surprises everywhere

I’m not going to lie, I didn’t have very high hopes for the culinary scene in Birmingham.  Or really, for Birmingham at all.  It’s in Alabama, and I might be a tad bit prejudiced against Alabama for the mere fact that it is, well…Alabama.  We wanted Greek food.  Like falafels and greek salads, and I really wanted potato salad atop my bed of greens.  If you haven’t had this, you need to.  We first stopped at Taziki, a regional chain with a Mediterranean flair.  After standing in line for a few minutes looking at menus, we decided that it really wasn’t for us.  It had nothing that really got us excited, so we went back to the car to try again.  Thanks to our trusty concierge, urbanspoon, we were ushered on to The Olive Branch, a mostly-Greek Mediterranean place.  When we drove up, we saw a sign that indicated they had Coca Cola products.  I wasn’t leaving.

We walked in and took our seats at the bar, a prime spot for viewing the goings on in the kitchen.  We quickly ordered sodas and decided to start with the grilled mushroom appetizer.  It was basically just button mushrooms that had been cooked on the flat top, but they were very tasty.  Savory and perfect with the complimentary pita bread.  I was excited.  Joellen was a tad nervous (they cooked the mushrooms next to some meat).  We both ordered the falafel lunch special and waited for what felt like an eternity to taste our fried chickpea deliciousness.  And deliciousness, it was.  Joellen ranks the falafel at Olive Branch in the Top 3 that she has had–ever.  That’s pretty big.  They were crisp on the outside and moist and flavorful on the inside.  Not an easy feat to accomplish.  Our falafel patties sat atop some awesome wild rice, and we were also given greek salads, pita and hummus.  We unfortunately dressed our salads with the house dressing, which looked really tasty but tasted like olives (no bueno), and it was all I could do to just scarf it down so that I would feel good about having some green.  Joellen didn’t even try.  She just gave up.  We couldn’t finish our falafel, leaving two each for left overs, and decided to split the walnut baklava and the pistachio baklava.  I was convinced that I’d prefer the pistachio, but the walnut was just stellar.  Sweet and flaky goodness.

After our lunch, we got in the car and made the short and easy drive to Nashville (I’m a little ashamed to say that I slept for a good part of the drive), and started on our next project: cooking dinner for Cindy and Kate.  Cindy is a friend of Joellen’s from college and she has a birthday this weekend, so to thank her and her partner, Kate, for letting us stay, and to celebrate her birthday, we decided to make them dinner.  Not wanting to do anything complicated, we decided to make vegetable lasagna with salad and a cake (from scratch).  Somehow things become a little bit bigger than we intend for them to, but I’d like to think we usually pull it off.

I started out by making the cake batter to get the most time consuming aspect out of the way.  I used Bobby Flay’s coconut cake recipe (just for the cake part–frosting was of our own creation) and was very hopeful about the results (I’ve used it once before and it came out really great).  Next, we started on the lasagna.  We cooked the noodles, roasted some yellow squash, sauteed spinach with garlic and onions and sauteed some mushrooms in the same fashion.  After making the ricotta-mozzarella-herb mix, all that was left was to puree the fire roasted tomatoes that had been doctored to our liking, in to a sauce.  After much laboring and the addition of more mozzarella and pecorino romano cheeses, the creation was complete.  To be fair, Joellen made the entire thing.  I just lent my hand in the seasoning of the sauce and the turning on of the burners.  We also roasted some beets and cut up different vegetables for a mini salad bar.  Joellen made a tangy honey dijon dressing with cider vinegar and I made a goat cheese dressing with shallots that got some mixed reviews (it was excellent with the beets, though).  I am determined to try and try again until I succeed with that one.  The cake came out looking great, although the strawberry cream cheese frosting lost its volume at the addition of the strawberries (which hardened the butter) and subsequent warm down (which melted the butter too much).  It was more like a thick glaze, but all diners were very generous with their reviews and nobody had a morsel of food on their plates.  I’d say it was a very successful foray back in to the kitchen for the two of us after such a long hiatus.

We’d like to thank Birmingham for surprising us, not only with the food that they host, but with some really friendly people.  We’d also like to thank Cindy and Kate for housing us and for lending us their kitchen to make a huge mess of.

❤ Amy

acl: day one

Austin. City. Limits.

So, I’ve never been to a music festival before. Last year I toyed with the idea of going to Bonnaroo, but I couldn’t really afford to take the time off from work. So when Joellen told me that one of the main reasons for the road trip, the Mecca to our hajj, if you will, was Austin City Limits, I got pretty excited. And nervous. I don’t do so well in the heat, nor do I care for large crowds or excessive noise (I may be a 90-year-old masquerading as a 20-something).  One thing that always bonded Joellen and me, though, is our love of music, so I could think of no better destination for the road trip.

We got up early (around 8:30…) and headed over to Zilker Park for day 1 of ACL. When we arrived, we were relieved to find that the lines were short and the sky was full of clouds. As I’m sure most of you are aware, Austin is experiencing a major drought and to see rain clouds in the sky is kind of a miracle. With hope of a good-weather day, we headed over to see Cults, but not before dropping by another, smaller stage to see what Miniature Tigers had to offer. An all male band with a familiar sound, they sounded a little raw and were alright, but not my favorites. Now Cults: I was not aware of this band, but Emily and Helen–Joellen’s friend from Kentucky and Emily’s high school friend–really wanted to see them, so we were all game. I really liked the band. They had a female front man (front woman?) and a somewhat dreamy sound that reminded me of something I would hear on the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack (that is a good thing). I would up knowing one song (you’ll notice that’s a trend with most of the bands we saw) and really enjoyed my first music festival act. After Cults, we stopped by another stage to see An Horse who I also enjoyed. A male-female duet from Australia, they had a cool sound as well. It was a Joellen pick and did not disappoint.

We then took a break for lunch #1 and were so excited when we saw all that there was in the Austin Eats section of the park. There was so much to choose from so we decided to take it slow. We started with a grilled corn salad with a soft boiled egg from Odd Duck Farm to Trailer. It was really good. I wasn’t expecting it to be cold, but that was a very pleasant surprise. Really nice flavors that didn’t totally bomb in the heat. Definitely a good way to start off. Then we decided to have something small, so we each ordered a taco from Torchy’s. I got the green chile pork (on flour tortilla) and Joellen got the fried avocado (also on flour) and wow. They were so delicious. I actually favored Joellen’s taco, as it had a wider array of flavors, and I was really digging the fried avocado. Mine had just a touch more cilantro than I can handle, but I will definitely be making more trips to Torchy’s soon.

After our first lunch, we went to check out The Secret Sisters, a band I’ve heard Joellen mention a few times before. Now, given her usual tastes, I assumed they would be indie-alternative singers who may or may not be related (see: Tegan and Sara). I was really surprised when she told me that they did old-school country music. And did they ever. These Alabama girls were both energetic and demure, and sung beautifully. I was absolutely thrilled at how much I liked them. Check them out. Now. We then went over to a bigger stage to set up camp to see Brandi Carlile, who I was really excited to see. I’m just going to take this time to come out and say that I knew of about 5 artists of 130 who are at ACL this year. And Brandi was one of them. I discovered her on a Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack and fell in love with her sound. She was awesome. Just really great. Just as I hoped she’d be, and so much more.

It was then time for lunch #2. We walked farther down the food section and found a lot more that piqued our interests, so we again decided to try/share a few little dishes. We first got the Kick Ass Nachos from Tim Love’s Love Shack, which lived up to the name. Joellen and I both have a secret (now not so secret) love of cheese sauce. This dish had plenty. And it was homemade, too. Nice job, Love Shack. We also got some truffled mac and cheese from Lonesome Dove Western Bistro which I devoured. I’m really in to truffles right now (see here) and this dish was flavorful without being heavy. It was delicious. They used orzo instead of the traditional macaroni which I liked and Joellen wasn’t crazy about. I would order this dish over and over, but again, when you’re using two of my favorite ingredients, that is a given.

We then went to meet with Emily and Helen at the Smith Westerns show, which abruptly ended 20 minutes before it was supposed to. Odd. We heard that Ray LaMontagne was onstage and went to go see him. Joellen really likes him and the more I hear, the more I like. I would have liked to stay, but it was so swamped that we decided to go to the stage next to his to wait for Cold War Kids and listen to him from the sidelines. I really enjoyed CCK. They were an Emily pick and a good one at that. Again, I knew one song and got really excited. I also did not want to stand up so I got a good glimpse of feet and tattoos. It was pretty great.

We went to the next stage (where Ray had been) and set up camp for Bright Eyes. They are a favorite of Joellen’s and I’ve liked them for a while too. I was introduced to them back in high school and have dabbled ever since. I’m ashamed to say that I fell asleep during their show, but it was a light, short sleep and I could hear how awesome Conor and the gang were.

Joellen and I left a little early to get a spot for my favorite act of the weekend: Sara Bareilles. I just love her. She sings one song that got really big, and I have been pretty excited about her for a long time (thanks, Andrea for letting me burn her cd!). She was awesome. Energetic and so talented. I wish that she was given a bigger stage/that she had played longer. Oh well, we’ll just have to see her in concert some day.  After Sara, we had dinner: spinach pakoras with a delightfully spicy/refreshing mint chutney from Royal Indian Foods and an fried avocado “cone”: fried avo with spicy sauce and sweet coleslaw in a flour tortilla situated in a paper cone from The Mighty Cone. It was actually really good.  Oh, and we also got ice cream. Amy’s Ice Cream, which is something that Joellen has been talking about since we got here.  Apparently it’s very Austin. We got the mint chocolate chip which was awesome. We then found Helen and Emily and settled in for our final show: Kanye. And it was fine; just what you’d expect: flashy, loud and crowded. We all enjoyed sitting toward the back and taking it all in.

To close, some observations about ACL (if I still have an audience, thanks for hanging in):

– There are so many nice people. Everyone is pretty like-minded and I have neither heard nor seen anyacts of violence. It’s all peace and love here.

– I love the flags. People carry around flags or balloons, inflatable animals, what have you on long poles and I love them. We have seen so many fun, creative and random flags. They’re also excellent for identifying location when you’re trying to find a friend

– There are so many kids here. And not just little kids with their parents, but 11, 12 year olds (seemingly just with a group of friends) who should maybe be with a chaperone. It’s a little alarming to see that once the later shows start.

– “So many young people with so many regrettable tattoos” -Joellen

– Rain happened. It was awesome, even if brief.

– This is the greatest place to people watch-EVER.

 

Until next time, Peace and Love from the ACL-ers

❤ Amy

dryland

I love the days when we aren’t tied to anything specific and get to simply enjoy our destination point without any pressure. Today was one of those days. Austin played a perfect host. We started the day with a late lunch (meaning it was scheduled for 1pm and we were quite tardy). Amy, Emily, Helen and I met my college friend (Andi) and Amy’s cousin (Jenny) at Magnolia Café. I had been to this restaurant before, but fell in love with it. In fact, last time I was in town (the only time I was in Austin) I ate here twice. After some catching up and my prolonged indecisiveness, we place our orders and shortly thereafter received the goods. I ordered the LOVE Migas. It was a dish of eggs scrambled with butter, garlic, and serrano pepper, mixed with a chopped corn tortilla, red onion, and green peppers (I forgot to ask for no green peppers), then topped with cheese. Served with black beans and avocado on the side. Pretty much my dream meal. I ordered corn tortillas and potatoes on the side so I could assemble my favorite meal of breakfast tacos. There was no disappointment to be had on my end. I loved every single bite of it…except the last one. Why do good things always have to come to an end? Amy ordered the Chef Salad – she’s been craving something cold and green for a few days now and I think this hit the spot. Andi, Helen, and Emily all ordered the Black Bean entrée, which looks so good and was a close runner-up for me. Jenny had a chocolate chip pancake and a buttermilk pancake, which she seemed to enjoy. I love Magnolia Café and I plan to stop there every trip we make to Austin.

After late lunch we headed to Zilker Park to pick up our wristbands for Austin City Limits (“ACL”) – our primary reason for being in Austin. ACL is one of the larger annual musical festivals held and Emily and I, after attending Bonnaroo last summer, had decided this festival was next on the list. We are so excited for tomorrow! The concerts go on for just about 12 hours each day, with about 130 bands playing over three days.

I waited exactly 381 words to complain about the heat. It’s hot in Austin. I think our arrival has coincided with a cold front moving in, where we’ll see temperatures in the 90s instead of the 100s. Bonus for us. The heat is bad, but the drought conditions are far worse here. All I can say about tomorrow is please hope for our sake that we can find some reprieve in a shaded area throughout the day. Wish us luck!

Once we picked up our wristbands, we headed to Andi and Bryan’s home in South Austin to visit with them and their three kids: Bug, Pepper, and Star. Bug is so grown up at five and a half (she wasn’t even three last time I was here). She was playing the role of big sister so well…it was adorable. Pepper, the lone boy, had the cutest things to say. We learned that his hair is very soft, though blue-green, that he may have a career in mixology, and that he is prone to random acts of acrobatics. Star is the baby and I can just see in her eyes that she is so very involved in taking everything in. I do think (and I shared this) that one day her mouth will open and full paragraphs will come out spouting her words of wisdom to her family (and the world). All of them are so special. It was also good the see Bryan. I feel so connected because of a photo blog he maintains daily, but it’s wonderful to get to hug the real thing and hear his voice – it’s been too long! I’m glad I got to spend giggly time with Andi and the family…they are near and dear to my heart. Saying goodbye was sad, but I know we’ll be back. Austin has too much to offer!

As dinnertime was upon us, we headed back to Lacey and Tom’s for a little grillin’ and chillin’. Lacey made some delicious appetizers of cheese (yes) and crackers, spanikopita, and chips/guacamole that were waiting our arrival. We prepped and Tom grilled. We had chicken (well, some of us did), halloumi, asparagus with truffle salt, and pineapple off the grill. Also, a nice salad rounded out the meal. All items were wonderful. This led to the chillin’ part where much wine and beer was consumed…great time had by all, I’d say. What great hosts we have here in Austin!

Joellen

on the road again

As road trip days go, today was pretty uneventful.  No complaints, but also not that much to report.  I’d wax poetic about food today if there was anything to write home about, but truthfully, such is not the case.

After checking out of our awesome Kanab motel room, we started out on the long driving day that we knew was in store.  We first stopped at Pizza Hut (I know, I know, but we both like the salad bar, and in Kanab, it’s slim pickins) and dined on iceberg with various toppings and a mushroom and onion pizza.  Feeling satisfied and also slightly healthy (they were big salads), we headed out toward the Four Corners.  The scenery in this part of the country is absolutely breathtaking.  I mean truly, it is just something that everyone should see.  The rocks, mountains and red clay as far as the eye can see are pretty amazing, and it just kills me that none of the four cameras that we have in the car do any of it justice.

We stopped at Four Corners National Monument and stood in four states at once.  It was very cool.  We gulped caffeine like it was going out of style and I played car chef while Joellen drove after it got dark (I prefer daytime driving, she prefers nighttime…we make a good team in that way).  We satisfied ourselves with cheese, crackers, pb&j’s and tried some of the food that we have purchased along the way (the Touvelle cheese and rhubarb jam were very good choices, in our estimation).

After arriving in Santa Fe tonight, we got settled here at the Old Santa Fe Inn (very nice accommodations in a prime location) and then decided that we wanted hot chocolate.  We were told that the reception area was open 24 hours and was always stocked with Starbucks coffee and hot chocolate, so we went downstairs to check it out.  The building was locked and I had nearly lost hope when a very nice woman offered to let us in.  Although I’m pretty sure we were more of a nuisance than we intended upon, we left a few minutes later, hot chocolate in hand, and have now turned in for the night.

I’m sure that you all were hoping for more from today’s post, but some days we’re just kind of boring.  Don’t worry though, tomorrow we explore all that New Mexico has to offer, and we are definitely planning on doing that through our taste buds.  Stay tuned.

❤ Amy

vegas: most relaxing city award?

I know it seems that every other post we talk about how we “revamped” and “really needed it;” we talk about our friends who graciously let us use laundry facilities and how we reorganized the car and how whichever city was a godsend.  It is not untrue that Seattle and LA offered us relaxation, each in their own ways (cough cough, laundry), but Vegas has been a different beast altogether.  We’ve been staying with my friend Alana and her boyfriend Steve who have offered us unlimited laundry use and cold drinks galore.  And even though we have ‘reorganized’ before, yesterday we actually got to clean out the car.  I mean, everything was out and we threw things away and vacuumed and Windex-ed and Armor All-ed and it felt so good.  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.  Let me start at the beginning of our day:

We woke up late, apu (as per usual), and had a leisurely morning before heading to the Bellagio, where both Alana and Steve work.  Alana is a stage manager for Cirque du Soleil’s O (it is amazing, you must go see it) and Steve is an acrobat in the show.  They are a pretty awesome couple.  They keep interesting hours, but manage to be more energetic than we could ever dream of being.  So, we went to the Bellagio to have lunch at a restaurant that Alana has really been wanting to try: Todd English’s Olives.  I must admit, when I first read the menu, I thought a lot of the items were tired.  But when we arrived and tasted the food, my mind quickly turned.  I had a Bellini (when in Rome…) while Joellen stuck with water and Alana had a raspberry lemonade.  We ate some bread with different olive tapenades and tried to decide on what to order for our main courses.  It took me an unusually long time, since it’s Vegas Restaurant Week and there were so many options.

Alana had the Boston Bibb Salad and the Sea Scallops, Joellen had the Portobello Flatbread and I had the Caesar Salad (with anchovy fillets) and the Sea Scallop dish as well.  Alana really enjoyed the salad and scallops and Joellen’s flatbread was delicious.  Made with fontina cheese and white truffle oil, it was aromatic, slightly salty and really well-balanced.  My salad was so tasty (it was also nice to have something fresh and green…it’s been a while…), and the anchovy added a great amount of salt and depth of flavor.  The sea scallops were absolutely fantastic.  I mean really, really stellar.  Paired with a whipped yukon gold mash, fava bean puree, roasted beets and frisee, I was floored at how well balanced the flavors were.  The beets were, in my opinion, what made the dish.  The scallops were, for the most part, seared nicely, and who wouldn’t love mashed potatoes?  And the fava bean puree was just divine.  For a restaurant I was none too excited for, Olives really delivered.  The server even remembered to get me lemons for my Diet Coke (I might have had three drinks in front of me…caffeine, alcohol, hydration; they’re all key)–hooray for nice, attentive servers (to the server from Park Grill, you could take a few notes from Olives guy).

After lunch, Joellen and I headed back to Alana’s house, but not before stopping for me to get a manicure at a wonderful 24-hour salon , having a Starbucks break (very necessary) and seeing someone get arrested…for stealing from CVS…really?!  We went back and had the massive car cleaning session, which was just so fantastic and really cathartic.

Afterwards, we got cleaned up and decided that we would again stay in; after all, we’re in Vegas!  We sat outside sipping on our respective drinks of choice, enjoying the nice change in weather, reading.  Or at least I was reading.  Joellen was doing something on her computer.  We got hungry and so we decided to eat two of the tamales that we purchased in Grants Pass at the farmer’s market.  The girl who sold them to us said that re-steaming them was the best way to enjoy them, but that a microwave would also suffice.  I decided to MacGyver a steamer using a deep skillet to simmer the water, a large metal bowl to catch the steam, and a cooling rack to hold the tamales.  I was pretty impressed with myself.  It might have taken almost an hour, but the results were delicious.  Everything a tamale should be.  Alana came home and we had another drink with her before everyone turned in for the night.

So this might not have been the Vegas experience everyone dreams of, but it was truly blissful for us.  Being in the car for the bulk of our days is pretty tiring and having a nice soft bed and a washer-dryer is all we need to make us happy.  Now on to touch multiple states at once!

❤ Amy

los angeles day two, or “can we stop house hunting and go eat again?”

If there’s one thing I can say for Los Angeles, it is that the food scene is out of this world.  How can it not be?  Next to New York, Chicago and Las Vegas, it’s the other major food hub of the country.  And so far, we have been very lucky with our food experiences in LA.  Actually, we have been extremely lucky to have really good food during the whole trip.  It’s safe to say that we’ve been eating our way across America, and America tastes pretty damned fantastic.

So, we started our day like so many start, and slept in a little before heading out in to the cold world of craigslist house hunting.  But first, needed some fuel, and for that, we chose Pizzeria Mozza.  I have a really intense love for this restaurant, and I feel I know it well.  Although I have only been there twice, our times together have been so perfect.  The first time I visited Mozza was actually the first time I ever went to LA (I’ve only been twice, but still…)  It was the first meal I ever had in LA, so it remains near and dear to my heart.  I went there with my friend Alana three and a half years ago, and Sue, the woman we were staying with, told us she wanted to try it since “no restaurant in LA lasts very long, especially in this location.”  We were excited to go, but also not sure of the quality of food after Sue’s assessment of LA restaurants, but were absolutely floored by the menu.  It was so good that I even keep a copy of the restaurant’s card in my wallet (for the past 3.5 years) and ALWAYS recommend it when I know someone will be in the city.  Needless to say, I was pretty pumped to be returning.

We started our meal with the house-made ricotta-stuffed squash blossoms.  I will eat a squash blossom stuffed with pretty much anything.  In a food world where so many menu items are tired, this dish is alive and kicking, in my mind.  They were simple, crispy, cheesy, salty and delicious.  I think we both could have had an entire plate of these.  The second appetizer was not to be shared, as it was a richly delicious, fatty treat known as bone marrow.  I’ve only had it once before, at Mozza, and I have dreamed of it ever since.  It came with toast points, roasted garlic, salt and dressed celery leaves.  It was incredible.  It was also very rich and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to eat the pizza that we ordered.  And then the pizza came, and–shocker–I was able to find space for it.  Our first pie was the funghi misti pizza, topped with taleggio, fontina, thyme and mixed mushrooms.  It was so fragrant and woodsy and really, really tasty.  We also had the goat cheese, leeks, scallions, garlic and bacon (bacon on the side) which I think I favored just slightly over the mushroom.  It was tangy, bright and not overpowering.  And the sometimes-chewy, sometimes-charred crust was just the perfect taste at the end of each piece (coming from a crust non-lover, I’d say that’s how you know it’s good).

Stuffed, and with almost one whole pizza in a to-go box, we headed out to look at some homes.  We looked and looked and looked for several hours and it all seemed a little dizzying.  I guess we’ll just have to see how it all pans out.

For dinner, we met Margaret at a little place in Silver Lake recommended by Joellen’s friend Sarah.  The place, Gingergrass, was a surprisingly tasty little Vietnamese bistro with some pretty good menu items.  The first thing to arrive at our table were the shrimp chips with a hoisin-peanut sauce.  The chips were like salty little puffed rice cakes, and I’d say this was a really fun and not-to-filling alternative for bread; something a little different.  Bravo, Gingergrass for exciting me before even ordering drinks.  For our starters, we had the seasonal grilled  vegetable rolls and the noodle dumplings filled with tofu.  The rolls were, in my opinion, really good.  The vegetables were tender without being overcooked and the rice paper was fresh and chewy.  The noodle dumplings were not what I expected, but delivered some nice flavor.  I think they might have been the least favorite of the lot.  For our main meals, Margaret got the Vietnamese Chicken Salad, which she seemed to enjoy very much, Joellen got the vegetarian Phở and I got the beef Phở.  I really urged Joellen to get the Phở, because it’s not often that you can find one that isn’t full of different beef parts.  I think she found the dish pretty bland, and probably better described as “mushroom broth soup with different vegetables.”  She didn’t hate it, but I think it’s safe to say that she wouldn’t order it again.  I, on the other hand, was really pleased with my Phở.  My first experience with this traditional Vietnamese dish left me none too impressed, but I also added nearly every sauce on the table in to the large bowl of steaming beefy broth and noodles, leaving the flavor muddled and a little odd.  This time, I did not compulsively add sauces (thanks, Gingergrass, for not putting them on the table), with much better results.  The broth had a lot of depth and great flavor and I would definitely order it again.

We headed to Cara’s apartment in Brentwood, our hotel for the night–thanks, Cara and roommates!–and fell asleep rather quickly.  You never can get too much rest when you’re house hunting, or eating really wonderful food.

❤ Amy

san francisco…no flowers in our hair

I was nervous that I wouldn’t like San Francisco as much as much as I was supposed to.  Everyone raves about how great it is, and how it is their favorite vacation destination, and I was really nervous that I wouldn’t share the same sentiments with everyone else.  Luckily, we had an excellent experience today, and I can definitely say that San Fran is becoming a big contender for “Most Awesome Road Trip City” award.

We began the day by finding an awesome parking spot in the financial district not far from Ferry Market.  We got there and immediately set to waiting in line for the famed Hog Island Oyster Company.  I first read about Hog Island when I bought my dad a cookbook for some festive occasion, then quickly set about to reading it one weekend while I was visiting him.  Since then, it has been on the bucket list of places I must see/dine at before I die.  I recommended it to him when he was here on his honeymoon and he and my stepmom, Cindy, had nothing but rave reviews for the place.  So I was thrilled when we got there and the line was relatively short, as it was our first meal of the day (lunch has become the first meal for most days since we are incapable of leaving hotels/overnight locations much before noon).  We ordered 18 oysters (sampler platter), the grilled cheese, and clam chowder.  While I tried everything, the clam chowder was mostly for me, since the broth was made with bacon.  Let me just say that Hog Island did not disappoint.  The oysters, of which there were 6 varieties, were all spectacular.  Ice cold and ranging from salty to creamy to sweet, they were just what I was hoping they would be.  The grilled cheese, made with Mezzo Seco, cave-aged Gruyere and Fromage Blanc was so incredibly good, I had to fight the urge to order more than one.  Made with the most delicious blend of cheese and sourdough bread, with a side order of house made pickled veggies (carrots, cucumbers, fennel and cauliflower)…this dish was such a winner.  The clam chowder was also out of this world.  Made with Hog Island Manila Clams, aromatics and fresh cream, it was altogether light and flavorful.  Not your typical thick chowder, but something otherworldly.  I could bathe in this.  Oh, and it had bacon in it.  Do I need to get in to how much I love bacon?  Do I?  No, I don’t.  Bacon drastically improves just about any dish, in my estimation.  Bravo, Hog Island.  This meal was one I would like to repeat at least once every week for the rest of my life.  The glass of champagne for me, and a wheat beer for Joellen was also a great way to start out the day 🙂

After lunch, we walked around the Ferry Market building for a good amount of time, admiring and staring and smelling everything we could.  We almost bought about a dozen different gourmet foodstuffs and then remembered that we had nowhere to store them/nothing to do with them.  That might be the only negative to this trip; what would we do with a package of wild mushrooms?  I can’t wait to get back in to the kitchen.  Seeing all of these incredible ingredients everywhere we go and not being able to cook with them is turning out to be more painful than I could have imagined.  So after torturing ourselves for far too long, we hopped on the back of a bike and set out for greener piers.

One perfect bike ride later (shout out to Kyle for his excellent cycling services), we arrived at Pier 39 ready to see some Sea Lions.  And we did, and they were cool.  I got a Diet Coke and Joellen finished her really awesome iced coffee from Blue Bottle Coffee, and with our renewed sense of energy (read: we were so tired we contemplated coming back to the hotel for a nap but decided to power through), set out to explore more of the city.  Joellen led us all around with her excellent navigational skills, first to Lombard Street, where we walked up a virtual mountain in order to see cars swerving down a flower-lined road (it was actually very cool), then over to the Cable Car Museum (also very cool) then to a cable car stop, where we waited and waited and waited until we were finally able to get on to one of the cars (apparently one has to wait a long time if they want to get a seat on one of these bad boys).  We rode for a while until we got to the last stop then headed back to the car for a quick revamp before dinner.  I would just like to say that we walked several miles during all of this, many of them uphill, and that there were at least 7 hours between lunch and dinner.  I was asked today from an unnamed reader if we ever got any exercise after telling them what we had been eating, so I feel compelled to let you all know that we do, in fact, walk a great deal during our travels (thanks, Dad).

Dinner was at a sustainable sushi place called Tataki.  Since Joellen has planned so many meals with me in mind, I wanted to do the same for her.  Tataki had many vegetarian options, and lots of different specialties to choose from.  After much debate, we decided to share the spicy tuna, the futomaki, the avocado, and the mix-it-up (spicy tuna with crab and avocado).  It was all so delicious I can’t even begin to describe.  Very fresh, very flavorful, very San Fran.  We also started with the edamame, which was perfectly salted, and we were gifted an extra spicy tuna roll on accident.  So yeah, we maybe shared five rolls, but three of them were really small, and you know what?  We’re on vacation.  It was awesome.  When we got back to the hotel, we decided to have a very small dessert of a Clairesquares shortbread with caramel and chocolate.  Hey, we walked a lot today, ok?

With a fabulous day behind us, we look forward to tomorrow’s stop: Monterey!  (Hopefully there will be equally good food, because San Francisco set a very high bar for the rest of California).

❤ Amy

minnesoooooooota

Minnesota is really deceiving.  You think that it’s all accents and pie and cheese.  And it kind of is, but there is much, much more to the land of 10,000 lakes.

We arrived in Minneapolis around midnight and were warmly greeted by our hosts, Andrew and Angela.  After some mild socialization, we all turned in to get our beauty rest for the main attraction: The Minnesota State Fair.  After some much-needed sleep and a quick breakfast, we headed over to the fair.  First up was the Miracle of Birth Center, a most enthralling attraction.  I can’t tell you how much live farm-animal birth draws you in, but I’m fairly certain that all of us were completely engrossed in watching the televisions above that streamed births from the nights before.  Unfortunately, we didn’t see any actual live birth, but we did see many a pregnant animal, and several adorable animal babies.  Oh, and I’m pretty sure I’ve eaten all of the animals in that tent…during this trip alone.  The worst part is that I kind of don’t care.

We did all of the usual fair things: ate deliciously fried and unhealthy foods, walked about 14 miles without ever passing the same booth twice, the norm.  As for the food, well, I was very excited for this particular attraction since I saw it featured on TV, and it is supposedly a mecca for all sorts of delicious and strange delicacies.  Joellen and I shared some fried pickles, roasted corn, fried cheese curds, root beer/root beer floats and a caramel apple.  I will come to our defense and say that we did not eat all of this at once and that all of it was shared.  Delicious.  We definitely made good choices all around.  Andrew and Angela shared an Italian Spring Roll, which as far as I could tell was a deep-fried tortilla filled with anything that can be considered even remotely Italian.  Angela was also in hot pursuit of some chocolate-covered cheesecake, which we finally found after much searching.

Other attractions worth noting from the fair: a Ginsu Knife demonstration.  These knives can not only cut through a lead pipe, but they can also thinly slice tomatoes.  Don’t be jealous that I have a whole set now.  For only $20!  What a deal!  If you’re nice to me, I’ll let you use the corkscrew cutter.  We also saw some really interesting things in the horticulture and agriculture center and learned all about starting our own honeybee colony/hive.  Also, I’m sure I’ve bothered many of you with this info, but the bees are dying at alarming rates, due to a problem called Colony Collapse Disorder, and I’ve decided that it will be our personal mission to make sure that the bee population is thriving once again.  Yes, I’m being serious.

After six hours of walking around, we decided to head back to A&A’s house.  We rested and decided to go to Buster’s on 28th for dinner, where we shared some salt and vinegar chips with a delicious homemade French onion dip.  Joellen had an incredible portabella sandwich with a basil aioli, I am not usually a fan of the portabella sandwich since most restaurants try to make it a substitute for a burger, and no matter how “meaty” it is, it is and will always be a mushroom.  Buster’s did it right: thick slices that were perfectly sautéed, and they did not ruin it with roasted red peppers, which is perhaps the most over-used vegetarian foodstuff I can think of.  Bravo, Buster!  I had a pastrami with swiss and horseradish aioli minus the aioli plus sauerkraut, which really hit the spot.  Pressed and delicious.  Andrew enjoyed the Elian Gonzalez (a Cuban…also a really appropriate sandwich name) and Angela had the steak sandwich, which was very tasty.  Overall, a great meal with great friends after a really fun day.    We headed back to the house for Coor’s Light and that game where you have to guess a word given clues in a very limited amount of time and try to beat the timer.  The best part: no hangover today!  Thanks, Coors!  When all is said and done, I give Minneapolis a great big thumbs up; there are lots of really cool bars and the city is very environmentally friendly, clean and really beautiful.  Thank you, Angela and Andrew for showing us what we never thought Minneapolis could be.

❤ Amy

and, we’re off!

Today marks the first day of our road trip and so far there has been no blood or tears.  The drive up was relatively uneventful.  We stopped in Shelbyville, IN for gas and to stretch our legs.  There was a really intense poster by the bathroom about how meth tears lives apart; really makes you want to put down some roots when that’s the first thing you see in a town.  Not long after, I fell asleep in the car, waking up for a few moments to see some windmills, then back to sleep before we made it to Fair Oaks Dairy Farm.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect before our arrival, but I think it was along the lines of a quaint farm ran by an old couple with a nice view of a pasture.  This idea was completely incorrect.  What we found when we arrived was something closer to The Cracker Barrel, but with more specific souvenirs.  We were greeted by a cow, above which was a sign for Fair Oaks Dairy Adventure (I’d say that is a bit generous for a place that doesn’t even sell soda), underneath which was a sign that read, “A Dairy Good Time For The Family.”  That part was also debatable.  While I really enjoyed the samples and cow paraphernalia, I did not enjoy the twenty or so children who all got very angry once they finished eating their dairy treats.

For those who did not have to suffer the wrath of a cranky 5-year-old, however, the farm did offer a dairy good time. We shared the classic grilled cheese (one cheddar, one swiss) and a scoop of the mint chocolate chip (HEAVEN in a waffle cone) and went off to explore.  The grilled cheese was pretty good, although not the best I’ve ever had (who only offers one cheese choice per ‘wich??) and the free samples were reason enough to stop (cheddar cheese curd, I love you).  We opted out of the wrist band, which as far as I can tell would have not only gotten us admission to the birthing barn (don’t worry, we’ll be able to see lots of that at the Minnesota State Fair–we will also write about it in great detail), other buildings involving milk and the attraction I can only describe as a bounce house minus the safety walls surrounded by gravel, the Dairy Air (HA!  I really like puns).  Instead, we walked around and enjoyed the garden that was rather beautiful but also pretty saturated from the season’s rain.  The guy in charge of the garden allowed me to pilfer some tomatoes (let’s face it, I probably would have anyway, but it felt better to have permission) and showed us some photos of the garden in full bloom.  This place is definitely worth a stop if you’re passing through, but don’t expect a quaint operation offering scrumptious meals made with love.

We then headed to our final destination of the day: Chicago.  I drove (woo hoo), which is the first time I think I’ve driven outside of Florida, and we made it safely to Brookfield, a suburb of Chi Town.  We settled in Kyle’s (Joellen’s high school friend’s) house and relaxed before heading out to dinner.  We landed in La Grange at a great little Mediterranean place, Grapevine Mediterranean Cafe where we ordered way too much food before heading back home to crash on the couch (which is what I will be doing in about thirty five seconds).  Overall, a wonderful first day, and I can’t wait to explore Chicago tomorrow!

❤ Amy