Tasty Traditions

A couple weekends ago (eeek, I know I am totally slacking) Ted and I went to my parents house for dinner. We weren't necessarily planning on staying for dinner but after a long day of swimming and drinking some delicious brewskies we figured why not! Now, real quick let me take you back even further to when we had another family dinner for my cousin's birthday. My mom has become famous in our family for baking a very specific cake. And note, she is a phenomenal cook but baking has always been hit or miss, it was always my territory. But this one cake is hands down the most delicious thing you will ever eat - if you ever get the chance! Ok Ok, i know I am dragging on what the cake actually is..Banana cake. This is not your typical, off the back of the box recipe. This recipe dates all the way back to the 1950's.It's also not the healthiest cake but when it tastes this good, believe me, you don't care! Ted had tried this cake a few months ago and was hooked immediately. At this last dinner I took it upon myself to bake the famous cake all by myself. And surprisingly I didn't eat nearly as much of the batter as I normally do when my mom bakes it! It turned out perfect and it is now some thing that I "should make all the time" - according to Ted . Due to the caloric factor, I think I'll keep it for special occasions.

When I was a little girl my mom used to make it for me every year for my birthday. All my life I have had two birthday traditions. The first one being the banana cake; the second one is when I go to sleep the night before my birthday, my parents come and sneak into my room and cover my entire floor with balloons. Even though I always know it's coming, it still always makes me so happy and excited. When I went off to college in Hawaii my parents told my roommate about it and, being the great friend she is, I woke up to a room full of balloons - tradition continued.

Traditions are important. They help build great memories. My family has a set of traditions, some that keep expanding and others that have faded but there are few that I know I will carry out when I have a family some day.

That's all for today...Happy Monday!

Windy City Blows Me Away!!

So, you may have been wondering where I have been?! No, No I didn't take off into space only to find out there really is no life on Mars and headed straight back for Earth (because I know that's what you were thinking). Instead I took a wonderful trip, in fact my first trip, to Chicago. The trip itself was two-fold; the first being that Ted's best friend got married this past Friday (Congrats again to John and Sarah). The wedding was beautiful and I got to meet a bunch of his friends - all of whom are incredible people that I can not wait to spend more time with! The second fold, which was of equal importance, was meeting his parents for the first time...scary I know!! - but actually it was not at all. I was extremely nervous/excited all wrapped into one. They were absolutely great and welcomed me with open arms. All in all the trip was a success.

Before having gone to Chicago I had always heard how great it was and how beautiful. After living in San Francisco and visiting New York I thought "how much better can it be" - and to be honest, it was! Aesthetically it is one of the prettiest cities I have ever been to, in side and out of the US. The people are down to earth and have that "Midwestern hospitality." It was very evident how much pride they take in their city as it is also the cleanest city I have ever seen. Now, going the first week in October probably makes me a bit biased but I will be back in December, so we'll see!! (All of my family in St. Louis who are reading this are probably laughing at me right now!)...stop it! :-)

Of course while we were there I had to make sure I visited a great restaurant. I told Ted I either want something very "Chicago" or really hip and trendy. Since a lot of the "Chicago" type food - i.e deep dish pizza and hot dogs are not the best for you we went with trendy. On Saturday night Ted took me to the most amazing sushi place I have ever been... I know what you're thinking - "sushi?? in Chicago? NO way!" - BUT YES WAY!!

It was fantastic. Not only were the sushi rolls creative rolls the chef prepares but the flavors of every dish we tried was so extreme I almost wasn't sure my mouth could handle it. Whatever ingredient was in each roll, you could actually taste each one. Often times flavors get masked by others or they all blend together but each individual spice and piece of fish flourished with deliciousness. (not a word?) Even before we started with our lobster spring rolls we went down stairs to the bar while waiting for our table. The set up of the restaurant is unique in the fact that the top floor is for dining only. If you are waiting for your table then you go down stairs to the "waiting area" which consists of a full bar and a some tables for appetizers. I tried their signature "Floating Orchid" (Vodka, citronge, pear and lemon juice topped with, of course, an edible floating orchid).

After being seated we were greeted by our waiter who was a little flighty but extremely nice. Their servers are extremely knowledgeable about the food there and can tell you exactly how each dish is prepared and what it will taste like. The atmosphere in of itself is worth the trip. Each section of the restaurant has a different color scheme, all in dim, lounge-like lighting. It's a mix of Asian and modern which makes for an extremely presentable restaurant.


Japonais in Chicago was the first of it's kind and has since been expanded to Las Vegas and New York. It is well worth the price (chef's rolls are $17, regular rolls are $6) and you will not be disappointed - or hungry - when you leave.

For an added bonus of the night, half way thru dinner 5 of the Chicago Bull's players walked in. Ted knew their names - I didn't..but I knew a group of 5 7 foot black men were most likely athletes (is that PC?). Next time your in Chicago I highly recommend Japonais!

Bon Soir!

http://www.japonaischicago.com/main.html

Fall-ing Never Felt So Good!

Well, it's about that time...

The time when baseball season is starting to wind down and football season is just starting to pick up; when it starts to get dark by the time you get home from work/gym, and when going to sleep actually requires a layer or two... that's right, I am talking about Fall. It's just around the corner and I couldn't be more excited. Fall is my favorite season and in one week it will officially be October, marking the beginning of the holidays. I have always found Fall to be somewhat of a magical season, as we watch how the leaves on the trees will start to transform from green into beautiful shades of yellow, red and orange. I find that during these upcoming months people start to get just a little nicer and seem overall happier. In some areas of the world where summers and winters often bring intense weather patterns, it can make daily life routines that much more of a struggle - and nothing is worse than being too sweaty when you're nowhere near water; or mind numbingly cold when you're nowhere near a fire or heater. That is why I have personally come to the conclusion that Fall is the perfect season of them all.

Along with the beautiful aesthetics of Fall comes some of the year's best recipe ingredients. One of those being pumpkin!! I LOVE PUMPKIN EVERYTHING. From pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, to my Aunt Karen's pumpkin ravioli's, and waking up to the smell of some delicious pumpkin pancakes, I can't get enough - (I am getting hungry as I write). While I am sure many of you have had your basics (pumpkin pie, bread, muffins etc) there are many recipes out there that you wouldn't ever think to add pumpkin to. For example:

Pumpkin-Shrimp Bruschetta ( Sounds weird but try it..)
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/appetizers-snacks/pumpkin-shrimp-bruschetta/

Or how about pumpkin marmalade? http://www.bhg.com/holidays/thanksgiving/recipes/pumpkin-recipes/?page=11

Tell me you wouldn't like to wake up to the smell of these...
http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/09/11/pumpkin-french-toast/

If you love pumpkin as much as I do there are some amazing recipes in this month's edition of Cooking Light Magazine. Check it out - I highly recommend it. Except I will warn you not to read it if you are hungry because it will literally make you salivate all over yourself - and let's face it, no one wants to see that!

At the end of this week I am headed out to experience my first taste of a Midwestern Fall as I venture out to Chicago for a wedding this weekend! I couldn't be more excited as Ted (a native Chicago-ian) has assured me that the first week of October there is just breathtaking! Since October is actually one of the few months that San Francisco is surprisingly warm I am looking forward to sporting my new boots and some cute scarves! (Most likely with a pumpkin spice latte in hand - of course!) And lastly - I am sure I will have some wonderful restaurant reviews to share when I get back!

It's Not Hype When It's This Good!

So like I mentioned before, this is something I have been thinking about and wanting to do for a while now. That being said I have kept a log of different restaurants and meals, thus far, that I am excited to share with you. Most of them come from my San Francisco backyard but I will throw you a few curve balls, so watch out!

Time wise, I am going to jump all over the place for a while, so bare with me.

Most recently my boyfriend, Ted (who will be mentioned frequently as he is usually my dining partner)and I decided on a whim to visit a restaurant we both had been dying to go to. - OK "dying" may be a bit overkill but needless to say we had been eager to try it. On the corner of Hyde and Green in San Francisco's Russian Hill district is a Mediterranean inspired restaurant called Frascati. It's a seemingly small restaurant from the outside however, when you walk in you notice right away looks are deceiving considering there is a middle and top floor full of tables. While we would drive by it all the time and see diners looking completely satisfied, it was when our good friend Colin raved about the place a couple months ago when we knew we had to try it.

As we sat down at our quaint table for two we decided that we were going to "do it up right" aka wine, appetizers, main course and dessert - aggressive move on a Tuesday night but sometimes you just have to treat yourself (or be treated depending on who's paying - Thanks babe!)

We started off with a decent bottle of Chianti (which was good but not great so I don't remember the name). To start off this experience we dove into a plate of figs on top of crostini's with some type of balsamic, cherry sauce and bleu cheese on the side. For the main course Ted decided to go with the Halibut while I chose the Duck. His Halibut was tasty but by the look on his face when he tried mine, he realized he made a mistake: (he was deciding between the two). The Maple Leaf Duck is one of Frascati's best dishes; with Herb Spaetzle, Hearts of Palm Salad, Arugula, Scallions and a delicious Huckleberry Sauce. Even if you're not a "duck person" you would enjoy this dish - it's that good.

However, I would warn you to save a little room in the bottom of your stomach for one of my favorite parts of any meal - DESSERT! Anyone who know's me know's I love my sweets (which is why I spend hours in the gym working it off, or trying at least!) For our last course we went with the other dish they are known for, the Black and White Chocolate Bread Pudding..mmm.mmm.mmm! This just screams fattening but it was so delicious I forgot all about how many calories were in each bite! The edge bites are filled with moisture and flavor but it's when you dig into the middle that an explosion of chocolaty (not a word I know) goodness comes oozing out! Belisimo!!!



The deliverance matched the hype on this one!

- So tell me...how hungry are you now?

buon giorno!!

For quite some time now I have been wanting to start this blog but wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to go about it. After much thought and anticipation I am ready. ( I know, I know - I had you flying by the seat of your pants didn't I?!)

I want you to come travel with me; weather it's around my San Francisco neighborhoods or across the world to explore all the wonderful (or not so much) foods and wines our world has to offer us.

While I have your good ol' 9 - 5 job, I consider my alter ego to be that of a "highly refined" foodie - and I use "highly refined" in quotes becuase I may be the only person who believes that. However, one day I will have the last laugh as you will know my name - not just from this blog but because maybe one day you will see it in your monthly issues of Food/Wine. Over the last year and half I have been emersing myself in trying new foods, learning about wines and culturing myself by traveling as much as I possibly can. For being 24 I have had the opportunity to travel to some the most beautiful cities, countries and rustic towns. Whether it's enjoying a piece of tiramisu in Vienna, Austria (was divine!), or a enjoying the original French Dip at Felipe's in Los Angeles, I am going to review, comment and possibly put my own spin on dishes that I taste from all over.

Now, as much as I would LOVE for everything to be all about moi, I don't want you to feel left out either. Not only do I want your feedback but I want you to share with me your own experiences, recipes or anything else that might come to mind (just no drama..this is a drama free zone!)

Anyway - enough talking...Let's Get To Eating!!...there will be much more to come and I look forward to hearing from you and traveling with you!

Mangia Mangia!!