NYTimes writes a series of columns called "36-Hours" in which they visit, cities, towns, villages and neighborhoods all over the world sharing their personal 36-hour experiences and reccomendations.

Well NYTimes, I'll do you one better, 72-hours in LeClaire, IA.

Our journey begins with an indirect flight to Moline, IL, including a stop over in Chicago for breakfast beers.

Blue Iguana was our first meal, and a strong start to our culinary experiences ahead.

The house we were staying at was across the street from the local pizza hot spot, Happy Joes.

Boasting about their taco pizza the establishment was peppered with photos, promos, and the following description of what was to be part of our first dinner in Iowa.

Our famous Taco Joe pizza is loaded with refried beans, taco-seasoned beef, and sausage, topped with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and Happy Joe's own taco chips. Served with our Spicey Joe's taco sauce.

Let's be honest. How can you say no?!

We should have said no.

Sneaky Petes has been a favorite for years, and we have the shirts to prove it.

As kids we loved their Mississippi view and kitchy dining room with ties hanging from the ceiling, but now that we're older we love Sneaky Petes for their kareoke, cheep beers, and eclectic clientel.

6 Bud Light bottles

+ 5 shots of Jameson

_________________

$35.00

After a night at Sneaky Petes, it's time to head to the Mississippi River Distilling Company

for a tour and some sampling.

At this time of year we were able to sample their Vodka and Gin liquors - come fall they will offer a bourbon as well.

MR Distilling Company offers free tours, and only recently opened in 2010. Their collection of spirits were delicious, and we made sure to purchase a few bottles, and finish a few bottles.

Next stop on Iowa's food tour was Big Dave and Holly's

My Uncle and Dad used to frequent the joint as children and remember their fried pork tenderloin sandwich to be something special.

And it was, special and ginormous!

With a fried cutlet nearly 3x the size of the bun it was a challenge to eat, but totally worth it!

Our next venture took us the Celebration Belle for a river boat cruise.

Dinner was a buffet of pasta, veggies and beef tenderloin. Our pre dinner salads were however served by table, and contained a salad first for me.

Goldfish.

An interesting choice one might think, but to be honest, they served as the perfect substituion for croutons, crunchy, salty, and totally played with the riverboat theme.

Well done Celebration Belle.

A trip to Iowa is never complete without a trip to Whitey's Ice Cream.

The place is prestine, the staff is friendly, and the ice cream is hands down phenominal.

At this point we were all painfully full, but just couldn't say no.

Here are some of my favorite flavors:

GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION - Graham cracker flavored ice cream with caramel swirled thoughout.

MISSISSIPPI MUD REVEL - KONA coffee flavored ice cream with fudge swirled throughout and mixed with OREO cookie bits.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE - Cream cheese flavored ice cream with strawberries swirled throughout and mixed with candy-coated graham cracker bits.

And the reason for our trip to Iowa?

My Grandma Jesse's 90th Birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!

Earthquakes?

Hurricanes?

Natural disasters you've got nothing on me. I'm happy as a clam here with my wine and magazines.

When in doubt, turn to Real Simple

For dinner I made Angel Hair with Spicy Shrimp.

I pre-cooked the shrimp not thinking, but all worked out!

Okay, I know I'm supposed to share a great meal with you all, but I really dropped the ball on this one.

Instead of serving the pasta immediately I went back to my glass of wine and conversation, leaving hot noodles in hot broth. The noodles, and rightfully so, proceeded to absorb all that wine and goodness until they were OVER COOKED.

It wasn't inedible, but then again very little is, I just mind lapsed and turned a great meal into an okay meal. So be warned!

Crispy Salami Chips

3 ingredients

10 minutes (maximum)

So these chips are about as easy to cook as they are to eat.

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

2. Arrange salami on an ungreased baking sheet

3. Place the salami in the oven

4. Remove after approximately 10 minutes

Alright, I understand that these may not be the most aesthetically pleasing photos, but when does anything you make look like it does in the catalog?

Almost never.

The important thing is that they taste delicious and are a real crowd pleaser.

Stir together some dijon mustard and thyme

Dip

&

Enjoy!

My old roommate Meredith recently stopped by for a little wine, a little food, and a lot of catching up.

While I kick started dinner I threw the oven on broil and made these delicious Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes. While they normally top pasta, I figured a little garlic toast would be just fine.

They took a whopping 10 minutes from start to finish and were the perfect starter!

My family commonly refers to this bread as "good bread" although I'm almost positive that's not the real name, it has become a common term used among my grocery shopping friends.

Ignore the salami.

We'll address that tomorrow.

I was a little surprised how much liquid cooked out of the tomatoes.

To help, I placed each tomato on a paper towel for about :60 seconds before transferring to the plate.

Delicious.

Fast.

Easy.

Inexpensive.

I'll be eating you again tomatoes!

Out & About:

Since I spend a lot of money eating out and buying groceries I'm always elated when I find a deal, and Monday night is the perfect night for deals.

Tre offers all you can drink sangria, paired nicely with all you can eat spaghetti and meatballs.

There is catch, there is ALWAYS a catch.

Your pasta comes with 4 small meatballs, you can not get another plate until you've finished your first. The next plate only has 3 meatballs, but less pasta. (They're stuffing you with starch)

Surprisingly one thing they do not skimp on is the red sangria.

So pick a Monday and indulge, for $19.95, you will not be disappointed.

My brother sent me this, and while it's not a recipe or restaurant review it is a great video that would make anyone want to jump on a plane and eat!

EAT from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

"3 guys, 44 days, 11 countries, 18 flights, 38 thousand miles, an exploding volcano, 2 cameras and almost a terabyte of footage... all to turn 3 ambitious linear concepts based on movement, learning and food."

Enjoy.