Triple-D in Triple-A: Hey, Haven't We Been Here Already This Year?
Steve Klauke, voice of the Salt Lake Bees, spends all 144 games of the Bees season with the team, home and away. Needless to say he's not getting home cooking for 72 of those games. Steve's always looking for a good spot to eat in the 15 cities throughout the league and here, he'll chronicle those visits to his favorites, which also happen to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
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One of my favorite things about traveling with the Bees is the ability to check out new restaurants, particularly those that have been featured on the Food Network's hit series "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives". Due to one of quirks in this year's schedule, our fourth trip of the season was to a pair of cities that we'd already been to: Tacoma and Albuquerque.
Admittedly, I sometimes go out of my way to go to one of the spots visited by host Guy Fieri. I have already hit all of the restaurants in Tacoma that have been highlighted on the show, so my eyes, and stomach, ventured south to the Washington State Capitol of Olympia during our second trip to T-town. It was about a 25 minute drive from our hotel, so to maximize my trip, I stopped at both places in that city that had been on Triple-D, one for lunch and one for dessert.
My lunch stop was a place called Fish Tale Brew Pub. Interestingly, the restaurant had recently undergone a menu change, so the exact items featured on the show were no longer available in its original form, but there were replacements that were very close. The bangers and mash were replaced by bangers and beans. I had wanted to try the Dungeness crab cannelloni, but that wasn't on the menu anymore either. It was replaced by something similar, though, a Dungeness crab ravioli. It was one of the best dishes I've had at any of the Triple-D spots I have visited. The portion size was plentiful and the ravioli was tender and delicious. It was covered in a creamy roasted red pepper sauce and served with garlic bread. It was, to say the least, a unique combination of flavors that really worked well together. To be honest, I will likely make that drive when we return to Tacoma next year just to have it again.
From there I walked five blocks, although I think I needed fifty blocks after that lunch, to Darby's Café. Although my doctor wouldn't be happy with me, I went there for a dessert that they also serve as a breakfast item. Darby's takes a tortilla and spreads over it with cream cheese. They then top it with their own in-restaurant-made granola and fresh blueberries. It is then rolled and deep fried for just a couple of minutes. The wrap is then cut in half and served with vanilla ice cream and then topped with more granola and blueberries. All I could say after my first bite was "Wow!" There was the crunchiness of the granola, the tartness of the blueberries and the smoothness of the cream cheese and ice cream.
The second half of the trip was to Albuquerque and it was also our second trip to the Duke City this season. Our first visit included an Italian restaurant that served black squid ink pasta with sautéed seafood and tomatoes that was delicious. My first stop on this trip was The Cube BBQ just outside of downtown Albuquerque. I did have a problem finding the place because the Food Network app had an incorrect address, but I did eventually find it. One of the items that Guy ate was their barbecue chicken breast dinner.
It wasn't served the usual way, as it was a bone-in chicken breast with the skin still on. Most places serve it without the bone or the skin, but I did not have a problem dealing with those culinary roadblocks. The chicken was moist and tender and the sauce had a bit of a kick to it, which I like. I don't really care for sweeter flavored BBQ sauce. The sides were as good as the chicken. The coleslaw was a little unique, as it had thin slices of apple mixed in with the cabbage. The mac and cheese was exceptionally gooey, as The Cube uses five different cheeses. I was given the choice of Texas toast or corn bread, which was a tough call, but went with toast.
As you can see in the photos, they have a Vision and Philosophy board with the Do's and Don'ts of how they operate. It was an interesting read and seemed like a great way to run a restaurant. Their way of doing things also seems to fit in with what Triple-D looks for in the places they choose.
My second stop was to the Nexus Brewery, which is somewhat hidden on the north side of town. Guy had a couple items there and I hit another fowl ball. I went with the fried chicken breasts, which were, again, moist and tender. The sides included mashed potatoes with a creamy white gravy and topped with green onions and collard greens. Now, I had never eaten collard greens and really wasn't looking forward to that possibility. I remember Karl Malone once tried to get me to eat them, but I told him thanks, but no thanks. Over the years I have eaten out of my comfort zone because of my "rule" of having to try something that was featured on the show, so I decided to give them a try. The first flavor I tasted reminded me of canned green beans, which is not a good thing, and it went downhill from there. I am pretty sure it will be the first and last time I will be eating collard greens.
To this point, I have visited 113 different "joints", as Guy calls them, which have featured on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", but don't worry, there are plenty more to try. I already have a few more stops planned during our trip to Oklahoma City and to Denver, as we travel to Colorado Springs.