I think just by looking at the title of this post that most of you can assume that Epicurean night is my idea of a good time. And that it was. Brian and I like to go to the race track near our house with our friends every once in a while to do some gambling. Last week it was Epicurean Night at the race track. Basically, lots of local restaurants came and brought samples of some of their menu items and distributed coupons as a way to advertise. You paid $15 for all you can eat food. And since you all know that I would pay $1500 for an all you can eat buffet, $15 was nothing.
To be honest, I don't remember everything that was at Epicurean night, and none of it was really gourmet, I just felt it would be wrong of me not to blog about an Epicurean Night, being a loyal foodie and all. So since I waited a week to post this blog because I have been so busy doing a whole lot of nothing, I will do my best to describe everything as best as possible. My favorite place was Tea for Two Tearoom. www.teafortwotearoom.net They were handing out samples of two different kinds of chicken salad, a quiche, and four different kinds of cake. FOUR!! Let's just say that the two ladies handing out the samples knew who I was by the end of the night. Don't act so surprised.
The first chicken salad had purple grapes and pecans in it. Now, I'm not really a purple grape person. I'm more of a green grape kind of girl. And don't try to tell me that there isn't a difference, because there definitely is. The chicken salad was delicious, but the crunchiness of the pecans and the sweetness of the grapes brought it to a whole other level. The other chicken salad was a jalapeno chicken salad. I'm also not a huge jalapeno fan, ( I know what you're thinking. How can I be a food critic if I don't like everything? But I can't help my taste buds! And the important thing is that I am still willing to try everything, so there!) but the flavor was very interesting and had a little kick to it. And like I have mentioned before, I like to see creativity.
Now to the important part, the cakes. There was a mandarin orange cake, a vanilla cake, a strawberry cake, and a coconut cake. The strawberry cake was out of this world. And I am not just saying this because I am an obsessed dessert freak that can out eat a rhinoceros. Everyone else agreed. First of all, it was bright pink, so it was just appealing to the eye. The cake was so moist and there was this luscious sweet tanginess of strawberries that just blew me away. There are no words to describe this cake. You just have to take my word and go try it yourself.
Another memorable restaurant was Hasta la Pasta. www.hastalapasta.com Now, I like Hasta la Pasta. A lot, actually. But they served some sort of beef with a piece of asparagus and lemon risotto. I thought I would like the lemon risotto because it was creative and all, but it was so lemony, for lack of a better word. There are only a few places that lemon should be served with: water (even though I strongly disagree with this), seafood, and pastries. Note to Hasta la Pasta: never pair lemon and risotto together.
BJ's brewery. www.bjsbrewhouse.com Many of you have probably frequented this chain restaurant known for its beers and pizza. Guess what they served? Caesar salad and a chicken pasta. Um, I think we all know what Caesar salad tastes like....Thanks BJ's...They did however make a comeback with free pizookie coupons. If you have never tried a pizookie, or worse, don't know what it is, you need to be removed from my blog Google group immediately. Just kidding, kind of. A pizookie is a cookie in a small pizza pan that is served fresh out of the oven with vanilla ice cream on top. It literally melts in your mouth. It's cooked just enough so you don't come down with salmonella, but still has the gooeyness that pairs perfectly with the melting of the ice cream. It comes in flavors like Ghiradelli chocolate, Oreo, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, and white chocolate macadamia nut. And yes, I have had them all. You can even get half of one kind of cookie and half of another. Or, they offer a jumbo pizookie that feeds about 15 people. Oh yes, go ahead and challenge me. Oh, and never, I repeat never, let someone convince you to share one. People will try and tell you they are big enough for two. But no, you need to be eating you're own. Okay, sorry about the rambling. You guys know how I can go on and on about dessert. I'm sure you have stopped listening (reading) by now like you're used to doing.
And in closing, I am trying to raise funds so that I can journey to Napa Valley and dine at The French Laundry, a very famous restaurant. www.frenchlaundry.com They offer a nine course tasting menu every night for only $240 a person! Yes, I am kidding, but not about the fact that I want to eat there. I understand that most, if not all, of you will never understand how I would ever be willing to spend that kind of money on a meal. But someday, somehow, I will find a way...
Friday, August 28, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monkey Bread
My friend Hayley told me a while back about Monkey Bread. Surprisingly, I had never heard of it, so of course I had to know what it was and when I could have it. We tried all summer to get together to make monkey bread and finally did. It was then that my life changed forever.
Isn't it weird when someone introduces something new to you that you have never heard of, and then within a week within learning that new something you all of a sudden hear about this thing you have never heard of at least 5 more times? That might not make sense when you read that, so here is an example. I had never heard of monkey bread until Hayley told me about it. That was at the beginning of the summer. Then, the rest of the summer i saw mixes for monkey bread everywhere, got sent a recipe for monkey bread in one of my daily recipe emails, and had other people mention monkey bread. What are the odds that after all this time of never knowing about monkey bread that all of a sudden monkey bread was everywhere? Get it? Okay, so on to the monkey bread. I have heard there are different ways to make monkey bread, but this one is just perfect.
Here's what you need: biscuits, melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Now, I don't have exact measurements for you, but I'm pretty sure if you are going to be eating monkey bread, you aren't exactly concerned with calories at the time, so I say just go with what looks good. You start off by cutting each uncooked biscuit into quarters. Then you dip each piece of biscuit into the melted butter, being sure to soak it completely. Finally, you should mix together cinnamon and sugar in a bowl until it looks like a good balance, and you dip each biscuit soaked in butter into the cinnamon sugar mixture until it is fully coated. You should put each coated piece of biscuit into a baking dish. Okay, this is why I am not a recipe writer. My directions are out of order, and I don't have measurements. My goal is to be a food critic, not a recipe writer, so bear with me. I'm 99% sure that this recipe is fool proof. Just go with your gut and make adjustments as you see fit. So, each biscuit piece should cover the bottom of a baking dish. I have been told not to make a second layer because it causes the pieces to be unevenly cooked, so if you are using more than one packet of biscuits or have too many, you can use another small pan, or put all the pieces into a larger dish. Once the bottom of the dish is covered, if you're not already wondering how in the world you will ever work off this wonderfulness, I suggest pouring the excess butter, cinnamon, and sugar over the top. It adds to the experience. Now, I am not sure what the oven should be set at, but 350 degrees always seems to be a safe bet. (And I'm losing my credibility by the millisecond....) Whenever we baked monkey bread, I asked how long, and was told to just kind of watch it, but approximately anywhere from 20-25 minutes. You want the biscuits to be cooked, but you still want everything to be a soft gooey mess, or at least I do. Some people may prefer to have no gooeyness. Tada!
Delicious, huh? Can you think of a better combination of ingredients? It's like a cinnamon roll without the icing, but it's so divine that you don't even need icing. (This coming from the girl, who usually just eats icing off cakes) I also recommend to not even bother with getting individual plates. Just grab a spoon/fork, and dig in. Also, you might as well finish all of it. Here's the way I see it. You have already ruined your diet for the day, so you might as well ruin it completely by finishing the stuff. You know you want to, and besides if you let it sit for later, it will just harden and not be nearly as delicious the next time you eat it. Just trust me on this. Carpe Diem!
Isn't it weird when someone introduces something new to you that you have never heard of, and then within a week within learning that new something you all of a sudden hear about this thing you have never heard of at least 5 more times? That might not make sense when you read that, so here is an example. I had never heard of monkey bread until Hayley told me about it. That was at the beginning of the summer. Then, the rest of the summer i saw mixes for monkey bread everywhere, got sent a recipe for monkey bread in one of my daily recipe emails, and had other people mention monkey bread. What are the odds that after all this time of never knowing about monkey bread that all of a sudden monkey bread was everywhere? Get it? Okay, so on to the monkey bread. I have heard there are different ways to make monkey bread, but this one is just perfect.
Here's what you need: biscuits, melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Now, I don't have exact measurements for you, but I'm pretty sure if you are going to be eating monkey bread, you aren't exactly concerned with calories at the time, so I say just go with what looks good. You start off by cutting each uncooked biscuit into quarters. Then you dip each piece of biscuit into the melted butter, being sure to soak it completely. Finally, you should mix together cinnamon and sugar in a bowl until it looks like a good balance, and you dip each biscuit soaked in butter into the cinnamon sugar mixture until it is fully coated. You should put each coated piece of biscuit into a baking dish. Okay, this is why I am not a recipe writer. My directions are out of order, and I don't have measurements. My goal is to be a food critic, not a recipe writer, so bear with me. I'm 99% sure that this recipe is fool proof. Just go with your gut and make adjustments as you see fit. So, each biscuit piece should cover the bottom of a baking dish. I have been told not to make a second layer because it causes the pieces to be unevenly cooked, so if you are using more than one packet of biscuits or have too many, you can use another small pan, or put all the pieces into a larger dish. Once the bottom of the dish is covered, if you're not already wondering how in the world you will ever work off this wonderfulness, I suggest pouring the excess butter, cinnamon, and sugar over the top. It adds to the experience. Now, I am not sure what the oven should be set at, but 350 degrees always seems to be a safe bet. (And I'm losing my credibility by the millisecond....) Whenever we baked monkey bread, I asked how long, and was told to just kind of watch it, but approximately anywhere from 20-25 minutes. You want the biscuits to be cooked, but you still want everything to be a soft gooey mess, or at least I do. Some people may prefer to have no gooeyness. Tada!
Delicious, huh? Can you think of a better combination of ingredients? It's like a cinnamon roll without the icing, but it's so divine that you don't even need icing. (This coming from the girl, who usually just eats icing off cakes) I also recommend to not even bother with getting individual plates. Just grab a spoon/fork, and dig in. Also, you might as well finish all of it. Here's the way I see it. You have already ruined your diet for the day, so you might as well ruin it completely by finishing the stuff. You know you want to, and besides if you let it sit for later, it will just harden and not be nearly as delicious the next time you eat it. Just trust me on this. Carpe Diem!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Amazing Desserts
Hello everyone. I promise I have not forgotten about you. I failed to mention that my other obsession in life is reading. I have been at home this past week and was trying to finish up some library books that needed to be returned in Houston, hence why I have not blogged in a few days. My sincere apologies.
So, I have had some pretty amazing food experiences since my last blog, and I probably should go in order that they occurred, but I just can't. There are two desserts that I had the other day that I have been dying to blog about. Ever since I started blogging, I have been paying careful attention to the flavors and textures of each and everything I eat. I have considered carrying a notebook around with me to take notes, but luckily my handy dandy phone has a notes section that I usually type key words to jog my memory of each dish. Lists of books that I want to read and movies that I want to see can also be found in the notes section of my phone. I know, weird, but it keeps me from forgetting!
Okay, enough small talk. On to the desserts. The place is Andre Thierry Tellier Cafe. http://www.cafeandpastryshop.com/ The restaurant's only flaw is that they are not open on Sundays. My mom and I were debating where to go eat breakfast on Sunday before I went back to school and of course we wanted to go to Andre's, and of course they weren't open. It's like Chick Fil A. The only time you get a craving for Chick Fil A is on a Sunday, and everyone knows Chick Fil A isn't open on Sundays. Such a buzzkill. (According to Urban Dictionary, buzzkills do not have to be related to alcohol: anything that takes the edge off your fluff, a downer, something that ruins your good mood)
First off, if you ever decide to eat here, you can get a side size portion or a lunch portion. The only difference between the two is $2 and the fact that you get any of their desserts or pastries included with the lunch size portion. So basically you are paying $2 for a piece of cake, which is unheard of. So of course my mom and I go with the lunch size portion. Our first dish was a white chocolate almond and praline cake. I don't think that's the actual name for it, but the waitress didn't seem to be sure of what the exact name was. Basically, there was a top layer of white chocolate that looked to be like cheesecake, but actually had a lighter and fluffier texture than cheesecake. Underneath that was the praline layer that seemed to be a wafer like cookie. And the bottom layer was a very thin white almond cake. The whole dessert was topped with white chocolate shavings. Okay, I know many of you have already stopped reading because of the white chocolate. White chocolate is typically a very rich ingredient and can sometimes be overbearing. Even I, the chocolate queen, will admit that white chocolate can sometimes be too rich, but trust me, it wasn't in this dish. It was the lightest flavor of white chocolate that I have ever tasted while still staying true to the white chocolate flavor. The fluffiness of the white chocolate mousse layer with the crispiness of the praline wafer and subtle almond cake flavor was a breathtaking experience. It was the most unique combination of flavors. This is the kind of dessert that I like to come across. Something you have never heard of before. The praline wafer layer in this cake was the icing on the cake, the bow on a gift, and the cherry on a sundae. (Okay, I made those last two up, but there are no words to describe how brilliant the praline layer brought the whole cake together).
Our second dessert was a raspberry and pistachio mousse cake. The top layer was a thin layer of raspberry, the middle layer was a thick layer of pistachio mousse, and the bottom layer was some sort of brown spongy cake. The cake was moist and had obviously been soaked in some sort of liquor. I didn't get a pistachio taste from the pistachio layer, but the raspberry layer was out of this world. It was a less sticky version of raspberry jam. My favorite thing about the raspberry layer was that it left you hanging with with the crunchiness of the seeds. The crunchiness of the raspberry seeds carried the dish. As far as flavor goes, I probably could have done without the cake, however, it had a lot to live up to with the white chocolate cake sitting right next to it. I loved and appreciated the creativity of the dish and the flavors, and perhaps had I not been so busy eating the white chocolate cake, would have more amazing things to say about this dish.
The moral of this story is that everyone needs to pay a visit to Andres'. You will be happy that you did.
So, I have had some pretty amazing food experiences since my last blog, and I probably should go in order that they occurred, but I just can't. There are two desserts that I had the other day that I have been dying to blog about. Ever since I started blogging, I have been paying careful attention to the flavors and textures of each and everything I eat. I have considered carrying a notebook around with me to take notes, but luckily my handy dandy phone has a notes section that I usually type key words to jog my memory of each dish. Lists of books that I want to read and movies that I want to see can also be found in the notes section of my phone. I know, weird, but it keeps me from forgetting!
Okay, enough small talk. On to the desserts. The place is Andre Thierry Tellier Cafe. http://www.cafeandpastryshop.com/ The restaurant's only flaw is that they are not open on Sundays. My mom and I were debating where to go eat breakfast on Sunday before I went back to school and of course we wanted to go to Andre's, and of course they weren't open. It's like Chick Fil A. The only time you get a craving for Chick Fil A is on a Sunday, and everyone knows Chick Fil A isn't open on Sundays. Such a buzzkill. (According to Urban Dictionary, buzzkills do not have to be related to alcohol: anything that takes the edge off your fluff, a downer, something that ruins your good mood)
First off, if you ever decide to eat here, you can get a side size portion or a lunch portion. The only difference between the two is $2 and the fact that you get any of their desserts or pastries included with the lunch size portion. So basically you are paying $2 for a piece of cake, which is unheard of. So of course my mom and I go with the lunch size portion. Our first dish was a white chocolate almond and praline cake. I don't think that's the actual name for it, but the waitress didn't seem to be sure of what the exact name was. Basically, there was a top layer of white chocolate that looked to be like cheesecake, but actually had a lighter and fluffier texture than cheesecake. Underneath that was the praline layer that seemed to be a wafer like cookie. And the bottom layer was a very thin white almond cake. The whole dessert was topped with white chocolate shavings. Okay, I know many of you have already stopped reading because of the white chocolate. White chocolate is typically a very rich ingredient and can sometimes be overbearing. Even I, the chocolate queen, will admit that white chocolate can sometimes be too rich, but trust me, it wasn't in this dish. It was the lightest flavor of white chocolate that I have ever tasted while still staying true to the white chocolate flavor. The fluffiness of the white chocolate mousse layer with the crispiness of the praline wafer and subtle almond cake flavor was a breathtaking experience. It was the most unique combination of flavors. This is the kind of dessert that I like to come across. Something you have never heard of before. The praline wafer layer in this cake was the icing on the cake, the bow on a gift, and the cherry on a sundae. (Okay, I made those last two up, but there are no words to describe how brilliant the praline layer brought the whole cake together).
Our second dessert was a raspberry and pistachio mousse cake. The top layer was a thin layer of raspberry, the middle layer was a thick layer of pistachio mousse, and the bottom layer was some sort of brown spongy cake. The cake was moist and had obviously been soaked in some sort of liquor. I didn't get a pistachio taste from the pistachio layer, but the raspberry layer was out of this world. It was a less sticky version of raspberry jam. My favorite thing about the raspberry layer was that it left you hanging with with the crunchiness of the seeds. The crunchiness of the raspberry seeds carried the dish. As far as flavor goes, I probably could have done without the cake, however, it had a lot to live up to with the white chocolate cake sitting right next to it. I loved and appreciated the creativity of the dish and the flavors, and perhaps had I not been so busy eating the white chocolate cake, would have more amazing things to say about this dish.
The moral of this story is that everyone needs to pay a visit to Andres'. You will be happy that you did.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Hot Brandy Cream Pie
1. I would like to apologize for the majority of my blogs being about dessert when this is supposed to be a food blog. I just eat lots of dessert, what can I say?
2. Someone needs to ban me from being able to go look at any food related website. It would really help my eating habits, but I guess then I wouldn't have much to blog about. I guess I just need to find a good balance...
3. I did it. I finally got to try the Hot Brandy Cream Pie from Boston's that I so desired after trying the mousse cake last time. It was so worth the wait.
My friend Mollie and I always use catching up as an excuse to eat dessert. Or maybe I just use it as an excuse and Mollie feels forced to abide. This is most likely the case. I should probably check on that. So anyway, we sit down and Mollie tells me that she is not really that hungry and that asks if we should just share a dessert. Now, I'm not one to share a dessert no matter how full I am, but I'm working on being a better person and trying to compromise more often, especially when it comes to food. However, compromising when it comes to food is just about the hardest thing in the world for me, so I respond that it doesn't really matter, when really inside I'm desperately screaming 'PLEASE ORDER YOUR OWN DESSERT.' If I think it but don't say it out loud that's progress, right? I don't know what it is. Even when I'm trying to be good and cut back on my dessert intake or if I have eaten a four course dessert, I have this phobia that if I share a dessert with someone the world is going to end, and I won't have enough left for myself. People have actually told me that when they share a dessert with me they feel like they are in a race. Of course I took this extremely personally, but in reality I know it's true. I just can't help it. Anytime my boyfriend tries to sample a small bite of my dessert, I nearly bite his head off. It's just a reaction for me, now. It's who I am. I nearly have panic attacks when I let people sample my dessert. It's a major character defect.
So, the waitress comes and I order the hot brandy cream pie, and Mollie kind of looks at me like 'Crap, should I order my own,' and I know she is worried that I will blow a fuse if she doesn't so she does what any good friend would do and orders her own cream pie. Phew. I breathe a sigh of relief. When the waitress brings our desserts out, we realize they are huge. I silently almost wish we would have just split one. Not because I can't finish it, (Ha, yeah right), but because I am trying to cut back (I'm sure you can tell from my blogging). I look at her as if I know that I am a bad friend and make some lame joke like, "man, I guess we could have shared this." She tells me she is mad at me for letting both of us order our own, since she wasn't even hungry in the first place. I tell her that she will thank me once she takes a bite. And boy was I right.
Heaven. I'm actually not a huge Boston cream pie, so I'm not really sure why I was dying to try this version of it (must have something to do with my OCD to try all new things). However, this far exceeded any expectations I had.
"Our signature Boston Cream Pie smothered in brandy butter, drizzled with chocolate sauce and baked to perfection."
When I originally read the description, I was expecting it to have a taste of alcohol to it, but in fact, it didn't. The brandy butter made the cake so incredibly moist. Whenever I took a forkful of cake, it was moist and had this thin layer of butter that just melted into the moistness of the cake. The richness of the cream paired with the moistness of the cake was the perfect mouthwatering incorporation of texture and flavor. Dip the piece in some chocolate sauce, and you have a match made in heaven. There really is nothing like it, and it takes Boston cream pie to a whole other level. And in case you were wondering, Mollie told me that I was right and thanked me afterwards...
2. Someone needs to ban me from being able to go look at any food related website. It would really help my eating habits, but I guess then I wouldn't have much to blog about. I guess I just need to find a good balance...
3. I did it. I finally got to try the Hot Brandy Cream Pie from Boston's that I so desired after trying the mousse cake last time. It was so worth the wait.
My friend Mollie and I always use catching up as an excuse to eat dessert. Or maybe I just use it as an excuse and Mollie feels forced to abide. This is most likely the case. I should probably check on that. So anyway, we sit down and Mollie tells me that she is not really that hungry and that asks if we should just share a dessert. Now, I'm not one to share a dessert no matter how full I am, but I'm working on being a better person and trying to compromise more often, especially when it comes to food. However, compromising when it comes to food is just about the hardest thing in the world for me, so I respond that it doesn't really matter, when really inside I'm desperately screaming 'PLEASE ORDER YOUR OWN DESSERT.' If I think it but don't say it out loud that's progress, right? I don't know what it is. Even when I'm trying to be good and cut back on my dessert intake or if I have eaten a four course dessert, I have this phobia that if I share a dessert with someone the world is going to end, and I won't have enough left for myself. People have actually told me that when they share a dessert with me they feel like they are in a race. Of course I took this extremely personally, but in reality I know it's true. I just can't help it. Anytime my boyfriend tries to sample a small bite of my dessert, I nearly bite his head off. It's just a reaction for me, now. It's who I am. I nearly have panic attacks when I let people sample my dessert. It's a major character defect.
So, the waitress comes and I order the hot brandy cream pie, and Mollie kind of looks at me like 'Crap, should I order my own,' and I know she is worried that I will blow a fuse if she doesn't so she does what any good friend would do and orders her own cream pie. Phew. I breathe a sigh of relief. When the waitress brings our desserts out, we realize they are huge. I silently almost wish we would have just split one. Not because I can't finish it, (Ha, yeah right), but because I am trying to cut back (I'm sure you can tell from my blogging). I look at her as if I know that I am a bad friend and make some lame joke like, "man, I guess we could have shared this." She tells me she is mad at me for letting both of us order our own, since she wasn't even hungry in the first place. I tell her that she will thank me once she takes a bite. And boy was I right.
Heaven. I'm actually not a huge Boston cream pie, so I'm not really sure why I was dying to try this version of it (must have something to do with my OCD to try all new things). However, this far exceeded any expectations I had.
"Our signature Boston Cream Pie smothered in brandy butter, drizzled with chocolate sauce and baked to perfection."
When I originally read the description, I was expecting it to have a taste of alcohol to it, but in fact, it didn't. The brandy butter made the cake so incredibly moist. Whenever I took a forkful of cake, it was moist and had this thin layer of butter that just melted into the moistness of the cake. The richness of the cream paired with the moistness of the cake was the perfect mouthwatering incorporation of texture and flavor. Dip the piece in some chocolate sauce, and you have a match made in heaven. There really is nothing like it, and it takes Boston cream pie to a whole other level. And in case you were wondering, Mollie told me that I was right and thanked me afterwards...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Crispy French Toast
I'm sad to say that there isn't anything too exciting to say about the rest of our meals. The boys had to have pizza on our last night, and I tried not to throw a fit about the fact that we were eating something we could eat any other time on our last night. But to make up for it, I did have an amazing breakfast on our last day...after somewhat of a fiasco.
My boyfriend woke me up at 5:00 AM Saturday morning and told me that while he was trying to change our seat arrangements for our flight that day, he discovered that my boarding pass said that my plane departed Friday afternoon. AKA I was supposed to already be back in Houston. Somehow, I had booked my ticket wrong and had booked my departure for a day earlier than I was supposed to. (Not too sure how this happened, considering I was the first one to book the trip.) I then called Continental and told them about my issue, and they informed me that according to their records my ticket had been used and that there was nothing they could do for me over the phone. I had to go to the airport myself. So, at 5:30 in the morning we headed to the airport, told the staff of my situation, waited an hour, paid an extra $150 for a flight change, and two $20 cab fares to and from the airport and were back at the hotel at 7:00 AM. Phew. Needless to say, I was in need of a very fulfilling breakfast to wash away my sorrows. Crunchy French Toast.
I had been debating getting this all week but wasn't sure how I felt about paying $17 for french toast, but finally decided that desperate times call for desperate measures. Plus, it was whole wheat bread, with light syrup, and fruit. Totally worth it. Carb friendly and everything. Well, the french toast turned out to be amazing. There were four pieces and every bit of the toast was coated with corn flakes. It wasn't exactly crispy after I drenched it in syrup, but it was still incredible. The dish came with strawberries and bananas as well. Imagine the sweetness of syrup with the crunch of corn flakes paired with a slight sugary tasted from the powdered sugar with a tangy strawberry slice. It was the perfect fusion of flavors. Not only did it taste good, but the colors from the fruit next to the textured textured look of the toast were absolutely beautiful. It was so pretty I didn't want to eat it. I recommend finding a way to make it at home.
Cab Fare $40
Additional Air Fare Cost $150
Crispy French Toast $17
The pure bliss after eating crispy french toast PRICELESS
My boyfriend woke me up at 5:00 AM Saturday morning and told me that while he was trying to change our seat arrangements for our flight that day, he discovered that my boarding pass said that my plane departed Friday afternoon. AKA I was supposed to already be back in Houston. Somehow, I had booked my ticket wrong and had booked my departure for a day earlier than I was supposed to. (Not too sure how this happened, considering I was the first one to book the trip.) I then called Continental and told them about my issue, and they informed me that according to their records my ticket had been used and that there was nothing they could do for me over the phone. I had to go to the airport myself. So, at 5:30 in the morning we headed to the airport, told the staff of my situation, waited an hour, paid an extra $150 for a flight change, and two $20 cab fares to and from the airport and were back at the hotel at 7:00 AM. Phew. Needless to say, I was in need of a very fulfilling breakfast to wash away my sorrows. Crunchy French Toast.
I had been debating getting this all week but wasn't sure how I felt about paying $17 for french toast, but finally decided that desperate times call for desperate measures. Plus, it was whole wheat bread, with light syrup, and fruit. Totally worth it. Carb friendly and everything. Well, the french toast turned out to be amazing. There were four pieces and every bit of the toast was coated with corn flakes. It wasn't exactly crispy after I drenched it in syrup, but it was still incredible. The dish came with strawberries and bananas as well. Imagine the sweetness of syrup with the crunch of corn flakes paired with a slight sugary tasted from the powdered sugar with a tangy strawberry slice. It was the perfect fusion of flavors. Not only did it taste good, but the colors from the fruit next to the textured textured look of the toast were absolutely beautiful. It was so pretty I didn't want to eat it. I recommend finding a way to make it at home.
Cab Fare $40
Additional Air Fare Cost $150
Crispy French Toast $17
The pure bliss after eating crispy french toast PRICELESS
Monday, August 17, 2009
Puerto Rico Day Two
I always try to start my day with a healthy breakfast because for some reason I feel like it justifies anything else I eat the rest of the day. Makes perfect sense, right? In our hotel was a little coffee shop that sold sandwiches, pastries, and such where I would get my breakfast. I started my second day in Puerto Rico with two small boxes of Raisin Bran, some milk, and a banana, but of course had to check out the pastries. I decided that I was on vacation and should eat like I was. So, in addition to my already filling breakfast, I decided to get a quesito. A quesito is a Puerto Rican pastry that is basically just sweet pastry dough with a cream cheese filling. Yeah, eat your heart out. Literally. It was amazing. It had the sweetness of a croissant combined with the richness of cream cheese. The cream cheese filling was perfect. It wasn't overflowing out of the pastry. It was simply a very thin layer that seemed to have just been lightly brushed on. It was the perfect combination of flavors. So much for my healthy breakfast....
That day, we went on an all day snorkeling trip, which was amazing. The trip included transportation, so after we had been dropped off at the hotel, I immediately panicked and searched through my bag of stuff that I had brought and realized that I had left my wristlet (a purse that hangs on your wrist) on the van that had dropped us off. And of course it contained all my cash, my credit card, and my drivers license. (By the way, I promise this is headed in a food related direction) So of course, I had to go through all the phone calls and drama of worrying if I was ever going to get it back. I was waiting on a phone call from the company to let me know if they had been able to get ahold of the driver, so we decided to go into Old San Juan and have dinner in the meantime. And what happens? I, of course, get a phone call telling me to meet outside the hotel promptly at 8:30 in order to get my wristlet back. Perfect. Except not so perfect. 8:30 PM, not AM. It was 7:00 at the time and the ride to and our hotel to Old San Juan takes about fifteen minutes. This should be interesting...
The Parrot Club. http://www.oofrestaurants.com/ The atmosphere and food were wonderful, but be sure to bring a flashlight if you ever go. Trust me, you will need one in order to read your menu. The restaurant was extremely dark. We started off with white corn fritters with a queso dip. The combination of the two literally tasted like macaroni and cheese, and not the cheap EZ Mac kind. For our entrees we got a bbq'd chicken breast with mofongo, red snapper with with crab guiso and yuca gratinada, a pumpkin flavored gnocchi with black beans, and a special chicken fried steak. The dish I ordered was the pumpkin flavored gnocchi. It was delicious, but rich. So rich, in fact, that I wasn't able to finish it. The gnocchi had perfect texture and blended well with the black beans and the crispiness of the greens. (I don't remember what kind of greens they exactly were..I know I know) The pumpkin flavor was the icing on the cake. It was subtle enough as to not be too overwhelming but finished the dish with a perfect sweetness of flavors. Everything about my dish was amazing. Until I threw it all up later that night....Nothing is better than waking up in the middle of the night with an awful stomach ache and throwing up pumpkin flavored gnocchi...The boys are convinced the reason I threw up is because of what happened in the next part of the story.
At dinner we were obviously in a hurry since I had to make it back to the hotel by 8:30 in order to get my wristlet from the driver. We were rushing our waiter through the meal, and I eventually asked if I could just get my dessert to go. He insisted that it was ready, so I patiently waited. He brought it to our table at 8:15, and I kid you not, I inhaled my dulce de leche brownie. It actually came with two brownies. I scarfed down the first one and a half brownie, grabbed the other half and ran out the door to grab a taxi. Now that's dedication. The boys think that because I finished an entire two brownies in approximately 60 seconds that this caused me to throw up later on that night. The world will never know..... Now this dulce de leche brownie was pretty darn good. The texture was not that of your typical brownie. It wasn't soft and moist and didn't crumble when held, but was almost hard, but not in an "unfresh" kind of way. That doesn't sound particularly appetizing, but it actually worked well. The brownie tasted like the shortbread cookies that Girl Scouts sell, just in a brownie version. And everyone loves a good shortbread cookie. And as a perfect ending to a perfect meal, we made it to the hotel in time, and I got my wristlet back, money and all. Now why couldn't I have just not left my wristlet on the bus. Then I would have been able to order at least one more dessert. Guess it just goes to show you can't have your cake (brownie) and eat it too.....
That day, we went on an all day snorkeling trip, which was amazing. The trip included transportation, so after we had been dropped off at the hotel, I immediately panicked and searched through my bag of stuff that I had brought and realized that I had left my wristlet (a purse that hangs on your wrist) on the van that had dropped us off. And of course it contained all my cash, my credit card, and my drivers license. (By the way, I promise this is headed in a food related direction) So of course, I had to go through all the phone calls and drama of worrying if I was ever going to get it back. I was waiting on a phone call from the company to let me know if they had been able to get ahold of the driver, so we decided to go into Old San Juan and have dinner in the meantime. And what happens? I, of course, get a phone call telling me to meet outside the hotel promptly at 8:30 in order to get my wristlet back. Perfect. Except not so perfect. 8:30 PM, not AM. It was 7:00 at the time and the ride to and our hotel to Old San Juan takes about fifteen minutes. This should be interesting...
The Parrot Club. http://www.oofrestaurants.com/ The atmosphere and food were wonderful, but be sure to bring a flashlight if you ever go. Trust me, you will need one in order to read your menu. The restaurant was extremely dark. We started off with white corn fritters with a queso dip. The combination of the two literally tasted like macaroni and cheese, and not the cheap EZ Mac kind. For our entrees we got a bbq'd chicken breast with mofongo, red snapper with with crab guiso and yuca gratinada, a pumpkin flavored gnocchi with black beans, and a special chicken fried steak. The dish I ordered was the pumpkin flavored gnocchi. It was delicious, but rich. So rich, in fact, that I wasn't able to finish it. The gnocchi had perfect texture and blended well with the black beans and the crispiness of the greens. (I don't remember what kind of greens they exactly were..I know I know) The pumpkin flavor was the icing on the cake. It was subtle enough as to not be too overwhelming but finished the dish with a perfect sweetness of flavors. Everything about my dish was amazing. Until I threw it all up later that night....Nothing is better than waking up in the middle of the night with an awful stomach ache and throwing up pumpkin flavored gnocchi...The boys are convinced the reason I threw up is because of what happened in the next part of the story.
At dinner we were obviously in a hurry since I had to make it back to the hotel by 8:30 in order to get my wristlet from the driver. We were rushing our waiter through the meal, and I eventually asked if I could just get my dessert to go. He insisted that it was ready, so I patiently waited. He brought it to our table at 8:15, and I kid you not, I inhaled my dulce de leche brownie. It actually came with two brownies. I scarfed down the first one and a half brownie, grabbed the other half and ran out the door to grab a taxi. Now that's dedication. The boys think that because I finished an entire two brownies in approximately 60 seconds that this caused me to throw up later on that night. The world will never know..... Now this dulce de leche brownie was pretty darn good. The texture was not that of your typical brownie. It wasn't soft and moist and didn't crumble when held, but was almost hard, but not in an "unfresh" kind of way. That doesn't sound particularly appetizing, but it actually worked well. The brownie tasted like the shortbread cookies that Girl Scouts sell, just in a brownie version. And everyone loves a good shortbread cookie. And as a perfect ending to a perfect meal, we made it to the hotel in time, and I got my wristlet back, money and all. Now why couldn't I have just not left my wristlet on the bus. Then I would have been able to order at least one more dessert. Guess it just goes to show you can't have your cake (brownie) and eat it too.....
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Puerto Rico
Hola! I am officially back from Puerto Rico. I know my many followers have missed my many blogs, but not to worry, I am back with many stories to tell! Instead of writing one extremely long blog about all the meals from Puerto Rico, I decided to break it up into separate blogs.
So we started our trip with a lovely meal of turkey dogs, salad, carrots, and a cookies n cream brownie on the airplane. Does anyone even know what a turkey dog is?? I still don't know what it is, and I ate one less than a week ago. It basically looked like a thicker version of a hot dog and was wrapped in bread. I am not a huge hot dog fan to begin with, but I decided to give it a go. There is nothing more frightening and gross than taking that first bite into a hot dog, or I'm sorry, turkey dog. It's such a weird looking specimen that you just can't help but be hesitant. It ended up being pretty good, considering. The turkey dog itself tasted similar to a regular hot dog, and the bread surrounding it tasted like pure soft dough. It was delish, to say the least. After a few bites, I couldn't get over the fact that I was eating a turkey dog, and had to put it down. After finishing off the rest of the bread part of course. As for the carrots and salad I'm sure you can take a wild guess and decide for yourself what those tasted like. And finally, to finish it all off we had a small 150 calorie cookies n cream brownie. It wasn't the best brownie I have ever had, but it definitely wasn't bad. It was harder than a normal brownie is, but had huge Oreo chunks in it. I prefer my desserts to be a little bit larger, but what can you do? I even saved the top part of the wrapper from the brownie so that all you foodies out there would know what brand it is and everything.
As a side note: I used this small wrapper for the remainder of my trip as a bookmark for The Time Traveller's Wife. I must say, it was somewhat challenging making sure it didn't blow away while laying on the beach with the wind blowing everywhere. I was sitting at breakfast by myself the last morning of our trip, reading my book as I waited, and when my waiter came over to bring me out my delicious meal, (more on that later) I grabbed the small wrapper from the table and stuck it in my book. Needless to say, she looked at me like I was crazy. Only someone like me would use a brownie wrapper as a bookmark.
Anyways, the name of the brand is Love and Quiches Desserts. I'm sure it's some brand that only sells to airlines, but good luck anyways!
And now to our first night in Puerto Rico! Well first of all, it poured the whole entire night. It was awful. I was convinced that our trip was going to be horrible and ruined. We took a taxi from our hotel and got dropped off in Old San Juan, which by the way, is beautiful. We had no idea where we would end up, but figured we would just walk around until something looked appealing. And then it starts to monsoon. Literally. We had to hide under a covered building until it stopped. Which it didn't, so we ended up making a run for it to a bar across the street. The boys (my boyfriend and his two friends) decided to have a beer while we waited for the rain to stop. I decided to chat up people at the bar to find out where we could find some good old Puerto Rican food. A guy happened to tell me of this amazing place called Genesis. He said his girlfriend worked there and they had the best authentic Puerto Rican cuisine and assured me he wasn't just telling me that because his girlfriend worked there. This should have been a big red flag.
We left the bar after it stopped raining, only for it to start pouring again. We found Genesis and were excited for our taste buds to take an adventure. The menu itself was very disappointing. I, being the food obsessed freak that I am, remembered running past a restaurant on our way to Genesis that looked really crowded. I told the boys I would take one for the team and run through the pouring rain just to go check out the menu. And she's off! I ran as fast as I could in my oh so sturdy sandals through the rain to the restaurant to see if the menu was any better than Genesis. People were looking at me like I was a mad woman. No, I am not a mad woman. Just a very dedicated and obsessed foodie. I ran underneath an umbrella where a huge group of people were waiting outside the restaurant. I found out that there was a twenty minute wait for the restaurant, so I ran back to Genesis stood in the doorway dripping and stared ahead. I tried.
So we started our trip with a lovely meal of turkey dogs, salad, carrots, and a cookies n cream brownie on the airplane. Does anyone even know what a turkey dog is?? I still don't know what it is, and I ate one less than a week ago. It basically looked like a thicker version of a hot dog and was wrapped in bread. I am not a huge hot dog fan to begin with, but I decided to give it a go. There is nothing more frightening and gross than taking that first bite into a hot dog, or I'm sorry, turkey dog. It's such a weird looking specimen that you just can't help but be hesitant. It ended up being pretty good, considering. The turkey dog itself tasted similar to a regular hot dog, and the bread surrounding it tasted like pure soft dough. It was delish, to say the least. After a few bites, I couldn't get over the fact that I was eating a turkey dog, and had to put it down. After finishing off the rest of the bread part of course. As for the carrots and salad I'm sure you can take a wild guess and decide for yourself what those tasted like. And finally, to finish it all off we had a small 150 calorie cookies n cream brownie. It wasn't the best brownie I have ever had, but it definitely wasn't bad. It was harder than a normal brownie is, but had huge Oreo chunks in it. I prefer my desserts to be a little bit larger, but what can you do? I even saved the top part of the wrapper from the brownie so that all you foodies out there would know what brand it is and everything.
As a side note: I used this small wrapper for the remainder of my trip as a bookmark for The Time Traveller's Wife. I must say, it was somewhat challenging making sure it didn't blow away while laying on the beach with the wind blowing everywhere. I was sitting at breakfast by myself the last morning of our trip, reading my book as I waited, and when my waiter came over to bring me out my delicious meal, (more on that later) I grabbed the small wrapper from the table and stuck it in my book. Needless to say, she looked at me like I was crazy. Only someone like me would use a brownie wrapper as a bookmark.
Anyways, the name of the brand is Love and Quiches Desserts. I'm sure it's some brand that only sells to airlines, but good luck anyways!
And now to our first night in Puerto Rico! Well first of all, it poured the whole entire night. It was awful. I was convinced that our trip was going to be horrible and ruined. We took a taxi from our hotel and got dropped off in Old San Juan, which by the way, is beautiful. We had no idea where we would end up, but figured we would just walk around until something looked appealing. And then it starts to monsoon. Literally. We had to hide under a covered building until it stopped. Which it didn't, so we ended up making a run for it to a bar across the street. The boys (my boyfriend and his two friends) decided to have a beer while we waited for the rain to stop. I decided to chat up people at the bar to find out where we could find some good old Puerto Rican food. A guy happened to tell me of this amazing place called Genesis. He said his girlfriend worked there and they had the best authentic Puerto Rican cuisine and assured me he wasn't just telling me that because his girlfriend worked there. This should have been a big red flag.
We left the bar after it stopped raining, only for it to start pouring again. We found Genesis and were excited for our taste buds to take an adventure. The menu itself was very disappointing. I, being the food obsessed freak that I am, remembered running past a restaurant on our way to Genesis that looked really crowded. I told the boys I would take one for the team and run through the pouring rain just to go check out the menu. And she's off! I ran as fast as I could in my oh so sturdy sandals through the rain to the restaurant to see if the menu was any better than Genesis. People were looking at me like I was a mad woman. No, I am not a mad woman. Just a very dedicated and obsessed foodie. I ran underneath an umbrella where a huge group of people were waiting outside the restaurant. I found out that there was a twenty minute wait for the restaurant, so I ran back to Genesis stood in the doorway dripping and stared ahead. I tried.
We all ordered the same thing. Stuffed chicken with sweet plantains with rice and beans. Sounds good right? Wrong. Terribly terribly wrong. First of all, I took a picture of my meal, and the chicken and rice blended in with the plate.
There is something wrong with that picture. (Ha ha, get it?) The first bite was actually decent, but I think it was because we were so hungry. The plantains were sweet as they should be and blended well with whatever sauce was covering the chicken, but if you ended up with a bite of just chicken, it was so dry. Nothing is worse than dry tasteless chicken. I am not a huge fan of white rice, but will eat it, but it was completely undercooked. The beans were decent except it was more like bean liquid than beans. I literally ended up drinking them. The salads we were served were shredded lettuce. I am not exaggerating. There was nothing else. We were given bottles of olive oil and vinegar. Thanks, but if I wanted olive oil and vinegar I could have just gone to Subway. (Puerto Rico actually did have Subways. Very Americanized, which obviously makes sense, but shocked me) I then asked what sort of dessert Puerto Rico was known for. Flan. Of course it is. I hate flan. The texture itself is just disgusting. Lucky for me there was a Haagen Dazs store right across the street from our hotel.
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