Chili Dogs & Politics

Sounds delicious and interesting right?!

One of our stops on our Washington D.C. trip was Ben's Chili Bowl. A famous establishment in DC since 1958 and a favorite among several of our presidents including Obama. We first came across this little gem while watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network. Food lovers that we are, we immediately added this to our list of "must visits" while in D.C.

It did not disappoint.





The place was first made famous by Bill Cosby, who was said to be the only customer who ate for free (they since added the Obama family to the list). The Half Smoke is their signature item, 1/4lb. half pork and beef smoked sausage on a warm steamed bun and topped with mustard, onions and spicy homemade chili sauce. Chase went for this and loved it. I opted for a good ol' fashion chili and cheese hot dog. Yum!



While we didn't spot President Obama (it would have been crazy in there!) we did see some very official government people with ear pieces kicking people out of booths to make room for some dignitary. It was pretty cool.

So chili dogs and politics...a must stop if you are in D.C.

Exploring the Metroplex: Evening at the Arboretum

Our latest edition of Exploring the Metroplex did not take us far from home.  We decided to check out the Dallas Arboretum's Evening Concert Series, Twilight Tuesdays.  The Arboretum is less than a mile from our house but we hadn't been yet so it was a new experience.

The concert series is in a big outdoor area that overlooks White Rock Lake.  Plus you get to walk through most of the Arboretum to get there so you get to see all the beautiful flowers.  And you get to bring in your own food and wine.  So we packed our bag of goodies, grabbed a blanket and hopped on the motorcycle.



The band we saw was a jazz group led by a female singer.  They were very good.



We enjoyed this new experience and are looking forward to going back again very soon!

Exploring the MetroPlex

For those of you who live in the MetroPlex, and for some of you who don't but are familiar you understand that the MetroPlex is not just Dallas but the HUGE area of Dallas to Ft. Worth to Denton and everything in between. So, in short, we have a lot of exploring to do and some we have already done.

I am going to start a series of posts called Exploring the Metroplex where I will detail some of the cool and not so cool places we check out while are Dallas adventure continues. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the show.


Exploring the MetroPlex: Ft. Worth Stockyards

For some reason, in my mind, Ft. Worth was this little dinky town with a couple of buildings that was West of Dallas. I didn't think there was anything exciting there, just a lot of nothingness. Well, that is not the case. Ft. Worth actually has a thriving arts district, a great downtown with shopping and restaurants and a hip night scene.

My first trip to Ft. Worth was not a long one but a quick shot out for a meeting. BUT the meeting was held at the World's Largest Honky Tonk! Billy Bobs!



The place is massive and they serve up some pretty good bbq. Plus its right smack in the middle of the Stockyards. Lots of cool shops and places to eat. The only downside, a little bit of a smell.



In short...Ft. Worth is a pretty cool place. We will be planning a Saturday visit soon to do more exploring.

Dallas Farmers Market

This past weekend my Mom came into town for a visit.  I had not seen her since Christmas...which is probably the longest its ever been since we have always lived in the same area.   It was definitely time for some bonding.

My mom had a pretty good size list of places she wanted to go while she was here.  At the top of that list was the Dallas Farmers Market.  A collection of sheds with locally grown/made goods from veggies to flowers to chimineas.



While it was still a little chilly out and the sky was cloudy it was still an awesome experience.  Just having access to all that delicious local food is amazing.

Since we were rookies we didn't come fully prepared...no cash, forgot our own bags to keep from all those plastic ones.  We will be ready the next time around.  However, we did manage to stock up on some grapefruit, grapes, Hass avacados, apples and spinach.  Yum.



We are looking forward to making this one of our routine stops come Spring and Summer.