Akureyri + Beyond

After our third day of driving from East Iceland to the North and exploring Dettifoss, Mývatn and Goðafoss along the way, we reached our home for the night in the village of Svalbarðseyri.

Stay: This Airbnb at Sunnuhlíð farmland - 12km from Akureyri. I was obsessed with this tiny house. I wanted to move in. It was perfect.

Dinner - Rub 23 in Akureyri is a refined Icelandic restaurant that highlights ingredients from local fisherman and farmers. We loved our meal here. Notably - the arctic char sushi, creative maki, and the bento box with reindeer carpaccio, duck salad, seared scallops and langoustine tempura. I also had a really good coffee/Frangelico/Baileys drink for dessert that came in a fancy chalice.

Northern Lights - I was so disappointed. On the 1-9 point scale we were at a 5. We came home from dinner, set up shop in front of the big window...and....nothing. We stayed up late, too. Considering our wild show the night before, I shouldn't have been too disappointed, but I couldn't help it! This time we were ready with a Northern Lights iphone app and my camera with the correct (?) settings. Ah well. 

Breakfast - The city center is home to a number of sophisticated coffee shops; we wandered into Bláa Kannan and grabbed a caramelized onion and red pepper quiche with croissants, cheese, and jam for the road.

The drive on day four showed off an enchanting landscape with farms and small towns nestled in between handsome mountains. It was drizzling on and off, and out of nowhere appeared a huge rainbow. I didn't pull over, but I'll never forget how it sprawled all majestic alongside us. 

Everything is so different now from what we've seen in the south and the east and even yesterdays northern points. I know I keep saying that. It is one of the best things about Iceland. You're ready for what's next and what's next never disappoints. 

Our route to Stykkishólmur lead us off Ring Road - which was a welcome change of pace. We took 61 to 59 to 60 to 54 to 58! These routes are not all paved, but most are well sealed so you can keep your speed. At the crossroads of 60 and 54 we detoured two miles to the sleepy little town of Búðardalur for gas plus an exciting lunch of gas station hot dogs at N1. I had read all about them as a popular Icelandic meal, so it was finally time to try one. The soft bun is loaded up with ketchup, mustard, raw onions, crispy fried onions and cradles a fresh dog topped with an earthy sweet remoulade. It was good!  Aside from the hot dogs, Búðardalur was also special because I bought my wool sweater here. We came upon the cutest little shop run by a sweet older woman. I tried on about eight sweaters and finally found the one.

Happy Dog | Cleveland

Get your gourmet hot dog fix (for Clevelanders, such a thing exists) at the gritty, retro-hip neighborhood corner bar, Happy Dog. The interior remains largely unchanged since it was built in the 1940s; heralded by an oval wood racetrack bar and chrome barstools, outfitted with raised scallop paneling and dangling globe light fixtures. Downstairs at Underdog, pinball machines stand out against dim lighting and black fixtures. 

The kitchen offers locally made all beef hot dogs, veggie dogs (vegan Italian sausages), crispy tater tots and slender French fries. These are accompanied by a massive selection of toppings, all house made. The menus are designed as a choose your own hot dog adventure where you pencil in your order and are encouraged to get creative. Top your dog with a classic vodka sauerkraut, a zesty Caribbean coleslaw, perhaps a pimento mac-n-cheese or even Froot Loops cereal! The sauces range from traditional: house made ketchup, Bertman Original Ballpark mustard, sriracha sauce to intriguing: black truffle honey mustard and Alabama-Style white barbeque. All of them that we sample are excellent.

For those feeling daunted by the topping selection but still up for something wacky, I recommend you go for a suggestive wiener from the list of signature happy dogs. The East Meets West comes slathered in crunchy peanut butter, dressed up with Thai chili and garlic sauce, topped with do chua (Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrots) and garlicky escarole. A 1:45 am Special features apple wood smoked bacon, cheddar, chipotle hollandaise and a fried egg. Wash down your dogs and tots with a local beer on draft like the Bell's Two-Hearted Ale (Kalamazoo, MI) or the Fat Heads Head Hunter IPA (North Olmstead, OH). They offer a large selection of domestic and imports including some funky Eastern European beers. 

The East Meets West was my order and let me tell you, crunchy peanut butter on a hot dog is a revelation. Not to mention the rest of those toppings somehow all compliment each other in perfect harmony. 

Our CLE crew was in for lunch and the bar was relatively quiet. They have live music most nights and are open until midnight so I imagine an upbeat crowd. The Happy Dog is unmistakably authentic. This place makes me very happy, indeed. 

Happy Dog
Gordon Square Arts District / 
Detroit Shoreway 

5801 Detroit Avenue

Cleveland, Ohio 44102

good stuff.

Lately I have been taking advantage of the product samples offered to me as a result of keeping up with this little blog. The folks as Applegate sent me what was an entire summers worth of organic hot dogs - grass fed beef as well as pork and beef. I am impressed with the company mantra overall ensuring these dogs are a quality product. It was incredibly generous the amount they sent me, so I also passed along the product to friends and family who seemed to really enjoy them, too!

Bai 5 is a low cal, all natural, antioxidant infusion made from the outer fruit shell of a coffee bean. While not my ideal juice drink (only 5% juice) I can certainly understand the appeal. It was fun to sample all the uniquely named flavors like malawi mango, panama peach and brasilia blueberry. My favorite was definitely the Molokai coconut. 

Now for the real good stuff.  The Naked Grape delivered me some boxed wine the other day! Getting a box of wine in the mail? Score. Their Pinot Grigio is a delicious blend which also contains gewürztraminer, viognier and Riesling. It is light bodied and crisp with aromas of lemon, pear and honey. The 3 liter box retails for about $20 and keeps the wine fresh four weeks after opening. The box is also available for their Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir which I am looking forward to tasting in the future.

*All products were complimentary*

The Bean | Chicago

After a mimosa filled brunch, wishing the happy couple farewell, and saying goodbye to all our friends, Adam and I made our way over to Millennium Park to check out  "The Bean".

Technically, this shiny stainless steel sculpture shaped like a legume by Anish Kapor is called Cloud Gate; it was brilliantly constructed to reflect and distort images of the Chicago skyline and its visitors. It is an iconic work of art, stunning and complex, and crowded.

We had lots of fun here. We wandered down to the banks of Lake Michigan and throughout Millennium park, where I finally got to enjoy a Chicago hot dog! I loaded her up with yellow mustard, sweet relish, onions, tomatoes, spicy sport peppers and a pickle. These last few hours were a perfect and relaxing end to a great weekend in Chicago.