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.

**More pictures coming soon**

I had a fantastic long weekend in Nashville, filled with good friends, good food and lots of good music.  Here is my report:

The Hutton Hotel- This is one of my all-time favorite hotels.  Many of the Leading Hotels of the World I have been to recently haven’t really met their or my exacting standards, but this one met and exceeded them.  It boasts free wifi, free wine between 5-6 pm, free car service within 3 miles, espresso machine on every floor to make you complimentary espresso, rain shower heads, nice cotton bedding, nice restaurant, nice bed, soothing atmosphere with really nice L’Occitaine toiletries.  Lots of free bottles of water and chocolate each night during turndown, multiple types of power jacks in your room, wonderful staff who were friendly and who would do anything asked.  To add to that they also have a great hotel bar and staff.  It is one of my favorite hotels.  And really what more than that could you ask for?  As a specific note Nashville is a place that you want to stay out late at night.  There is so much good music and in cases like that a relaxing, soothing respite is necessary.

As an aside while I was there they were having a Bobbi Brown Fall Color Convention (Employee Presentation).  I happen to adore Bobbi Brown products for their lack of harsh chemicals and their focus on the basics and neutrals with hints of color where appropriate.  I happened to run into one of the artists at the bar who hooked me up with some new products.  John- you are amazing.  It is people like you that make me adore Bobbi.

Entertainment:

It is worth checking out the Country Music Hall of Fame even if you don’t love Country Music.  The exhibits are really neat and even those of us not well versed in Country recognized so many of the songs.  While we were there they had a fantastic exhibit on the precious Brenda Lee.

I just missed an exhibit at the Frist Museum on Paris Fashion that looked wonderful.  As a note the Frist does not have a permanent collection so judge whether you want to go on how interesting the two exhibits showing will be to you.  While there they only had a Chihuly exhibit and it was rather small for the $10 admission.

Nearby check out the gallery at the Tennessee Art League.  While there they had a fantastic exhibits by both members and children with some neat things.

Cheekwood House and Gardens is a very neat house with pretty gardens.  They had the larger part of the Nashville Chihuly exhibit, but not as expansive as Phoenix one I visited before.  The house itself had impressionist art, primitive american sculpture by African American, and fabrege exhibit.  the bottom still housed many of the details from the family who built it, the Maxwell House family. The gardens were extensive and very pretty, but not as nice as the Huntington in L.A. or Vizcaya in Miami, but very cool and worth a visit.

So where to hang to get some of that good music?  Well if you want to go downtown then I suggest starting at Bang Bar where dueling pianos have a good fun with the audience and the people watching is top notch.  Then for some more serious music head over to the Stage or Second Fiddle.  On a whim you could also stop by Roberts or Wildhorse Saloon which just reopened from the flood.  Look for the crowds.

Away from downtown the Red Rooster and Tin Roof have live music, sometimes Country sometimes not and Dan McGuiness Irish Pub can turn somewhat into a college bar/club later in the evening.  More of a last stop kind of place.

To Eat:

Jack’s BBQ- The great thing about Jack’s is it isn’t one thing.  Nashville not being Memphis it can do whatever BBQ it wants without picking a style.  It does brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork and sausages.  The brisket and ribs were stand out, as well as, Carolina mustard sauce and their vinegar sauce.  I liked being able to mix the Carolina mustard sauce with the brisket without dirty looks.  They had good bready dense cornbread, slighly sweet, but very bread like.  Nice ambiance, with big tables, a patio and very casual ambiance.  It is right downtown among the honky tonks with long hours.

Pancake Pantry- this is a very down homey breakfast all day joint.  Nice staff, not overly chatty because they have work to do, but nice.  On my first visit I had cornmeal pancakes with bacon, cheese, green chiles served with salsa, maple syrup and sour cream.  Nice mix of savory and sweet flavor, a few bites with syrup was good, but I mainly ate it with salsa and sour cream.  Awesome lunchy, savory pancakes.  The cornmeal had a crisp outside but tender inside and wasn’t overly sweet like some cornbreads.

On my next visit I had the Chef’s Skillet with their fantastic crispy hashbrowns and sauteed peppers, onions and tomatoes and ham.  Topped with swiss cheese and fried eggs.  As I was sharing the dish we ordered it with two buttermilk pancakes.  It was crispy and very satisfying after a night out on the town the poached eggs soaked down through the mixture and perked you back up.  It was nice to be able to have this and one of their light fluffy buttermilk pancakes.  I don’t like a large amount of pancake, but one with their warm cinnamon syrup really hit the spot.  Their pancakes really are incredible.  They aren’t too thick or thin, they are a little crusty on the outside but fluffy all the way through.  The buttermilk for me have enough tang that they aren’t overly sweet with syrup.  I also like that they have buckwheat pancakes on the menu and real maple syrup.  I lucked out both times I waited less than 30 minutes to get a table, probably because we ate late.

City House- this restaurant is nicely composed.  A little hard to find, but well worth the attempt.  The design is modern and minimalist.  They had a short but diverse wine list, house salami with boutique wisconsin parmigana was excellent.  The salami was peppery and flavorful, but the texture was soft and tender similar to the texture of lox. The parmigana cheese was from a company turned co-op and rivaled some of the best I have had anywhere with its flavor and texture.  For an entree I had the margherita pizza with arugala, this was perfect neapolitan style pizza with excellent fresh taste, pillowy crust, and arugula gave nice crispness.  Bread gnocchi of my dining companion so-so.  I think if you had bread gnocchi before and knew what the texture and flavor was like then it would be ok, but on such a hot summer day it was a bit heavy.  But their dessert list is amazing.  I wish someone here in D.C. could come close to the wonderful creativity of the dessert list here.  We split the peanut butter panini with rhubarb preserves and buttermilk ice cream.  This dish made you want to give Elvis a hug.  The ice cream had awesome tang and the warm peanut butter on cornbread then grilled for a crisp outside had perfect sweetness and crunch, but was balanced by tart rhubarb and tangy ice cream so as not to be too rich.

Neely’s BBQ- Yes, yes the home of the famous Food Network Neely’s is Memphis, but they have an outpost in Nashville too.  Their BBQ, although not as smokey as Jack’s, was ok; their pulled pork was much better than Jack’s.  It was juicy tender, but they put the sauce on it for you, and a lot of it so you couldn’t judge just how good the pork would be on its own.  Good but standard mac and cheese and beans.  However, they gave you toast instead of cornbread… not cool.  I would go to Jack’s over this place if you want anything but pulled pork only.  The portions are huge though, if you dig that.

Taco Mamacita- this is a fun taco joint with not your normal tacos.  Instead be prepared for carnitas, jerk chicken or gyro tacos.  I had a gyro and a fish taco.  I did lament that you didn’t get a choice of hard or soft taco or a choice between flour and corn tortillas.  The fish taco was really nice with a lightly floured then fried fish that remained moist and interesting slaw.  The gyro was just a gyro in a tortilla, but it was good.  The black bean and corn slaw was refreshing, but had too much cilantro for me.

And below the Taco Royale which was a favorite among our group:

So thank you Nashville for providing a great place to catch up with my best friend, and a great place to party hard with dear friends.  I am so glad that it is recovering so well from such a devastating flood and keeping in such good spirit!

My last trip to Miami was very bitter sweet.  I left my Dad’s bedside to see him for the last time to go, but I knew in my heart he would want me to go, really he would want to be there.  My Father was a sunaholic.  He loved to go lay on the beach, get frozen drinks and turn at just the right time to have the perfect tan.  He enjoyed Anguilla, St. Barts, and the French Riviera way more than any city.  He never went to Miami, but he would embrace Miami, the good food, pretty women and lots of sun.

We went despite everything because our best friend was getting engaged.  And I think it was important for me during that time to embrace the good that was happening, as well as, the bad.  Just feeling the warm sunshine I was reminded how much Dad loved to feel that warmth.

The Skinny on Hotels.  Now I have stayed at many places in Miami and visited others.  And some notes on hotels.  First off, stay in South Beach.  Everything you really want to be around is either in or near South Beach.  After being at the Biltmore or Ritz Key Biscayne, it is just a lot nicer to be at South Beach.  Second, don’t stay at a huge hotel, pick a medium sized one.  My favorite is the Ritz in South Beach.  I prefer it because of its great location right at Lincoln Road, the 24hr pool and decent spa, and the spacious bathrooms with wonderful Ritz beds.

I also really like The Palms, which is a little more North, but also quieter and has a nice beach area, which isn’t quite so busy, with nice, comfortable rooms.  I also really enjoy the hammocks by the pool for a lazy afternoon napping in the sun.

This past trip I stayed at the National.  When their Pool Suites are renovated it will be really nice.  During the renovation it was so noisy relaxing by their beautiful pool was a no-can-do.  The rooms were moderately sized, bathrooms were smaller, like a boutique hotel.  My only quibble with the bathroom was not the size, but the half glass shower door which got water everywhere and was a bit more chilly than a normal shower.  (Very European like)  It is also really lacking in amenities and their toiletries were dreadful.  But if you wait till the renovation is done it isn’t a bad hotel at all, especially if you can get a good deal and don’t mind going out of the hotel for your amenities and bringing your own shampoo (with the Delano and Ritz next door spas are just a step away).

After Sleeping, Eating is Best.  When you want an excellent meal, head to Hakkasan at the Fontainebleau. The monstrosity and madness, and almost half mile walk through the resort, is worth it for this restaurant.  The extremely long bar has almost any spirit you could think of with a huge drink list.

For dinner we had the dim sum platter, tea smoked ribs, duck spring rolls, soft shell crab with curry and grilled shanghai dumplings. The dim sum platter, tea smoked ribs and soft shells were the best, but all the appetizers left us very satisfied and hungry for more.  Dumplings weren’t too thick and everything had excellent flavor. For entrees we had five spice wagyu in hot pot which was really really good, if you like beef this is a must order.  The stir fry xo prawn with pineapple was good, but not a must have spicy and sweet, but just not as good as other entrees, such as the roasted satay chicken with very crispy skin and juicy chicken, shredded ribeye beef that was spicy and chewy got a B+ in my mind, the doung bo pork was excellent and the snow pea shoots were excellent with both garlic and ginger sauce. End of the meal with a white chocolate mousse with passionfruit sorbet to leave yourself on a sweet and tangy, the mousse had great texture and richness, but the passionfruit really cut the sweetness.  This is one of our all time favorite restaurants in Miami.

Next on the list is the Blue Door in the Delano.  This place holds a special place in my heart as it is where I got engaged.  The menu is always creative and excellently prepared, with great ambiance.  I like indoor seating for a intimate, romantic dinner, and outdoor for a more fun, laid back vibe.  At night the whole place seems to be a glow with a just right amount of ambiant light.  The Homard Paillette and Mango Porco are some of my favorites on the menu.

Being from a city with a real lack of deli- Hubby and I always stop by Jerry’s for a lean pastrami.  It is tender, juicy with great taste.  I like the melt myself.

I also really like Sushi Samba, Tantra and for Cuban in South Beach Puerta Sagua.  And if you do stay at the Biltmore, the one big perk is they have great restaurants.

To do once the Sunburn sets in.  I love visiting Vizcaya.  It is a beautiful house, with really nice gardens and a fun history.  I also really like to shop at Merrick Place in Coral Gables.  An outdoor mall, with covered walkways, housing all designer stores such as Diane Von Furstenburg and Caroline Herrara.  If you want a daytrip, head down for some great diving in the keys, or head to Key West.  You can also charter a boat to take you around to check out the outrageous celebrity homes.  Did you know J. Lo has a huge, ugly bunny statue in front of her gigantic pink house?  Lastly you could take a drive down to the Fairchild Botanical Gardens, they are a bit of a drive, but have some really unique plants.  And of course, Little Havana, is definitely worth checking out.  Or stay local and wander Lincoln and Collins Avenue.

(Vizcaya)

Wouldn’t it be nice to live like this?  Way to go James Deering.  You’re an industrialist with vision.

I have been itching to go to New Heights now for months.  In the whispers of foodie land I heard great things about Logan Cox, the chef and the creativity he has brought.  And I wanted to go before everyone realizes he is a genius and you have to make reservations a month in advance.  Can I just say with strong affirmation: now is that time.

I went during Restaurant Week- of all weeks to try out a new fabled legend, Restaurant Week is not it.  Still it was the only interesting place on the list with a reservation.  But man, if ever did a restaurant pull off Restaurant Week while still keeping it high end and creative, New Heights did.

New Heights is in an akward area of Woodley Park, but thankfully they have valet parking.  Downstairs is a small, but glamorous gin bar.  While everyone is touting dark woods and prohibition era cocktails, this bar keeps it really prohibition style with a huge gin list and house made tonics.  No nonsense just good gin.  It is glamorous in that it doesn’t try to hard, but feels particularly delightful to sit at.  It isn’t Gibson or Zaytinya glamorous, it is glamorous for people who don’t need other people to make them perfectly happy.  I particularly recommend the Krahn.

Then you go upstairs to a cozy, warm dining room.  The owner Kavita, is particularly friendly and you can tell she puts a lot of care into the oversight of her restaurant.  The server chilled our wine while we sipped various gins, and the bread basket with warm, moist cornbread gave promise to the rest of our meal.

The appetizer of chicken liver pate was smooth on perfectly crisp toast and eaten with the pickled vegetables had a really nice balance.  The artic char entree was creamy in texture on the tongue; however, the skin was crisp and had just the right amount of salt to balance out the sunchoke puree and broccoli rabe.  However, the real winner was the roasted pork loin that was cooked perfectly with perfect texture- a little crisp on the outside but juicy and incredibly tender on the inside- the smoked apple butter served with it made the bites a refined, homey taste that you could have eaten four plates of, paired with brussel sprouts and buckwheat polenta the dish had a great winter warmness to it.

Desserts were a nice finish to the very composed meal.  Ginger creme brulee had a wonderful taste of real, fresh ginger not something you get in many “ginger” dishes.  The toasted almond biscotti served with it was some of the best biscotti I have had.  I would love that recipe (hmm, this might have a follow up post).  The sugar and masala doughnuts were light cake doughnuts with good spice, but the chocolate dulce de leche sauce served over them was incredibly decadent, and you will want to finish any part not swabbed by your doughnut with a spoon.

The service was professional, not fussy, not too absent, he hit that fine line where he read you just right.  Wine glasses looking a little low, filled, but not after every sip.  Recommendations given when asked and very thoughtful to personal likes.  Courses explained as they arrived, and yet it was never intrusive.

And this was only Restaurant Week… I look forward to seeing what this place can do every other night of the week.  Next time I am bringing my gin loving girls with me.

So this report has been a long time in the making…

Melbourne

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Where to stay: The Park Hyatt.

As you might know from previous posts or just happen to realize for me to rave about a hotel it must be pretty nice.  Well the Park Hyatt Melbourne rates up there in terms of even the hotels I like.  I don’t need a huge superior room, what I need is a clean, comfortable, quiet room with a nice view, a great bathroom and nice amenities.

We went to Australia in May, which is their fall, but it meant off season rates in Melbourne and Sydney, not a ton of tourists and nice crisp, but warm weather.  We got a great deal at the Park Hyatt at less than $200 a night.

For that we got a really nice comfortable king size bed, valet attendants that helped us figure out how to work our GPS system, a hotel that was a close walk to most of the attractions in Melbourne, a huge bathroom with a shower that had a tv and speakers, a electric tea kettle with good tea and nice toiletries that I actually used.

Also the breakfast served here was wonderful. There was a really nice a la carte menu, but we normally went for the buffet with a huge selection of fruits, breads, cereals, juices, cheeses, charcuterie and hot items including the traditional English breakfast of course.  We normally had long days of walking or exploring ahead of us so a nice big breakfast really hit the spot.

What to do:  The very top of your to do list should be the Queen Victoria Market.  This is a huge market.  They have some little restaurants, fish market, meat market, a deli section with stalls selling breads, meats, cheeses, olives, dried goods, eggs, honey, teas and everything else you could imagine.  Then outside they have fresh produce.  They have a lot of produce that is hard to find here like Nooshi a fruit that is like a small juicy apple and very fresh ripe Passionfruit.  Also outside are bins of flour and other grains and people selling wines and other homemade goods.  Then in back of that is a huge flea market.  My favorites were a cracked black pepper meat pie sold at a deli in the bottom left section.  The crust was flaky, it was piping hot and fresh and the fresh cracked black pepper made it the best meat pie of the trip.  Hubby and I also picked up some kangaroo salami, cheese, bread and fruits to take with us on our adventure out to the country that afternoon.

If you are adventurous- and you should be this is Australia for God’s sake- I highly suggest renting a car and driving down to Philips Island.  Now I went mainly for my obsession with non-flying birds of the black and white variety, which you can see nightly.  We got the “Ultimate Penguin Experience” which was really great.  You were taken to a separate area for viewing and walked down the beach to a small break in the dunes where we sat for probably about an hour and fifteen minutes watching with night vision googles little penguins teetering all around you within feet.  Then you hike back along the road spotting little Philips Island Penguins running and nesting all about you.  We were unfortunate and fortunate enough to be able to touch a penguin that was rescued by our ranger when we saw him injured and floundering on the beach in front of us.  I am sure they took good care of him.

Also on Philips Island is a koala sanctuary where you can view koalas a couple feet away doing there thing aka sleeping or eating, I think that’s all they do honestly.  They are cute as can be!  Also if you are lucky like us you will also see some wandering wallabies throughout the park grazing on grasses.

Philips Island also has an area called the nobbies that has beautiful rock outcropping.  Sometimes they have seals, but we didn’t see any on our visit (apparently they sometimes have Great Whites too).  And a working farm.  What we enjoyed most was the beautiful scenery and quiet beaches.

For eclectic shopping and some really good casual restaurants check out Brunswick Street.  This was my favorite area in all Melbourne.  The cute store signs and shop fronts give way to cute fashions, home goods, amazing coffee and tea shops.

Where to eat:

Now we didn’t do a lot of fancy eating in Melbourne, there are so many great casual restaurants to check out and the market was just so tasty, but we had a really great dinner at Movida- Bar de Tapas.  The atmosphere is laid back with nice low lighting.  The croquettes were just like what you get in Madrid.  We also sampled the San Jacobo de Cordonice a quail stuffed with cheese and ham, Pimientio de Piquuillo hickory smoked peppers with potato and salt cod and some other small plates while Hubby had a Bees Knees Beer and I drank some good Australian wine.

While exploring Brunswick we check out the Real Greek Souvlaki Bar where we had huge gyros and lamb platters filled with juicy and flavorful lamb, ripe tomatoes and tasty pita.  Hubby laughed at the size of my gyro, it was a food as big as your head moment.

We also stopped on our way back from Philips Island at a co-op fish and chippery.  I think getting some fresh fish and chips and a meat pie is kind of one of those quid essential things to do, just make sure you have lots of napkins.

In  Sum: Melbourne we love you to death and really we do want more time with you.  You are a dirty mistress to our love of Barcelona and Melbourne, and while we might not be able to work you into our regular rotation, you will be on our mind.  So keep stylin.

Readers, I just came back from a gorgeous sunny weekend in L.A.  that was filled with all sorts of fun.  Hubby had some frequent flyer miles that had to be used before they expired, and I have a good friend who is finishing graduate school and she and her family offered to host me for a weekend so out I went.  My brother took me to the airport and offered the following advice: Eat Mexican, especially breakfast burritos and sushi, make sure you get some sushi.

I arrived on Friday in early afternoon and we drove to the Westwood area and wandered around a bit and settled in at the Napa Valley Grille a mini-chain for lunch.  They had a nice salad/soup/sandwich combo and outdoor seating which drew us in, and I was rather hungry after my flight so sushi or something light, wouldn’t quite do.  Then we headed up to The Getty.  The Getty is free (ahem), but it does cost $15 to park.  It sits up on top of a hill and the building as a whole is just a remarkable structure in terms of architecture.  The textures, use of light and space make it a lot of fun.  They have some really amazing art ranging from Turner’s with really white/blue skies a departure from his dark ominous stormy skies you normally see, Van Gogh’s, really well put together decorative art rooms with interesting paneled walls, tapestry and furniture, then onto pastels by Toulouse Lautrec and different seasonal exhibits.  Outside the terraced gardens are beautiful with bougainvillea, roses, pomegranate trees all manicured and placed amongst fountains and interesting shaped paths.  There is also a cactus garden which has a beautiful view that extends to the ocean on clear days.  As the sun was setting we headed back down to the parking lot on the tram and headed into Santa Monica.

Santa Monica was a lot of fun with lots of shopping, including the 3rd Street promenade lined with dinosaurs spouting water, bars and restaurants.  Along the promenade there are musicians and it is a nice area to go out for an evening.  I unfortunately was limited by East Coast time so we headed home to our neighborhood of La Canada and grabbed some margaritas and Mexican food at Los Gringos Locos, where I had some fresh and wonderful guacamole and tacos, and let’s not forget a huge margarita.  Had I been up for an all nighter East Coast time- I would have made my way over to Father’s Office for some burgers and brews.  But alas after my margarita I fell pretty fast to a state of California dreaming.

I woke the next morning, enjoyed getting some much needed Vitamin D while reading the papers, and then we headed down to the Huntington Library.  Can I just note for anyone who doesn’t know the Huntington Library is not just a library.  The gardens alone are 120 acres, including rose gardens, cactus gardens, lilly ponds, a Japanese Garden and a Chinese Garden.  Then you have multiple buildings of art including The Huntington Art Gallery and Virginia Steele Scott Galleries of American Art.  The Huntington Art Gallery has notables by Gainsborough such as The Blue Boy to Hooper and more sculpture and decorative art.  The Virginia Steele Scott has some noteable Cassats and Stuarts and they have a really nice collection of Greene and Greene work.

All that working can make you work up an appetite.  Luckily, Old Town Pasadena is right around the corner.  Don’t miss out on some of the neat places back the alleys.  We lunched at Cafe Santorini, a Mediterranean Cafe with a nice view and a really beautiful terrace.  Apparently there is a great noodle shop right by the Cheesecake Factory too.  After a nice lunch of chicken kebabs which were good (but Lebanese Taverna don’t worry) we headed down to check out the shops.  A bit of shopping in November in Old Town really isn’t complete without a trip to STATS (the website doesn’t do the gaudiness justice).  Oh yes, STATS is Christmas galore there are rooms of Christmas trees, Christmas villages, Christmas Ornaments and any other holiday necessities.  It is a huge place that really puts you in the mood for Christmas even in L.A.

Now it would be a shame to go to Pasadena and not go see the Greene and Greene houses in Pasadena.  For those of you who don’t know Greene and Greene was the center of the Arts and Crafts movement and you can tour one of their ultimate bungalows the Gamble House. No dinner out tonight because we had a party at home where I was served some fresh artichokes and spare ribs.  There is nothing better than a dinner made for you with love, this one was especially tasty.

Sunday we were off to Newport Beach, Balboa Island and Seal Beach.  On the way to Newport we stopped at Roger’s Gardens- a plant and decorating mecca.  Their arrangements were lovely and their holiday shop beautiful.  Worth a stop if you like plants even if like me back at home it isn’t the growing season.  We then went on to explore Newport Beach.  We then crossed the bridge onto Balboa Island and walked the perimeter of the island checking out the houses, boats and dogs.  On the way to the car we had to stop at Sugar N’ Spice for a Balboa Bar, which is like a homemade klondike bar on a stick with various toppings.  I got mine with heath bar crunch.  They also have frozen bananas dipped in chocolate.  We also stopped in at the Balboa Candy Shop for some saltwater taffy to bring back to the Hubby.  We then drove up to Seal beach and walked downtown and out to the pier.  We stopped at Ruby’s on the pier for an afternoon snack with a view.  The weather was so nice for a day out on the beach.  The night ended with dinner back in Glendale at Pasta Preziosa with the family.  A nice little Italian restaurant with a love of garlic, and since California is home to the Gilroy Garlic Festival, a love of garlic is only appropriate.

The next day was a late start because I had to pack.  Going home with weather so nice was really hard, especially when I was having so much fun and my friend and her family were so gracious to me.  Sitting out on the balcony in the sun looking at their lovely garden and pool it was hard not to want to stay for weeks while Washington, DC gets cold and wet.  We stopped at Ichiban in La Canada (no website that I can find) for some sushi, and it is amazing that even little neighborhood places like this have sushi that is really fresh and succulent.  Here that type of quality and freshness comes with a high price tag, but it was really reasonably priced.  We then drove down through Beverly Hills before going to the airport and I enjoyed the sunny, palm lined streets of endless designer shops and huge houses.  Now I will have to go back for a trip to the Norton-Simon and breakfast burritos.

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I arrived home and took what will probably be my last trip on the People Movers across Dulles.  My Brother-in-law picked me up from the airport, which was nice since Hubby was out of town.  It is always nice to have a familiar face to greet you at the airport.

So have I told you how much I absolutely love the fact that my in laws live in Charlottesville?  And they have totally embraced my passion for wonderful food and wine.  Really readers, in so many ways, I am a spoiled woman.

On a past fall weekend to my delight the Hubby and I ventured down for a fun packed weekend in Charlottesville.  Saturday started with a trip to Bread Works Bakery and Deli where we picked up some tasty sandwiches on really good bread and some excellent molasses cookies (previously endorsed by hungry Bachelorettes after a good amount of wine). I highly recommend both the veggie and chicken salad sandwich.

We then ventured across the street to Mona Lisa Pasta to pick up some cheese and crackers, it is so nice in the back refrigerated section they have small pieces of cheese that are just the right size to pack for a day trip to the wineries and really nice gourmet crackers.  Now be forewarned the pizza here smells really good and is pretty darn tempting.  And to make it even worse they have a variety of homemade pastas that are fresh.  You can get their pasta in many different cuts and flavors so they really have a nice selection.  I picked up some garlic rosemary angel hair for dinner in the coming nights.

We then went out to Carter Mountain Orchard to pick apples.  With all the fall festivities this place was packed.  There were wagon rides, live music, crafts and so on.  We picked up some great apple cake doughnuts, apples and cider.

As the place was a little packed for their fall festival and we had other fruits to sample we moved on to Barboursville Vineyards who by chance were having their twice annual bottle tastings, which allows you to have tastings of different vintages of many of their best wines and their normal tastings, plus tours and special tastings of Octagon. Before tasting the wines we ate our sandwiches and cookies and people watched as urbanites, families and couples enjoyed the day. My favorites of the wines offered for tasting were Octagon 1999, 2004 and 2005, Cabernet Franc from 2001, Barbera Reserve 2006 which had hints of honey with a good balance of tannins, and the Rose 2007 which really surprised me.  I normally don’t care for many of the sweeter varieties of wine, but this Rose had great flavor and balance. There was so much wine to sample that if you tasted everything you would have drank a whole bottle of wine, and believe me did the cheese and crackers we picked up earlier hit the spot. They had shady trees at the bottom of the hill that were a perfect place to relax and listen to the live music.  The sheer amount of wine offered at this event and discounts on rare vintages made it a really great destination for a wine lover.

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After drinking our fill and purchasing a few bottles of Octagon 2005 and 2006 we took a stroll up to the Barbour Manor designed by Thomas Jefferson himself. It was fun to watch the kids and dogs play in the grass as people picnicked and enjoyed what was an absolutely beautiful day in Jefferson’s eden.

That night we had a great dinner at Zocalo.  Located right downtown on the mall Zocalo has Latin American inspired food.  I appreciated the balance on their menu between meat, fish, chicken and vegetarian entrees.  There was something for everyone and all our entrees were satisfying.  I had Grouper with a pea risotto that was homey, but fresh at the same time.  There was a nice acidic balances to the fish, which a nice fresh pea flavor in the risotto.  Hubby had a really tasty strip steak with chipotle demi-glace that I stole multiple bites of.

And to bring this long night to a close we stopped by Splendora’s for gelato.  This time of year I really crave pumpkin flavored anything and especially pumpkin gelato.  I had a small half maple half pumpkin that I really enjoyed.  They feature seasonal flavors along with your old standbys in a cozy, but fun atmosphere.  They also have espresso and cappuccino for those who prefer to have a toasty refreshment. It was a wonderful day to check out all the fall flavored goodness in the area and enjoy some down time with family.

Right now is the time of year where people inevitably attend fall festivities or host their own parties celebrating the reaping of the harvest.

I once again missed what may be the best celebration of Fall, culture and community support: The Pleasant Valley Harvest Sale in Garrett County, Maryland.  An auction is held in a beautiful little Amish community each Fall to support the school in their district the Swan Meadow Elementary School.  The auction has gargantuan mushrooms and produce, breads and baked goods and other auction items, the big ticket item being the Black Forest Cake.

During the sale you can wander over to the counter to buy homemade caramels, no bake cookies, fresh yeast glazed doughnuts and coffee and cider to satiate you during the sale.  Also for sale is a collection of recipes from the community made into a cookbook.  This cookbook is a big deal, as it normally has the heavy hitting favorites from each family.

But I will make up for it by attending what MSN rates as one of the top Fall Festivals: The Autumn Glory festival.  Also located in Garrett County, Maryland (an area that happens to be where I am from).  This festival begins this week and events continue until Sunday.  A sampling of the events:

Fireman’s Parade- Thursday night a parade of mostly fire trucks and engines, with the occasional truck of football players and cheerleaders rolls down Second Street and up Route 219 to the firehouse.

Oktoberfest- Thursday night after the Fireman’s parade at the fire hall an Oktoberfest dinner complete with Polca music, dancing and lots of beer takes place, an event that is mainly attended by locals, but any person who attends will be feeling the love.

Grand Feature Parade- Saturday is the main parade a video of a past parade I found on YouTube! (Not the most professional screening, but you get the picture)

Also during this weekend there is an Amish breakfast at the Pleasant Valley Community Center, a 5k run/walk, craft shows, antique shows, classic car shows, the Maryland State Fiddle and Banjo contest, The Liars Festival, No-hands ice cream eating contest at Lakeside Creamery and so much more!  You can see a few of my photos here, I will post more after next weekend.

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And while I have family that lives in the area, we tend to overload our capacity so we normally rent a house from Railey Mountain Vacations, who right now has a buy two get a third night for free special (very handy since Monday is Columbus Day).

Now if you are lucky enough to be invited to a Fall celebration, or just need a taste of Germany,  look no further than Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe in Arlington, Virginia (Their site seems to be temporarily down).  A big box of soft pretzels, a Black Forest Cake or wursts would get you an invite back to any party.

No invites?  Well check out the Washingtonian’s list of Oktoberfests. You could also join Rustico on October 10 from noon to six for Oktoberfest where they will have nearly 25 different beers on tap, with live musicand dishes prepared by Rustico, Buzz The Evening Star Cafe, Vermilion, Tallula, EatBar, Columbia Firehouse & Star Catering.Admission is free and tickets will be sold for beer, food, activities and a mighty raffle featuring a beautiful 1997 Harley Davidson Softail – along with three other fantastic prizes. The proceeds from this year’s raffle will be given to DC Central Kitchen to help combat hunger and create opportunity right here in our own backyard.  If this doesn’t get you there,

then this might:

Although please note- kids are absolutely welcome. In fact, there will be many activities just for the kids throughout the day – including a moon bounce, face painting, pumpkin tossing and more.  So choose your reason to go.

Or hop on over to Heidelberg for a delicious grilled wurst prepared on their outside grill.  They have brautwurst, knauckwurst, weisswurst and others for you to try before ordering.  If you need some carb loading before all those tasty German brews order the ultimate combo which comes with a soft pretzel, warm German potato salad, drink and apple strudel.

You can also get your Fall on at Buzz Bakery in Alexandria, VA.  They are selling  Steamed Cider and Pumpkin Lattes. The cider is local and they use a homemade spiced pumpkin puree for the pumpkin goodies. Tempting me most has to be the Candy Apple Martini, made with housemade caramel sauce, apple schnapps and Stoli. They are also stocking seasonal beers, including Dogfish Head Punkin’ and Epheremere.

Order a batch of cupcakes, including out classic Guinness Cupcake, the Caramel Apple Cupcake and the Pumpkin Cupcake with Candied Pepitas and you will surely be a hit.

Fall is glorious, isn’t it?

So I know that I just posted my Phoenix Report and I should save this a bit really, but I just can’t do that.  I need to share.  Plus I am sure I will go somewhere else soon.  So Peeps here it is:

Philly is a really nice weekend getaway.  There is enough to do besides the Independence googly-gook that you leave with plans for next time, but you aren’t like pining to stay like at the beach where really can’t you have just a few more days?  I like that in a weekend vacation, finality with a reason to come back.

Where to stay:  Right now you can score pretty good deal at even the nicest hotels in Philly.  Splurge on the Ritz, which is centrally located centrally and has all the normal luxuries of the Ritz.  Another perk is that their restaurant 10Arts is run by a very capable Top Chef contender.

Friday we went up early so I could have a special birthday lunch date at Morimoto with my Hubby who had been gone for my birthday.  I love the ambiance of Morimoto, the wood walls with uber modern white furniture and the not overbearing neon lighting was cool- not cold and very crisp.  Like a better designed version of the downtown location of Cafe Asia.  But can I comment that the chairs while modern were really comfortable, which I really was happy about.

I really loved the basic omakase ($40) menu. All the fish was very fresh, the opening Toro Tartare with with Caviar, Tempura, Scallions, Ponzu and Fresh Wasabi, and finished with a Japanese fruit was a highlight. It was crispy and salty, but also refreshing and smooth and fatty.  We then had an assortment of sushi with toro, red snapper and others that were all perfectly fresh, they had a wonderful texture and taste in the mouth, never being fishy. We also had a whitefish caparcio with microgreens, with a very tasty vinaigrette with hot oil, we had black cod with miso served with a mustard sauce and pickled peppers that was cooked perfectly, the textural difference between the crispy crust on the cod, the flaky inside and the very smooth pickled peppers created a nice taste. Everything had very good balanced flavors and we were happy with each course. We ended with a chocolate cake with blueberry sauce that was very good. It was just enough food for lunch without being heavy. I wish I lived nearby so I could eat here more often all of the lunch specials coming out looked great.

That night we had a family dinner with the in laws and family in the area at Distrito.  This place was so much fun. I want to go back and eat in the bug. I was worried when I booked it that it would be a little too eccentric for everyone, but it is done in a tasteful over the top way (take the tour on the website- it’s pretty awesome).  A way that doesn’t make you uncomfortable, but makes you laugh at the whimsicality of it.  Personally, I loved the eccentric decorating.

The drinks were good, I was impressed with the Tequila selection. I had a grapefruit soda with tequila mixture.  They served the soda separately so you could make it your own preferred strength.

We ordered way too much food, they say to order 3-4 dishes per person, but at 2-3 each we were stuffed. I had the short rib flatbread which was very good, the meat was tender and savory and melded well with the BBQ sauce, the carnitas tacos were one of the best dishes of the evening, the pork was so tender and flavorful, they had bits that were a little bit more well done and crunchy mixed in for a great ratio of pork texture. The Amarillo (rabbit mole) was excellent, as well, the rabbit was tender and very flavorful it wasn’t overwhelmed by the sauce a rich almost creamy mole which wasn’t spicy, but very homey and comforting,  served on rice in a small hot pot. The whole dish came together really well. The duck fundido was another big hit, spicy and cheesy with tender as can be duck it would be the perfect after bar food. We wrapped the goey, deliciousness in fresh tortillas and it was heaven.  The guacamole was also good, the salsa was decent- very fresh red tomatoes just rather normal. I also had a bit of the tres leches cake which was quite good, much like a very small Smith Island cake. This was one of my favorite meals. I also had some of the salads which were a big portion, but a tad bit bitter (which may have been the cilantro which I don’t really care for).  Especially coming from an area with poor choices for Mexican this was a favorite.  It is so good with all the other choices in Philadelphia I still will be going back.

On our first full day in Philly we checked out the foodie mecca that is the Reading Terminal Market.  Located in what used to be the Reading Railroad Terminal (Yes, Monopoly is based on Philadelphia) this market has fresh produce that is just amazing, fish and meats, cheese and other dairy, Amish baked goods, other pastries, candy, pretzels and lots of food stalls.   The best day to go is Saturday when the market is in full swing.  Sundays the Amish vendors won’t be there.  It could take days and days to eat through all the goodness held within, but I think that a fresh doughnut from the Amish stand in the center of the market is a must eat.  So is a roast pork sandwich at DiNic’s, in my opinion this puts a cheesesteak to shame (although I recommend eating it right then and there as it can get quite soupy if it sits).  Also while here it is essential to get a good soft pretzel.  Although we passed vendors selling boxes of fresh pretzels on the streets the ones at Miller’s in the market where nice and warm with a good bread, salt, butter ratio.  There were also some very tempting sticky buns.  I would have liked to go back on Sunday before we left to get some things to take home, but we had a full agenda.

After exploring the market and taking in a lot of calories we decided to burn some off by walking  down to the Constitution Center, which is a fun interactive museum in the heart of Constitution madness.  We then walked along Arch Street, which has some neat shops and takes you by Benjamin Franklin’s gravesite.  We ran into the First Lady and Obama girls on our walk which caused quite a scene,  but luckily it meant that the Franklin Fountain was without a line.

Another calorie splurger the Franklin Fountain is a really fun stop.  I got the ladies choice which is a float of raspberry soda with peach ice cream. It was fruity refreshing, but still nice and creamy. The ambiance is the main draw though.  Men in daper fountain boy clothing with handlebar mustaches prepare your concoction on the marble in big glass cups, and that is a big temptation.

Then we walked around a bit more and just enjoyed the sites.

We ended up at Fork for the FIL’s big 6-0 birthday dinner. Our meal there was excellent.  We started with a Soellner, Wogerain, Grüner Veltliner, 2007, Austria that was lovely after a hot day, it was crisp and fruity, but not too oaky or sweet and paired very well with my food. Followed by a choice of multigrain, french or other bread, I had the french which had a great taste to it, crusty on the outside, tender within. They had a nice cow butter which was soft and had good flavor.

For dinner I started with the baby lettuce salad with croquette and balsamic. It was very fresh, nicely dressed and the croquette was was warm and crisp on the outside while almost, but not quite gooey on the inside. Hubby had the fish provencale soup with crouton and that was very good, it had a lovely fish broth thickened with cream that was very light I really enjoyed the couple bites I got. For entree I had the citrus cured salmon that was then seared on carmelized shallots, potatoes and a lovely spinach sauce. The citrus with the shallots and spinach sauce balanced very nicely. The fish was cooked with a nice sear and had great flavor. It was seasoned just right. The potatoes were a nice bit size, but in a rustic style that blended nicely with the bold flavor of the fish. Hubby had a duck dish that was very good as well. The duck itself was incredibly juicy, again not overcooked at all, a perfect medium rare. We split the chevre cheesecake with oatmeal crisp and champagne pear. The pear was a bit hard to cut you had to use both fork and spoon but was very juicy and had a nice texture, almost like a plum in texture. The chevre cheesecake was rich and tangy and the crisp was sweet and crunchy so the flavors and the textures were nicely varied. All in all another nice meal.

The next day we visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Textiles Museum. The art deco building that the textiles museum is in is beautiful, and the exhibitions were a girls dream with one room of fashions from the 1800s to 1930s the next vivid modern household objects.  What I really enjoyed was the interior of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  They have transplanted whole rooms that show vivid architecture from many countries and cultures.  The Japanese temple and tea house are stunning, while the Moorish and Arabian rooms showcase the amazing attention to detail those cultures places in each piece of design.  A walk down to the beautiful river would have been nicer without the humidity, but it offers a beautiful view of what has become a really great river.

We then headed back to the city making one last stop at Pat’s King of Steaks for a cheesesteak.  I had a “Wit Provolone, mushroom and pepper steak” which was a little too drippy for me.  Next time I think I will stick with the basics.  And the steak really doesn’t have a ton of flavor so I can see why the saltyness of the whiz is needed.  I will admit fries with cheezwhiz was the favorite of mine for the stop.  But I will have to try again- they can’t be a legend for nothing.

A short Note:  I will have to attach my albums slowly as I haven’t found a great upload yet and the NextGen is slow on my computer, but I will try to do it eventually so you can have the pictures I say I will post.  And if anyone knows of a better gallery tool, by all means let me know!  I did it here they are!

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So I could have posted my Phoenix report this winter when you were dying to get somewhere warm, but then the prices were outrageous.  Right now you can get a pretty good deal for a Phoenix vacation in January at some of the nicest resorts and you can put in that vacation leave form way too far in advance for anyone to say no.

For people who know me really well, I am very particular about nice hotels.  If I am paying a premium to stay somewhere I have a high level of expectation.  There have been many a Leading Hotel of the World that I will not be returning to.  In particular I am very sensitive to noise.  Poor Hubby will attest that I am not an easy sleeper with a lot of noise, and me not sleeping means I am quite grumpy.

Hubby scored major bonus points in Phoenix though as he picked a hotel that is now one of my all time favorites.  Hubby and I stayed at the Royal Palm.  I really love the Royal Palm for many reasons including the following:

• Great Spa (see it’s own post the Alvadora Spa) which is even open late
• Large guest rooms at even the basic level
• The hotel restaurant T. Cooks is really good (the mediteranean breakfast burrito and their roast chicken are really good)
• They have a beautiful heated pool
• Large very nicely appointed bathrooms with tubs
• Wonderful level of personal service
• Many small private areas for relaxing or having private dinners
• Beautiful gardens, terraces and water features
• You can use the sauna and steam room for free

Here are some pictures for just a small taste of the resort.

Hubby and I enjoyed quite a number of great activities while in Phoenix- we hiked Camelback Mountain (link has wonderful pictures, maps and guides), we visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West which was really neat and had some really beautiful details and art, we visited the Desert Botanical Garden which was hosting a Chihuly exhibit that you can see in the gallery below and we also went to see Frank Lloyd Wright designed hotel the Biltmore, and of course we spent time napping by the pool, swimming and enjoying the spa at the Royal Palms.

Hubby and I also enjoyed some great meals, besides T. Cooks, we also loved Matt’s Big Breakfast- the waffles were amazing made with sweet cream they were soft and full of flavor also the ham they use is freshly baked off the bone ham not those gross cubes of ham you normally see and they have wonderful hashbrowns that are crispy and flavorful.

Los Dos Molinos a reccomendation from the brother filled our craving for excellent green and red chille sauce.  It was hot and it was satisfying.  The margaritas were good, the chimichangas great and the owner was talking to us and was as nice as could be.  This isn’t an upscale fancy smancy place, but it was one our favorites.  They have multiple locations we went to the central location which was a bit like an open bar in a good way.

I also have to admit that we enjoyed a couple Blue Corn Burritos in the airport on the way home Sunday afternoon, they are much better than anything you get here, even in the airport (sad but true).

While for us Phoenix isn’t really a weekend getaway, it is an extended weekend getaway.  I even kind of liked going to the cheesy downtown area and wandering.  It is a little dissapointing that so many of the art galleries have closed in this economy, but it was still a great weekend with a lot of outdoor activities, culture and adventure to soak up.  My last tip is make sure you rent a car as everything is really spread out and you wouldn’t enjoy the area near as much if you were limited to cabs.