Ye Olde Pepper Companie (America's Oldest Candy Company) - Salem - Massachusetts

After grabbing a quick breakfast at Red Line Cafe - Salem - Massachusetts, second-oldest nephew and his friend and I headed to the waterfront. After a spin around the House of the Seven Gables and the house in which Nathaniel Hawthorne was born, we headed across the street to Ye Olde Pepper Companie, which opened in 1806 and is America's oldest candy company. A chance to get some edible souvenirs with a side of history? Can't pass that up!

According to their website, Ye Olde Pepper Companie began after Mary Spencer sailed from England to Salem and was left destitute by a shipwreck. Her neighbors donated supplies, including a barrel of sugar when they found out she was a confectioner. She made lemon and peppermint Gibralters, which are initially hard but then soften after several weeks and taste like an after-dinner mint. She first sold her candies on the steps of church and then with a horse and carriage. After she passed away in 1835, her son, Thomas, took over the business, but shortly afterward, he inherited a title in England and sold the business to fellow confectioner, John Pepper. Thomas and Pepper had worked together to create Black Jacks, molasses stick candy that would appeal to more masculine tastes to contrast with the feminine Gibralters.

Pepper's son, George, took over until selling his business at the turn of the 20th century to George and Alice Burkinshaw, who were, respectively, assistant candy maker and candy packers for Ye Olde Pepper Companie. The fourth generation of Burkinshaws still operate the candy shop today.

The left side of the building is where the candy is still made by hand today. The right side is the candy shop. October's high season in Salem meant a very packed store. There was basically only room to enter, walk around the center table, choosing wares along the way, exiting after a loop.

Red Line Cafe - Salem - Massachusetts

Why are you waking me up at 6 a.m.? I groaned to second-oldest nephew when he asked what time I wanted to get up. Still operating on West Coast time, he had plugged the meter for the car when I had promptly turned off my alarm and continued sleeping.

By the time I finally got up, the breakfast restaurants that I had bookmarked had lines out the door. It's high season in Salem! Tons of people were already walking around in costume, and all the sit-down restaurants were mobbed. So after striking out at a few places, nephew suggested Red Line Cafe for some sandwiches.

The Lobster Shanty - Salem - Massachusetts

I had a bunch of miles that were expiring soon and with an open invitation from Gourmet Pigs to come out for a visit, decided to do just that for my birthday since I hadn't gone on a big trip in a while. Five days after I booked my flight, she received a media invite to Sacramento to tour a cattle ranch.

Could I change my ticket?

Not without incurring a hefty change fee. Plus, I wanted to go to the Keene Pumpkin Festival that weekend.

Would I mind if she went? She could leave her car for me if I wanted?

Well, sure, in that case, that actually worked out better because I could go up to Salem and spend time with second-oldest nephew.

Evidently, Salem is more happening than I realized. Since my flight came in late, I Googled around for some options and saw that The Lobster Shanty was open until 1 a.m.

Doh! October. Salem. Witch trials. Halloween. It's Salem's high season.

According to the T-shirts, which said, "The Lobster Shanty -- warm beer, lousy food, surly waitresses, rude bartenders, cranky cooks," I think it's supposed to be a dive, but service and food were just fine.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop (SW 6th Ave.) - Portland - Oregon

My dad's been down in SoCal for the past few weeks working on the house so I thought I'd go home and and surprise my mom. A few days before, one of my childhood friends checked into Potbelly Sandwich Shop on Facebook. What?! There's a Potbelly now in Oregon?! I was all over that.

A few years ago when I was in Washington, D.C. and stumbled upon a Potbelly, I literally jumped for joy. Mmm. A Wreck with extra peppers. One of the things I missed about living in Chicago and in which I indulged in regularly the summer I lived in Madison, Wisconsin. It's pretty funny to see the Yelp page littered with Midwest transplants all waxing nostalgic too.

But first, there was pie. Mmm. Pie.

Volcano Tea House - Las Vegas

After lunch at Pho Kim Long Vietnamese Restaurant, we went over to the neighboring strip mall for some boba tea for the road.


My passionfruit green tea, $2.99. So yummy. I saw them put in a huge dollop of passionfruit syrup so it was very passionfruity.

Pho Kim Long Vietnamese Restaurant - Las Vegas

The first two vodka shots (more like vodka cups) were fine. I brought the champagne so I had to drink a glass. The three sangrias put me in just the right mood. But the last vodka and two vodka cranberries? I probably should have skipped those.


While I felt fine when I went to bed, by morning I was dying. Dyyying.

So when it was time to decide on where to go for lunch, I requested what any hungover Vietnamese person would want, Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup). Luckily Pho Kim Long Vietnamese Restaurant in Las Vegas' "Chinatown" is just a five minute drive from the strip. Head west on Spring Mountain Road (that would be the road between the Fashion Show Mall and the Venetian) and keep going past the freeway. There you'll find several strip malls of mostly Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants, with a Thai or Filipino one sprinkled in.

And while the restaurant's name is amusing if you say it fast, it just means golden dragon in Vietnamese. Kim (gold). Long (dragon).

Jaleo by Jose Andres ($45 Prix Fixe Menu) - The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas - Las Vegas

After snapping photos, it was time to get our grub on. I was huuungry!

After dining at Jaleo by Jose Andres in Washington, D.C. last fall, afternoon tea at Tres by Jose Andres earlier this year, and most recently at Bazaar by Jose Andres, the latter two at the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, I was rapidly becoming a Jose Andres groupie.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters (SE Division St. Original Location) - Portland - Oregon

After brunch at Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery - Portland - Oregon, Gourmet Pigs and I decided to get some work done at Stumptown Coffee Roasters.


Of course, I insisted that it be at their original location on Division Street.

Random Order Coffeehouse and Bakery - Portland - Oregon

Let's backtrack a little to the beginning of my trip. While looking for some places to take Gourmet Pigs, a quick Google search for Portland and pie turned up this Travel+Leisure article on "America's Best Pies" mentioning a vanilla salted caramel apple pie. 

Pie! In Portland! I was all over that. Since it was on the northeast side of town, I figured we'd stop off for a late afternoon snack after a morning chasing waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge.

Of course we had to order the aforementioned vanilla salted caramel apple pie.

The Tao of Tea - Portland - Oregon

After dinner at Toro Bravo - Portland - Oregon, I suggested one last stop before we finally ended the night. In the late 1990s, a college friend introduced me to The Tao of Tea when we were looking for a place to just sit while catching up.


I really enjoyed the quaint tea house with fresh brewed teas, including a foamy matcha green tea shake before it became so popular and ubiquitous. I've gone back a few times over the years, and even visited their tea house at the Portland Classical Chinese Garden. So, a nice calming cuppa seemed just the thing to end what was a long day of too much out and about.

Toro Bravo - Portland - Oregon

While having our third round of cocktails at The Secret Society - Portland, Dylan's phone rang, signaling that our table at Toro Bravo was ready.


Tapas in Portland! OK, I know I've been away too long, or just left good old PDX way too young because the thought of a yummy tapas bar in Portland was just too exciting.

The Secret Society - Portland - Oregon

After round two of drinks at Teardrop Cocktail Lounge - Portland - Oregon, we headed across the river for dinner at Toro Bravo. There was a bit of wait, so Dylan left his phone number and we went upstairs to The Secret Society for more cocktails.





Although, it's not much of a secret any more if there's a big old sign pointing the way. :P The Secret Society is a 1907 Victorian-era hall that once housed two men's clubs. These days, it's a lounge, ball room, and recording studio.

Teardrop Cocktail Lounge - Portland - Oregon

After the first set of drinks at Clyde Common - Portland - Oregon, Gourmet Pigs and I took Wandering Chopsticks reader Dylan's suggestion and hit up Teardrop Cocktail Lounge for its old-fashioned cocktails and homemade bitters and tinctures.

The bar was pretty small, with some stools at the counter and along the wall. So we sat at the bar, overlooking the array of Teardrop Cocktail Lounge's homemade bitters and tinctures.

Clyde Common - Portland - Oregon

After leaving Hawks View Cellars - Sherwood, Gourmet Pigs and I made our way to downtown Portland to cross off #3 on her list of things to do in town -- cocktails. Actually, we ended up hitting up three cocktail bars this evening. And yes, if you were keeping track, that's after two wine tastings.

I should preface this post, and the subsequent drinking ones, by telling you that since I was driving, I merely took a sip to taste and handed off the rest of my drinks to others.




Gourmet Pigs wanted to check out Clyde Common because the bartender/bar manager, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, has gained quite a bit of renown for his old-fashioned cocktails. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the day we visited.

Nonetheless, even without the famed bartender, one of the best parts of going to Portland bars during happy hours and late nights is the cheap eats. Seriously. I'm talking $2 to $5 for appetizers and desserts. So I was really more excited to try the food than the drinks anyway.

Hawks View Cellars - Sherwood - Oregon

After our sparkling wine tasting at Argyle Winery - Dundee - Oregon, Gourmet Pigs and I took the wine guy's suggestion and visited Hawks View Cellars in Sherwood, Oregon. As we approached the winery, row after row of grape vines spread out in front of us. If only spring didn't come so late to Oregon, I'd love to see the vineyard in full bloom.

Isn't it just so gorgeous? And we hadn't even gotten to the tasting room yet. Trust me, it got even better.

Argyle Winery - Dundee - Oregon

After lunch at Thirsty Lion Pub and Grill - Tigard - Oregon, we continued making our way along 99W. Our first stop was Argyle Winery, which Gourmet Pigs chose for its sparkling wine tastings.




Since I had never gone wine tasting in Oregon before, I asked cousin T if she had any recommendations. She hadn't been either, so she asked a coworker, who emailed her a list of recommendations. I forwarded the list to GP, who looked them up and narrowed down our choices. I was armed with an old wine guide from the Oregonian and some pamphlets put out by the tourist information office from when I stopped in to ask for the cross street of the smallest park in the world, but it was still nice to have a list of wineries to work from.

We passed a lot of wineries along 99W, so I was pleased to see that the tasting room for Argyle Winery was in a quaint converted house. Sparkling wine is great, but the aesthetics make it better.

Thirsty Lion Pub and Grill - Tigard - Oregon

When we last left off, Gourmet Pigs and I had hiked the waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge and then enjoyed a Vietnamese venison and rice paper wrap dinner at home with my parents.

On her list of things she wanted to do in Oregon, eating at Bunk Sandwiches - Portland was #1. Second was going wine tasting. Since were going to be on that side of the river for the wineries, we also met up with my cousin T and baby M3 at Thirsty Lion Pub and Grill in Tigard, a restaurant my cousin had been wanting to try.




GP was a little weirded out that my cousin wanted to meet us at a pub with her baby, but I reassured her that Portland pubs are very family-friendly, leaning more toward restaurants than bars actually.

Bunk Sandwiches - Portland - Oregon

Since Gourmet Pigs had never been to Oregon before, she had a list of three things she wanted to do. Eating at Bunk Sandwiches was one of them.

Why do they call themselves bunk? According to the Bunk Sandwiches website, with so many places proclaiming they're "the best," Bunk would rather you decide for yourself. That unpretentiousness was rather endearing in a very PDX kind of way that made me miss home. Then I clicked on the link to see their press. Getting written up by local press is a given, but once you hit the New York Times, or appear on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives," or get proclaimed by Mario Batali to be one of the world's top 100 contemporary chefs (that would be Tommy Habetz, former sous chef at Batali's Lupa in New York City, who currently co-owns Bunk with Nick Woods), hype is unavoidable.

Patisserie Philippe Macarons - San Francisco From Gourmet Pigs

Last April, after a trip back from San Francisco, Gourmet Pigs brought me a present! A box of half a dozen macarons from Patisserie Philippe in San Francisco.

So pretty!

Vung Tau Restaurant - San Jose

The day after my college friend's wedding at Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant - Emeryville, I met up with my high school friend again for lunch before heading back down south. Funnily enough, the first time I ate at Vung Tau Restaurant was more than three years ago after my other college friend's wedding, again on my way back down south.

I was visiting the friends whom I had met on the plane during my last trip to Vietnam and who ended up being from my hometown. In fact, the husband's parents ended up literally being in the same boat with me. Small world, yeah? Especially if you're from my hometown and also Hainanese. :) Anyway, they took me here for lunch and I had the best ever banh khot (Vietnamese savory cupcakes with shrimp). The filling was so luscious with coconut milk and a crispy outside. No wonder since the restaurant named itself after the seaside town where banh khot were invented. Other versions of banh khot that I've had tasted like mini banh xeo (Vietnamese sizzling pancakes), but these were distinctly different.

Shortly after that, my high school friend moved to the South Bay. After a rather disappointing vacation in Hawaii, she desperately wanted good food when she got back. I offered up the only place I knew -- Vung Tau Restaurant. Despite the jet lag, she immediately drove here and it remains her favorite Vietnamese restaurant. She's tried their other locations and swears by this one. She's tried almost every item on the menu and has liked every dish. She has a vegetarian friend who conveniently forgets he doesn't eat meat when the Cha Gio (Vietnamese Egg Rolls) come out. :P

So even though she wanted to try a new restaurant with me, she also really, really likes Vung Tau. We compromised. First lunch at Vung Tau followed by a second lunch somewhere else. Insane! And why is it that my friends are so dependent upon me to try new places?