Road Trip: Cleveland 2023

Highlights from my road trip to Cleveland to see Karen!

David Sylvester
Irving, TX

One of the highlights of my road trip happened almost immediately. Three hours up the road, I met up with my best friend in Irving, TX. David showed me his new apartment, we had some dinner at Taverna Rosa, and later he talked me out of a bar fight at one of his regular haunts. It was a great night.

Thanks to the newly broken screen on my phone, my selfies now come with “accent flares!”

Uncle Lou’s Famous Fried Chicken
Memphis, TN

The last time I drove through Tennessee, as part of my ongoing quest to find the world’s best fried chicken, I stopped in downtown Memphis and ate at Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. This time, I stopped at another contender–Uncle Lou’s Famous Fried Chicken. Uncle Lou’s, darling of Food Network’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, prepares their chicken with something called Corruption seasoning and then it’s finished off with something else called Sweet Spicy Love sauce. I guess flour, salt, and pepper isn’t going to cut it in this game anymore.

The plating, as it were, left much to be desired (even for a dive), but the chicken itself was absolutely packed with flavor. I would highly recommend a visit, though Gus’s is still the better experience and my current favorite.

Garage Bar
Louisville, KY

I finished my long day of driving with a Basil Gimlet from Garage Bar in Louisville.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Cleveland, OH

Duran Duran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHoF) in 2022, so I had to make a pilgrimage in tribute.

Nuevo and North Coast Harbor
Cleveland, OH

After the RRHoF, we took a short walk to Nuevo for street tacos and margaritas. Then we walked around the park at North Coast Harbor.

Brandywine Falls
Cuyahoga Valley National Park, OH

Karen and I went to Cuyahoga Valley National Park to see Brandywine Falls and to catch the first glimpses of Autumn, as the leaves were just beginning to change. The 60-foot falls were beautiful and the park had nice boardwalks leading to three different vantage points. The park also had trails, but we opted-out in order to go to the Chuy’s in Columbus. That last statement says a lot about my life.

Chuy’s
Columbus, OH

No visit with Karen is complete without a visit to Chuy’s. In Austin, this is no big deal. But in Ohio, that means driving from Cleveland to Columbus for Karen’s fix. Even if it’s raining. Which it was. A lot.

West Side Market
Cleveland, OH

The West Side Market is a Cleveland landmark, open since 1912, and home to over 100 purveyors of fine meats, cheeses, freshly baked breads, fresh vegetables, fruits, and nuts, as well as many ready-to-eat foods, including a mind-blowing assortment of pastries and sweets.

For lunch, we chose two regular gyros from Steve’s Gyros. I thought they were a little spendy at $13, until I reached in the bag and pulled one out. It was as big as a football! Neither one of us were able to finish our gyro and that has never happened to me in my life. We sat in the balcony, ate our lunch, and watched people in the marketplace. This might be my favorite thing to do in Cleveland.

Ohio City Neighborhood &
Great Lakes Brewing Company
Cleveland, OH

After lunch, we walked around the Ohio City Neighborhood and settled at the Great Lakes Brewing Company for a beer. In honor of one of Cleveland’s most well known sons, I chose the Eliot Ness Amber Lager.

Pig on Beale
Memphis, TN

I started back home on Saturday and in my usual way, I timed passing through Memphis at dinner time.

After Uncle Lou’s Famous Fried Chicken earlier in the trip and two Wing Stop dinners that week, I was ready to change gears and get some BBQ–and in Memphis, that means pulled pork. I took a quick walk down Beale Street and got a pulled pork sandwich from Pig on Beale.