I had some excellent caramelized Brussels sprouts last night at Petit & Keet, while sipping from a glass of a beautiful bottle of Palmer rosé champagne sent over by a good friend. I had always loved Veuve, but now have a new one. (at Petit & Keet)

#tbt two week’s ago on the flight from Ambergris Cay, Belize back to Belize City. Once you cross over the Cay you can see Belize’s beautiful aqua blue water. That white line of waves is the reef, full of beautiful fish, sharks and sea turtles. (at San Pedro, Belize)

I believe it was Marie Antoinette that said: Let them eat soup. (at Arkansas)

I had these beautiful, perfectly cooked ribs and pulled pork tonight from @countporkulabbq. I’m really looking forward to their new venue opening up in September! Can’t wait to see the new digs! (at Arkansas)

I had these beautiful, perfectly cooked ribs and pulled pork tonight from @countporkulabbq. I’m really looking forward to their new venue opening up in September! Can’t wait to see the new digs! (at Arkansas)

#tbt Two weeks ago today I was zip lining over the open jungle in Roatan, Honduras and eating these awesome homemade beef empanadas accompanied by this Don Carlos hot sauce. So very good, so very spicy. Two tasty photos. (at West Bay, Roatán, Islas De La Bahia, Honduras)

Sometimes I too just open up a can for dinner. Tonight it’s Bumble Bee Tuscan Red Clam Sauce. I have to say it’s pretty darn good. I added in a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes and some shaved aged Parmesan which elevated it nicely. (at Arkansas)

My Mrs. and her Bestie have been working up a hunger at the pool all day and are about to get home, so I’m putting together a cheese tray and popping some Tempranillo. So far I have cobbled together some aged Gouda, Stilton, Jarlsberg, some organic cheddar, jalapeño jelly, port wine cheese, fresh peach, oil cured and brine cured olives, sweet pickles, salami, Dijon mustard, pretzels, and some of those really crispy sesame flatbread crackers. I actually prefer the everything covered flatbread crackers, but Fresh Market let me down there. I think we’ll be good. (at Arkansas)

#tbt that time 24 years ago when I spent a semester as an exchange student at Moscow State University. I had just finished my third year of Russian at my alma mater Middlebury College’s summer language school and hopped the flight to cold, cold Moscow. I drank a lot of bathtub vodka and ate a lot of bread and cheese. Almost drank a roach in some tea once, too. Those were some some great times all considered. This also looks to be the genus of my beard. So much growth. (at МГУ - Moscow State University)

One of my favorite things to do on an early Saturday morning is to slide on over to Guadalajara’s for their excellent menudo. It’s chock full of soft, gelatinous pig parts (with foot), a beautiful chile broth and is accompanied by a dish of fresh limes, chopped onion, chopped radish, and a pile of hot corn tortillas (I like to tear those up and add them to the broth). Don’t forget to squeeze in the lime and dump in the onion and radish; it brings the dish into a perfect balance. I’ve eaten menudo all over the city, and this is one of my very favorites. (at Taqueria y Carniceria Guadalajara)

I was down in Warren, AR (pop. 6,003) today for a hearing, and stopped into Molly’s Diner for their meat and three. Molly’s is certainly hometown delicious, especially for this soft beef patty covered in onions and brown gravy with all the fixings, but what really captured me was the wonderful people. Molly’s is a hub of that small town. Folks kept coming in to say hello to all the other folks they knew and to sit for a spell and talk over some sweet tea to catch up on all the goings on. I have been looking for a place like Molly’s my whole life. I will be back as often as I can get to town. What a great time! (at Molly's Diner)

Picked up a couple cool bottles on the cruise: Grey Goose Ducasse and Havana Club 7 year. The Ducasse is a toasted wheat vodka collaboration Between Grey Goose and Alain Ducasse, the renowned 3 Michelin star French chef. I’ve yet to open it. I’m thinking a nice bracing martini. The second is a nice aged mellow rum from Cuba, with medium oak and mellow sweetness. It opens up nicely after about ten minutes in a snifter, and of course makes a nice rum cocktail. (at Arkansas)

Picked up a couple cool bottles on the cruise: Grey Goose Ducasse and Havana Club 7 year. The Ducasse is a toasted wheat vodka collaboration Between Grey Goose and Alain Ducasse, the renowned 3 Michelin star French chef. I’ve yet to open it. I’m thinking a nice bracing martini. The second is a nice aged mellow rum from Cuba, with medium oak and mellow sweetness. It opens up nicely after about ten minutes in a snifter, and of course makes a nice rum cocktail. (at Arkansas)

Heading home. (at Washington DC - Reagan International)

Popped into DC’s Pho 14 today for some grilled pork fresh spring rolls, pho and a creamy iced cold and flowery Thai iced tea. The spring rolls come rolled with fresh anise-y Thai basil, cool vermicelli, grated carrot and lettuce served and were served with nuoc cham sauce. These spring rolls are like the Vietnamese version of a great hot dog: savory, comforting, home. I had my pho with rare beef flank, tendon and tripe. (Next time I’ll try the vegetarian broth, which is made with vegetables and Fuji apples!) My pho had a decent but light broth that was very much lifted with a heavy dosing of Thai basil and a liberal squeeze of hoisin sauce, plus the usual bean sprouts, jalapeños and lime. I do enjoy a headier broth, redolent with a deeper funk of more cardamom and clove. That would have been nice, but maybe come wintertime. I finished lunch with a cooling Thai iced tea. It’s very sweet from the condensed milk and super floral from the tea itself. It’s a once-in-a while treat, but well worth it! (at D.C. Pho 14)

#tbt That time we did the Seasonal Discovery Menu at Joel Robuchon’s. Here’s part 2 because the degustation was huge! His famous mashed potatoes are in here (I got the truffle upgrade), and were so very incredibly rich; they were almost all butter. The menu is the last picture. Merci beaucoup and au revoir, Joel. (at L'atelier De Joël Robuchon)

#tbt That time we did the Seasonal Discovery Menu at Joel Robuchon’s. Here’s part 1 because the degustation was huge! The menu is the last picture of part 2. Au revoir, Joel. (at L'atelier De Joël Robuchon)