LowBrow in Naples
Posted on June 2, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
|
While we were in Naples for the Minto US Open, Brian and I found this awesome pizza place called LowBrow Pizza and Beer. Their mantra is “DON’T EAT SHITTY PIZZA” and “DON’T DRINK SHITTY BEER” — these sayings are printed on the t-shirts that they sell at the restaurant. Here’s a picture of one of the servers wearing said shirt…
I’m actually surprised that Brian didn’t buy one. I thought they were pretty funny. They’re pretty proud of their pizza, which is understandable because their pizzas are excellent (as evidenced by the rave reviews online and also based on how busy the place was the entire time that we were there). And, though we only tried one kind of pizza on that visit, it was damn good pizza. Obviously, anything that is not their pizza is considered “shitty pizza” but you might be wondering what beers constitute the “shitty beer” category. Their website provides an extensive list (see right). If one of these beers happens to be your favorite, I guess they will still serve it to you (it is on the menu, after all) but accept the fact that you may get made fun of for having terrible taste. |
 |
Speaking of the menu, I took a couple of pictures because (a) I don’t like green peppers on my pizza either — actually, who am I kidding, I don’t like much of anything on my pizza besides all the meats — and (b) whoever wrote their menu is creative, clever, and funny.
I love that the restaurant doesn’t take itself too seriously and they have a great sense of humor. I circled the Basic AF pizza because that’s what we ordered. It doesn’t have a lot of stuff on it so I guess it’s kind of “basic” in that sense but the pizza itself was excellent. (See the picture that follows.)
You can’t go wrong with prosciutto!
Besides the great food and drinks, the restaurant had live music during the visit which contributed to the ultra cool vibe.
They were super busy despite the horrible weather outside (it was raining the entire time) so we had to wait a long time for a table but at least we got to listen to fun, live music as we waited.
The place seemed to be very popular with both tourists and locals. They were busy the entire time that we were there.
We like this place so much that we’ll probably be back again next year. Anyway, next time you’re in Naples, remember 2 things: (1) Don’t eat shitty pizza and (2) don’t drink shitty beer. Go visit LowBrow for the good stuff. Until next time, GNG.
Comment on This
Bistro La Baguette
Posted on May 31, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
I’m not sure that we are what some would consider French cuisine aficionados but we wanted to try something different and this place had rave reviews.
The exterior of the place doesn’t look like much but their patio is super cute!
The way they’ve decorated makes the place look so comfortable and cozy. And, though I’ve never been to France, I imagine this is what a French bistro might look like. It could be completely off but I guess I’ll never know until I actually make it out there. (Adding France to list of places to visit before I die.)
Here are pictures of the interior. There are no guests in the pic because we arrived right as they opened and were the first ones there. By the time we left, the place was buzzing with diners both inside and out on the patio where we chose to sit.
Here are some pics of the menu. Everything sounded so fancy.
Here’s a picture of Brian. I can only offer a guess as to what he is thinking. The coffee at our hotel was completely horrid. He might be contemplating if the coffee at the restaurant is worth the price he paid for it. The free coffee at the hotel was nasty and, as they say, you get what you pay for. But I’m not quite sure if he felt this coffee was worth its price either.
He was definitely pleased with the bread selection. The bread was fabulous.
We started with a charcuterie board, which was exactly that — just meat. There is an option to get a cheese board but they didn’t have a combo one, which is what I was hoping. This board had a wide selection of meats and pates. I even got to try a slice of cured duck meat.
Here’s a picture of us and our mostly finished meat board.
Here is a picture of Brian’s croque monsieur sandwich.
I opted for a crepe, which was not quite what I expected — perhaps because I’m used to the Americanized IHOP version. LOL.
We had a wonderful lunch and enjoyed our dining experience overall. If you enjoy French food, this might be a place to check out on your next visit to Naples.
Until next time, GNG.
Comment on This
Fun Day at Marco Island
Posted on May 30, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
On one of the days we were in Naples, we went to visit Cindy and Joe in Marco Island. They had a beautiful high-rise condo rental with amazing water views.
The wrap-around balcony offered beautiful views from every angle.
We went early so I could join them for open play. The rest of our group arrived around lunch time.
After a few quick pics, we all piled in the elevator to head to lunch.
Lunch that day was at Snook Inn, a super popular hangout spot in Marco Island.
This place a really fun, island vibe.
…and great live music most days.
Fun pic of Cindy and Joe while we were waiting for a table.
Their specials that day…
Pictures of our delicious food…
Post-lunch group pic…
The rest of our group spent the day hanging out at the condo in Marco Island. Brian and I went back to the US Open that afternoon to watch some more pickleball. Everyone had a great time. Thank you to Cindy and Joe for hosting us and letting me play with them that morning. What a perfect day!
Comment on This
Brunch at the Cafe in Downtown Naples
Posted on May 21, 2022 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
Brian and I decided to take a break from the US Open one morning and explore downtown Naples. We found this place called The Cafe Kitchen & Juicery that had rave reviews and decided to give it a try.
It was a beautiful morning but all of the patio tables were taken so we ended up dining inside. It was great because we were there early enough that we pretty much had the inside of the restaurant, which wasn’t very big, all to ourselves.
I had a massive headache so I decided to indulge in some freshly-pressed, raw, hand-crafted juice. I got the “pink pleasure” drink which is made with beets, pineapple, strawberry, apple, ginger, orange. It was both delicious and refreshing. It was just what I needed at that moment.
Their menu of fresh juice is quite extensive. It was honestly hard to choose.
As for food, Brian decided to go with a bagel breakfast sandwich and I went all-out with a lobster omelet because why not? It’s not often that I’m dining at an establishment that this as an option on their menu.
My pretty lobster omelet…
Brian’s breakfast sandwich looked like your run of the mill bagel breakfast sandwich but he said it was good and he enjoyed it.
Here’s a selfie of the two of us at the restaurant. The lighting was great because we were seated next to a window. It was as close as we could get to being outside where we really wanted to be without actually being outside.
I can see why many people choose to retire in Florida. They have fabulous weather year-round. If only it weren’t so expensive to live there…
Comment on This
Minto US Open Pickleball Championships
Posted on May 20, 2022 by Ching under Pickleball, Travel.
Miscellaneous pictures from the US Open last month…
Pictures of Championship Court…
The bleacher seats require general admission tickets but the box seats and the bar top tables in the lounge required special VIP credentials.
You want one of these special credentials…
Here’s a better picture of the air-conditioned VIP lounge.
Pictures of everyone’s tents at the Players’ Village.
Here’s a tournament map. This is definitely the most massive tournament I’ve ever attended. There were dozens of courts, a special section for players’ tents called the Players’ Village, there’s a couple of huge tents for the vendors called the Vendor Village, lots of food trucks, live music, and so forth.
Here’s a picture of our parking pass which I kept as a souvenir. The parking fee was $5 per day or $30 for the entire week and benefited the local Kiwanis club.
Got a picture with my friend Chase Distefano who was working at the Zelus booth inside the Vendor Village.
Brian bought a ball cap at the Zelus booth.
Got a picture with my friend Tien Nguyen from Oklahoma.
I had to take a picture of the portapottys because there were super nice. The nicest ones I’d ever seen at any tournament.
There were amazing matches going on everywhere, not just at the Championship Court. You can just watch from court to court to court.
If you didn’t have tickets to Championship Court, you could also watch the broadcasted matches via the jumbo TV at the Fan Zone.
Here’s a picture of Ryan Sherry and Ben Johns at the Championship Court.
Pictures taken at the Championship Court.
A selfie with the hubs at Championship Court.
Picture of the VIP lounge inside Championship Court.
When you arrive later in the morning, you have to park at the park down the street which they’ve turned into overflow parking. The nice thing is that there is a shuttle that goes back and forth. Here’s a picture of the shuttle bus that takes people to and from the overflow parking lot.
Picture with Joe and Cindy Witte at Players’ Village.
Picture with KaSandra Gehrke at the Kitch booth.
Picture with Belinda Dettman at Vendor Village.
Picture with Joe and Cindy at Championship Court.
Selfie at East Naples Community Park at night…
Group picture with a fun crew after some rec play at the park.
Caught up with the beautiful and talented Jessie Irvine at the Engage booth at Vendor Village at the US Open.
Impressive blue dome covering the Zing Zang championship court…
The Wichita pickleball crew was well-represented at the US Open.
Karen and Janelle on women’s doubles day…
Post-medal presentation selfie with Brian…
With our St. Louis, MO pals — Christie Pink and Monica Ray…
Met senior pro and hall-of-famer Enrique Ruiz at the Fan Zone…
With Mircea Moriariu and John Sperling, a couple of really awesome senior pros.
These pictures really do not do the tournament justice. To say that the Minto US Open is the biggest party on earth is an understatement. It’s like a cross between a pickleball tournament, music festival, and trade show that is attended by thousands of people – players and spectators alike. It is a truly massive event that every pickleball fan must experience at least once. I am completely hooked and am looking forward to going every year from here on out. So excited for next year!
1 Comment
