States. It is huge and just being among all of those trees makes me very, very happy!


I know that Texas is often called "DQ Country," but it isn't until I go back to Portland that I can finally get what I really crave: a cherry-dipped cone from the local Dairy Queen. I don't know why the Lone Star State refuses to offer anything other than chocolate.


One of the "musts" when we visit, is a trip to the Sellwood neighborhood to visit my favorite quirky Portland stores: Sock Dreams! They have a fantastic selection of socks, in addition to awesome knee-high socks for curvy legs. Often, this also means a side trip to the Jade Bistro & Patisserie. Jade is an interesting mix of Vietnamese and French cooking, which means we started our meal with Hum Bao and finished with macarons.


My sister was not only in the upcoming wedding for our family friend, but also was making the wedding cake for the reception. So, the husband and I did spend most of a day in downtown Portland while she worked. We explored quirky little stores and took in the sights. We spent quite a bit of time in Central branch of the Multnomah County library. What a beautiful building! It originally opened to the public in 1913. We explored each floor, including the tiny rare books room that was only accessible by a winding staircase hidden in the back of the third floor periodicals.


We also spent a lot of time in the number one destination of Portland natives and visitors alike: Powell's City of Books. This is the largest new & used bookstore in the world, occupying an entire city block and containing approximately one million books! I can quite literally get lost in the stacks here!


Before taking the MAX train back home, we ate a late lunch at the Deschutes Brewery Pub. It was a lovely way to finish the day (and try some great local brews at the same time)!