The Dhaba

In the Indian subcontinent, most major highways have eateries called “Dhabas” along the way, particularly at truck stops. These eateries cater to nomads - most commonly truck drivers hauling stuff cross country, providing them with home style food, a pitstop on their long travels and a sense of community as they meet other travelers. For me, I associate Dhabas with some of the most authentic and delicious Punjabi food with Punjabi songs playing in the background; with butter chicken, tandoori roti, aloo gobi(Potatoes & Cauliflower cooked cooked in a light sauce with tomatoes and spices) and saag (Spinach & Mustard greens), and lots of diesel trucks with different signs on them and the classic -“Horn OK Please”.

As we were preparing for the drive to Toronto, we made a few short trips from SF to Joshua Tree National Park & LA to test our gear, our strategy and of-course, prep aside we wanted to start traveling again, exploring new places, and meeting people after both Anki and I were fully vaccinated.

On an evening full of food, wine, and travel stories at Shailesh & Dhara’s place in LA, they told us about the “Punjabi Dhaba” in Bakersfield. We had to check it out. The next day on our way up to San Francisco, we stopped by get lunch. This was a real Dhaba - complete with its wooden benches, truck drivers stopping by to pick up food and talking to the family that owns and runs the Dhaba. It’s that feeling of warmth and community that makes these experiences special for me. 

That’s when Anki and I thought - “Well, we’re going to be on a cross country drive; how about we carry some of this food when we head out on the trip!”

So we baked into our plans this pit stop at Bakersfield. We got some stuffed Aloo and Gobi Paranthas with Paneer butter masala, Aloo gobi and Saag. This food is delicious and we enjoyed some of it after our hike up Angel’s Landing (sans the last climb on the dragon’s neck - a story for another post).

The Chandelier

Our general rule of thumb is to drive no more than 5-6 hours a day, so we aren’t exhausted and we get to checkout stuff along the way. We were driving from Exeter to Zion and figured we could stop by Vegas and get a nice cocktail, and start designing and writing our blog. We stayed at the Cosmopolitan and enjoyed some exotic cocktails at “The Chandelier” as we ideated on the blog. 

We tried the Verbena flower cocktail” (this is an interesting experience as you eat a flower that alters your taste, almost numbing like Sichuan pepper and it makes the cocktail taste different as the tingling feeling wears off.), Strange Bedfellows (Toki Japanese Whiskey, Ruby Red Port, Black Pepper Honey,Fig & Citrus) and The Royal Tenenbaum (Jalapeño-Infused Roca Patron, Pink Grapefruit Liqueur, Citrus, Cilantro, Ginger-Tamarind Syrup & Cucumber Soda) - we enjoyed all of them and by the end of it, Anki had her first post written up and ready, while I enjoyed my cocktail and stared at the chandeliers wondering what I was going to write about. 🤔