P for Pabu & Perfection [Baltimore, MD]

PABU.

SAll I can say is that I have heard so so so SO much about this place. And I am a HUGE Japanese / Sushi fan. I’ve eaten a LOT of it. EVERYWHERE.

Literally. EVERYWHERE.

Definitely lives up to the hype. I suggest you take a trip to Baltimore specifically to eat here. Make sure you have a big empty tummy ready to fill up.  If needed, walk around the aquarium first.

[Note that it's day time and bright out... we ended up skipping our original train ticket to eat more and go home later!]

I’m ready to rock and roll… [WOK and roll HAHAHA get it? Yeah I know bad joke, but AT LEAST I'm laughing!!!!]

Look familiar? Apparently they donate 1$ to breast cancer research everytime someone orders this. YAY

It’s called the Maiko Onee and contained hakutake sochu, pamplemousse rose, and yuzu. YUMMMMMM…

And before we knew what we were getting ourselves into, a little plate of small bites arrived. DELISH

Happy Spoons [oysters, caviar, mine had uni and lots of happiness], eel rilette, miso- carrot/burdock, ohitashi [the spinach], lotus root and tiny tiny white fishies.. I forgot what they’re called but so tender and yummy

SUCHHHH a palette opener. SO delicious. I could’ve used another plate. Haha. Sharing is hard when food is this good.

Good thing next course W and I both had our own bowls of sashimi.  AMAAAAAZING.

There was this one fish, seared… you eat with ginger and scallions. OMFG. Amazing. This was the most amazing fresh delicious creamy sashimi EVAAA

And suddenly we got free sake

Next came the most beautiful creamy custard-y soft homemade tofu. SOOO much better than the other day.

Some nori, scallion, mushrooms, japanese yam and OMG the tofu…….

Seeng this guy at work knew… yakitori was in the works

Foie Gras Pops wrapped in Nori.

HOLY FUCKING HELL. SOOO GOOD.  I love my foie. This was amaze balls.

At this point I was about to burst.  So I ordered some hot tea to help wash it down…

But I’m a trooper, so off I go go go

I’m pretty sure there were more nigiri… but.. just relooking at all of these makes me full again hahaha… we ended with this.  ”Just one more… just one more…”

And it was simple and delicious.

But of course there is always ALWAYS room for desserts.

Gingerbread amazement. MIND BLOWING.

Dessert

No words just perfection. Go. Now.

“International Night” starting at Gordon Ramsay Steak – All Around the WORLD…

It’s Night #3… another day of lounging by the pool during the day and just being lazy.  After the club flop last night and the way too late dinner, we got our act together and got reservations to Gordon Ramsay Steak thanks to one of their chefs which W knew and helpd me get in contact with. I’m a crazy Hell’s Kitchen fanatic and this is the restaurant that they’re all trying to win over this season SO YAY.

Speaking of Hell’s Kitchen, who do you think will win? The top three right now are strong… I think Justin’s been pretty consistently awesome.  SO good at the blind tasting… and Christina is good too. Dana’s got kind of that annoying voice and talks like she’s reading a script and shouting all the time…. hahaha

Back to the restaurant… Too bad no Gordon sightings… I have a bit of a crush on him..

Wearing my little mini and the beautiful McQueen heels that W bought me for my bday <3

Check out my Vintage Chanel necklace.. it’s a looking glass that they used to use back in the day [Chanel jewelry makers] to inspect their jewelry… one of a kind piece. I LOVE IT.

On our way to the taxi line….. Our taxi? Hahaha… why sure!

And so begins our international night… we started in GREECE [Caesar's Palace]

Ending up in Paris…..[YAY We're in Paris!!!!..]

actually the first time I’ve been in the Paris Hotel/Casino.  It’s fun…. we couldn’t find a ‘street sign’ to the steakhouse but ended up finding it cuz it had a HUUUUUGE glowing sign over it HAHA.

BOOOOOOOOOBS!!!

Ate in London [hahahaha]

Everytime I see Beef Wellington I think of Gordon Ramsay in Hell’s Kitchen HAHAHA…..Everyone always fucks them up.

This was the Tasting Menu… comes with a free photograph…. tempting but I didn’t want everything on the menu…

The Meat Trolley <3 I’m in love…

Breads…. foccacia… a stilton roll, a truffle roll and just some cheesy french bread with nuts in it.  The butter had a delicious brown salt on top.  My favorite was the truffled roll. We are on a truffle ROLL in Vegas hahahah Get it? Get it? First Night Sushi. Second Night Polenta…  JOY

Kelly’s boozy cocktail… it was filled sorts of antioxidant juices and berries.. it was SO good…

I started with a glass of champagne and we got a delicious bottle of Argentian Malbec!!!

Appetizers

Sonoma Farms Foie Gras
pan seared foie gras, harry’s berries strawberry jam, english muffin, bacon bits

One bite, two bites, more bites… bread basket.. haha.. the foie was huge and good, but not amazing.. too overcooked so it started to get slightly mealy?!… the jam was really good.. the biscuit was meh.. I LOVE FOIE.  But I make it better, sorry Ramsay.

Kurobuta Pork Belly
braised swiss chard, candied kumquat, cauliflower puree
This was SOOOO GOOOD, just a really small portion.  Fatty, meaty. chewy skin but with a crisp to the top. ANNNNNND…

Chicharonnnnes…

Along with grilled peaches and crunchy hazelnut smooshy puree/blend.

AND THEN….Dinnnner time!!

Let’s start with the best sides ever.. aside from the Polenta from the other day… these were by far the happiest things I put in my belly. I FUCKING LOVE CORN.

Fire Roasted Corn
corn, chile, lime

Spicyyyyy and amazing.  With just a tiny bit of sour cream mixed in.. you didn’t even need it.. I ate most of this… inhaling it by the mouthful… SOOOOO GOOD.

Fingerling Potatoes
parmesan, truffle

You guys know I’m not a potato person – minus dirty mash and fries – but these were SOOOOOOO fucking amazing I have to curse.  Tender potatoes with a nice skin that was still intact and a POP when you bite in. Some were “smashed” but it was still OH SO delectable. I’m seriously gonna just start ordering ONLY sides and apps instead of entrees. AND OMG these have turned me onto potatoes again like no other. FINGERLINGS are my new fav <3

Roasted Bone Marrow

This was an addition to the steak.  I had some with the steak… but then ended up just licking them clean.  Kelly enjoyed, but not THAT much and gave me the rest of hers. HAHA. MORE FOR ME. YAY. JOY.

Bacon = Meat Candy
Bone Marrow = Meat Butter

We split an 8oz Kobe Rib Cap

It was delicious. I asked for medium rare since Kelly isn’t a bloody weirdo like me… but they came out really rare. which was FUCKING amazing to me. SOOOOO good…. buttery, tender… UGH, I died and gone to heaven.

More wine? YES PLEASE.

The best part of this photo is that I wasn’t even drunk.  Kelly has a way with taking REALLY amazing pic s of me looking drunk and wasted…

We were gonna head to the club, but was offered complimentary dessert.. soooo we got the

Sticky Toffee Pudding with Butter Ice Cream
YES BUTTER ice cream.  This was DIVINE.  If I wasn’t so full I would’ve had 10 of them.

Kelly is too proper, cutting a piece… I just dug in – no wonder my mother tells me to be more lady like. I guess that’s why I’m not married yet.

AFTER, we headed to PURE nightclub in Caesars.. W’s friend Cheri works there and not only is she HOT, she got us on the guestlist…

BACK TO GREECE…

Right after this picture…

I spilled my drink on some Chinese guy. Who said “YOU SPILLED YOUR DRINK ON ME.. now I have to buy you a drink” Off to his VIP table… Found out he was from Canada for a Bachelor party…  Kelly and I decided to call them Canasians.. after giving Kelly a cranberry juice and me a Vodka with a splash of cranberry… we got some tequila shots.. and they herded us like sheep. LIKE SHEEP. onto the dance floor — I saw a group of REALLY REALLY TALL cute big black guys eyeing us..

I said “Please save us!”

The biggest one said “Oh SHIT, I thought you guys were together”

I said “NOOOOOOOOO”

So we danced with them. YES SAVED.

“I THINK IT WORKKKKKKED”

And then Cute White German Boys stole us from them. One named Kim. Yes.  A cute German boy named Kim. HAHA.

But my feet hurt so after going to the rooftop and him wanting to dance again… we went downstairs, passed the exit and I said to Kelly “RUN FOR IT……..”

Where we ran out, and I took off my shoes IMMEDIATELY.

SO MANY STAMPS – guestlist. lady. enter. rooftop. return.

BEST PARTY NIGHT IN VEGAS THIS YEAR. BEST PARTNER IN CRIME. HEYOOOOOOOO…..

Scott Conant makes my tummy swoon: Scarpetta in Vegas

It was a lazy day of pool and grubbing.. and yes, more drinking… but we finally decided to get our deal together and realized that it’s hard to find a good place to eat on a Friday night.. trying to book a table when it’s already 7pm… in Vegas…OOPS.  After a few failed attempts with the concierge at Caesars…

…[we got ready anyways] and ended up deciding on Scarpetta

[Oh Scott Conant you so dreamy <3 swoon]

…with an old coworker of mine, who also happened to be in town.. we headed over to Cosmopolitan – GORGEOUS hotel.  Had a few drinks at the bar and then finally sat down before 10.

Bread and yummy stuff to dip it in… MMM BREAD!!!

George & I

Appetizers Round

Roasted Sea Scallops
truffled white asparagus, pink grapefruit & uni aoili

Super tender scallops… delicious white asparagus… MMMMMM….. To me, if someone can cook a scallop to perfection, they can cook. It’s hard to get it just right, especially since it’s so easily overcooked and turns rubbery like whoa.  These melted at the touch of my tongue. Light, decadent. Amazing. But hello. Two scallops and two asparagus for three people? Awkward!

Special: Steak Tartare

This was okay.  Probably shouldn’t have ordered it, wasn’t bad, wasn’t great.  Wish there was a bigger portion….

And the best dish of the night — and possibly of the whole time in Vegas:

Creamy Polenta
fricassee of truffled mushrooms

Here is the guy pouring the sauce with truffled wild mushrooms all over the creamy polenta…

SO good we got it twice – YES twice!!! We started smothering ALL of our food with this stuff.  Words can NOT describe how amazing it is… and as soon as we licked the bowl clean, we ordered another one.  I’ve never had creamier, buttery polenta in my life.  It was like melted ice cream of savory truffled goodness.  Delicious tender mushrooms.. OMFG.  Last dinner sort of food. I can die happy in a hot tub of this.

We all ordered our own dish but shared everything – not allowed to order the same thing hahaha….

Duck & Foie Ravioli
marsala reduction

This  was obviously mine.  It was the least tasty of the three, methinks, not that it wasn’t tasty.. the filling was good but a bit dry/mealy.  The texture was a little weird for me, but the flavors were spot on – and the pasta was a good al dente.

George picked the Special: Bone-In Prime Rib with a side of Potatoes

It was delicious. If you fuck up beef, than you can’t cook at all.  It was HUGE, Fred Flintstone style. I love a good piece of meat with a nice bone in it.

Kelly got the Special: Chicken & Sweet Corn Agnolotti

This was actually  in my running to be one of my choices.. it was really good and the only thing we all finished!!!! YUM – the corn was amazing and added such a great texture and sweetness to it. YUM

We opted out of dessert but our awesome server gave us some deliciousness anyways…

Butterscotch pots <3 YUM

We headed to XS afterwards…. but ended up waiting a million hours in line.  I ended up cutting a ton of people to get thru, get stamped, just to wait LONGER.  Got to see B for a brief moment and say hi at least…. at least tummy was happy – cuz feet were NOT.

Happy Mommy’s Day 2012

To the best mommy in the world, who opened me to the world of… everything! And always taught me not to skimp on food.

This made me laugh so hard:

I got dressed up… clad in leather and leopard haha #classy and headed out to brunch with my parents.

Sel de la Terre had a special Mothers Day brunch so we decided to grab a bite and then wander and shop around a bit afterwards.  Coffees all around please. None of us could get up this morning.  It was already 1pm but we were sleepy. At least I was.

Some multigrain bread and foccacia

Bloody Mary for me…

MMMMMMM I feel like I haven’t had one in ages!  SDLT has pretty good ones, altho this one wasn’t mixed too well at first and my first sip was all vodka.  I’m not complaining tho, I love my vodka.

Charcuterie plate with duck liver terrine, pork rillette, whole grain mustard, toasted crostini and chutney

Soup du Jour: Tomato Soup with Cheesey Crostini

It was thick and creamy… had a cheese stank to it, in a good way and in a bad way, I’m actually not that big on creamy soups, esp ones with cheese creamed into it.  It was a good soup for dipping and much bread was inhaled by way of dunking into this orange concoction.  It was still a HUGE portion and I could only finish like 1/4 or 1/3 of it.

Entrees are served!!!

Mommy got the Lemon risotto with Atlantic Salmon, tomatoes, spinach, and smoked salmon 

She does this a lot, get something and then eat everyone else’s food but her own.  She already had a lot of bread, charcuterie – she LOVES foie gras, and some of my soup and then some of dad’s entree so she just kinda ate the salmon and some veggies from this.  She’s also not a big risotto person so…. *shrugs* that’s why I got her bacon and she was SO happy I did.  Anyways there was cooked salmon IN the risotto and smoked salmon on top.  I duno why but I thought it was odd, *double shrugs*

Daddy got the House roasted pulled pork sandwich with SDLT barbecue sauce on brioche bun, frites

The bun was fluffy and the pork was tender.. the sauce was a bit on the sweet side but daddy still loved it.  The frites were perfect as always!  Since daddy’s dish came with frites, this was the first time I wasn’t an ass and asked for my free foursquare frites HAHA.

And I got the Arugula Salad with red onions, beets and spiced cashews with a vinaigrette with a rare steak on top.

Delicious fresh crisp arugula balanced great with my mooing bloody steak. Mom freaked out when she saw how rare it was.  I didn’t expect such a huge chunk of meat so I’m glad I didn’t get more food to go with this.  SO good.  I wish there were more beets in it tho I just had a meesly few tiny pieces/slivers LAME.  There were also some foccacia croutons, garlicky, and the red onions were sliced super super thin.  Very delicious.

And of course a side of perfectly cooked Bacon! Meaty, fatty and perfectly crisp. NOM!

We balled out with a Grand Sampling for dessert…
Bread Pudding, Caradmom Ice Cream w/ pistachips, Lava Cake, Lemon Tart, Truffles, Macaron, Cookies and Creme Brulee

BOMB DIGGITY

When we got home, these were waiting for my mommy at the garage :][ From me!!!

These gorgeous flowers were from W :] Sweetest boyfriend!

Happy Mother’s Day Mommy! To the strongest, stubborn but sweet, intelligent and most beautiful woman I know.

Another night at Eastern Standard…

“What you wanna do? xxx or Eastern Standard or xxx”

“Eastern Standard?”

“Hehehe I already got resos there..”

“Let’s just go casual…. bar at Eastern Standard?”

“Let’s do it!”

We ended up at the Hawthrone Bar having some delicious cocktails and bubbly… a great convo with the owner and bartender… LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Island Creek Oysters

Amazing as usual. ALWAYS.

Frisee Aux Lardons

Hazelnuts, Sweetbreads, Poached Egg

SOOOO sexy

Delicious and only thing I pretty must inhaled the whole night.  Runny egg. Sweetbreads. Hazelnuts.  Bacon. Frisee. How can this be wrong at ALL?! *JOY*

Steak Tartare

Cornichons, Baquette

According to W a TOTAL “Cougar Food” And while yes yes yes I loveeeeee tartare, as you all REALLY WELL KNOW… this was meh. Still can’t help but giggle about how it’s a “Cougar” food… :]

Frites

Yummy as usual :]  Altho W told me that it was some sort of fries that all the restaurants get… boo way to be a Chef and blow the cover, yummy nonetheless :] NOM

Pan Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras
Caramelized Pear, Pomegranate

HUUUUUUGE sexy lobe of Foie Gras on yummy toasted fluffy toasted brioche!!!  It was good until it got cold… delicious nonetheless.. still love the stuff, it was HUUUUGE tho

All W wanted [yep my fatass wanted everything else]:

Linguine & Clams

Oregano, Chili Flake, Parmesan

I had some, it was great. Smallest portion of Pasta I’ve ever seen in Boston, no seriously, but good :] MMM creamy with a hint of heat! I love carbs!!!

Daily Offal: Duck Heart & Leg Cassoulet

W isn’t a fan of hearts or beans so I took a nibble. Def a heart.  Took a bite of the beans.  Not a fan. Sigh.  But the chef gave it to us complimentary – totally awesome of them :] Way for W to throw the “I’m in the business line” :] TEE-HEE…

And like I said, we ended the night just a short distance down the block at Hawthrone for drinks and chit chat… and I just HAD to take this pic

Little baby hand with fake tattoos in big hand with real tattoos..

TEE HEE

Valentine’s Day 2012

Be My Valentine

I’m not a huge Valentine’s Day person. Most Vdays are linked back to BAD memories or no date at all.  In fact one of my best ones was when a crush of mine in HS took me out, bought me a rose and taught me how to drive. :]  Unfortunately for us, he never knew I liked him, he admitted to liking me later on…. annnnd he had a gf at the time. Woot? Anyways. Tragedy.  While I’m not a huge Valentine’s Day I can’t help but give into it if it’s in my face. This was a great Valentine’s Day :]

Last year I was at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and the Patricia Fields Valentine’s Day Costume Ball.. this year was a bit more low key :] But super tasty and fun!!!

Last Year

This Year
This dress looks like a tube top but somehow stretches out into a dress….

Red lips to match my red platform 6″ heels ;]

I worked most of the day and didn’t even start getting ready til late in the day… but I did get a beautiful surprise in the afternoon.. the largest bouquet of flowers I’ve ever received… this tiny little old man who looked like he was 90 carried it all the way to my front door – people who know my house and where I live and how to get to my front door KNOW that sucks balls… but yeah… this was bigger than him.. AND SOOO BEAUTIFUL.

Thanks Love <3

I have late dinner plans with M… so OBVIOUSLY that means we’re gonna pre-drink.. and more importantly, PRE-DINNER!!! So off to DRINK we go.  I love Barbara Lynch…. Obviously… so I was super excited to come here.. it’s in the basement of Sportello – also a Lynch establishment. WOOO!!! Seriously, M knows me way too well… #stalker ;] I had champagne cocktails the whole time, deliciousness and each one was unique~ WOO! He also immediately ordered two things that I LOOOVE

Fried Oysters & Fried Pig Tails

Absolutely AMAZZZZZZZING!!! M knows that I’m IN LOOOOOOVE with pig tails.. these were meaty, fatty and just deliciousness…. while Craigie’s are kinda on the sweet side, these were somehow light fluffy and SUPER fatty and FUCKING AWESOME!  M was sweet enough to let me have most of it. HAHAHA… :] Methinks he enjoyed me nomming on them and licking my lips and dropping it on my legs hahaha #perv ;]

“What else do you want?!”

Yep M REALLY knows me TOO well.. #stillhungry… So hard to choose since there was so much yumminess on their menu…. but obviously I needed to continue my obesssion with Steak Tartare… I still miss my true love.

Steak Tartare: Brioche, Truffle Parmesan Aioli

I LOOOOOVE super chunky tartare and this was a btit finer than what I like but the taste was AMAZING. The meat was super fresh, tender, tasty and YUM YUM I love brioche!

Seriously?

A few drinks and pre-dinner apps later… we were off to our final destination… No. 9 Park :] We already decided the last time we were here to come for Vday… :] Planning ahead hahaha.. altho we WERE supposed to be wearing sweats…

We got the Valentine’s Day Chef’s Tasting Menu with Wine Pairings, there were a few courses that had two options so we got one of each :] at No. 9 Park.. we had resos at 9:45 but didn’t get seated til well past 10 something… good thing we were already getting our drinks on….

Hawaiian Hearts of Palm

Mushroom Vinaigrette, Petite Greens, Black Truffle
Paired with: NV Aubry 1er Cru Champagne Brut

These were SO delicious and definitely made me happy from the truffle fail with M a few weeks ago…  I loooove hearts of palm, and I love that they were the focus of this dish. Amazing.

Pour pour pour

Chilled Peekytoe Crab

Chevril Vichyssoise, Crème Fraîche, American Caviar
Paired with: NV Aubry 1er Cru Champagne Brut

Deliciousness.  LOOOOVE crab everything!!!!!  Looooove caviar everything :] HAPPY HAPPY.. plus I always giggle when I hearcreme fraiche cuz of South Park hahahahha…

Maine Diver Scallop

Smoked Guanciale, Cauliflower, Sauce Périgueux
Paired with: 2008 Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune

Is there anything about the flavors and ingredients that are bad at all?! FUCKING BOMB!!!

Seared Yellowfin Tuna

Maine Shrimp, Couscous, Black Olive
Paired with: 2010 Bison Ciliegiolo Rosato 

Super fresh and tasty Tuna. I’m not a huge any kind of cooked tuna girl. I love my tuna rawwwww.. but this was just BARELY seared and delicious. HEHEHE, cute little shrimps and it was super yummy!

Boule de Quercy Raviolo

Celeriac, Dandelion Greens, Bread Crumbs
Paired with: 2007 Lucien Crochet Sancerre Riouge “La Croix du Roy”

We both got one, these were DELICIOUS!  Beautiful fresh pasta, crumbly crunchy bread crumbs… great combo of textures and deliciousness. BOMB diggity of flavors :]

Soooo many wine glasses and we sucked each one down dry

Terrine of Foie Gras

Persimmon, Hazelnut, Quince
Paired with: 2003 Château de Suronde Quarts de Chaume

Creamy and salty… we each had our own, they were HUGE slices and oh so yummy :] I think this was around the time our neighbors yelled at us for speaking too much profanity.. HAHAHA.. srsly, SO much awkward dates going on tonight…

OK I have to say after this the night gets a little fuzzy, more wine was poured, more drinks came and while, yes, the food was banging, I don’t really remember much.

Pekin Duck Breast

Chestnuts, Rillette, Poached Pear
Paired with: 2008 Monpertuis, Châteanuneuf-du-Pape “Suvée Classique”

Prime Ribeye of Beef

Potato Mille-Feuille, Grilled Porcini, Vegetable Blanquette
Paired with: 2009 Margerum “M5″

You are a sexy beast

Out of all the things I don’t remember eating I remember eating this, YUM!

Pomegranate Sorbet

Hibiscus

Chocolate Cream Tart
Pistachio, Banana, Tonka Bean
Paired with: EL Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximenez, Sherry 

Ricotta Cheesecake
Red Currant, Blood Orange, Cornmeal
Paired with: 2010 Marenco Brachetto d’Acqui “Pineto”

Complimentary mini Muffins and Truffles

I actually remember trying a muffin. I think I may have had a frowny face hahaha…. not that it was bad but it was LITERALLY a muffin!

How the hell did we finish EVERYTHING?! Including the wine… How is my liver still alive?! And how am I not 200lbs yet?

OK.. so I don’t exactly remember ALL the details, a bit hazy here, sorry, I blame all the booze beforehand :] Still want more piggie tails, those fried oysters from DRINK… and then the Chicken Fried Foie from last time… I have a feeling I’ll be back soon :]

I love you my Didi baby… my favorite Valentine

Pre-Eating at No. 9 Park

Our plans from last week got cancelled since I got so sick so M and I rescheduled our Truffle dinner at CLINK for this week. After a long day of work I finally got ready, got pretty, got REALLY hungry and was ready to drive into town for a night of good drinks and good food.

I am Food Ninja, hear me roar…

I parked Valet at the Liberty Hotel since that was one of our ultimate, possibly last, destination of the night… I grabbed a drink at the bar and waited for M to arrive. And then a “short walk” to No.9 Park. SO NOT A SHORT WALK WHEN IT’S FREEZING OUT! Up the hill, down the hill… thank GOD I wore my extra thick long fur jacket hahaha. FREEZING, my nose was snotted up and eyes were tearing up hahahaha FROZEN. As soon as we got in I was like de-frosting.  Got a few ultra strong drinks and got ready to grub.

Customized Cheese Plate

I told them no goat cheeses, and the ones they picked were delicious. My favs were the middle three. I also LOVED the toasted nuts ;] Macadamia nuts. MMMM TOASTY.

Chicken Fried Foie Gras + Waffle

The most AMAZING dish! OMG. This TOTALLY ruined regular Fried Chicken + Waffles for me. I can still smell and taste it.  The butter was SOOO creamy, salty and amazing. The waffle was fluffy and perfect. AMAZING Maple Syrup and that GIANT Perfectly Fried Foie??!! Best dish of the night HANDS DOWN. And we’re just still pre-eating :] Totally ruined the rest of the food of the night for us HAHAH…

Short Ribs & Bone Marrow

Actually have no idea how this showed up on our table… we didn’t order this, But it was good :]  The veggies were so good!!… BONE MARROW!!!

Pretzels with Mayo & Whole Grain Mustard

I’m a sucker for pretzels, obviously… so M knew just what to order.. he knows my tummy so well :] HAHA… these were amazing.. NOM NOM NOM.. tiny bites of yumminess.. the best part is the pretzel skin anyways so little bites make me oh so so happy!

Bone Marrow on everything, Pretzels with everything!!!!
Bone Marrow and Pretzel.. hahaha I have issues :]

AND yes, this was our Pre-Dinner :]

“Some people pre-game, we pre-eat!” – M

We ate so much and for so long we were a TINNNNY bit late to CLINK :] Hehehe SOOO WORTH IT!  The restaurant got a cab for us so we were there in a jiffy!!! YUM! Must return again and get everything else on the menu!

Oh and then there was this moment:

Oh Barbara Lynch, another delicious meal! :]

Feeling Frenchy….a quick Dinner at SDLT

French Tip Hello Kitty sort of Frenchy :]

I got some new kicks at Neiman Marcus :] Vera Wang Lavender <3 Gorgeous, sexy, I need to wear them ASAP!

Bought a little of this, a little of that, maybe a lot of things on sale at Williams Sonoma :] — totally Kitchen Porn… and then headed to my fav go-to spot for a quick bite of French Food right by my house!!!  Sel de la Terre – yep the place I always go to for Wine Tuesdays… today would just be a normal night :]

I started off with a few simple appetizers….

Charcuterie plate with duck liver terrine, pork rillette, crostini,
whole grain mustard, chutney

I LOOVED the Pork Rillettes.. usually they just have a Duck Liver Terrine on the menu but Rillettes?! YUMMMYYY my fav, well when done right and these were SOOOOO done right!!!…

Creamy lardo on top of the tender melt-in-your-mouth pork… MMMM… flavored so well and on my fav brioche toasts and crostinis they have there. HAPPY!!!… The Terrine was tasty as always :] Gherkin gherkins gherkins… crunch crunch…. and of course the much loved whole-grain mustard!

Salad du Jour: Greens, Pork Lardons & Duck Egg

LOOK AT THAT SEXY DUCK EGG!!!! SUPPPPPPPER RUNNY on top of super fresh greens and huge chunks of fried lardons underneath. OMG I LOVE YOU BACON!

Red wine braised beef short rib, roasted French radishes, celery root puree, onion strings

A little on the salty side but tender.. on top of super creamy celery root and of course happy crispy onion strings on top! Usually I have thinner onion strings but these were short, fat and still tasty!!! :]   Looooved the radishes!! I’m a huge radish person, not bitter at all, tender but still had a bit of a bite, snap and chew to it. Drank a little California Pinot Noir with this :] YUM!

Special du Jour: Bouillabaisse with Fluke, Shrimp, Clams, Mussels, Potatoes, Fennel, etc..

A nice creamy tomato saffron base… it was tiny tho.. wish it was bigger.. MOST of it was potatoes :[ WAA, I want more shellfish!  But the fluke was soooo tender and was actually a big piece, it was just a little bit smaller than the crostini on top!  Fat juicy shrimp... NOM NOM NOM... I love fennel! I got two glasses of this Chardonnay they recommended for me to pair with this dish.  I usually order red, but the white was good... with the bouillabaisse, alone it was a bit sweet.

Free Rosemary Frites thanks to Foursquare, per usual :]

I wasn’t planning on really eating much, get healthy, but OMG, their fries are always like best part of the meal!!!  Thin, crispy, perfectly fried, hot from the fryer and just enough salt and rosemary. HAPPPPPPPY

Dessert time!!!!…..

Apple Cider Beignets with Salted Caramel

CHUNKSSSSS of apple, FULL of apple cider flavor.. the caramel sauce was hot gooey and salty and perfection, I ended up licking the little bowl clean!  The beignets were SOOOOO good, tons of cinnamon sugar, PIPING HOT!!!.. it took awhile to get the dessert out, I was already done with half of my large Irish Coffee [you can see it's butt in the above photo] and even tho I was stuffed, I finished the whole thing! LICK!

When I came home I tried out one of my new purchases from Williams Sonoma!

Gurgle gurgle

SOOO FUN :]

OH… and after all that wine I MAYYYY have made some crispy chicken skin and chicken dish from leftovers… onions, scallions and eggs included <3 MMM SUPPPPER crispy chicken skin <3

 

Celebrating Mommy’s Bday the French way…

It was my beautiful Mommy’s birthday this past Friday [obviously she was turning sweet 26 hehe]…

She’s always been my number one foodie crime in partner with me ;D Even before I started eating/liking food

…ane/so I was planning to take her out to dinner Thursday night since I had a wedding to go to in Flushing for the weekend… – it was her choice… but change of events and I had to make a trip down to the Apple store to get my macbook fixed [again] stupid harddrive [again] so why not our favorite French resto in our area?! Sel de la Terre.  I’ve been so busy with life/work that I’ve missed the past few wine Tuesdays….

I’ve been wanting to try their new menu items anyways since I’ve only been going to their wine Tuesdays :]… We had the NICEST waiter who gave me the best wine recommendation AND also recognized us from Wine Tuesdays :D Woot!

Instead of a bread basket we got to choose our own :]

A delicious glass of French red thanks to my awesome waiter

2009 – Cabernet/Syrah “Puydeval” Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
This was delicious.. fruity, bold but not earthy at all.. so glad I went with this and not the Argentinian Malbec… it’s so nice when I get proven wrong.. especially since I’m usually not a fan of French reds :D

House made Duck Liver Terrine, Toasted Crostini, Whole Grain Mustard, Chutney

Silky smooth duck liver, soooo delicious.. a light sprinkle of salt  - I like it with a sprinkle of red onion and a tiny bit of chutney – love the sweet – if I don’t have some of the jelly with it. YUM!  I’m in LOVE with the brioche toasts.  So fluffy….

ASF Green Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Bacon Lardons, Comte, Basil-Parmesan Vinaigrette

Delicious greens, so herb-y and full of flavor, different kinds of leaves and greens YUM.. and tons of freshly cooked bacon all over.. the basil heavy vinaigrette was DELICIOUS – I’m not a huge dressing person, but I loved it!  Just made the salad that much more refreshing!

Long Island Duck Breast, Quinoa, Braised Greens, Beet Puree, Pickled Baby Beets

Cooked medium – mom was kinda scared of medium rare, which is usually what I get with duck – but still super fatty and moist and FULL of flavor, tender and the skin was cooked to a slight crisp – but still chewy and pliable  consistency, YUM!  I say it was still under a medium which I loved…  the quinoa seemed to be a little cheesy mustard grain tasting which made it a bit heavy… so I didn’t eat it with the duck.  The beet sauce and the pickled beets had a nice slight tang to it that cut thru the richness of the duck.  YUM!

Mussels with White Wine, Chorizo, Sweet 100 Tomatoes, Fennel, Garbanzo Beans and Cherry Pepper Broth

This was sooooo good… super fresh mussels and tons of delicious chunks of spicy chorizo and perfectly cooked garbanzo beans!!!  This was soooo good.. and the salty broth paired beautifully with the delicious broth the mussels were bathed in.

Steak Tartare, Dijon Vinaigrette, Truffle Aioli and Rosemary Pomme Frites

I haven’t had a good steak tartare in awhile.. and OMG even tho I’m not a huge aioli girl THIS TRUFFLE AIOLI was AMAZING.. the tartare itself was delicious by itself.  I had some on crostini and with the fries but mostly with a tiny dip of the aioli.  MMMMMM, truffle and raw meat <3  What more can a girl want?!

Happy Birthday Mommy, from me and Dior :]

A nibble for every year, at Toro…

I was born on August 3… so every August I go on a plethora of parties and booze and food :] The day of was actually a chill day…. I went grocery shopping, had the day off of work and had a light sushi lunch solo :] MMMMMM raw fish… happy happy tummy!!!

I never seem to be able to escape from this place. It’s like my love for very few restaurants, in which I’ll go to over and over and over again…… always seems like the first time, always relishing every bite, always good for any and every occasion, special, every day, any time. No matter how I feel or how my appetite it’s always a plus.

Toro. Since I’ve blogged about it over and over again, here are just a few mere highlights.

Thanks to him for taking me :] Even tho he was a bit, okay, really hungover from a huge conference he had just come back from hahahaha… but at least I got him to eat some of his ‘scary foods” like Foie Gras :]

Now just a quickie yummy re-cap… I need to get him to Toro again – he promised – to try more than a nibble of everything and then some :]

Octopus and … some sort of fish ceviche. I forgot, it’s a blur, a few drinks were had beforehand :]

Delicious. Tender.  Beautifully seasoned and amazing…. :]  I had gotten this since

Liverwurst

Our waiter told me that if I didn’t like it it’d be on the house — BUT I just so happen to love a good liverwurst and this was quite delicious.  Although I still think Breslin had my favorite.

Pork Sausage on Lentils

This was fatty and delicious.  The sausage just popped in my mouth… Nibble nibble… the lentils underneath were cooked to perfection and very tasty – very well seasoned!!!

Serrano Jamon

Yep even got him to eat some of this :] As normal it is in my diet, not his :] It was cute, he ate his with a fork and knife… :D Teehee…. NOM NOM NOM, and then there was ME being super classy and just stuffing my face with the jamon with my fingers #classssyyyyy

Foie Gras

YES! He nibbled this and seemed to like it :] TEE HEE…  Hopefully.. darn silly alcohol and hangovers… wish he could’ve enjoyed it more!

Bone MarrowAmazing as usual :] MMMMM More bone marrow please!!!!…  It’s definitely still and most likely will always will be on my last meal list!!!  The toast and shredded beef that came with it was delectable as usual and just melted with a crunch – from the toast – in my mouth! NOM!

And last but not least… The Famous Corn….

Why do they always serve these last at Toro?!…  Anyways.. I gobbled up two cobs ASAP – even accidentally dropped one on my lap… for shame.. MMMMMM creamy delicious goodness and super sweet pop pop popping kernals of fresh cooked corn. NOM!

Obviously a few, many, more things were asked for…. steak, duck, pimientos [my always must!]

OKAY, next post, I promise, will be my post on Vegas :D I’ve been working on it on and off.. I’m slow.. but I think I’ve been catching up quite well. no?! :D