Category Archives: Travel

Reeds Spring Pizza Co., and my quest for fabulous pizza

Leave a reply

On Wednesday, I was at a press conference at Silver Dollar City and on my way home, I decided to stop at the Reeds Spring Pizza Co.

This tiny pizza joint was named as one of the best pizza places in the country by USA Today, a couple of years ago.

I’ve wanted to try it ever since, but I didn’t want to drive two hours roundtrip for a slice of pie when we have such good pizza here.

But I was only 5 miles away on Wednesday, so I drive there.

I ordered the Galaxy, which was probably one of the more boring choices. You can get pizza topped with cashews, hot sauce and a variety of other toppings there, but I love a good old fashioned pizza.

The galaxy had green peppers, marvelous pepperoni, sausage, onion and black olives. Simple but delicious.

photo 1 (4)

The pizza was great. I don’t think I’d drive two hours for it, but it was delicious. The crust is thin and not even remotely greasy.  The ingredients tasted incredibly fresh.

But I have as much to say about the atmosphere and the beer selection as I do the pizza.

The walls are mustard yellow and people have written all over them. One wall is glass shelving and showcases vintage cameras.

photo 1 (5)

There graffiti continues in the bathroom and the things written on the wall– and the toilet– will leave you either in shock, or in stitches, depending on your personality.

photo 1 (6)

I thought it was pretty funny.

Hey, I even took a selfie in there.

photo 2 (4)

The beers on tap were outstanding! I wouldn’t expect a tiny pizza shop in a small town to have this great selection of craft beers, but they do. You can get mead from The Leaky Roof Meadery; or Mother’s Brewing Co., or my favorite new beer, a Chocolate Wheat from Shock Top. Awesome stuff.

If you’re ever in the area, the Reeds Spring Pizza Co., is worth a visit.

When I got home, my husband and I started talking about our favorite pizza and we couldn’t decide what our favorite is. I LOVE pizza. Thin crust, thick crust, Chicago style, you name it. I love it. What about you?

Any pizza place i must visit on my next trip?

Check out my Iceland adventure

5 Replies

My blog has been stagnant for a week because I’ve been in Iceland. I got back Monday, but yesterday was my birthday, so I just focused on me.

Iceland was awesome and so beautiful! This is just one example:

DSC_0160 (2)

Back in September, my sister called me and said there was  a great Groupon to Iceland for about $800 with airfare and hotel from NYC. The trip included daily breakfast.

I was sold. Seeing the Northern Lights has always been on my bucket list, so I bought the Groupon on the spot and on Feb, 25, my sister and I were Iceland bound.

It;s only a five hour flight from JFK and six hours coming back.

Iceland is home to 130 volcanoes and uses geothermal heat to power the island.

Iceland is home to 130 volcanoes and uses geothermal heat to survive

Iceland is home to 130 volcanoes and uses geothermal heat to survive

It has about 320,000 residents in the whole country, with the majority in Reykjavik.

DSC_0279 (2)

I came to see the Northern Lights, but I was also excited to see the Blue Lagoon. I have to say, I think the Blue Lagoon ended up being my highlight. It was spectacular. We spent two hours in the geothermal water. There’s a bar there and they limit everyone to three drinks, which was a good thing because no one was drunk and obnoxious.

DSC_0070 (2)A

DSC_0065 (2)

After soaking in the water for two hours, we ate lunch at LAVA, a restaurant that overlooks the lagoon. We had a three course meal and it was lovely.

DSC_0105 (2)

On our third day, we took a  Golden Circle tour, which took us to the tallest waterfall in Europe. DSC_0165 (2)

DSC_0215 (2)

DSC_0164 (2)

And on our last night, I finally saw the Northern Lights. Dennis Sawchuk, a man I met on our tour, took these photos of the Northern Lights.  I wasn’t able to capture them. I will update this post later. Right now I have a toddler climbing all over me trying to get attention

ds_aurora_reykjavik2015 (9 of 11) (2)

ds_aurora_reykjavik2015 (6 of 11) (2)

Tusk and Trotter in Bentonville, Ark.

Leave a reply

I didn’t make this chocolate, caramel, date piece of HEAVEN, but I can tell you where to get it.

dessert

This dessert is worth every calorie. It’s called  Trot on Over Here and it’s sticky pudding cake flavored with coffee and medjool dates topped with chocolate sauce, caramel and maple bacon brittle ice cream. The ice cream was scrumptious!!! This smooth buttery, caramel ice cream had lovely chunks of maple bacon brittle adding perfect contrast to the texture.

The fried mint on the side did nothing for it and actually distracted from it. I pushed it aside.

This treat was voted Best Bacon Dish in the South by Southern Living Magazine.

It’s available at the Tusk and Trotter in downtown Bentonville, Ark. http://www.tuskandtrotter.com/

trot

We stopped Sunday for brunch there and  had a good meal. The main courses (Eggs Benedict and eggs gratin) were just ok, but the appetizer of risotto balls was fantastic. Creamy risotto, was mixed with ground meat, homemade sausage, herbs and cheese and then rolled in balls and fried. FAB-U-LOUS. Don’t these look good?

risotto balls

We had a nice mimosa. I did not like the Bloody Mary because it was thin, but my husband prefers thin mixes so he liked it. They have an array of Bloody Mary’s to choose from from pickles to bacon to ghost pepper. That’s just personal taste.

The Pomme Frites covered in Herbs de Provence were also fantastic. They had a sticky sauce on them and I didn’t think I’d like it, but I did.

But the dessert was the highlight! And they have a biscuit covered with “chocolate gravy” and served whipped cream and strawberry ice cream. That’s on my list next time. I was stuffed! Next time, I will order the risotto balls, a salad and go for two desserts. I am not kidding. I don’t eat a lot of dessert, but when I do, I go all out!

Here is the interior of the restaurant.

We took a day trip to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and had brunch in Bentonville. Both are fabulous!

Day Trip to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Leave a reply

If you haven’t been to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, you really should go. Last week was my husband’s birthday, so I surprised him with a trip there. I’ve been to 45 states, so I feel comfortable saying this is one of the most beautiful museums in America. There are iconic paintings like Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter and modern artists, too. But the architecture will wow you as much as the paintings inside the building. There are walking and biking trails around the museum, and the restaurant, Eleven, was good. Here are some pictures from our lovely afternoon …

Isn’t this one wild? I took it as we drove away/ It was a gorgeous day.

One thing I love about this place is the use of natural light and nature. This is one of the hallways at the museum. It’s actually a series of buildings, some connected by bridges. Arkansas is a stunning state and this place showcases that beauty.

We have typical Ozarks weather that day. One moment it was gorgeous, the next it was cloudy, and then it was pretty again. I love the gray tones and shadows in this photo. I didn’t tone anything. All of these were shot on my iPhone. Gotta love modern technology.

The entrance to the museum. I love this silver tree. See, gorgeous weather one minute.

The restaurant has amazing natural light and good food. The menu is limited, but we both had an Ozark Harvest Salad and it was excellent. I am going to try to recreate the dressing.

Painting by Thomas Hart Benton. I love his stuff.

So many people take pictures of the building. It’s awe inspiring.

As my husband would say “Trippy cloud formation.”

That’s all I had time to download. It was a wonderful day. And the museum is FREE, so you can take the entire family and enjoy a free day of entertainment. I am proud to have this in the Ozarks.