Took a trip with my brother to Columbia, South Carolina for the eclipse. He was recovering from surgery and getting stir crazy to get of dodge. Being the news watcher he is, he succumbed to the constant buzz of eclipse totality. Although traffic hindered us and we had limited time, good food and giggles were abound for a road trip for a good picture of the event.
Eclipse totality
Our first stop for awesomeness was Dogfish Head in Arlington. I consider Dogfish in the argument for best brewery in the U.S. A favorite of mine, but I rarely (if ever), get it from a tap here out west. I ordered a flight and was instantly gratified that it met and exceeded expectations. It was a nice kick to the head reminder of how much I enjoy great beer. I’ve been unenthused of late because I’m tiring of hop heavy craft beers. Something San Diego has in abundance.
I flew into D.C because my brother lives there, and our plan was to head to SC the next morning. We did; with ibuprofen and itunes, we arrived at our shady, but “not as shady as we thought” motel outside Columbia…a mere 10 hours later. Traffic was horrible. Surprisingly, we weren’t the only people going to SC for the view. After a good stretch and a text to my wife about the hole in our bathroom door. We surveyed our dinner choices and settled on Fuddruckers. Mind you, we were beat, it was 9:00, and we were too far from downtown. We thought an easy, good burger sounded nice, just as long as they served beer. After we walked in, I noticed a sign from across the street for another place we hadn’t seen.
Indian AND Mexican food
Yes, the restaurant was Indian and Mexican food…in South Carolina. I pointed it out to my bro and we b-lined it. It was a good decision. Although there was no noticeable Mexican on the menu, the Indian we had was great. I got to introduce my brother to paneer, and their Chole Bature was on point. Other highlights of the trip were my first boiled peanuts, and probably the best damn fried chicken I’ve ever had. I was looking to see D.C a bit upon our return, but alas, another looooong traffic day put the kibosh on that idea.
Not only will I be boiling peanuts and frying chicken in the near future, I’m looking forward to utilizing the boiled peanut into my cuisine. Boiling peanuts takes them back to their legume roots as they become soft and absorb whatever flavor they are cooked in. The ones I had were probably over cooked as they were very soft, as was the shell. We chewed up the whole thing and spit out the fiber, it was glorious. I had a vision of a Carolina tostada that will soon be realized.