Sunday Brunch at Harry's at the Harbor: Food & Family

Photo Credit: Livin The Good Life: Blog

ADVENTURE:
I may or may not have mentioned that I watch a lot of Food Network, Cooking, and Travel Channel; taking a liking to Anthony Bourdain's Layover and No Reservations.  I also regularly have these channels on while the road-tripping hosts such as G. Garvin, Guy Fieri, and others of the like are on.  I find that I like doing sort of a localized version of these various adventures.  Sorry to disappoint, but I'm still not a foodie blogger or a food critic.  I don't like being critical.  A good meal is a good meal, and an adventure is an adventure. 

THE WANDERER (My Wife)
I love wandering with my wife, Katie, because it seems that she always stumbles upon the good food! Since she is the chef of our household, I trust her judgment on these places, and when she cooks, I eat everything she puts in front of me. We wandered upon Harry's at the Harbor while striking a pose or two for maternity photos around the water fountain down by the tower in Adriatica Village.   Unfortunately, doctors generally recommend that while pregnant, seafood should be limited, so we shelved this gem in our minds for a future visit, not knowing at the time that they had a full-on Brunch menu that included an English Breakfast! Being half British, I never pass on an opportunity for a traditional English Breakfast. 

HARRY'S AT THE HARBOR:
Last weekend I got a call from my Aunt Harriet asking us to join her, as well as my Memaw, and great Aunt Violet Crouch Beatty for lunch. Since my Aunt Harriet is not a McKinney native, she always asks that I recommend the location for McKinney gatherings.  A perfect opportunity to try this gem we had stumbled upon! Another McKinney adventure in the making. As the great decider of Sunday Lunch, I revisited the idea of Harry's at the Harbor and noticed they had a brunch menu, and some nice Opening Hours for an independently owned eatery for a Sunday.  The festivities of McKinney Oktoberfest were full swing into Day 3 in the Square, and I needed a quaint spot to spend time with my elders, and pass Little Fi around for cuddles.

Family time is always to be cherished, so where we get together as a family for a meal is also really important.  Harry's is advertised as a sports bar, but while I'm there, I don't feel like I'm at Buffalo Wild Wings during the World Cup.  I have yet to experience Harry's by night during a major sporting event, but by day, Harry's at the Harbor was spot on.

THE FOOD & FAMILY:
I wanted an Englishman's breakfast. I got one. I had been craving an English Fry-up for weeks, and have been too on-the-go to stop and have one.  I ordered the Banger Breakfast which consisted of 2 Banger Sausages, 3 strips of bacon, 2 pieces of toast, and 2 fried eggs.  It showed up to the table nice and hot, like a perfect plate of food.  Katie ordered the eggs Benedict, which she subsequently discovered was the best Eggs Benedict in town and that we must come back often.   Harry made a stop at our table, and had some very kind words to say to us about the many generations sitting at our table.  There were four generations sitting at the table for lunch, and shortly after, there was one giant piece of Strawberry Shortcake and 5 spoons sent to our table on the house.  Good service,  a kind gesture, and a wonderful treat.

UNWINDING:
So, we now have a new breakfast hangout to throw into our Sunday routine, not to mention, a new place to throw into the rotation for family birthday celebration dinners.  To top it off, I can come back later to unwind.  I'll sit on the porch overlooking Adriatica Harbor and have a Franconia to bring the weekend to a close. 

Photo Credit: getmckinney.com [Amy Rogers]

HARRY'S AT THE HARBOR HOMEPAGE

HARRY'S AT THE HARBOR ON FACEBOOK

Weathering the Occasional Life Storm: Where's Your Happy Place?

Photo Credit SNUG ON THE SQUARE - Coffee House and Good Eats Cafe McKinney, TX

 I like to think of myself as a positive person, at least a realistic 85% of the time.  I can only count on one hand the people that see me when I'm not having the best of days, when I'm truly in a horrid mood, things are not working in my favor, and I'm not thinking rationally.  God Bless the people I work with who see my 15%, and in addition to being my business associates, end up being part psychologist, part some sort of counselor or life coach.  What can I say? That's how it goes in business sometimes, and I guess you could say I'm one of the "wound up like an 8 day clock" types who has that passion for my industry and success; and it probably translates to others as some really boisterous B+ off Broadway Musical or theatrical spectacle. The good days are excellent and bad days are just every kind of not awesome imaginable and I'd be lying if I said I was totally tolerable during those lulls. Sometimes I bring it home on my shoulders and my lovely wife takes the brunt of  this occasional storm cloud, and God Bless her the most.

I would also be lying if I told you that I'm capable of always having 100% positive subject matter.  But here is the good news, I'm going to find some way to turn it back around and make it that way.

For those of you who are fans of FRIENDS, prime time past or like myself, king of the re-runs, I can only think of Alec Baldwin's guest appearance as Phoebe's boyfriend, Parker, who is physically and mentally incapable of being negative or unhappy.  It's unnatural, comical, and towards the end of it, a little annoying.  After a while all I could think was 'Shut up dude! There is nothing interesting about tail lights or cab rides in traffic!'

If I've lost you, watch the clip.
FRIENDS "The One In Massapequa" S08E18 © Warner Bros. Television 1994-2004

If you couldn't tell by now, it's not my favorite week, but I'm writing this, and it's making me feel better.  That's got to count for something, right?  It's my happy place. Stack it with a late morning or an hour before closing, 'zone out on the couch time' at Snug on the Square. Quite frankly, I need to do this more often because it's therapeutic.  At work, I also walk a lap or two around the office complex pond.  That works exceptionally well when I face the temptation of regrettable actions or words. I get fresh air, inspiration, and clarity.  If your office complex has one of these, grab a bottled water from your office fridge and take a lap.  It may do you some good, as I've recently found that it's beneficial for me.

The office pond.  If your workplace has one, spend time there.

This brings me to my point and question.  You don't have to be a Parker.  Most people are not Parker.  We will all inevitably have many crappy days and we will experience negative. 

So I ask you this. Where is your happy place?  That one place where you can decompress, escape the negative, take your mind off a stressful, wretched day, and get clarity and perspective?

I want to hear from you!

-DAN+McKINNEYTX-

Yours Truly, Dan+McKinneyTX @ Elm Fork Shooting Sports

In Food as in Life, When One Door Closes, Another Opens. Harvest: The Dawning of a New Season of Food for McKinney

Photo Credit Paul Ernest Photography

ONE DOOR CLOSES ANOTHER ONE OPENS
Since I started this blog last month, one of the adventures I've been excited about is food.  While I can't claim the "foodie blogger" status in the slightest, I can, however, claim that I am more of an "appreciation blogger" when it comes to local, up and coming chefs on the rise with a passion for culinary excellence, and restauranteurs who do good for the community. 

The old saying that comes to mind as I write this blog is "when one door closes, another door opens." As McKinney restauranteur Rick Wells closes the doors to Sauce on the Square and neighboring Grotto, in a week, he will reopen those same doors with a brand new and exciting Farm-to-Table concept: Harvest Seasonal Kitchen. Sauce's Andrea Shackelford will take the helm as Executive Chef.

Photo Credit : Paul Ernest Photography

THE CHEF
I sat down with Chef Andrea recently to get in on the excitement of this highly anticipated new restaurant and learn about her journey. Originally from the Houston area, she relocated to Dallas where she graduated from Lake Highlands High School and got her start working in a local bakery.  After graduating from SMU in 2007, she worked under the guidance of her mentor, Tim Bevins, at Dallas' own Dragonfly and Craft restaurants for 5 years before emerging on the McKinney culinary scene.

Chef Andrea brings an incredibly refreshing energy to this highly anticipated restaurant, choosing to work with local farms from Texas and Oklahoma as providers of fresh local meats and vegetables, and wild caught seafood from the gulf.  This energy spills from her kitchen out into the field where she works with these farmers, building relationships, and getting to know their processes, as well as participate in their adventures.  She rolls up her sleeves and farms with them. With this in mind, we're far more likely to see a farm truck pull up at the back door of Harvest than one bearing the name of a larger food distribution company.  This deepens the sense of community that anyone with an appreciation for the Farm-to-Table movement can expect to feel.

THE RESTAURANT AND THE FOOD
In addition to the Farm-to-Table element patrons have to look forward to, Harvest will also have a resourceful and Green element to it.  The space will be constructed and fitted almost entirely from recycled and repurposed materials from Sauce, and will accommodate 90 guests in the main room, with a private dining area in the former Grotto space, set to accommodate up to 60 guests. 

When it comes to the food there is one thing I can really appreciate from Chef Andrea, and that's simplicity.  While precise preparation is a culinary standard, she takes the approach of focusing on not overcomplicating the menu, and just focus on making good food.  What we have to look forward to is an adaptable seasonal menu consisting of traditional American choices such as Collard Greens, Fried Chicken with corn meal derived from heirloom grains from Waco, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Cajun dishes such as Boudin fritters, as well as common fish selections from the Gulf, one of Chef Andrea's favorites.  To top it off we have a flat iron steak option to look forward to and finished off with old school desserts such as a spice cake with a tomato soup base! Before I get too Rolling Stone about it, I'm going to stop there.  As someone who likes surprises, I don't want to ruin the fun. I hope to see you next Friday night for the Harvest grand opening.

Harvest Facebook Page

Harvest Seasonal Kitchen

Mo’Joe Matt: From Casinos to Coffee Trucks

Photo Credit: www.mojoeagogo.com

MO’ JOE A GO-GO: McKinney’s First and Only Mobile Coffee Truck

A recurring theme I keep gravitating toward is McKinney’s own “Unique by Nature” slogan.  While the city has it’s suburban standard, and western and northern sprawl of 135,000 and rapidly growing, it also has its pockets uniqueness and a deep sense of community.  With this combination of rapid, but sensible growth and an ironclad community centered around a sensible blend of history, healthy lifestyle, and uniqueness; you have the perfect foundation for giving back to the community.  What better way to achieve this than by way of the ever-growing mobile cuisine aka “food truck” culture?  That is being accomplished in great strides by McKinney’s own Matt Drew, owner and founder of “Mo’ Joe a Go-Go” McKinney’s first and only mobile coffee shop.  

THE MOBILE COFFEE EXPERIENCE:

I came across his glowing shrine of a vehicle in the back of the McKinney Farmer’s Market around May while my wife and I were taking part in our Saturday morning routine.  There was nothing discrete about his parking job, or the truck for that matter. After all you have rows and rows of booths, stands, and then a completely overhauled FedEx truck with a cosmic paint job, a window, and an outward facing sound system.  We walk up and it’s essentially a coffee shop on wheels.  Before I get too Hemingway’s “Farewell to Arms” and ramble a never-ending chain of events I’m going to get to the point.  It was the best coffee I’ve ever had, and everything we have ordered every Saturday morning since, has been delicious.  What sets this coffee apart from the rest other than a pleasant avoidance of being served lukewarm or watered down, is that it is sustainably and organically grown, and avoids artificial flavorings, preservatives, and GMOs.

 CORPORATE GRIND TO COFFEE GRIND:

On Board the Mo'Joe a Go-Go truck: Matt Drew @ work on his
UNIC Stella di Caffé in which only 85 are available in the US.

This past Saturday, I was welcomed onboard the Mo’Joe a Go-Go truck where I got to see behind the scenes what all the hype was about, and get to know the man behind the coffee.   This ultra-friendly guy in the window with a Mo’ Joe tee, and a down to earth personality is the former Director of Marketing for MGM Grand Las Vegas and just prior to starting Mo'Joe, he was the Director of International Marketing for Choctaw Casino Resort in Durant, Oklahoma.  What does this have to do with coffee you may ask? Absolutely nothing.  Matt’s passion is serving the community and specialty coffee.  So just over 2 years ago he and his wife moved to McKinney. “Being from the Pacific Northwest, I could take it for granted, or be somewhere like McKinney where it hasn’t really caught on yet and offer something new to my community,” Matt says as he passes one of his specialty Mochas down to a customer. “One thing that Vegas did not have is a Farmers Market, and so what better way for me to sort of switch gears in what I was doing in my career than to come here to McKinney and focus on something I’m passionate about?  This is my way of bringing something to my community that they didn’t really have yet, sort of my way of giving back.”  The giving doesn’t stop at the coffee or in McKinney.

GIVING BACK:

Matt has set up Mo’ Joe a Go-Go as a partner with Heifer International, a non-profit organization centered around empowering developing nations to self-sustain and become less dependent on foreign aid.  A percentage of Mo’Joe sales go towards quarterly purchases of livestock for these developing nations to work towards building a thriving agriculture-based economy.  In addition to giving to these developing nations, he brings it on home as well, to McKinney’s Samaritan Inn, where he donates unsold pastries and goodies.

MIXING BUSINESS WITH PASSION:
While the “Mo’Joe a Go-Go” mobile coffee concept is unique for the community, Matt Drew is living a recurring theme I see from time; the inspiring “Corporate businessman-gone-local business owner” feel-good theme.  In this case, it’s “Corporate Grind to Coffee Grind” where he molds his high level marketing skills with what he truly loves, and makes him happy.  “I’m not doing this to get rich.  It’s my opportunity to build a fun and unique brand, and interact with people every day” says Drew.  “Like any start-up, it has its challenges” --but “I’ve always been more of a glass half-full kind of guy, and this is more about what we do, than the challenges we face.” 

WHERE CAN I GET MY MO' JOE?

Come down to McKinney Farmer’s Market in Chestnut Square this Saturday morning, August 30 from 8:00 AM to NOON parked next to Johnson House.  This time of year, I highly recommend the Frozen Mayan.  Mind=Blown.

Mo'Joe a Go-Go Links
Website
Twitter
Instagram
Facebook

Family: The Epicenter of Adventure

As I was watching my 7 week old daughter, Sophia, sleep in my arms last night, all my ideas started coming to life about our future here in the wonderful city of McKinney, TX.  It got me reminiscing about my lovely wife Katie and I's discovery of the Farmer's Market in Chestnut Square and how our Saturday morning routine really kicked things off for us as a family; getting out there in town, meeting people, building relationships, stumbling across local treasures, and simply discovering the new and the old. 

Photo Credit Mike M Photos

Becoming a father really shaped me as a person, and kicked off a whole new adventure for my wife and I.  A blessing really.  We have lived here just over 2 1/2 years, and in those two years the city's slogan on the water tower "Unique By Nature" made more and more sense.  There is a lot to discover here that is not the everyday norm of your typical suburban community.  That is a value that we plan to instill in our daughter and incorporate into our family life.  A sense of community, respect, being unique, and hope that some of it comes naturally.

I thought the appropriate kick off to this blog following the brief "gloaty" family history lesson was to put emphasis on the importance of family, and how family is the epicenter of adventure.  What greater feeling exists than showing your young children the concept of simply living, meeting people, discovering new ground, and getting them active in the community, starting at just 2 weeks old? If we're going the opinions route, I'd say not many.

Proudly Used Without Permission ;-): Sweetie Pies by Karen

Who makes up this Uniqueness by Nature? The people? The Families, and individuals alike.  I am beyond excited about this adventure and all of you who stop by for a read.  I hope to meet all of you around town on this foreseeably endless adventure.


-DAN+McKinneyTX-