The List

So last post I mentioned by now infamous "list".  I have an Excel spreadsheet I set up ages ago for restaurants, tourist spots, museums and specialty hotels that I would like to visit one day from all over the country, and even the world.    It has everything from fancy schmancy tasting menus in New York City to the Ice Hotel in Canada, and another in Sweden.  (The latter two of which I have little hope of ever seeing as my husband regards being cold as slightly less comfortable than being water-boarded.)  Consider it a traveler's bucket list, so to speak. (No, I'm not compulsive, not me ...)

I've got the basics like name, address and phone number, along with web site and a column to list any specific items they are famous for.  I also note if they are uber expensive and leave space to notate the date when I finally get there.  (What?! Recording keeping is important.)

This all started primarily with restaurants I saw/heard about on what I refer to as the TV Foodie trifecta: The Food Network, The Cooking Channel and The Travel Channel.  But I don't limit myself to these three sources; I am also a voracious magazine reader (I once read Cigar Aficionado on a regular basis just because the office where I was employed had a subscription for the waiting room - but I don't smoke!)  Word of mouth is also excellent, so if you have a recommendation, don't be shy!

Once I started dating my husband, I surmised that I would be regularly visiting Texas, (because, I naively thought that I would never move there, no not me ... uh huh. Right.) so it got its own special tab.  Now the Texas food tab has just EXPLODED. And I love writing.  You see where this is going...  Also, I now have the perfect foodie battle cry, "But Honey, we HAVE to go out to dinner, it's for the BLOG!" Hee-hee.

So here we are on this foodie adventure together.  Next stop - calf fries!  (Which is really just a euphemism for testicles!)  Party on!