Best performance in a multi-day Scrabble tournament using the North American lexicon (as opposed to the British, which is what I usually play) in around half a decade, BUT, for the non-Scrabblers seeing this, the truly noteworthy thing that happened is the winner's unbelievable 20-0. I've been playing tournament Scrabble for twenty years, and it also never happens that a player goes undefeated over this many games, largely because of the luck element--sometimes even the bestest player is going to draw IIIUUUU of the bag.
FYI for you Starbucking fans who didn't hear the news, this past Friday Starbucks shut down their remaining two corporate stores in Ithaca, NY, after last year's closure of the unionised location. This means that Ithaca, home of the Ivy League college Cornell University, now has ZERO corporate Starbucks (only a licensed one inside Target), and to me that seems stunning, and an obvious anti-union move. Granted, Ithaca has no shortage of excellent craft coffeehouses, like Press Cafe and Nothing Nowhere, but still...
While their name is amusing, there is actually a touching story behind Rambo's Fat Cat Biscuits, a newish biscuit shop in Columbia. Rambo was the owner's cat, but it passed away shortly after this cafe opened a few years ago. The beloved pet lives on, however, in the shop's logo and images throughout the space. As far as the biscuits are concerned, you can see from the image that these are a different style than the others I've had in the past week, with a texture and look similar to that of cornbread, yet with an unmistakable buttery biscuit taste similar to that of Callie's Hot Little Biscuit. l Good stuff!
Greater Charlotte expands to four Duck Donuts locations with this store in South Charlotte, my 123rd. Like the store I saw yesterday in Lynchburg, this Duck Donuts is tiny, but it does offer two tables tucked away around the corner. Today I enjoyed... peanut butter icing + chocolate sprinkles + raspberry peanut butter icing + chocolate sprinkles + salted caramel
I've seen a few dozen new Starbucks since I hit the road again on May 4th, but for the most part the artwork hasn't really impressed me until now. This newest store in Charlotte, tucked awat almost out of sight at Independence & Wilshire, features an absolute lovely Siren mural.
Back on the Duckhunt! While I was holed up in Houston for over half a year, Duck Donuts was busy opening up around half a dozen new locations around the country (plus two overseas). My first new Duck Donuts since last summer, #122, is Lynchburg, VA, one of the tiniest I've seen, opened just a couple of months ago, and I continue my pattern of working my way through different combinations of coating/topping/drizzle. Today I enjoyed... peanut butter icing + chocolate sprinkles + hot fudge peanut butter icing + chocolate sprinkles + marshmallow
As soon as I walked into @unioncoffeenc I was thrilled to see coffee from @passengercoffee on a shelf, along with the other guest roaster Heart and their mainstay @blackwhiteroasters . Unfortunately they were rotating out of Passenger, which I've not enjoyed in years, but the Kenyan from Heart was excellent, as expected. Union has a beautiful, clean space in the Greensboro city centre, and I found the shop's pastel blue and tan colours to be quite calming. If you look at the image depicting the three paintings, you will notice that they are colour-coordinated with the cushions in the shop colours. Additionally, the three paintings depict the three elements of the Union logo, sun, cloud, and rain.
Today's delicious biscuit is a bit different than the last two--although about the same diameter, but flatter, and thus not quite as big. Tastes butterier, though, not quite as dry as the others, which I prefer. The Biscuit Factory itself is noteworthy because it is about forty years old and, according to the article, an institution in High Point, NC.
A bit hard to photograph in the sunlight, but you should be able to make out an LED sign reading CLOSED inside the circle--first time I've noticed one of these. Not the double drive-thru, mind you--if you've seen a number of new Starbucks built in the last two or three years, you might have noticed one of these, designed to ease drive-thru congestion (even though there's only one actual window). Typically I've seen one lane closed off with orange cones, as in the other new Starbucks in Hickory, but this one, at 24th & Springs, built a month ago, has introduced the LED sign to make it easier to shut down a lane.
Another HUGE biscuit, and delicious from Vicious Biscuit in Boone, NC. Vicious has just over half a dozen locations, including one in Florida, and I think I might have to keep an eye on them.
I discovered @hatchetcoffee nearly two years ago at @thehobbyistclt in Charlotte, and I immediately put them on my map for the next time I had an opportunity to detour through Boone, NC. Took a while, but I finally had the chance, and I'm glad I made the effort because today's Ethiopian drip coffee was excellent, some of the best in weeks. Also digging this out-of-the-way cafe, surprisingly not in Boone's city centre, but that's probably why the cafe is so large, with plenty of tables, tall and short, outlets, and wifi. Additionally, there are counters of eclectic merchandise and knickknacks. My only disappointment is that, according to staff, Hatchet does not have accounts too far outside this area, so I'm not sure when I'll have another chance to try their coffee.
I've tried to stay away from fast food chains for a few decades, BUT while at the new Starbucks in Corbin, KY, I learned that Corbin is the home of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is now a museum in addition to a cafe, and of course I had to come check it out. Worth the wisit if you're already passing through Corbin--the nostalgic exhibits are a hoot!