Forage – Cambridge, MA in my overalls… #fobstyle

Oh hai!  It’s been awhile since Yeah I wore overalls, made me feel like a forager lol jk… totally didn’t do it just to dress for the restaurant.

So the night of the big fight on Saturday… Mayweather vs McGregor (FYI where was Bieber? Ha!) I first headed to Forage in Cambridge to grab a quick snack to eat… I say snack because we all know that house parties and any sports game will be plenty of beer, booze, and of course delicious fat-inducing food… which sadly I didn’t take any pictures of. But let’s just say I was pupu-sa’d out from ha! Pupu was, fried shrimp and wings, chicken and beef tacos, etc… the list goes on.

So first off.. Forage is hidden in the middle of a residential area in Harvard Sq. You have to walk down into the basement of what looks to be an apartment complex. The interior is very homey and it looks pretty much like it was an apartment turned restaurant. An inviting bar as soon as you walk in, they have a crazy cocktail list…. but Narrow ways to walk through to get to the bathroom and kitchen…. I was bumping into people just to go pee.

They had gorgeous mushroom artwork like this, which was next to our table, all over.  Wait for staff was a little slow… but being for a Saturday night at least we were seated immediately with no reservations. We were finally given two cherry tomatoes, one each… and salt to dip it in.

I felt like Oliver Twist but I found myself wanting to ask for more. Hungry. Slow wait staff. Waa. When are you gonna take our order?

When we finally got our order taken, btw, not hating, they were super gracious and even apologized straight off for being slow….. we got the bread!!!  They had amazing fresh baked bread… screw my gluten allergy. I eat what I want. They, also simply, just serve it with some delicious extra virgin olive oil… poured right in front of you. Crunchy crust (my favorite!) and a fluffy soft interior… yummy.

We finally got our orders in and the food came out really fast. We ordered three appetizers to share… didn’t realize the portions. “This is what he feeds me when he takes me out on a date!” Haha jk! But I joked about instagram-ing that phrase so I figure better here than nowhere.

This was actually a pretty tasty dish. But the name is definitely not what I thought I’d get. “Cured Fish Plate”

Cured Fish Plate
Cured Trout, Lacto Carrots, Clam Ice Cream, Whipped Brookford Cottage Cheese and Scented Geranium

What made me want this dish was the clam ice cream [duh!] you guys know me too well!  And it was AMAZING!!!!…  I was also curious about what was “lacto carrots” because I just think of lactose, am I right?!?!?!… But seriously. It was ONE piece of trout.  And it didn’t taste like anything, let alone fish or smoked.  Fail.

Anyways next up was the highly antisipating “Confit Lobster Mushrooms”  I love mushrooms… remember when I went on that rage and just ate as many different mushrooms as I possibly could from the farmers market?!…. It was like like 30+ kinds but still :]  So here it is……

DUN DUN DUN *cue music* — oh wait I already started it

Confit Lobster Mushrooms
Cantalope, Blackberries, Salt Brittle

Concept was good.  Execution, not so much.  First of all, the mushrooms were overpowered by everything else, and everything was overpowered by the brittle [which was, btw, not salted]  I felt like this needed some green and some acid to really round up the dish.  Each part on it’s own was great – but come on, it was cut up cantaloupe and blackberries on plate.  Not sure how they did the mushrooms, but definitely not the taste of lobster mushrooms when I’ve cooked it myself.  The texture was meaty but it needed a mushroom taste.. I say add some lemon-y herbs and have a variety of mushrooms to amp up the plate.

And here it comes, what D was coming for — the “Cured Beef Plate”

Cured Beef Plate
Jerky, Biltong, Bresaola, Dried Liver, Mustard, Pickles & Toast

The Biltong was definitely missing from this dish but instead we had a delicious Beef sort of Paté with a big thick disc of beet in it [didn’t really have much taste to it though…. so definitely not pickled].  Yeah I suck at descriptions about this because I couldn’t hear the waiter well.  The Bresaola was tasty, a bit too salty for me, but tasty…. and the Jerky was chewy and full of that good packed in beef condensed flavor.  Gnaw gnaw gnaw.

And then… ” Where is the liver?”

But alas, regretfully, I found it in the parsley and onion salad.  Super condensed, rich flavored liver, dried out and grated onto the salad.  It. Was. INTENSE.

I don’t like liver, aside from foie gras, so this was just eye-twitching for me.  Just a few small flakes packed SO MUCH PUNCH… Now I know why they paired it with the onions and parsley, the mellowed it out a ton — but once I had that liver taste in my mouth I couldn’t get it out.

It was all paired with a great fresh house-made mustard, tons of horseradish in it.  I liked it.  D, not so much haha. MORE FOR ME :]

And for dessert, we got complimentary Tomato Sorbet…. and then two savory ice creams.  A Gochuchang ice cream with Kimchi and a Cilantro ice cream, both with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds.  My taste buds were confused, but apparently the highlights of the night for me were all ice creams.  The sorbet

Me: So how does it taste?
D: Tomato-y
Me: Really? That’s a great description….
D: You try it…
Me: *takes a bite*
D: So how does it taste?
Me: Super tomato-y

This was literally a tomato bomb in your mouth!  Refreshing, smooth, and absolutely amazing!

I had a bite of the kimichi and it was a cauliflower.  They gave just the right amount to balance the sweetness… the gochuchang was seriously ridiculously mind-blowing MIND-F.  Like what is going on?!  Slightly spicy, salty and a good amount of sweetness.  The cilantro I loved… and actually would’ve paired great with the mushroom dish we had above.

So pretty.  All in all, it wasn’t a bad meal, it wasn’t a great meal.  Not sure whether or not I would go back, but then again I only had some appetizers.  XXXOOO

“…so what now???”

I was asked this tonight, during dinner. What do I want now?….

Let’s first talk about what we ate tonight…. we were at The Local, one of my favorites in my area, which I’m sure you have heard me rage about on my facebook, twitter, and probably even on here (although I don’t do quite as many food posts on here anymore)

We started off with the Salt & Pepper Calamari with pickled peppers, ginger salsa, and cilantro…. which was delicious! I kind of wish they didn’t have the sauce on the bottom of the plate though which makes some of it kind of soggy after awhile.  But the plate was HUGE!  They have really upped their portion sizes since they first opened!

We also had the Roasted Garlic Hummus with “garden vegetables” (today was just carrots and cucumber slices) and grilled pita (which definitely had cardamom in it – which gave it a super “Indian” feel…)  Delicious as usual… just too much EVOO and herbs/garlic in the middle of the hummus, which, I personally stayed clear from.  The hummus was rich, yummy and garlicky enough as it was.

It was quite tasty…. I love hummus myself, so I was enjoying it like a mofo.  Plus I love carrots and recently found a love again for cucumbers…I think it’s the way they sliced it.

Then came our entrees.  My lovely lady date got the Herb-Marinated Half Chicken that came with garlic mashed potatoes and over sautéed spinach – which I have had before, so I highly recommended it.  It was loved.  Everything was perfectly seasoned – but, like I said, a HUGE portion.  Seemed a whole lot larger than the last time I got it.

I was craving beef… and I’ve had the short ribs and the steak tips and the salads with the steak so I noticed they had something new… a Chimichurri Skirt Steak on top of braised kale with steak-cut sweet potato fries.  The steak, while I got it ‘medium rare’ was still cooked medium/medium-well.  Which is why I always ask for things rare to medium rare, or else you’ll just get it well-done and overcooked.

The steak was delicious, as was the chimichurri, though I felt it could’ve been more present – it was pretty…. not “bland” but light. Present, but not really there.  The kale though, tasted overpowering and the salt was just crunching through…. wasn’t my fav.  I stole some spinach from the chicken dish instead.  My dinner date wasn’t too big of a fan of the kale either.  Meh.

[ps. for a nice chimichurri sauce check out Bon Appétit – my fav goto place for inspiration]

I got a nice Californian Cabernet Sauvignon [Red, duh] which took me forever to sip on. Strangely so. [I’ve been cutting down on my alcohol so it doesn’t take much lately]

Delicious.

So  now back to the question…. what am I …. wait what?  I think I’m tipsy now.

Ohhhh so what NOW?!  What now????  After what?  “After taking a chance at love and moving to another country and coming back, so soon after, broken hearted”?  Well, I take that and I continue on. [BTW have you noticed how awesome my hair is? Yay for my new waves/curls]

I can say that I went to another country with full on intentions of nothing but the best… and yes I came home, a bit sad.  I wouldn’t call myself broken.  I’ve been broken so many times, it’s more about who can piece me back together, has the patience to, now, than to say who broke me apart.  How do  you break when you’re already broken?

Am I just damaged goods?

I don’t think so.  I just think that the one who should be with me hasn’t realized it yet.  Or found me yet?! Who knows.  I hope it’s…

…

…

… does it even matter who I say, unless it’s mutual?!

So there it is.  A splendid  dinner and a so-so answer to the question asked.

Buenos Noches mis Amores <3

Duck Breast “Confit” Dinner with delicious sides….. and hilarious Taylor Swift “music video” dance by Miss Tiffie at the end

July 4th Dinner Cruise with Odyssey

Screw the Hurricane… Odyssey Cruises

Pre-gaming at Copley Square Hotel FER FREEEE… they had beers, and burgers and hot dogs… NOM

Was craving burgers.. so had a cute little slider.. NOM NOM.. usually the hotel has free wine happy hour but since it was July 4th they had specials!

All dressed up and ready to party

Yea I ordered like 3 bottles of wine/champagne… oops

Creamy salty butter… NOM

Cheese tray… prob a little too much

Cuz I also added on an extra shrimp cocktail/ceviche

Watermelon Salad
Arugula, Romaine, Goat Cheese, Watermelon, Sugared Pecans, Balsamic Vinaigrette

Screw Hurricane Arthur… still got my modeling on, on deck

Gorgeous View, even in the stormy weather

Roasted Chicken
Heirloom Potatoes, Thyme Demi-Glace, Fried Leeks

And of course I got the

Odyssey Short Ribs
Fontina Scalloped Potatoes, Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Carrots & Squash, Cabernet Demi-Glace

Desert was some of everything…

Bread Pudding, Chocolate Cake, Berry Galette and Sorbet… with more bubbly

Actually ended up taking short ribs and cheese home.. OK FINE I ordered too much… but it was delicious, fun and amazing. Probably don’t wanna spend that much on a July 4th again tho… hahahha – and we didn’t even get fireworks. BOOOOO…

May 8 – Happy Birthday Kate <3

My beautiful sister/twinnie/wifey/lover and I both took her birthday off this past Wednesday and spent the day together. After I went to my morning dentist appointment I headed straight to Kate‘s with a delicious raspberry profiterole chocolate cake and some Moet pink bubbles!

After thinking about what to do for lunch before our “appointment” at Juli Moon… we ended up at Panera… always a yummy choice

Kate got her Bacon Turkey Bravo Smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomatoes & signature dressing, on Tomato Basil bread.

Which she was craving… [as did her Hubby M]

And I tried the new Salad…

Spinach Power Salad Fresh baby spinach, roasted mushrooms and onion blend, diced eggs, applewood-smoked bacon, frizzled onions & smoky Vidalia onion vinaigrette

Turns out I’m not a fan of frizzled onions which remind me of just canned fried onions but 10x saltier…

I also had chicken added to it.. which was NOT on the menu, but funnily enough there was an “Add Salmon” so I go:

Me: Can I add Salmon to that?
Cashier: Of course you can…. but we don’t have it.
Me: Oh…..

So chicken it was….

And then off to Lynn, MA — my first time in that town… actually not as far away as I assumed it would be… lol

Us waiting. For once I’m not the most pale. Thank you Miami.

Is it time yet? Whatever O Clock

We are excited

Kate’s readdddyyyyyy to get down and dirty

I went first

“Curiousity often leads to trouble” and two dragonflies

And then this happened

Kate’s turn

Two dragonflies…. the little pink one is me… the bigger purple/orange pink one is her

Even M got in on the action!!!

Feettttsies

Thanks CS for our awesome bestie tatts

And then after going back to Kate and M’s house for a bit with CS we decided we wanted MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT.

Sooooo… Texas Roadhouse it was…

The most amazing bread with cinnamon butter… I think we kept asking for refills til they ran out…

PEANUTS.. which I DEVOURED

Kate is excited. The  menu is HUUUGE, what to get what to get?!?!?!?!?

CS and I both got Margaritas [mine is the LESS girly one] with an extra shot of Patron….

CHEERS!!! And good job on our feets

YUMMMYYYY

Fried Pickles!!!!! Since Kate LOOOOVES Pickles

Her first fried pickle!!!

My Salad…. with…

THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING!!! This is for YOU, KELLY LIN!!!!

Then we all got or food… except Mike, he doesnt get his food…

Kate’s Fried Chicken

Bday girl is super ready

CS’s ribs and steak and sides

Mike’s chicken and ribs…. and sides

And of COURSE I got the bone-in Ribeye…

Although sadly it wasn’t “medium rare on the rare side” like I wanted… but it was tasty nonetheless… I think I was the only one that finished my plate… [ok CS helped a bit]

Another one? I actually thought the tube shot was a fat straw at first…

CHEERS TO KATE THE MOST WONDERFUL LADY I KNOW AND LOVE!!!!

Sisters for life <3

Today…… and last week’s breakfast

I had the most shitty day.

And then I had the best ending to the night…. my bf gave me frownies that looked so cartoonish and comical… I couldn’t stop giggling… I fell over in giggles……

It’s insane and ridic to explain the whole thing that happened tonight… today…. yesterday…. but ok I admit it’s been a shitty few days since my crash.  I’m still not done figuring out my insurance/police reports and my anxiety/panic attack medication……. my psychiatrist is on VACA. WTF. Part of the reason I had the crash WAS cuz of it, I’m sure.

BUT… I wanna say, I got a lot of stuff done the past two days… and I had full support from friends and mostly my wonderful bf J.

Thanks for your cute little frownie faces that make me giggle and laugh like crazy.  See you soon.

You are just another blessing in my life. Thank you. Love you.

And I’m glad you loved the food I made the last time you visited me……….

BLACK Truffle… this thing was worth like over 90$

Dinner… Rose Champagne and Wine [brought by J]

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Swiss Chard, Habaneros, Celery, Carrots and Onion…. 

a WHOLE Fresh Black Truffle Whipped Cauliflower with white truffle salt and oil…. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mixed Mushrooms…. 

My first plate….. of many…

And then we decided I should get this… we had a glass of wine and then……. DID IT…

Didi was jealous cuz J was in her spot

The next morning J made me food… I helped with peeling bacon and mixing eggs…

So much bacon and so much bacon fat….. we fried the WHOLE packet!!!!!!

And then we scrambled like 8 eggs in the bacon fat…. just added some pepper to it… thiS WAS AMAZING…

Obviously I made the mimosas and some black coffee… and we had fresh pineapple to gnaw on…..

BEST. BREAKFAST.

Sel de al Terre – WIne Dinner – Wines for the Harvest Table

I can never say no to a Wine Dinner when I’m in town……

Wines for the Harvest Table

Amuse Bouche
ASF Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

The problem tonight was that they poured the first wine for the first course WAY before the amuse came out. Good thing I drank slowly and it paired well with the first course AND the amuse.  In fact it turned out to be my favorite wine of the night.

First Course
Young Greens, Cucumber, Almonds, Citrus Vinaigrette

This was a nice night salad. Delicious and licked it up.  No cheese, simple and amazing.  Crunch and texture from the almonds AND the greens were amazing.

Paired with 2006 Westport Rivers, “Cuve RJR: Brut, Westport, Massachusetts

Second Course
Pan Seared Atlantic Salon, ASF Braised Greens, Raspberry Butter Sauce

Aside from the raspberry butter sauce I loved this dish. The salmon was cooked to perfection.  The greens were cooked down t amazing-ness.  Microgreens fr some fresh crunch… but the sauce was too sweet and buttery.. too rich for my liking.  Raspberry Butter Sauce? Gag. It wasn’t my sort of thing…….. and hopefully not too many other ppls. Sorry SDLT. Not so good. The pairing was good though.. a nice light red.. I guess more of a rose.

Paired with 2010 Elio Perrone, Bigora Rosato, Castiglione, Italy

Side Dish of Sauteed ASF Tatsoi – basically 塌棵菜 a chinese Mustard Spinach

Great green…. not well cooked. SAD.

Main Course
Grilled Hanger Steak, ASF Turips, Carrots, Red Wine Demi-Glace
Paired with 2011 Peloverga, Comm. G.B. Burlotto, Verduno, Italy

I loved the fall vegetables but I actually wasn’t too into the steak… not that it wasn’t cooked well or anything, maybe I was just full.  I don’t think I finished the wine either.  The beef, though, almost tasted gamey. But remember I’ve been sick for awhile and things just taste weird to me lately.  All my medications make me less hungry and have different tastebuds.

Formage Course
Shelbourne Cheddar
Paired with 2006 Concha y Toro, Late Harvest, Sauvignon Blanc, Chile

DElICIIIIIOUS I ate it all. ALL

And I came home to a black cat in the house. GASP. Many years of Cute Luck.

Tiffie’s 21st Birthday in Vegas… AGAIN

Woke up super early Thursday [the 23rd] morning to head over to the airport.  A quick reminder from my Godfather before I headed off…

Which is funny cuz when I got to Vegas my mom texted me to bring BACK a husband HA!!!!….

I got to Logan Airport WAY too early, just like last year, so I sat at Boston Beer Works for some breakfast.  Apparently they don’t serve alcohol til 8am so the waitress MADE my Bloody Mary, with Grey Goose!!!, placed it a few feet away from me, and waited til 8 to give it to me. TEASE.  Thankfully she gave in and gave it to me a few minutes before

It could’ve been bigger and spicier but it was tasty.  I almost got another one but then the guys next to me, obviously headed to Vegas for a bachelor party, were downing absolut vodka which made me wanna gag so I decided to just drink on the plane instead.

Vegetarian Omelette with Wheat Toast, Potatoes and a side of Bacon

The omelette was filled with peppers, onions, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, the works.. and two kinds of cheese.. I think it was a mozzarella and cheddar. YUM – it was ridic cuz two guys next to me were eating SUPER healthy. NO cheese egg white omelettes.. no meats no thing. LAME. I wanted more bacon but the service was SO slow I could barely down this plate in 10 minutes before I rushed off to my gate.  Got some snacks, candy and a few magazines, and I was off. WOOHOO.

OH. Guess who was on my flight with his kids?!

Casey Affleck!!!!!

Most RANDOM photo when I googled him ^^

HIS ASS BRUSHED UP AGAINST MY HAND! He was flirting with one of the attendants in the front the whole time. I tried to give him googlyy eyes hahaha.. SO MUCH HOTTER IN PERSON!!! I love his raspy voice :] Short though.  But he actually got on the plane in a hat and sunglasses and yet I still recognized him. Oh those Affleck boys sure are dreamy… in that rough manly Boston sort of way.

I’m weird.
HAHAHAHA…

A few drinks and some snacks on the plane later. I tried to sleep.. but ended up watching random tv shows, caught up on Hell’s Kitchen and watched Lorax… I was in Vegas. WHAT WHAT!!!  Kelly’s flight was delayed so I ended up going to Caesar’s Palace first.  The cab totally took a super long way and overcharged me – BITCH – but I was there YAY.  The guy at the front was nice enough to upgrade our room to a bigger one with a living area – with couch, and a hot tub for just 50$ more a night. WOOT!  So not only did we get an awesome deal for a little over 100$ a night from Jetsetter, we got a great upgrade YAY…

58th floor

Fucking SEAN gave us the FARTHEST room POSSIBLE.  I knew, just walking there, that we were gonna have some problems getting back at night.

Our view!!! See the orange umbrellas?!  That’s Venus Pool Club… we got invited to a few, one was topless but it was MEH, plus you can hear the music from our FREAKING ROOM so no need to go in and see a few gross boobs.

HOT TUBBBB!!!

I ordered some food, a delicious Asian Chicken Salad.. and bubbly while waiting for Kelly.. but they FUCKED IT UP.  Stupid service said there was NO house champagne so they gave me something else bubbly but they charged me 20$ more and gave me white wine. FLAT. So HUUUUGE WHOLE commotion and trouble later, managers involved, etc etc I finally got our bubbly.  Right when Kelly got here.

 
The salad was tasty but with some faults. Water chestnuts, cabbage, carrots, sliced green beans.. sightly dry but still quite tasty grilled chicken and but gross out of the can mushrooms yick.  The sesame dressing was really goo thought, yum.

Cheeseburger with Swiss.. sadly the Fried were soggy

FINALLY BUBBLES!!! – and they DID have House Champagne, bitch be cray.

These were so good, I snapped off a piece and got a heart :]

We got  few more drinks and bubbly… after shopping all day, I bought some jewelry, Hello Kitty stuff and slutty dresses… and the we ordered a margarita.

And then started getting ready…

We are so cute.

And then headed to dinner. Freaking place was 20 minutes walking from our room.  And it was IN Caesars, BLAH! So far.

Sushi Roku was like Hipster sushi which sucked.

Afterwards we went to TAO Nightclub in Venetian.  It was a long night of blah and even blah-er guys.  But at least I got a nice long sleep and lots of good drinkage. MMMM sake, bubbles and free drinks at the club. WOOT.  Feet hurt like a bitch tho.

TIME FOR THE POOL!  Brought a little bit of Detroit with me to Vegas.  [this is for you W]

Kelly hates me.  And I have no boobs.  I ended up waiting at the cocktail line and the food line most of the day. WORST SERVICE EVER.

The pool was nice though, no hot guys or girls tho. SAD.

Snackus Maximus

Shrimp Papaya Salad & Nachos

Salad was disgusting.  The shrimp was half raw and so fishy.. the papaya was ONE slice and it wasn’t even close to being half ripe. It was hard and bland.  There was mango and pineapple in it too. Just BLAH.  The NACHOS were really good tho – beef, jalapenos, sour cream, salsa, etc etc…- needed more cheese.  HAHA, I ate all of Kelly’s Nachos.

Frozen Pink Lemonade. SOOO GOOD… tons of Vodka!!! I got Kelly a Strawberry Margarita, with muddled fresh strawberries, BOTH AMAZING!

Kelly being a creeper. I look like Miley Cyrus here.

Kelly went back first to nap.  When I went back I went straight to the hot tub. AHHH, living the life.

And then I was hungry again so I ordered room service again.  Another bottle of champagne… and

Chicken Noodle Soup

It was SO good, but mostly noodles, with chicken.. some carrots and celery and a splash of soup haha…

And also got some Veggies with Hummus and Ranch dip.

The veggies were fresh and delicious.  They also gave us more bread YAY.. hummus was really bland and too chunky and not creamy enough for me.

And then we napped and got ready and then freaked out for a few hours about where to eat.  I had W helping as well with the hotel concierge who DOUBLE booked the restaurant and we had to cancel like 3 different places.. but hey it’s…… see-thru dress time!!!

Photo check to see HOW see-thru it was.  Not too bad.  All the right parts were covered…

Can you tell I’m wearing leopard print undies?

We ended up heading over to Scarpetta at the Cosmopolitan to meet up with my old co-worker/Manager George.  Where I had one of the best Polentas of my life.   Read more about it here.

I fucking LOVE Scott Conant.

After we headed over to XS where I got to see B but also waited like over 2 hours in a million lines….. LAME.

WOKE UP STARVED.  I wanted breakfast, so I made Kelly wake up and eat with me.  She got a BLT and I got grapefruit segments…

And an Egg White Veggie Frittata with Potatoes and Bacon

1. They forgot my Tabasco and 2. They forgot Kelly’s fries.

LAME. They also tried to force me to get a Fruit Plate. NO!!!!!!!… grrr… But we did get Bloody Marys and Bellinis :D AND they gave me more Bacon than my frittata.. and the potatoes were shit.  Soggy, flimsy and gross. BLAH.  SO I ate Kelly’s fries.. which came with my tabasco sauce like 40 minutes later.. but they were hot and fresh and crispy. OK, I have faith again in their fries.

BTW, everytime we’ve gotten room service they give us a million straws and we never used them. THE ONE TIME I NEEDED A STRAW for my Bloody Mary, there was none, so I went to the straw that’s been on our floor for the past few days… hahahha

 

The fries, that were finally NOT soggy

I asked for FOUR bottles, they gave me five. Not to complain but they never get shit right!

AND THEN OFF TO THE POOL

Another Pink Lemonade while I attempted to stop being see-thru pale.

Kelly was a creep and paparazzi ‘d me.

After a few hours I came back to hot tub some more…

This time we planned dinner better. Last night we didn’t eat til like 1030.. this time I got us 9 resos at Gordon Ramsay Steak thanks to W and him knowing the Chef there.

Taxi sono qui?

And so began our self-dubbed INTERNATIONAL NIGHT

Gordon Ramsay Steak at Paris

Tasting Menu

Afterwards we headed to PURE thanks to Cheri for getting us on the guestlist!

I feel asleep ALL DRESSED, ALL MAKEUP, ALL JEWELRY.

BEST CLUBBING NIGHT the whole time!!!

Dear Kim, the German with the most girly un-German name, if you ever read this. We want rights to those pics you took of us. HAHAHA.

Dear Canasians.. thanks for herding us like sheep, calling us old and being sad when you couldn’t get some, that’s what happens when you give us bad drinks.

Dear big black guys, thanks so much for saving us from the tiny Canasians.

And we woke up to this in the middle of our bathroom floor. WTF?!

The next day we woke up, and while I wasn’t hungover the whole time there, it was pretty bad anways… I wanted a BURGER.

Fruit Plate. AWESOME. Fig, Rambutan. Grapes, Berries. Kiwi. Papaya. Peach. Mango, Dragonfruit, Watermelon, Cherries, etc etc…. 
BUT REALLY?!.. only ONE rambutan adn HALF a fig?!.. LAME. But at least thumbs up to the exotic fruits.

[btw I MUST say the menu is pretty cool and offers a lot of food.  Also a HUGE Asian menu!  Including CONGEE!!!]

Kelly got the Southwestern Chicken Wrap – which sucked. Dry and nothing like the description.  So I gave her some of my chili from my burger.

Hangover Burger for breakfast makes everything better!

And then I headed to the pool and came back the tannest I’ve been in a long long time.  YES, this is super super SUPER tan for me.

Napped.  And then got ready for our last big dinner in Vegas.

We met up for drinks at Aria and then dinner at Sirio from one of my college friends Min :]  He’s a sommelier so obviously we had amazing wines.

After a million glasses and different drinks. I came back to the room wanting more food and champagne.  I ordered Hunger Games and promptly passed out.

You can see passed out photos here.  HAHA.  

I woke up so comfy tho… and with an indent on my face.  I was called Scarface for the rest of the day.

And then we got Donuts for Breakfast at Central.

We had already packed so we came back to nap and re-watch Hunger Games.  Haha, good thing I got them to give us 1pm checkout.

SCARY!!!

We decided to take pictures of ourselves in the HUGE bathroom in Caesars hahahaha…

And then we putzed around on our phones at a lounge while drinking from our NUMB Dildo cups

After a ton of gambling, and losing monies… we decided enough was enough, it was time for the airport and FOOD.

Boobies and Chophouse.

Bye Bye Las Vegas

Specials Only from Legal Seafoods

After a delicious brunch and a day reading at the bookstore…

Before the bookstore I went to get a few dresses at Neiman Marcus for my Birthday in Vegas.. found two extra sparkly super BOMB totally SEXY dresses :]

I love baby shoes!  Baby shoes always makes me want to have a baby.. but the some annoying kid was right next to me while taking this pic…. and I changed my mind.

I bought this book as one of many W’s birthday presents :]

It. Is. AWESOME.

I got these for me :] Read thru a lot of the Hot Dog book, SO good. GET THEM

Boston Mag‘s Best Burgers issue. GO CRAIGIE <3 <3

After a while I headed across the street to get some grub at Legal’s..

We ordered off the Specials Menu, COMPLETELY off of it, except for the Steamers which is a given and a ust-have.

Watermelon, Poached Shrimp, Whipped Goat Cheese and Basil – there was some Balsamic-y sauce on the side which was WAY too sweet.  MEH.

Steamers with Butter

AND THEN we were surprised with a free appetizer from the Chef!!!… Fried Eggplant Parmesan on Crostini. Delicious.

Tempura Flounder on Fried Rice and Pickled Veggies

The Wine that was recommended with my Salmon Dinner… a bit on the sweet side but good..

Cajun Wild King  Salmon on Coconut Rice, Blanched Spinach and Mango/Pineapple Salsa

Absolutely delish!  The salmon was cooked to a perfect medium!  I hate things like rare/med-rare fish [on purpose or not].. like tuna or salmon, gross. But this was PERFECT. Just cooked thru but still suppppper tender, not fishy and just DELISH!

The coconut rice was SO good.. definitely cooked with some coconut milk and toasted coconut. YUM.

I ended the night watching movies downstairs eating snacks :]

Small Bites at Blue Stove

I had to go to the eye doctor’s today… After finding out I had spots in my right eye, I’m stuck with glasses for a few days and hopefully it’ll clear up…

Along the way to dinner I managed to goof around a bit…

And then off to Nordstroms for dinner at Blue Stove.  It’s sort of an Americanized Tapas place.  Or more like, all sorts of tastes from around the world… the menu is constantly changing, but they do have amazing constants.. we’ll get into that once the pictures start rolling…

Since it’s restaurant week I decided to order one set of 3 courses w/ wine pairings along with other dishes.  I’ll write “RW Course #” by the dishes that were in the set.  That’s a REALLY good price for 30.12$, app, entree, dessert, ALL with delicious wine pairings. Winner winner chicken dinner.. and yes I had chicken tonight too

As soon as you sit down they give you water, take your drink order and give you some yummy bread to nibble on while you look over the small, but still extensive menu.

bread with olives and evoo

The must have? Their sweet potato fries.. no seriously.

sweet potato fries with cilantro lime aioli

For some strange reason I feel like the portion is a lot smaller than what it used to be?! Or maybe I’m just fatter.. or actually, I think I used to order two servings at a time…. anyways, DELICIOUS.  The fries themselves are seasoned so well you don’t even need to dip it in anything.  I’m not a huge sauce person so I loveeeee them without the dippity – which is also good.

salt & pepper calamari with lemon zest

Not greasy at all… a good amount of tentacles – my fav – nicely breaded, and not heavy. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, not overly fried, and like I said, not drippingly greasy like some places. YUM!  The squeeze of the lemon just adds more pop to the zest.

RW Course 1: mango & apple salad, red belgium endive, great hill blue cheese

I wasn’t sure if I’d like this.  I’m iffy about blue cheese, some I love some I don’t.  But I had some recent GOOD times with blue cheese.. I wanted something light and refreshing to nibble on, crunchy, fruity, sweet and salty… I LOVE SALADS, good salads, so why not?!  Fresh chunks of mango, thin slices of apple…. endives around the plate and chopped up in the salad, tossed in a light dressing and tons of delicious creamy blue cheese…

paired with: pacific rim riesling, columbia valley, washington 2009

The wine went SO well with the salad, and really cut thru the light stinkiness of the blue cheese. IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD, and went SOOO well together. I LOOOOOVE endive, crunchity. Slightly bitter and supppper pretty and fresh MMMM, all the textures, creamy, cheesy, salty, sweet, crisp.. juicy MMMMMMMM I could eat a TUB of this.

And then one of my favs..

cilantro lime chicken tacos

SOOOOO delicious. These are tiny little things, but FULL of amazingness.

And then one of the first things that jumped out from the menu when I looked at it – new additions!!! And the most intriguing one?

bahn mi vietnamese chicken sandwiches

SCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCORE!!!!

It had a nice slice of hot pepper on top.. the bread was fluffy and had a delicious daikon carrot slaw with cilantro and a perfectly cooked chicken… SOOO GOOD

Confession, I ONLY eat the classic super fatty bad-for-you but OH OH SO GOOD Banh Mi. I think the grilled meats and all that other stuff is “fake” HAHAHA…

“The classic version bánh mì thịt nguội, sometimes known as bánh mì đặc biệt or “special combo”, is made with various Vietnamese cold cuts such as sliced pork or pork bellies, chả lụa, and head cheese, along with the liver pâté and vegetables.” – Source

It’s ALL about the headcheese.. okay, so this didn’t have headcheese but it was DELICIOUS, PLUS the delicious lotus root chips on the side. NOM!  I wish there was more filling cuz I ate it all up but even inhaled the bread by itself, the sauces were THAT amazing!

roasted garlic chicken with grilled corn & arugula

This is a classic and I’ve had this dish here since… well it was considered a salad… hahaha now it’s a dish… but still oh so good.. get the dressing on the side cuz they tend to overdress the arugula… but yummy kernals of corn sprinkled thru-out it and delicious tender, slighty fatty chicken with a nice crisp skin.

RW Course 2: pan seared red snapper filets, early spring vegetables, meyer lemon emulsion

paired with: acacia pinot noir, carneros, california 2008

This was tender, with a nice crispy skin…. two small pieces on top of a creamy succotash of asparagus, corn, peas and potatoes…. it was a bit on the salty side but delicious nonetheless.. kinda wish they were meatier.. or bigger pieces, but for some weird reason I was already getting full.. [been having stomachaches] so it ended up being the right size.

And then spur of the moment we added on some tuna.

ahi tuna stack with ponzu & crisp wontons

MMMM nothing like a delicious fresh raw tuna, roughly chopped and stacked up with mangos and lightly dressed greens…  scoop it on top of a perfectly crunchy wonton chip and you’ve got a great asian alternative to nachos…. and dairy free ;]

RW Course 3: butterscotch pot de creme

paired with: ceretto muscato d’asti 2009

I LOOOOVE butterscotch… and I looooove pot de cremes… and while this was no foie gras this was nice, rich, airy but also light… SOOOOO freaking good with the muscato… which wasn’t as sweet – or the dessert was more sweet, but either way they enhanced each other’s flavors incredibly!

And of course, ended the meal with their complimentary mint chocolate sticks.

NOM!

For some strange reason I was super full after this meal… and a bit tipsy… so OBVIOUSLY I’d go shopping in Nordstroms for jeans #fattie – hahahaha DON’T try on clothes after eating makes you feel pudgey.. BUT I still managed to get a new top and two new jeans…. woohooo.. I bought these AWESOME neon sky blue kiddie jeans that turn into capris on me.. for only 44$ YAYYYYYYYY so happy!