Rough start made right with great food and good cigar!

I had booked the earliest flight on jetBlue up to Boston from Orlando this morning, thinking that even though jetBlue is always late, since it's the first flight of the day it couldn't be late, right? Wrong! It was delayed over an hour, so I was off to a shaky start.

Things got better when I stopped for a bite for lunch and found an old pizza chain that I haven't been to since high school: Bertucci's! I had a Margherita Pizza which was awesome.

This is a dark picture of the plate - it was
amazing!

I headed down to New Bedford, MA to check in to my hotel then drove over to the Cape where I had to work for a few hours. After work, I headed to a restaurant that I had visited last year: The Dolphin Restaurant. I had baked sea scallops topped with crab meat and Parmesan crust - needless to say it was absolutely amazing. There's nothing better than fresh New England seafood! For anyone in that area, here's the address:

Dolphin Restaurant

3250 Main Street

Barnstable, MA  02630

After dinner I drove back over to New Bedford and finally had a chance to relax - something I haven't been able to do the last few days. For me, one of the best ways to relax is to enjoy a great cigar, especially after such a delicious meal. 

Tonight I smoked one of my all-time favorites: Rocky Patel's The Edge Corojo Robusto. This cigar is a medium to full bodied smoke on my palate, probably closer to a full bodied for someone that isn't as experienced. In front of my hotel are a couple of rocking chairs so I headed outside and borrowed a bic lighter off a nice lady. Typically I prefer one of my torch lighters for a proper warming of the cigar in an even manner, allowing for an even burn, but since it's such a hassle to travel with one, it was the bic or matches. Since there was a breeze, I opted for the lighter. I didn't get the best light so the burn was uneven for most of the cigar. On a normal, relaxing smoke this cigar will burn for about 35 - 45 minutes and typically burns evenly. The draw is amazing - pretty easy with lots of smoke - something signature of Rocky Patel cigars. I didn't get to smoke this as long as I would have liked due to the chilly temps outside and freezing hands. 

I've brought along a few other cigars: Rocky Patel 1961 (I've heard this is one of RP's strongest cigars), Gurkha European Selection Maduro (thanks to my buddy Alan), and a Torano Exodus 1959 (courtesy of my friend Hoss who knows a good Torano rep. - this is another one of my favorite smokes). I'll hopefully have the chance to enjoy some of these over the next couple weeks and will be sure to let you know how they are.

Heading up to New England

I'll be up in New England for about two weeks starting tomorrow morning. I've been fighting a bad cold for over a week now and am nervous that the cooler weather will make it worse - I'm hoping not!

I grew up in New England so it will be great to be back with family and old friends. I'll be visiting some of my favorite spots while I'm home like Russell Orchards, Blue Marlin Grille (best clams and clam chowder around!), and hoping to make a trip up to 2 Guys Smoke Shop in Seabrook, NH, for some fine cigars.

Evelyn Tice -
only a couple days old!

I've also got a new baby cousin, Evelyn, who I cannot wait to meet! That will certainly be the highlight of my trip north. Not to mention, Annie will be coming up the last weekend and spending 4 days with me, getting to see New England during the Fall. The changing of the colors should be amazing! You can count on some colorful pictures to follow.

I'm looking forward to cool weather, great foliage, cigars by a fire, sea food, apple orchards, and everything else New England has to offer this time of year. Great trip ahead!

Let's get started...

Hi there!

My name is Jeff. I grew up on the North Shore of Boston and currently live in Maitland, Florida, with my beautiful girlfriend, Annie. I went to Rollins College here in Central Florida for my undergraduate studies in Spanish and International Business and am currently a Master's student at the University of Central Florida, in the Higher Education program.

Annie and me at Eola Wine Co., Winter Park, FL

I started this blog to share my Aficionado Lifestyle. Basically, I love all of life's simplest pleasure and really enjoy sharing them with the world. Friends and family know how much I love to post pictures online of recent meals, great beer or wine, different locations, a great cigar, or other things I encounter while vacationing or staycationing with Annie.

You can expect anything from cigar reviews to pictures / recipes of food to awesome museums to visit wherever your travels might take you. I travel quite a bit for business and am always sure to take advantage of the local lifestyle while I'm there.

I hope you enjoy reading about my life journey as much as I enjoy living it!

Enjoy!

-Jefe

PS - most people refer to me as Jefe, which is their translation of Jeff in Spanish (jefe actually translates to "boss", but no worries), due to my keen interest in Spanish language and culture.