The parking lot to El Camino Real was packed last night… and so was the restaurant. I had a bean burrito with guacamole and D. had a taco and a couple of those chili relleno things he loves so much. And, we shared a pitcher of margaritas—my favorite reason to visit. It’s apparently a fave of a lot of Toledoans because there were some pretty tipsy folks out last night… like falling down on the ground tipsy.

El Camino Real | 2500 W Sylvania Ave | (419) 472-0700 | There’s one on the east-side too… google it.

P.S. Don’t drink and drive, K, thanks, bye.

Looking to skip the queue and long waits on election day? In-person early voting is quick, easy and centrally located downtown at Jefferson and 22nd Streets. We voted last week shortly before lunch and while a lot of people were voting but there was basically no wait. Of course, there is a *certain* thrill of voting on election day… but if you are time-challenged take advantage of this and VOTE EARLY.

Click here for a PDF from the Lucas County Board of Elections for days, hours and a map to the location.

Lucas County Board of Elections Early Voting Center | EMS Training Center – 2127 Jefferson St. (Across from Mercy Medical Center) 

Hungry? Hungary? We just got back from our first visit to The Budapest. Open for lunch and dinner this little time-capsule of a restaurant is really something. A blast from the past, from the rotary phone and the old-fashioned cash register, to the antiquated music in the background. Even the waiter seemed like he had just stepped out of a time machine with a vintage vest and bow tie… even his watch and spectacles. I was too shy to ask him to pose for a photo.

The menu was on the board. I had pork chops and D. had the special—a ribeye steak with sauteed peppers. Both came with small salads, potato and noodles. The portions were way too much for me and I brought home most of my dinner but the food was good. Very “comfort food”… comforting like the atmosphere where everyone seemed like a regular.

Suggestion: call ahead to make sure they are open.

The Budapest Restaurant | 3314 Monroe St | (419) 241-1513

This weekend was very relaxed and casual and at one point we just decided to take the doggie down to the river for a walk. It was perfect weather, plenty of parking on Water Street, boats going up and down the Maumee, and a couple guys passing the time by fishing…

World, meet Daphne, the dog.

Pretty soon (or too soon) the streets will be covered with snow, sleet and ice. Take advantage of the weather while it lasts and visit downtown on your bicycle. Did you know Toledo used to be the bicycle capital of the world? Well… if not capital of the world it certainly was very important in the late 1800s taking credit for a good deal of modern bicycle innovation. The everyday metal wheel spoke was invented in Toledo! Ride your bike downtown after 5pm, when all the worker bees have gone home, enjoy the quiet streets, and own the city.

Our friends R. and M. invited us to go apple picking this afternoon, just over the border into Michigan. Visiting an apple orchard/pumpkin patch is something I haven’t done since I was a little kid in CT. and other than the fact I hadn’t lived near an orchard most of my adult life, I have no idea why… it was amazing fun.

I found two beautiful pumpkins that may or may not become horrifying jack-o-lanterns… we’ll see.

We also picked a bag full of apples. Apples of all sorts of color and flavor… all ending up in the same bag so we’ll have no clue how to separate the Golden Delicious from the Granny Smiths, but who cares?

Some of the apples were pretty high up, so R. climbed up a tree and tossed them down to M. At one point D. picked me up (bless his soul) while I picked what I could.

We found a patch of Indian Corn. I’ve never been in a corn field before and they always remind me of scenes from films where people are running through them, like the X-Files or Signs or even worse, Children of the Corn. At one point I wandered past a pumpkin patch and braved an honest to goodness real corn field on my own.

After picking our apples, pumpkins, gourds and indian corn we walked to a big barn and left with some of Erie Orchards famous donuts and cider. The donuts were particularly amazing. Fried dough transcends all borders and cultures—no matter who you are or where you’ve come from fried dough is something we can all stand behind.

Erie Orchards and Cider Mills | 1235 Erie Road | Erie, Michigan | (734) 848-4518