Friday, July 16, 2010

On the Road Again

Here we are traveling South once again.  This time to see Leon's mom who is celebrating her 72nd birthday this weekend.  There is always the inevitable traffic jam, one that could have been avoided if we hadn't tried to avoid the other hold-up due to highway construction. So we did sightseeing in Hazelton, PA.

Benni holding up well despite the delay.
Stopped in Winchester, VA for an overnight - we don't drive endlessly anymore.  It's nice to enjoy some dinner and a leisurely walk after a long day of driving.  
Nice southern architecture in Winchester.

Finding a restaurant can sometimes be a challenge when traveling with a dog on a hot summer day.  We look for outdoor seating or a view of the car if we have to leave the dog with windows open.  But we got lucky in Winchester when we stumbled upon Brewbaker's in Old Town.  When we asked for a table near the fence so that we could keep Bennie near by, we were greeted with, "No problem, bring him into the patio."  The waitstaff appeared with a doggie bowl of ice water before we were even seated.  The waitperson, Tiffany, took our picture.
I can't say enough about Brewbaker's.  It was the best.  Especially after a long hot day in the car.  We ordered a Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Raspberry Dressing to share and we each ordered the Grilled Tuna Sandwich.  When Tiffany arrived with two plates of salad, we though she must have misunderstood, but we were hungry so didn't say anything.  When the bill arrived we were surprised to find that we had in fact been charged for only ONE salad but they had served it up in two bowls for us.  This was just too nice.

After enjoying the grilled tuna and a great brew (Magic something) and more ice water, we sat and just took in the ambiance of North Loudon Street - an open air street mall with no cars.  This restaurant was the friendliest place We've been to in a very long time.  If you are in the Winchester, VA area and need a good meal and some honest to goodness southern hospitality - Brewbaker's is the place.  As they say on thier web site:  "Everyone has one goal in mind while working here - "To make you happy!!!!" That's it, plain and simple, no outrageous mission statement, company growth plans, three tier progressive sales programs, just straight forward honest in your face truth "to make you happy." If we do please come back, if we don't please tell us how to make you happy and we will."  
Somewhere in the Carolinas travelers are met with the giant peach:  
Leon and the birthday girl coming out of the "LA CONCHA" ice cream store in Walhalla, SC.
"LA CONCHA" is a Mexican ice cream shop where the ice cream is homemade.  They have a variety of flavors, many of which are Mexican or Tropical fruit flavors.  I had one of their ice cream on a stick varieties: strawberry covered in what had to be a 16th inch of chocolate and then dipped in nuts.  There were real whole strawberries in it and it was like eating ice cream and a chocolate bar together.  What could be better on a hot day in South Carolina.  Unfortunately, Walhalla seems to be a depressed little town and it will be a challenge for this this new mom & pop (or should I say mamá y papá)
ice cream shop to make a go of it.  So at the risk of this post becoming a restaurant review - if you're passing through Walhalla, check out LA CONCHA on South College Street.

4 comments:

Cubby said...

Awww, Bennie's the cutest dog ever!

Russ Manley said...

Yup great pic of Benni in the back seat.

Sounds like a good trip, hope y'all have fun. Some beautiful views of the Blue Ridge in and around Walhalla, get some pics of that if you can.

Stan said...

WOW! Talk about"Southern hospitality!" Brewbaker's sound like a great place. How wonderful to be so dog friendly.
I used to see that Peach water tower when I used to travel north from Atlanta. SC has some real good peaches there.
Enjoy the rest of your trip.

Gary said...

Another road trip! Looks like you guys are having a good time, and Benni looks to be a good traveler.
And it's always nice to discover good eateries along the way.
Have fun!

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