As many of you may know, we have been on the hunt for a little piece of paradise to call home. We've also taken this time to research potential U.S. based Origins of Food trips. We've driven from the sub-tropical beaches of South Florida to the wintry rolling hills of New England, from Washington's evergreen Olympic Peninsula to the high desert plateau of Taos, New Mexico... and looked everywhere in between.
Most recently our journey took us on a loop from SoCal through Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Nevada, and back to sunny San Diego.
We've fallen in love with so many different landscapes and towns, and the final decision will be a difficult one. While we still haven't landed on a specific place (perhaps you know of a special spot you can recommend?), we have encountered plenty of culinary surprises we'd love to share!
Plant-based food being embraced by non-hippies!
Posh rock-n-roll LA dining hotspot Crossroads was packed full of socialites sharing small Mediterranean inspired plates, while walls lined with homemade ferments were accompanied by hand-scrawled graffiti and cartoons at the funky hipster Mother in Sacramento (which served an amazing faux fried chicken sandwhich), and the totally unexpected, droolworthy, community-focused VegeNation in downtown (old) Las Vegas served up a buffalo hot wing fried cauliflower dish that had us licking our fingers... and the plates. Witnessing these plant-based food restaurants advance beyond the typical granola-tofu-sprouts menu and dreadlocked crowd has us energized and salivating for what's coming in the good food movement. Also, acai bowls for days.
Indigenous American Food
While we have plenty of experience with Latin indigenous food, North American native foods are still new to us and we were looking for the real deal. We were quite disappointed in some of the bigger cities (Tucson, Santa Fe), but the drives through the pueblos hit the sweet spot we were looking for. In Zuni Pueblo we stopped at the unassuming, family-run Village Bistro and were treated to the best hospitality we've encountered in a really long time. We were shown how we were dining in the chef's grandfather's 100-year old adobe house, restored to a modern aesthetic, but preserved to maintain certain spiritual artifacts. We learned about the clay ovens used for baking traditional bread and were given tastes of their tamales and oven bread. We ate green chili stew, sauteed calabacitas and some of the best enchiladas ever. We were invited to a community celebration that weekend, but sadly didn't have the time to stay.
On our way from Canyonlands (GO!) to the Grand Canyon (ALSO, GO!), we fell for the clever advertising of the historical Cameron Trading Post and stopped for a Navaho Taco. Described in their words, the taco is "Navajo “fry bread”, a fresh, springy bread that is patted flat and deep fried to a golden brown, smothered with a spicy combination of ground beef and beans, and topped with chopped green chile, fresh lettuce and tomato, and tangy cheddar cheese." We got it without the beef, shared one, and had trouble finishing the one between the two of us. Comfort food, and more than sufficient energy for our trek into the Grand Canyon the next day. (LPT: go to the Grand Canyon in the winter; crowds are small and the sun is way kinder for hiking).
So, tell us, where would you like to go in the U.S. for an Origins of Food trip? Does Vermont's craft cheese and beer excite you? Maybe you've heard about Portland's incredible restaurants? Or is the deep south's culinary traditions calling your name? Let us know, we'd love to hear from you!
We head to Guatemala tomorrow to start our next round of trips and can't wait for our first basket of hot tortillas off the comal.
Hasta pronto, amigos!
Lindsey and Matt
