If you don’t already know, Julie, Scott and I went on a 17 day book tour that had us city hopping from Charleston to San Francisco and all parts in between. It was an amazing trip with tons of inspirational moments, fun and truly awesome experiences. Our 10-month-old Paleo baby, Scott, was in tow along with my amazing and very generous mother, Lisa (without her help this tour would not have been possible!).
Kisses all around!
The tour was a ton of fun and we had a blast meeting and visiting with old and new friends (little known fact: we sometimes give kisses to fans).
Because we were on the road for most of the month, we weren’t exactly cooking much. Traveling to ten cities in seventeen days from coast to coast isn’t exactly the most inspiring scenario to discuss and develop meals. However, travels provide a different twist on planning: researching and knowing what might be available in whatever city you’re visiting (and this is the perfect segue to share our FOODIE WEEKEND GIVEAWAY in Atlanta!)!
Meals for the week away from home
Let’s start with a wholehearted endorsement for Robb’s Paleo Dining Out Guide. Obviously, this is a trusted weapon for those would-be travelers and/or vacationers. Whether we’re talking about an extended trip or simply navigating the restaurants in your own back yard, this is a nice tool to bring along. Here are just a few added thoughts we’d like to throw in the mix for you.
Karen Banks introduced us to the Corner Table in Houston – and got some practice playing grandma
First, chances are that if you are living the Paleo lifestyle, you’ve got other friends that are on the bus with you. If so, in advance of your trip, query your peeps for great restaurants in the cities you’ll be visiting. Not only might they have suggestions for you, but it’s always so fun to get to catch up with people in person. If that’s not possible, send those e-mails, Facebook & Twitter requests out to the universe – these are great ways to cast a broad net and potentially snag a few suggestions of places that get what the Paleo movement is about and can/do prepare meals that are compliant with our lifestyle…or at least people might have some stellar suggestions (Paleo or not) for you to check out. Thanks to many of you on Facebook and Twitter, we got a bunch of recommendations in pretty much every city. Some of the places we checked out: Old Major in Denver, Low Country Bistro in Charleston, Corner Table in Houston, The Slanted Door and Plow in San Fran, and Pok Pok in Portland (just to name a few!). We even got to meet the folks at Outside the Box in Seattle, who have a mobile food truck providing awesome Paleo meals at a bunch of CrossFits around the city.
Second, pack up some emergency snacks for when you’re in the car or on a plane for extended periods of time. If you have not yet checked out Well Food Company, do so before your next trip! We just got a few of their new Carne Bars shortly before our trip and you better believe they were in our carry on luggage. Some other ideas for packing snacks include dried coconut, perhaps a few Homemade Lara Bar Balls from our new cookbook or some homemade granola. When I went to Guam earlier this year for a Navy Special Warfare presentation, it was these types of snacks that got me through seventeen hours in the air across three airports with tight connections.
Third, be smart about your accommodations. If you can stay in a hotel room that has a mini fridge, this gives you the freedom to bring home leftovers or even a second entrée from a restaurant that can be a quick breakfast on the go. Obviously, if you’re having an extended stay, you’ll want to find a room with a small kitchenette or microwave.
We Paleo folks gotta promote each other and get the word out!
Charles tackling a very large pork chop
If you’ve read any of our blogs at Paleo Comfort Foods, thumbed through either of our cookbooks or spent any time reading our posts on Facebook or Twitter, then you understand how supportive we are of our local restaurants – especially those that are taking the plunge and offering up Paleo eats!
For example, the lovely and gracious Karen Banks invited us to join her for lunch at Corner Table in Houston. It seems that chef Bruce Molzan and his team, have made a huge commitment to the Paleo lifestyle. The menu was amazing and had an entire Paleo section. Chef Bruce even brought out a copy of our first book with pages marked and told us stories of how our book was the first Paleo cookbook he owned, and that his adaptation of our fried chicken recipe is on his menu. More than that, a few of the staff have gotten on board with the Paleo lifestyle, like our server, David. He has lost over 65 pounds in 5 months and happily showed us his belt with 6 notches taken out. He called the belt his “trophy”. There was also the little fact that the arthritis in his wrists had completely gone away!
Scott and Zoe doing their best awkward family photo pose
After lunch, I was chatting with chef Bruce about his restaurant and the Paleo menu. Surprisingly, not many people in Houston knew of such Paleo offerings! I feel like it is up to us (the Paleo community) to help promote restaurants that subscribe to our dietary preferences, locally sourcing and sustainable practices. Houston has a gem of a restaurant and it is helpful for each of us to promote and patronize restaurants in our local community that “get” what we do and the way that we eat.
Wherever you go, whatever you eat, be sure to have some down time and connect with others. Our final stops on the tour were in Chico and Reno, and though they might not appreciate it now, we’re pretty sure our kids will someday cherish visits like these with each other (though they look less-than-thrilled here!). And now for that giveaway….
Foodie Weekend Getaway in Atlanta!
The Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Foods Foodie Weekend Giveaway! That’s right, we’re going to fly our winner (and a guest) to Atlanta, GA for a weekend of gastronomic indulgence that will not soon be forgotten. The lucky winner will bring a friend to Atlanta for a weekend of food hosted by some of our favorite restaurants. We’ll be putting you up at the fabulous W Hotel-Downtown Atlanta. Dinner, Lunch & Brunch at our super favorite spots will be included and you can take in as many of the sites, sounds, smells and tastes of Atlanta as can be crammed into 48 hours. The fun will include: Local Three, 4th & Swift, Muss & Turners, Villains Wicked Heroes & Urban Pl8. How to enter? So many fun ways for you to score entry into this giveaway!
Winner will be drawn Wednesday December 4th.
Fine print: Dates of travel will be mutually agreed upon. Airfare will be within the 48 contiguous United States of America. Winners must be at least 21 years of age and a ravenous foodie of the Paleo persuasion. Current subscribers/followers for Robb Wolf and Paleo Comfort Foods are eligible. Winner will be responsible for transfers and ground transportation in Atlanta.
It’s really surprising to me there aren’t more restaurants catering to paleo, either through a paleo menu or being entirely paleo focused. One would think this would be sustainable in a city like San Francisco here but alas, pretty slim pickings.
The hardest part for me is to find gluten free items to eat with no risk of contamination. I know of only one restaurant here that’s completely gluten free (Pica Pica Maize Kitchen – corn based though).
It’s a very different situation for those that are highly gluten sensitive vs those who are not but trying to avoid it all together. Being in the former group my dining out has gone from 1-2 times per week to once per month at most.