I ended up at the Vietnamese Bakery Le Bledo Bakery, in Springfield, after hearing some promising leads online about their food and missing a lunch there I wanted to attend.  My expectations were pleasantly met.

The first good sign was that I actually found the place without getting lost.  I frequently get lost in Springfield, as there is just stuff all over the place.  Walking in there was a small buffett and tables on the left.  There was also a small menu on the wall of noodle soups available.  I got a beef noodle soup and one of the very pleasant staff asked me if I wanted the one similar to Pho.  As I was wearing a white shirt, I thought clear broth over red probably a good idea.  The noodles were thin rice noodles and there were some slices of brisket and some meatballs and scallions in what was a very nice complex broth.  All the normal Pho accompaniments alongside.  As there were torrential downpours outside, it felt quite nice to sit inside watching the rain slurping noodles.

I also ordered a bahn mi to go.  It had a mix with sausage, pate and a few other cured meats.  The bread was soft, warm and crusty, the condiments were very spicy, but had a little sweetness.  There was a good balance of meat, bread, condiments.

The bakery has to go plates of rolls and other Vietnamese dishes for carry out and more can be ordered.  There were all sorts of pastries.  I bought some peanut cookies and pastries with a cashew filling.  They seemed to have some pastries that seem a bit more Chinese to me, as well, but I am not good with those sorts of differentiation at this point, especially with the French influence.  There were also a variety of steamed buns.  There were candies and other sweets and cakes.  The people coming in and out for bags of sandwiches was promising.  This is a neat little spot well worth exploring.  I can’t wait to take Hubby there at some point.

Day Three started with a Mini winding across the Bay Bridge and up through Mill Valley to Muir Woods National Monument.  It reminded me of an old growth forrest on the East Coast that was fed lots of Miracle Grow.  The trees were immense and the earth just smelled good.  It was a nice diversion to be out of the city and among giant trees.  Although there were still lots of people.  And we had to walk as far to parking and back as we did through the national monument.  Many of the side paths were closed during our visit, but the main path was still open; however, I wish more of the side trails would have been open where you could have left the crowds behind and done more serious hiking.  But none-the-less a beautiful thing to see.

We drove back through Saucilito, but it was so crowded we just drove right through and back into San Francisco.  We parked between Golden Gate Park and NOPA where we brunched.  I had Butter Basted Farm Eggs – Roasted Spring Onions, Romesco and Crispy Polenta, with a side of bacon, it was decadent, crunchy, but not overly filling or heavy. MMMMMM. But Hubby really beat me, he got the Chili Braised Pork –Purple Runner Beans, Chard and Buttermilk Biscuit and that was killer good, rich in flavor, but nicely balanced with the beans and greens that weren’t done in a heavy way. I want to try to make this at home.

After our quite filling, but not heavy brunch we explored the portions of Golden Gate Park that we previously hadn’t gotten through.  We visited the conservancy of flowers to look at their orchids and the exhibit on Wicked Plants.  We walked through the dahlia gardens and explored for a bit.  We then went back to the car by way of Osso & Co a fantastic dog store where we picked up some goodies for Max.  We did not get him one of the amazing dog houses they had there, but you never know, he might get one in the future, they were amazingly chic.  We then drove and checked out the shops around Hayes Valley, a very hipster area with great boutique shops.  There is a very good guide here.  I really loved Stark Home Furnishings.

We were so tired from all the walking we crashed at the hotel for a nap.  I had really considered visiting the excellent Nob Hill Spa, and looking back I can’t imagine why I didn’t.  The spa is beautiful with an amazing view from the pool.  And the treatment rooms really pretty.  Next time this will be a done deal.  My sore legs and tired feet could have used some pampering!

That night we had reservations for Boulevard, but neither of us felt like fancy, so we went and had spring rolls at the Slanted Door, which were killer good (we should have just eaten dinner here) and then we had fish tacos a hot dog and fries at Gott’s Roadside, which was good, it was, but not anything as good as the rolls at Slanted Door and the amazing smells emanating from that place. I am still regretting not eating at the Slanted Door right now.

We then wandered our way back up Nob Hill, we stopped in Chinatown to pick up a few goodies before the stores closed.  I got a silk pouch and jewelry roll for travel that pair exceedingly well with my Michael Aram Hartman.  And got some cute gifts for friends and loved ones that you can’t get in our area.

The next morning we wandered Chinatown and I bought some jewelry from an exceptional little jewelry store off the beaten path where you can find nicer things than the junky shops that are mostly visible.  I also drooled over a beautiful gold desk with with cranes for my guest bedroom.

We had a chinese pastries, a mung bean cake for me and a bbq bun for Hubby, and ate an early lunch before the airport at San Sun, which I highly highly recommend. They have some amazing noodle dishes, and that’s what I would order here. The broth, noodles and meat choices were great. You pick the broth-meat, then you pick your noodle type rice noodles, thin or wide, egg noodles, etc, etc, and you can do a combo, they also have some specialty noodle dishes. They have a huge menu so there is other stuff, but most people around us were also slurping up different noodles. Even at 11:00 a.m. people of all ethnicities came wandering in for a meal.  The flavors of the broth were complex, but so comforting.  We then headed off to the airport where I picked up  some dinner at the Napa Farm Market in the airport which had some really nice looking meals- for me roasted chicken, roast potatoes and asparagus.  They even had gluten free cupcakes.  Surprisingly fireworks from a plan are not as cool as you would expect.  Just little poofs of light far far away.

So I was just perusing the Ferry Market Building, looking for some good eats, and there it was McEvoy Ranch a very neat shop with an interesting line of products from their ranch.  They start with their fantastic organic, sustainable olive oil.  This then translates into a host of beautiful products including food and body care, and their family story is just wonderful.  They pride themselves on good stewardship of the land and being a farm girl I like that.

But what really interested me was their 80 Acres Body Care Line.  Created in small batches, recycled packaging, trying as best to use organic sustainable materials, yadda, yadda, yadda.  But the products were just amazing.  As a lavender fiend, the lavender scent was really lavender, not a blend or fake lavender smell.  The other scents were fresh and very vibrant.

Their Body Balm is an incredible product. I adored it from the second I sampled it in the store.  This is a blend of olive and jojoba oils, beeswax and vitamin E is rich in natural antioxidants.  The thing is it absorbs into the skin well, leaving your skin soft, but not oily.  The moisture and fantastic scents last throughout the day and I just adored it.  If I make it to heaven, Geisha’s will give me a bath and coat me in this daily.  It is that good.  They have a whole line of products in either traditional, orange blossom or lavender:

The hand and body lotion was lighter, but it did absorb quickly and wasn’t oily and the scent again, oh that scent.  Not as moisturizing, but not as heavy as the body balm.  It would be better in the hot humid summers here when you don’t want anything heavy on you at all.  I also really thought their candles were fantastic.  You could smell the scent against all the competing scents of the building, and they were just fresh without being sweet or vanillay or just not real.  Being someone who loves to garden and loves real plants and flowers, I like very natural, real to earth scents.  These just make me feel like I am smelling the lovely things growing in my garden, or at the market.  I am so happy to have discovered this place and even happier that THEY SHIP. WOOHOOOOO.  And my birthday is less than a month away (nudge nudge wink wink).  My shipping address is….

And while your at it, try their Mille Fleur Honey too.  I love different honeys, they are so varied country to country, region to region.  It is so neat to smell and taste all the differences.

Wants: A Farmer’s Market as good as the one at the Ferry Market Building.

Day two began with me sleeping in for a delightfully long time, only to wake up and find it was still quite early on the West Coast- I love that! We got ready and headed down to the Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Market Building.  First up was some delicious dark chocolate almond brittle from G.L. Alfieri Nuts & Fruits, which may be one of the tastiest and most addicting brittles I have ever sampled.  They also have a great selection of nuts and spreads, but that brittle will be ordered for holiday events!  We then sampled some beautiful peaches, then it was on to Ex-Absinthe/Arlequin pastry chefLuis Villavelazquez’s Les Elements Patisserie where we had an amazing strawberry jelly doughnut and lamb turnover.  We knew strawberry was the way to go as the day before we could see beautiful fresh strawberries all over the fields.  And that filling was fresh and delicious.  The Lamb Turnover was also good, wish I could have toasted it just a little, but was a nice savory morning bite.  I am so sorry to say I can’t figure out who I got the lovely little macarons from in front of the building, which is a real shame as she also had some lime caramel which was so good, Hubby loved that.

Inside the building we had an amazing hot dog at the Prather Ranch Meat Co. hormone and antibiotic free, with a great crispness, but juicy beef taste.    Across the lane I slurped down some fresh, briny oysters at the San Francisco Fish Company.

We sampled some Pepples Doughnuts, which may be my favorite cake doughnut of all time and right up there in my top three of all doughnuts.  I am very sad they don’t ship (it’s not sustainable, I know, I know).  But their cake was moist and not overly dense and their flavors were magical, made from fresh and wonderful product, like meyer lemon or green tea.  If anyone going to SF wants to ship me some of these home, you are more than welcome.  I will repay the favor somehow, someway.  Having just eaten an awful large amount of gluten for my system (I only had bites of things, but it adds up, luckily I stayed lactose free and that seems to be more of a problem for me) I picked up a Mariposa sandwich made with Boccalone salami for later.

We then stepped outside and as it had gotten a little later there were hoards everywhere.  Luckily we made it to Primavera for great lemonade and tea.  I had the Chi Chi Rodriguez which may be the best peach tea I have ever tasted (do you see a pattern here?) .  I wish I could get this stuff bottled.  It has all my drink loves- tea, ginger and peach all rolled into one delicious, balanced drink that I had to ration so I didn’t down it in seconds.  Stepping back in we stopped in McEnvoy Ranch and Heath Ceramics, which is just so special they will get their own post just for them.  I also found a wealth of new cookbooks I NEED (def. NEED- something I want very badly, and must acquire because it is superawesomefantabulous)(nevermind that my cookbook shelf is packed to the rim).  To balance off the meatasticness of the morning we stopped in DELICA to get some salad, I got mine in the form of spinach and sesame, but they had a seaweed salad that looked super healthy and good too- next time!

I would have bought so much more except we were going right from there over to the SFMOMA and then to Golden Gate Park!  But most everyplace, but Pepples, ships so I am in luck, plus I couldn’t eat any more and needed to burn off some calories walking.  The SFMOMA had the Gertrude Stein collection visiting and the number of rare Matisse and Picasso’s was just phenomenal.  There was also a beautiful Monet Lithograph with so many colors.  The permanent collection was also very interesting with a lot of work that was beautiful and thought provoking.  One of the fun moments was seeing the Matthew Blarney work, the person the internets always confuses my Hubby with.  After all that walking I needed a short break to rest the footsies.  We were close to Press Club, a fantastic wine bar with a by the glass list that just makes me happy.  The staff has wonderful knowledge of all the tastes and provides very helpful feedback without being wine pontzs.  It has a dark, but very clean and modern  wood motif, with back lights and matte wine bottles in khaki colors.  It is a great place to sit and relax, there are multiple bars and many seating areas.  And just so relaxing.

After this I ate my Mariposa sandwich at Golden Gate Park.  Umm, this is incredible gluten free bread.  It makes me cry that they are so far away.  They do ship though.  It is so much like real bread.  It is chewy and light and airy with good pull and texture.  Why can’t this place be at a Farmer’s Market here!!!  It was soo good.  The sandwich rolls were especially good, so much better than anything I have found.  If anyone wants to go in on a shipment with me let me know!!

Golden Gate Park was beautiful, the conservatory had an amazing exhibit on Wicked Plants!  They also had amazing orchids and temperate gardens.  They also had a beautiful Dahlia garden, one of my favorite flower varieties.  The Japanese Tea Garden was very neat, but I felt the one in Sydney and the Huntington were better.  The other gardens weren’t very well kept, but still nice to walk around.  I think they have probably suffered from some budget cuts.  After all that walking we headed back to the hotel for a pre-dinner nap, as it was a long day in beautiful sunshine.

Then the cherry on the sundae was dinner at Incanto!  I love me some tasty salted pig parts.  And I really like Chris Cosentino’s philosophy towards food.  The dinner was stellar, the Chef was in the kitchen.  Starting with the wonderful foccacio bread and tapenade.  Then moving onto a country harm puree with spring root vegetables.  This country hame puree was a delight, like really good grits, but smoother, denser, creamy, but in an amazing savory way.  I also had the lavender lemonade, which just hit me, as did the puree as something I must make, they were just simple wonderful pleasures.  I then had the pork shoulder with onion, apple and greens which was dense with meat flavor, but very light with simple, balanced flavors.  Hubby had the ragu and that was rich and just homey and wonderful, like a hug from your fat aunt, it consumes you with a joyful fullness.  It is simple, complex food, the technique is impeccable, but the food is honest and not overdone.  Too stuffed for dessert we headed for Clock Bar for some liquid dessert, it was ok, drinks were good, but atmosphere just needed something, it was too hotely, although trying so hard not to be, I would rather do the Top of the Mark and have the view.

We had a pretty amazing trip to San Francisco.  Between the day-trips, the food, the shopping, the attractions, it was just a really great trip.  I found so much great stuff I have to cover it day by day.

We arrived in San Francisco airport around 10:00 a.m. West Coast time and hit the road for Carmel and Monterey.  Of course I was starving, really starving, but didn’t want to ruin a nice lunch on the coast.  So Hubby suggested we stop for an In and Out Burger, as I had never had one.  There isn’t one in the city, but using the great app Next EXIT we found one off the highway on our way.  The app is excellent in places where they don’t label the exits or you just want to see what else is out there, beyond the signs.  It gives you the options and when you pass the exit it moves to the next.  We split a hamburger with fries.  The fries were really light and crisp and not overly salty like so many french fries.  The burger tasted fresh, with actual ripe tomato, the sauce was ok- I would save the cals and add ketchup or mustard.  It was definitely good for fast food, but not something to go out of your way for.  Then we headed through Santa Cruz and down the coast for Monterey.  If you can hold your hunger a little bit there are some amazing looking road stands on that drive out in farm country.  You could see them picking the fresh strawberries and artichokes, mmmm.

Monterey is incredibly touristy, mind you, but the aquarium is really fantastic.  I have been to aquariums all over the world- because yes I am five inside- I love aquariums like some people like art, or shoes or breathing.   But because I have been to so many, I have a fairly high standard at this point.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium is spectacular.

But to be honest one of the things that makes it spectacular is the restaurant.  Oh no not the cafeteria- the real restaurant.  You have to go to the hostess stand and then wait a bit, but you can look through the aquarium then.  Then you sit down with an amazing view over Monterey Bay with otters playing in the bay, and not just a couple, but piles of them.  There were seals swimming around and sunning themselves the birds flying in and out of the kelp beds fishing.  This might be one of the most fantastic dining spots for a nature enthusiast.  (Bring good binoculars, the ones on the table are not adequate.)  They serve wine and beer, have fantastic organic and local food and desserts.  I had a lovely California Bass, pan roasted with sauteed vegetables and roasted potatoes and a reduction sauce of butter and apricot.  It was an incredibly high end lunch that was relaxing and just amazing looking out watching the bay teeming with little otters playing in the sun.  The exhibits are quite breath taking, they light the exhibits so well and they have a huge section of things you can TOUCH!  If you have a small child, or a me, expect to spend a whole day here.  Check out my pics for some of the amazing exhibits from seahorses to jellyfish.

After this we drove through the lovely Pacific Grove with misty, rocky, craggy coastline sprinkled with beaches.  We then drove through Pebble Beach- which for us who don’t know- the whole area has quite a number of golf courses.  You have to pay to do the drive, but the pull offs and views are really quite nice to enjoy.

We then ended up in Carmel and Carmel by the Sea.  We perused lots of cute shops.  Drove by beautiful houses.  We checked out the Nielsen Brothers Market which was a combination between normal little super market and gourmet store, farmers market, but the wine selection inside was very nice, especially local wines.  Thinker Toys across the street has an amazing ferris wheel built out of Tinker Toys and a really great selection of neat toys and vintage toy items.  They had a number of cute dog shops, as well.  Lots of clothing shops and shoe shops with neat things.  But the galleries were the real draw.  We really liked the selection at   Gallery 1000 Fine Art.  So much we thought about purchasing a piece, that is unfortunately a little too big for our space.  There is also the George Rodrique- known for Blue Dog- Studio and so many other great galleries.  I almost found that piece I have been looking for to place in the dining room.

There are so many good choices of places to eat in Carmel by the Sea.  With fresh ingredients grown so close, it is hard to screw them up.  We wanted something light after a long day of traveling and we wandered into Mundaka, a Spanish tapas restaurant using local ingredients.  It was a great choice.  The setting is really nice, and food was excellent.  We had a hilarious group of neighbors in the dining room that made it quite a humorous evening, but our server was so nice and gracious (we could have asked to move to multiple other seating options, but it was like watching simultaneous train wrecks).  We started with fried squash blossoms with chili oil.  They were crisp and light with a sweet taste that balanced well with the chili oil.  We then moved on to patatas bravas which were crisp and spicy and a good version. Squash and zucchini spaghetti with almonds and pecorino were very fresh and vibrant.  Lamb chops with mashed potatoes and some herbed olive oil were cooked perfectly with nice gamey flavor, and tenderness.  The lavender pork skewers with almost a kimchi like side of greens was not what I was expecting, but a nice taste and very different. I really loved this little place and we didn’t want a huge meal, even with this we ordered to much, but it was all fresh and prepared well.  The staff was gracious and very nice.  They had a great wine list, but we stook to there homemade lemonade in preparation for the ride back to San Francisco, which was crisp and refreshing.  From the pictures, the lighting after dark seems pretty cool too, we left before dark to get home!  (Pictures from their website- not our meal.)

Last but not least: Home Sweet Home at the Huntington Hotel.  This place has quickly jumped onto my short list of fantastic hotels.  The customer service is amazing, they are so nice and personable, by the second day they recognize you.  Housekeeping was Nay, who told us if we needed anything to call her at any time.  The doormen were just friendly and helpful as can be.  The room itself was spacious and clean, with a mix of modern and antique furnishings and art.  The bathroom was huge with a large vanity, the room had floor length mirrors, a necessity in my book.  L’Occitaine amenities were quite adequate.  The view from our room was just amazing, one of the perks of being on the top of Nob Hill.  And they have a spa, that I WILL go to next time.  It looked incredible and has a pool and sunning patio overlooking the other side of the city.  The hotel and staff are amazing, this is the place to stay in San Francisco.  Below you can see our exact room and incredible view.  MMMMM, I can close my eyes and dream of this place.

Beaver Creek may be one of my bodies favorite and least favorite places on earth at the same time.  On the one hand you are skiing for as long as you can possibly go in a day, AT LEAST five hours; and if that doesn’t kill your muscles then I don’t know what will.  You are burning mad amounts of calories and parts of your body you don’t normally use.

On the other hand there is one of the best spas in the United States at your fingertips in the Beaver Creek Park Hyatt, wonderful food and a view and fresh air that is crisp and clean. As far as the Aspen area goes there are a lot of different vibes.  Vail has more restaurants, more people and I think tends to be a little more 80′s yuppie, although it is SUPER pet friendly.  Beaver Creek is elegant and laid back.  It doesn’t lack in amenities, but it is a little less showy and more about having a good time in a more relaxed and less crowded area.  But the nice thing is that skiing at Beaver Creek you also get access to Bachelor Gulch and Arrowhead Village lifts, as well, and the villages are easy to get to.  Beaver Creek is the perfect vibe.  They have ice skating, family events, bars and restaurants all in the village.

As for staying there.  I, ahem, have a great connection, a very very good friend whose family has a home in Beaver Creek.  That in itself isn’t exactly roughing it.  BUT if you don’t have that kind of access I highly recommend the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek (which you can sometimes find on Jetsetter.com, you’re welcome).  There are other places to stay that are also nice, but the Park Hyatt is right there and just amazing.    The heated pool overlooking the slopes ain’t so bad, either.

Currently I don’t have skis and boots that I absolutely love, I need to trade them, and you don’t want to have to take skis all the way out and back so I recommend renting, if you have comfy boots you love take those, there are multiple places with different levels of skis to rent.  If you can get your gear here in this area, off season at a good sale time, it will probably be cheaper.  I tend to get mine in Garrett County when there are sales, I really like High Mountain Sports, they do a ski swap at Autumn Glory too.  Out in Beaver Creek we rented from Gorsuch, which is a little pricier, but also tends to have a little better equipment rentals.  They also had a super cool penguin hat I acquired.

As for eating, you definitely want to eat and drink early and often.  This is not a time to watch calories because you burn so many and you are up in the elevation, so you need to keep hydrated.  I am not a breakfast person, but I ate breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks everyday.  When you are on the slopes, definitely try to make it to Blinky’s at Arrowhead Village for a Blinky Burger.  I was trying to eat as gluten free as I can and they had a phenomenal chili that I really enjoyed.  Food in the cafeteria at Arrowhead Village ris really lacking.

If you can swing it a lunch at Beano’s Cabin is truly special.  You come in take your boots off and enjoy some great snacks and cider or hot chocolate while waiting for your table.  The kitchen has a wood burning oven and rotisseries on the wall.  They have a menu with a ton of gluten free options too, clearly marked on the menu!  This is not your normal ski food, it is a gourmet experience. I had lobster tacos one day and rotisserie chicken with potatoes and green beans the next with a wonderful reduction sauce.  This was a long leisurely lunch but it gives you the energy to go the rest of the day.

Not too far away in Edwards, the Gashouse Restaurant has a great selection of game meats and seafood.  It is a glorified bar, in the best of ways with a real local feel, animals on the log cabin walls and ski passes enameled on the bar.  The food is top notch.  We had the game platter, and even with the leaner meats everything turned out cooked exactly to the right temperature.  Although the wait can be long, the menu is varied and the bar is comfortable, it is definitely worth the wait.

We were there over Valentine’s Day and we went to the Swiss Chalet in Vail for fondue.  This place was chintzy in the absolute best possible way.  Normally this food would be a little over the top rich, but after a long day of skiing you will not believe the food you can put away and then it is great.  And they were really nice about being accommodating with my food needs, brought me extra veggies and etc.

Now after all that skiing what you need is a phenomenal spa, and the Park Hyatt has it- The Allegria Spa.  Not only are the spa treatments top notch, but they have saunas, steam rooms, mineral pools and a tepidarium.  The spa is really decorated nicely with a lot of water and stone, similar to the Nemacolin Spa, but a little more Colorado.  The massage was really warm and they had just the right touch to soothe and relax your muscles without hurting those aching shins.  It is a great place to spend an afternoon relaxing with friends.

As for ski slopes, Beaver Creek has a lot of lifts, it is well groomed and with the ability to move into other villages.  They have some nice long runs with varying expertise levels.  On holidays it gets crowded, like every ski resort, but catch it on an off weekend and ski all around the mountain and you can move through a lot of terrain.  It also isn’t so big that you can’t separate from your group for a run or two and easily meet back up.  It is a good size if you are with a group or family because you won’t get lost or end up too far from each other.  Beaver Creek’s slogan really rings true, the whole trip I felt I was wellt aken care of and I just needed to concentrate on my form they took care of the rest.  And it didn’t hurt that I had phenomenal hosts.

I don’t have a lot of pictures, but here are a few I do have:

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It just so happens that one of my absolute favorite persons lives in Chicago.  And this post is a little late, but we traveled there for a conference that Matthew had in March.  I came for a long weekend that happened to encompass the St. Patty’s Celebration madness, which was a hoot.

We stayed at the Sofitel at the Chicago Water Tower.  I really love this hotel, and would strongly recommend it.  It sits a few blocks back of Michigan Avenue, so it is a little quieter, but right in the middle of things still.  It was easy to walk or use public transportation to most everything in town that we wanted to see.  The rooms were nice and very clean, and just minimally decorated in a way I find relaxing.  There were awesome full length mirrors covering the closets so it was easy to style yourself.  And to top it all off the bathrooms were huge, with a wide array of really nice amenities.  What more can a girl want you ask?  A lobby filed with fresh flagrant flower displays, helpful staff and a great lounge and restaurant that’s what, and they got you covered there too.

So the night I landed, Hubby took me to the most beautiful place.  The Bloomingdales Home Store in Chicago… YeeGods this place is awesome.  Four or five floors of nothing but beautiful home decor, in an old Synagogue that itself was amazing.  Not only that, but they had the new Diane Von Furstenburg plates and bedding.  Heaven, heaven, heaven.   Then we had dinner at Moto.  The super modernist, molecular gastronomy restaurant of Chicago.  And it was so much fun!  I can’t even describe the food and the courses, but I have pictures!  If you like fun dining and don’t take your food to seriously I would recommend it.  There are places rated much better food-wise, like Avec, but this was fun and Hubby and I like all the work and creativity put into the dishes.  The staff was so nice, they were low key and down to earth, and it made the whole thing relaxed and fun.

Friday we ate an early lunch at Grahamwich, Graham Elliot’s sandwich shop. This was really, really good. YOU MUST EAT HERE!  I had the jarbrito tacos which had nicely flavored soft meat and crunchy plantain bits, they could have used a touch more acid, but that is a light quibble.  I also had a bite of my Hubby’s Reuben, which was really good, juicy and just succulent as can be. We also got the short rib sandwich and I ate all the guts out of my half. That was fantastic, the pickled onions, chip pieces, short rib that was rich and soft, but not runny and sauce that was creamy, but had a nice acidic balance pull it all together and it was so rich and crispy and tart all together. That was a great sandwich. It was very hipster in terms of scene, but I liked it, a lot.

After our tasty lunch I convinced Hubby we should walk down Michigan Avenue to see some of the great buildings.  This turned into quite a long walk all the way to the Field Museum, but it was a nice day and we needed to burn off all those Grahamwich calories.  On the way we stopped into a poster store that had amazing old vintage posters on the bottom floor that were amazing and rare.  It is one of those big online shops, but just seeing some of their neat, rare art deco posters up close was fun.  We also stopped into the Chicago Architecture Foundation store which is neat too.  After finally arriving at the Field Museum (and as a note if you don’t love to walk don’t try this it was a long walk), we had a great time seeing the exhibits in their neat vintage boxes with hand painted backgrounds.  I felt like I was in another era walking through the botanical section learning what families plants and veggies I love are from.  I did not know the apple tree was in the rose family.  I don’t think this is probably a favorite museum for kids, but I would certainly recommend it for any adult that enjoys art and botany.

That night we had our obligatory Rick Bayless at Frontera Grill. I started with Duck flautos in a tomatillo sauce. This was just fantastic. Slightly spicy, crisp outer shell, rich meat, but the tomatillo sauce with toasted herbs and spices was just amazing. I am sure it is in his cookbook and would be worth it if you had some time to make it. It was an excellent dish. Hubby had chorizo tamales which were good, but it had so much sauce, meat, greans and etc you couldn’t really taste the tamales, so while it was good, my starter was better. For entrees he had an entree with chicken, rice and spinach which had a light sauce that I want to say was tomato based. His entree was really good, I liked it a lot. The spinach was fantastic and the sauce was light but flavorful. I had chicken enchiladas in mole poblano. It was very rich and sweet, but nicely balanced with black beans. The meat and tortillas were very good, the mole was very complex, but good. It isn’t something I could eat often, I couldn’t finish it just so rich, but it was very good. We were too stuffed for dessert. I also had a very good blood orange margarita. The service wasn’t stellar. We waited a long time for drinks, silverware, our order to get taken we ordered second drinks, but finished our entrees before they came so the waiter asked if we still wanted them and we declined. I understand it is exceedingly busy there all the time, but at the same time, it is always like that so I expect them to be able to better deal with the madness.  If you can get the reservation for Topolobampo, I would bet it is well worth it.

Later that evening we had fun catching up with Megan at her very chic apartment.  A place I wish I could just teleport to with a bottle of wine and stories to tell.

Saturday was St. Patty’s madness. We ate breakfast at Cafe Grand Deluxe, which I believe is owned by Cheesecake Factory brand. Places were so crowded at this point we just wanted some food and they could get us in fairly quickly. I had an egg white omlette and it was good, I mean nothing to write home about, hee hee hee, but definitely an adequate place to stop with lots of variety.  The river was green, people were crazy.  But it was fun to see the madness.  We met up with Megan and toured the Chicago Cultural Center which is just stunning.  If I got married in Chicago this is where it would have been.  The beautiful Tiffany domes and detailed mosaics covering the building just make it a magical place.  We walked through Marshall Fields, toured Millenium Park then ended up at the Art Institute of Chicago.  Wow this place is gigantic, we couldn’t come close to seeing everything.  I also found the layout very confusing if you just wanted to pop in and out to certain exhibits and not follow their routes.  The coolest part of the museum were the mini-rooms which shouldn’t be missed.  I love the Art Institute’s massive collection- well worth paying admission (something us DCers just don’t understand).

That night we went to the lounge at Sixteen at the Trump Tower for cocktails and a snack. I love this lounge, I think it is akin to drink at the W Hotel in DC (which used to be the Hotel Washington, but this place has better drinks).  I bet the hotel rooms are amazing too, especially if you get a view looking up or down Michigan Ave.  The view from the lounge is really beautiful, the cocktails were really well done, I had a ginger cocktail, Vodka, Domaine de Canton and perhaps something else, with a candied ginger rim, it was very well blended with a nice mixture of flavors. My friend Megan had a whiskey, maple syrup and bacon cocktail with some other things to balance out the sweet and that was really good. Hubby had the least appealing, I can’t even really remember what it was, he didn’t get a second of it, he had something else. But sitting there drinking cocktails, watching the skyline light up, and catching the fireworks was a great evening. If you want the iconic cocktail with nice view this is the place. We ate samosas and beef satay both of which were really tasty.  We spent a good portion of our night talking, laughing and just enjoying life from that beautiful lounge.  In the summer they open up the terrace there and I am sure then it only gets better.

That night we ate dinner/more snacks at Bin36. This place had a fantastic wine list, a very good selection of wine flights, a huge selection of cheese and was a great place to hang, casual, but buzzing with a great open feel. We all got different flights, I had the Habla Espanol which had wines from the new world and old, they were all very good. We had a lavender and coffee encrusted cheese, mortadella, salami platter which was very good. Hubby had a cheddar flight which was awesome. Then I had a beet and crab salad, which had a touch too many beets and not enough other components to balance them out. But was pretty good. My friend had sausage, polenta and an egg which was like having really good breakfast for dinner. Hubby had fondue with soft pretzels and apples which was good. We mainly just wanted snacks and hangover food to suck up all the liquor from the day. We then drank at some different bars that night trying to find a good St. Patty’s place but they all seemed to be packed to the gills.

Next day we tried to go to Yolk which was packed, so trying to hit up some museums quickly we just ended up at Potbelly. We then headed up to the Museum of Science and Industry.  This is an amazing museum.  It is the place to take kids, or anyone like me, who likes to be a kid whenever possible.  I watched in awe as trains went through the replica of Chicago, walked up  stairways filled with working pumps, motors and machines you could turn on and off, create a tornado, tsunami and avalanche in the lab, and so much more, this place was epically cool.

Later that day we went to Marshall Fields/Macy’s which was a ton of fun. I wish their cafes had been open that day. We got lots of chocolate from the candy department- I had never seen Moonstruck chocolates before and they are so cute, especially the little animals. I got a bunch for my Mom as a thank you for watching Max and a couple for me including penguins!  They had an amazing selection of anything and everything. That store is just nuts! We ended up grabbing a quick dinner before heading to the airport at Flacos Tacos which was surprisingly good, the chicken tamale was incredible and the tacos were really good. In retrospect we could have eaten somewhere nicer, but we didn’t know how long it would take us to get to the airport, through security and all that jazz, but it ended up being a breeze.  The whole trip was so much fun, I wish we had more time, but another trip now that the weather is warmer wouldn’t be bad either.

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This past weekend we had a nice diversion to the Main Street Market in Charlottesville.  This is a nice collection of shops and restaurants that are a lot of fun to wander, especially on a rainy day!

We started with lunch at Orzo Kitchen and Wine Bar.  This is a casual destination with small plates, entrees and a great lunch menu.  It is a little dark inside, but the kitchen and staff definitely make you feel welcome and at home.  (My Mother in Law is such a Saint- every time I come down there my diet seems to be even more restricted as my doctor and dietician try to figure out my tummy problems.  Right now I am eating gluten and lactose free.  But note I can’t garauntee anything is completely gluten free as I am just intolerant and there could be possible cross contamination.)  Looking over the bar menu before we sat down I was really excited, not only did all the food look good, they had a lot of things that I could eat!  We sat down and I had a lovely bowl of tomato soup with lamb stock- it was warm and had an intense but fresh lamb taste and scent with great fresh tomato flavor.  I then had a wonderful salad with grilled vegetables, rotisserie chicken and a wonderful lemon vinaigrette.  I loved the roasted veggies, especially the green beans with the warm, juicy chicken.  Looking around Hubby was devouring his meatballs, and MIL’s chicken sandwich looked amazing on really great looking bread.

After lunch I wandered over to the Organic Butcher of Charlottesville.  This is a brother shop to the Organic Butcher of McLean.  Had we not been a day and a drive away from home, and the McLean location being so close, I would have taken home a lot of great items like: rabbit, country style sausage and some fantastic stocks.  If you haven’t checked these stores out it is worth a peruse.  Some things are a bit on the expensive side, but many are really reasonable.  And I really think if you care about where you meat comes from or how it is raised, what things the animals are given then it is really worth a stop.  And if you are trying to find more interesting items such as oxtail, but want better quality than you can get at the Asian grocery store this would be on the top of my list of places to call.

Hedge is a fantastic little shower shop with lots of different stems to choose from, with clean modern pairings.  I found it really tasteful and a nice place to stop in if you want to mix and match stems.  They have a network of local growers, but also get some exotics.  They also do floral delivery and arrangement design.  Click through to see their really awesome, modern, chic, but beautiful and romantic designs on their web site.  If you need flowers in C-ville, this is your place.

Also I had no idea there was a great little spot for some staple Japanese items, and a few Chinese items too at Seafood at West Main.  They also had some incredibly fresh fish and sushi grade fish, as well.  No fishy smell here, everything is super fresh and great looking.

We then wandered through Feast.  This is a great little gourmet grocery with a fantastic cheese and meat counter, sandwiches and lunch items perfect for a picnic through wine country.  It was so warm and inviting.  Hubby and I picked up some salami and pepperonis, pears and Easter candies!  But there is so much more there, dried fruits, nuts and really everything you could need for a day trip or great meal!

I skipped Ablemarle Bakery- no need to add insult to injury, but we did stop by Calvino Cafe for some coffee and tea on the way out!  Anyway great stop if you are in or around Charlottesville.  I can’t wait to go back!

An off the beaten path jewel in Mexico.

We recently ventured to Guanajuato, Mexico for our dear friend’s, Warren and Estela, wedding.  Traveling there I knew nothing about the area, except what Wikipedia said: UNESCO World Heritage Site, mining history, yadda yadda.  Getting there was pretty easy, fly to Houston, fly to Guanajuato/Leon and then take a short car ride to the city.  Once we got there we quickly realized that this was an extremely beautiful historic area.  Many of the roads are under the city in old aqueducts or pathwayd carved for traffic, so taxi rides are kind of neat darting in and out of ground.  The houses are all beautifully colored due to subsidized paint costs to make the town welcoming and colorful.  The central square with its thick perfectly groomed trees is a wonderful place to hang out and relax while settling in to the rustic beauty of the area.  And they have a Starbucks for you who need your fix.

We stayed at the El Camino Real.  This was a great hotel. The restaurant and bar had wonderful staff.  The rooms were nicely appointed and spacious, the beds were comfortable, the hotel was impeccably clean, the staff were friendly.  I especially enjoyed the pool which had a zero entry platform so you could lay in the water and relax.  We had one of the rooms up on the terrace and ours had a brick dome ceiling that was really neat.  (Check the internet for specials, their website list price is much much more than what we paid.)

We had a lot of planned wedding activities, but luckily we had some time to explore the city, as well.  There are many beautiful historic buildings definitely worth checking out.  I highly suggest going in the ornate Teatro Juarez near the main city square, if there is a show playing it would be worth the price to see the show and the theater.  Lots of marble and ornately carved wood make this a real jewel. Many of the buildings date back to the 1600s when the Spanish still occupied the city.  Just wander through this city and it’s winding corridors around the central square, the university and the market, giving yourself time for stops. Stopping in the churches and neighborhood squares you can admire the beauty of the areas architecture.

The market is a great place to plan a stop.  There are food stalls to eat at, fresh produce, local crafts and all sorts of goods for sale.  I found some really well crafted leather purses, as well as, some neat gifts for family and friends at home.  I picked up a great, colorful woven market basket for me, that even when packed full is easy to carry.  Specialties in the area are candies, silver and gold jewelry, leather goods and pottery.  You can find jewelry ranging from very classic hand crafted to modern and sleek styles.  Wandering around town make sure you stop into one of the local candy stores to pick up some goodies.  I especially liked the caramels and coconut candies.  This was my favorite part of the visit.  Every corner revealed more city with interesting buildings and neat neighborhoods and stores.  Often one store had many functions, the neat traditional jewelry took the counter space in the front of a shop, while barbers groomed clipped and shaved in the back.

Another neat stop is the Capelo Art Gallery, website here.  One of the galleries also featured really neat pottery from the area.

If you want to see where all that silver came from head up to the La Valencia Mine.  This is where the wedding took place and it is a neat old mine, now a garden and quite challenging golf course.  Surrounded by stacked stone walls you can envision what it would be like when those shafts were active.

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We had some great meals downtown.  Casa Valadez was a great breakfast spot, with out of this world bread and salsas. I highly recommend huevos rancheros. But really you can’t go wrong on their breakfast menu. I wish we could have had another meal here, as well. Website here. They also have nutritional information on the website.

We also ate at the Hotel Santa Fe and both had enchiladas mineras a regional specialty. Chicken thigh over cheese enchiladas with a sauce with tomatoes, carrots and potatoes. A tiny bit bland for what many think of as Mexican food, but very good and homey, especially with the chile sauce that was on the table.  This is comfort food for this area.

The rest of our meals were at planned wedding events, save a stop at a local bakery for some freshly made doughnuts.

This town is best for the laid back traveler who wants to be off the beaten path from the touristy beaches, and wants stuff to see and do, but not a jam packed schedule.  It was really fun to wander, shop and interact with the people in the town who were all generally very friendly.  Not much English is spoken though, and we appreciated help from our friends communicating at times as we know no Spanish.  And do be alert to drinking water and eating vegetables washed in water when you aren’t in a big hotel or central restaurant.  El Camino Real has filtered water even in the showers which meant less worry when you were showering and brushing your teeth and you didn’t have to ask if the water for your morning tea was filtered.

This is a place that I loved.  This to me was very quintessential Mexico. It was about people and experiences.

Last,  September 11, I happily got to take part in the Kilmarnock-Irvington-Whitestone Rotary Bay Seafood Festival.  It happens yearly at Belle Isle State Park, a really lovely park near Lively, Virginia.

The sight for the festival is a nice peninsula that allows people to arrive by land or sea and have a nice view of the water.

They fill the area with tents serving a plethora of delicious goodies.

So here is the strategy:  There are very few picnic tables and they go fast, so you need to bring some outdoor folding chairs.  Some people even haul in their own tables, but that seems a little extreme.  They give you a small tray that is pretty sufficient, but requires multiple trips, which is the best way to eat your way around the items. What they don’t have readily available is eating utensils, there were spoons for soup and ice cream, but other than that you are on your own.  I would perhaps consider bringing a fork as some items served I would have preferred to eat with a fork. You will need to pace yourself as really you will want to try a bit of everything.

The Chow:

Clam Chowder, BBQ, Coleslaw, French Fries, Sweet Potato Fries with Cinnamon and Sugar, Corn on the Cobb, Hush Puppies, Crab Cakes, Soft-Shell Crabs, Scallops, Fried Fish, Salad,  Shrimp, Fried Oysters and Ice Cream.

For me the shrimp just cooked with Old Bay was a winner.  The shrimp were large and juicy, not over cooked or tough.  I also really enjoyed the Sweet Potato Fries, but would have preferred them more well done.  The fried oysters were delicious, hot and briney and very fresh.  Even the BBQ was quite tasty with a good smokey taste.

They had booths for wine, beer, mixed drinks and non-alcoholic drinks, and all the alcohol was included in the price of the admission ticket.

It wasn’t a gourmet extravaganza, but it was a beautiful Southern down home evening where friends and family gathered, ate good fresh seafood and listened to music while supporting the local Rotary Club.

I think Rotary is a really well run organization with excellent community involvement.  They support local, national and international causes such as eliminating polio.

Unfortunately and fortunately I didn’t win any of the raffle prizes- I was really looking forward to the crab lovers cruise for two with all you can eat crabs.  But I don’t know that I would have had a spot for the acryllic pelican painting.

Anyway this would be a good reason to make a trip to Northern Neck, you could stay at the beautiful Tides Inn or Hope and Glory Inn, enjoy some wine tastings at White Fences and check out some of the cute local shops in the area.

Tickets are 75% sold out, so act fast if you want to go!  I will have to miss it this year, due to my brother’s wedding… so the food at his wedding better be really good.