Strip Club, but wait, first Mexicanoooo in Brooklyn…. Random Dumbo Bar and Strip Club

The night started off……. innocent

We headed to Gran Electrica in Brooklyn to meet up with Jonathan for some yummy mexican… and tequila of course.. and instantly started off with drinks and Guacamole and Chips, SO GOOD.

I also had these leggings on… [not a pic of my legs obviously] But these tights were the talk of the night…

I got some Crab Tostada

Jonathan got plantains.. which came out as an appetizer

My Fish Tacos

J got some Carne Asada which he shared… annnnnnnnd… don’t remember what Jonathan got for a main meal.. tacos?!..

After we headed off to some random Brooklyn bar [in Dumbo] and ended up in one which we were the youngest ones there..  and I was SOOOO over-underdressed….. the one we WANTED to go to was having a private party so WOMP….

A few drinks later… and “faux” 5 hour energy drinks that tasted like grape candy — THEY ARE EVIL, DON’T DO IT, they’re 15 hour energy CRACK – which I shall talk about in my next post. Only me and Jonathan had it, J was smart enough not to. WE WERE UP ALL FUCKING NIGHT… okay back to the story

we ended up at the strip club, FlashDancers….

I feel in love with TWO strippers tonight.. apparently they liked me too… we were inappropriate.. and they asked for me when I left with J ;] To the two blonde, real bobbed girlies that danced with me, if you ever read this. FIND ME. You guys are so hot.  I got free dances, massages and ….. a little more ;] I’m hooked.

Mayahuel, tequila and beers…

My first trip back to NY in over a year and J picked me up from Penn Station the day before Valentine’s Day, I already found my way to a bar, vodka tonic please, we went back to the apt, drank some delicious wine and headed out to Mayahuel, one of his favorite go-to places. WHAT A CUTE LITTLE PLACE.  I adore the decor here.

We started off with the chips with salsa and guacamole.  While I’ll unshamefully flaunt that I make amazing salsa verde and guacamole – which J agrees with me, they’re red smokeyyyyy salsa was SOOOO FREAKING GOOD.  Time to buy some liquid smoke and try making some :]

J ordered a spicy cocktail.. and I definitely ordered something super strong and yummy….

He got chicken and pork tacos… we both agreed the chicken ones were better, the pork was a bit dry… [which isn’t usually the case according to J]

I got the special, a whitefish or some sort of fish ceviche…. there was quinoa, pineapple, sooooo many flavors and textures, sooooo goood….

After a great simple delicious dinner we headed to J’s favorite bar, Proletariat for a few beers :]

<3

Drunken Adventures at Eastern Standard, Met Bar @ Back Bay, Harvard Sq. and No. 9 with Jim

J came to visit for the weekend after Thanksgiving and we decided to head out for a foodie drunken adventure.  Our first stop was Eastern Standard.  Great for drinks and snacks…

The charcuterie plate… the pate was our favorite…

Raw oysters <3

We are both super happy!!!

Cheese Plate.. yum yum

Bubbles.. so many bubbles — and beer..

CHEERS!!!!! :] You have to do an oyster cheers!!!

And even though we didn’t order dessert they gave us some nummies anyways.

Next stop was Newbury St.. where we found ourselves at the Met Bar @ Back Bay [again]

Evil Quinoa Vodka with Goji Juice that made me halucinate

The most amazing Truffle Cheddar Popcorn

Brrr it was a cold cold night…

#2. Hello Kitty.

After the quick stop at Harvard Sq. to Chameleon we headed to our reservation at No. 9 Park

It was good.. but the wine was better than the food haha

Bread & Buttaaaaa

Foie Gras Terrine

Extra duck prosciutto

Just chomping on Quail Legs… NBD

Desserts

DRUNK

Came back and I passed out watching Super 8 within a few minutes. Hahahaha, I’m a lame host when I drink too much… but drinking all day was pretty impressive…

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

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

Fun, Play & Wine + Chocolate SDLT “Wine Tuesday”… oh and Bieber Fever… with @hiieitskel

My Kelly Belly is in town….which means craziness together. I love this bitch ;] <3

And look she’s got red lips too, just like me ;]

Since it was her Birthday while she was here :] Feb 6 for the Nick Carter concert :D

I AM An Epic Dance Party. All the time.

I met Bieber… his personality was “flat” hahaha… [props to M for coming up with that one LOL]

Adventures of Giraffe and Koala… what sounds do they make?!

This is for Mike: SO GREEN!! OH MY GREEN!!!

Still Sober…

We finally got old and tired and went to Sel de la Terre early after crashing a bit on the comfy chairs in the mall… hahahaha… we got some cocktails before the dinner began. What can I say?! We’re old and loud. We were fob-talking all day. Now we can’t stop.

How can we refuse Wine AND Chocolate?

Fig Manhattan

SOOOOO Bourbon-y, one sip and it knocks you out.

Peche Royale

The girliest drink hahaha but I love it.. sweeter than usual tho…

“Why you get bread and no eat? Back in day, I don’t get bread, I eat AIR!”

Everyone else got a bread basket but us. I got bread basket envy and asked for one – WOOOOOO!!!!!

First Course
Bacon and Frisee Salad with White Chocolate Vinaigrette

Paired with: 2009 Joh. Haart, Piesporter Treppchen, Riesling, Mosel, Germany

This was surprisingly good. White Chocolate Vinaigrette? Super interesting.. it wasn’t a strong taste and it wasn’t heavy at all, it was OH-SO very lightly tossed in it.. the frisee was fresh and oh so refreshing.. some candied pistachios and delicious crisp fatty bacon chunks on top. YUM!

Even Kelly ate some of her bacon [she’s not a bacon girl] but she did leave some on her plate.. I was trying to be a lady and not pick off her plate :] My heart did cry a little when the plate was carried off with some pork belly still on it… *dripping tears* hahaha…

Second Course
Cocoa and Coffee Crusted Vension with Spaetzle and Roasted Root Vegetables

Paired with: 2009 Vina Sastre, Tinto, Ribera del Duero, Spain

The venison was cooked Medium Rare and oh so juicy and good. The spaetzle was tender and delicious and I looooved the root veggie mix with it.  BUT oh the venison.  Our neighbors actually didn’t even want it. But it was also the same girl who ate no frisee and only ate the bacon haha weird. But me and Kelly ate this right up – I told her not to eat too much bread but she had like SO much that after this dish she was stuffed…

I didn’t really taste the coffee/cocoa crust but it was perfectly seasoned! Not gamey at all, so so tender, melted in my mouth… Sometimes I find their dishes a bit salty but this was yummy!

Kelly approved!!!

We had to start double fisting the drinks… hahahha…

Main Course
Chicken Mole with Toasted Sesame Seeds, Farro and Spinach

Paired with: 2010 Vigneti Zabu, Nero D’Avola, Sicily, Italy

We were SO full but this was SO good. A nice crisp chicken skin, DELICIOUS farro [we kept calling it rice] with some greens on the bottom, OMG… slightly spicy and nice tender chicken that just fell apart at the fork. HOLY MOLY. SO FULL but I licked the plate clean anyways.

Hahaha somehow I ended up with sesame seeds all over me. WTF… too much wine ;]

And then I ate more bread… oh and then there was these:

Rosemary Pommes Frites

I may have ate the whole tower of them….. #guilty

Cheese Course
Robiola, Italy

Paired with: 2006 Westport Rivers, “Cuvee RJR”, Brut, Westport, Massachusetts

At this point we were ready to burst… the cheese was creamy [half cow, half sheep] and a bit pungent so I had half of it, bread, the nuts and fruits and called it quits. No dessert for me #imdone..

Afterwards we came home, rested up a bit and made boozey cupcakes :]

Upside down Banana Rum Champagne Cupcakes with Vanilla Ice Cream!

Recipe coming in next post….

I FUCKING LOVE YOU KELLY <3

Hot Pot at 上都和食

After a day of shopping, exploring and tea time at WooBar…. we got a Tea Set again… and always some others…

Chicken Satay Skewers with Cucumber Peanut Butter Relish

Bubbles in the Tropics

White Rum, Fresh Lemon, Passionfruit, Champagne

This was so super tasty!!!! I love the passionfruit seeds in it!!! The flavor was great, and ya’ll know how much I love my bubbles!!

Taipei Champagne

Lychee Liqueur with Fresh Orange and Lemon, Topped with Champagne

I’ve always been a sucker for lyrhcee flavored things… especially booze ;] #soasian

…with my mom’s bestie and her daughter, Serena we headed to Hankyu department store, right next door and after wandering a bit we went upstairs knowing we wanted Japanese food.  So sushi + hotpot it was at Uni-Sato 和食 Japanese Fusion Restaurant.

I’m obsessed with buttons and knowing that this was here made me obsessed with pressing it to call the waiters over. *big bong*

Complimentary Oshinko Su/Pickled Radishes

Straight up we ordered the 海鮮味噌紙火鍋, a seafood/crab hotpot set.

Veggies, squid, fish, fish balls, seaweed, etc etc

Miso Soup HotPot

Giant Japanese Oysters & Crab

Fat Juicy and Tender.. reminds me of the ones from Kenka’s.

Peekabooboo ;]

Adding in some veggies

Yummy White Rice

Scallop Sashimi

It was supposed to be half the scallops cooked and half of it raw but I wanted it all raw. These, unlike the ones back in the States, were whole thick fat scallops, I’m used to them sliced thinly… still good.

Salmon Sashimi

This, like the scallops, was supposed to come with cooked AND raw salmon but I asked for all raw… Why is sashimi in Asia so freaking skinny?!?!.. LOL.. I like my salmon nice fat and juicy ;]

酥炸軟殼蟹/Deep Fried Soft Shelled Crab

Ok I know these noodle-like things are made some sort of veg but I can’t figure out what it’s called in engrish, waa. Help?!

Grilled Japanese Fish

Fishy, tender and succulent.. full of flavor.  Came with shaved radish and a nice juicy lime to squirt over it.

Side Salad/Dish of Cold Shrimp, Japanese Taro, Peppers, etc…

Fresh fluffy rice with tea infused 蝦米, tiny shrimp YUM

Miso Soup that came with the Fish set

信田蒸/Chiwan Mushi that came with the Fish set

And finally they came out with our Sashimi platter.. with different fishes, roe, sweet shrimp and delicious creamy yummy uni :]

Sucked the shrimp head dry, ate the tender body.. and of course the creamy uni slid one by one, blob by blob over my tongue and down my throat. Delicious.

Complimentary Dessert of Sweet Red Bean Soup thickened with mochi paste
SOOO GOOD!!!!

This place was delicious. So much more food and so much cheaper than EN from the other day [worst lol]

Three Times a Charm…. especially at Toro

Thanksgiving Eve.. apparently it’s the biggest party night of the year [it is cuz everyone returns home?] J and I decided to go eat, drink and be merry…. first thought? Well… I didn’t just suggest I basically screamed out TORO!!!! He hadn’t been, and I had been craving tapas, bone marrow & their orgasmic corn… Conclusion on choice? Perfection.

We headed out around 630ish and got there a little before 7… [hahaha stupid Boston roads.. it’s “great” to be back… so used to the City’s grid and easy taxi/train access…] We put our names down [they seriously should do reservations!!] and moooooosied over to the bar [like a foot away from where we put our names down]

First round of drinks:
I got a Cabana Boy – Sailor Jerry spiced rum, Canton Ginger, Pineapple and J got a drink that sounded like man-something that had Maker’s Mark in it… and a cinnamon apple slice…

Second Round of drinks:
I got a Pink Poodle.. that had egg whites in it [haha] and J got another one of his man-drinks :D YES I had to pick the two girliest named drinks on the menu.. if not J was going to anyways….

Mandatory shot of the bread bowl…

Since J was making fun of me taking pictures of bread just a few hours earlier.. his punishment is to be in a picture WITH the bread…. bread has feelings too.. they just want to be loved, acknowledged for their carbiness… and eaten… hmmm.. hopefully he doesn’t kill me for posting this… anyways… we ended up switching tables… the high tables are fun and all but we wanted a nice roomy big table for just the two of us. We ended up getting a nice corner table that didn’t have us bumping elbows with neighbors. SCORE!

Pimientos del Padron

Hot green peppers with sea salt

The staple of any tapas dinner, well for me.. I ALWAYS order these.. I think I mentioned that before the last time I was at Boqueria as well…

Cabeza

Pork head terrine with spiced plums

I love head.

TEEHEE

Yeah, I’m REALLLLLL mature ;D

And while my favorite form of pig head still comes in a sandwich [love you Bobby.. love you Resto] this was really really good.. super tender [as expected] full of delicious porky flavor… and oh so satisfying…

Panza de Cerdo

Crispy pork belly with spaghetti squash, escargots, salsify, apples and smoked maple crumb

AMAZING. Totally forgot there were escargots in the dish… so I’m eating it thinking.. why am I eating escargot?!?!?!.. this was soooo good.. but didn’t really need all the access… I’m chinese, I’m used to eating the pork belly as is ;D

The skin of the pig was so chewy/crisp that I bent my fork….

And as you can see.. new drinks… I got the
Cava Cocktail
Grapefruit bitters, sugar, yellow Chartruese

& J got the: crap, I totally forgot… was it something with tequila? It was definitely red tho…. and either way, they both weren’t too great :T

Lardo

Cured lardo with honey and grapefruit

It’s funny because we only ordered one plate but we ended up getting served two plates :] YAY… one for each of us. YUM! Some people like it on nice crunchy toasted bread…. we ate ours as is ;D mmmmm piggie fat <3

Foie Gras con Champinones

Foie gras with pickled chanterelles and Idiazabel cheese

Had no idea this was gonna be all bruschetta-ish but it was tasty.. the crouton/bread wasn’t too thick and there was TONS of foie… the chanterelles were slightly pickled but thankfully not overpowering…

Ventresca

Tuna belly, tomato tapenade and celery leaves

I don’t like cooked tuna usually… unless it’s just plain out of the can [the water ones, NOT in oil, ew] but this was soooo tender… first time having tuna belly cooked…. perfect balance of sweet and acidity from the tomato… there was just ONE celery leaf tho… hahahah dont think it really made any different.. not even sure if I got it in my bite or J did…

Special of the Night

A Goat/Pork sausage on a bed of couscous

As soon as we heard the specials… [there was also a goat stew that sounded promising] J jumped right at this. SOOO glad we got it, it was SOOO freaking good.. like I’ve said before.. people think it’s weird that I adore goat but don’t really eat lamb. To me lamb is FAR gamier.. but apparently it’s the other way around? Either way, this was FANTASTIC. Huge, juicy and full of meaty flavor. AMAZING spices… need more… if I could I’d make it my go-to BBQ sausage ;D

Uni Bocadillo

Pressed uni sandwich with miso butter and pickled mustard seeds

One of my favorite things to get here… uni sammy. SOOO creamy.. just the right amount of greasy bread.. [must be the miso butter] delicious GRAINY mustard seeds….  AHH the perfect balance of flavors and perfection. UNI UNI UNI <3 LOVES. Second favorite sandwich ever. [And yes, twice in one post, best is Bobby’s]

Atun Pincho Crudo

Tuna tartare with charred green onion and pine nuts

MEHHH… it was OKAY… I think the turn off was that I found scales in my few bites :[ TOTALLY lameass… I tried, but couldn’t finish it…. which is sad cuz i love tuna tartare…

Pato con Membrillo

Smoked duck drumettes with quince glaze

Duck. Legs. Smoked. What else could be better?!?!?! Amazingly delicious [as always!!!!] me and J devoured asap

Ostras en Escabeche

Marinated Island Creek oysters with grains of paradise, lovage and citrus

J and I guessed that there was definitely yuzu… lots of yuzu in it. But I love RAW oysters…. cooked are okay… but marinated and pickled?!?!?!.. not so much… too tart/sour for my taste… they were fresh but just not TOO much to my liking… sorry Toro… oyster fail

Morcilla Bocadillo

Blood sausage, piquillo peppers and alioli

Can you name ANYTHING wrong with amazing blood sausage [the asian in me], amazing bread [<3] and amazzzzzing condiments <333 FUCKING amazing. Yes, profanity is a must. I never met a blood sausage I wasn’t i LOVE with….

Atun Crudo

Yellowfin tuna with fermented black beans and ginger

To be honest… this was awkward… for ME & J… it was too chinese… black bean sauce?… tuna??…awkward…. ok honestly it was good, but in a way that I didn’t want to finish cuz it was so beyond awkward tasting…

Pate de Conejo

Cider marinated Rabbit pate with pistachios and heirloom pears

J & I were MAD disappointed… we had HIGH expectations for the rabbit pate [you know me and how much I love bunny] but it was just okay.. good I guess, not amazing.. not memorable at ALL…. J finished it with bread, I gave up on it after 2 bites…

Mollejas

Crispy veal sweetbreads with blood orange and cinnamon

Veal Sweetbreads = Orgasm.

Perfectly cooked, milky and tender…

That is all…

Navajas a la Plancha

Grilled Razor clams with lemon caper vinaigrette

After the most HORRIBLE razor clam experience.. I’m glad Toro can still have me loving it… I always loved their razor clams…  PERFECTLY cooked… and delicious.. Toro, you never fail me…

Hamachi Crudo

Kombu cured hamachi with yuzu, Gravenstein apple and fresh horseradish

This was amazing. SO fresh, SO delicious… didn’t taste the horseradish but the apples were great….

Pulpo con Sidra

Baby octopus with Basque Cider, chorizo, nasturtium and Piquillo peppers

Slightly overly salty, but the octopus was perfectly cooked.. LOVE chorizo, so it was great… but since WAYYY too salty, lost points.. doubtful I’ll get ot again [even tho I’m obsessed with octopussy]

Asado de Huesos

Roasted bone marrow with radish citrus salad and oxtail marmalade

The #1 reason why I went to TORO…. bone marrow is so LAST MEAL….. it’s like an orgasm and falling in love at the same time….. sigh* I miss falling in love….. its been a long long LONG time…

Erizos en Suquet

Catalan stew  of sea urchin, lobster and crab meat

HOLY MOLY…never thought a soup/stoup/stew would be better than a cioppino full of delicious chunky seafood :] it’s fugging great to be back in new england…

Jamon Serrano Redondo Iglesias

Premium cured Spanish ham

I adore serrano ham… but comeon Toro…. you need some iberico <3 plz plz pretty plz <333333

Costilla de Bourguignon

Red wine braised beef short rib with bacon, mushrooms and pearl onions

J and I were super excited about these melt in your mouth beefy goodnesses. I’ve had great short ribs and bad tough blah short ribs.. these were great… as were the yummy pearl onions :D I think it was atop mashed taters?!….  I also ended up eating allt he carrots too… wait, was there bacon? I don’t remember bacon….

Coles de Bruselas a la Plancha

Brussels sprouts with olive oil and sea salt

Yes. I’m obsessed with brussels sprouts, especially when they’re all nice and burnt like above. To be honest usually I just steam them or do a quick garlicky light stirfry of them at home… but when I go out I like them nice, oily and roasted… :] Thankfully J loves brussels sprouts too… well thankfully and unthankfully… I had to split them, but I’m glad I didn’t go eat with someone who was picky about food or his greens :D

On a side note: Isn’t that the worst? I could NEVER date or be in a relationship with a picky eater…. or wasn’t adventurous…. blah. Thank goodness my friends are awesome.. and big foodies as well :]

Maiz Asado con Alioli y Queso Cotija

La Especialidad de la Casa.  Grilled corn with alioli, lime, espelette pepper and aged cheese.

For you non Spanish speaking people out there… and even still it’s pretty easy to guess, that says “the special of the house” aka HOUSE SPECIAL.. and oh boy is it.. you’d think this would be one of the first things to come out but this came out DEAD LAST… J and I were full… but after one bite we couldn’t stop eating. Yes, this tends to happen a lot…

And yes, we opted out of dessert… it’s becoming the new trend for me lately…

We ended up eating enough for 13 people… and then headed out stuffed beyond belief… in search of a bar.  We ended up at “The Point” near Fanuiel Hall… super white bar.. HILARIOUS… stayed for some medicore vodka drinks and shots…. and left… frustrated that we weren’t trashed and just too disappointed to keep on going…. But still.. our stomachs were happy. Ken Oringer how do you do it? First time was great, second time even better.. and now this? Three times is definitely a charm….

J and I decided our Thanksgiving Eve tradition from now on is to go eat somewhere fabulous and then go to ghetto hick white Irish bars afterwards. Can’t wait til next year :D