Part of the joy in traveling is experiencing the culture of each locale. Come fly with me on a coast-to-coast food journey. 

West Coast Food Journey

This week starts slow, but ends up giving me some delicious surprises; coast to coast delicacies. I start out in California with a nice Prime Rib Dip from BJ’s, a chain restaurant. I try not to eat at chain restaurants while on the road if I can avoid it. 

It’s been a long day and we just need some food. The dish surprises me with its tender slices of protein hugged by a toasted brioche bun. The small offering of au jus sauce is piping hot and adds a nice little salty flash to each bite. I add a fry inside the bun to change up the texture. These are the good fries too. 

I don’t know where you lay on the spectrum of fries, but I enjoy a good thick fry cooked with seasoning that holds onto it.  No ketchup needed with these husky little spuds. My drink of choice lately has been a club soda with a lime, and in this case it is a balanced addition to the meal. 

East Coast Food Journey

From the West Coast to the East, I find myself in Boston tonight. Yep, you guessed it Clam Chowder is my choice to battle the demons of hunger. I’m not an expert in “chowda”, but I know what I like. My chowder needs to be a stand alone dish, no oyster crackers, pepper or salt needed. It should speak to me on its own…and this dinner does. White chowder with perfectly cut cubes of potato and healthy chunks of meat on each spoonful. This cup of chowda definitely slayed the hunger demons. 

South Coast Food Journey

We stay on the East coast for the next trip, but this day, we venture south and end up in Punta Gorda FL. Tonight, they put us up at the Four Points Hotel. It is a very nice hotel with a little balcony facing the East. 

There is an adjacent Tiki Hut lounge with outside seating and an area for a band in the parking lot. I don’t imbibe this time since we only have a 10-hour layover. Instead, we choose the LAISHLEY CRAB HOUSE across the street for dinner, and oh boy does it not disappoint. 

I highly recommend you seek this gem out if you ever make it to Punta Gorda. It’s very busy, so make sure to get reservations as the outdoor sunset seating is prime real estate desired by many. We pick the first available seats inside and avoid the long lines for the balcony. 

This food is the highlight of my trip. For starters I order the crab bisque soup. An explosion of flavor, I’m practically licking the cup empty, hoping to get every morsel I can. The next dish is even more pleasing; crab stuffed shrimp. Basted in a creamy butter sauce, the large shrimp are stuffed with light flaky crab meat that seem to melt in my mouth with each bite. 

I know it is good food because there aren’t any side conversations for about 20 minutes as the other pilot and I devour our dinners. I’m trying very hard to leave room for dessert. I’ve been eyeballing the KEY LIME PIE on the menu, but unfortunately, they run out. Next time pie, you will be mine. 

Farther South Food Journey

The next day we’re traipsing up and down Florida with a 3 hour stop in Miami. I’ve travelled through Miami a time or two but never really visited.  We grab a crew car from the FBO and head out for lunch. 

I’m hungry for some authentic Cuban food and we find a delightful restaurant named La Rosa’s. We get there right as they open for lunch and find an empty, yet chic, restaurant with white linen table cloths, glassware and flowers at each table. Looking at the menu my eyes glaze over. 

So many choices, I can’t focus on just one item. I take a breath and laze in on a dish called Masitas. Within minutes, it seems, a hot dish of fried pork chunks, pickled onions, a cup of steaming white rice and another of black beans are presented. Again, 20 minutes of silence ensue as we dive into the meal. 

The tender pork easily shreds as I rake the fork across it. Visually, it looks great. I select a string of pink pickled onions, rice and beans with each bite of salty pork. Words alone cannot describe it. You need to see and feel this dish.  Miami is a frequent stop and I will now make this a new detour as often as I can. 

The days are long but the trip is fast. Six days on the road see us travel coast to coast and back again. I have a great pilot to fly with and even better food to enjoy. If you find yourselves in either Punta Gorda or Miami in the near future, be sure to stop at the Laishly Crab House and La Rosa Cuban Restaurant.  It’s a food journey you will not be disappointed in.