Beer for Breakfast

So the other day…

“Did you just have beer for breakfast?” – Dad

 

Yep! Banana Bread beer!

Currently writing a post on my three favorite beers…

And my three favorite beers areeeeee… amongst many many that I love…

Goose Island Sofie

Banana Bread Beer

and the best of the best, Estrella Damm Inedit

More later. Back to work for me.

Brio Tuscan Grille after a trip the US Air Force Museum

I wanted to come here, Brio Tuscan Grille, at the Greene – one of the “hangouts” in the area – for brunch on Sunday but we ended up coming here for dinner after the Air Force Museum instead… [post on that shall be up later, maybe – yes I’m gonna possibly start making more than just food posts BUT I posted some pics at the end of this entry in case I don’t.. lol]

I started off with a glass of delicious Chardonnay, White Oak
This Chardonnay, from the most beautiful vineyard valley in Sonoma, displays bright honey and apple flavors, and has a rich butter and oak finish. Perfect with seafood or roasted chicken dishes.

First glass of the day…

Delicious rosemary crisps and rosemary bread – still warm <3

Mommy couldn’t take her eyes away fromt he bread.. smelled SOOOO good too.. and oooooozed of yummy bready carb-y warmth.

Calamari Fritto Misto

Fried to a crisp golden brown with peperoncini

I had a bad cut inside my mouth so was staying away from fried foods til it got better but that didn’t stop me from popping a few tentacles and hot peppers in my mouth :] Wish they didn’t put the sauce straight onto the plate – some calamari was buried underneath the tartare sauce which we all don’t really like which made it soggy – sad :[ But it was eaten anyway. Mommy didn’t wanna waste – no really she said that hahahah….

Speaking of cut in mouth my daddy told me the whole weekend that the wine/booze will kill the germs hahahahah – silly

Beef Carpaccio

Served with field greens, capers, mustard aioli and Parmigiano Reggiano

This plate with half the size of MEEEEE!!!!

This was amaaaaaaaaaaaaazing.  I’ve never had this much beef carpaccio all at once – ever!  Even daddy loved it and he’s NOT a raw anything eater. Mom liked it too.. and usually this stuff freaks her out… she will barely try steak tartare – which ya’ll also know I love – speaking of which I need to make a steak tartare food memory page asap – possibly tonight. Back to the main point. Um. Derricious?

The salad was so refreshing and was SO good with the beef.  The vinaigrette was on the sweet side so the aioli and all on top of the carpaccio evened it out – as did the crunchy crisps which tasted like pizza. MMM cheesy.

Brio Chopped Salad

Chopped greens with tomatoes, olives, onions, cucumber, Feta and red wine vinaigrette

For a little extra I got to tack this onto my dinner.. I’m a veggie whore and need as much as possible and I’ve been having a love affair recently with feta cheese.. so anything with feta needs to get in my belly, now!

And then came our real meals…. omg is that a giant knife in my chicken?

Daddy’s Tuscan Grilled Pork Chops

Center-cut, marinated in-house and seared on the grill, with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables

Daddy licked his plate clean, super succulent pork chops – except for giving mommy the bones to gnaw on.. me and mommy and big bone gnawers – if you haven’t figured that out yet yourself.  Obviously she wouldn’t let me post a picture of her gnawing.. just taking a pic of her gnawing she’d probably strangle me and I wouldn’t be here right now, alive, typing this up :] True story.

Mommy’s Chicken Under the Brick

With vegetables, mashed potatoes and mushroom Marsala sauce

Mommy loved it!!! She couldn’t stop nibbling on daddy’s pork chop bones tho… and from all the fried calamari she only ate a bit of this and brought the rest home.

And yes… anticipation builds…

My Whole Roasted Chicken

Lemon pepper marinade with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables

RAWR!!!

The chicken was sooooo tender and juicy. The whole thing – I couldn’t stop eating it.  The skin was delicate, crisp and perfectly roasted – the veggies are amazing, tender and cooked to perfection and a wonderful creamy flavorful potato mash!!!!  I ate like 3/4 of the chicken lol :] YUM

Then it was dessert time!!!

Raspberry Panna Cotta

The raspberry mousse on top of the delicious creamy panna cotta had this nice raspberry cheesecake type quality – there was also chunks of cookie or something in it – AMAZING, I’m SO addicted.  I like how this was part of the “dolchino” collection, all cups of desserts, SO CUTE.

Caramel Creme Brulee
A little on the sweet side and the caramel made most of the brulee not crunchy – sad – but still soooooooo good!!!

From the Museum :]

Cuz daddy loves me, and I love him!

But here’s a few pics from the museum just in case I get lazy and don’t…

China Cottage – delicious Fish in Ohio

Who would’ve thunk that I’d go to Ohio for good Chinese food? I thought it was hilarious but parents convinced me it would be good… They told me that their Chilean was a huuuuuuuuuuge half fish fillet not just some ghetto tiny little thing, and OH EM GEE, it was huge and amazing. Fudge you for not being sustainable, but Chilean Sea Bass is freaking good. China Cottage [Springboro].. I will be there for Chinese food forever everytime I’m in Ohio.

There’s a couple of them thru-out the area but apparently this is the only one with the Sea Bass and the best food!  We got there a little on the late side so they were out of their fresh veggies except for one.. which we’ll get to in a sec…

 China Cottage in Springboro, OH

I love how it looks like a little Euro type house

It’s like a little Didi

Mai Tai..

I wish I could take the cup home with me….. I thought it was too sweet and weak sauce but I was feeling tropical and asian drink-ish.. mom thought it was pretty hardcore tho.

The Mai Tai is an alcoholic cocktail based on rum, Curaçao liqueur, and lime juice, associated with “Polynesian-style” settings. [Source]

Fruity sweet asian booze drinks are no fun without my Scorpion Bowl partner in crime :[ Miss you.

醉 雞 Rummy Chicken
Never heard it being called “Rummy Chicken” I usually see it as Drunk or Drunken Chicken – soooo good, simple and traditional.  It’s just plain steamed chicken marinated in wine – sooo good. And served chilled- usually as an appetizer.  It’s usually a little goopy with a jelly like substance from the chicken juice and the booze. MMMMM…

My mom actually knows how to make a quick version of this when you need extra dishes on the fly so I’ll try to steal it from her and re-make it and blog about it for you guys!!! I need more cooking posts – and asian ones :]

凉 拌 海 蜇 Jelly Fish
I adore jelly fish but apparently it’s not that easy to make.. well not good at least.  I’ll try to experiment with this as well and post it.  Remember when I finally got my Bear to try it? :]  This was so good cuz it had a great light vinegar-y sauce.. but like I said super light. Sometimes the sauce can be overpowering or the jellyfish is too mushy.  This was nice and crunchy and crisp almost.  A crunchy gelatin like consistency. YUM.  Demolished this SO fast.  Even my mom, who’s not  a huge jellyfish eater ate like half the dish.

芥蘭 Gai-Lan aka Chinese Broccoli

We ordered two differents kinds of sauteed garlicky veggies but since it was late they only had this left.  I almost got another plate but decided to be a good girl on my first night :]  I’d already been eating and eating all day and drinking… [and ended up drinking more after dinner]

White and Brown Rice…

Steamed Chilean Sea Bass with Scallions and Ginger
Delicious, HUUUUUGE piece it was like the size of my giant watermelon head.. SOOOO tender and cooked to perfection.  TONS of delicious ginger and scallions, thinly sliced… and fresh cilantro – I love making this myself but I never put cilantro on it. I should.  I’ll cook and put up my version of my Chilean Sea Bass with Ginger/Scallion soon, promise. My parents love it when I make it for them :]

烤 鴨 (半隻) Roasted Duck (Half)
I think we got the crispy… or maybe it was the roast.. either way the skin was crisp and the meat was juicy… it came with raw scallions and more cilantro <3 My fav.  Pretty sure it was roast duck.. I’ve had gross double fried “crispy duck” in NYC before *gag* bad takeout chinese.   This was the only thing we didn’t finish out of all our dishes :]

FORTUNE COOKIES!!!!!!

“Versatility is one of your outstanding traits”

Thanks but no thanks. I like silly future ones better… oh wait, just add “….in bed” and every fortune in a cookie gets better :]

Now I look and feel like this guy:

*rubs belly*

Afterwards we did some grocery shopping.. walked off the booze… 
I was lazy and wanted to sit in the car, it was easier squishing in than getting out of it. *cramp* ouch.

Saw a huge 25lb bag of carrots

Went home [late] and popped in a scary movie and opened a delicious bottle of wine .  I’m obsessed with this wine since Ohio, I had at least a bottle a night. Woot! #Wino.

Martin’s Rake Pinot Noir