Hello Reader,

Welcome to Summer! It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update. A lot of traveling has happened these past couple of months.

From Northern Kentucky to Texas, from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, from Las Vegas to London, Ontario, I’ve seen and done so much that I can’t wait to tell you about.

So grab a cup of coffee or tea, and let’s dive in!

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Lubbock, Texas 🤠

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In April, I visited Lubbock, Texas. I’ve been to Austin before, but it was my first time being in West Texas. It is such a different vibe with a more old cowboy feel.

Of course, I still ate my way from top Texas BBQ, Evie Mae’s BBQ (#8 in Texas Monthly’s 2021 Best BBQ Joints in Texas) to trying almost all the dishes at The Nicolett from a 2022 James Beard Semi-finalist chef. I also got to try a lot of Tex Mex dishes.

It was also my first time trying Texas High Plains wines with Llano Estacado, McPherson Cellars and Burklee Hill. I then checked out Caprock Canyons (taking a selfie with a bison on our hiking path) and Prairie Dog Town (they're so cute!).

Wrapping up an amazing trip watching award winning musical Dear Evan Hansen at the end Buddy Holly Hall.

I was ecstatic that my two Lubbock reels went viral:

• ​Lubbock Food Guide​
• ​Why Lubbock is a Hidden Foodie Gem in Texas​

Watch the full Lubbock Instagram Stories here.

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Northern Kentucky 🥃

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May was a whirlwind of travel. It started with a trip to Northern Kentucky (soaring through the Roebling Bridge).

I visited the Cincy Region last year for the BLINK Festival. This time, it’s for their B-Line Bourbon Trail.

I went to different distilleries like Neeley Family Distillery (got to try moonshine straight from the worm tub!), Boone County Distillery and Second Sight Spirits.

I ate at different bourbon-centric restaurants like The Purple Poulet (rated best fried chicken in Kentucky), Rich’s Proper Food and Drink (named best Mint Julep in Kentucky) and Tousey House Tavern (traditional southern food in a historic house).

I also drank my way in different bourbon bars like Revival Vintage Spirits (I had a side-by-side tasting of bourbon that's 90-100 years apart from the same distillery), Wiseguy Lounge (I tasted the highest proof bourbon I've ever had, and it was smooth! Also had an epic pizza with EVERY AVAILABLE TOPPING) and, my favourite, Prohibition Bourbon Bar (it was such a blast and a hoot being there!).

My spirits definitely soared from this trip! 😉

Following my trip, I wrote an Ultimate Guide to The B-Line sharing my experiences on all the stops I visited.

And I was ecstatic that Good Morning Cincinnati found my content and wanted me to be on their show to talk about my trip. They wanted an in-person interview but, since I had already left the region, they offered the option to do via Zoom.

It was my first time doing live on-air interview on TV! I have done pre-recorded segments before, and it is definitely scarier and more stressful LOL

Watch the full Northern Kentucky Instagram Takeover here.

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San Antonio, Texas 🎸

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Still in May, I then went back to Texas. This time in San Antonio for IPW 2023, which is one of the largest US travel conference with over 5,000 delegates from more than 60 countries.

Everyday was a day starting at 8am and getting back to my room late night! A lot of networking, press conferences and pitching going on aside from the fun events and parties happening after.

It was great to meet & network with new destinations, journalists and trade professionals as well as catch up with old ones.

I also got to meet the Spurs mascot!

There were so many things that happened in this 4 days from the Press Brunch (which had a massive Texas-size Ribeye that went viral on my TikTok!) and Tex-Mex Tour, to seeing the Counting Crows perform live while we have lunch, to having The Alamo shutdown for us for the closing party.

It was the first time ever where alcohol was permitted on The Alamo grounds. And in true Texas fashion, there was a whole side of Texas Beef being cooked over fire!

The Drone Show grand finale at The Alamo was an EPIC way to end IPW!

It was my first time doing IPW and I can’t wait to attend again next year, which will be held in Los Angeles.

Watch the my IPW Instagram Stories here.

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Port Aransas & Corpus Christi, Texas 🌊

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Right after IPW, I joined the post-IPW FAM tour, which is a 3-night press trip across two destinations. I did the Coast Like A Texas trip which was for Port Aransas and Corpus Christi.

This was such a fun tour, and opened my eyes to a different side of Texas I never knew existed.

The Coastal, Island Vibes, and Seafood (a welcoming change from all the meats!) side of Texas.

Port Aransas is known as the Fishing Capital of Texas. And Corpus Christi is known as the Gulf Coast Capital of Texas.

First day, we left San Antonio very early. We had to be checked-out of our hotel and be at the shuttle bus by 6:45AM.

We headed to Port Aransas where we had a seafood lunch by the water, a boozy pirate cruise and a shrimp boil at the beach!

On our next day, we did a golf cart tour (Port Aransas' popular mode of transportation) for sightseeing on the beach, Jetty, and around the city.

We then went to do bird watching at a natural park and had a breakfast/brunch buffet with a history talk.

Our last stop was learning about marine life at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute and Amos Rehabilitation Keep.

Full Port Aransas Instagram Stories here.

We then left for Corpus Christi, starting with a tour at King Ranch, a massive ranch that’s bigger than Singapore and Luxembourg. We enjoyed a cowboy lunch of Texas BBQ and then toured the ranch which included seeing a Texas longhorn (my first time seeing one).

And at night, we had a sunset cruise and seafood dinner aboard the Texas Tease boat.

Next day we toured the Texas State Aquarium and Wildlife Rescue Center followed by a tour of USS Lexington Museum. We had lunch at Elizabeth’s inside the Art Museum.

We then checked out Padre Island National Seashore, which is the longest barrier island in the world.

Dinner was our choice and I checked out a local brewery that also made their own BBQ, Nueces Brewing Co.

To wrap up our last night, we did a fun kayaking on glowing kayaks with Glow Row.

Before we headed to the airport the next day, we had a fancy picnic setup at the beach with Pretty Picnic.

Watch the full Corpus Christi Instagram stories here.

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Las Vegas, Nevada 🎰

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From Texas, I flew straight to Las Vegas for the remainder of May and into the first June weekend.

It was my brother’s birthday week, so we decided to celebrate it in style. I also got to meet my cousin and her husband who were visiting from California the night I arrived.

We had a blast exploring the Strip (including the summer display at The Bellagio Conservatory and WSOP at the Horseshoe Casino), the Pinball Hall of Fame (so fun!), and eating at many restaurants (some new like Chino Poblano and Top Sushi, some repeats like Bahamar Seafood and Kaiseki Yuzu [fun fact: the chef became a James Beard Award finalist after my first visit there that I vlogged about here]).

There were two disappointing popular Vegas spots in this trip: Saint Honore (they went viral from TikTok but it's really just Instagrammable doughnuts) and Hattie B's (I think it's more because of their small spot in The Cosmopolitan's food hall. They might not have the proper setup to make the chicken).

It was a memorable trip that I’ll never forget! And then it was time to head back to Toronto.

Watch the full Las Vegas Instagram Stories here.

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London, Ontario 🍁

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After 1.5 week being back, I had a trip to London, Ontario for food and fun. This was my second visit to The Forest City, which is about two hours away from Toronto by car.

I was there to explore their diverse culinary scene, craft beer scene and coffee/cafe scene, plus some unique things to do.

For the culinary scene, I went from Greek food at Mythic Grill and Japanese Food at Shiki's to a 100% organic Mexican food at Ivano Poblano and a unique culinary experience of Global Black Food at Yaya’s Kitchen.

For the craft beer scene, I checked out Storm Stayed Brewing and Powerhouse Brewing inside 100 Kellogg Lane. Both breweries had a great selection of beers on tap.

For the cafes, I checked out Saga Board Games & Cafe and Black Walnut Bakery Cafe. Saga is a place where you can play board games while sipping on coffee and enjoying their panini. Black Walnut is a place where you can enjoy freshly baked goods like cruffins, scones and croissants along with your coffee or tea. I was surprised they had homemade Jamaican patties, and it was delicious.

For unique things to do, I did Sifton Bog, The Selfie House and Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery. Sifton Bog is a natural wetland that has a boardwalk trail where you can see different plants and animals. The Selfie House is a fun place where you can take selfies with different themed rooms. Jonathon Bancroft-Snell Gallery is Canada's largest ceramic gallery that showcases 100% Canadian fine art ceramics and paintings..

I had a great time in London and I’m glad I got to see more of what this city has to offer.

I was happy to see my two back-to-back Instagram Reels on London go viral as well (and they were also the highest viewed reels on Tourism London's account):

• ​London Food Guide​
• ​Unique Things To Do in London​

Watch the full London Instagram Story Takeover here.

Following my content, CBC London Morning radio show reached out to me for an interview on my trip. You can listen to the segment here.

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Toronto 🍁

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In Toronto, I finally tried some spots I've wanted to check out:

• ​Quetzal - this one Michelin Star Mexican restaurant marks my 9th Michelin Star restaurant in Toronto (out of 13). I highly recommend!
• ​Pai Uptown - I love Pai and have visited their downtown location a lot. I finally visited their new location uptown (that opened during pandemic) after ordering from it multiple times during lockdowns. It is more spacious and the decor is so beautiful!
• ​Aka-Oni Richmond Hill - Another one of my faves. They finally opened another location in Richmond Hill (first location is in Scarborough).
• Bar Pompette - I've been there once before, but this would be the first time since they were awarded No. 15 in North America's Best 50 Bars (by World's 50 Best)

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Home 🏠

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At home, I've been using my Ninja Speedi so much! To the point where I bought a bunch of Ninja Speedi accessories that I can use for it.

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What’s Next? ✈️

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That’s all for now, folks! If you read all the way here, I applaud you.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the adventures and learned more about these different parts of the world.

I have more trips planned for the next few months, so stay tuned for more updates.

Hint: I shared my next trip on the Good Morning Cincinnati interview and it's up on my Instagram story right now.

In the meantime, you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter for more photos and stories.

And if you have any questions or suggestions for me, feel free to reply to this email or send me a DM.

I love hearing from you!

Until next time, happy travels!

Raymond, Travelling Foodie

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