Charm City Chow

It was Restaurant Week here in Charm City and Thursday night I had the pleasure of meeting up with some great people I've met here in the city.  We met up at Blue Hill Tavern, a delicious little place I've been to a few times before.  Waiting at the bar I grabbed a happy hour glass of Malbec, and then we were led to an excellent corner table, not too quiet, but quiet enough to invoke excellent conversation.

Mmm...pork belly!

I love going out to a dinner with people who truly enjoy food.  The woman who organized the get together ordered an extra appetizer of pork belly with braised granny smith apples, red cabbage and a spiced anjou pear sauce.  It was perfectly done, with a crispness to the outside and a melt in your mouth delicious center.  I have every intention of ordering that as a small meal some Sunday when they have their half priced appetizers.  It was a generous portion, well worth it's price.

I had originally planned to order the ahi tuna starter with the mahi mahi entree.  That was to keep it healthy, and while I wanted the steak I had some reservations about it not being grass fed. I did end up ordering the ahi tuna and it was so good I wanted a larger portion as my main course!  Deciding to be bolder I changed my order to the 14 oz. New York strip with the roasted red pepper sauce (most of which accompanied me home to G).

The steak was very nice, enough fat to add flavor, but the chunks of it were easy to cut off and the main portion was juicy.  The potatoes were your average potatoes, nothing special about them.  The haricot vert were crisp and fresh tasting.  A gentleman of the group had ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir (he too had the steak) that went perfectly with the meal.

Forgot to take a photo of dessert, so this photo is from starchef.com

Dessert was included in the cost and I chose the always delicious candy bar.  I took two bites, ate the ice cream and then asked for the rest to be boxed up.  I was extremely disappointed however to find out when I got home and opened it to share with G that while they had boxed up the main bar, all of my delicious marshmallow fluff, which pairs beautifully was missing.  I have e-mailed the restaurant to let them know, because it really wasn't as good.

Overall it was a fantastic experience, a good meal, with people whose company I always enjoy.  There is nothing more chic than a night where the conversation is lively, the company great, and the food delectable.  As I drove off I thought to myself, "I will survive this city on my own just fine."

In The Wild

Last night as we were eating Indian we realized that the bar next door (owned by the same people) was having a band play classic rock music that night.  Having missed the opportunity to see a band on Friday night, and feeling slightly better (if not a wee bit exhausted) we thought it sounded fun.  I was in my ruffly throated blue t-shirt with my favorite strand of faux pearls though, and felt perhaps not dressed correctly for classic rock.  But apparently we were meant to go because earlier in the day I had picked up a long sleeved lightweight cotton sweater from Gap, along with a black wool fedora with some sparkly material wrapper around it.  A quick run to Target, and I ran across a pair of kitten heeled leopard print shoes.

Those, a long silver necklace and change of shirt with the hat added on took my look from sweet to sexy quicker than you could say "I love rock and roll."  We both had a good time.  At one point I noticed my favorite waiter alerting another waiter to our presence.  I was mildly offended that I seemed to be drawing such attention (it happened a lot that night with patrons, but several people told me they loved my hat, including the lead singer of the band!).  But then later he came over and said he had had to do a double take and at first was wondering if G had gotten a new girlfriend.  With my hat tipped down you couldn't see my face from further away, and I never had looked like that before!  

But the shoes.....I love them.  They are slightly big on me due to Target (and other retailers) refusing to make a 10 1/2.  In round toes shoes I wear a ten, but pointy I do better a half size up.  So I got the 11's.  My left shoes with my insert for my toes fits fine, but my right one is going to need something.  I'll just add some cushioning which will make it easier on my feet in the long run anyway.  I debated getting the shoes because as comfy as they are, they are cheap ($24.99), and they won't last me too awfully long.  However, they are as comfy as flats, and it allows me to see if I really like wearing leopard print shoes before committing to something pricier.  And last night, they rocked! 

How To Enjoy A Sunny Day

G got off at noon today, and we decided that real Mexican food was in order.  Headed to Fiesta Mexicana, grabbed their lunch special of a couple tacos (I had carnitas and spicy chicken, and G tried their chorizo) with a Mexi coke.  Sat and just enjoyed it.  The place had colorful banners hanging today and the owner and I got to talking about eating guacamole with a spoon, because really, chips just sort of get in the way sometimes.  Considered some tres leche cake and decided it was just too much.  

Headed for coffee at Carma's, always a good spot to listen to college students who are positive they know everything and think they live a sex and the city sort of life, or if it's the boys then they're "deep" and chat about "lofty" things.  It amuses me and makes me giggle, because I remember being those people!  Enjoyed the sunshine on our walk to the cafe, but ended up leaving after an hour or so because we were in the shade, the breeze was blowing and I was freezing.  Headed up to an upholstery place and sat and chatted with a guy who is the third generation to own the business.  He showed us a bunch of velvet fabric, took us on a tour of the whole place so we could see the materials he uses (he's very, very impressive and knowledgeable).  He said his goal is to make sure his reupholstering lasts for at least 25 years.  He strips the things down to the frame, examines that for new springs being needed, uses thick cotton instead of foam to rebuild the shape, it was fascinating really.  While I might call around to a couple different places, realistically he's going to end up being the guy to do all the work I need.  You have to trust a guy who gives you a tour and makes himself available on his personal phone at all times.  

Then up to Clementine's to see the lovely Allison and drink some wine.  I ate some mussels in a beer sauce with bacon and onions....nice, but I think I'll stick to my white wine mussels.  G tried a softshell crab that was delish, and we thoroughly enjoyed a place we haven't been to lately.  Headed up to a vineyard, bought some chocolate, some ice cream....no wine, but that's a whole other story that got the vineyard a letter about perhaps better business practices.  Then off we headed to a wine store (so sad, I was wanting to buy some local wine....nevermind, the chocolate lady gave me her card and told me to e-mail her, she's headed to a different vineyard tomorrow that she says is yummy).  G picked me up a bottle of Lillet as a surprise, and it's currently chilling in the fridge waiting to be enjoyed this weekend.  

Overall a lovely day, and this weekend promises to be evening more exciting.  We're hoping to go to an orchard and pick some apples.  I'm going to attempt an apple pie for a picnic next Friday and apparently I need lots of apples!  Hope everyone is greeting the weekend with a smile!

We Didn't Starve

Tonight I was backreading Ping's blog and she mentioned making an Ethiopian dish called Doro Wat.  It sounded delicious and while trying to research recipes I decided "hey, maybe it would be easier to find a restaurant."  So I found one.....a mile from my house.  After reading reviews for it I figured it would be a nice surprise for G and told him to be ready to eat when he got home.  After being quite mysterious for a while I told him where we were going and he was thrilled!  

I should have taken photos of the outside.  It's a simple, unassuming place on a corner with some outdoor tables and chairs (that we skipped because it was supremely muggy today).  Inside it reminded me of a simple French cafe.  A big bar you saw facing you as you walked in, and little tables scattered here and there.  They also have a second level, but with it being just us two in a fairly empty place we chose a table by the window.  We ordered some honey (mead-esque) wine and some veggie stuffed pastries to start.  Then we decided to go with the most deluxe combo platter they had because it had the Doro Wat on it, along with like a barbecued chicken, beef with onions and jalapenos, and seasoned ground meat.  It also had lentils, yellow peas, tomatoes with onion and jalapenos, cabbage with carrots and potatoes, homemade cottage cheese, and yummy collard greens.  That with tons of injera, a sour pancake style bread that you tear pieces off of to scoop up food with and we have plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  

We stopped so we would have room for dessert, baklava.  After ordering two (because in most places it's a couple bites worth and at just $3.25 I thought it would probably be little) I got a little worried about the size and had G go ask.  They assured him it wasn't too big.  They are delusional.  They brought out two large triangle slices of it, and we only ate half of one!  We still have 3 servings of baklava left (6 total servings when divided between us two).  It was madness. 

 Both came home with us!

Everything we ate and drank was delicious.  And with it being so close to home, it may become our favorite little place nearby.  They're open late (like 2 a.m. late) which is good since after we got there the whole place slowly filled up.  We left a very crowded restaurant stepping out into the sun, sated and content. 

Epic Fail

Last night G and I went to play trivia at our local place.  And we were doing so well!  At half time we were in first place by quite a few points.  But the second half killed us.  We literally left early to avoid the humiliation.  At the final question we were in 4th, but bombed it (embarrassingly so, it had to do with the Cusacks, I mean...come on!).  

Overall it was a fun night, and I'm glad it's a regularly scheduled thing in my planner.  My midweek "let my hair down" time.

 They had a new girl doing the tallying....she took a little longer than usual...okay, a lot longer.  I got bored.  Hence this.  

And just because, I thought I would share how I spend my days at home....curled up in bed with Miss Sophie and Miss Audrey.  Here I am during our "huggles and snuggles" time (if you mention this phrase you will end up with a lab in your lap).  She can literally leap on the bed without you feeling or hearing it....so this photo was after a sneak attack.

Then, last night on the way home from trivia we saw this:  a dapper gentleman, standing completely upright, in a tux with bowtie, riding a segway....at 11 p.m.  I of course had to get a snap, but this was the best I could do.....he was moving fast!

Life is funny, isn't it?

Crab Bash

Last night we headed to the crab bash.  My biggest mistake was in assuming we would be sitting (or that there would be seating if you chose to partake in it).  So I wore heels.  Huge mistake, I was on my feet for about 3 hours straight.  Near the end we realized in the hotel area there were couches and chairs and partook in those. 

I wore a Maggie London dress I hadn't worn before with a Vera Wang (from Kohl's) necklace and my Chinese Laundry heels. 

So the crab bash was a cook-off, with different stations to go and try the food.  We went through quite quickly to try everything so they wouldn't run out (one station as we were leaving the upper level had no more, but it was our first stop that level).  The first station we were to was the chef at the B&O's station.  He made a crab cake with a petite ravioli and some beautiful tomatoes (the big bowl there is full of petite purple and orange ones).

Then we headed off to the SALT restaurant table where we tasted a delicious crab in avocado dish.  It had a corn salad with a bit of a kick to it.

Our third stop was one of the group's favorites.  Rich and delectable a crab and sweet corn ravioli with a basil oil drizzle and a chorizo chip.  

There were 7 entrants total, with some I was simply unimpressed with.  The one that won the best flavor category had pickled beets and had a complex taste, but quite frankly was plated the worst.  The dish that won the whole shebang was Brewer's Art.  They did a crab cake with a southern corn salad and two sauces, one which was a homebrew beer sauce.  Strange but delicious, it was my pick to win.  

Overall it was a fun night.  The money went to a worthwhile cause, and I got to know a lady I had met recently better.  I would say the night was a win.

*EDIT*  I forgot to mention the gentlemen who came up and interrupted our conversation while we were sitting on a sofa to tell me that they just loved my necklace.  I was extremely pleased and flattered since I was debating wearing it since it's so flashy.   

Success!

Last night I wore a black maxi dress that I had bought at The Limited a year ago on clearance.  I had been wanting a maxi dress (had actually bought one from Old Navy last Spring, but had to send back), but had trouble finding one.  Of course I found one I loved on clearance once the season was over.  But in an effort to shop my closet and start wearing the clothes I have, I got brave and wore it last night.  

It went over wonderfully.  Several of the women kept telling me how much they loved it, and when I eventually pulled my hair up into a bun, one woman saw the back of the dress and began complimenting that (it dips in a deep v, same as the front).  I will admit I was terrified of wearing this dress.  I explained that to the woman, explaining the wearing things I own plan, and one woman said several times that I should definitely wear it more often.  

G with his dollar bills.

And most importantly of all, G thought it was beautiful on me.  My biggest fear with the dress was that with the deep v neck I would end up popping out up front, but everything stayed perfectly in place and I was comfortable all night.  

So now I'm being brave and wearing a Banana Republic shirt-dress that I picked up at the thrift store.  It's modest, which is perfect for church, and paired with my thrift store Etienne Aigner brown heels and I'm good to go.  I added a vintage purse that I had picked up because it smelled like my grandmother's house (prompting me to wonder if this is a universal grandmama smell, or rather the smell of items that have aged like a good wine). 

Looking pretty at Clementine's.  Well, I look pretty...

As for the party last night, G and I both had a great time.  We drank, ate yummy food (including vodka tomatoes which I am so putting on the list of must have cocktail party food!), and played some game with dice and dollar bills.  Fun was had, midnight struck and I drove us back to our castle.

This morning we got up, dressed for church and enjoyed the sermon.  I nearly spilled Jesus' blood (the wine) all over myself, and that would have been a major faux pas.  After church we headed to IKEA to pick up a few things, such as a glass bottle for making homemade vanilla.  We hadn't had any caffeine and it was mid afternoon so we stopped in at the cafe to have some coffee and cake.  I got the almond cake and G, manly man that he is, got the princess cake.  Yep.  It even had a little chocolate crown.  

We're home, I'm resting my poor foot and we're relaxing before the week begins.  Hope all of you had great weekends that fortified you before the week begins!

Sunny Saturday

So we got up early this morning to head to the market.  G made me tea, and I just kept my eyes closed and made grunting noises indicating that no matter what I was not getting up, no way, no how.  I was able to pull this off for about half an hour.  At the market we picked up our CSA first.  Of course we got plenty of tomatoes, but also got leaf lettuce, yellow-white peppers, eggplant for baba ganoush, and red potatoes.  After that we headed to pick up some portobello mushrooms.  Across from that booth was a man with olive oil, included tastes.  It was delicious, very flavourful, and he imports it from his place in the south of Greece.  If you bring your bottle back you get 20% off a refill, which I found to be an excellent deal. 

I made a fruit salad for the cocktail party tonight.  Was going to do a shrimp salad, but the store had two small bags of frozen shrimp, so I decided to switch to something else.  Using local peaches, kiwi, bananas, pineapple, and strawberries I tossed with some orange juice it is mighty tasty if I may say so!

Made the shrimp salad for our dinner.

On whole grain melba toast.

Now I'm off to finish prettifying myself.  And I'm wearing a dress I bought last summer but haven't worn before.  We'll see if it stays in my wardrobe after tonight. 

Trivia

So on Wednesdays there is a trivia night at a restaurant in Federal Hill, Mad River.  I heard about it through Patti (who is one of the friendliest, most fun people I've met since moving here to the city), a woman I socialize with through my wine drinking group, but the past couple weeks we couldn't make it.  Last night G and I decided we were going, and good thing, the other people cancelled!  So it was the three of us, and neither G or I had ever done trivia before.  I was sure we were going to be up a creek without a paddle.  However as we went along I realized, holy cow, we're actually doing quite well.  We probably won't place, but hey, we won't be so embarrassed we leave early either. 

And G did fantastic!  Who was the pope who changed the calendar to our current version because the last one was knocking us off by 11 minutes each year?  Pope Gregory!  (the Gregorian calendar) What is some symbol for a specific thing in math?  G guessed correctly that it was an exclamation mark!  We got 3 out of the 4 bonus questions.  And the final question (where you can bet up to 40 points, if you have them) was to put these in order by area, starting with the largest: (I'll list them correctly for you) E.U., India, and Greenland.  We debated a bit, ended up writing that down and betting 40 points.  We got it right!  

With my black bangle on over it!

In the end, out of 22 teams, we placed 3rd!!!  With just 3 people (you can have up to 8 on a team), we did quite well!  So we won $10 to use next week when we go.  That will buy each of us a beer and leave a couple dollars for whoever decides to join us.  And I got a nifty yellow arm band (not sure why).  Most exciting and we now have a standing Wednesday night date!

(I have a photo of the 3 of us after our victory, but forgot to ask if she minded if I post it!)

Things I Learned This Evening

That mussels with bread and wine is enough to make me giggly.  I have been craving mussels so badly lately but had been afraid to try them here in the U.S.  I guess I thought the Americans would undercook them and kill me.  Eh.

That Trader Joe taffy really does make the world go round but is a choking hazzard.

That one should not have taffy in one's mouth when opening the car door to find one's husband had sneaked and bought flowers while you were preoccupied and placed them on your seat.

That as smart as I am my first thought was, "Who put flowers in our car?"

That when admitting to this line of thought my husband first was wondering if I had a stalker I hadn't mentioned.  I do, but I won't mention it now!

And finally that there is nothing like champagne and blueberries to end a simple, wonderful evening.

Staycation

G has a 4 day weekend!  We thought about going away for the weekend, taking off with the puppies to a bed and breakfast and escaping the whole holiday weekend.  But then I suggested us saving our money (we're wanting to rent this place for a week or so next Spring in Paris) and having a staycation instead.  Where we stay in, stay local, and enjoy the gorgeous weather.  Last night we jumpstarted it with pate and prosecco at one of our favorite haunts.  Then home, where we quickly fell asleep, with me waking up at 5 this morning.  Crazy, right?

We're going out today to work out, eat, and then it's back home for some canoodling and perhaps G will finally get to watch Slum Dog Millionaire (I saw it over a year ago).  We're also planning to hit up a modern art museum.  (and come to think of it I have a piece of my own to finish for the house....)  

Tomorrow is a free day, we'll be headed to the farmer's market and a local cafe for coffee, of course, but then it's home to relax.  Sunday we have a very early breakfast/brunch at a neighborhood diner I heard about from the girl's at the bookclub and then yesterday got an e-mail about from a brunching friend.  Fate?  I think so!

What I can assure you we will not be doing this weekend?  Fireworks.  The crazy crowds are just not my thing.  There's just something about any environment where parents let their children run around like they had no home training that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  So, adult activities it is!

*As for the lack of photos lately, iPhoto is acting wonky, or the browsers are.  We're figuring it out.*

Busy Bee

I've been lying about all day, reading articles, currently reading a book that I am hoping I do not end up hating, though the reviews tell me that due to my love of Little Women, I might.  I got all prettied up for a quick meetup for cupcakes and cocktails at Pazo here in the city.  The cupcake was okay, but it was supposed to be paired with a drink, which I ordered.  My cupcake came, and I had to eat it because it had raspberry sorbet on top that was melting.  I finally tracked down a manager after my cupcake was long gone and I asked about when I could get my drink.  He went off to find out and then later it still hadn't come so I tracked him down and he was surprised it hadn't show up yet and went off again.  I got no apologies from the wait staff, and my drink showed up well over 15 minutes after I had finished my cupcake.  The drink was a wine with rose water, lychee liquor and a rose petal floating it, which turned out to be amazing.  However I am a little upset because everyone kept telling me how great the drink was with the cupcake, and that didn't happen for me. 

Great drink next to an empty cupcake plate.  :(

I came home, picked G up and we picked up some French bread, goat's brie, a chianti sausage, and some heirloom cherry tomatoes for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.  Simple, tasty, and more than satisfying.  

We're also picking up some tomato and cucumber plants from an amazing freecycler who has too many tomorrow.  I'm hoping we can make some boxes for the sidewalk for them leaving my backyard free for some rose bushes.  We've drawn out our plans and if all goes well we should have a nice place to relax and eat outside by the end of the month.  

We pick up our CSA on Saturday and I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.  That, some fresh eggs and goat's cheese will be nice.  I love the summer for its bounty.  It is not hard to see a greater hand in the world around us at this time of year.  The soft delicacy of the peonies with their fragrance, the firm suppleness of a ripe tomato, the green leaves of the tree blowing by the wind allowing blue skies to peek through.  Beauty is not in rows of colorful eyeshadow, but rather in the colors that exist so naturally we cannot imagine life without them. 

Kick Off

This was a start to a great weekend.  We went to Clementine's for pate and wine and ended up eating there as well.  I had swordfish for the first time and am in love.  I really could easily be a mostly pescetarian (vegetarian who eats fish/seafood).  (occasionally I would eat meat though.)  


But what made the night so great was that we sat at the bar and within 5 minutes a woman was sitting next to us and easily we jumped into conversation about food and wine that ended up being an over 2 hour convo with e-mails exchanged.  She was amazing and I kept thinking in the beginning "oh my God she sounds like me" and "we need to be friends" but who on earth actually says those things?  Me, apparently after she said something I strongly agreed with.  I told her flat out "we need to be friends."  She laughed and agreed.  


This isn't me.  I'm the outgoing shy girl.  I can be super friendly, but suck at having to make new friends, especially in a place where I know no one.  But slowly and surely I am taking leaps.  I am jumping into the crazy pool of people who sometimes turn out to be nuts.  But usually they turn out fantastic.  They turn out to be people that are fascinating and it just clicks.  


And I click my heels and realize "nevermind.  I'm already home."

With My Girls (photo heavy)

My best friend in the whole world Theresa got us a room at the Savoy Hotel in K.C.  It's really old, and while it needs a bit of work, the dining room, the front desk, they're all so......glamourous.  It's gorgeous really.  Our room had a sitting room with two tufted chairs, a t.v. coffee and then our bedroom was through double wooden doors with an antique dresser.  The bathroom had two awesome sinks, and a clawfoot tub!

The radiators in our Victorian suite looked like this!

Before heading to the hotel we went shopping.  She hardly goes shopping when I'm not home (how she survived 2 years while I was overseas I have no clue), so off we went for coffee, shopping and a girly good time.  Forever 21 had these wonderful things to offer (including what I call "the cupcake dress" which I am considering getting just for fun):

We met up with Mara at the power and light district to eat and drink the night away.  The Power and Light District in K.C. is a big place full of couches around outdoor fireplaces, clubs, bars, and a big open space to dance.

I have known these girls since my first days of college.  They are two of the most amazing women I know, and I always make sure to take time to see them when I am home.  Mara cleared her schedule to meet up with us, and Theresa drove in and we had a blast getting ready together.  I didn't have a sister growing up (they each have a sister, I am whoa jealous), but these two are as close to me as I imagine a sister would be.

Mara looking "tough."

Our night went like this:  Dinner at Gordon Biersch, where I had an ahi tuna salad that was delicious.  Then headed out and went to Howl at the Moon, a piano bar.  Stayed there most of the night, even fell and got a grapefruit sized bruise on my knee (sadly alcohol was not to blame, just my clumsiness).  Headed down to the open area and were picked up by a bachelor party to dance with the bachelor.  I don't do Ed Hardy or guys who give Mara a run for her money on shortness, so thank God I am married!  Had a good time, they were nice guys, and ended with me recording Mara dancing to Sweet Home Alabama, which she nearly killed me for once she realized what I was doing.

The drummer was a woman and she rocked!

Woke up around 9:30 the next morning and headed to breakfast.  Ate things like oysters rockefeller, lobster bisque, smoked salmon and caviar, and a yummy fruit plate that was made up of perfectly ripe strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.  It was like eating on the Titanic, the sun gorgeous through the stained glass windows.  We're planning on staying there again soon!

Fantastic time with amazing people, it was the most relaxing moment of my trip!