Hope all of you had a great weekend.  We sure did.  My boyfriend and I took a short day trip to Portsmouth, NH. This city by the water is only an hour or so drive from Boston; it’s also home to one of my favorite dishes.  Nestled between the beach towns of southern New Hampshire and Maine, Portsmouth boasts a cool hippy vibe amidst the rigid historic storefronts and homes that line the streets within the seaport district.  Here entrepreneurship reigns king with several local businesses lining the heavy-trafficked streets of Market and Congress Streets.  Of these flourishing local businesses, breweries here hold a distinct presence in New England as being some of the best.

1. Portsmouth Brewery

Here in New England we have a local television program “Phantom Gourmet” which highlights and reviews the best places to chow down.  While most of the reviews feature dining spots within the Boston area, each episode presents a “Dish Worth Driving To” in one of our neighboring states or farther off cities.  The spicy curry mussels at Portsmouth Brewery is my Dish Worth Driving To (over and over again).

These delicious little guys are seasoned with curry, coconut milk, lemongrass, and a touch of spicy chili sauce.  They’re served with slivers of toasted and buttered baguette, perfect for soaking in the mouth watering moules sauce.  You can order these as an appetizer, but I prefer them as an entree with a side of fries and chipotle mayo.  In the mood for something different?  No problem.. The brewery offers a vast menu with always changing daily specials, which I must admit I’ve never tried myself due to my mussels addiction, but I’ve heard they’re great. 

In addition to the excellent fare, the brewery boasts an array of handcrafted beers in addition to those of their sister company, Smuttynose Brewery.  Their limited release imperial stout “Kate the Great” is their most beloved and sought after beer as it is made only once every year in a small batch.  Rated as the best beer in America and the second best on Planet Earth by Beer Advocate, Kate the Great sells out within hours of its release.

Eat me. 56 Market St, Portsmouth, NH 03801, (603) 431-1115, www.portsmouthbrewery.com/

2. Smuttynose Brewery

If you’ve taken my advice and plan on making the trip to Portsmouth for some spicy curry mussels, I recommend that you visit Portsmouth Brewery’s sister brewery, Smuttynose first.  Why?  Free tour, free beer, and a coupon to get even more free beer (a pint to be exact) at Portsmouth Brewery, which is only a two mile or so drive away.

There’s nothing formal about this place. Upon stepping inside the brewery, you feel as if you’re in your neighbor’s garage. Your tour guide and bartender for the day begins the tour with samplings of the Smuttynose line from an impromptu bar.  Once everyone has a beer in their hand, the tour commences through the brewery.  My favorite stop on the tour: the hops fridge.  Oh the sweet sweet smell of cascade hops…

Drink me. 225 Heritage Ave, Portsmouth, NH 03801, (603) 436-4026, www.smuttynose.com

3. Redhook Brewery

If you plan on brewery hopping then you’ve got to add Seattle-born Redhook to your list.  As one of the world’s largest craft brewers, Redhook established a third home in Portsmouth in 1996 on an old air force base.  The brewery offers tours seven days a week and while the tour isn’t free, it’s cheap at $1 per person.  The brewery also has a restaurant on site and offers a wide selection of handcrafted beers.

Drink me. 35 Corporate Dr, Portsmouth, NH 03801, (603) 430-8600, www.redhook.com

One of my favorite things about this blog is that I now have a home for all the random food pictures I have stored on my computer.  The pictures in this post are from a family trip to Hollywood and the infamous Pink’s Hot Dogs.  This “Hollywood Legend” has been around since 1939, giving tourists and locals alike a swift kick to the stomach and an express trip to the bathroom.

So just how good is this place?  Well be prepared to spend an hour in line before ordering one of these hot dog creations.  We certainly did and it was well worth it.  I got a 10″ Stretch Dog dressed with grilled onions, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, and lettuce.  I think the beefy treat weighed at least a pound or more. Delicious and dangerous all at the same time.

Eat me. 709 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038, (323) 931-4223, www.pinkshollywood.com

If you’ve ever watched Anthony Bourdain’s American Heartland episode, then you will not be surprised when I say Denver isn’t a food mecca by any means.  But who cares when they have fantastic beer, and lots of it.  In fact, Denver has become known as “The Napa of Beer” with 74 breweries within 100 miles of downtown.  Over the past few years, my boyfriend and I have ventured multiple times to Denver to unwind and take in the fresh mountain air.  Here’s a few of our favorite spots to imbibe.

1. Great Divide Brewery & Tap Room

A trip to Denver, for us, wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the tap room at the Great Divide brewery located downtown.  After a long plane ride from Boston and a hour-long bus ride to downtown Denver, Great Divide is the perfect place to start your vacation.  The brewery offers free tours and free pours of their 10 or so beers on tap.  Great Divide’s beer is not for the faint of heart (or shall I say liver) — most of their beers linger above 7% ABV.  The must-try in my opinion is their Yeti Imperial Stout, which boasts strong coffee and chocolate flavors.

Rated in the top 10 of BeerAdvocate.com’s “All-Time Top Breweries on Planet Earth” list, it has been exciting to see this brewery grow over the years.

If you can’t make it to Denver, look for Great Divide beer at your local watering hole or liquor store.  You can find distributor locations near you on their website.

Drink me. 2201 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80205, (303) 296-9460, www.greatdivide.com

2. Falling Rock Tap House

With 75+ beers on tap and 150+ bottled beers to choose from, Falling Rock Tap House is a great place to enjoy a beer.  While the food might be a bit average for bar grub, the beer list is impressive as is their digs.  They don’t call it Tap House for no reason, Falling Rock offers multiple rooms and areas to sip on a cold one.  While you’re there, don’t forget to check out the owner’s personal beer bottle collection lining the walls of the bar — over 1,000 bottles from around the world.

Drink me. 1919 Blake St, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 293-8338, www.fallingrocktaphouse.com/

3. Peaks Lounge at Hyatt Regency Denver

Our favorite hotel when staying in Denver is the Hyatt Regency, not only because it’s top-notch, but for Peaks Lounge located at the top of hotel.  The lounge offers not only cocktails, local beers, and pricey (but tasty) appetizers; it also has some of the best views of the city and the Rockies.  While we’ve only been here at night, I’ve always wanted to stop by around sunset.

Drink me. 650 15th St, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 436-1234, denverregency.hyatt.com

More to drink:

• Breckenridge Brewery.  A brewpub located near Coors Field — awesome beer and even awesome-r BBQ!  Try the Vanilla Porter and the 471 Small Batch.  2220 Blake St, Denver, CO 80205, (303) 297-3644,
  www.breckenridgebrewery.com/
• Wynkoop Brewing Company.  Denver’s first brewpub, enough said.  1634 18th St, Denver, CO 80202, (303) 297-2700, www.wynkoop.com
• Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery.  Yes, it’s a chain restaurant, but this one has gotta be the best location of the bunch.  And the nachos (and burgers) are incredible.  1001 16th St, Ste C1, Denver, CO 80265, (303) 534-7616, www.rockbottom.com

Five years ago my boyfriend and I traveled to Montreal from Boston.  It was our first “big” trip together and we were very inexperienced travelers.  There was no Yelp, no Anthony Bourdain, no DK travel books, nothing.  We spent most of our trip circling Old Montreal, but we had fun.

Five years later, we decided to venture Montreal once more to see what we might uncover now as beer-geeks-slash-amateur-foodies.  Below is a taste of what we found.

1. Schwartz’s

Located in the Plateau Mont Royal neighborhood, this Hebrew Delicatessen has been a Montreal tradition since 1928 serving their world famous smoked meat.  Their smoked meat sandwiches are served simply: two small (but oh so filling) halves served on rye bread with a slathering of yellow mustard.  Not only is the taste irresistible, but so is the price coming in at just under $6.00 CAD not including drinks or sides.  We opted for the cole slaw and fries, both delicious as well.

Eat me. 3895 Saint-Laurent Boul, Montreal, QC H2W 1X9, (514) 842-4813, www.schwartzsdeli.com

2. Restaurant Holder

After discovering we could not go to Au Pied De Cochon (see below), our hotel concierge recommended Restaurant Holder located off the touristy and sub-par Rue St. Paul in Old Montreal.  Holder is a lively brasserie that offers a great atmosphere and delicious French food without being stuffy.  Luckily, we were sat immediately despite not having reservations.  I opted for the grilled hanger steak and frites, while my boyfriend chose the grilled salmon with lemon butter and potato puree.  Both superb.

Eat me. 407 McGill Rue, Montreal, QC H2Y 2G3, (514) 849-0333, www.restaurantholder.com

More to eat:

• Les Glaceurs. A cupcake and gelato shop located in Old Montreal.  Try the red velvet cupcake!  453 Rue Saint-Sulpice, Montreal, QC H2M 2T6, (514) 504-1469, www.lesglaceurs.ca
• Dieu Du Ciel.  A brewpub with over 15 handcrafted beers on tap.  For a strong sip of beer, order a Peche Mortel.  29 Laurier Av W, Montreal, QC H2T 2N2, (514) 490-9555, www.dieuduciel.com/
• Jean-Talon Market. A large public market located in Montreal’s Little Italy.  Fresh fruit and vegetables paired with great local flavors and vendors.  7070 rue Henri-Julien, Montréal, QC H2M 2T6, www.marchespublics-mtl.com/

Rules to eat by in Montreal:

1. Always make reservations! Depending on the restaurant you want to eat at, you may need to make reservations a month or more in advance.  Our first night we planned on going to the much loved and critically acclaimed Au Pied De Cochon, but alas we had no reservations and we’re practically laughed at by our hotel concierge when we mentioned this.
2. Stay away from Rue St. Paul in Old Montreal. While it may be fun to walk along this street, do not eat here unless you like overpaying for average food.
3. Opt for mayo. Take a tip from the French and eat your frites with mayo instead of ketchup.. Delicious!
4. Hit the candy aisle. If you’re not from Canada, you will enjoy the different candy offerings by Nestle.  My favorite is Coffee Crisp.  Wikipedia describes it as “a combination of coffee cream, cookie wafers and milk chocolate coating. It does contain a small amount of coffee, although much of its coffee taste comes from flavouring.”

But if there’s one thing I do love to do, talk about, and hopefully write about is: food and travel.  Yes, it’s trendy, sure.  But if writing about my 2 favorite things will keep me from watching Bravo all day long, then writing about food and travel is what I will do.

Eat, travel, and be merry.  Enjoy!