Eat Work Wander Podcast

Did you know Houstonians are known for eating out at the 10000+ restaurants in the city? I was no exception this summer as I tried a variety of new places - I can't wait to chat about all of them! But what do you do when the first two places you want to talk about are also the first two restaurants on the Yelp 'Best Hipster Restaurants in Houston' list? You make the episode all about hipster restaurants, of course! Moon Tower Inn and Tout Suite Cafe are the first two names on that Yelp list, but I add on the new Japanese fusion restaurant Izakaya and Top Chef's Rebecca Masson's Fluff Bake Bar in Midtown. Honorable mentions as hipster restaurants go to the unique but relatively upscale Liberty Kitchen and Oyster Bar in the Heights and Tiny Boxwoods in River Oaks.

All things Disney in this episode as we head to Disneyland this week in Anaheim, California, the very first of all the Disney parks! I chat about being ready for the sun and give tips on how to best avoid long line ups. Then, an homage to the incredible Soundsational parade which celebrates all things that are great about Disney music. I'll talk about the various rides and sections in Disneyland Park (while getting distracted by my love for Alice in Wonderland and my feelings about the dolls/robots in the It's a Small World ride). In a nutshell, this whole episode is about how much I love Disneyland and how to make the best of your trip there if you get a chance to visit!

It's time to revisit Vancouver! In episode 3, I talked about various tourist locations in Vancouver (and North Vancouver) but of course I couldn't cover all of them! This week, I head back to beautiful British Columbia and go to the Van Dusen Botanical Gardens, Stanley Park and Granville Island. Also discussed is the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare festival and my love of all things Shakespeare! I recall my time visiting Stratford-Upon-Avon (the birthplace of Shakespeare) and a fun moment I had there! And something else is special today; as the podcast evolves, I add new things to make it more fun! Today, we have a new segment – one that's all about trivia! I'll ask questions related (sort of) to today's destinations and let you mull over the answers till the end of the episode!

In this episode, I set out to talk about Ottawa (where I lived for a short while) and instead ended up doing a special spotlight on one of my favourite Canadian tourist destinations, Parliament Hill! I talk about what's inside the building, the monuments and statues outside (including a Whispering Wall!), tips on how to make sure you get a spot on a tour, special events at Parliament hill, some Canadian history, trivia and more! As a counterpoint, I also talk about the Royal Canadian Mint - a much less obvious tourist destination, but one that I hope you'll consider if you ever go to Ottawa.

Eat Work Wander is back! In this episode, I first talk about how and why Kingston, Ontario is amazing, and then get right into tourism in Toronto! I visited all of these on my recent trip home, and it was a trip down memory lane to my middle school days. Four tourist spots are covered, all included in the CityPass. First, we visit the Royal Ontario Museum and see the giant one million dollar loonie and brush up on some Canadian history and art. Then we head to the Ontario Science Center for some biology and an IMAX on lemurs. Next, on to the Toronto Zoo, the largest zoo in Canada and finally for the quintessential Toronto experience, we visit the CN Tower and I discuss the scary possibility of the Edge Walk. (Included in the CityPASS but not discussed in the episode is Casa Loma).

This episode features a special guest host, Jennifer! My first guest who is a native of LA, Jennifer, talks all about her home, Palos Verdes, California. Both a suburb of LA and its own collection of cities, Palos Verdes is home to incredible coastal views of the Pacific Ocean, lots of outdoor activities including bicycling and hiking, and smaller town fare like local music festivals. As a native of the city, Jennifer also gives us some interesting trivia and history about the area and as always, we chat about all the best places to eat!

A very special 10th episode on location at the 20th annual LA Times Book Festival! In this episode, I share snippets from outdoor interviews, talk to a few festival goers and reminisce about indoor performers! First, a few snippets from Jason Segel who was promoting his new book, Nightmares, followed by Jon Cryer promoting his memoir, So That Happened. Both are hilarious, humble and great to listen to! Then we head to the cooking stage with Aarti (Paarti) Sequiera and to the popular food truck pavilion! Finally, I chat with a few festival goers, talk about Patton Oswalt (memoir, Silver Screen Fiend) and the HILARIOUS Upright Citizens Brigade live-read of the 1996 film, Swingers. Something for everyone at the book fest!

In 2009, my roommate and I made the short trip from Calgary to one of Canada's most popular tourist destinations, Banff, Alberta. In this episode I chat about how Banff and Banff National Park were formed, what to do there as a tourist depending on the time of year you visit. In our April visit, we started off with the Sulphur Mountain Gondola, took a quick dip in the Banff Upper Hot Springs (in rented retro swimsuits, no less!), walked around Banff Ave and then embarked on a bus tour that took us via Bow Lake and Num ti-Jah Lodge to Lake Louise. Both lakes were still frozen over so we got to walk on them! We also got to see some famous/recognizable mountains in the Rockies which I briefly list, so you can look out for them too!

This episode is all about popular Canadian restaurant chains. I chat about the origins of Chez Cora (or Cora’s Breakfast), about their delicious veggie skillet and how Cora is an awesome entrepreneur. Then on to gourmet burgers at The Works and their Hipster Burger and famous Tower O' Rings! More Ontario representation with Williams Fresh Cafe, where my family loves this particular panini so much that we taught ourselves how to make it. Then I get distracted while talking about the Rotisserie Channel (which it turns out IS sponsored by Swiss Chalet!). Finally, I round off the show by praising the Hell's Kitchen Chicken at East Side Marios (Hey budda boom budda bing!).

This episode features a special guest host, Kiera, currently a writer in LA. Having lived in Memphis, Tennessee for several years, she advises visitors on what to see and where to eat. She has a wealth of knowledge about Memphis and we get into varied discussions including Elvis and what you actually see at Graceland, touring Sun Studios downtown, how bars are connected by tunnels built during the Prohibition era, the Gibson guitar factory and the delicious menu items at a restaurant called the 'Kooky Canuck' (and their burger challenge).

For this episode, I once again enlist the help of my friend Ananya for advice on the best spots in St Paul and Minneapolis. We discuss what the Mississippi River looks like in the snow, the various parks in St Paul and Minneapolis including Minnehaha Falls in the latter, discovering good restaurants like Cossetta on dates, where to find meat in 'pulled formats' or get a great burger, and why Lake Street is like Diagon Alley.

This is a special episode covering the one day I spent in Austin, Texas last summer. The day was entirely planned by a friend who had been to Austin a few times. We started at South Congress Avenue, went to the Texas State Capitol and UT Austin and ended up at the Congress Avenue bridge to see the bats!

This episode features a special guest host, my friend Ananya, who is also relatively new to LA. We try to figure out why food truck culture is so popular in Southern California, get distracted by talking about a lady that killed her cat by forcing it to become vegan and the recent Jon Favreau movie, 'Chef', and chat about our favorite food trucks. Food trucks include: Kogi BBQ, Armando’s, The Grilled Cheese Truck, The Boba Truck, Rice Balls of Fire, India Jones Chow Truck, the now defunct Frysmith and our new obsession, the Jogasaki Sushi Burrito truck.

This episode, Capilano Suspension Bridge Park and Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver and Robson St and Canada Place in downtown Vancouver. I also discuss possible winter activities in North Vancouver, the ridiculously expensive ticket prices for tourist activities in Vancouver and why it's better to just not drive in downtown Vancouver and just take public transit.

This episode, Canadian fast food. Includes Harveys, A&W Canada, Mary Browns Famous Chicken and Taters and of course the iconic, Tim Hortons. In addition to menu items that I love, I also discuss Harveys famous ads (Harvey's makes your hamburger a beautiful thing!), the differences between A&W USA and Canada, my love of the discontinued and morbidly named A&W Baby Twins Burgers and why muffins are somehow one of the most calorific items on the Timmies menu.

This episode: LA and California-centric fast food. Includes: Kyochon Fried Chicken, Umami Burger and In N Out Burger. I also discuss the California origins of some popular fast food restaurants, the oddly inexpensive valet option at Kyochon, and why Umami Burger is named Umami Burger. I finally try to figure out why there is so much hype surrounding In N Out Burger before promptly going on a spiel about how much I love their animal style French fries.