Posts Tagged "dining out"
Why I wish Tyler Florence was my friend
While I don’t watch Food Network as much as I used too [or SportsCenter for that fact but that's neither here nor there] I do usually stop to watch just about anything Tyler Florence is in because his recipes have been on point. Plus, I think he’s kind of cute. There. I said it. And I may or may not have had a dream in which I was actually friends with him where he may or may not have cooked me lunch in his house.
I may or may not have woken up slightly disappointed after realizing it was just a dream.
Anywho, so I’m a fan and I was excited to hear he that he moved to Mill Valley and was opening a restaurant in Downtown Napa [I'm still itching to check out Wayfare Tavern in the City - any takers?]. I want to say that I was anxiously awaiting the opening but in reality I just plain forgot it was even happening. You know how long it takes for restaurants to be built? A while, plus, I don’t think they ever open on time in the first place so of course I was going to forget about all the exciting news swirling around.
But then my dear friend Christina from way back in the day [seriously, since the fourth grade!], writer of East Bay Dish and my partner in gastronomical crime, reminded me of it when we made plans to hit up Bouchon Bakery so she could experience the joy that are Thomas Keller’s macarons. Afterwards, we jetted down to Downtown Napa to check out Rotisserie & Wine. We didn’t have reservations and crazily braved a two-hour wait for a table by wandering around the block a few times and sitting outside on the patio [they had these cool rockers PLUS throw blankets to keep warm. Snazzy].
Once we were seated, we looked through the menu and began to plot our march as we munched on the complimentary cornbread sticks with honey butter:
We started with the cheese puff and scrapple. The cheese puff was filled with a bacon mornay sauce of awesomeness, aged vella jack cheese and chives. I waffled a bit on ordering on but am so glad I did because there was no way we would have been able to share one of those things. One bite and we were both sold [we even scraped up the bits of cheese and bacon on the serving plank]. I can’t begin to describe the amazingness of that little puff but to say that I would go back just for that appetizer. If you go, order one for everyone. Seriously, even one is not enough. That little puff made me fall in love with Tyler all over again.
Cheese puff of bacony AWESOMENESS!
The scrapple with smoked honey mustard came next. Christina ordered this out of sheer curiosity. I wasn’t too hot on the idea having seen it featured on Food Network and knowing it was basically meat scraps smooched together. Our server even explained it like being almost like a hot dog. Uh, okay. After some convincing, I sampled a bit and promptly offered the rest of Christina. I was not a fan. It was kind of mushy and I’m not a big fan of mushy textures. The smoked honey mustard was light on the honey and heavy on the mustard and seeing how I’m also not a fan of the mustard, well, I think this dish was doomed from the start for me.
After a small break, our entree arrived: beef and bones (prime rib eye with bone marrow, yorkshire pudding and horseradish sauce), Hudson Ranch collards, and Arbuckle grits draped with lardo and “baked” peanuts. The collards were pretty good but they did taste very vinegary [they are dressed with hot pepper vinegar], the grits were absolutely divine and buttery, practically melting in your mouth though I did not enjoy the baked peanuts that are included. I just felt that they kind of took away from the smoothness of the grits. The beef & bones were delicious, well, the beef was delicious. I wasn’t so much a fan of the bone; the marrow was too mushy for me [though I did love the crispy crust on top]. The prime rib eye was cooked perfectly [the steak knife was seriously heavy! It felt like a kitchen knife] and the Yorkshire pudding was nice and airy. I wanted to eat both halves but alas, I had to share.
Overall, the food was pretty good. The service was really good, which was shocking considering it had just opened. I appreciated how my water glass never reached half empty since someone was always there to refill it, though there was some confusion about splitting our bill at the end of the evening. I would definitely go back to try something new and, of course, get another cheese puff. Mmmm, cheese puff.
The next day, I tweeted my love for the cheese puff and was excited to see this:
I die. Seriously Tyler, let’s be friends.
Read MoreHow to eat an abomination
I lived in Michigan for four years and never had a good Mexican meal. There was one restaurant near campus that I attempted to like my freshman year but ruled out because it wasn’t cutting it and one quick franchisey burrito joint that filled the role of Taco Bell without the post-meal regret: it wasn’t special but worked in a pinch.
Now, I’m not saying there isn’t any good Mexican in the entire state of Michigan, so if there is a place y’all swear by, please let me know so I can try it out, but as far as I know, there is no good Mexican food in Michigan. Michigan being Ann Arbor and Flint.
Yes, I attempted to eat Mexican food in Flint. What was I thinking? I have no clue but I had developed the most intense craving for chicken enchiladas that I was desperate to satisfy and couldn’t wait until I returned to California. Which was the next day. Patience is definitely not my virtue. We’ve covered this many times before.
Anywho, so the bf’s mom took us out to dinner and gave me the honor of choosing where to eat. For a normal person, this decision isn’t hard, especially since there aren’t too many restaurants in the Flint area to begin with. But pose this question to me and since I rarely ever desire a specific type of food, I’ll furrow my brow, stare, hem and haw until someone else makes the decision because my answer of “Food?” [yes, with the question mark] is not helpful in the slightest.
I asked if there were any good Mexican restaurants and we ended up at Tia Helita‘s in Burton. I’m not sure when I became so particular about my Mexican food considering that I’ll happily eat at Chevy’s. To be honest, I probably don’t really know what “good Mexican food” really is but I sure do know when it’s bad.
My grievances with this restaurant is long: the decor is stereotypical of a tacky Mexican restaurant: random sombreros, plastic “Cinco de Mayo” beer flag banners and images of the Virgin of Guadelupe. Plus it was really dark for some reason. Probably to make sure you don’t know what you’re supposed to be eating. So the food. In one word: bland. Mexican food is about the flavor and the spice and the heat and I got none of that. First problem: they served their unevenly fried and salted chips with salsa and canned nacho cheese.
Let me repeat that because I’m sure your indignation was as riled as mine: CANNED NACHO CHEESE. Who does that?!
Second problem: the bland food. My chicken enchiladas were lacking in every department. The sauce didn’t taste like anything except red, the chicken wasn’t seasoned at all and dry. The enchiladas were overstuffed in parts that when I cut into them, I’d end up with a wad of chicken on my fork. The rice was dry on top and pretty bland everywhere else and the refried beans started out tasting okay but then weren’t tasting like anything. To be serious, I kept looking around after just about every bite expecting to see Gordon Ramsey to bust into the dining room and tell me that they were serving me old refried beans.
I felt like a real jerk for requesting something only to be so critical later. Thankfully the bf admitted he didn’t like the food either and we had a good laugh about it. I definitely learned one thing: next time I’m in a mood for Mexican food, I’m just going to go to Red Robin for a burger.
Read MoreAre you gonna eat that?
After a night’s rest and a fairly productive yet slow morning. We spent at least an hour sitting and debating whether or not we should go to breakfast. Well, I sat and watched Spongebob and Food Network since I no longer get those channels at home and am going through some major withdrawals. Seriously, it’s so bad I actually watched Rachael Ray! I know! I haven’t watched her show in YEARS.
Anywho, since it took so long to make a decision, we ended up sitting around and waiting until it was time to meet Bubba for lunch. And where did we end up lunching?
Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles!
Oh yeah. I didn’t have a chance to make it down there the first time I was in L.A. but I was determined to make it there this time around. Luckily for us the wait wasn’t long. We pretty much had enough time to walk back outside and for Jon to sit down before we were called in. And extra points to the security guard at the door who called him “Bubba.” Poor guy; the longer he hangs out with me, the more he loses his name.
Anywho, so my thoughts on Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles?
Oh my goodness, I LOVE THOSE WAFFLES!! They simply were some of the best waffles ever. So light and cinnamony and…what? You say there was also chicken on the plate? Three pieces of chicken? Oh yeah, about that. The chicken was…okay. I don’t usually eat the wing part as a whole so I wasn’t really feeling this chicken. It was a little dry as well. I much prefer the leg and I didn’t realize I could have just ordered the leg and waffle by itself. Had I known I totally would have gotten that.
But the waffles, they were delicious. So delicious I even wondered if they sold waffle mix. They totally should. I was so in love with these waffles that I gave my last chicken wing to Lindsey so I could finish my waffle. And then I helped Bubba finish HIS waffle. Yes, I ate the waffle from his plate. They were that good. And thank goodness we’re such good friends that he didn’t stop me from pillaging his plate.
After lunch Lindsey and I made our way to the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade to just wander around and do a little browsing [and also to look for purple leggings. Can you believe American Apparel wanted $26 for a pair?! SERIOUS!]. From there we made a stop at Vanilla Bakeshop for cupcakes. Naturally.
We both picked up three cupcake babies. I ended up with vanilla bean, red velvet and a black and white. I didn’t take pictures of those cupcakes [for shame] because I was too excited over the dessert shots we impulsively bought after paying for the cupcakes. How can you look at these and say no:
I know. Buying only one each took a tremendous amount of willpower. I think Lindsey had the Chocolate Dirt Cake and I had the Banana Pudding. And it was not enough. A shot is such a tease.
With our bellies full we had plans to head back to the apartment for a quick nap before heading down to Knott’s Berry Farm but after driving around the building for a while, we decided to just make the trip down earlier than planned. Good thing we did because we sat in traffic just getting to the off ramp. And then I spent another 30 minutes completely frustrated as I tried to figure out how to find the parking lot. I couldn’t see any signs and when I drove through the park, they decided it would be a funny joke to NOT place a sign letting drivers like myself know that the left lane directed you to the parking lot and the right lane was for drop offs only and would eventually spit you back out into the street. The only sign they had was “Use Both Lanes.” Ugh. So then I followed what I thought was a sign for parking only to find out that it was for the hotel and was given directions to another lot. Except the lady didn’t tell me that the lot would require a left turn so I drove right by it! Let’s just say by the time we weren’t exactly in the best of moods at that point.
We finally make it in and I remembered why I don’t really enjoy going to the Halloween themed nights: the random scary people. You know the costumed people who wander throughout the park scaring everyone they can? I don’t like them. I just don’t like getting scared like that. I spent the entire night not making eye contact and hoping they would leave me alone. Thankfully we were pretty much left alone. I think because when we were walking around, one of us was always eating and I like to think they’re told not to scare people with food. Good thing too because if one of those costumed folks scared me while I was attempting to eat my funnel cake [which was completely disappointing and overpriced! Definitely not as good as I remembered in high school] I would have dragged them back to the funnel cake place and demand a free one.
I had two objectives for the night: 1] get funnel cake and 2] ride GhostRider. We stood in line for GhostRider for five minutes before bailing since it was insanely long but only after I got the assurance that we’d make it back there at some point during the night. I picked up the funnel cake on our way to Silver Bullet. Lindsey wasn’t in the best of moods and I was worried that the night would be a bit of a bust but thankfully it started to lift once we finally made it onto the Silver Bullet and she had a chance to eat. And then for the crowning moment: GhostRider.
This wooden roller coaster is quite possibly the BEST ride at that park and I’m not ashamed to admit that riding that thing was my sole motivation for driving all that way and dealing with the massive crowds and touchy-feely teenagers who like to stand in line and heavily pet each other while they make out, just so I could get back on that ride. And you know what?
IT WAS SO WORTH IT.
Sure I had to convince Lindsey the line was worth it but there wasn’t much I could say because there is no way you could properly explain the experience that is the GhostRider. You really need to ride it to get it. While the funnel cake was disappointing, GhostRider was the exact opposite. In fact, I had forgotten just how violent that ride is. Well, violent isn’t the right word but you move around in the seat a lot. Lindsey kept yelling at me about talking her into the ride and when we finally started to slow, I had the distinct pleasure of pointing out the second half of the ride. Yes folks, the ride is THAT long. As much as I like to ride roller coasters with my arms up in the air, I was only able to do that for about a quarter of the ride. Oooh I’m getting excited all over again!
And Lindsey’s reaction? She turned to me when we were done [for real this time] and declared: That was not okay. But I know she liked it. She just had to process the whole thing. But ultimately she enjoyed her time there, which was really the point.
But riding GhostRider again after 10 years? When can I go back?!
Read MoreThat makes me crazy in the head
I had such a wonderful weekend. Though not wonderful enough to fully take the sting of knowing I have to spend a couple hundred bucks on brakes for Shoeless Joe. At least it’s for both the front and rear brakes and not just one set. But still. Sigh.
But it’s okay. It will all come back to me anyhow. I’m claiming that.
Anywho, I’ve got a couple days to prep and get my business straight for my weekend trip to L.A. to visit Lindsey. I need to pack and just get my plans in order. No big deal. It’s not like I can pack in a million and a half things into two days. But you know I’m gonna try though.
Oh, so the weekend. I made my way up to Sacramento to check out Legally Blonde the Musical with Jacki and have dinner at The Melting Pot afterwards. This was my birthday gift and can I say that it was wonderful? I had already seen the Broadway version they aired on MTV long ago but I still immensely enjoyed myself this time around. It was even better since I could lean over and discuss things with her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mILEnI5cZmw
We ended up singing “Omigod!” for a while afterwards, which is a sign of a pretty successful catchy song. It’s so cute! Though not so cute [at least not the 100th time we saw it] were the throngs of girls wearing pink or pink shoes. I mean, it’s just a play folks. No reason to get all wardrobe crazy. It’s like those girls in junior high/high school who used to wear the coordinated outfits to Six Flags Great America.
You know who you are.
After the show, we made our way to The Melting Pot for dinner and oh my goodness, I am more in love with fondue than ever before. We started off with a yummy spinach and artichoke cheese fondue that was so delicious and cheesy and we literally could not wait to dive into that sucker. Kind of helped that we were both starved at that point. We didn’t bother with the bowl of veggies that accompanied the apple pieces, bread and tortilla chips. Why eat filler?
We then shared an order of their Pacific Rim platter: shrimp, duck, chicken, beef, pork and potstickers. Sure the entrees are meant for one person but after eating the cheese fondue and salad, I was getting a little towards the full side and there was no way I’d be able to eat everything on that plate. Between the two of us though, we cleared it, along with the side of potatoes, broccoli and mushroom caps that came along with it.
I really want to go back and hopefully I’ll be able to bring the bf along as a double date with Jacki and her husband. I just love me some cheese fondue. It’s two of my favorite things really: cheese and bread. Tell me, how can you go wrong?
I’ll tell you: you can’t.
Read MoreFriends who eat together, stay together
Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out with the Firelady and the Baker, also known as the Patron Saint of Desserts [because seriously, his desserts are like little slices of heaven]. They invited me over for some pizza and general tomfoolery. Because that’s how we roll.
I think I’ve said the same thing every time I talk about having dinner with them; that they’re freakin’ awesome. You hear that Firelady? Cuz I’m sure you’re checking this out. You and the Baker? Awesome.
But the night really was that great. I love just talking to them about nothing in particular and everything under the sun. Our conversations range from every conceivable topic known to man from the Bible to politics to using Twitter to quoting Finding Forrester and Sixteen Candles.
Because you’re the man now, dog! Sheesh!
I’m also really excited to spend time with them because I find them to be completely fascinating. Between their respective careers, their families, the adventures they go on either together or separately and just their general rapport with one another, I’m just completely enthralled. I know there’s no such thing as a perfect relationship and that they go through their own ups and downs just like everyone else but still, I so have a crush on both of them. They always make me feel so loved and welcomed, even when I’m afraid of having worn out my welcome as I sit languishing on their dangerously comfortable couch several hours after dinner.
They’re simply those kind of people. The ones that make everyone feel incredibly special and are excited to see you [even when they're NOT excited to see you]. The ones you’d trust your soul with because you know they would look out for you and tell you when you’re wrong, in the nicest way possible that will totally get their point across. They simply want the best for you. Don’t we need more people like this in our lives? I think so.
If I could choose, I’d totally have them as my Aunt and Uncle but you know, I’m incredibly blessed to have them as my true friends.
Read More