Portland, Oregon... I'll Have Seconds, Please

Before I travel I make sure to ask as many people as possible where their favorite place to eat is before even booking my hotel. I then supplement this research with my own information found online through foodie forums such as Eater, Tasting Table, and Yelp (to name only a few). The more we hear about a certain restaurant, the more we want to visit said restaurant. This is how we plan all of our vacations and weekend escapes, but Portland was not as orderly as I had expected. I logged onto Facebook.com and excitedly typed into the search bar "Friends who live in Portland, OR"... Nothing. Then I tried typing "Friends who live in the Pacific Northwest"... I quickly discover I have 2 friends that live in Seattle, WA. I asked one of them if he had visited Portland and had any good suggestions. He kindly suggested I drive 3 hours north to Seattle and "see a real football team." It quickly became clear to me that we were on our own with this Portland conquest.
Portland is a city that is located about 1.5 hours away from every activity imaginable. Top skiing trails, the Pacific ocean, world-famous wine country, rolling farmland, more hiking trails than mosquitos, even mountain biking, a robust culinary landscape, and wonderfully-grungy city scenery. I can't think of another city that has easy access to as wide a range of activities.
With so many possibilities at hand, we decided to taste some of the wines in the Willamette River Valley. Portland surrounds the mouth of the Willamette River. Follow this river south for less than an hour and you will be in the center of the Pacific Northwest's renown Pinot Noir wine country. We started heading south and stopped at a great little antique shop. A lady behind the counter told me that she sells vintage items that belong to her 5 friends and herself. She explained that each section of her store is dedicated to one of the five friends and their goods-- Her job was to sell. This store was pretty incredible. If you are a flea market junky, this place is a gold mine. We continued down Route 99W towards the town of Dundee in Yamhill County. Our first stop on the Pinot Path was at a newer vineyard called Blakeslee Vineyards. The Blakeslees purchased the land from the former owners of Quail Hill Vineyards and built a home on the property equipped with an infiniti pool that has a stunning view of the grape-covered hillside. The tasting room was only 2 months young and gave us a very welcoming and homey vibe. We were greeted by the family dogs and waved to Bill Blakeslee as he worked from his study just beside us. The wines were wonderful and the views and property were exceptionally maintained. I would highly recommend making a stop here.
Our next stop on the trail was Domaine Drouhin, a French establishment and winemaking family that laid down roots in Oregon over 25 years ago. Domaine Drouhin was the first to plant grapes in Oregon, and was responsible for  launching Oregon wines into the limelight. We pulled in to the gates of the estate and drove alongside neatly trimmed vines for the entirety of the long, curvy path. The  Tasting room felt tidy and clean like the manicured grape vines surrounding the building. The wines were tasty and they even offered us some of their french collection to try. With wine in our bellies, we walked out onto the immense patio (used for weddings and live music in the summer) and took in a great view of mountains and fields of grape vines.
Time was not on our side, so we continued on to one more wine tasting at Argyle Vineyards. Argyle is known for their bubbly wines, which were crisp and welcoming after a day of reds. We continued down 99W to the town of Daton and the famous Joel Palmer House. This was a special dinner because we were celebrating a birthday and because they specialize in self-harvested, local mushrooms and truffles. The restaurant has been around for generations and some of the offerings on the menu are just as timeless. Their mushroom soup is so crazy good, its no wonder the recipe has been in the family for generations.
The following day we had an incredible brunch at Tasty and Son's, a hip bar-restaurant that delivers original food with incredible flavors. We sampled the chocolate potato doughnut with crème anglaise, potatoes bravas with over easy eggs & aioli, and Erin's sweet biscuits with blueberry compote. To digest our feast, we spent the rest of the day exploring the city of Portland on foot. Trotting through neighborhood streets gave us a great perspective of the people of Portland and a lay of the land. Coming from larger cities like New York and Chicago, we were expecting each neighborhood to be more substantial that it was from a size perspective. We saw their homes and cars and its all pretty odd. Thankfully the weather was perfectly welcoming. We got hungry again so we stopped at Bijou Cafe, a jazzy local spot that is mostly known for their brunch menu and their live Jazz and night. This place mostly caters to the local crowd, so you will meet and find some unique characters during your meal. A few regulars noticed us charlatans with our maps and our Nikons laid across the table. Luckily they were kind and were able to assist us in gaining our bearings. They even gave us some great suggestions for which food trucks to try. We continued to walk the streets of Portland and found some pretty unique stores. Moul'e (pronounced moo-lay) is a fashionable store that caters to everyone. Designer toys don the shelves opposite a rack of high-end men's sportcoats (women's clothes, too). We found Vintalier, a designer resale shop on a small side street. Vintalier will make the most highbrow people shop for secondhand goods. We also saw a very large store that sells 200-year-old Chinese chests and furniture along with smaller nick-naks only found in China.
As I sit here in my technology class and type about the wonderful stores and lovely foods I was able to experience, one perfect bite keeps my mouth quivering for more. It was an unusual food for me to be smitten with, considering I never had a love for this food or even the category. Salt and Straw is the name of the etherial establishment which provided me this perfect bite in the form of a scoop of  caramel ice cream atop a waffle cone. The self proclaimed "farm to cone" ice cream shop captures you from multiple angles: the smell of the hot, fresh waffle cones wafts into the street and peaks your initial interest; next, you notice a massive line developing so you hop aboard to avoid fomo (fear of missing out); then you see the amazing strands of salted caramel being dolled onto warm cones and you need to have some. What makes this ice cream special is the high quality of products used, the care given to every small batch, and the 17% butterfat within each scoop. Needless to say, I was sold before the first bite. With almost a 65/35 ratio of ice cream to caramel, my first bite was a stunning mess.

Motown

Visiting cities like Atlanta, Killington, and Greenport, we have seen a sampling of the palette of flavors this sweet country has to offer. From friendly farmers in New York's Northfork to rock n' roll city-dwellers in Cabbagetown this duo thoroughly enjoys the spontaneity and adventure that each new destination affords us. One would imagine growing up just a mile outside of the Detroit City limits would have offered plenty of opportunity for adventure. It was the city's poor reputation for misadventure that kept me from coming too close. Detroit's notoriously-bad reputation along with its yearly murder numbers has long deterred suburbanite Millenials like myself from exploring the uniqueness that is Detroit-- until recently. My wife and I recently moved from New York City to the heart of the midwest. During our move, we spent some quality time with my family in the suburban setting of the Greater Metropolitan Detroit area. With the (albeit slow) resurgence of Detroit city happening in front of my face, I decided it was finally time we discover what made my city so special.

Sandwiching my favorite sports teams between a full day of activities it became evident that this bankrupt city wasn't going anywhere. The atrophy surrounding the city which once was a sign of the devastation and poverty is now a living urban art exhibit. The ruins tell the sad story of a city once torn apart by color and race. Burnt-out homes, stores, and office buildings litter Woodward Avenue (The first paved road in the US) reminding us that the past is visible and living just across the street. Locals have begun to embrace the urban blight as something believed to be a sign of better times ahead. Poets, musicians, chefs, and all forms of artists have found inspiration within the crumbling walls of Detroit.

Our outing started in the oldest neighborhood in Detroit and is named after the Irish settlers who came during the famine. Since most of the Irish who settle in Detroit were from County Cork, Ireland the area became known as Corktown. Astro Coffee was our first and only stop in this cool area of Detroit. A hip place to grab an espresso if you enjoy an extremely acidic espresso. Corktown, recently experienced a resurgence thanks to Slows BBQ, an outstanding barbecue joint right down the block from Astro Coffee.

Midtown was our next stop on the trip and Motor City Brewing Works was where we chose to grab a beer. If you have read my posts in the past, we really enjoy tasting beers from all over the world. MCBW brews their own beer but its not the coolest thing they do. MCBW has a unique green initiative to help make the alleyways in Detroit greener.Traffic Jam and Snug. Armed with an herb and veggie garden on the roof, the chef pumps out different things everyday. After glancing at their ever-changing menu and tasting the products it becomes clear to us that the owners understand the importance of fresh, high quality food. They also brew their own beer, bake their own bread, create their own sauces, and make just about everything in-house and from scratch. Acting as host to a number of up and coming boutique shops, Midtown is becoming a pretty fun and hip place to hang out. Among those unique shops is Shinola, a truly Made in American shop that features anything from handcrafted leather goods, high performance bikes, and a fleet of wrist watches that have been garnering national attention from publications like GQ and Esquire.

Fresh green shrubs and flowers adorn the once decrepit alley connected to the brewery. Just across the street from MCBW is another wonderful restaurant that was on Diners Drive-ins and Dives called the

With beer in our belly, we headed to the Rivertown-Warehouse District of Detroit to drink more beer. Our beer came from the tanks at Atwater Brewery this time, and what a freaking cool place to drink beer this was. Imagine yourself sitting at a medium sized bar in the middle of a brewery's production process, during production. The smell of toasted wheat and barley float up to the warehouse's high ceilings, a hi-lo with pallets of wort whiz past us to the loading dock, the warehouse manager jokingly yells at one of his employees for slacking off.

We observe all of this quietly, trying not to ruin a perfect moment, sucking down the fruits of their back-breaking labor. It was a nice day outside, so they opened both ends of the warehouse to get a breeze off of the Detroit River which clanked into view with the opening of the back warehouse door. It was perfection and can never be replicated.

We took a stroll along the Riverwalk to cap off a perfect day, talked about what made Detroit so special, then took in a Tigers victory over the rival White Sox. We concluded that its the people of Detroit that make Detroit City such a unique, and happy place. A few years ago, the people living in Detroit were viewed by the suburbanites as renegades living a dangerous life. Similar to the people chasing dreams of gold in the Wild West. In fact, the old west and Detroit have a lot of similarities: they were both lawless (to an extent), dangerous to travel through, and ultimately lead to America's rebirth as a unified country. Maybe the new Detroit won't change the fabric of 21st century America, but the people who live here will continue to work hard, play hard, and make every effort possible to ensure their Detroit keeps its unique flavor and continues to attract the unique people that make Detroit City their home. Since I too call Detroit home, I hope one day I will be able to contribute to Detroit in a positive way and assist in making it a city to be modeled after. 

A Taste of the South - Atlanta, GA

Rosebud Restaurant - Just outside of ATL

We spent the weekend in Atlanta, GA a while back for a wedding for two of our close friends. Even though it rained the whole weekend, we were able to sample enough of Atlanta's neighborhoods, food, and inhabitants to decide that we love the DIRTY SOUTH.

Our first stop was vital to our enjoyment of the south. The first day we were in Atlanta, we piled into the car and drove towards downtown to eat a traditional southern breakfast at The Silver Skillet.

Silver Skillet breakfast is the best

Cheese and grits, biscuits, red eye gravy, and of course it's not breakfast without center-cut, fried pork chops and scrambled eggs. The Silver Skillet boasts a true southern vibe. The restaurant has been feeding friendly southerners since 1967 and remains in the trusting hands of the family that started it all. Everything we ordered was tasty and filling. Maybe it was the company, but it was honestly one of the best breakfasts I've ever had. Sometimes I find myself missing their biscuits... Yea, its that good!

Some of the best chocolate I've ever had

Instead of taking a much needed nap after our massive brunch, we piled back into the car and headed for the Virginia Highland neighborhood of Atlanta. Virginia Highland is home to Cacao Atlanta, one of the best, and purest chocolates I have ever tasted. Two notable and unique aspects of Cacao's business is their custom-made chocolate bark  and their uniquely hands-on approach to creating high quality chocolate. The custom-made chocolate bark speaks for itself, but the passion of hand selecting your beans, roasting the beans, crushing the nibs, and creating the chocolate bars and truffles in house is something I haven't ever seen before visiting Atlanta. You can taste the hard work and detail put into each artful creation. This neighborhood is an upscale and somewhat-artistic, boutique-like neighborhood with lush greenery and beautiful homes lining the streets. There were some decent shops and some bars and restaurants that looked excellent too. With our time crunch, we had to keep moving, but we will undoubtedly try those places next time we visit.  

Custom chocolate bark bar

From Virginia Highlands, we rode along to another unique neighborhood ITP (Inside The Perimeter- a term used by locals to define the border surrounding Atlanta) called Cabbagetown in search of a truly southern classic in the form of boiled legume. We were told to try the boiled peanuts (a culinary abomination for someone from the north) at The Earl, where their family recipe is considered "the best" by some friendly locals we met in Virginia Highlands. Although I did not love the taste of boiled peanuts, the bar itself is a fantastic dive bar. With cheap beer, a decent menu, and nightly live music, The Earl is a must-visit for anyone who wants to experience Atlanta as the locals do (the locals who enjoy minimalist bars and live music).

While one day in a city cannot paint a vivid enough picture, our one day spent discovering Atlanta revealed a city of passionate, friendly people who eat well and enjoy living well. Atlanta is a place that I can see myself spending a lot of time in. I hope we can make it back soon. If we were able to have this much fun in one day...

The Earl in Cabbagetown

Boiled peanuts

Spring is here... Lets start planning trips!

With Spring hinting at its arrival (I was recently informed that it is on its way), it is time for everyone to start swatting at the ever-welcome travel bug. The thought of the oncoming camping season has created a stir among our usual friends. We know that that will more than likely be our first post of the spring. April, while a bit unpredictable is the best month to camp. The bugs haven't come out of hibernation and the weather is perfect-- not too hot not too cold. For more details on the best ways to set up a camping trip in 3 days I would refer to my earlier post entitled "Camping Close to NYC".

During the brisk cold of NYC winter, we mentioned places we wanted to visit and write about. The Finger Lakes, Hudson Valley, even the Jersey Shore all came up as possible short-weekend jaunts. We talked about places like Maine, the Pacific North West (Washington State and Oregon), or even Colorado for a longer weekend escape. 

I was curious if anyone has any suggestions or requests for where they would like us to visit and write about. Let me know your suggestions in the comment box or post on our new Facebook page.

British Virgin Islands - Part 2

The BVIs have way too many activities to do in one trip alone. While sailing is key in the BVIs, scuba, hiking, snorkeling, power-boating, and kite surfing are also what attract its nearly 1,000,000 visitors annually.

Since people who visit the BVIs view sailing more as a religion than a sport, there was no chance of us saying no when we were offered by a friend to join him on the boat that he rented for the day. For the sport of it, we will call this friend Skipper. The Skipper has a pretty impressive resume for someone who no longer sails the wide open seas. When we boarded our ocean tamer which was perfectly named the Cosmic Warlord, the Skipper told us about his time learning how to sail with a master sailor around the islands of Fiji (I know... Holy crap that is cool). We got a quick lesson in how to trim the sails, jibe, and tack before heading below deck to make some Dark and Stormies. Without warning, we were off the dock and heading for open water. When I heard the word "sailing" in the past, it conjured up thoughts of fit men and women wearing Nautica clothes and lounging on the perfectly-clean wooden deck of a sailboat. Maybe having a cocktail, definitely wearing sunglasses. This is not how sailing is. It is far more erratic and wild than we were lead to believe. Once our boat started to come out from the cove and into open water, the wind curled around the mountain beside us and caught our sails. We took off and I nearly fell overboard. When the wind takes you, the boat tilts sideways, to an almost 90 degree angle and I was not armed with this knowledge. Thankfully I caught my awkward self just before slamming my face into the guard rails.

We sailed around Virgin Gorda for a couple of hours until we arrived in paradise. Paradise in this case was a massive beach that no one else was on (or could get to). This beach was beside a cliff and under the road that takes you from one side of the island to the other. Pretty much the only access to this beach was by boat or by a horrifying fall from the road above. A combination of sailing and arriving to a stunning private beach made for my favorite moment of the whole trip. Please refer to the pictures as I don't have anymore words to describe its (wait, one more word) awesomeness.

Another Virgin Gorda original that we had the pleasure of visiting is know as The Baths. Massive mounds of limestone and volcanic rock have eroded into a natural grotto after years of ocean water rushing up onto it from the beach. This unique rock formation and its narrow tunnels through pure blue water can seem claustrophobic if you are scared of that sorta thing. We got there around 10am, which was right before the hordes of tourists showed up. The Baths can easily be appreciated as one of the rare wonders of the world, until you get caught in a large crowd of tourists. Then The Baths become a tourist trap... Literally! Maneuvering around and sometimes over large boulders is tricky, but throw in 25 Alabama tourists and you immediately want to leave, but cannot. Luckily we were tipped off about this and got there before the rush. It is worth a visit, but make sure you get there in the morning.

After the hustle of careful maneuvering between massive rocks, we were all looking for something a bit more peaceful for our last adventure in the Caribbean. Even though I had never been scuba diving, it sounded like a good idea to give it a try. I was able to get a quick certification from the Bitter End Yacht Club that took less than an hour. I was a little nervous to go at first, but the thought of how many people go scuba diving set my mind at ease. If all f these people go and love it, why wouldn't I? I did love it and cant wait to go scuba diving again. Not only is it a peaceful experience, but you get to see so much wildlife. Sea turtles, lobster, parrot fish, clown fish, and angel fish were some of the things we saw during our 40 minute dive.

All in all, Virgin Gorda was a fantastic time. If you ever decide to go see it for yourself, I would recommend trying something new. Be it sailing, scuba, or getting drunk at Foxy's the British Virgin Islands is loaded with good times.

British Virgin Islands - Part 1

Last week, I was fortunate enough to travel to Virgin Gorda with my parents, my wife, and about 15 family law attorneys from Michigan. My father goes on a networking/conference every year with family law attorneys. This year, the Traveling Duo was fortunate enough to make the trip as stowaways. 

A boat bringing provisions from the dock

Virgin Gorda is the third largest island in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and is very hilly, narrow, and sparsely populated. The rugged landscape (due to the volcanic soil and rocks) makes for an absolutely spectacular drive, no matter where you are going on the island. Some parts of the island can only be accessed by boat which makes the most mundane chores an adventure. 

View from an open-air cab - traveling from Gun Creek to Spanish Town

Arriving to Virgin Gorda itself was no small feat. We flew from Puerto Rico to Beef Island, which was one of the prettiest descents I have been a part of. As the plane came careening around one side of Beef Island, the left wing was so close to the rolling hills I was able to look into some houses. One of the houses sat atop a rolling green hill which towered over a secluded beach about 100 feet below that melted into the clearest blue water you have ever seen. We were amazed and kept looking for large fish through the crystal blue water. It was a landing that spawned "Ooh's and Ahh's" from the small plane of no more than 25 people. 

 The ride from Beef Island to Virgin Gorda

Once we landed, we walked across the street, past some chickens, to "the dock" and hopped on the North Sound Express. They loaded our luggage as the sun was dipping beneath the hills and between islands. We motored between islands from port to port as the sky went from a collage of colors to a thick blanket of stars. I saw not one, but two shooting stars on that hour long boat ride. 

When we pulled up to the Bitter End Yacht Club after what seemed like a trip to the planetarium (I would have gladly accepted an amateur astronomy class on that boat ride) we grabbed dinner and crashed from a full day of traveling.

Since we showed up late at night, we didn't get a chance to soak in where we were. It was too dark and we couldn't get our bearings. The next morning we woke up to this: 

My dad with his guitar, ready to jam on the beach

We immediately packed our snorkels, books, guitar, and a cooler of beer and headed for the beach. On our walk there, we were told that most people who visit the Bitter End Yacht Club (BEYC) do not actually stay on the island, rather they sail to the BEYC, sleep on their boat, and take a dingy to shore and drink at the bar, eat at the restaurant, or use the pool and beach (hence all of the sailboats in the photo above). This blew me away. I'm no sailor nor have I sailed anything bigger than a Hobie Cat (which I ended up crashing and swimming back 1 1/2 miles), but some people we met had sailed from Holland to the BVI for the whole winter. Other people sailed down from Virginia, St. Thomas, and even Hoboken, NJ. 

The BVI is a sailor's paradise because you do not need typical nautical navigational skills because every island is so close together. You can see from one island to the next so all you need is a map and some common sense to get from place to place. 

Me and the wife on the Tiara

We celebrated my father's birthday while we were down there. He requested we visit a remote, boat-access-only island called Jost Van Dyke, which was featured in Kenny Chesney's music video for his 2002 hit song "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem." The music video included a scene at One Love Bar where it is common for patrons to pay with wet bills.
We rented a 15-seater Tiara speed boat and on my father's request we visited a bar made famous by sailors called Foxy's. Foxy's had pretty good Caribbean style food and even better libations. When in the Caribbean, it seems like every bar has their own mixed drink specials along with the typical classics. I try not to stray too far from the classics. Rum punch is my personal favorite while in scorching hot weather, so I feel confident when I say that Foxy's had the best rum punch. It was tasty as hell, not too sweet, and got me pretty drunk (after 3 of them).

Foxy's about to order a rum punch

Mom Driving the Tiara

There are enough beaches in the BVI that everyone can have their own. After wandering around Jost Van Dyke for a couple hours, we decided to drive the boat to a secluded beach and go for a swim/snorkel. We were the only ones on this beach and there is no better feeling in the world. 

Our own private beach... We found it so its ours now

Transportation to the private beach - Snorkel 

Stay tuned for scuba diving, sailing on the Cosmic Warlord, the baths, more drinking and a close encounter with an iguana... 

B&B For Beginners, The Bucolic North Fork

This past summer, my wife and I decided to take a quick road trip (more like a long drive) to the North Fork of Long Island. For those of you who did not grow up in the Tri-State area, Long Island is a long, narrow island that begins just east of Manhattan (that area of Long Island is known as Brooklyn and Queens) and goes west (towards the Hamptons). While driving west on Long Island, you will eventually hit a town called Riverhead. Riverhead is where the island forks into a north side and a south side-- aka North Fork and The Hamptons. Some people say it makes the island look like a whale, with the tail of the whale being the North Fork and The Hamptons. The Hamptons is known as being the glitzy summer getaway for the wealthy (I cant help but think of Ina Garten's home and garden where she entertains her high-brow friends over luxurious meals) while the North Fork is mostly comprised of farmland, wineries, and authentic, farm to table restaurants (think rustic farm-stand). Its the unpolished gem of New York State and we absolutely love it!

We left the big city and headed due east towards Riverhead. We came across Liv Vodka and Spirits, Long Island's first craft distillery... We were unimpressed. The vodka we tried was not smooth, nor did they chill our shots before we tasted them. The whole operation seemed like it didn't have a soul. Since they call themselves a "craft" distillery, I was expecting something clever with some type of artistry and I left feeling let down (although I got to keep my shot glass). 

Liv Vodka distillery

We then decided to drive directly to our lodging, The Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast in Cutchogue, NY to drop off our stuff and... And... Uh... Yea. Wait! How the hell does this work?!?! We are sleeping in someone's home, eating their food, and using their amenities with strange people we have never met before. We had never stayed at a B&B before and had no idea what to expect or what the drill was. Do we hang out around their house while they are working? Do we keep to ourselves? WE BOTH WERE CLUELESS (to be honest, I was kind of scared of the unknown). The whole concept of staying so close to strangers was kind of creepy to me. As we pulled up to this stunning house with farmland in the foreground AND background, we were happily blown away by its authenticity. We were going to be spending 3 nights and 4 days on a freaking farm!!! Fully equipped with a horse, dog, chicken coup, organic gardens, honey bees, and a feral cat-- this farm was the most legitimate farm I had ever seen... Good thing I brought my Claritin. 

Back porch of Farmhouse B&B

We were greeted by the owners Bob and Joyce who helped us get our bags to our room which was equipped with a private back porch, private bathroom, and a TV. In awe of everything we were seeing, we took second to gather our thoughts before Joyce offered us a tour and some homemade cookies. By the way, anything that Joyce cooked was so good, but those cookies were dramatically divine. My knees got weak and I needed to sit down after the first bite. I must have eaten 20+ cookies in 3 days!  

Old ship building company sign in Greenport

Greenport Brewing Company

One of the more memorable places we visited while staying in the North Fork was Greenport Harbor. Greenport is a cute little town at the very tip of the North Fork and is almost surrounded by water and marinas. Being directly on the water makes me feel at home, but the Greenport Harbor Brewing Company made this visit so great. All of their beers were truly delicious and they gave us generous pours. For $10, you get an awesome Greenport Harbor Brewing Co. mug and get to taste all of the beers that they have. The brewery is ran by a husband and wife duo who are extremely friendly and love dogs. Friends of theirs were pouring in with their pets and everyone was drinking and having a blast. It felt like we were a part of something special. To cure our strong buzz, we walked right down the street to First and South, a new-age eclectic restaurant with classics like their famous french fries and pickle plate as well as some exotic offerings like fried duck tongues (for the more adventurous eater). They had outdoor seating which was nice and the food was pretty good as well. 

DOUBLE! Porgie and Sea Bass on the line!

The following morning, we jumped on a fishing charter and spent the morning hauling in dinner. We caught lots of Porgies and some small Sea Bass. It was a perfect day to fish and everyone we met on board was helpful and informative. We took our catch and headed to the nearby grocery store to pick up the rest of dinner. We brought a portable grill and cooking utensils in anticipation of cooking our catch on the shores of the very water we pulled the fish out of. We found a secluded stretch of beach that was pinched between two houses and at the bottom of a hilly dune. We set up shop and started cooking (and drinking lots of beer). WOW, was that memorable. The food came out great, the scenery was magnificent (we saw the sun set), and we were barefoot the whole time!

The food came out great!

This was a trip filled with new experiences for both of us. We picked eggs out of a chicken coup for breakfast, biked alongside vineyards, went fishing for a fish we've never tried before, and had an adventurous stay at our first B&B. Cooking our meal on the shores of the Long Island Sound was the highlight of the trip, but here are some other places we enjoyed as well: Lavender By The Bay, never-ending farm stands (Wickham Farm was our favorite), goat cheese farms, and others. 

If you have never been to the North Fork, I hope you decide to give it a try after reading this post. If you have any questions or comments, please post them and I will do my best to respond in a timely fashion.