Authentic Chinese at “Mr. Chen’s”

Can’t afford to go to China right now, but want the good authentic food that it’s known for? No need to worry, I’ve got the solution for you. “Mr. Chen’s”, located in the Hoover Court Shopping Center (next to Green Valley Drugstore), is the perfect place to visit. It is a small family owned restaurant that specializes in authentic Taiwanese and regional Chinese dishes. This was unlike any other Chinese restaurant that I have ever been to.

Last week I visited “Mr. Chen’s” and automatically saw and felt how different it is, compared to other Chinese restaurants in the area. It started with me seeing the waitresses wear their authentic colorful Chinese gowns, and the waiter wearing his white dress shirt and black pants. The inside of the restaurant is nice, modern, quaint, and has just been newly remodeled. We went after lunch time, so we had just missed the crowd.

The only male waiter took us to our table which was located next to the cash register and the television. “Mr. Chen’s” is so authentic that the television only showed Chinese channels; how awesome! Even though I couldn’t understand what the people on TV were saying, I was amazed because I had never seen Chinese TV before.

After I got over the television, the waiter brought us the menus to look over. The menu was like a mini book, it was divided into different sections, such as Lunch Specials, Cold Plate/ Appetizer, Chicken/Beef, Seafood/Tofu, Pork/Noodle/Rice, Specialty Drinks, Specialty Dessert, and Beer. Whew, that’s a lot, but you definitely have many options to choose from. I like options!

During our visit to “Mr. Chen’s”, we wanted to be adventurous and eat like we were in Taiwan or China. Furthermore, we wanted all aspects of our meal to be exotic, even the drinks. So my friend, Stefan, ordered the “Honey Green Tea” and it was served cold. My cousin, Ryan, and I ordered the “Peach Flower Slush” and this drink was perfect for the hot weather. It was freshly made while we waited.

After we got our drinks, we ordered appetizers that we all shared with each other. I got a large bowl of the “Seafood Hot & Sour Soup” and it consisted of a tasty, almost sour and spicy soup broth. And some of the other obvious items in it were pieces of octopus, large shrimp, radish, scallions, and mushrooms. This soup had a taste that I had to get used to, but after repeated sips, it grew on me. It also came with crisp won-tons, but I didn’t really enjoy them because I’m used to the excellent won-tons at “PF Chang’s”, and these won-tons didn’t taste fresh; they didn’t have any salt and they were cold. Overall, we enjoyed the unique flavor of the soup, just not the crisp won-tons that came with it.

Stefan ordered the “Steamed Dumplings” as an appetizer. This dish consisted of eight steamed dumplings that were stuffed with shrimp and ground pork. The dumplings were served with a ginger dipping sauce. I believe that you must have an acquired taste for these dumplings because the outside dough creates a slimy feel in your mouth, and it tastes almost like dough. However, the stuffing was awesome and if you dip the entire dumpling into the ginger dipping sauce, it has an excellent taste. Furthermore, I enjoyed the dumplings. I just couldn’t eat them too often.

While we were waiting on our entrees, our waiter was very informative about many of the dishes that the restaurant serves. I wanted to learn as much as I could about this genuine Asian cuisine.

After about 15 minutes of waiting, which wasn’t long, our entrees came out. Ryan and I ordered something that many Americans know about, from other Chinese restaurants, and that is the “Kung Pao Chicken”. However, before I ordered this dish, I told the waiter what I wanted and this was his recommendation. He told me that their “Kung Pao Chicken” is unlike any other Chinese restaurant in the Birmingham area and with that being said, I decided to order it. This dish consisted of chopped pieces of actual chicken breast that was mixed with pieces of zucchini, onion, and peanuts, in a sweet & spicy sauce. The sauce was sweeter than other “Kung Pao Chicken” dishes that I’ve had. It also came with fried rice, and an egg roll. I really enjoyed this dish, it was very good and honestly it is the best “Kung Pao Chicken” that I’ve ever had; you should know that it takes a lot for me to say that!

Stefan was a little more adventurous and ordered the “Braised Beef Belly in Hot Pot”. We were all amazed when this dish came out because it was served in a big, round silver pot that had a flame inside of it, and the flame was used to keep the beef belly broth sizzling. This dish consisted of the beef belly, a dark broth, potatoes, green bell peppers, and some type of green leaf. I sampled this dish and it was excellent. The beef belly and its broth had the taste and flavor of “ox tails”. Stefan enjoyed this dish, as well!

Our Chinese adventure was capped off with the fortune cookie tradition. And I’m sad to say that the fortune cookies didn’t taste good to me, at all. They had a stale taste to them, so I never want those again. Other than that, our experience was tasty and unique. I pushed myself to try new authentic flavors and dishes; I’m very proud of that!

Keep in mind that my American perspective, of this food, played a big part in the way I felt about it. There are many people who might enjoy every aspect of what I ate, or the whole menu at “Mr. Chen’s”; it’s just gonna take more experience with authentic Chinese food, for me to make it to that point. “Mr. Chen’s” is the best place for people who want authentic Taiwanese and Chinese food. They have reasonable prices, and numerous dishes that allow you to gradually get your palate used to their exotic cuisine.

http://www.mrchenschinesecooking.com/

On the boarder at “Chuy’s”!

This entry begins my Birmingham restaurant series, again!

On Friday night, I went to “Chuy’s”. This is one of the newest restaurants in Birmingham which is located at the Summit, next to “Flip Burger”. It’s been open for almost two weeks. “Chuy’s” is a Mexican restaurant chain that started 28 years ago, and originates in Austin, Texas; they have locations throughout Texas, Tennessee, and the one location in Birmingham, Alabama. The menu offers recipes from South Texas, New Mexico, and Mexican border towns. The food from “Chuy’s” is somewhat Tex-Mex and Mexican American, it’s not really authentic Mexican dishes, in my opinion. They pride themselves on bringing you the best, the freshest, and the healthiest Mexican food on the entire planet. For example, cooks are constantly hand-rolling tortillas (you can see this being done, while you’re waiting or eating), salsa fresca is made every hour with fresh tomatoes, and the green chilies are hand picked from Hatch, New Mexico, by the kitchen managers. Even their drinks are fresh! Those famous “Chuy’s” margaritas are all made with fresh squeezed lime juice.

“Chuy’s” is known for many things, but one thing they are known for, are their “Signature Sauces”. The sauces  include Tex-Mex, Ranchero, Hatch Green Chile, Green Chile, Tomatillo, Deluxe Tomatillo, and Creamy Jalapeño. Each sauce is colorful and flavorful, and most of the time you can choose one with your meal. Lastly, “Chuy’s” also does a lot of work in the community, including collecting toys for needy children. Go “Chuy’s”!

Now let me tell you about my “Chuy’s” experience!

Me, mom, and Corey arrived at the restaurant at 8pm, and upon entering, we were completely amazed at the festive decor, festive colors, and classic memorabilia that filled the restaurant; it was fun and funky!

We put our name on the waiting list, and we were told that the wait would be approximately two hours .   Instead of getting discouraged, we decided to tough it out and wait. So we made the best of it and got a table on the patio. The patio was reserved only for those waiting on a table, you could not order food from the menu while waiting. So while we were on the patio, we ordered drinks and got nachos with a variety of dips.

My drink was awesome, I had the “Strawberry Margarita” and it came in a large glass; I basically was sipping on it for the whole two hour wait, lol!

Next, we had to get up and get the nachos from inside. The nachos are served out of the trunk of a car, literally. There is space for three bins of nachos in the trunk, along with space for two big bowls of different salsa.

We took the nachos back to the table and started talking, drinking, and eating. Our waitress was nice enough to bring us one of the signature sauces, the Creamy Jalapeno flavor, and I really enjoyed dipping my nachos in it. In my opinion, this sauce was better than the queso we ordered, and the two types of salsa from the bar.

The location of “Chuy’s” offers a prime view of the Highway 280 corridor and it is amazing. I really enjoyed seeing this view while being on the patio. There were plenty of people on the patio, but it is big enough to where you don’t feel crowded. While waiting I saw some people that I knew and they came to talk to us, so that helped to pass the time.

Before we knew it, it was 10:15 pm and our table was available, it was time to eat.  We were full off of the nachos, but we ate anyway because we just had to see what the food was like. In the room where our table was, the ceiling was filled with a variety of hub-caps.

Our waiter came to take our drink orders and our food orders, because we had plenty of time to look at the menu. While we waited on the food, the waiter insisted that we get more nachos, and we had to say no because we were “nachoed” out, lol!

I ordered the “Steak Burrito” which is a handmade,  12′ flour tortilla stuffed with sliced grilled steak & cheese. Served with green chile rice ( I didn’t get the spicy Hatch Green Chile sauce, that would’ve been served on top of the burrito; and I didn’t get the charro beans either. I’m not a big fan of either one of these items). This dish was excellent, and of course, I didn’t eat it all because I was already full and it was getting late. But I still enjoyed it because the steak had a wonderful grilled flavor. The green chile rice was really spicy, so I couldn’t really eat that much; but it was still good. My dish also came with a signature sauce, so I got the Tex-Mex; it tastes like a bowl of chili. I ended up pouring it on top of my burrito, this was an excellent choice!

My mom got the “Deluxe Chicken Enchillada” and she said that her food tasted just ok. Corey got the “Chicka-Chicka Boom-Boom Enchillada” and he had only positive things to say about this dish. Sorry, I don’t have any pictures! But check these dishes out on the website.

Finally, we finished eating and paid our bill by 11:30pm. What a fun night we had, it was filled with food, drinks, and good conversation. Even though we had to wait, it was one of the best waits ever because of the nachos, drinks, company, and the view. Ya’ll go to “Chuy’s”, the food is good and the atmosphere is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

“Chuy’s” you rock!!!!!!!!!

http://www.chuys.com/

B. Smith’s

The last restaurant that I visited, in Washington DC, was “B. Smith’s”. B. Smith is a pioneer in the lifestyle industry, whose talents and expertise span a wide range of specialties. In my opinion, she is the “African American Martha Stewart” because they are both known for being excellent cooks and crafty individuals. Smith is a respected expert in affordable-yet-elegant living and she brings style to everything that she does. For nearly a decade, she hosted the nationally syndicated/cable lifestyle television show “B. Smith with Style”.

Smith extends her lifestyle expertise as the owner of three successful “B. Smith” restaurants. Her longtime establishments include those on Restaurant Row in New York City, Union Station in Washington DC, and Long Island Hampton Village of Sag Harbor.

Mom and I had about an hour to spare, while at Union Station, before we started our “DC Duck Tour”. So we decided to have a lite lunch at “B. Smith’s”. We entered through a secondary entrance, which was the bar area; it looked like a medium sized parlor. Then we turned the corner, and became awestruck at the beauty of the interior of the actual restaurant portion. It is a grand Beaux Arts style dining room with 30-foot ceilings, chandeliers, and turn of the century elegance. It is a national landmark and has been called one of the most beautiful dining rooms in America.

The host took us to our table, and our waiter came to introduce himself and the specialties of the day. One thing that really stood out, about the waiter, is that he greeted us by our last name. I have never gone to a restaurant where the waiter greeted me by my name; I thought that was so awesome and genuine! All of the staff was formally dressed and the waiters wore a formal uniform. The whole atmosphere seemed expensive, comfortable, and classy.

Mom and I had previewed the menu before-hand, so we already knew what we wanted. Furthermore, we ordered the “Thai Spiced Wings” and the “Cajun Seasoned Fries”. While we were waiting on our food to come out, the waiter gave us a basket of mini biscuits and mini cornbread muffins. Both items were served warm, but my favorite were the mini cornbread muffins,  because they had somewhat of a sweet flavor.

Eventually, the food was served and the “Thai Spiced Wings” consisted of six nice size chicken drummetts that were grilled and topped with a sweet chili sauce. They had a sweet Thai taste, which was excellent. The “Cajun Seasoned Fries” were large cut fresh pieces of potato that were fried and seasoned with Cajun spices. The first batch of fries we had were not hot, so we sent them back and got another batch of hot fries. They didn’t taste amazing, but they were doable.

Once I finished that course, I was full but I still wanted to try a dessert. So I asked the waiter what the most popular dessert was, and he told me about the “Bourbon Street Bread Pudding”. This is what I ordered, and it was served with a warm caramel creme sauce on top. The dish itself was ok,  not as good as he cooked it up to be. I have had much better bread pudding before.

If I had to rate “B. Smith’s” from 1-10, 10 being the highest, I would give the restaurant an 8.5. The atmosphere seems to date back to the Victorian era and it is simply beautiful. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about B. Smith and her endeavors. Lastly, I think the food is good but not great. Many people probably go eat here, just so they can say that they have gone to “B. Smith’s”. However, if you are ever in the area, I recommend that you go try it and develop your own opinion!

http://www.bsmith.com/restaurant_dc_menu_s.php

Georgetown Cupcake

“Georgetown Cupcake” is Washington DC’s premier destination for gourmet cupcakes. It is located in Georgetown, across the street from where I had pizza. The company was founded by two sisters, Katherine Kallinis and Sophie LaMontagne, who traded in their fashion and private equity careers in order to make cupcakes. The two just wanted to follow their passion and didn’t even consider how popular the business would become. “Georgetown Cupcake” opened in February 2008 as DC’s first and only cupcakery.

Upon my arrival, I could see the long line forming outside of the door, and I was one block away. I didn’t feel like waiting forever for a cupcake, in the heat, but I said that if the line is moving rapidly then I would give it a try. So I got there, and the line moved at a fast pace. There were people from all over the world standing in line, just for a cupcake. For example, a couple from the Netherlands said that “Georgetown Cupcake” was a “must” on their list of places to visit, while in the United States. I was shocked at the popularity of this place, and here I was, I had never heard of it before; I just wanted a cupcake!

As I made my way in the front door, I was talking to one of the workers and she told me that “TLC” (The Learning Channel) will be doing a series on “Georgetown Cupcake”, and it will premier on Friday July 16, 2010 at 10pm (Eastern Time). Honestly, this just made me want a cupcake even more, knowing that the whole United States is about to find out about this cupcakery gem.

I finally made it in the door, and I had only waited for about 15 minutes. The building isn’t big at all, but the designers did a great job with the space and layout. Once you walk in, there is a large cupcake display, and behind it is the kitchen where you can see the workers baking and designing the cupcakes. The whole atmosphere is contemporary and chic; this is one of the only buildings on “M Street” that has been remodeled both on the outside and inside. It was also good to see the workers working in an efficient manner that minimizes the wait time for customers.

Once I made it to the cashier, I decided to get two cupcakes, the “Honey Banana” and the “Milk Chocolate Birthday”. The “Honey Banana” is a fresh banana cupcake topped with a vanilla cream cheese frosting and a fondant flower. The “Milk Chocolate Birthday” is a classic madagascar bourbon vanilla cupcake topped with a whipped callebaut chocolate frosting topped with festive sprinkles. Ya’ll, words can’t describe how amazingly good, moist, sweet, tasty, flavorful, and beautiful these cupcakes were!

My mom and aunt were shopping while I got the cupcakes, and when I saw them again they sampled both of my cupcakes and ended up falling in love with them. So guess what, I had to stand in line again to get more cupcakes, lol!

Anyway, if you like tasty traditional and exotic cupcakes, then you must go to “Georgetown Cupcake”. And don’t forget to watch the series premier on Friday July 16, 2010 on “TLC” at 9pm (Central Time)/10pm (Eastern Time). That way you can get a “taste” of what I saw and ate!

http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/

A “Pizza” of Italy in Georgetown

One hot day while in D.C., we decided to go sightseeing and shopping in Georgetown. The area is home to “Georgetown University” and has the feel of a large, yet quaint college town. The area is filled with old money; many prominent politicians and other people live in this neighborhood. Many of the buildings are old and rugged on the outside, but modernized on the inside.  The main street that runs through Georgetown is “M Street” and it is filled with various shops and restaurants; we spent a lot of time here. Before we started shopping, my uncle took us to one of his favorite pizza restaurants, “Pizzeria Paradiso”, located on “M Street”.

“Pizzeria Paradiso” is known for making authentic, quality pizza that is cooked in a open wood-burning oven. They are also known for serving some of the best beer brews in the nation. The restaurant is committed to quality and to using the finest ingredients. I went here thinking that it would be the same as any other pizza place, but I was fooled. When I arrived at the bright yellow front door, and saw that it had been highly rated by “Zagat”, I knew that this was the place to be. For those of you who don’t know about “Zagat”, it consists of a group of world-renowned food critics that rate only some of the finest restaurants in the world. Furthermore, I thought to myself that this place has to be excellent if “Zagat” came here.

“Pizzeria Paradiso” has a true Italian flair and this is shown in the authentic flavor of the pizzas. The restaurant isn’t that big and it was packed with people, but we waited only five minutes for a table.  While we were waiting, part of my family saw the menu and said no, this won’t be good, but I convinced them to stick around and try it out. Boy, am I glad we stayed!

To drink, I had the “Sparkling Lemonade” which is their signature lemonade mixture, that is added to sparkling water. It had an equal blend of sweetness and tartness; it was very tasty!

All of us ordered something different, and while we waited on our entrees, my uncle and I ate a small bowl of complimentary olives that were rubbed in olive oil and a little salt.

When the food arrived, I had the “Bianca Pizza” which came with basil, fresh tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. I added pepperoni and zucchini on the pizza for $3.00 extra. The tomato sauce wasn’t pureed like all of the others I’ve had; I could actually taste pieces of tomato in the sauce, it was chunky and had a unique taste. My pizza was the smallest size on the menu, I think a 9′, and it was one of the best pizzas that I have ever had.

My grandmother and my uncle had a pizza, my mom had an Italian salad, and my aunt had a unique selection of Italian meats, cheeses, and crackers. They all enjoyed their food and our modern rustic Italian experience!

http://www.eatyourpizza.com/about-us/

Seafood in Maryland

Last Saturday my uncle took us to Annapolis, Maryland, which is the capital of Maryland. The area is known for their fresh seafood, including fresh crabs. Previously, one of his friends had taken him to a well-known restaurant, in the area, and he wanted us to experience the same atmosphere that he did. We drove about 45 minutes from Washington D.C., went shopping, and then to this restaurant.

The restaurant was “Mike’s Crab House”, which is located on the beautiful South River. The water was so peaceful and filled with boats and yachts. This popular restaurant, amongst the locals, has a medieval style with seating indoors and outdoors. It felt like part of the indoor portion of the restaurant had no walls and was connected with the outdoor portion, because all you could see was the river. The restaurant was filled with families, all casually dressed and ready for a day in the sun. While seating at the restaurant, I got the whole “New England” feel; the atmosphere just didn’t feel like the south. I felt like I was in Cape Cod, lol! Even though it was hot, we requested outdoor seating because it’s like one big porch. We waited about 15 minutes for a seat since it was the beginning of lunch time, it wasn’t packed.

We sat at a picnic style wooden table that had a large piece of brown paper spread across it, and it also had a bucket of utensils. The utensils were a small knife and something that looked like a hammer. I know that you’re thinking, why is this? Keep reading and you will see. Our waitress was very nice and immediately took our drink orders once we sat down. For an appetizer we ordered a bucket of “Steamed Crabs”. But the crabs ended up coming out with our entrees, because we were told that the kitchen got backed up with orders. Furthermore, this was my first time eating a whole crab and taking it a part at the same time. Our bucket was filled with large crabs and once I got my crab, I discovered what the paper tablecloth and utensils were for. I put the crab on the table and broke the legs off with my hands, then I used the hammer tool to break the legs, and I used the knife to get the meat out. I repeated this several times for each leg. Then when it came to the body, I broke it with both the hammer and my hands, and I used the knife to get the meat out. Below are pictures of my crab fun!

Also on the table was “Old Bay Seasoning”, “Vinegar”, and “Melted Butter” to dip the crab meat in.

I could only eat one crab because it took so much time to break it and eat it. Next, I sampled our various entrees which consisted of “Fried Shrimp”, “Sauteed Lump Crab Cake”, “Fried Haddock”, “French Fries”, and a side salad. We shared the food because it was enough to feed an army. There were no complaints about the taste of the food, it was all fresh and good. Our only complaint was that the “Steamed Crabs” didn’t come out before our entrees.

The prices are reasonable and “Mike’s Crab House” is the perfect place to take your family. So if you are ever in the Annapolis, Maryland area, please do give it a try!

http://www.mikescrabhouse.com/

Rockville Town Square

When we got off of the train, we went to the condo to freshen up and chillax. Once we were re-energized, my uncle took us to a new development called “Rockville Town Square”. It was filled with numerous shops and restaurants, the majority of the places were centered around the town square which was an open area that had tall trees and a pavilion. This was the hangout spot where people sat to rest and listen to local musicians perform, under the pavilion. I forgot to mention, that there were condos above the shops and restaurants. In my opinion, this is the ultimate place to live, work, shop, exercise, and eat! Below I’m pictured in the town square.

Once we parked the car, we walked around to look at restaurant menus and to see what the shops had to offer. The weather was so hot, that I decided to have ice cream. So I found an ice cream parlor called “Gifford’s Ice Cream & Candy Company”. The inside looked very sterile and modern. All of the ice cream was homemade and consisted of some unique flavors. I sampled several of the flavors but I stuck to what I knew and felt like having, and that was “cookies n’ cream”. This flavor was so creamy, and had a strong vanilla flavor with crunchy oreo cookies. Let’s just say it had a wonderful taste!

No one else wanted ice cream, so they continued to shop and I sat in the town square to eat my ice cream and listen to a local band, from the U.S. Navy perform. Later, the family joined me and we all listened to the music together.

Once we were tired of sitting, we continued to walk. We discovered a doughnut shop called the “Fractured Prune”. The name got our attention so we walked in to look at the menu, and we discovered that all of the doughnuts were prepared while you wait. So we decided to try some. I had the “O.C. Sand” doughnut and it was similar to a glaze doughnut but it had honey glaze and cinnamon sugar on top. It was so hot and good, it tasted like a funnel cake to me. We all enjoyed our doughnuts from here.

After shopping and sampling deserts, we decided to go home and eat a meal that my uncle had prepared for us. You must go to “Rockville Town Square” if you are in the area, it’s right outside of Washington D.C. in Rockville, Maryland. I promise there is something for everyone there, and you will enjoy it!

http://www.rockvilletownsquare.com/

http://www.giffords.com/

http://www.fracturedprune.com/

Dining on Amtrak

Hey ya’ll it’s so good to be back in Birmingham! I had a wonderful vacation and of course I ate well at numerous restaurants in the Washington D.C. area. The next few blog posts will capture my food experiences that I had while I was gone. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

My family and I didn’t take the normal mode of transportation to D.C.; we took the “Amtrak Train”. Yes, I said the train, which takes its time getting to any destination, it also bumps you up and down in your seat, it’s also hard to walk without falling, and don’t even get me started with the bathroom issue, lol! Don’t let those instances scare ya, we had fun and it was the true definition of adventure, because we never know what to expect while on the train. I was thinking about food when we left the train station, even though we had some with us, I wanted food from the train. So I got excited when the dining hostess, began to take dinner reservations just as we left Birmingham. We made our reservation for 5:30pm, in the dinning car.

Me and mom arrived around 5:20pm and sat at a table that was setup like a white tablecloth restaurant. Normally, each table seats four people, and it makes no difference if you know the people or not, however we went at the time when it wasn’t crowded, so it was just us at our table. A picture of the table is below.

Now, you know me, I had already looked at the menu before I left home so I knew what I was going to order, once I sat down. Me and mom both ordered the same thing, which was the “Oven Baked Southern Style Chicken” and it came with a salad and rolls. This dish consisted of three pieces of oven baked chicken, served with rice, and a vegetable medley.

It was so nice being able to eat and look out the window. We sat at the table for almost three hours, just gawking at the scenery. The salads were so good and my honey mustard salad dressing complimented it so well. And I was also amazed with the warm rolls that came with the salad, they had a fresh taste. However, I can’t say that the main entree tasted all that well. Amtrak prided themselves on the “Oven Baked Southern Style Chicken” being a healthy food choice, but once I got it, it was greasy as any other fried chicken would be. This disappointed me because I wanted something healthy. I must say that the vegetables and rice were satisfactory so they helped to fill me up instead. Sorry ya’ll, I couldn’t do the chicken and mom felt the same way!

Since the scenery had captivated us, we were not ready to go after we ate our entrees. So I decided to try a dessert, despite how I felt about my chicken experience. For dessert I got something lite and crisp, the “Ciao Bella Sicilian Lemon Sorbet”. I had no complaints about this item, it was cold, zesty, and I could actually taste pieces of  lemon peel.

Overall, my train dining experience wasn’t terrible but I realized that the workers are working with limited resources in the kitchen. Most of my food was really good. I also realized that I can’t eat a lot while being on the train because it makes me feel queezy. So the next time, I will eat before and just have snacks while I’m on the train; this is exactly what mom and I did on our way back to Birmingham.

I recommend that everyone take the train and dine on it as well, at least once in their lives. It is a fun and scenic adventure that allows you to meet new people and get out of your comfort zone. You don’t have to travel for almost 14 hours, like we did to Washington D.C, but please go somewhere!

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/HomePage