Baltimore for the day…. Wit & Wisdom and the Aquarium

It was a late late night… but we ended up getting up SUPPPPER early in the morning to run to the train to head to Baltimore for the day…. I may have been hungover… can’t really remember at the moment. BUT it was early but the train ride was quick and fun,

a

The view from Wit & Wisdom at the Four Seasons in Baltimore. GORGEOUS

They had a brunch buffet… so I OBVIOUSLY needed a pic of all the ketchup

We ordered a few things and then were served EVERYTHING

Pastry Basket – sadly were out of house but still yummilicious

We got pancakes and fruits

MMMMMM cute little pancakes

Tiny Buttermilk Pancakes with Bourbon Maple Syrup

These were seriousy probably the BEST pancakes I have EVER eaten. W was talking with his buddies and I was trying to be a lady cutting them into thirds and nibbling. OMG I could’ve INHALED in one bite.

Side of Bacon YUM

and then Shrimp & Grits!!! OMFG.. WITH PORK BELLY. I DIE. DELISH
A tried to kill W with the shellfish [haha I kid] but I had it and DV had it… SOOO GOOD…. creamy creamy grits… succulent super well spiced shrimp and fatty pork belly/bacon…. I LOVE… since W cant eat shellfish, DV ate it and seemed to love it as much as I did, def ate it faster.

Fried Egg over Biscuits and Thick Chunky Gravy

The gravy and sausage was on the sweet side but it was SO tasty.  ESP with the biscuit to balance it off. And you guys know that a good fried egg is a sexy fried egg and it’ll always make me extremely happy. I ended up eating the fried egg, the sausage, most of the biscuit and half of the gravy. There’s always that bit of micro greens that makes me feel healthier. HAHA.

W got the  Crunchy Chicken Sandwich
bread & butter chips, crystal hot sauce mayo

And I got the
Jumbo Lump Maryland Crab Cake Benedict
old bay hollandaise, crab glace, benton’s country ham, green

By this point I was gonna burst, but OMG SO FUGGGGGGING GOOD.

Egg Porn Time

DELICIOUS.

FULLLLL and SUPER FULL we walked over to the National Aquarium to wander for a few hours. SO MUCH FUN.

And then we were off to eat at Pabu….. yes THE Pabu.K

A beautiful night for a simple French Meal at La Fourchette

L’s family owns La Fourchette.. just a block away from the apt.  A cute little French bistro. It was a beautiful night so W and I headed over to grab a quick dinner there. BTW I hear their brunch is fabbbbb there!!!! It’s such a cute homey place in a great area in Adam’s Morgan. WOOT WOOT. Sweet family, great people. French comfort food.  You can find stuff like kidneys and liver on the menu – and always specials.

I got the Bouillabaise

It was deilcious.  Large chunks of fresh fish… bursting of saffron flavor… mussels, scallops,s clams, shrimps, YUM… two crostinis with a TON of Rouille on top.  I put them on the side to mix into the soup later and to eat.  Talk about super super rice garlic bread.

Rouille is like a garlicky mayo-y buttery spread.

W got a French Onion Soup and a Chef’s Salad with just Ham, no cheese.
Burnt my tongue on the yummy soup and nibbled a lot of his salad TEEHEE.

French Fries

Crunchy and yummy!!!

And a nice red house wine x2…

Nice conversation with neighbors and then HORRIBLE music from a band next door, we got some desserts….

W’s favorite Crème anglaise with extra cream and extra meringue

And a beautiful Chocolate mousse with meringue for me :D

After a quick trip back to the apartment to buy some tickets to Baltimore for the next day we headed to Brixton to meet up with S and get a few drinks…..

Pig & Whiskey 2012 in Ferndale, Michigan

My buddy Phil [mr BBQ King] was coming down to Detroit for the day on the last day of Pig & Whiskey 2012.. and we’ve been trying to plan a meetup for awhile so holllaaaa…. I’m glad I dragged W out cuz he needs to get out and about Detroit more. Sure it’s a bumfuck place, but still :]

It was about a 20 minute drive thru super super ghetto depressing Detroit

…and then we were in Ferndale.. a nice less scary town :]

First place we hit up was Lockhart’s BBQ… we got one of each :] SO GOOD!

We didn’t even use any BBQ sauce.  W had the burnt ends.. suppppper fatty and tasty… sooo tender and melted in my mouth.  I had the brisket, FULL of flavor.. also super fatty and tender.. melted like crazy on my tongue… loved it more than Slow’s [shh don’t tell] and then Phil had the Hog Wings. AMAZE BALLS.

You hardly ever see hog wings, I think I’ve only seen it once or twice before in my life at one of the Meatopia or Pigs Island events… don’t remember.  I was upset that NO ONE had a WHOLE suckling pig WTF. First piggie/BBQ/meat event I’ve been to that DIDN’T.

We ended up getting corn here after chilling and drinking a few shots and beers in the VIP area… INDOORS with AC hahaha

CORN ON THE COB

Sadly it was under done, NO char, NO grill taste, NADA. No sweetness.. I tried adding some of their BBQ sauces which were GOOD but still didn’t save the corn :[ W and I were sad. :[ WOMP WOMP.

Inside the VIP area at the Loving Touch Bar.

Free drink tickets from the person who made this all happen :] Def met a lot of amazing great ppl at this event!

Whiskey Tent, over 40+ whiskeys…

I ended up trying a Bushmill’s Honey Whiskey.. slightly sweet and OH SO YUMMY IN MY TUMMY

<3 Baby and I

We bought a Blueberry Sage Peppercorn Jam

More beers.. it was SO freaking HOT.. we NEEDED bubbly. And beer vs soda, might as well get the buzz from beer :D W got a PBR and I got some Blondie beer.. it was on the sweet side…

Back in the VIP area they had free caramel corn and pizza.. I ended up eating 4+ slices… these two were my fav. FREAKING BLT PIZZA WAS THE BOMB!!!!

A few more beers and shots later… we took a nice steamy hot taxi back to MGM, we went to the pool for a bit and then I promptly passed out for a few hours… and then?!… Burgerssssssssssssss at Bourbon Steak! Which is the next blog…..

Bunny Cooks Piggie for Grumpy Bear

After a yummy filling Korean Brunch and going to the grocery store to complete my shopping list of things to make the yummy pork we got…. I started prepping making my salsa verde, roasting and of course braising the pork.  We didn’t get pork shoulder so I used a ham hock and a pork loin.  Which was nice since one was leaner and one was fatter MMMM – I started pretty early… cuz I’m super paranoid, but then again we didn’t get to eat til about 9pm anyways.  Which is fine, cuz inbetween I watched Friends with Benefits, some teevee [W got me hooked on Big Bang Theory SO FUNNY] ANNNNNND I got two new piercings :D WEEEEE

Piggie a la Bunny

The beginning….

I used Red Stripe for the beer element, also drank some :] TEEHEE

ALLLL DONE and ready to shred!!!

Dinner is served.  I made a Habanero Corn Mango Jicama Salsa, my spicy Salsa Verde and W made a yummy Guacamole.

Bring on the piggie!

Me being a ninja and taking a picture of W taking a picture of the food.. again.. I’m a creeper

Taco #1

Great Night, Great Food, Great Company……

And then there was the tequila… which led to midnight shopping at CVS… which led to this….

BWAHHAHAAHHAHA…

Brunch at Gaslight

Dim Sum? Gallows? Gaslight?  W wanted to try Gaslight awhile back so I figured why not plan a fun brunch there!  I’ve only had their food at several Boston food events soooooo…. why not try the real deal?!

So bring on the Bellinis and let’s get eating….  I picked up my W from the airport and soon after we headed over to Gaslight. YUM.  Brunch time with W’s friends :]

We all started off with some Raw Local Oysters on the Halfshell.. DELICIOUS!!!

Sexy sexy…. East Coast oysters make me sooooooooo happy :] Talk about aphrodisiac.

“Oysters

Ah yes, good old oysters, the cliché of all aphrodisiac foods. Oysters have long been thought to have aphrodisiac properties, but very few studies have been conducted on the matter.

One thing that brings credibility to the oyster myth is the fact that these slippery critters are full of zinc. Zinc controls progesterone levels, which have a positive effect on the libido. Zinc deficiency can cause impotence in men, so any food rich in zinc is considered an aphrodisiac in that respect, and oysters happen to be loaded with the mineral.

Many believe that oysters were originally labeled “aphrodisiac” because of their shape. Upon close inspection, they somewhat resemble the female sex organ. This could be a reason why people in the past associated mussels with sexuality. Sexual appetite, more often than not, starts in the mind rather than in the body, so oysters could have a psychological effect on the libido.“

[Source: Ask Men]

Me being creepy and taking a pic of W taking a pic of his soup… MMMMM….. [and I’m MMM-ing at eating his brains AND eating his soup!] HEHEHEHHE… W thinks I’m so creepy… but I just smile and stare.

French Onion Soup with Truffled Beef Short Rib

I actually don’t remember if I could taste the truffle or not, but the soup was rich and intense… the cheese was ooey and gooey… YUM! OK so it wasn’t no…… My Bone Marrow Short Rib French Onion Soup with 3 Cheese Croissant….. *cough*

Enjoy!

A’s Truffled Scrambled Egg Tartine with Roasted Asparagus

These were beautifully fluffy, super truffly, smelled delicious and just were happiness!!! I’m SUCH an egg person so great eggs are a big deal for me.  These were great.

My Poached eggs Vigneronne with red wine sauce, ham and mushrooms
I also got bacon on the side.. the bacon was disappointing.. seriously Gaslight?! Did you guys go to Stop&Shop and get ghetto skinny lame bacon and make it for me?!  Missing Resto’s and Publican’s…. I LOVE BACON. DUH. I need it nice and thick and amazing.  Not flimsy and chewy. Sorry.

My entree dish on the other hand was amazing.  The poached eggs were a bit ovedone for my liking but I loved the red wine sauce.. the mushrooms and the thin matchsticks of ham.  I’m not a huge ham person but it was quite tasty!

A’s Fiance got the Steak & eggs with rosemary black pepper biscuit and gravy [top, the guy Nomming!] and W got the Sandwich Cubano with roast pork, tasso ham, gruyēre, pickles and frites
The cubano was really good :]  W gave me half cuz we decided to order more food. What can I say?! I’m a hungry girl.  Makes me want to go back to Miami… And I love the pickles.. When I’m in South Beach I always ask for extra pickles in my cubano HAHAHAHA… AND WTF! The frites are AMAZING.

Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels with Pernod, Coriander and Frites

Hehehehe we ordered Mussels but W doesn’t even eat them. I’m fat. I ate most of them :] I do share tho.. even tho I never learned how to ;] I’m obsessed with mussels.. but you guys know that already. I’m always down for mussels & frites. WOOOO!!! I’ve eaten several buckets of the stuff.

We also got some Caramelized Banana Crépes with Almond Cream

These were amazing.  W is a great feeder, altho each bite would be like a whole crepe… hahahahahah… I’m a Tiffie and I neds to be fed.

And then A and her boo, J, got the Vanilla French Toast stuffed with sweet fromage blanc and maple syrup

They shared and it was SOOOOOOOOO GOOOD!!! I don’t think I’ve had French Toast since the disasater at Masa…. this was FLUFFY and amazing. Makes me want to eat French Toast again. Thank you for regaining my confidence in French Toast :]

Afterwards we headed over to the New England Aquarium where we had the most amazing fun time!

Pooping Penguins!!! I’ve named them after me and and W :]

PEEKABOOBOO.. the Sea Turtle!!!

And since we were nearby… we actually ended up at Mike’s Pastry buying cannolli’s and Lobster Tails in the North End.

And I’m gonna end this post with this:

BIGGGGGER THAN MY HEAD!!!

YES BITCH. This is in me!

W, come back to me and Boston soon ♥

happy birthday part UN – piggie/clown style

I’m all about birthdays, especially when it’s mine…as a child I HATED having my birthday in the summer. Everyone else got punch and cupcakes during class and I would be one of the few that couldn’t. Sometimes I would celebrate it in June before school let out. I felt left out :[ But it’s been awhile since the days of ABC, eating playdoh and finger puppets. I LOVE having my birthday in the summer. Sunshine, great tans, and August is the easiest month to get out of work – slowest month of the year.

I abuse the fact that it’s my birthday and I tend to celebrate for the whole month of August. Thankfully all my friends and family are down with it and just go along with me. This year I decided to start early and have my first party on July 31 :]

What can I say, I’m addicted to birthday parties.. and finding the perfect bday dresses ;D — of course good food is a must… Remember last year?!

I have a HUGE crush on David Chang and his food and of course, pork… so it only seemed appropriate to go to Momofuku Ssam Bar

We got the 6-Course Prixe Fix Menu… but then added on a lot of other items.. because I’m a fatty like that ;D I’ll star * the items that we added on…

* greek sardine –

arugula, strawberry, toasted rice
Amazing. I don’t get why anyone would not like sardines.. it’s fishy, because it’s supposed to be. Salty, fresh and delicious. The strawberries and the arugula just added so much to it.

spanish mackerel –

melon, mustard
Not fishy at all.. super tender and I loved the sweetness that balanced off the slight savory to it.

bread + butter –

sea salt butter (vt) + whipped lardo
Apparently I’m the only one that was super excited about having whipped lardo ;D Pork fat is an amazing thing…. we had a few plates of the bread and it was demolished asap. We were all starved… we got to the place at 545 but we probably didn’t really start eating til way after 630. What can I say, my friends always roll late – haha LAME. But we had gotten our drink on by then.. especially with the help of Matt’s White Dog.. one sip and I was done…. except.. I kept going…

White dog is what distillers call whiskey when it comes off the still, but before it goes into the barrel. It is, in other words, raw whiskey, without the mellow flavors and rich hue that the barrel brings. It is as clear as water and if it is destined for the barrel, as opposed to the bottle, is strong.

Source

country hams tasting  —



finville ham (finchville, ky)
broadbent ham (kuttawa, ky)
edward’s wigwam ham (surry, va)
Delicious!!! I don’t know which was which and they didn’t have the smoked ones – boo – but they were delish!

Goal: Corn + Sangria = Best Drunkenness…

Toro is one of those happening places that are still crazy busy late at night… and in Boston, that means it’s good stuff. We got there right before 9 and had to wait about an hour before we could eat. That means sitting at the bar and downing some bubbly before getting seated. We chitted and chatted and got hungrier and hungrier seeing and smelling all the great foods being passed around us.

It’s one thing for me to think a restaurant is delicious, but it’s another to have me want to go there over and over again. Toro is one of those places. I think I could come here once every week or two for the rest of my life and be sooo sooo happy. I know I wrote about this place pretty recent… but I had a craving for them the other night so made R go with me as soon as he set foot outside my house Friday night :]

Since I was soooo hungry and it was sooo late by then I just had one goal in mind… Corn + Sangria and  a drunkingly good time….

We started off with one of our favorites at Toro.

Uni Bocadillo

Pressed uni sandwich with miso butter and pickled mustard seeds
How could anything with uni be bad? Unless the uni is bad…. The creamy uni and miso butter… and then the crunchy pickled mustard seeds that add even more texture to it. NOT TO MENTION… perfect bread. PERFECTLY TOASTED BREAD!!! With sandwiches bread is SO key… you need perfect ratio of breads to innards and this is so perfect.

IRISH I WERE DRUNK…. Spanish for St Pattys Day…

What did you do for St Pattys Day?I headed into the city to celebrate with some friends :] After spending a long afternoon in the city – I had barely eaten and was absolutely FAMISHED, so I headed down to La Paella around St. Marks in the East Village for some Spanish tapas :]

Now before we begin I must apologize for one of the ugliest sets of photos I’ve ever taken – and this is all taking place in this post :]

Did I mention how famished I was? Completely lost count of how many dishes we ended up ordering… seriously…