USA, Arizona, Winslow – Meteor Crater Natural Landmark

While we were driving on our 2019 Road Trip to Henderson, NV to visit family we passed by Meteor Crater Natural Landmark just east of Flagstaff, AZ (Meteor Crater Enterprises, Inc., Interstate 40, Exit 233, Winslow, AZ 86047 USA). We were in no hurry so we took the time to visit. As you can see from the aerial photo above, the crater is quite large.

The meteorite that created the crater 50,000 years ago is estimated to have weighed 300,000 tons and was traveling at a speed of 26,000 miles per hour when it hit the Earth. The meteorite exploded with the force of 2 ½ million tons of TNT. In the photo above you can see the largest found fragment of the mostly iron meteorite.

The resulting crater was 3/4 of a mile (about 1 kilometer) wide and 750 feet deep. Over the intervening 50,000 years, the crater has filled in some so that it is now only 550 feet deep.

To give you some perspective of the size, they have placed a 6′ astronaut figure (because the astronauts headed to the Moon trained here) and a 4′ x 6′ US flag at the base of the crater. They are placed inside the red circle in the photo above.

Of course, you can’t see them with the naked eye. Even in the close up above you can’t see them.

I had to use one of the prepositioned telescopes at the visitor center observation deck to see them. With a little effort, I captured a photo with my iPhone. That does put the distance in perspective!

There is a nice visitor center (far right) with a film and museum on the edge of the crater. You can also see in the photo above how the rim of the crater is raised almost 150′ above the level of the ground. This is because the meteorite buried itself into the ground before exploding. That explosion pushed the edge of the crater up as well as spreading millions of small meteorite bits around the area.

We were also on a short guided (man in yellow) tour that went about a quarter of a mile west along the north rim of the crater.

We thought that this side trip was well worth the expense (Adults: $18.00, Seniors (60+):  $16.00, Juniors: (age 6 to 17) $9.00, Non-Active Duty U.S. Military/Veterans (with I.D.): $9.00) and time.

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Singapore, Singapore – The Fabulous Baker Boy

Food – Deserts – A few days ago when I walked down the Singapore River Walk I passed signs for The Fabulous Baker Boy cafe. It is located on the North end of Fort Canning Park at 70 River Valley Road #01-15, Singapore 179037.

We walked over to the cafe this morning ( only about 0.75 miles ) and were able to be seated. Most tables were reserved for people with reservations. That is something we will do in advance the next time we go. The place is not very big having enough tables to seat about 40.

We both chose to have the “Fabulously Fluffy French Toast”. They have the warning on the menu

(NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED) Sourdough Brioche soaked in a lovely batter made with eggs and cream, fried and finished with cinnamon sugar and drizzled with maple flavoured syrup.

We both agreed that this could easily be the best French Toast we ever have had. They also have some incredible looking pancakes and egg dishes. We want to try the pancakes next time.

We were able to set at our table and look out through the North facing all glass wall. The cafe is situated in a very nice area on the edge of the Park.

As the name implies, this is not just a cafe, but also a bakery. You can see some of their really delicious looking cakes in the photo above. Slices of the cake range from $9 to $10 and a full cake from $65 to $100 (Singapore dollars which are currently worth $0.73 USD each). I would like to try many of those cakes, but that will have to wait for another day. Check out their ‘Daily Bakes‘ for a full mouthwatering, calorie-rich list.

Will we come back to The Fabulous Baker Boy? Absolutely, but unfortunately not too often. This is certainly a place I would recommend for breakfast.

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Henderson and the Valley

Most who visit Las Vegas just see the lights of the city. Las Vegas and neighboring Henderson are part of a desert valley. While the area is very developed with the 600 square mile basin now home to more than 2 million, it is a very arid desert.

This is a look around part of Henderson and down into the valley where the skyline of Las Vegas can be seen.

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USA, New York, New York – Cafe Lalo

My wife and I are in New York for a little vacation. Cafe Lalo (http://cafelalo.com) was recommended to us. We went by there yesterday for a late breakfast. This in a nice place that is stuck in amongst apartment buildings. It is located at 201 West 83rd St.
New York, NY 10024.

They claim on their website that Cafe Lalo is “The cafe Europeans would love to have in Europe! Cafe Lalo has become known as the place to go before and after the movies, the theater or dinner to enjoy a great dessert and an expertly-made cappuccino. With our unique European design and open air atmosphere by floor-to-ceiling French windows, Cafe Lalo is the place to see and to be seen. Come sip an espresso with the writers, artists and celebrities who join the locals to enjoy soothing jazz and classical music in a relaxing atmosphere.”

I don’t know about that, but I do know that they  had good breakfasts. I had a three cheese omelette – Sharp cheddar, Brie and Blue Cheese.

My wife had three scrambled eggs shiitake & porcini mushrooms.

We went back to Lalo’s  a second time (we both had the same dishes) and I did captured a photo of the deserts. They have a great selection! I hope to sample some of those.

This is a place we would recommend to anyone and it likely a place we will return at least once on our brief trip to New York.

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USA, Minnesota, Woodbury – Cravings Wine Bar & Grill

My wife and I had dinner the other night at Cravings (755 Bielenberg Dr #108, Woodbury, MN 55125) along with another couple. It is a relatively small cafe, but nice. I had the “Cravings Burger” – a burger topped with caramelized onion, buttermilk blue cheese, mixed greens, tomatoes, and Cravings sauce; served on egg bun and it was excellent. The others all enjoyed their meals as well. I topped my meal with a great piece of cheesecake.

This isn’t a place you would come on easily as it is in a strip mall and facing away from the road. If we are in the neighborhood I would definitely stop here again. 

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USA, Louisiana, New Orleans – Blue Frog Chocolates

My wife and I came across Blue Frog Chocolates when we were in New Orleans last April. This is a small eclectic shop with a wide variety of things chocolate. The shop has been open since 2000 in a old cottage on Magazine Street (5707 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70115). The location is in the Garden District and the cottage is nearly 100 years old. The family owned and operated shop takes it’s name from the “Legend of the Blue Frog“.

The shop carries a wide assortment of chocolate goods – molded chocolates, chocolate covered nuts, bark, pralines, cocoa mix, assorted gift boxes , dipped strawberries, body paint, . . . The list goes on and on. Some of their products are imported, or from other sources in the US, but many are made locally in the shop. Not only do they have great sweets, orders can be made through their on-line catalog for shipment to you anywhere.

We tried a few of the chocolates and we both had one of their “Icy Hot Chocolate” drinks. Everything that we tried was outstanding!

If you are in New Orleans, this is a stop I highly recommend.

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USA, Nevada, Las Vegas – Freed’s Bakery

Freed’s Bakery (9815 S. Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, Nevada 89183) is a full service bakery that we have visited a half dozen times over the past 10 years. They offer everything from high-end specialty cakes (including wedding cakes), to cupcakes and cookies.  Freed’s has been in operation over 50 years, and is under management by the third generation of the Freed family.

Over the years we have bought a couple of birthday cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and their pastries. Everything that we have tried have been wonderful!

This is a great place to stop if you are in Las Vegas and want to get away from the casinos.

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USA, Texas, Austin – Gourdough’ s Donuts

Gourdough’s Donuts (1503 S 1st St., Austin, TX 78704) is one of the popular food trucks around the Austin area.My wife and I visited a few weekends ago and were very impressed. So, what makes these donuts different? The toppings!!!!

On our visit I had a Cherry Bomb (Glazed Cherry-Topped Holes, Cinnamon, Sugar & Cake Mix Topping) while my wife had a Heavenly Hash (Marshmallow With Chocolate Fudge Icing Topped With Brownie Bites). They were both very good. I am looking forward to going back and trying one of the other 23 toppings that Gourdough’s offers.

If you are in the mood for a great desert and are in South Austin, Gordough’s is a great place to stop. If you are out-and-about, then the Roaming Hunger App is a great way of seeing if Gordough’s is open, or to find any Food Truck around Austin.

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USA, Texas, Austin – Cow Tipping Creamery

My wife and I had heard about the Cow Tipping Creamery on Unique Sweets (Episode CCUQS501H). This isn’t a brick and mortar store, but one of the many food trucks that can be found around the Austin area. This one is located in a small lot with a few other trucks near the campus of the University of Texas in downtown Austin (2512 Rio Grande St., Austin, Texas 78705). Parking was a challenge as that area of town is full of apartments primarily occupied by students and most of the available street parking was taken up by those living in the area.

This ice cream vendor offers soft serve with a wide array of interesting toppings on their menu. We chose to share an “At the Ritz” 12 ounce ‘stacker’. The ‘stacker’ is their version of a sundae, but they stack the ingredients to give great flavor throughout the desert. The “At the Ritz” is soft serve vanilla with brown sugar hot fudge peanut butter sauce. To top it off there were crumbled Ritz crackers sprinkled over the top.  This made for a unique creamy, salty, chocolate indulgence.

We won’t be visiting the Cow Tipping Creamery too often, but we can certainly recommend it as a great desert.

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USA, Minnesota, Minneapolis – Salty Tart Bakery

Our last stop on our day of desert exploration was at the Salty Tart Bakery. There are two locations. We visited the one located at the Midtown Global Market, 920 E. Lake St., Minneapolis, MN. It was a little hard to find as it was near the center of the Market among a variety of restaurants and shops. The Salty Tart Bakery is the establishment of award winning pastry chef Michelle Gayer. We sampled a few items and they were all delicious. We particularly liked the Coconut Macaroons, but that was to be expected since they were featured on the Food Network program Best Thing I Ever Ate.

If you are in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area and looking for something sweet I highly recommend a visit to the Salty Tart Bakery
and the Global Market.

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