“…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

Tapas at Solea

Tapas? Tapas yes! How can you ever say no to Tapas?!.. Nothing like some Spanish Tapas.. and while I usually go to Toro for it… Solea is closer.  Since I’m so behind in posts I’m gonna be doing a lot of just plain picture posts with minimal writing….

I got some Red Sangria with some bubbbbbbbly in it… !!!
Sangria Royal, Red Sangria with Cava and Gran Marnier
a

Bread and Hummus

Always a good pair.

Pulpo a Feria, Galician Style Octopus with Paprika and Olive Oil
This is a cold dish.. the octopus is tender but I thought that there was just way too much.

Gambas al Ajillo, Sizzling Garlic Shrimp

Pimiento de Piquillo, Shrimp and Crab Stuffed Piquillo Peppers
This was alright.  I’ve had better in other places…

Chorizo a la Plancha, Seared Spanish Sausage

Pato Braseado, Roasted Duck with Berry Sauce

This shall always be my favorite dish to get when I get tapas. DUCK IS THE THING TO GET!

Almejas a la Marinera, Steamed Littleneck Clams with White Wine and Herb Sauce

Vieiras al Azafrán, Scallops in Saffron Cream

I’m not too big on cream sauces so I only had one.  There’s something about my palate I can taste everything but saffron. Weird.

Solomillo con Chimichurri, Beef Tenderloin with Spicy Herb Sauce

The beef was tender but by the time we got this we were so full of everything else….

Setas al Ajillo, Sautéed Wild Mushrooms

Codorniz, Braised Quail with Lentils

Almendras Marconas, Roasted Marcona Almonds

Churros con Chocolate, Cinnamon-laced Fritters with Dark Chocolate Sauce

Flan, Coconut Flan

Everything was delicious but it was super filling for just three people.

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

Cut Off – Only in Bumf*ckville

The day started like any other. Off to meetings, feeling like a cool kid with my hedgehog sweater…

I’m so cool it HURTS!

A venti ice black coffee + Turkey & Swiss sammy from Starbucks for lunch.. a quickie one.. I had to run some errands for my mom, do some grocery shopping…… and then MORE meetings and work… *sigh*

Around 3 I was starving again so I warmed up a bowl of corn, egg and scallion soup from the other night – TONS of white pepper of course :] MMMMMM spicy and hot and burns so good going down.

CORN POOP!

It started snowing around noonish so apparently this meant “storm” but it’s only considered a storm since this year was severely lacking IN snow. Sigh. This was NOTHING.

Work work work, I need a break.  Thankfully M saved me from Bumf*ckville…

We’re on a mission….. and I love missions.  M headed over to pick me up for oysters and bubbles, again, and this time we were on a mission to Legals.  A dozen Raw Oysters and a bottle of Champagne ordered….

We also got a plate of Mussels in a creamy white wine sauce, super garlicky, and of course, my favorite, a bucket of Steamers.  As we finished up out bottle of bubbles we ordered another bottle and was about to order crab cakes and a few entrees, we were told we were cut off. One bottle an hour. Wait what?  We’ve been there for almost 2.  So the manager comes over and stutters and mutters and doesn’t know what he’s saying. Back and forth from one glass per person per hour to two, and then back to no more bottles and if we got another glass of wine we were done for the night. Seriously?! All we had was our appetizers and we were cut off and told to drink water. NOT happy. So we got the check and left. At least they comped our steamers….

Manager said it was Framingham laws but I’ve never gotten cut off anywhere BUT here in the area. SO lame.

Next stop?  It wasn’t even 8 yet and we were already cut off.  We were gonna head to British Beer but then decided on Met Bar since I needed their Hummus.

We ordered a glass of white wine each…. and started to dig in….

They even gave us another basket of fluffy hot pita bread – SO good.. we also got Met Fries with Truffle Mayo and Aioli, Spicy Calamari, Guacamole and Chips, a pitcher of Sangria [too sweet and tasted just like watered down juice] and Korean BBQ Chicken Tacos…

Pretty but not tasty.  SO not KOREAN.  Or very taco like either. Or BBQ… there was something WAY too sweet in it.. almost floral and fruity, weird, not a fan.   The wraps/shells were meh.  They closed the kitchen at 9 and last call for drinks was at 930. SERIOUSLY?! At least they left us with some harsh cocktails during alcohol last call.. UGH, closing early?!?! On a Wednesday night?!?!  All cause of the nonexistent snowstorm going on…. it was literally just a light slush.  No bueno.

CUT OFF AGAIN!

We ended up at a Cigar bar near my house that actually stays open til midnight on the weekdays.  “Now you have a good place to come to in Bumf*ckville” :] Some good booze, think scotch and in a very chill environment we chatted and watched fights on the teevee. CAULIFLOWER EARS *ew* hahahaha…. but yes, midnight rolled around and once again. CUT OFF :[

The night ended with me running around in the snow outside my house.. foot prints everywhere HAHAHAHA….

I’m weird :]

A Beautiful Sunday…. Brunch at @ToroRestaurant

Yesterday was a beautiful and sunny day – I knew I had a great day of good eats and great company ahead of me. I woke up early and drove into town. It’s time for Brunch AND AT Toro!!!! Now you guys know that I eat there all the time but I’ve never been there for brunch… why?!…I have no idea.

LOOK AT ALL THAT BEAUTIFUL LIGHTING!!!!! ahhh food pornologist like me’s dream come true!!!

Why am I drinking my mimosa like a squirrel? Hahaha… I may have had more than one :] Empty stomach loop de loop. I was SOOO hungry…

SO much to choose from, I kept having to ask our waitress to come back – UGH I’m SO indecisive sometime.  And I want it all… Yay!!! W visiting :] And even tho the last time we all came here the last time he was in Boston, yes, the food is THAT good!

Grilled Avocado

SOOOO GOOD! A light salsa verde in the hole, a little queso MMMMM….. pickled red onions *breaths onion breath on you* DELICIOUS! Never had grilled avocado before, I need to try preparing it like this at home.. too bad I’m too lazy.

See in the background? W added Hummus on at the end of what we wanted, last minute and it was SOOOO GOOD :] Argon oil, za’atar and fresh Chickpeas.. sooo creamy and great spices MMM.. loved it!! Fluffy soft bread!

Our eggy breakfasts.. and then some.. NOM NOM NOM.. W was a good boy and just had tea :] Yeah and me squirreling my mimosas.. hahaha…

I got the Huevos con Chorizo

Scrambled Eggs with Housemade Chorizo, Patatas and Sourdough Toast

Soft fluffy eggs.. which I sprinkled with black pepper and sriracha.. and DELICIOUS chorizo that almost sort of reminded me of my favorite chinese sausages.. they popped when you bit into them and were just fluffs of meaty happiness inside. See that butter on the toast. MMM.. butter…

W’s Pork Hash

Eggs over Easy, Patatas and Sourdough Toast

The pork hash was super creamy, not the hash I’m usually used to where you can feel the shredded potato. Maybe it was my bite, but it was CREAMY! Hahaha… great flavors.  And yes more buttery toast!  Maybe that’s why we both got full so fast, so much bread…

Asada de Huesos

Roasted Bone Marrow with Radish Citrus Salad and Oxtail Marmalade

Yep, even after eating pounds of bone marrow the night before…. We got more bone marrow :] Since W is a chef he eats it all the time mwahahaha so I got to eat it allllll :] And as always, LOVE the delicious oxtail on the crostini… MMMM – all together now MUNCH!

And then another last minute order before the kitchen closed…

Maiz Asado con Alioli y Queso Cotija

La Especialidad de la Casa.  Grilled Corn with Alioil, Lime, Espelette Pepper and Aged Cheese

YES! A MUST-HAVE every single time at Toro…amongst other things.  But yes, even for brunch :] JUST LOOK AT IT!!! I can smell it already… taste it.. the creamy outside, the pops of the kernals, crunch crunch, SOOO FREAKING DELICIOUS.

We ended brunch with something sweet :] OF COURSE.. we were gonna get a cheese plate as well but we were stuffed beyond belief. ALWAYS ROOM FOR SWEETS THOUGH!!!!

Churros con ChocolateAiry Crisp Fried Pastry with Orange Infused Chocolate

MMMMMM….. I love churros. They’ll always remind me of Disneyland as a little kid.  The chocolate just ups it up a notch and makes it seem a bit more sophisticated… amazing and fresh! So delicious :] I am a happy little Tiffie…. *bounce

Anguilla // Day Two

I started the day [just like every other morning for the rest of the week] with our complimentary breakfast sent to our private terrace…

Coconut Crusted Brioche French Toast / Brown Sugar Glazed Bananas

This came with a side of caramel [which was fun to dip our bacon into] this was really quite tasty… I would’ve loved more bananas and coconut shavings on it :]

Apple Wood Smoked Chicken Hash / Poached Farm Eggs, Creole Potatoes, Chive Glacage

feels good eating well…

The other day, bf and I went to…. *cue music* uncommon ground. (land of “the best chai latte ever” :] according to bf… i must agree, they are tasty!!!)

• Uncommon Ground is committed to purchasing seasonal, locally produced food for our menu whenever possible. Over the years we have developed many relationships with the farmers that we buy from. We make an effort to visit farms on a regular basis and we bring staff along to educate them as well.
• We consciously prefer to spend our food dollars with the families who are committed to growing produce and raising livestock in a humane, sustainable, environmentally responsible manner.
• Management and staff at uncommon ground are encouraged to find ways to reduce consumption and waste, and find products that are environmentally friendly.
• All of our paper towels and toilet paper come from recycled paper.
• We use unbleached paper products and items that are biodegradable from Natureworks, LLC and Bio-Pak.
• We have switched all of our cleaning supplies to be more Eco-friendly, using products from Eco-Lab and Schultz Supply Company.

I’ve talked about eating brunch here before :] But boyfriend had never eaten dinner here and we wanted to check out the little farmer’s market they have there on Fridays :] Read more facts about their garden and how green they are here…

Watermelon Agua Fresca *YUM* Tastes like candy….

it used to be “Big Buns & Pita” (all this food lately IS making MY buns big ;])

…but now it’s Sahara Kabob.

I’m sorry but the former name is so much more badussy (in the words of Onch ;])

BUT THE WEBSITE is still: www.bigbunsandpita.com :D woot!

So I like Greek/Med food but it’s been awhile… I used to eat it all the time when I worked at Directory M since a ton of my coworkers were from that region… and there was an amazing Med place right by work… but I’m lame and always got the Chicken Shwarma.. (so loves it) since it came with amazing rice with tiny pieces of noodles, the sauce.. and just delicious chicken. I’ve had a falafel ONCE in my life and it was there and I wasn’t impressed.. it made me hesitant to ever eat it again.. until now…

Boyfriend LOVES this place.. and I trust him. So I go along with it. He used to come here all the time.. trekking thru rain and snow… and he has good stories about the place and people there. So I enjoy listening as we walk and eat there :]

To start… we had the Baba Ghanouj, Boorek, & Medames, as appetizers…. I LOVE the rice with sweet carrots and raisins that the dishes come with. YUM! They also give you soup or salad (we got the delicious lentil soup) and pickled jalapeno, beets, onions, etc… to munch on… and of course pita!!!