RED Episode #62: Running in Huntsville, Alabama; Toybox Bistro; and Straight To Ale
RUN
My cameraman had a work trip to Huntsville this week. We spent some time around some amazing exhibits at the US Space and Rocket Center. We stayed near the Von Braun Center and
Big Spring International Park, which was a great park to run in right outside our hotel. When we travel for work or during a training week, it is important to find a nice and safe place to get training done. I hate the treadmill, but sometimes that is the only option. Not this time. This park was paved almost 1-mile loop around a beautiful spring-fed pond with huge koi and ducks. A great place to do speed-work and long runs, if you don’t mind doing loops. The weather was great and not humid at this time of year, either.
EAT
Who knew that Huntsville had so many great places to eat! We will focus on one of our favorite places to go while we were there, but there are so many places we want to share. Stay tuned to upcoming quick bites and our next episode because we couldn’t cover it all in one show!
Toy Box Bistro is a bit of our childhood. Servers Debbie and Spider, as well as co-owner, Bill, could not have been nicer. The walls and ceiling were covered in memorabilia ranging from TIE Fighters and the Millennium Falcon to Hell Boy, Aliens, and Transformers still in their Japanese packaging. The food is original, flavorful, and just plain PHENOMENAL. The gravy on the pot roast sandwich is like a deep, rich demi glace that I could drink. The warm sour cream potato salad is also a highlight on the menu. They also have waffles made out of macaroni and cheese and a bacon burger for you spice-heads out there that is dynamite. (It is actually VERY spicy). We went back for their Star Wars “May the Fourth Be With You” menu on Saturday. It was their food with a great theme of course.
Sugar Belle is right next door to Toy Box Bistro and their cupcakes are the perfect ending to a great meal. Salted Caramel Buttercream with a soft chocolate cupcake and a strawberry version that is mouthwatering. Plus, they have several vintage video game consoles hooked up to tube TVs including an older floor television in a wood cabinet with an Atari 2600 hooked up to it! I played Frogger and felt for a moment that I was reliving a part of my childhood. I was a carefree kid again. Maybe that is why we went back twice.
DRINK
Straight to Ale Brewing is a local brewery that we visited, and their beer is available at so many local establishments, including other breweries like Under the Radar (which we will tell you about on an upcoming episode), Pints and Pixels, a grown-up arcade with great food that features classic 80s and 90s arcade games (which we’ll also talk about in an upcoming episode), and even our hotel bar at the AC Marriott.
Straight to Ale is a larger local brewery with its own kitchen (Ale’s Kitchen) that is making some amazing beers to drink on premises and for local distribution. It’s part of a larger entertainment complex called Campus 805, which is an old Middle School that has been converted into a combination of breweries, restaurants, coffee shop, an art studio, an AXE THROWING venue, and even a “secret” speakeasy behind a hidden door! Sounds cool, right? Well, that’s because it is. We’ll have more on all that…you guessed it, on an upcoming episode.
THAT’S A WRAP
Thank you for listening! We are having a great second year of the podcast because of all your support! Don’t forget to follow us and let us know where to find you next on our website, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Also checkout our new store on the website and get some swag, compliments of Pure Creative Apparel. Thank you, Pure Creative Apparel, for sponsoring this week’s show! Thanks to PodcastMusic.com for providing the music for this episode, too!