tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88252755269022024812024-02-21T09:34:41.323-07:00What Andy DoesAndyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.comBlogger341125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-28220080728495009082011-02-03T22:23:00.002-07:002011-02-04T22:43:34.865-07:00I got a refund!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">As we're nearing peak tax filing season, it always puzzles me when people are thrilled to discover they are getting a substantial tax refund. Does this sound familiar? "I just filed my taxes and found out I'm getting <fill amount="" in="">a (x) dollar tax refund!"</fill><br />
<br />
A tax refund simply means that you have withheld too much, or <i><b>overpaid</b> </i>the amount of tax actually due for the year. In effect, you are giving Uncle Sam an <b><i>interest free</i></b> loan. A balance due means you have withheld too little, or underpaid the amount of tax actually due. Regardless, at the end, you are going to pay the same amount of tax.<br />
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I don't know about you, but I prefer keeping my money as long as possible...that means I'm happy (ok maybe not happy, but content) when I find out that I need to write a check to the Department of the Treasury. Please note that there are underpayment penalties, so be sure to monitor your withholdings!<br />
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</div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-43665185460418712972010-09-19T19:13:00.000-07:002010-09-19T19:13:43.403-07:00Dinner tonight - Tilapia and bell peppersAfter a week away from home, I was looking forward to cooking something. Here's what I made for dinner tonight:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbLYWYQ-DfC67bRHiFnPlbGL89LeHqFzeCeFYFy7QleAuH_KRZENOgr2N_A77lJtlju44DOV8A9RXSxAcGgPuuQiXHB_bN8KwKmrlnHGCfYaYGQUZ_iWbS5RYBYYOAYYm2b0WVYSfaGWe/s400/IMG_1469.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tilapia w/ red and green bell peppers</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbLYWYQ-DfC67bRHiFnPlbGL89LeHqFzeCeFYFy7QleAuH_KRZENOgr2N_A77lJtlju44DOV8A9RXSxAcGgPuuQiXHB_bN8KwKmrlnHGCfYaYGQUZ_iWbS5RYBYYOAYYm2b0WVYSfaGWe/s1600/IMG_1469.jpg" imageanchor="1" linkindex="135" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>From fridge to table in less than 10 minutes, and a total meal cost of $4.50!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-34607951287678007992010-09-01T00:36:00.000-07:002010-09-01T00:36:23.442-07:00Sunday Simple Supper at noca<span class="BVRRReviewText">This past Sunday, I went w/ a group of friends to <a href="http://www.restaurantnoca.com/" linkindex="162" target="_blank">noca</a> for dinner. noca is one of my favorite restaurants in the Valley and many local food enthusiasts regard it as one of the top restaurants in the Valley (along w/ <a href="http://binkleysrestaurant.com/" linkindex="163" target="_blank">Binkley's </a>and <a href="http://www.wildhorsepassresort.com/dining-wild-horse-pass.html" linkindex="164" target="_blank">Kai</a>).<br />
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Each Sunday, noca offers a different 3-course "Sunday Simple Supper" menu for $35 (the regular menu is not available). </span>Here was the menu for that evening:<br />
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<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1283319106_11">First Course</span>: <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1283319106_12" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Cold Pasta Salad</span> – Roasted & Pickled Summer Vegetables, Machego, White Balsamic Vinagrette<br />
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Second Course (choice of): <br />
- <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1283319106_13">Fried Chicken</span> – Creamed Corn, Braised Greens & Guanciale<br />
- Market Fish of the Day (cod) – <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1283319106_14">Dill Potato Salad</span>, Shishito Peppers, English Pea Puree, Haricot Verts, Herb Jus<br />
- Tasting of Farm Vegetables – <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1283319106_14">Spatzle, Baby Fennel, Cipollini Onions, Baby Squash, Mushrooms, Broccolini, Red Pearl Onion, Citrus Pudding</span><br />
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Dessert: Brownie Sundae – Caramel, Spanish Peanuts, Mascarpone Gelato<br />
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Supplement: Bourbon Vanilla Waffle w/ Wisconsin Maple Syrup (+$5)<br />
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Here are a few pictures:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCUR0ajufVHNjzrBc9e-AKdNAAllSRSExdD-MHfE8mvi9MLYCHBGMmW0nrr5-Zh0dlrTebr70GhXBIhTxCP072jTZtBe-StOXqsJTbDxifkTo96aaIJgPVcRBvVt1Mm_5JJA-a33pjpD_/s1600/IMG_0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="165" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCUR0ajufVHNjzrBc9e-AKdNAAllSRSExdD-MHfE8mvi9MLYCHBGMmW0nrr5-Zh0dlrTebr70GhXBIhTxCP072jTZtBe-StOXqsJTbDxifkTo96aaIJgPVcRBvVt1Mm_5JJA-a33pjpD_/s400/IMG_0591.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvREUn5KB7zai90oM_AQ5xJSRYGbXj-AEUEb1HOnba0IlRDXUC-NEO2KLKhKbBswINTtps0fAJ_YwpmNxZsVKUxRSTPADQ59vZUA_aOARdECitVuCOTrAP1OdDtUCE1vzE7r756Wis5OI/s1600/IMG_0603.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="166" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvREUn5KB7zai90oM_AQ5xJSRYGbXj-AEUEb1HOnba0IlRDXUC-NEO2KLKhKbBswINTtps0fAJ_YwpmNxZsVKUxRSTPADQ59vZUA_aOARdECitVuCOTrAP1OdDtUCE1vzE7r756Wis5OI/s400/IMG_0603.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amuse-bouche</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9-weTDI-I5e-2q_ZA_OAeT15mc7VpKDVakrqK1VvU27Zpxtr3Ef-izBIndMG_1jyTkvoj0TmivbzWrvuD6xrmAk5YYe9u_wm-SYNmBCwedXSRQksGhTi-VDND7UYt-Bo5vFVvY2TKT9a/s1600/IMG_0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="167" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz9-weTDI-I5e-2q_ZA_OAeT15mc7VpKDVakrqK1VvU27Zpxtr3Ef-izBIndMG_1jyTkvoj0TmivbzWrvuD6xrmAk5YYe9u_wm-SYNmBCwedXSRQksGhTi-VDND7UYt-Bo5vFVvY2TKT9a/s400/IMG_0609.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1283319106_12" style="border-bottom: 2px dotted rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer;">Cold Pasta Salad</span> – Roasted & Pickled Summer Vegetables, Machego, White Balsamic Vinagrette</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDksvVrzmAClQ52o1KBAa7R225IcOI59W93yHbyQmfXZQ4_zcu_r_jpH-abDZmOjqRNPv9P0lxoszWRCItnR7BuxxV9WYZQPpmcsp7y2bcl7_H5KGyZbW8mo6jMJh_mWT-BTtY8dKbGoaT/s1600/IMG_0610.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="168" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDksvVrzmAClQ52o1KBAa7R225IcOI59W93yHbyQmfXZQ4_zcu_r_jpH-abDZmOjqRNPv9P0lxoszWRCItnR7BuxxV9WYZQPpmcsp7y2bcl7_H5KGyZbW8mo6jMJh_mWT-BTtY8dKbGoaT/s400/IMG_0610.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1283319106_13">Fried Chicken</span> – Creamed Corn, Braised Greens & Guanciale</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr76QHpe5NPJ4bk6DstisM4aLnJbPLrztX620_4GOLFeG8f54oHYC7TgClWJi8HjuxYG23D5q731QMBQBGP4lKnTZaJbA28T3jgX5e5qK7EeLu9KGAszbTzokCFVh3LZ-P1IvBXrM8NPfY/s1600/IMG_0613.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="169" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr76QHpe5NPJ4bk6DstisM4aLnJbPLrztX620_4GOLFeG8f54oHYC7TgClWJi8HjuxYG23D5q731QMBQBGP4lKnTZaJbA28T3jgX5e5qK7EeLu9KGAszbTzokCFVh3LZ-P1IvBXrM8NPfY/s400/IMG_0613.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Market Fish of the Day (cod) – <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1283319106_14">Dill Potato Salad</span>, Shishito Peppers, English Pea Puree, Haricot Verts, Herb Jus</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CNADtMuTPSysQNl_4ciCTnwD_6gvZG8qLTeELj0ukIS10JzduheDT0lk3gC_0kn9xWhZBvqy0HuG5d6xUspbEG44b-jVbr1a13OHw-5N9N26_yHCuz5LKbvqTbU1iFxRj_Nq8IdpLybP/s1600/IMG_0612.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="170" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7CNADtMuTPSysQNl_4ciCTnwD_6gvZG8qLTeELj0ukIS10JzduheDT0lk3gC_0kn9xWhZBvqy0HuG5d6xUspbEG44b-jVbr1a13OHw-5N9N26_yHCuz5LKbvqTbU1iFxRj_Nq8IdpLybP/s400/IMG_0612.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supplement: Bourbon Vanilla Waffle w/ Wisconsin Maple Syrup</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kRe_363SXKfq7h6SRjmXbe9sIY7YI_cRG2i0VeMu821aNrvcCLccrn7nLl4AzzC802G20Wha9Yok1cjxpv5Hb2dtmZv-bnV1G2TKCQCE85_LGNXfgNz4Y6nX5T7x7lSwEvPhUIXvYD49/s1600/IMG_0614.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="171" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5kRe_363SXKfq7h6SRjmXbe9sIY7YI_cRG2i0VeMu821aNrvcCLccrn7nLl4AzzC802G20Wha9Yok1cjxpv5Hb2dtmZv-bnV1G2TKCQCE85_LGNXfgNz4Y6nX5T7x7lSwEvPhUIXvYD49/s400/IMG_0614.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Complimentary grape cotton candy</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSCT1D-QFPlnId3SFm1Kgegstu8cGcrNQkkck_O9hwazrhqNLtmHncD0CUVZ3RaRdSg1nqqDtWsbdHg_zW5slS32MJZZsfJgvHjnueLmlLFvMhYYMku5xc1SFl2DhsazH1KnZ4cGlr0M9/s1600/IMG_0627.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="172" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSCT1D-QFPlnId3SFm1Kgegstu8cGcrNQkkck_O9hwazrhqNLtmHncD0CUVZ3RaRdSg1nqqDtWsbdHg_zW5slS32MJZZsfJgvHjnueLmlLFvMhYYMku5xc1SFl2DhsazH1KnZ4cGlr0M9/s400/IMG_0627.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brownie Sundae – Caramel, Spanish Peanuts, Mascarpone Gelato</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span class="BVRRReviewText">I was the only person among the group who had eaten at noca before. I'm pretty sure everyone left very satisfied. The food was amazing, as always, and our server was great. The $35 Simple Suppers are a fantastic value for the quality of food that you get.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Places mentioned:<br />
noca<br />
<span class="street-address">3118 E Camelback Rd</span><br />
<span class="locality">Phoenix</span>, <span class="region">AZ</span> <span class="postal-code">85016</span>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-72759083318470126232010-08-24T00:28:00.000-07:002010-08-24T00:28:47.154-07:00Austin highlightsHere are some highlights from my recent trip to Austin - <br />
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My first meal in Austin had to be BBQ of course! <a href="http://www.ironworksbbq.com/" linkindex="255" target="_blank">Iron Works BBQ</a> just happened to be a block from my hotel.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CZvaw33r-4mzwUge1L9qafxEDLRMCdFyaetYpQE6SyZVX4PVwauxmZ2yCDfMWHgtGLT-HYZYaE-Rb7uBRBvBadsYVlDRNbqI1EiXwnx1MLiKGBj3UngcQCeqF3DpUcsysP7-nCJFJhE0/s1600/IMG_0365.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="256" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CZvaw33r-4mzwUge1L9qafxEDLRMCdFyaetYpQE6SyZVX4PVwauxmZ2yCDfMWHgtGLT-HYZYaE-Rb7uBRBvBadsYVlDRNbqI1EiXwnx1MLiKGBj3UngcQCeqF3DpUcsysP7-nCJFJhE0/s400/IMG_0365.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iron Works BBQ - beef brisket plate</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><br />
Next up, a great $26.50 three course prix-fixe dinner at <a href="http://cheznousaustin.com/" linkindex="257" target="_blank">Chez Nous</a>:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCW9C1__k96K-oPhn6GCllOELeSMphwKA136ohP4SctEEQ-hUyrY1B8gtAbzmuUgoHR0Nlns2LrqaoFq2v5kfdruQi95Mx08sAGPnvWH5CuZS14mbhsW2XRdDgYSXjViGo3Cmfe_LOJk2/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="258" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFCW9C1__k96K-oPhn6GCllOELeSMphwKA136ohP4SctEEQ-hUyrY1B8gtAbzmuUgoHR0Nlns2LrqaoFq2v5kfdruQi95Mx08sAGPnvWH5CuZS14mbhsW2XRdDgYSXjViGo3Cmfe_LOJk2/s400/IMG_0374.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chez Nous - chilled canteloupe and ginger soup</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiqCi9LPUTvXQVYV0zr4UxB306RpnE5KHfot0GZPmjMPf9N-5yCOVGWrljlXsGkBPAw2LMEyNtrmamqDRbEPDY15j1IkqbgvFxPy-sK9A-clMBtb3SPifbhgo9hfZsaPgb3ZZSmtmpBu5/s1600/IMG_0376.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="259" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiqCi9LPUTvXQVYV0zr4UxB306RpnE5KHfot0GZPmjMPf9N-5yCOVGWrljlXsGkBPAw2LMEyNtrmamqDRbEPDY15j1IkqbgvFxPy-sK9A-clMBtb3SPifbhgo9hfZsaPgb3ZZSmtmpBu5/s400/IMG_0376.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chez Nous - trout</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhs4ptS3oEk5S09oaxXWozPBUEQkGaUIjcIbv9V2ZhiW8BAcf8AeWwonPxzOPnLZXxjO0NZk8Qko_OM-SDschIswd6OE0bfdVacfDTup3mZHE7qJj9gbiwZ6ErxtH5exFgZR3iWzUmcRF/s1600/IMG_0379.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="260" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhs4ptS3oEk5S09oaxXWozPBUEQkGaUIjcIbv9V2ZhiW8BAcf8AeWwonPxzOPnLZXxjO0NZk8Qko_OM-SDschIswd6OE0bfdVacfDTup3mZHE7qJj9gbiwZ6ErxtH5exFgZR3iWzUmcRF/s400/IMG_0379.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chez Nous - creme caramel</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I metup w/ a friend for lunch at <a href="http://olivia-austin.com/" linkindex="261" target="_blank">Olivia</a>. Olivia was named by Bon Appétit as one of <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/09/top_ten_best_new_restaurants" linkindex="262">2009's Top Ten Best New Restaurants in America</a>. The restaurant is beautiful, and the food was delicious. First up, some pictures of the restaurant (I loved the design):<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxjW013nR-g5QgeAJcGrsdnSbOM5lK26wEXEZBUVA3BuIHJY25E6mUh9tGZRuJ5UX_vG5SO3aJodmc8P9C_7TFgchO1423hwBlyoPUgPal2-37biuroAlwMT69xmldVJgTUF781XAhEL4/s1600/IMG_0417.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="263" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxjW013nR-g5QgeAJcGrsdnSbOM5lK26wEXEZBUVA3BuIHJY25E6mUh9tGZRuJ5UX_vG5SO3aJodmc8P9C_7TFgchO1423hwBlyoPUgPal2-37biuroAlwMT69xmldVJgTUF781XAhEL4/s400/IMG_0417.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikjY6VaPOxLD9rLKxUe9qwwLOWlv6GpHCIXow5kuvv-HTZ_FKOc6R1AJOkZzxzLN8L9EdTQakYV8VwgpZn7rmOeQovHCJmOAvQt8HPdRgJZVEoE-Hh6s9G3w2ViR_dIfSC0gxnVV-B3Qg/s1600/IMG_0400.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikjY6VaPOxLD9rLKxUe9qwwLOWlv6GpHCIXow5kuvv-HTZ_FKOc6R1AJOkZzxzLN8L9EdTQakYV8VwgpZn7rmOeQovHCJmOAvQt8HPdRgJZVEoE-Hh6s9G3w2ViR_dIfSC0gxnVV-B3Qg/s400/IMG_0400.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxDDMWaO7SB3BYgVJ1olcBIKp5ZWzW2iZex28qku5VCs71WjpsTr18G7dWnIr-71Izbxyy0khwfNgBXbJqm0M6Eqg1n1W85ACtBh6eGK7PXyFsALd9p5hS4DE2vQ5CqujQiwX0tWEQelD/s1600/IMG_0403.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="265" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxDDMWaO7SB3BYgVJ1olcBIKp5ZWzW2iZex28qku5VCs71WjpsTr18G7dWnIr-71Izbxyy0khwfNgBXbJqm0M6Eqg1n1W85ACtBh6eGK7PXyFsALd9p5hS4DE2vQ5CqujQiwX0tWEQelD/s400/IMG_0403.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ocCuA1-c00208ujok4oKWledx7SFZaLnWFXtO-UxABB72jspzJns5laYeXlPwXPNs9-awlMqgrBLvyzZBRh8CPmrBOclY63NTcefR1Ev1gJLM30GxkXx-uYhLaU0XjhlOuJRRwFpRyH4/s1600/IMG_0404.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="266" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ocCuA1-c00208ujok4oKWledx7SFZaLnWFXtO-UxABB72jspzJns5laYeXlPwXPNs9-awlMqgrBLvyzZBRh8CPmrBOclY63NTcefR1Ev1gJLM30GxkXx-uYhLaU0XjhlOuJRRwFpRyH4/s400/IMG_0404.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRjatFLTu_0buiUo11bLsBqW0dTnAIJJfCrpSimmurH-x-_amiG3VxZQqWCttGC9AUVniaA4JwSrBoQH8m03FjKmfV06QPNeByDvK949TnSRl3SwkbuvewIQA9byHM9DVZDi-SEUlC9ze/s1600/IMG_0409.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="267" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRjatFLTu_0buiUo11bLsBqW0dTnAIJJfCrpSimmurH-x-_amiG3VxZQqWCttGC9AUVniaA4JwSrBoQH8m03FjKmfV06QPNeByDvK949TnSRl3SwkbuvewIQA9byHM9DVZDi-SEUlC9ze/s400/IMG_0409.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIN00hl6VjVASraXb4q6U4wXnXEV6PXR4V4zSwTUJWIe4F9X3XK4dGjpnKuJ4Ku6uHRUH0zG_59acTRO7Dg8YGsLoibyyEvaZMTvwzMBL3RLXaM9UhY2zEF7Y6aRxYNPNCadazegJY8Ws/s1600/IMG_0415.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="268" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIN00hl6VjVASraXb4q6U4wXnXEV6PXR4V4zSwTUJWIe4F9X3XK4dGjpnKuJ4Ku6uHRUH0zG_59acTRO7Dg8YGsLoibyyEvaZMTvwzMBL3RLXaM9UhY2zEF7Y6aRxYNPNCadazegJY8Ws/s400/IMG_0415.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
On to the food:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xzwaubo8-J0uVLsJc2PQ0Kgx77FTx9Nbg5ZZhh4xlqz7n-VB96pFrz8BD7YMdJeoEourQ7I9m6nbRDqXw3CJlLBaGBQvR52OjZi7UAJmMVhS5I-10pzz4o2mZoTVfjFlbtLymwHfINYn/s1600/IMG_0408.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="269" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xzwaubo8-J0uVLsJc2PQ0Kgx77FTx9Nbg5ZZhh4xlqz7n-VB96pFrz8BD7YMdJeoEourQ7I9m6nbRDqXw3CJlLBaGBQvR52OjZi7UAJmMVhS5I-10pzz4o2mZoTVfjFlbtLymwHfINYn/s400/IMG_0408.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crispy Eggplant - garden pepper rouille</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4SOKaZ7dIjvyaexDcQJn6hHco3gJzWpdzCDCnV0h-VL0-m8coboDg0UQxWbWXi1mcAT6X6Mvl09vAjbytvDwyoBRzb928sA2mdVszX8gjKyBcp0Ntz8Y6cR5JVtL9NfG7iI7JdD6vC8q/s1600/IMG_0410.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="270" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX4SOKaZ7dIjvyaexDcQJn6hHco3gJzWpdzCDCnV0h-VL0-m8coboDg0UQxWbWXi1mcAT6X6Mvl09vAjbytvDwyoBRzb928sA2mdVszX8gjKyBcp0Ntz8Y6cR5JVtL9NfG7iI7JdD6vC8q/s400/IMG_0410.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato Gnocchi - tomato sauce, shaved pecorino, puttanesca garnish</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pXjP9_bkBwEdtL6G32N4gBwXYZf4tNz52OwmD3IdZuD4apQCd25h1d3vQQHJDLWij6iWOypJ6P9YneKHeC8ICetRTR8wrHSWSBD7FSUau6VqcyGxA44jSJDdoMBezgTnWQRNV4f9S7eT/s1600/IMG_0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="271" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_pXjP9_bkBwEdtL6G32N4gBwXYZf4tNz52OwmD3IdZuD4apQCd25h1d3vQQHJDLWij6iWOypJ6P9YneKHeC8ICetRTR8wrHSWSBD7FSUau6VqcyGxA44jSJDdoMBezgTnWQRNV4f9S7eT/s400/IMG_0412.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quail - spicy cucumber salad, mint, toasted peanuts, fried shallot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Every dish was fantastic. The flavor and seasoning of each item was spot on. Definitely one of my favorite meals this year.<br />
<br />
After lunch, we went to <a href="http://www.centralmarket.com/" linkindex="272" target="_blank">Central Market</a> for some gelato. I happened to be there during their "Hatch Chile Festival"! (lucky me!) Central Market is like a food heaven. It was somewhat similar to Whole Foods, but in a more "natural" market setting. Here are a few miscellaneous pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRmfOouZIEBxnoH7fwc0MO17Ns2gqs-8Q-qgOLuxpa9Jq8Q6vwh1D0viiaPqdGygeO4fNIeEANYgD8Yiy-cDl9ml9CE4bEN2G_ih1n_G1uoL4u14JChqgzIi9_atEiHtYv3olp5raLnsP/s1600/IMG_0426.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="273" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYRmfOouZIEBxnoH7fwc0MO17Ns2gqs-8Q-qgOLuxpa9Jq8Q6vwh1D0viiaPqdGygeO4fNIeEANYgD8Yiy-cDl9ml9CE4bEN2G_ih1n_G1uoL4u14JChqgzIi9_atEiHtYv3olp5raLnsP/s400/IMG_0426.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was a "Kids" size portion for $2.99 - extremely generous portions!!! On the left is toasted almont; on the right is coconut w/ hatch chile</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYwfOZfYtcYRXLGCPMKZQVPe9RPpG84JBmZstLI374T6kOtsT-cjoveAWK2lIHusypnY6F_3_fm_YwLdqSXTMgIhONSqc6e89s8xhWFrDy0gtMFUrH-JVHI7GST6rg23gzAU9GmXsY7KY/s1600/IMG_0420_crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" linkindex="274" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="87" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYwfOZfYtcYRXLGCPMKZQVPe9RPpG84JBmZstLI374T6kOtsT-cjoveAWK2lIHusypnY6F_3_fm_YwLdqSXTMgIhONSqc6e89s8xhWFrDy0gtMFUrH-JVHI7GST6rg23gzAU9GmXsY7KY/s400/IMG_0420_crop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved this quote on the wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HHo63VkYGdNO8gSFrwJtJXBeQkDxgfh1BFOJ5kR1HLI3n_MXJav7qcoXpH6QI4p7DB9E0Y0h8j_k0qOWW0uRz013WDCrj7HJ_4OC9jxGoEf5RnDzr8roq3_CCodg4j3wWlcNkVqWuAAG/s1600/IMG_0422.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="275" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HHo63VkYGdNO8gSFrwJtJXBeQkDxgfh1BFOJ5kR1HLI3n_MXJav7qcoXpH6QI4p7DB9E0Y0h8j_k0qOWW0uRz013WDCrj7HJ_4OC9jxGoEf5RnDzr8roq3_CCodg4j3wWlcNkVqWuAAG/s400/IMG_0422.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelato case</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtiNLDEMkjKc7_A7SyNFu_cYwt-znD6lblNwLJGbpQjdm61IcDkTbeLGc2yTGjMJnO1PQqGNnccwHBAQeGpEUjAQKlZe5W3Yo23HAWc3g9e_HMXYhyphenhyphenf7nwMv2OCQSuOAEiyUizLFPzV3x/s1600/IMG_0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="276" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtiNLDEMkjKc7_A7SyNFu_cYwt-znD6lblNwLJGbpQjdm61IcDkTbeLGc2yTGjMJnO1PQqGNnccwHBAQeGpEUjAQKlZe5W3Yo23HAWc3g9e_HMXYhyphenhyphenf7nwMv2OCQSuOAEiyUizLFPzV3x/s400/IMG_0429.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">roasting hatch chiles</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWX9CkZ0KtZNomXKVcSEs5IF1y4Pc8MkIPhUVtCP7t1tPRIwhYExF1BhqwEmGIAed6zdp6WssegVR_RIY3vmdkGUKkjfUldh970R-ySDPSN5zyfRJfNQV62CZm88GPognh8ppDb3KenCZ/s1600/IMG_0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="277" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWX9CkZ0KtZNomXKVcSEs5IF1y4Pc8MkIPhUVtCP7t1tPRIwhYExF1BhqwEmGIAed6zdp6WssegVR_RIY3vmdkGUKkjfUldh970R-ySDPSN5zyfRJfNQV62CZm88GPognh8ppDb3KenCZ/s400/IMG_0430.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcL36X66TPIsZZHjvBP6HpYdYp-y1BUls-4i3hx6bldqotb_aGEUewIfmjpDE4kmsaZuI6HSKA5AlZ5PgLLKHtL9L-ewO-IKojeJPx7sRFFlM3Yo2uqsomHLVmaNpObEaffg2Xk6rjLiD/s1600/IMG_0433.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="278" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOcL36X66TPIsZZHjvBP6HpYdYp-y1BUls-4i3hx6bldqotb_aGEUewIfmjpDE4kmsaZuI6HSKA5AlZ5PgLLKHtL9L-ewO-IKojeJPx7sRFFlM3Yo2uqsomHLVmaNpObEaffg2Xk6rjLiD/s400/IMG_0433.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQm4aYzDAJkZfhiHggdPPRZfedakAXpiYMo_rRVTYAOakRy6Usgy3u17Njx4Hz0bgiyd4Ti7GRf1bIQYwDBqVC57Ovkygn2Ic3ryEDdr6Ary0pt6oL438knWTdS5T5yaFXOlLSpHIZEON/s1600/IMG_0436.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="279" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiQm4aYzDAJkZfhiHggdPPRZfedakAXpiYMo_rRVTYAOakRy6Usgy3u17Njx4Hz0bgiyd4Ti7GRf1bIQYwDBqVC57Ovkygn2Ic3ryEDdr6Ary0pt6oL438knWTdS5T5yaFXOlLSpHIZEON/s400/IMG_0436.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Since I was in Texas, I had to have some <i>more</i> barbeque (this was a direct order from my sister). This time, I tried <a href="http://www.countyline.com/index.asp" linkindex="280" target="_blank">County Line</a>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuzuj0DdBrSh40iq4mIATdLjRKl1re862e5OvR4C09UCWDE01xFp7qJufNSN7bch8HFJRLVdht3HS9CqI1hi_pv1JdLG_eEMoZkOIeX33zj7JRcbBAfhn9l1bqInjiV7qZW9o4uRDWxzo/s1600/IMG_0462.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="281" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLuzuj0DdBrSh40iq4mIATdLjRKl1re862e5OvR4C09UCWDE01xFp7qJufNSN7bch8HFJRLVdht3HS9CqI1hi_pv1JdLG_eEMoZkOIeX33zj7JRcbBAfhn9l1bqInjiV7qZW9o4uRDWxzo/s400/IMG_0462.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1/4 rack, 2nd cut marbled brisket, mac & cheese, fries</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQuAt10lbVDFSld5lllsOlZ3mfqtL_OAfV9hw1ru_HLkkVHGRBxJkHZXuPHBlCQgPySDxjMfzGpEKtwaeOVaSyZGDcD_ijY679yx_0yFrXYfpYNEJ1jD1VIZ_Oj7kBsh9CU6FWa8l4n8q/s1600/IMG_0464.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="282" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQuAt10lbVDFSld5lllsOlZ3mfqtL_OAfV9hw1ru_HLkkVHGRBxJkHZXuPHBlCQgPySDxjMfzGpEKtwaeOVaSyZGDcD_ijY679yx_0yFrXYfpYNEJ1jD1VIZ_Oj7kBsh9CU6FWa8l4n8q/s400/IMG_0464.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OTyrmuxt5AnbXpljpS5z3hWYhqZpVxsiYAeJA6hEKWnBX_I-hNkqUtqQ2hUg9d_fZqSiufDRbkoaakfYGiFNDJKJ6kfHkNtV-sK0v7CN-UdXNx4UjpmUuSsUn1t4ehvm7OB4Pnob4dS6/s1600/IMG_0466.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="283" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OTyrmuxt5AnbXpljpS5z3hWYhqZpVxsiYAeJA6hEKWnBX_I-hNkqUtqQ2hUg9d_fZqSiufDRbkoaakfYGiFNDJKJ6kfHkNtV-sK0v7CN-UdXNx4UjpmUuSsUn1t4ehvm7OB4Pnob4dS6/s400/IMG_0466.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I love farmers' markets, so on Saturday morning I went to check out the Austin Farmers' Market - Downtown. My first stop was a food cart - The Zubik House, for some breakfast:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitADdPuPcbq_Re6VSNnO-GAqLiYfQez0lrPTEeYDgGxtbF0Z9t04waPrw6Oswdm7MlYsUt9KolFoiGe74ViTfHPRvhNpNQwl1-PS2fkLDEl4mPAzQohEbhs5zvmKLFii4FWw0hlGfRy7QX/s1600/IMG_0492.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="284" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitADdPuPcbq_Re6VSNnO-GAqLiYfQez0lrPTEeYDgGxtbF0Z9t04waPrw6Oswdm7MlYsUt9KolFoiGe74ViTfHPRvhNpNQwl1-PS2fkLDEl4mPAzQohEbhs5zvmKLFii4FWw0hlGfRy7QX/s400/IMG_0492.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled asparagus omelette w/ bacon & montasio cheese</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKl12SoNUJTdYSjlt_lJfkw-dKTIITjs02e2x-lUkG27EG1oBMBEQLWnr4XXDBLhOS6ZEkRNOHqWXWOsrTwohqUhzf9anGVB7axQFg7v415yRfPJ2iinlykOend376WjNZj53P8dbb1wQX/s1600/IMG_0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="285" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKl12SoNUJTdYSjlt_lJfkw-dKTIITjs02e2x-lUkG27EG1oBMBEQLWnr4XXDBLhOS6ZEkRNOHqWXWOsrTwohqUhzf9anGVB7axQFg7v415yRfPJ2iinlykOend376WjNZj53P8dbb1wQX/s400/IMG_0491.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
After the farmers' market, I went to <a href="http://www.fliphappycrepes.com/" linkindex="286" target="_blank">Flip Happy Crepes</a>. Flip Happy Crepes has been mentioned in <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-new-airstream-cuisine" linkindex="287" target="_blank">Food & Wine</a> and the <a href="http://culturemob.com/blog/austins-flip-happy-crepes-makes-second-food-network-appearance" linkindex="288" target="_blank">Food Network</a> a few times.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qHoAdC7HlP9gCr4mM4dCNykxOs0SqsUs5CcB3CgcSlSoXldWEzQpa_haIlia-DxfOA4-ZOk_qk357w4221B0BsyKdvgVxS7k_XnNxSpICQo76XVn8T9K5w-vzHpgBqInER4I6KICrqX3/s1600/IMG_0502.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="289" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_qHoAdC7HlP9gCr4mM4dCNykxOs0SqsUs5CcB3CgcSlSoXldWEzQpa_haIlia-DxfOA4-ZOk_qk357w4221B0BsyKdvgVxS7k_XnNxSpICQo76XVn8T9K5w-vzHpgBqInER4I6KICrqX3/s400/IMG_0502.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nutella w/ banana crepe. Perfection.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLiRbz02neAJnRQX24g_zddoSIdBkjbNIrqUEqP3cXqTWU9P626DE2zTjk06_Xosno-RU4I5og2KBlO3vO8k1Qot27FahUAi5ua4ThYrCo3Khyphenhyphen23Ny7aosruuDxS3luErhflysDMmNFb_/s1600/IMG_0498.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="290" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyLiRbz02neAJnRQX24g_zddoSIdBkjbNIrqUEqP3cXqTWU9P626DE2zTjk06_Xosno-RU4I5og2KBlO3vO8k1Qot27FahUAi5ua4ThYrCo3Khyphenhyphen23Ny7aosruuDxS3luErhflysDMmNFb_/s400/IMG_0498.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flip Happy Crepe is a very popular place!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was so impressed w/ the gelato at Central Market, that I had to have some more before leaving the city.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yheW6smY6PlB6M-M38aZCoQx_m72A6Yoy-tiaKka_tKHhoMRSNmVcmSqyXJjMJ_kVzi5JNne7iuoYnk2ynVxZFEEl_GVRiZOXilXaHjyTFmg6-aHmkXWuPU8SGwur5OF7QAr6rrpXsRV/s1600/IMG_0504.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="291" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yheW6smY6PlB6M-M38aZCoQx_m72A6Yoy-tiaKka_tKHhoMRSNmVcmSqyXJjMJ_kVzi5JNne7iuoYnk2ynVxZFEEl_GVRiZOXilXaHjyTFmg6-aHmkXWuPU8SGwur5OF7QAr6rrpXsRV/s400/IMG_0504.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: dark chocolate w/ hatch chile, pineapple w/ hatch chile, panna cotta</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Right before heading to the airport, I stopped at <a href="http://www.gourdoughs.com/" linkindex="292" target="_blank">Gourdough's</a>. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWR9rIOgWpnohwFaWyZ3dOgt7jHG4VxkmnsRnSZrjhxUsYRDKAkau0pQRGcfUNuX5PNEvFYLDSGP7bkT_0Z0ihD06lh5ZqsK93S5G3xUr2WIzUnHNteKfzVgfZxInQRgLv-kTPgdIRZJ-/s1600/IMG_0514.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="293" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWR9rIOgWpnohwFaWyZ3dOgt7jHG4VxkmnsRnSZrjhxUsYRDKAkau0pQRGcfUNuX5PNEvFYLDSGP7bkT_0Z0ihD06lh5ZqsK93S5G3xUr2WIzUnHNteKfzVgfZxInQRgLv-kTPgdIRZJ-/s400/IMG_0514.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mrwq76fbPlYleUWcVWX5bZ_fyWPxrUZvb_AUdFA3vXMiuz2KoqcFE9t3lzqUrheOLdD29PYB0xFkKMGRV735U4sa_NRLTKPrUjfQb1WqAVWDdFy4Tgnmf1H3yEBdMYMdOFaajKrYW4VJ/s1600/IMG_0517.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="294" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mrwq76fbPlYleUWcVWX5bZ_fyWPxrUZvb_AUdFA3vXMiuz2KoqcFE9t3lzqUrheOLdD29PYB0xFkKMGRV735U4sa_NRLTKPrUjfQb1WqAVWDdFy4Tgnmf1H3yEBdMYMdOFaajKrYW4VJ/s400/IMG_0517.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Porkey's - canadian bacon, cream cheese, jalapeno jelly</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1TG3JOpxhP-iRGJqvGqrPOXuzB7q6u6dq6YrUbk5PmedFpv6W2CzyNlG6TBD2g62aJKfqzsJPrIifoY4CqOXKPG2QVAPNXRkFbzMMcYcYsfQepFP-iDuVzm_jBZepBOsJgXjy7YAI802/s1600/IMG_0512.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="295" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji1TG3JOpxhP-iRGJqvGqrPOXuzB7q6u6dq6YrUbk5PmedFpv6W2CzyNlG6TBD2g62aJKfqzsJPrIifoY4CqOXKPG2QVAPNXRkFbzMMcYcYsfQepFP-iDuVzm_jBZepBOsJgXjy7YAI802/s400/IMG_0512.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<span id="goog_1740667672"></span><span id="goog_1740667673"></span><br />
The "Porkey's" at Gourdough's is one of the tastiest things ever.<br />
<br />
Austin is a fantastic food city. There are so many dining options, and come to think of it, I don't recall seeing a single chain restaurant (w/ the exception of PF Chang's, which was next to my hotel). I'm sure those chains are around somewhere, maybe just not as prevalent in the downtown area. Thanks to everyone for all of the suggestions. J - I'll definitely hit Salt Lick next time I'm in Austin. B&T - same thing for the "migas" at El Chile.<br />
<br />
Placed mentioned:<br />
Iron Works BBQ<br />
100 Red River Street<br />
Austin, TX 78701<br />
<br />
Chez Nous<br />
510 Neches Street<br />
Austin, TX 78701 <br />
<br />
Olivia<br />
2043 South Lamar Boulevard<br />
Austin, TX 78704<br />
<br />
Central Market (multiple locations)<br />
<br />
County Line (multiple locations)<br />
6500 Bee Caves Road<br />
Austin, TX 78746 <br />
<br />
The Zubik House<br />
Austin Farmers' Market - Downtown (4th St/Guadalupe)<br />
<br />
<br />
Flip Happy Crepes<br />
400 Jessie Street<br />
Austin, TX 78704<br />
<br />
Gourdough's<br />
<span class="adr" dir="ltr" id="adr">1219 South Lamar Blvd</span><br />
<span class="adr" dir="ltr" id="adr">Austin, TX 78704 </span>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-82975755259233060582010-08-19T08:30:00.004-07:002010-08-19T08:30:01.070-07:00First impressions of HoustonAfter 45 hours in Houston, here are some initial impressions of the city:<br />
<ol><li>It's massive. Yet another victim of urban sprawl, similar to Phoenix...</li>
<li>Traffic is pretty bad. Traffic during peak periods in the Galleria area is awful, especially on the arterial roads adjacent to I-610. At 5:15pm on a weekday, it took me 30 minutes to drive .8 miles. Frustrating!</li>
<li>There isn't much to see, in terms of tourist attractions. I asked a few people, including two Houston natives, and they couldn't really think of any major tourist attractions. </li>
<li>As you may have heard, summers in Houston are hot and HUMID. The weather reminds me of the tropical climate found in Southeast Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.).</li>
<li>Houston seems like a solid food city. In terms of Chinese/Asian food, it's paradise. Driving along Bellaire Blvd, I would put the city right up there with LA, New York, and San Francisco.</li>
</ol>#4 and #5 might explain the huge population of Asians in the area.<br />
<br />
On to Austin!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-88785715917283566222010-08-16T22:29:00.000-07:002010-08-16T22:29:56.788-07:00Fall travelThe fall travel season has arrived! That means it's "nomad time".<br />
<br />
I'm off to Texas tomorrow for my first trip of the fall. Over the next few months, my teammates and I will be visiting over 90 cities in 31 countries. Personally, I'll be visiting <x> <x> cities 25 cities in 11 countries (including 5 countries that I've never been to before!). <br />
<br />
Here's where I'll be heading this fall:<br />
</x></x><br />
<ul><li><x><x> Houston, TX</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Austin, TX</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Washington, D.C. (twice)</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Seattle, WA (twice)</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Vancouver, Canada</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Pittsburgh, PA</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> New York, NY</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Philadelphia, PA</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Chicago, IL</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Ann Arbor, MI</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Denver, CO</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Portland, OR</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Beijing, China</x></x></li>
<li>Taipei, Taiwan (three visits, one of those for work)</li>
<li><x><x> Hong Kong, China</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Bangkok, Thailand</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Manilla, Philippines</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Singapore</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> <u></u> Chennai, India</x></x></li>
<li><x><x> Dubai, UAE</x></x></li>
<li><x><x>Abu Dhabi, UAE</x></x></li>
<li><x><x>Riyadh, Saudi Arabia</x></x></li>
<li><x><x>Manama, Bahrain</x></x></li>
</ul><x><x></x></x><br />
<x><x>Time to pack my bags...</x></x>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-87834144432687288052010-08-15T14:57:00.003-07:002010-08-15T15:00:54.695-07:00Happy hour at Frank & Albert'sAfter work on Friday, I met up w/ a few friends at <a href="http://www.frankandalberts.com/" linkindex="27" target="_blank">Frank & Albert's</a>, which is located inside the Arizona Biltmore Resort. This was everyone's first visit there.<br />
<br />
Here are two pictures of the restaurant:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpSDpmXezqvW2pKUZbHhun66loIQSiCulro0eJMXfmbD7bTHFUmBu_RYDYzsfBa-oqPlzkANgyD_I4JgNEui013-Ut7sNr8aXEKGCDT_iOzfoZ3UQ81pmzFmsvkXW_q9I87YyZ-gZpzZt/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="28" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBpSDpmXezqvW2pKUZbHhun66loIQSiCulro0eJMXfmbD7bTHFUmBu_RYDYzsfBa-oqPlzkANgyD_I4JgNEui013-Ut7sNr8aXEKGCDT_iOzfoZ3UQ81pmzFmsvkXW_q9I87YyZ-gZpzZt/s400/IMG_0247.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to Frank & Albert's</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYqACj7qcaGhv-JHl1Te03WuJkdXsfkbkk67hVFq55cCjaB315dJRBPf6poRaQeQYAKROJQ8pm0aHONi9R20oq1PCr_WlFLRCI6lRZOMvll0SpZAgfnyUE2H_jz84zK2yv7gZVfCr4qz7/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="29" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYqACj7qcaGhv-JHl1Te03WuJkdXsfkbkk67hVFq55cCjaB315dJRBPf6poRaQeQYAKROJQ8pm0aHONi9R20oq1PCr_WlFLRCI6lRZOMvll0SpZAgfnyUE2H_jz84zK2yv7gZVfCr4qz7/s400/IMG_0260.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">bar area</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Here's what I had to drink:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrGzgDDvGuuHzFz90SeTCu_WwZuOd9ZcfMO_3V61r84D2FnVRIrWmJnLBUQjxFzfR108_kw01rKAaO4UNz4ta_Jb6IYA2tuZFPOE1P45FDmoU0jce20nnAxq8lTetv0eoBph0apa5zmDq/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="30" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOrGzgDDvGuuHzFz90SeTCu_WwZuOd9ZcfMO_3V61r84D2FnVRIrWmJnLBUQjxFzfR108_kw01rKAaO4UNz4ta_Jb6IYA2tuZFPOE1P45FDmoU0jce20nnAxq8lTetv0eoBph0apa5zmDq/s400/IMG_0252.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />
This was my first time trying <a href="http://www.frankandalberts.com/" linkindex="31" target="_blank">Session Lager</a> (from Full Sail Brewery). I really enjoyed it - I've never seen this beer before, but would definitely order it again!<br />
<br />
From 5-7pm daily, they offer a "High Five" special, where you can choose any four items (from a list of eight) for $5. Here's a picture of what it looks like:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jY0YimTx4khMcm3p_DyojrU4KiPV5HnlHxKGUsITO4-8mQWZoYDNqoOCvJB6BKAShZsn5IQwiPMlVXPtRLhD_NkVOPefzxahLdP7QQWfzliaLameay2JnEuJXvVdk8rIixm7NDyXmE5K/s1600/IMG_0261.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="32" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9jY0YimTx4khMcm3p_DyojrU4KiPV5HnlHxKGUsITO4-8mQWZoYDNqoOCvJB6BKAShZsn5IQwiPMlVXPtRLhD_NkVOPefzxahLdP7QQWfzliaLameay2JnEuJXvVdk8rIixm7NDyXmE5K/s400/IMG_0261.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Various shots of things we ordered<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S6vjUsKQ48I0hySJXXNjPsYMohU6h1dDPxLwvWDAE9ya4Aed62lGUKE0OlpAV8HZrFj93Si6xJVpz9dSiplZn4_JeIoe0wVcBksH1GAQ_Mr-87Kl9iyfk67j4NtZn3txC-rwfbFnZKre/s1600/IMG_0263.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="33" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S6vjUsKQ48I0hySJXXNjPsYMohU6h1dDPxLwvWDAE9ya4Aed62lGUKE0OlpAV8HZrFj93Si6xJVpz9dSiplZn4_JeIoe0wVcBksH1GAQ_Mr-87Kl9iyfk67j4NtZn3txC-rwfbFnZKre/s400/IMG_0263.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulled Pork Empanada</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5X1iydwLpR7CMkPxbiJOBeZBDTnisYLefrOQKiRgXip2nWquPxESjNZscghPboiT8cHGAeUZT66JFL7_h4Qz6b1HS25RvrZiEqgP0tDOa9yk-sGIiVEuSBsjqX_lZGyHS7shDpA5F1hqj/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="34" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5X1iydwLpR7CMkPxbiJOBeZBDTnisYLefrOQKiRgXip2nWquPxESjNZscghPboiT8cHGAeUZT66JFL7_h4Qz6b1HS25RvrZiEqgP0tDOa9yk-sGIiVEuSBsjqX_lZGyHS7shDpA5F1hqj/s400/IMG_0264.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sedona Trout & Poblano Pesto Flat</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFHxra57G2JwHuLHn1oOgH6mjfjZ1g3RrtZWJ0XhcaJ0CZG24oDD5xdfWnXsZ2lMXLjhJ4g9ZpeId51PR4eHRtxJSU6AxPozY6ZJa-5AIRxnwHf2Zc3CFNck7Y7Sy_no9gjIXqRU1-TsI/s1600/IMG_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="35" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFHxra57G2JwHuLHn1oOgH6mjfjZ1g3RrtZWJ0XhcaJ0CZG24oDD5xdfWnXsZ2lMXLjhJ4g9ZpeId51PR4eHRtxJSU6AxPozY6ZJa-5AIRxnwHf2Zc3CFNck7Y7Sy_no9gjIXqRU1-TsI/s400/IMG_0265.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cumin Roasted Free Range Lamb</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrjV07fZntfwgQrkmS_Wj3F7YGDLCOACaGqYHg_DCZa7UAsD-FzUIozg_aji380U5_bsnR6jmqFV9xleH1psJyGD7367ettWouz7wA23syuh7oOlfxFY4JkQiRYErnoNLtxvp2wGIg3bS/s1600/IMG_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="36" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTrjV07fZntfwgQrkmS_Wj3F7YGDLCOACaGqYHg_DCZa7UAsD-FzUIozg_aji380U5_bsnR6jmqFV9xleH1psJyGD7367ettWouz7wA23syuh7oOlfxFY4JkQiRYErnoNLtxvp2wGIg3bS/s400/IMG_0266.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow Tomato Gazpacho</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E9Lv3FQdD-1QkFyAPhENRJwtXGwkuoZP09Jkn0SXyuCFg2dSXyUGdbPyCK3KUdjo_ub7McNtaRIEMnOM9xmK4oX0j7XHMcgcRcphMmPoQtiunGGMzznYo6xKF7HIAgbDrMCrzf2xoJVy/s1600/IMG_0267.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="37" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2E9Lv3FQdD-1QkFyAPhENRJwtXGwkuoZP09Jkn0SXyuCFg2dSXyUGdbPyCK3KUdjo_ub7McNtaRIEMnOM9xmK4oX0j7XHMcgcRcphMmPoQtiunGGMzznYo6xKF7HIAgbDrMCrzf2xoJVy/s400/IMG_0267.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chipotle Glaze Turkey Meatloaf Slider</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Kmmr-ehxhZQqT1TW-0EfBjUg8N8_3KblDJ_d1OrGpQFnRRfERuhvvDyyfZuteh9WBLvGDhji2wLlsiTN0tXuwY3pGFyzafyN7uuq7m-6BBMHKxgqHNyM1gxQyHfFtu-ZJuEBamKKvhdD/s1600/IMG_0268.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="38" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Kmmr-ehxhZQqT1TW-0EfBjUg8N8_3KblDJ_d1OrGpQFnRRfERuhvvDyyfZuteh9WBLvGDhji2wLlsiTN0tXuwY3pGFyzafyN7uuq7m-6BBMHKxgqHNyM1gxQyHfFtu-ZJuEBamKKvhdD/s400/IMG_0268.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grilled Cheese Sandwich</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Khw1uH-kQpayfumA_zSYYJKIHhgc2QhQaJg8ZegQOVGFza-HRnJxgSYQoKSXPR94wEt-DaZGZF2Fscm_pfVKy75Qe0HChVeqqKhcacx75vNvbLQlh-36fOWeUXN1tKHxxzP0hAitNXQU/s1600/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="39" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Khw1uH-kQpayfumA_zSYYJKIHhgc2QhQaJg8ZegQOVGFza-HRnJxgSYQoKSXPR94wEt-DaZGZF2Fscm_pfVKy75Qe0HChVeqqKhcacx75vNvbLQlh-36fOWeUXN1tKHxxzP0hAitNXQU/s400/IMG_0269.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deviled Egg</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwM-dqY-ZFHdAtiz4NiWoLYBAUyDzSHk7vY_BLSmUauapsA8AVcLOOtO1U6jlxiAxAeOjtmqitO10jGA-v655lIO_iZbIab8_D6IxUzbFVsVY5IS9xjrLEHrqPhWVDI9YdLnuCEA7SnaES/s1600/IMG_0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="40" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwM-dqY-ZFHdAtiz4NiWoLYBAUyDzSHk7vY_BLSmUauapsA8AVcLOOtO1U6jlxiAxAeOjtmqitO10jGA-v655lIO_iZbIab8_D6IxUzbFVsVY5IS9xjrLEHrqPhWVDI9YdLnuCEA7SnaES/s400/IMG_0270.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodstone Baked Brie ($5)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie58QMqROTgMOFC3rNL2LkFMWiAbH2YU-4RHu_Ee6g0Tf534110_DxFHn3mOWfo4_kM-nPPu6XkHKcUNi7ZiAt7YlCRJoRJPFEphDiZmBGazKarimdcNnQAKGAmmuDZk19HCHupopOJkVs/s1600/IMG_0271.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="41" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie58QMqROTgMOFC3rNL2LkFMWiAbH2YU-4RHu_Ee6g0Tf534110_DxFHn3mOWfo4_kM-nPPu6XkHKcUNi7ZiAt7YlCRJoRJPFEphDiZmBGazKarimdcNnQAKGAmmuDZk19HCHupopOJkVs/s400/IMG_0271.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charred Chicken Lollipops ($5)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Overall, the food was good, although there was a service mishap - one of the servers spilled a "Yellow Tomato Gazpacho" all over R. They didn't charge her for her food and drink, but I still think they could have handled the issue much better. With the exception of this issue, we still enjoyed it. The "High Five" special is a great deal. The only universally panned item was the "Yellow Tomato Gazpacho".<br />
<br />
Places mentioned:<br />
Frank & Albert's<br />
2400 East Missouri Avenue (in the Arizona Biltmore Resort)<br />
Phoenix, AZ 85016Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-5727411845861241112010-08-09T22:42:00.000-07:002010-08-09T22:42:00.847-07:00Dinner tonightHere's what I made for dinner tonight:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7GrtZoFDFla_0Eih9nz8Dj6DicdQ0sic-aYBUtbOdJ4Ez-8ZKeIIpCL83voyI3xKVuhCsxxwmPgT5UPoiUrALZsf_rDlJMy7459Bs8U5Xxy6_lYzaI8ricW8KLgSNbjeK4dS7MKHvROK/s1600/IMG_0232.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="133" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7GrtZoFDFla_0Eih9nz8Dj6DicdQ0sic-aYBUtbOdJ4Ez-8ZKeIIpCL83voyI3xKVuhCsxxwmPgT5UPoiUrALZsf_rDlJMy7459Bs8U5Xxy6_lYzaI8ricW8KLgSNbjeK4dS7MKHvROK/s400/IMG_0232.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">salmon w/ a bit of cajun seasoning</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfXZ9ZAsor6LCbZtgAPS68Dq0HF5UttAjguU8V874l-zgKZSIKs8wpOfeuZJMmHQqAOKeoAnoPQ9o1ZOhnqiGybN8cRgnzdQhF5FTiG-gFZITEPeDcAmyATlTrD4f1CSFs0YskWRyBNZs/s1600/IMG_0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="134" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpfXZ9ZAsor6LCbZtgAPS68Dq0HF5UttAjguU8V874l-zgKZSIKs8wpOfeuZJMmHQqAOKeoAnoPQ9o1ZOhnqiGybN8cRgnzdQhF5FTiG-gFZITEPeDcAmyATlTrD4f1CSFs0YskWRyBNZs/s400/IMG_0230.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">stir fried baby bok choy, mushrooms, and cilantro</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Prepped and cooked both in less than 15 minutes!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-66718973763996590822010-08-08T19:28:00.001-07:002010-08-08T21:29:11.316-07:00Weekend highlights (part 2 of 2)Every summer, during the off-season, many of the resorts in the area offer fantastic rates and special package deals. For the past two years, we've stayed at the <a href="http://www.jwdesertridgeresort.com/" linkindex="65" target="_blank">JW Marriott Desert Ridge</a> (read about it here - "<a href="http://whatandydoes.blogspot.com/2009/04/deals-jw-marriott-desert-ridge.html" linkindex="66" target="_blank">Deals @ the JW Marriott Desert Ridge</a>").<br />
<br />
This year, I had narrowed it down to either the <a href="http://www.arizonabiltmore.com/" linkindex="67" target="_blank">Arizona Biltmore</a> or <a href="http://www.hermosainn.com/" linkindex="68" target="_blank">Hermosa Inn</a>, and finally decided on the "<a href="http://www.hermosainn.com/az/accommodations/specials-and-packages/" linkindex="69" target="_blank">Night at Lon's</a>" package at the Hermosa Inn.<br />
<br />
The package included the following:<br />
<ul><li>one-night stay in a deluxe casita</li>
<li>enhanced turn-down service</li>
<li>$100 credit at Lon's at the Hermosa</li>
<li>$50 breakfast credit</li>
</ul>We paid $267 for a Sunday night stay - about $200 less than the rate during the winter (peak season) months.<br />
<br />
Here are some pictures of our stay:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FAnH0saoQsOHveW75KRulWU7NtHN2pBc0boiF_RUayRFpJ4N1tUARpxLwPEGV8ZIWjsMdwav_e_04MbXJXbk0pp-h_ymIx3jaU-rWPtf6vW-_9yGi6U-BWgaHKFThOqBXWF7luRvgyBc/s1600/IMG_0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="70" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_FAnH0saoQsOHveW75KRulWU7NtHN2pBc0boiF_RUayRFpJ4N1tUARpxLwPEGV8ZIWjsMdwav_e_04MbXJXbk0pp-h_ymIx3jaU-rWPtf6vW-_9yGi6U-BWgaHKFThOqBXWF7luRvgyBc/s400/IMG_0076.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our "deluxe casita" - there were 2 units in the building...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGXBQF644f8P2dYZRaQiV5VJbWVIgy4Yuw9SE_ofycIITsw2yLQX64cXgHVBLWyauHeeS1FMs5X6ZqI8EOz0EqEdYH_Dg2EWlqNZP4xzSDVfl-vbxrJsNU-9TOne2yNheH1JnWqSpEw-b/s1600/IMG_0063.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="71" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGXBQF644f8P2dYZRaQiV5VJbWVIgy4Yuw9SE_ofycIITsw2yLQX64cXgHVBLWyauHeeS1FMs5X6ZqI8EOz0EqEdYH_Dg2EWlqNZP4xzSDVfl-vbxrJsNU-9TOne2yNheH1JnWqSpEw-b/s400/IMG_0063.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big room!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikw8ELv9QIeCZVa97eDqvqY7-ZiN__fzM9xrhYENACijOi1n-D6WaYzgFhBshE1Lo-idfWAKd2vKZ0CE2gveatDxhMTeiDiHji3HlpfIiCil2T42GfG4ia5h8QeViCM43Mbs6qPopxzLvB/s1600/IMG_0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="72" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikw8ELv9QIeCZVa97eDqvqY7-ZiN__fzM9xrhYENACijOi1n-D6WaYzgFhBshE1Lo-idfWAKd2vKZ0CE2gveatDxhMTeiDiHji3HlpfIiCil2T42GfG4ia5h8QeViCM43Mbs6qPopxzLvB/s400/IMG_0064.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T7az6ykEkyriOsYmPeD2RIMNt1dpG2itrAcxoWWIgbSoP1yx-uJqkRdYqiecHIHXFlYACsoMS9JE8lLvcKMiwzHQuLx26enMZ4EA9XInQUkhylntziQFWI4GJt4yLKh4wsiry8KAd2ZD/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="73" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T7az6ykEkyriOsYmPeD2RIMNt1dpG2itrAcxoWWIgbSoP1yx-uJqkRdYqiecHIHXFlYACsoMS9JE8lLvcKMiwzHQuLx26enMZ4EA9XInQUkhylntziQFWI4GJt4yLKh4wsiry8KAd2ZD/s400/IMG_0065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mohljkItGEvOdw4QDRppAWVcmjQHJpiyhMoinAYsmH8ssMX3cDajQPWfdINo3uOBSkZsVL_eTzsnIxfBf8mJY_8TPODuTuDrBCogGNuNyLCh-_zPN8VPPx52pPiyuw5j-2rlyn_kC6XC/s1600/IMG_0057.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="74" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4mohljkItGEvOdw4QDRppAWVcmjQHJpiyhMoinAYsmH8ssMX3cDajQPWfdINo3uOBSkZsVL_eTzsnIxfBf8mJY_8TPODuTuDrBCogGNuNyLCh-_zPN8VPPx52pPiyuw5j-2rlyn_kC6XC/s400/IMG_0057.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HUGE bathroom!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNjaEARd6uDQAjWeL7S2L4TQ6YvyjEqNp_zXBTbuXnL8ofQdCrJNZf3iOB6sFCPD2C9uQnRHqZ51h6b5QjsoPfLlEOknvBiHDrcxqM4ZdSDD6I-t2YYJNYLAnPAVUHW5U7POWhR6rjXHD/s1600/IMG_0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="75" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNjaEARd6uDQAjWeL7S2L4TQ6YvyjEqNp_zXBTbuXnL8ofQdCrJNZf3iOB6sFCPD2C9uQnRHqZ51h6b5QjsoPfLlEOknvBiHDrcxqM4ZdSDD6I-t2YYJNYLAnPAVUHW5U7POWhR6rjXHD/s400/IMG_0059.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">awesome shower...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3sjDRCPQ0h3TUtJx7e7PsV8b0_EclerWqyB0kMfxSkFM8a1AD20bRz5W2l-8y6Lotpe9HrD600RubddzLHVixHcBQQm9EtHCu_pq-KL1dlSmKmALFZt1vGJrBHmBAQZ_cSi410KwAKgn/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="76" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3sjDRCPQ0h3TUtJx7e7PsV8b0_EclerWqyB0kMfxSkFM8a1AD20bRz5W2l-8y6Lotpe9HrD600RubddzLHVixHcBQQm9EtHCu_pq-KL1dlSmKmALFZt1vGJrBHmBAQZ_cSi410KwAKgn/s400/IMG_0058.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrA6k2MS51x8Ekw-ecAXVEWaOzI8dBmQmF5FVdTldCA1dDYHwIyvoYE4RtGhUfpRgpFL-SDijozkJ7b9_MaOadvc31a5lHjzXPAqB7KqssJFhvjzJbJD5a02Mm5d4jREOeH_go9FH8G-p/s1600/IMG_0061.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="77" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXrA6k2MS51x8Ekw-ecAXVEWaOzI8dBmQmF5FVdTldCA1dDYHwIyvoYE4RtGhUfpRgpFL-SDijozkJ7b9_MaOadvc31a5lHjzXPAqB7KqssJFhvjzJbJD5a02Mm5d4jREOeH_go9FH8G-p/s400/IMG_0061.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMeNVC7O8enB8_Fv7TkKd9mydmTgknD2SDCP2CRIzDoa8Da10Qr3MVOZZ3kf1njbn6TjueyDKrZTA6OmzVsVHIJfh2VRtvfD15_AflJxcce2Nz_TuDJgtOZ5c31XhPJ1wuykw3t9LVo-j/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="78" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMeNVC7O8enB8_Fv7TkKd9mydmTgknD2SDCP2CRIzDoa8Da10Qr3MVOZZ3kf1njbn6TjueyDKrZTA6OmzVsVHIJfh2VRtvfD15_AflJxcce2Nz_TuDJgtOZ5c31XhPJ1wuykw3t9LVo-j/s400/IMG_0079.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm-6APUoezt-OMzvfi4qmkxCP_CqW7vOPTJPJvcdVnLYSFNiQX7z54o1201lKHbD7ZEfDTWv96rTTHJ3Mr4Ku6J0IIk9N0VeaQeqWW86QnPHwQoxsB4HvqEhQbgijhyyXgfWvVS8ANACR/s1600/IMG_0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="79" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSm-6APUoezt-OMzvfi4qmkxCP_CqW7vOPTJPJvcdVnLYSFNiQX7z54o1201lKHbD7ZEfDTWv96rTTHJ3Mr4Ku6J0IIk9N0VeaQeqWW86QnPHwQoxsB4HvqEhQbgijhyyXgfWvVS8ANACR/s400/IMG_0078.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pool area - we went once in the evening and once in the morning and were the only guests there</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSgwgzIuyhjKO8Uyj1NiWnW7cMscuY4RmSQ1hC7CeVk3JyVmzPlCu1-yHKji_dU0Y9c2JVoU5u9DcKI1w2Km5_8A7OcXsu-dTwXjFbZuvmdLc_5vIu50OoZk7fNpx4Zfk677AJ_5v77zO/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="80" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJSgwgzIuyhjKO8Uyj1NiWnW7cMscuY4RmSQ1hC7CeVk3JyVmzPlCu1-yHKji_dU0Y9c2JVoU5u9DcKI1w2Km5_8A7OcXsu-dTwXjFbZuvmdLc_5vIu50OoZk7fNpx4Zfk677AJ_5v77zO/s400/IMG_0074.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">welcome gift</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzBcrpG5ikHtECMpvh6kN3MltLR28qrRfEWaVYRVQ8FPbClSXP_5FkJEt13w_yiZI2f_cUG8B-bguNpySAd-Ovjkbb_78CHAdnjgcY3V-MwwUp8oEA61uAz_LR7We6eZg8a3lMtKt0bh7/s1600/IMG_0097.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="81" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzBcrpG5ikHtECMpvh6kN3MltLR28qrRfEWaVYRVQ8FPbClSXP_5FkJEt13w_yiZI2f_cUG8B-bguNpySAd-Ovjkbb_78CHAdnjgcY3V-MwwUp8oEA61uAz_LR7We6eZg8a3lMtKt0bh7/s400/IMG_0097.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 chocolate cookies and personalized event guide w/ turndown service</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC-fmrzXeRdv5KrmfJLfWzyLWqxnvEaueKBKx62-wY2zkxuSEZYW_5ZaHyHI7vAYP-g3g0yFoZf7_SdezKi8MPWgMHauxOc2PXpX8tiIMSXyO_A3rrtU0g6x0vofT237LTrKvKthcqBNE/s1600/IMG_0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="82" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC-fmrzXeRdv5KrmfJLfWzyLWqxnvEaueKBKx62-wY2zkxuSEZYW_5ZaHyHI7vAYP-g3g0yFoZf7_SdezKi8MPWgMHauxOc2PXpX8tiIMSXyO_A3rrtU0g6x0vofT237LTrKvKthcqBNE/s400/IMG_0081.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner - dining room @ Lon's</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1jN-zjoGE0qAUa-HA7AxJXyPihwOtUfqlrHqPOIDVWBYKloKAV3JFa8Rj-mP_5rTMGZyLExoVz7bMDM5wu_aFisvC-dSSPRnYONuBIRLxmjldS5T7cLI0RZeZOaaiBk9jZz4kDwoxY-s/s1600/IMG_0084.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="83" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1jN-zjoGE0qAUa-HA7AxJXyPihwOtUfqlrHqPOIDVWBYKloKAV3JFa8Rj-mP_5rTMGZyLExoVz7bMDM5wu_aFisvC-dSSPRnYONuBIRLxmjldS5T7cLI0RZeZOaaiBk9jZz4kDwoxY-s/s400/IMG_0084.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmI9YddqL_-fxQ8eo4ulnYsu9eqTAT_N_9HjsAo6N2b5Y0igL5b-UNYUjYKqmeJwCQRtuKgIvpgN3SH_iqR3kvaWsgmXxTUGQq2OosCgTnXUpznRsCVwxdmHowbh6OzVhWwlx5Pjtfnoeb/s1600/IMG_0085.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="84" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmI9YddqL_-fxQ8eo4ulnYsu9eqTAT_N_9HjsAo6N2b5Y0igL5b-UNYUjYKqmeJwCQRtuKgIvpgN3SH_iqR3kvaWsgmXxTUGQq2OosCgTnXUpznRsCVwxdmHowbh6OzVhWwlx5Pjtfnoeb/s400/IMG_0085.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9c0BybuM_Z5HQeXeCFqLROHl7NxJb23xJ9iC_J1v1fOmkuqIxgpIZUcHc1cA-CXU4lykDUG_0Q4ipK1Hrhp4paw4yDUdnCXb3fr4XkxoZetnc7yaq2XhJxjsMxZZi0ibhnJWI70BE08o/s1600/IMG_0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="85" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9c0BybuM_Z5HQeXeCFqLROHl7NxJb23xJ9iC_J1v1fOmkuqIxgpIZUcHc1cA-CXU4lykDUG_0Q4ipK1Hrhp4paw4yDUdnCXb3fr4XkxoZetnc7yaq2XhJxjsMxZZi0ibhnJWI70BE08o/s400/IMG_0086.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGm9ia9RxB8QE60-tCJjJLGLdiV-dyTCdizI0IsVsdnwVRnVSMi1Ge4ExHL3WPzaXjgayUm4lMDZaXGloYfDK-TaAmukkM-L1N_XOVHPzAFHbcYMYglTe5YqDSzzkHJO2Dt7JsT5tHQRDu/s1600/IMG_0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="86" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGm9ia9RxB8QE60-tCJjJLGLdiV-dyTCdizI0IsVsdnwVRnVSMi1Ge4ExHL3WPzaXjgayUm4lMDZaXGloYfDK-TaAmukkM-L1N_XOVHPzAFHbcYMYglTe5YqDSzzkHJO2Dt7JsT5tHQRDu/s400/IMG_0087.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_9fdCe_AvHAQKQFM_SATWVNtg-PaKpd21PQfBfj-w0u19jx1e8aqMyswMnlS8C8MwZjGjVF8ZTsJyGScNdoWdC_0BwbiVZ30KsAn5HJOpXlHnIz2F0UgIbXhzYryIZn9fWCfn23GUjb1/s1600/IMG_0088.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="87" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_9fdCe_AvHAQKQFM_SATWVNtg-PaKpd21PQfBfj-w0u19jx1e8aqMyswMnlS8C8MwZjGjVF8ZTsJyGScNdoWdC_0BwbiVZ30KsAn5HJOpXlHnIz2F0UgIbXhzYryIZn9fWCfn23GUjb1/s400/IMG_0088.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMD5T3mgIlkpUlm-L4PKU0egtwkn1ctLGVOwy1bjzN1h-VzCduT1WiL5AqwlcyJC58kSPXP0coVcY7zP_7SKHkJFIlr3B_Vuxz7TvUHtHDjFKQW_v5w3zpLODBRvPfPbZZlurlBb7bd9eO/s1600/IMG_0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="88" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMD5T3mgIlkpUlm-L4PKU0egtwkn1ctLGVOwy1bjzN1h-VzCduT1WiL5AqwlcyJC58kSPXP0coVcY7zP_7SKHkJFIlr3B_Vuxz7TvUHtHDjFKQW_v5w3zpLODBRvPfPbZZlurlBb7bd9eO/s400/IMG_0090.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
The next morning, we had breakfast on the patio of our casita:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2XcMpQ9KJkpji2NtSyrGeAbBDtsDiBpH2BVnyQdLHmO67uj8mSg4Rj4B7POGCo04sBHYEWc7Ia5IrckPsFBV3mDy4a73WmA2gRjJQ5ahT2eJYex2176VjVe-9MxxhYHXKTB2dLqt-hFE/s1600/IMG_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="89" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2XcMpQ9KJkpji2NtSyrGeAbBDtsDiBpH2BVnyQdLHmO67uj8mSg4Rj4B7POGCo04sBHYEWc7Ia5IrckPsFBV3mDy4a73WmA2gRjJQ5ahT2eJYex2176VjVe-9MxxhYHXKTB2dLqt-hFE/s400/IMG_0098.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGUzVYRPjvTUZA_8cz5yQrlvnsQ-o9UxF0uaXaOPp-5Jk7N3bBBSX_mkK7CpQ7N1jsrqFKI4Q2Va8D2N9mcRe_lTG4hlRVMoQZlTUVhX7wVeH3T8jjXiUciJzfr9PsYT0JzZsxKer6XZL/s1600/IMG_0100.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="90" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuGUzVYRPjvTUZA_8cz5yQrlvnsQ-o9UxF0uaXaOPp-5Jk7N3bBBSX_mkK7CpQ7N1jsrqFKI4Q2Va8D2N9mcRe_lTG4hlRVMoQZlTUVhX7wVeH3T8jjXiUciJzfr9PsYT0JzZsxKer6XZL/s400/IMG_0100.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6zetDQpwIJ4BCbDAcvW9bdQdM2YhsL9sg2iaI_1YWOUXyDW5ns9jJIlpdz-iu-u6uqp3xOoGZHbEJIYFR3SGw4hpNj_aV-nsdhiKEbXpUVOICbUYOHFAqHTsHgdH5yq6uppMSVhFcMOu/s1600/IMG_0101.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="91" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6zetDQpwIJ4BCbDAcvW9bdQdM2YhsL9sg2iaI_1YWOUXyDW5ns9jJIlpdz-iu-u6uqp3xOoGZHbEJIYFR3SGw4hpNj_aV-nsdhiKEbXpUVOICbUYOHFAqHTsHgdH5yq6uppMSVhFcMOu/s400/IMG_0101.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUXxRgRNRYe9BEOBBkWHWOnsnduXUOeryakOPdPnsWHZdKZ8Ds6bqM4Ud7dYIotAbKFfN_AT71crdWixofRpdy42PV0ykbdhMwmarDoihcpLahIeraPVgCl7t6ei_5NRIRqvCpUBPlQkP/s1600/IMG_0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="92" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUXxRgRNRYe9BEOBBkWHWOnsnduXUOeryakOPdPnsWHZdKZ8Ds6bqM4Ud7dYIotAbKFfN_AT71crdWixofRpdy42PV0ykbdhMwmarDoihcpLahIeraPVgCl7t6ei_5NRIRqvCpUBPlQkP/s400/IMG_0102.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
You still have a few more months to take advantage of the summer deals, or you'll have to wait until next year!<br />
<br />
Places mentioned:<br />
<br />
The Hermosa Inn<br />
5532 North Palo Cristi Road<br />
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253 <br />
<br />
LON's at the Hermosa<br />
5532 North Palo Cristi Road<br />
Paradise Valley, AZ 85253Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-28921363347086335722010-08-01T11:25:00.000-07:002010-08-01T11:25:03.333-07:00Blue Gold : World Water WarsI don't care if you are a global warming/energy crisis skeptic, everyone should watch the documentary, <a href="http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/" linkindex="130" target="_blank">Blue Gold : World Water Wars</a>. It's a pretty disturbing film about the current situation of water around the world.<br />
<br />
Watch the trailer here: (and watch the movie soon!)<br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ikb4WG8UJRw&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ikb4WG8UJRw&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Learn more about your local watershed and what you can do here:<br />
<a href="http://www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com/actionplan/index.html" linkindex="131" target="_blank">The Action Plan</a><br />
<br />
BTW, I just looked up our local water supply and it's pretty scary...<br />
<br />
Good thing we filter our tap water.<br />
<br />
Avoid bottled water whenever possible, and eat locally grown food!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-64751886096510127922010-07-29T00:04:00.000-07:002010-07-29T00:04:06.593-07:00Weekend highlights (part 1 of 2)Here are a few highlights (and lowlights) from this past weekend:<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3BD2HtD6jDY50cNLtNpJytLCp3-zdWHh-Iw_2Cve7YET1Ew0PcxIYwV6fDVHx0W9mrh4-98PvmM0ka1vKMvEGxIuwVbXUjYnIwhzmzWAChAFmmB2_-C2c8C15Lvw0_dNJEpg6ZI2gP-k/s1600/IMG_9965.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="176" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP3BD2HtD6jDY50cNLtNpJytLCp3-zdWHh-Iw_2Cve7YET1Ew0PcxIYwV6fDVHx0W9mrh4-98PvmM0ka1vKMvEGxIuwVbXUjYnIwhzmzWAChAFmmB2_-C2c8C15Lvw0_dNJEpg6ZI2gP-k/s400/IMG_9965.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bowl of ramen from Republic Ramen</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We metup with friends at <a href="http://www.one.republicramen.com/Home_Page.php" linkindex="177" target="_blank">Republic Ramen</a>. Patty ordered a bowl of the "miso" ramen ($6.95). I had the "tonkotsu" ramen ($6.95). Both bowls of ramen looked identical, so I'm only posting one picture. We ordered both bowls with pork and egg (+$1.00). The miso ramen was, to put it mildly, not so good. The broth had an off taste. The tonkotsu ramen was marginal. The pork they use is completely wrong...<br />
<br />
I would recommend going elsewhere to satisfy your ramen cravings.<br />
<br />
On to some highlights!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpjYUhqerxr0UsLOboU71k8M0f0KzqwYnN-a4EEdlmi1p4Wu24FFgpDYR7ew6STBFMeWlKzBjWY1UdldbpN7IHxCFO_QVeis9ETtJl5Ug6_njzhKx7ji21GSgSc5km3kzLwBlhM95VrmO/s1600/IMG_9973.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="178" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidpjYUhqerxr0UsLOboU71k8M0f0KzqwYnN-a4EEdlmi1p4Wu24FFgpDYR7ew6STBFMeWlKzBjWY1UdldbpN7IHxCFO_QVeis9ETtJl5Ug6_njzhKx7ji21GSgSc5km3kzLwBlhM95VrmO/s400/IMG_9973.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meyer lemon (left) and Caramel (right) macaron from Essence Bakery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After Republic Ramen, I suggested going to <a href="http://www.essencebakery.com/" linkindex="179" target="_blank">Essence Bakery</a> for dessert. Patty and I have been a few times before and love their macarons. We ordered one meyer lemon and one caramel macaron. I'm not sure if they have made some changes recently, but they seemed to have skimped a bit of the filling (the filling should go to the edges of the cookies). Overall, these were still very good.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYNs0gu9Q8_Au586dRZj6e858x9vH-2HhnUs8t0n__RTrZ3ZeWnTkyOE1tK97NExs8kjb3JGkQJ3ubgyCehbj92FveeNKF3FXZrrqJIguS39n2nkl5oXdaopS5LbZmAwz8uT30nl7SRWp/s1600/IMG_9978.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="180" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYNs0gu9Q8_Au586dRZj6e858x9vH-2HhnUs8t0n__RTrZ3ZeWnTkyOE1tK97NExs8kjb3JGkQJ3ubgyCehbj92FveeNKF3FXZrrqJIguS39n2nkl5oXdaopS5LbZmAwz8uT30nl7SRWp/s400/IMG_9978.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fried pork chop over rice at iKitchen</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
We stopped for an afternoon snack at <a href="http://ikitchen.webs.com/" linkindex="181" target="_blank">iKitchen</a>. Patty and I shared a fried pork chop with rice ($6.25). FYI - this is a Taiwanese style dish. I thought it was pretty good, but Patty thought it was just "ok". In her opinion, the pork chop should've been thicker. She's from Taiwan, so I'd say that she's the expert. Still, it's not bad for the area!<br />
<br />
On Sunday, we went with a friend to the newly opened <a href="http://www.nobuofukuda.com/" linkindex="182" target="_blank">Nobuo at Teeter House</a>. Here's what we ate:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCosDgsQLjn-atYa61OGNxmaWkOesM1Kp1spl6NuiO6JBaAKOlIMzfyEp79fiat4mh5_8A_WIdnGj51kq0lHdafLDVm4hRLphLnCbthNZ0OrhOJ8F7QLcj-spjVlIU84Dc6ZPnrCfDFaH/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="183" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCosDgsQLjn-atYa61OGNxmaWkOesM1Kp1spl6NuiO6JBaAKOlIMzfyEp79fiat4mh5_8A_WIdnGj51kq0lHdafLDVm4hRLphLnCbthNZ0OrhOJ8F7QLcj-spjVlIU84Dc6ZPnrCfDFaH/s400/IMG_0047.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watermelon goat cheese salad $6</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwM361qVZVVP5PmdbSodpxUh1N7GpaW7s7azuUI1JcmVN6dMlIl9BYZxT5GHb8yxwb0Abj7pelJ3gUa46ifwNCDTqeEd3N8L7qjIPJCDpUAfIF7G-jBy6bG_TAck63OFWU9_6-Vmej8BV/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="184" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwM361qVZVVP5PmdbSodpxUh1N7GpaW7s7azuUI1JcmVN6dMlIl9BYZxT5GHb8yxwb0Abj7pelJ3gUa46ifwNCDTqeEd3N8L7qjIPJCDpUAfIF7G-jBy6bG_TAck63OFWU9_6-Vmej8BV/s400/IMG_0050.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panko-fried soft shell crab sandwich $10</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vhiUD3UYdc3NrSyHg5oey-5H7NVWvZclXpEsQKpaq82cTWEgi77Qvp9pHcaQtfAyy49OfOXWWmsiC14FSjfRtJa6XnSWSAI5bSjQlTIA07GmW3Spj-Yt7gLZC_sSDcldVMTdvy9WvaXo/s1600/IMG_0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="185" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vhiUD3UYdc3NrSyHg5oey-5H7NVWvZclXpEsQKpaq82cTWEgi77Qvp9pHcaQtfAyy49OfOXWWmsiC14FSjfRtJa6XnSWSAI5bSjQlTIA07GmW3Spj-Yt7gLZC_sSDcldVMTdvy9WvaXo/s400/IMG_0051.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tonkatsu sandwich $10</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkesrWLh896YkCJ1QEYa1RlQ8XGhb4OZtkaZr2fE0RG5wtaQ70Mg5HCToXGNbC8HbbSIxShqhzwm6AqYKJC-kryP8Cf0ZuafG55IN9S582vMRikiTx7CuvHlVvbnOypfkb-p2iJ89O3Kv/s1600/IMG_0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="186" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwkesrWLh896YkCJ1QEYa1RlQ8XGhb4OZtkaZr2fE0RG5wtaQ70Mg5HCToXGNbC8HbbSIxShqhzwm6AqYKJC-kryP8Cf0ZuafG55IN9S582vMRikiTx7CuvHlVvbnOypfkb-p2iJ89O3Kv/s400/IMG_0052.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ebi salad $9</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYghCPt6igQmTwV7yI6QMWGqO3swWH6nKbRkQwl_mkkwKj59efX57szuDlxzrSz2Syu24TtFs6KvquEnYgAlkDDA65o7qMNyQPLH2DkVCmTT8DkEBsKdtLq4lC87u9L2gOhH3O6E15uY2/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="187" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYghCPt6igQmTwV7yI6QMWGqO3swWH6nKbRkQwl_mkkwKj59efX57szuDlxzrSz2Syu24TtFs6KvquEnYgAlkDDA65o7qMNyQPLH2DkVCmTT8DkEBsKdtLq4lC87u9L2gOhH3O6E15uY2/s320/IMG_0054.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut curry grilled lamb $12</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Everything was fantastic! They are currently only open for lunch, but we're looking forward to returning once they start their dinner service (w/ an expanded menu).<br />
<br />
Places mentioned:<br />
<br />
Republic Ramen<br />
1301 East University Drive<br />
Tempe, AZ 85281<br />
<br />
Essence Bakery<br />
825 West University Drive<br />
Tempe, AZ 85281<br />
<br />
iKitchen<br />
5055 West Ray Road<br />
Chandler, AZ 85226 <br />
<br />
Nobuo at Teeter House<br />
622 E. Adams Street<br />
Phoenix, AZ 85004Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-25490325565697748972010-07-24T11:01:00.000-07:002010-07-24T11:01:02.010-07:00Vietnamese - Da Vang and Central King Egg RollLast Tuesday, we met some friends for dinner at Da Vang. We probably frequent Da Vang more than any other Vietnamese restaurant in the Valley. It's definitely not the nicest looking place, but the food is excellent and the prices are extremely reasonable.<br />
<br />
Here's what we had:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaH6uOWnWWltiiOTLG3T1jlal_lPYfSmiovJGwC5jr3qjk03x0vAH4_8-T2cHP7F-FrGwcgYQcR49et-FpYiLhhywTEaE0njdhfDEWeVi7utFBqfbqoESyfvYYZJfO__e2WhWWAtUB1u2/s1600/IMG_9884.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="145"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaH6uOWnWWltiiOTLG3T1jlal_lPYfSmiovJGwC5jr3qjk03x0vAH4_8-T2cHP7F-FrGwcgYQcR49et-FpYiLhhywTEaE0njdhfDEWeVi7utFBqfbqoESyfvYYZJfO__e2WhWWAtUB1u2/s400/IMG_9884.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Grilled pork w/ egg roll over rice noodles</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hSkgkGlUwT3AIGFAWqJpwZnNQ8GZjvZMWIhPhcnXjxcecGB2a7qIGUO35ByX6zAgvPRtll6pqg_KugLkjFayNq4g45eRqWC2anzkc5DB2lXIaN54-UgrN1liRtxCUgApdBjzZZTfgeJv/s1600/IMG_9886.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="146" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hSkgkGlUwT3AIGFAWqJpwZnNQ8GZjvZMWIhPhcnXjxcecGB2a7qIGUO35ByX6zAgvPRtll6pqg_KugLkjFayNq4g45eRqWC2anzkc5DB2lXIaN54-UgrN1liRtxCUgApdBjzZZTfgeJv/s400/IMG_9886.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beef pho</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The next day, Patty was craving for pho again. <a href="http://www.littlesaigonaz.com/" linkindex="147" target="_blank">Little Saigon</a> (another favorite) and Da Vang are both a bit of a hike for us, so I did some research online and found a place near us that had Vietnamese food - <a href="http://www.centralkingeggroll.com/" linkindex="148">Central King Eggroll</a>. For me (and I'm guessing others), the name is a bit misleading, as it sounds more like a Chinese restaurant. The restaurant does serve some Chinese food, although the menu is primary Vietnamese dishes.<br />
<br />
Here are two pictures of the restaurant:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqtcTISweJ-kVOeK5ze2jARim9P3B0GfR75rsjLdHc8tQyoU4hQW9HFVD-cYuJuHmmSMmU4urFYphyphenhyphenu5ZdxhVaDyt0Duj49_yIzsYjtPYVCJG5OxFPNDF6thT5ldHNGUE5WHzTUMPUToq/s1600/IMG_9908.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="149" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqtcTISweJ-kVOeK5ze2jARim9P3B0GfR75rsjLdHc8tQyoU4hQW9HFVD-cYuJuHmmSMmU4urFYphyphenhyphenu5ZdxhVaDyt0Duj49_yIzsYjtPYVCJG5OxFPNDF6thT5ldHNGUE5WHzTUMPUToq/s400/IMG_9908.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALSKs1zUKUGzBBykg7EC_UiBnWZ9RWr_lod9FZ_m8CWMZFamWa5RgsucrpzFQKIrAPl2IbC2hZatoMRZCOetRbZz1Sb_pIW5-U2PluePPrUyy1OTiXwDVKJ09pTeQzU3av9u1EsSWWf3x/s1600/IMG_9911.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="150" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALSKs1zUKUGzBBykg7EC_UiBnWZ9RWr_lod9FZ_m8CWMZFamWa5RgsucrpzFQKIrAPl2IbC2hZatoMRZCOetRbZz1Sb_pIW5-U2PluePPrUyy1OTiXwDVKJ09pTeQzU3av9u1EsSWWf3x/s400/IMG_9911.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Here's what we ate:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zktepjiAmBDdy1KfCVjyr3-p6lZFoM-HeKQ8AJHY2Ty9bf2P091leDiVVc6pLCcFOhF-3gvOkd8GSaNt_n-ElGZYgZnJY7c-mO4hFD7IPUoCs8P-OJaW4Ui3YXVtkKgk5IO8YRfF-A4v/s1600/IMG_9912.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="151" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zktepjiAmBDdy1KfCVjyr3-p6lZFoM-HeKQ8AJHY2Ty9bf2P091leDiVVc6pLCcFOhF-3gvOkd8GSaNt_n-ElGZYgZnJY7c-mO4hFD7IPUoCs8P-OJaW4Ui3YXVtkKgk5IO8YRfF-A4v/s400/IMG_9912.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Grilled lemongrass chicken - I thought this came over rice (per the menu description), but as you can see, it came served over rice noodles. It was good though.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWGnGNhAslA8-ajtCxIdClezATzMiH-dHQFzwwIrPP9NXgvi1H2_A125FJ57Ylv5-arbSH4BzvJsyuzRJa141HCeX4yAylVKVcyQbi7D0hAFIoW2Ib7xiMWW-L_-XI_4DA7kA0t6yL5QC/s1600/IMG_9913.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="152" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWGnGNhAslA8-ajtCxIdClezATzMiH-dHQFzwwIrPP9NXgvi1H2_A125FJ57Ylv5-arbSH4BzvJsyuzRJa141HCeX4yAylVKVcyQbi7D0hAFIoW2Ib7xiMWW-L_-XI_4DA7kA0t6yL5QC/s400/IMG_9913.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beef pho - I thought this was a great bowl of pho! The sliced beef was fresh and tender, the noodles weren't mushy (from overcooking) and the broth was clear and complex (with noticeable hints of star anise and cinnamon). If you compare the picture above, to the one from Da Vang, you'll also notice that there is no oil on the surface of the broth (there shouldn't be any!). </div><br />
The ethnic dining options in the far West Valley are pretty limited, so I'm glad we discovered Central King Egg Roll! It's definitely going into our dining "rotation". FYI - other restaurants in the rotation include India Garden (Indian), Sala Thai, Tomo (Japanese), and AJK Chinese.<br />
<br />
<br />
Places mentioned:<br />
<br />
Da Vang<br />
<span class="street-address">4538 N 19th Ave</span><br />
<span class="locality">Phoenix</span>, <span class="region">AZ</span> <span class="postal-code">85015</span> <br />
<br />
Central King Egg Roll<br />
13530 West Van Buren Street<br />
Goodyear, AZ 85338Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-44177827114179329922010-07-23T22:00:00.001-07:002010-07-24T07:39:55.231-07:00Tomo Japanese CuisineWe went to <a href="http://www.tomojapanesecuisine.com/" linkindex="24" target="_blank">Tomo Japanese Cuisine</a> for dinner tonight. Tomo is one of our favorite places for sushi in the Valley. The food is consistently good, the prices are very reasonable (especially during happy hour), and most importantly, it's only a two to three minute drive from our house.<br />
<br />
Here are some pictures of Tomo:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJ6JG5s_t8qUB-5SRva4yx-u7T-tKFL-WSQKOcIehBeadv3ucsnhIuREJeYrK9BlKNXZFxV8uTsHI3InD5PZFaFq7scHN-zQON2l1GlWNyZ4v5OwZV2es1yerD9ViZ-U5buYmBxif07pt/s1600/IMG_9958.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="25" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsJ6JG5s_t8qUB-5SRva4yx-u7T-tKFL-WSQKOcIehBeadv3ucsnhIuREJeYrK9BlKNXZFxV8uTsHI3InD5PZFaFq7scHN-zQON2l1GlWNyZ4v5OwZV2es1yerD9ViZ-U5buYmBxif07pt/s400/IMG_9958.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWupj0fZvJgLbHSXIgU3ruJ-w3af2tfwCWFtCPUtHMqPx1WyaanyDqioPcSu4vR5mK33zlTkRLBBK4bo2BA3LUBGc3Fhs9_J_Eije4C4HDCM3-NktXx2JrmtZ6p6OmV6mQjObCwbOVe8m/s1600/IMG_9942.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="26" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWupj0fZvJgLbHSXIgU3ruJ-w3af2tfwCWFtCPUtHMqPx1WyaanyDqioPcSu4vR5mK33zlTkRLBBK4bo2BA3LUBGc3Fhs9_J_Eije4C4HDCM3-NktXx2JrmtZ6p6OmV6mQjObCwbOVe8m/s400/IMG_9942.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHkhAVwMWaIyaWuOzj4z6ZUwOiGgvkBXXCLepCDBQK18uAlkIKw8S5YhnvQLEtx0HuM2YHJsuJPkTEi3MGS_Z-tV6erBi6kVCRGD3mxDrHSHgqG1vX16rIP6ABMFhGc3pkrMYm4DMm2ZI/s1600/IMG_9945.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="27" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHkhAVwMWaIyaWuOzj4z6ZUwOiGgvkBXXCLepCDBQK18uAlkIKw8S5YhnvQLEtx0HuM2YHJsuJPkTEi3MGS_Z-tV6erBi6kVCRGD3mxDrHSHgqG1vX16rIP6ABMFhGc3pkrMYm4DMm2ZI/s400/IMG_9945.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLg7J0YRUTquvbC6dnrWY-3tGb2op7zL-DGbz_-Mg0qc4zQr9Uixq4LuMc16EvMO_fOgAjYbD79M_Mv0ZcMWIdsOpb-b7Z4kgMXf44cKlLmFMS4c0vA5Hk6roYfAOoxMRFp-cr6GNnO94Q/s1600/IMG_9946.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="28" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLg7J0YRUTquvbC6dnrWY-3tGb2op7zL-DGbz_-Mg0qc4zQr9Uixq4LuMc16EvMO_fOgAjYbD79M_Mv0ZcMWIdsOpb-b7Z4kgMXf44cKlLmFMS4c0vA5Hk6roYfAOoxMRFp-cr6GNnO94Q/s400/IMG_9946.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5DTf6htyQ6tjkrkryrOYM5s6J8XqYaTjIANQJfc0Oa2147Zp9hBaWK5b6mBZQ5Je9fpSqxmlasx5Ma4BAe4l2MdkVdYbOa2k0bbmtQMn2PAIr_LcSVI-qP0WwdGKdlj0NlZZtGIWw0wK/s1600/IMG_9949.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="29" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5DTf6htyQ6tjkrkryrOYM5s6J8XqYaTjIANQJfc0Oa2147Zp9hBaWK5b6mBZQ5Je9fpSqxmlasx5Ma4BAe4l2MdkVdYbOa2k0bbmtQMn2PAIr_LcSVI-qP0WwdGKdlj0NlZZtGIWw0wK/s400/IMG_9949.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Here's what we ate:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtyTLJRGHJE_zCrxD8-X9OEPv4fndgNNNvkdxetg1FQK_Udasa2RgIEAln5AkbK229rzKphRcjKn3XndyfxDYQb93-KvS3sOHXaF23r_aPA-NA-N4cj1w0-hTx4UZQ7Ec7WIxo5T5XH5j/s1600/IMG_9951.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="30" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivtyTLJRGHJE_zCrxD8-X9OEPv4fndgNNNvkdxetg1FQK_Udasa2RgIEAln5AkbK229rzKphRcjKn3XndyfxDYQb93-KvS3sOHXaF23r_aPA-NA-N4cj1w0-hTx4UZQ7Ec7WIxo5T5XH5j/s400/IMG_9951.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">California roll - $2.95 during happy hour</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRrqd8iNMmTYyFgRqiYHYz14XDQ_s2X_rTrMDmQAKgAa6nheT6erNXwuwea87g_HbC6FL1armimhyLCsp7SRXEomkoevz3WPGq5rV8b_dDngD7z3-pbZm8f_N2al27GlClhUpOCzvlRUA/s1600/IMG_9953.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="31" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRrqd8iNMmTYyFgRqiYHYz14XDQ_s2X_rTrMDmQAKgAa6nheT6erNXwuwea87g_HbC6FL1armimhyLCsp7SRXEomkoevz3WPGq5rV8b_dDngD7z3-pbZm8f_N2al27GlClhUpOCzvlRUA/s400/IMG_9953.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Caterpillar roll - $9.95</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qDwpaIqf0wYVZSI2jeZRyR1vsB4thPALMNSIW_EzFr4ieBb_WqZi9rioflUmRLDvul-jidWKYwVcIScdbBHJWTnJcgiutMUS17mIuoja76TH7PjsTn54LIAK2tCDwa-17btc1qg8kR-O/s1600/IMG_9954.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="32" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7qDwpaIqf0wYVZSI2jeZRyR1vsB4thPALMNSIW_EzFr4ieBb_WqZi9rioflUmRLDvul-jidWKYwVcIScdbBHJWTnJcgiutMUS17mIuoja76TH7PjsTn54LIAK2tCDwa-17btc1qg8kR-O/s400/IMG_9954.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Salmon skill hand roll - $3.95</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFzVBvfJVgw1qCe1caF1nZ1qvFtVIXr7DVrkZiUXMlwTncLu-ucYMrlqbU2Take8-d2-9_F28b6zDC-WWoz3nM3Vx29o2DLTGES37Lsfb0UxjpFyaKq3C5DSLO-rNJ9as80-oQ2UBY7we/s1600/IMG_9957.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="33" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFzVBvfJVgw1qCe1caF1nZ1qvFtVIXr7DVrkZiUXMlwTncLu-ucYMrlqbU2Take8-d2-9_F28b6zDC-WWoz3nM3Vx29o2DLTGES37Lsfb0UxjpFyaKq3C5DSLO-rNJ9as80-oQ2UBY7we/s400/IMG_9957.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yellowtail kama (jaw) - $5.50 during happy hour</div><br />
As usual, everything was great!<br />
<br />
Places mentioned:<br />
<br />
Tomo Japanese Cuisine<br />
<br />
<span class="street-address">1550 N Dysart Rd<br />
Ste. A7-9</span><br />
<span class="locality">Goodyear</span>, <span class="region">AZ</span> <span class="postal-code">85395</span>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-3861513407532155932010-07-23T00:31:00.000-07:002010-07-23T00:31:36.282-07:00Le ChaletFor dinner tonight, I metup with a friend at <a href="http://www.lechalet-llc.com/" linkindex="134" target="_blank">Le Chalet</a> (their website is a disaster btw...). Le Chalet opened earlier this year and I've been wanting to try it. I bought a $20 <a href="http://www.groupon.com/" linkindex="135" target="_blank">Groupon</a> deal for $10 a few weeks ago, so this was the perfect opportunity to use it!<br />
<br />
Here are some pictures:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSDwlnJ3fYR3PVYHr2Wgn5x3ALSmfAEb5eKGtGsEZ4bqxM6Gf4TaTx7XgSsM5h4DlOoQmv34-tfi80puFjQpLins-eF8a3lU6MV1UKBm-j8msSqZwPzbZKIGJd0KVUZNRVbujc25L3OWn/s1600/IMG_9921.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="136" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Le Chalet - exterior" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSDwlnJ3fYR3PVYHr2Wgn5x3ALSmfAEb5eKGtGsEZ4bqxM6Gf4TaTx7XgSsM5h4DlOoQmv34-tfi80puFjQpLins-eF8a3lU6MV1UKBm-j8msSqZwPzbZKIGJd0KVUZNRVbujc25L3OWn/s400/IMG_9921.JPG" title="Le Chalet - exterior" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjtx0rLgpdmn5UeI5GV0TyGOQabNW9eXJgnyLaoQoEwnLno_nOU3_CWJvnls33lEu9smWlwMMAIQ9P7dZiG7M_A-p6D0OTevvXnM-SlWfQVyJuZT91e0xz4IrD8D5LTOhulV2dUgZkML7/s1600/IMG_9922.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="137" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVjtx0rLgpdmn5UeI5GV0TyGOQabNW9eXJgnyLaoQoEwnLno_nOU3_CWJvnls33lEu9smWlwMMAIQ9P7dZiG7M_A-p6D0OTevvXnM-SlWfQVyJuZT91e0xz4IrD8D5LTOhulV2dUgZkML7/s400/IMG_9922.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_RyUY-3uHwcq-AIYhIYcWh18IHZ6oTQLiF_MOpOmOQUmK8moabZIjvKIQW1_9WG6aS1WGlzg3AtNUv88jE5Pp9tf6eDGrGlKgPYMjzhcKDZMc1Xjj4-EK9uK-MxLnIRZytAcwgwCMaZF/s1600/IMG_9923.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="138" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_RyUY-3uHwcq-AIYhIYcWh18IHZ6oTQLiF_MOpOmOQUmK8moabZIjvKIQW1_9WG6aS1WGlzg3AtNUv88jE5Pp9tf6eDGrGlKgPYMjzhcKDZMc1Xjj4-EK9uK-MxLnIRZytAcwgwCMaZF/s400/IMG_9923.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LHN1Lqm1dVUsFfaSoeqYBOsojmzm5fv9E9Fi0UavGMPWFmad1t8iFXu7pKbq0FR_IvaZ9GRvRg2jQny821XpneLZ14_cCgVQZpAkpUbvElsU6SX_b_s2oZgYSVOs_MK6cFxzwz15c3TV/s1600/IMG_9924.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="139" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LHN1Lqm1dVUsFfaSoeqYBOsojmzm5fv9E9Fi0UavGMPWFmad1t8iFXu7pKbq0FR_IvaZ9GRvRg2jQny821XpneLZ14_cCgVQZpAkpUbvElsU6SX_b_s2oZgYSVOs_MK6cFxzwz15c3TV/s400/IMG_9924.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Complimentary cheesebread - delicious!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Each of us ordered a savory crepe. I had the "Mediterranee" - sea scallops sauteed with julienned leeks in a creamy saffron sauce ($13.95).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpw_siebWO1X3bV917ig9Mpc5HmOekv0nlwH0mYQ7x3oVeKY-9q8eONANQ7YFm0FiKCnYlx1jV7x6dy3Kk3d-mMbejj8Wr6wvwjs_atrwVXXhBX1maEeN0XIDIW6QEbk5UiUAAZRBqC7N/s1600/IMG_9925.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="140" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibpw_siebWO1X3bV917ig9Mpc5HmOekv0nlwH0mYQ7x3oVeKY-9q8eONANQ7YFm0FiKCnYlx1jV7x6dy3Kk3d-mMbejj8Wr6wvwjs_atrwVXXhBX1maEeN0XIDIW6QEbk5UiUAAZRBqC7N/s400/IMG_9925.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This was excellent. The combination of flavors was fantastic. <br />
<br />
My friend, D., ordered the "Fermiere" - creamed mushrooms and sauteed onions topped with sliced chicken breast and Swiss cheese ($10.95).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Swbmq6t4ScFskyuH6bJbVuAeu2AbptmGmexzYTKvgSfm2mF0jG-r-7bqavUqH7JlbSXTJOoO_iuTSMwYT9_K73EeKh1XBRiw36XSegL8lNvpFoOQ72U69BolDYdIzUJi5rHSCi12MQ5h/s1600/IMG_9926.JPG" imageanchor="1" linkindex="141" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Swbmq6t4ScFskyuH6bJbVuAeu2AbptmGmexzYTKvgSfm2mF0jG-r-7bqavUqH7JlbSXTJOoO_iuTSMwYT9_K73EeKh1XBRiw36XSegL8lNvpFoOQ72U69BolDYdIzUJi5rHSCi12MQ5h/s400/IMG_9926.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This one was a bit boring. If eaten on its own, it would probably be pretty good, but compared to the Mediterranee, I thought it was kind of plain. <br />
<br />
<br />
I really enjoyed the "Mediterranee". Next time, I'll take Patty and we'll have to split a savory crepe so we room to try one of the dessert crepes.<br />
<br />
Places mentioned:<br />
<br />
Le Chalet<br />
5626 West Bell Road<br />
Glendale, AZ 85308Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-20540060512178884142010-07-18T11:13:00.002-07:002010-07-21T20:27:25.290-07:00Summer BBQBarbecue ribs are one of my favorite foods. Over the July 4th weekend, we took a mini road trip to Gilbert, AZ (nearly a one hour drive from our house), to visit <a href="http://www.joesrealbbq.com/" target="_blank">Joe's Real BBQ</a>. Here are a few shots of the restaurant:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4_nTRJkxoZKXllU1voffqvlHwg0HcMCrgi13w_7BJbgpZJUQAiDVOdK1WzKPxWeABQH1ACtR3pDilYiUJwHOrmsYEWKfOGvVeSdw571-VaR7DsHs27WCj8JdVBNhrZi4DmM1giJyebBj/s1600/IMG_9696.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4_nTRJkxoZKXllU1voffqvlHwg0HcMCrgi13w_7BJbgpZJUQAiDVOdK1WzKPxWeABQH1ACtR3pDilYiUJwHOrmsYEWKfOGvVeSdw571-VaR7DsHs27WCj8JdVBNhrZi4DmM1giJyebBj/s400/IMG_9696.JPG" alt="Joe's Real BBQ - exterior" title="Joe's Real BBQ - exterior" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494654871588370514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroJXei1Az55Pxbqjd1DH124L7y72fSlLwvlpDUBnTHHIDxFvcyyIAyjzUYQ9XNmtfaR0MiMP4OTYg5L_KcKG1JZiDylZUVK9gqRgpeF0Var3q5Aw4WfmHm72xI1RKXYU_XQb_0crf0EOm/s1600/IMG_9687.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiroJXei1Az55Pxbqjd1DH124L7y72fSlLwvlpDUBnTHHIDxFvcyyIAyjzUYQ9XNmtfaR0MiMP4OTYg5L_KcKG1JZiDylZUVK9gqRgpeF0Var3q5Aw4WfmHm72xI1RKXYU_XQb_0crf0EOm/s400/IMG_9687.JPG" alt="Joe's Real BBQ - sign" title="Joe's Real BBQ - sign" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494654571130211282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR1cEQYv9tp5FdHL-ftXgk_aQWpZxBEVRdNUzHvsy7Tf96RKhJiZ1cwJ3x4QhbUCkVRMTslFZcR_bzy-98duhv8sIhaNk6LOTjokltiotTBCcsWIJ9Hq_F5_c67j6vfzI-YCU_ciKaV7T/s1600/IMG_9695.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTR1cEQYv9tp5FdHL-ftXgk_aQWpZxBEVRdNUzHvsy7Tf96RKhJiZ1cwJ3x4QhbUCkVRMTslFZcR_bzy-98duhv8sIhaNk6LOTjokltiotTBCcsWIJ9Hq_F5_c67j6vfzI-YCU_ciKaV7T/s400/IMG_9695.JPG" alt="Joe's Real BBQ - door graphic" title="Joe's Real BBQ - door graphic" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494654601358071826" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifT-Amub0ty5mxM56xhtAV-28LrDPYsGPRB2yZnr5PntvYNnejZVd8aUL4jAYL692Anlpq9w0kPB7bplnoIMDQqKVao2cMFlVtatOS_VxdylyYFmXFjgxLfyM10peDSkX-ipM2gpPYXeGt/s1600/IMG_9694.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifT-Amub0ty5mxM56xhtAV-28LrDPYsGPRB2yZnr5PntvYNnejZVd8aUL4jAYL692Anlpq9w0kPB7bplnoIMDQqKVao2cMFlVtatOS_VxdylyYFmXFjgxLfyM10peDSkX-ipM2gpPYXeGt/s400/IMG_9694.JPG" alt="Joe's Real BBQ - interior" title="Joe's Real BBQ - interior" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494654598811405570" border="0" /></a><br />We ordered a full slab of ribs to share. For our sides, we had corn, mac 'n cheese, and an order of corn bread. Here's a shot of the food:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zwfEBITwQVENEwGVzfnZspnydCYLcpnj-ZFEq8vlebhDY00IglmVFGhyhRbAWz9gEPcwSu8VjCcRTqveDWW7VAvmPWgZoo-JmXg9K_Glj-KNUJa6QTzwDp2A5xd2HiOOJRPBUMyFo4zp/s1600/IMG_9689.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zwfEBITwQVENEwGVzfnZspnydCYLcpnj-ZFEq8vlebhDY00IglmVFGhyhRbAWz9gEPcwSu8VjCcRTqveDWW7VAvmPWgZoo-JmXg9K_Glj-KNUJa6QTzwDp2A5xd2HiOOJRPBUMyFo4zp/s400/IMG_9689.JPG" alt="Joe's Real BBQ - full rack of ribs" title="Joe's Real BBQ - full rack of ribs" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494654579564366610" border="0" /></a><br />and a close-up of the ribs...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpD_F9-EuqCPO4wbsfQZR8UTaPVA3Sykr8cqMW9aV34vqZ2_ihcCCLMzreDbsgrMufS5mY_1teY_EciniJDtG3309X2dTG5O_lVVUzBtmbgFJ2g8OyeyCafROeH2yQrkOfyxoENbtpa0R/s1600/IMG_9690.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJpD_F9-EuqCPO4wbsfQZR8UTaPVA3Sykr8cqMW9aV34vqZ2_ihcCCLMzreDbsgrMufS5mY_1teY_EciniJDtG3309X2dTG5O_lVVUzBtmbgFJ2g8OyeyCafROeH2yQrkOfyxoENbtpa0R/s400/IMG_9690.JPG" alt="Joe's Real BBQ - closeup of ribs" title="Joe's Real BBQ - closeup of ribs" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494654589987164626" border="0" /></a><br />Everything was fantastic. The ribs at Joe's are definitely among the best in town. Even though it was a TON of food, we finished it all.<br /><br />Last weekend, we had another craving for bbq and decided to try making some at home. We don't have a grill, so we experimented by using our slow cooker. It was incredibly simply - ~2lbs of country style ribs with a bottle of this barbecue sauce (my sister gave this to us on our last visit to Seattle):<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8pFkDi2NLUui5PLkAptA0zVvh9H0-krIge1qFTs3OyApgCD678YQydOCzBRDqtJiYCiu0sKyT_5ddhynxS9oA1uagvYRiDRqIsvZC_oCCjkmmtWyiLWKKnWHJAK5ZjRjafu98p671ypT/s1600/IMG_9774.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8pFkDi2NLUui5PLkAptA0zVvh9H0-krIge1qFTs3OyApgCD678YQydOCzBRDqtJiYCiu0sKyT_5ddhynxS9oA1uagvYRiDRqIsvZC_oCCjkmmtWyiLWKKnWHJAK5ZjRjafu98p671ypT/s400/IMG_9774.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494656075961938690" border="0" /></a><br />We let it simmer for about 4 hrs and here was the result:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_8ii1EjwlA_KwlERMzPbOxf6mG50gFGksEBCoB2i4sXnAvZG9eXjKz5Xiyefzj0L-rx-V_4kgbNnOXB5oYwagVJvDHFEydOG9BxwI-WKH69wb8afYxslln4oqNGGtEOqk7eTKB4x8Abb/s1600/IMG_9777.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_8ii1EjwlA_KwlERMzPbOxf6mG50gFGksEBCoB2i4sXnAvZG9eXjKz5Xiyefzj0L-rx-V_4kgbNnOXB5oYwagVJvDHFEydOG9BxwI-WKH69wb8afYxslln4oqNGGtEOqk7eTKB4x8Abb/s400/IMG_9777.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494654880446716322" border="0" /></a><br />Super tender and flavorful ribs...yum!<br /><br />Places mentioned:<br />Joe's Real BBQ<br />301 North Gilbert Road<br />Gilbert, AZ 85234Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-23806385564081325022010-07-15T22:59:00.001-07:002010-07-15T23:01:46.319-07:00Dinner tonight - Taiwanese style "xian su ji"Haven't posted anything for over 4 months now, but I just had to post a picture of our dinner tonight!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHWtaceZv2xEX80GLYg9C5Jd7GlOzWmnKkneygzKqBXfBv3PvSgKrllEDNtbboEf6xDS5NAOW2uKFIGAx54tYijLKZd8C2f0LdapIUAhITUYbj6EH59jF10TzOTRhNii5HEdeFnyJuRHL/s1600/IMG_9786.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHWtaceZv2xEX80GLYg9C5Jd7GlOzWmnKkneygzKqBXfBv3PvSgKrllEDNtbboEf6xDS5NAOW2uKFIGAx54tYijLKZd8C2f0LdapIUAhITUYbj6EH59jF10TzOTRhNii5HEdeFnyJuRHL/s400/IMG_9786.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494376654853737810" border="0" /></a><br />Patty made Taiwanese style "xian su ji" (salty fried chicken). If you are ever in Taiwan, xian su ji is one of the "must eat" street foods...tasty, tender morsels of fried chicken goodness. Patty even fried up some basil from our backyard. This was delicious!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-68904272802550998372010-03-15T19:58:00.000-07:002010-03-15T19:59:47.231-07:00SoCal trip highlightsHere are some random food highlights from my recent trip to SoCal (Feb. 17-26):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPD7nZ1rVhNC-OgIWpixqUlMIOzjMpZAQv6CD4K7Ol6656mDIrIq956DUlkyJZaTCAYGd-aTYpkMqeaqxFJhTG16ojvTvgAuM3qxSkZIpA9kl9QeYzbyY_OhldqM52BiOJCAINeYZGBBy3/s1600-h/IMG_6424.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPD7nZ1rVhNC-OgIWpixqUlMIOzjMpZAQv6CD4K7Ol6656mDIrIq956DUlkyJZaTCAYGd-aTYpkMqeaqxFJhTG16ojvTvgAuM3qxSkZIpA9kl9QeYzbyY_OhldqM52BiOJCAINeYZGBBy3/s400/IMG_6424.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448756479557654658" border="0" /></a><a href="http://kogibbq.com/" target="_blank">Kogi</a> - LA (truck was @ Sawtelle/Olympic): short rib taco<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I had just finished my dinner and as I was walking out of the restaurant, I noticed a crowd of people near a truck. <span style="font-style: italic;">hm...11:30pm and a crowd of people standing outside?</span> As I got closer, I saw that it was a Kogi truck! I've read so much about Kogi and since it was right in front of me, I had to try it. The taco looks like a mess in the picture, but it was delicious.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPcXmP5ICYohELnh2d6gznwYeZ9lwO3tqM0KRXtQG9ky4i3NwQkmv0fs3dLzLwp0x4NqBSRPrarCf3TJQLGLhv_G3dZK9E2Gl5zl9WyNc3AwTjiIGaJ90dSmw38Mng1JRQMh_pDmgYgsx/s1600-h/IMG_6415.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMPcXmP5ICYohELnh2d6gznwYeZ9lwO3tqM0KRXtQG9ky4i3NwQkmv0fs3dLzLwp0x4NqBSRPrarCf3TJQLGLhv_G3dZK9E2Gl5zl9WyNc3AwTjiIGaJ90dSmw38Mng1JRQMh_pDmgYgsx/s400/IMG_6415.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448756475765617634" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.furaibou.com/" target="_blank">Furaibo</a> - LA: grilled mackerel<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5i-j0xCN_1SRW_4aFKOzk1T-7VxEh1NuYJb7VcHJ1tu7eBPufigswzFCncSa5VMFdtUfhFTrnmXsjM9-ABi7oAcLek7yl7EaaRLkGz2L2GFkrIb_uMFB33W85kWhEQXvi8B2C_avpMqSZ/s1600-h/IMG_6394.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5i-j0xCN_1SRW_4aFKOzk1T-7VxEh1NuYJb7VcHJ1tu7eBPufigswzFCncSa5VMFdtUfhFTrnmXsjM9-ABi7oAcLek7yl7EaaRLkGz2L2GFkrIb_uMFB33W85kWhEQXvi8B2C_avpMqSZ/s400/IMG_6394.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448756460211825938" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.gr-eats.com/" target="_blank">gr/eats</a> - LA: tilapia w/ pesto<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This was the special of the day - it was fantastic deal at $8.50!<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTF9z-wh6t1X8btoxcPNK9wPXh6ePyApq5Ybg1GGJPL106m7ZIxG4Rjy7slFRyDQXpJ9vSwLJTx5eNNtGP3RP4_tNCoqYwYmww99Mh0S7Sq_4TyW0opbT24osMKlTMrYsKI5OFcEm1sB9/s1600-h/IMG_6397.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTF9z-wh6t1X8btoxcPNK9wPXh6ePyApq5Ybg1GGJPL106m7ZIxG4Rjy7slFRyDQXpJ9vSwLJTx5eNNtGP3RP4_tNCoqYwYmww99Mh0S7Sq_4TyW0opbT24osMKlTMrYsKI5OFcEm1sB9/s400/IMG_6397.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448756468492111618" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.gr-eats.com/" target="_blank">gr/eats</a> - LA: chocolate cake w/ ice cream<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqJMywcPc7pkIH3nrBPELh2yJ9nOh1QRAlOZeGmReTrpkwx3ckevg12YwdS_DsSWBOpXWT_2c6jDRyXIrB5zFYEFov8bcqkiVJZvP8nYrueu5soS-bwrJ23I9UEohrRGCz30tdkPyOsPa/s1600-h/IMG_6383.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqJMywcPc7pkIH3nrBPELh2yJ9nOh1QRAlOZeGmReTrpkwx3ckevg12YwdS_DsSWBOpXWT_2c6jDRyXIrB5zFYEFov8bcqkiVJZvP8nYrueu5soS-bwrJ23I9UEohrRGCz30tdkPyOsPa/s400/IMG_6383.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448755058031213970" border="0" /></a><a href="http://lamillcoffee.com/" target="_blank">LAMILL</a> - LA: passion fruit gelee<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This was my second visit to LAMILL. I also had the same dessert on my previous visit. It is one of the best desserts EVER!<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUY3nBJIJtoA8ChFltqdDVyMUGBA70BJMfqcmlPpww9Ge0aUmkG5jSu-ec2uV_l07qI_0PSnd2J9MjHpN_5qhk6b8qs-9du0WSyBE3AAhHowHRZwXhIvBQtXBS2W9HTjhGEUdIqH1esaF/s1600-h/IMG_6382.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpUY3nBJIJtoA8ChFltqdDVyMUGBA70BJMfqcmlPpww9Ge0aUmkG5jSu-ec2uV_l07qI_0PSnd2J9MjHpN_5qhk6b8qs-9du0WSyBE3AAhHowHRZwXhIvBQtXBS2W9HTjhGEUdIqH1esaF/s400/IMG_6382.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448755046028912466" border="0" /></a><a href="http://lamillcoffee.com/" target="_blank">LAMILL</a> - LA: flank steak salad<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxey9s7qF5ST6PByfgakCahBP6WQEPZh3Os9E9WpOQ76N0Ms0QPoSaiCTkoo-ftc2QcsZ9NEQa4uoIUt5D988tZSX8tN2gkfVFmbLFQKMKGzoYA0OpLszXIdcYTXkbjyK-xtQ9CsbHNAR/s1600-h/IMG_6367.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxey9s7qF5ST6PByfgakCahBP6WQEPZh3Os9E9WpOQ76N0Ms0QPoSaiCTkoo-ftc2QcsZ9NEQa4uoIUt5D988tZSX8tN2gkfVFmbLFQKMKGzoYA0OpLszXIdcYTXkbjyK-xtQ9CsbHNAR/s400/IMG_6367.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448755036921774722" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.hurrycurryoftokyo.com/" target="_blank">Hurry Curry of Tokyo</a> - LA: chicken cutlet curry<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih895cvRegj1YSbL1ZiZXR_L1qbZ6kNMQv9ZFAMHUdvoTBOAqOvmQWQU030IDHsR5Z7-hjqROrwsh19ddwvUwoOEkFw2xCriI-tfLUIHrHzRYFBFEM6FJGxOus-67KizrcI98E58cYLG2H/s1600-h/IMG_6364.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih895cvRegj1YSbL1ZiZXR_L1qbZ6kNMQv9ZFAMHUdvoTBOAqOvmQWQU030IDHsR5Z7-hjqROrwsh19ddwvUwoOEkFw2xCriI-tfLUIHrHzRYFBFEM6FJGxOus-67KizrcI98E58cYLG2H/s400/IMG_6364.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448755034992968002" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.bellapita.com/" target="_blank">Bella Pita</a> - LA: fried cauliflower<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Absolutely delicious. Definitely the best preparation of cauliflower I've had...fried food rocks.<br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_KE2gSLuvkAaG6X27uQmCrtfBDtZeDH_G6Kyt-n25WxU0hRUdFQ4LQbl4nUvcAXYBTu8_9EmiDJEd8QGCsh2UXPVybBeI5vnvnluNr0Ko4cepK0fXd4DzmNnoRDozcmlRN8IrDiwR5yZ/s1600-h/IMG_6360.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD_KE2gSLuvkAaG6X27uQmCrtfBDtZeDH_G6Kyt-n25WxU0hRUdFQ4LQbl4nUvcAXYBTu8_9EmiDJEd8QGCsh2UXPVybBeI5vnvnluNr0Ko4cepK0fXd4DzmNnoRDozcmlRN8IrDiwR5yZ/s400/IMG_6360.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448755025527526754" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.themilkshop.com/" target="_blank">MILK</a> - LA: coffee toffee sandwich<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The coffee toffee ice cream was fantastic on its own, but I loved the macaron top and bottom. Chewy goodness...<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXn9g8or0bOwPiLz630j0VtnqDi6QGOWzg6INEIhvD4ShMvc9xJsnjU7g7Zdo3Q9PDmhgPyRvddZoSDLUFUQOCBs9XliDM0rqoi7rOm4X_8IFT1fpxHLzNnqUbRi7mo2QNYlzLqzjflow/s1600-h/IMG_6356.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXn9g8or0bOwPiLz630j0VtnqDi6QGOWzg6INEIhvD4ShMvc9xJsnjU7g7Zdo3Q9PDmhgPyRvddZoSDLUFUQOCBs9XliDM0rqoi7rOm4X_8IFT1fpxHLzNnqUbRi7mo2QNYlzLqzjflow/s400/IMG_6356.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448753107842844370" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.cubemarketplace.com/" target="_blank">Cube</a> - LA: truffle burger<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/" target="_blank">Serious Eats</a> named the burger @ Cube as one of their <a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/12/our-favorite-burgers-of-2009-slideshow.html#show-66813" target="_blank">favorite burgers in 2009</a>. I agree. It was amazing.<br /><br />Another article on Cube @ Serious Eats:<br /><a href="http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/01/cube-burger-review-making-of-west-hollywood-los-angeles-ca.html" target="_blank">Going to the Source at Cube in West Hollywood</a><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidT7i7EwrkFawF1q9bhh1hBDDZHZfhIJodAvhjdEhOCDml_8m_wjSDLZf_u3QNftgwAJA95nxljSG9ouPTR6deGEByjoRg4cfE404nyXx9jPfnh7PeOysCkqoZXcFBnZCL6sqffolLnGOT/s1600-h/IMG_6336.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidT7i7EwrkFawF1q9bhh1hBDDZHZfhIJodAvhjdEhOCDml_8m_wjSDLZf_u3QNftgwAJA95nxljSG9ouPTR6deGEByjoRg4cfE404nyXx9jPfnh7PeOysCkqoZXcFBnZCL6sqffolLnGOT/s400/IMG_6336.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448753097871678578" border="0" /></a>Yakitoriya - grilled chicken wings<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTq6RIiUQAcqqOBGuoJ9RxppRRT034TsdE6qgBG-iXM-OmRJdRC30_MHOSOSL1xix3cYE3qDR5m2BHD1mPgEGxsydIqfy3PXG9yXqH0kt5WLHVTw2NSbUubuzeRCNjW5SprZgyoS3-Uxw8/s1600-h/IMG_6312.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTq6RIiUQAcqqOBGuoJ9RxppRRT034TsdE6qgBG-iXM-OmRJdRC30_MHOSOSL1xix3cYE3qDR5m2BHD1mPgEGxsydIqfy3PXG9yXqH0kt5WLHVTw2NSbUubuzeRCNjW5SprZgyoS3-Uxw8/s400/IMG_6312.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448753085738856194" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.orrisrestaurant.com/" target="_blank">Orris</a> - fried smelt<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC87vzhTwCshXTeKhxWFmVAkMFo4wGnBrl9YGjIrumAcfJyH45HIqD9WkzgrxYPywWepOTD9Gr1RiJcGBxmNBNZo47GhrkdJM8R94MWU0dFLzpeNvYLLS5KjhR57_wGAMAtv2GEFWyorxJ/s1600-h/IMG_6289.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC87vzhTwCshXTeKhxWFmVAkMFo4wGnBrl9YGjIrumAcfJyH45HIqD9WkzgrxYPywWepOTD9Gr1RiJcGBxmNBNZo47GhrkdJM8R94MWU0dFLzpeNvYLLS5KjhR57_wGAMAtv2GEFWyorxJ/s400/IMG_6289.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448753078972708322" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/simbala-restaurant-rowland-heights" target="_blank">Simbala</a> - LA: white radish cake<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">On nearly every visit to LA, I eat at Simbala, which specializes in Taiwanese food.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxMv2NOXUKp_KLxsmWHJewtt5N2DhSgFkS9604k5SFR0X3IcS96Fa-vApJk8FU1XYy9CSh_hbgLhaC1ADRKTIKQAkstjSUOHzDsRNZoexBXbeOOWT23XU24p9P-YOs_R3UMMHp4-VRNB6/s1600-h/IMG_6285.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpxMv2NOXUKp_KLxsmWHJewtt5N2DhSgFkS9604k5SFR0X3IcS96Fa-vApJk8FU1XYy9CSh_hbgLhaC1ADRKTIKQAkstjSUOHzDsRNZoexBXbeOOWT23XU24p9P-YOs_R3UMMHp4-VRNB6/s400/IMG_6285.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448753067842747410" border="0" /></a>Simbala - LA: braised pork, tofu, and bamboo shoots<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Glorious pork belly...<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoX-Iykw3gr56IX9Fgo2b_4qd8j7RjGd28MJBJrM5wGXyYXHX9uAhzIo8DFC10jxPHXBXXr27KbUIML166nhsGH_u0zMfiPdsmQ4jCxtT72LYSJzIj9TkKJM9Q820lJlBT-4VH3DYAUrHp/s1600-h/IMG_6276.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoX-Iykw3gr56IX9Fgo2b_4qd8j7RjGd28MJBJrM5wGXyYXHX9uAhzIo8DFC10jxPHXBXXr27KbUIML166nhsGH_u0zMfiPdsmQ4jCxtT72LYSJzIj9TkKJM9Q820lJlBT-4VH3DYAUrHp/s400/IMG_6276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448750924868103458" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.85cafe.us/" target="_blank">85C</a> - Irvine: rose cheese bun<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">My friend told me I had to go there...so I went. The place was incredibly busy. There was a line out the door and it was around 2:30pm on a Friday afternoon. Inside, there were stanchions setup to control the flow of people.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLjAPEBJi8jlgNwsxatB5vEXF2YlzkwheHncAQfQor4My2Eg2PAAvhkgZFTsrFK8XROBCTXu8kwiHT4sYeavBfcrs_Txpj1OFevlgOkgD4VA0uctl6kDsgT0qcPm6bVwRjVPP4pSB4d5C/s1600-h/IMG_6280.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLjAPEBJi8jlgNwsxatB5vEXF2YlzkwheHncAQfQor4My2Eg2PAAvhkgZFTsrFK8XROBCTXu8kwiHT4sYeavBfcrs_Txpj1OFevlgOkgD4VA0uctl6kDsgT0qcPm6bVwRjVPP4pSB4d5C/s400/IMG_6280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448750910885734562" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.85cafe.us/" target="_blank">85C</a> - Irvine: sea salt coffee<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This drink was sooooo satisfying. The sea salt is in the foam and the flavor and texture of the drink is incredible.<br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CNcpq2EHk3gbnfB6lppjy6Y1NWjirIpXKFa1-kmsjRYd6Zt00XnUMbX172TaJg3AlRhjGU2ufQAgyhyphenhyphenl6IIKTY5V0aKzv3zbDCHBNqmSTSuzcteLcv5-3cXmAlV5TopbwoXpp9NZmfmU/s1600-h/IMG_6272.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CNcpq2EHk3gbnfB6lppjy6Y1NWjirIpXKFa1-kmsjRYd6Zt00XnUMbX172TaJg3AlRhjGU2ufQAgyhyphenhyphenl6IIKTY5V0aKzv3zbDCHBNqmSTSuzcteLcv5-3cXmAlV5TopbwoXpp9NZmfmU/s400/IMG_6272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448750906173300418" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.bcdtofu.com/bcd_eng.php" target="_blank">BCD Tofu</a> - Irvine: original premium tofu stew<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6jHQC1nNOIyHuiXFuukGFaTxJPFhXHUDBjYn0HJ3TQMFL7XDjUPq8U_MavqX3huxWY-Ge2cwYI7oD4p2dBC3v0bLpj2pWY9pUVJvIQJycKYzCNg_5moXPjpKjy27xFGUpVZks5QpNgZO/s1600-h/IMG_6259.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh6jHQC1nNOIyHuiXFuukGFaTxJPFhXHUDBjYn0HJ3TQMFL7XDjUPq8U_MavqX3huxWY-Ge2cwYI7oD4p2dBC3v0bLpj2pWY9pUVJvIQJycKYzCNg_5moXPjpKjy27xFGUpVZks5QpNgZO/s400/IMG_6259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448750888843397906" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.champagnebakery.com/index.asp" target="_blank">Champagne</a> - San Diego: three layer chocolate mousse<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA39DfH8mys8p4vslIcdinKS8TKAPLrVCPgOG2QTcuhafJMJ9TSyLU9E1BI7Yy-5McIV5-Qxhd76fHZRJ2WvF6a1d-s1SBYYb6a-tSJpWAP-hrKfo06PvIS5VM8Su322SYX_hwdZ5EYu77/s1600-h/IMG_6250.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA39DfH8mys8p4vslIcdinKS8TKAPLrVCPgOG2QTcuhafJMJ9TSyLU9E1BI7Yy-5McIV5-Qxhd76fHZRJ2WvF6a1d-s1SBYYb6a-tSJpWAP-hrKfo06PvIS5VM8Su322SYX_hwdZ5EYu77/s400/IMG_6250.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448750881782448898" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.littlesheephotpot.com/" target="_blank">Little Sheep Hot Pot</a> - San Diego: mongolian beef meat pie<br /></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-88948884748362956982010-02-28T08:34:00.002-07:002010-02-28T08:50:21.520-07:00Ready for the cold (and maybe snow)!I'm halfway done with my Spring travels. I just got back from a week and a half long trip to Southern California on Friday afternoon and am headed to St. Louis today. It will be the first city in a whirlwind "tour" of the Midwest - with subsequent stops in Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison, and Minneapolis.<br /><br />I did a similar trip around the same time last year and the weather was absolutely beautiful throughout my entire trip - temps in the mid 60s and sunny. I don't think I'm going to be quite as lucky this time around - the forecast for most of the cities is mid-30s and chances of snow.<br /><br />BTW, I'll post some highlights from my SoCal trip soon...Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-38825587798483892942010-02-16T22:33:00.001-07:002010-02-16T22:35:06.727-07:00Spring travelMy work related spring travel begins tomorrow! I'll be leaving for San Diego tomorrow morning.<br /><br />Here's my travel schedule for the next few weeks:<br /><br /><u>2/17-2/26:</u><br />San Diego<br />Irvine<br />LA<br /><br /><u>2/28-3/9:</u><br />St. Louis<br />Chicago<br />Milwaukee<br />Madison<br />Minneapolis<br /><br />I'm hoping for decent weather during my travels through the Midwest (that means no snow). I grew up driving in snow though (in Madison, WI), so regardless of the weather, I'm prepared!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-14583175638593753072010-02-07T13:30:00.002-07:002010-02-07T15:22:56.420-07:00Zinc BistroWhile many parts of the US are blanketed with snow and soaked from rain, the weather in Phoenix this time of year is generally beautiful. We took advantage of the weather yesterday with lunch outdoors at one of our favorite restaurants, <a href="http://www.zincbistroaz.com/" target="_blank">Zinc Bistro</a>. We've been to Zinc many many times before, but it has been nearly a year since our last visit...and this is the first time I've ever posted about it!<br /><br />Here are a few random shots:<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBk2GnB6USRBcehHdbXkg5t9gaX-PwCWhqpfdZgDKssk1KajjqOOA6JWASvP0xr4eurRzs5ERZn7NRjGThBp0qGAlEnmQLJpDAMtIHcWCn29VhgxEpxvRdk6dAdJYILMkmea9NoXbwYsS/s1600-h/IMG_6071.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBk2GnB6USRBcehHdbXkg5t9gaX-PwCWhqpfdZgDKssk1KajjqOOA6JWASvP0xr4eurRzs5ERZn7NRjGThBp0qGAlEnmQLJpDAMtIHcWCn29VhgxEpxvRdk6dAdJYILMkmea9NoXbwYsS/s400/IMG_6071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435553018521034738" border="0" /></a>Entry w/ patio area in foreground<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5s64t2ER3LWDlfmOFNxPC3NTAT9p_AJb5lbMOdtYZqg2bI17zkzJ2zDTM046J3GoSm_zHHaSl59O-DCOborn_4ksJNIJDT2kh32blKSQPNdm25K15vlowFRrqEBYlpuduLozmwZeTEpn/s1600-h/IMG_6072.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO5s64t2ER3LWDlfmOFNxPC3NTAT9p_AJb5lbMOdtYZqg2bI17zkzJ2zDTM046J3GoSm_zHHaSl59O-DCOborn_4ksJNIJDT2kh32blKSQPNdm25K15vlowFRrqEBYlpuduLozmwZeTEpn/s400/IMG_6072.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435553025254170290" border="0" /></a>Bar area<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3nmUkvIKq7wiKFwYrFKI1hyo_pYHa02Ha4nfmE2tkG_rYtdgGWUt7J8u5-bj0255r-KSKoYFXUrz7gQ7AwHH3SK4GVLVbaDuzq1uBzf_VfH7vLBGst_KsBP-ZTaa-wVWYSO2j7_U3nEw/s1600-h/IMG_6089.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx3nmUkvIKq7wiKFwYrFKI1hyo_pYHa02Ha4nfmE2tkG_rYtdgGWUt7J8u5-bj0255r-KSKoYFXUrz7gQ7AwHH3SK4GVLVbaDuzq1uBzf_VfH7vLBGst_KsBP-ZTaa-wVWYSO2j7_U3nEw/s400/IMG_6089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435578236491368690" border="0" /></a>Dining room<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxLNHIkfVhPyPLSEdyIWNoVGYMwt6_bfC7Bomwla17q4IDUijPUJFNKEghtiEN2vN0sGSzt9881ULY8Trlen-Zl2xwQ7B5vw0lvNGKwk_QBUqiUF3HE-XVA1FvkcAuLIgNVx7WOF9nDzs/s1600-h/IMG_6078.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCxLNHIkfVhPyPLSEdyIWNoVGYMwt6_bfC7Bomwla17q4IDUijPUJFNKEghtiEN2vN0sGSzt9881ULY8Trlen-Zl2xwQ7B5vw0lvNGKwk_QBUqiUF3HE-XVA1FvkcAuLIgNVx7WOF9nDzs/s400/IMG_6078.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435553033812074098" border="0" /></a>Our view from the patio seating area<br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAaf4BzeKrnjMh3GvFr7hlKc4sAQUdE8kOYV2MCIXNAmlX9p-JtkSgorrnRd489rMtIJMOZJ1UzrpfghVlcrkYYd_yVd6dLCAJ5kkzoelyXs2PzDJXszmex44ROiy8v1kQiHbmhmwhGKM/s1600-h/IMG_6082.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOAaf4BzeKrnjMh3GvFr7hlKc4sAQUdE8kOYV2MCIXNAmlX9p-JtkSgorrnRd489rMtIJMOZJ1UzrpfghVlcrkYYd_yVd6dLCAJ5kkzoelyXs2PzDJXszmex44ROiy8v1kQiHbmhmwhGKM/s400/IMG_6082.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435553041275662626" border="0" /></a>How many birds can you spot? (answer below)<br /></div><br />Here's what we ate:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPMJJmJNZt5kr0YBqyE59J54k1yt-YuAmgzHQxPp3YO6t-xeQsQ6h1y7Xuv_K1J_zrOBEtBeBvjb9IFFoWUWrHHTyoZFyXRbcfleZ8VEr5AjRKB4oDnxhtd9j0Gtt1PG2yYJ2BujTI0oQ/s1600-h/IMG_6081.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPMJJmJNZt5kr0YBqyE59J54k1yt-YuAmgzHQxPp3YO6t-xeQsQ6h1y7Xuv_K1J_zrOBEtBeBvjb9IFFoWUWrHHTyoZFyXRbcfleZ8VEr5AjRKB4oDnxhtd9j0Gtt1PG2yYJ2BujTI0oQ/s400/IMG_6081.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435562185715888050" border="0" /></a><br /><div class="menuitem"> <div class="menudescription">Onion Soup Gratinee - "<span style="font-style: italic;">Traditional Onion Soup With Bubbling Gruyere</span>" ($10).<br /><br />The soup was good, but not up to the same level as the one we had recently at <a href="http://whatandydoes.blogspot.com/2009/12/vogue-bistro-flawless-dining-experience.html" target="_blank">Vogue Bistro</a>. Patty thought it was a bit too salty.<br /></div></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMLT_FbEBFdHggaw6lQ-0u7iiXGqXsDZag3Y1KEMuV2VuMnGjgh7yqbILeQY3PC6DZbZb53WCvnSBpRAN36mKkj1Q0Jr7Jvq_MUAt0NiDxDBcKLbWGe3-Gr-jVX2PFFIvI3Se_Fcf0OyV/s1600-h/IMG_6083.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiMLT_FbEBFdHggaw6lQ-0u7iiXGqXsDZag3Y1KEMuV2VuMnGjgh7yqbILeQY3PC6DZbZb53WCvnSBpRAN36mKkj1Q0Jr7Jvq_MUAt0NiDxDBcKLbWGe3-Gr-jVX2PFFIvI3Se_Fcf0OyV/s400/IMG_6083.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435562190161691474" border="0" /></a><br /><div class="menuitem"> <div class="menudescription">Prime Flat Iron Steat w/ shallots, brandy au poivre. Served Medium rare, choice of Matchstick Or Pomme Frites ($26).<br /><br />Zinc Bistro has the best steak frites in the Valley. It's a great deal at $26, and I've ordered this dish many times before. The steak itself was cooked perfectly, although a bit overseasoned w/ pepper and salt.<br /></div> </div><br />Here's a shot of just the steak:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUw-yMmLhffQNKsQ0gfQWBdPhJhmToG5XLlGJGkuuFCjhVHyfXU-aY9o53YEKVoSXLLtEjUqU1ebeYPS9t_jnQRPZneuusZO4E8WDVyfFcDL6biCICQyOuhOcKnUmqMNRzLa_bfmREhyphenhyphen01/s1600-h/IMG_6084.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUw-yMmLhffQNKsQ0gfQWBdPhJhmToG5XLlGJGkuuFCjhVHyfXU-aY9o53YEKVoSXLLtEjUqU1ebeYPS9t_jnQRPZneuusZO4E8WDVyfFcDL6biCICQyOuhOcKnUmqMNRzLa_bfmREhyphenhyphen01/s400/IMG_6084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435562198172896050" border="0" /></a><br />and a close-up of the excellent pomme frites:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvEqxN1q99AqgcbU6p_jDtQ8BOIHa_kB4EfhB7SNfFYQrDLj7BK9rSOvGc_iGhMSLpInLP8iuo_wHzGBakFmcILTCghTP5pQS0LK4hahz6ttPA0wm4oFJdmmkPMtWOHKREIGrY6vBxzze/s1600-h/IMG_6085.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyvEqxN1q99AqgcbU6p_jDtQ8BOIHa_kB4EfhB7SNfFYQrDLj7BK9rSOvGc_iGhMSLpInLP8iuo_wHzGBakFmcILTCghTP5pQS0LK4hahz6ttPA0wm4oFJdmmkPMtWOHKREIGrY6vBxzze/s400/IMG_6085.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435562206911562466" border="0" /></a><br />dipping sauces for the frites:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23fGzIaTOyPU-2_u58T97vq_NUXS6HJh9xdESkgvx8mM0Yww9fzOLjBxyuhdjvCMVxJnXO83mZxyX8h5-Aa8RDD9zMez7rfgDO7auQPQOHM1Q9NLeO3YfX8h9ZTSDJyZlKF2jwj2g7CeS/s1600-h/IMG_6088.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi23fGzIaTOyPU-2_u58T97vq_NUXS6HJh9xdESkgvx8mM0Yww9fzOLjBxyuhdjvCMVxJnXO83mZxyX8h5-Aa8RDD9zMez7rfgDO7auQPQOHM1Q9NLeO3YfX8h9ZTSDJyZlKF2jwj2g7CeS/s400/IMG_6088.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435578228780663650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPxgKALnZZ3sGhT7pZ7JC_8c2FB675Vc6N5WgGKFD8Y9u98ZWhVjkgkKzw99Ta1NqiAzC4wK0M7_sRqT3TbBUrco2x0qXX-nLw5j6vLVwazI9AWuKxHThe5nWpQkACuIrXTrULMe8W_CB/s1600-h/IMG_6087.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPxgKALnZZ3sGhT7pZ7JC_8c2FB675Vc6N5WgGKFD8Y9u98ZWhVjkgkKzw99Ta1NqiAzC4wK0M7_sRqT3TbBUrco2x0qXX-nLw5j6vLVwazI9AWuKxHThe5nWpQkACuIrXTrULMe8W_CB/s400/IMG_6087.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435562213212371986" border="0" /></a><br /><div class="menuitem"> <div class="menudescription">Crispy Duck Confit Sandwich w/ Roasted Garlic Aioli, Gastrique Onions ($12).<br /><br />Patty thought the duck was a bit dry, but overall the sandwich was excellent. The toasted brioche roll was fantastic.<br /></div></div><br />There were a few minor seasoning and cooking issues, but it was still a very good meal. We didn't have room for dessert this time, but if you go, you must try the souffles! They are incredible.<br /><br />By the way, there were three birds in the picture above.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-49871227067855326072009-12-23T09:01:00.002-07:002009-12-28T16:47:30.213-07:00Vegas!In a few hours we'll be taking our final trip of the year - heading to Vegas! We'll be there until Christmas day.<br /><br />We don't really gamble (other than slots), so the main attractions for us are the shows and food.<br /><br />Tonight, we're going to watch <a href="http://www.mgmgrand.com/entertainment/ka-cirque-du-soleil-show.aspx" target="_blank">KÀ</a>. Tomorrow night, I've got reservations at <a href="http://www.mgmgrand.com/restaurants/atelier-joel-robuchon-french-restaurant.aspx" target="_blank">L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon</a>. Sometime during our trip, I want to check out <a href="http://www.citycenter.com/" target="_blank">CityCenter</a> - the new megadevelopment.<br /><br />Happy Holidays to everyone!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-8306835708394098382009-12-20T00:23:00.010-07:002009-12-20T01:58:24.971-07:00Vogue Bistro - a flawless dining experience?For dinner tonight, we tried <a href="http://www.voguebistro.com/" target="_blank">Vogue Bistro</a>. Vogue opened in 2008 and is located in the far northwest Valley, in Surprise, at the intersection of Waddell Rd. and Reems Rd. The restaurant is a bit hard to spot - it's at the far end of strip mall - look for the Bashas.<br /><br />Here are a few shots of the interior:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzObCh7MPNb1EeAV0oVfBsLLhT508oFUYgVXiQmOolCf-Vr3a-qAzvgEdLdrR2PR_Cnu7NsxfERpSKDgp3p2zdpsHOHBUhvEEzw086WegzbOl_Ee5OKLnLrTphT7z-Pd_AguIicXyGB1dN/s1600-h/IMG_5268.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzObCh7MPNb1EeAV0oVfBsLLhT508oFUYgVXiQmOolCf-Vr3a-qAzvgEdLdrR2PR_Cnu7NsxfERpSKDgp3p2zdpsHOHBUhvEEzw086WegzbOl_Ee5OKLnLrTphT7z-Pd_AguIicXyGB1dN/s400/IMG_5268.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417217349398369874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijg8h75tlhNUL4XBXchzEaIp4UlL-uQB2F90iyFPuRhtTH1Sdv1f7ZpHkG8SL2sFi31pfPGL2i2U90ZuFjdi9u1nIH3wshsMXnzZZkCEJgIIyiifQYC5V9H_TfQkUfAcpTC0AH2ZsPIGM0/s1600-h/IMG_5269.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijg8h75tlhNUL4XBXchzEaIp4UlL-uQB2F90iyFPuRhtTH1Sdv1f7ZpHkG8SL2sFi31pfPGL2i2U90ZuFjdi9u1nIH3wshsMXnzZZkCEJgIIyiifQYC5V9H_TfQkUfAcpTC0AH2ZsPIGM0/s400/IMG_5269.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417217358041224578" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh761U41ZmkwiBO3mZTw0O69PpIIdiJgb6ie8i4Kqv2AEPl1hgdAvt9tAtj6p5h16zMzUPcVJBlXealmaaZWB1a289ZBSn59lyHLTLEEWaZmmAgdD7Je9wITYooeTyox6wS6H4jehiZ9RD8/s1600-h/IMG_5271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh761U41ZmkwiBO3mZTw0O69PpIIdiJgb6ie8i4Kqv2AEPl1hgdAvt9tAtj6p5h16zMzUPcVJBlXealmaaZWB1a289ZBSn59lyHLTLEEWaZmmAgdD7Je9wITYooeTyox6wS6H4jehiZ9RD8/s400/IMG_5271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417217363810128530" border="0" /></a><br />To start things off, we had a special seasonal drink - a "Peppermint Pattie Martini" ($9.90). The drink was excellent - basically a chocolate martini w/ a hint of peppermint. The rim of the glass was dusted w/ cocoa powder, which I thought was a nice touch. One for one.<br /><br />On to the food. Here's what we ate:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaGJH5BWaF8dTS5aX5H4Tcb4v7ULj8Ql3JiEUGvXpwdjD9KqCHXCVgD35ThLxMXUJf9ttoJE65hCt4WTQ3DrMcxd07QN8-r2IC4c6AD7VTpcgTHmjMpGz7rzE0wDFuZgnIl24xfTCDcgZ/s1600-h/IMG_5273.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoaGJH5BWaF8dTS5aX5H4Tcb4v7ULj8Ql3JiEUGvXpwdjD9KqCHXCVgD35ThLxMXUJf9ttoJE65hCt4WTQ3DrMcxd07QN8-r2IC4c6AD7VTpcgTHmjMpGz7rzE0wDFuZgnIl24xfTCDcgZ/s400/IMG_5273.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417217369715204786" border="0" /></a>Vogue Onion Soup - "<span style="font-style: italic;">So good! Quite possibly the best onion soup in the Valley</span>" ($8).<br /><br />Agree! I'm not a huge fan of french onion soup, but this soup was fantastic. It was delivered piping hot (a MUST), topped with a flaky pastry crust and baked parmesan cheese. Quite often, french onion soups are way too salty, but this was just right. Two for two.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEDUrhycDJf2Cq__iTVzG0-eEx9eB13EY27-btxNJhQ1Ako7_JjcdIXtx_x2jwXS7R3kl2RlPp0ICVzmU4ENP0eDks5mb9nVcaMa4MKmy1i3hdaR5oddp1Su-qsSeqBxVLAD8hFQ53Att/s1600-h/IMG_5274.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEDUrhycDJf2Cq__iTVzG0-eEx9eB13EY27-btxNJhQ1Ako7_JjcdIXtx_x2jwXS7R3kl2RlPp0ICVzmU4ENP0eDks5mb9nVcaMa4MKmy1i3hdaR5oddp1Su-qsSeqBxVLAD8hFQ53Att/s400/IMG_5274.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417217379429363442" border="0" /></a><br />Vogue Escargot - "<span style="font-style: italic;">Delicate Burgundian Escargot baked in a puff pastry with herb and garlic infused butter. Escargot has never tasted better!</span>" ($8).<br /><br />Clean, light, yet full of flavor. Three for three.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-c6Qz4e6aWH5SSCLM6rqDMYU39YkEr04Dfw8bNXORgYwcPj88l32hYy2jabF6IjTdNC16sYxyBVwWOjETgtfCqvjdFykTI0bMpyDdchWL-A0xyb6rh0KMmGpjq4zYUCrvDa164OZQNRK/s1600-h/IMG_5276.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-c6Qz4e6aWH5SSCLM6rqDMYU39YkEr04Dfw8bNXORgYwcPj88l32hYy2jabF6IjTdNC16sYxyBVwWOjETgtfCqvjdFykTI0bMpyDdchWL-A0xyb6rh0KMmGpjq4zYUCrvDa164OZQNRK/s400/IMG_5276.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417218259887873394" border="0" /></a><br />Vogue Salad - "<span style="font-style: italic;">Strikingly Original! Frisee, arugula, Gorgonzola blue cheese, dried cranberries, pecans, pumpkin seeds and bits of applewood-smoked bacon tossed in warm Sherry vinaigrette</span>" ($9).<br /><br />This was a great salad. The combination of ingredients was perfect. Four for four.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaj7z6QCkKDYZUqjwL3vpVYc306oOcJh6g7v7QFWm-aPd4Xt6zoGePb5cUD2pZApIHJFyw1Bbrz4YLNVPkwnLLf0oo0egTklLQDVVX5dNjFRdgS6pun6aWDtEqGiJK10gZL-ZMltWvjzKq/s1600-h/IMG_5278.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaj7z6QCkKDYZUqjwL3vpVYc306oOcJh6g7v7QFWm-aPd4Xt6zoGePb5cUD2pZApIHJFyw1Bbrz4YLNVPkwnLLf0oo0egTklLQDVVX5dNjFRdgS6pun6aWDtEqGiJK10gZL-ZMltWvjzKq/s400/IMG_5278.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417218271069979330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_CIkiidGQiFlbAS-2eEDLcqNOSVK7ehLZEzvptbobr1NlGo6-0cwlnLd1T_4nbLRSi4WYnGie_xBNKKEKaKolag9EC50iLLTm-nCuGvRA7oie7EEpkkVApRcYLWAUp13JCEC_7icG91p/s1600-h/IMG_5279.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik_CIkiidGQiFlbAS-2eEDLcqNOSVK7ehLZEzvptbobr1NlGo6-0cwlnLd1T_4nbLRSi4WYnGie_xBNKKEKaKolag9EC50iLLTm-nCuGvRA7oie7EEpkkVApRcYLWAUp13JCEC_7icG91p/s400/IMG_5279.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5417218279552359026" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Special of the day</span> - Lamb two ways: Roasted rack of lamb and lamb meatball w/ coconut couscous, roasted squash and shitake mushrooms, and baby arugula ($32.95).<br /><br />The rack of lamb was perfectly cooked. We also both loved the meatball (you can see it peeking out from under the arugula in the second picture). This dish had a bunch of individual components (almost too much), but everything on this plate was excellent. The only downside was the plating - the arugula scattered on top was a bit of a mess. Oh well, minor detail, so still five for five.<br /><br />We were so stuffed that we didn't have any more room for dessert.<br /><br />The service throughout the meal was excellent. Six for six!<br /><br />Total meal cost: $74.30 (excluding tip)<br /><br />I thought this was a superb value, given the quality of the food. This was definitely one of the best meals we've had in 2009, and maybe one of the best ever. The only downside to Vogue is its location - it's way out there...but definitely worth the drive. We're actually thinking of going back for New Year's Eve (<a href="http://www.voguebistro.com/assets/files/NYEDINNER09.pdf" target="_blank">menu</a>). I'll keep you posted.Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-41664862449204145922009-12-01T08:48:00.005-07:002009-12-01T08:48:00.574-07:00Mission accomplished: Stomach expansionMission accomplished: Stomach expansion in preparation for the next holiday...on hiatus for the next 3 weeks or so.<br /><br />My stomach is about to explode!<br /><br />We've eaten so much food over the past few days. Good thing we're heading home today.<br /><br />The weather has been <span style="font-weight: bold;">much</span> better than expected - a bit cold, and a few gray days, but NO RAIN! (<span style="font-style: italic;">for six days</span>)Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-72097962457856768022009-11-26T07:21:00.002-07:002009-11-26T07:29:03.839-07:00Happy Thanksgiving!We're trading beautiful weather in Phoenix for the cold, cloudy, and wet Pacific Northwest.<br /><br />Later this morning, we'll be flying to Seattle to visit my visit my sister and her family. On Saturday, we'll be taking the train to Portland and then flying back to Phoenix from Portland on Tuesday.<br /><br />Looking forward to spending the holiday weekend with family and friends...and eating lots of great food of course!<br /><br />Happy Turkey Day!Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8825275526902202481.post-17472294137009274692009-11-22T16:51:00.000-07:002009-11-22T16:54:10.152-07:00Fresh from the kitchenHere's what we made for breakfast this morning:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjZaua0iSaXG0hFBfucH92T_9IYxDnisrrw5WRW8ZYyFBkxhdfmNgZt-kBGf1sLfZI1EeoFS7wv5lB688dl5PThfamDyp6ZrDZh_7qZ4WqhHC67QjKCYoCBqAO3fNFyv_fAD09nbHimED/s1600/IMG_4483.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEjZaua0iSaXG0hFBfucH92T_9IYxDnisrrw5WRW8ZYyFBkxhdfmNgZt-kBGf1sLfZI1EeoFS7wv5lB688dl5PThfamDyp6ZrDZh_7qZ4WqhHC67QjKCYoCBqAO3fNFyv_fAD09nbHimED/s400/IMG_4483.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407023929236700370" border="0" /></a>Pumpkin spice mix pancakes w/ berries and sliced banana<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />The pumpkin spice mix added a nice flavor to the pancakes. Very "Thanksgiving-y". ;-)<br /><br />We've got a Meyer Lemon tree in our backyard that we planted when we first moved in a few years ago. Here are a few pictures...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4kgw6McTV1_ok0iYL9JEN_BROG6umAltFvlTGFydHQ-FALpeIHgAKqn5P2x64wodt0vPoR14y6vwi9BphAumsTMCWr6GV_2SnQwM_w53GK-ctIFqjqbePdIZRmQ8GikkFmvC4N7N-hG3/s1600/IMG_4485.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4kgw6McTV1_ok0iYL9JEN_BROG6umAltFvlTGFydHQ-FALpeIHgAKqn5P2x64wodt0vPoR14y6vwi9BphAumsTMCWr6GV_2SnQwM_w53GK-ctIFqjqbePdIZRmQ8GikkFmvC4N7N-hG3/s400/IMG_4485.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407058718598026146" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginqz2FXOgxy3O2HIDWbwGf_AJBIPdLieFYsvaOeoLg7kpZKkQ5kUMprQQy6ybjW02DKM3wJTBw0HTy33prxQQ2Og3CMC-G7p_vcHwgpXWtAC3fb1-MQdPzlddsLoHJ84oRp8ZHYd9H0uH/s1600/IMG_4488.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginqz2FXOgxy3O2HIDWbwGf_AJBIPdLieFYsvaOeoLg7kpZKkQ5kUMprQQy6ybjW02DKM3wJTBw0HTy33prxQQ2Og3CMC-G7p_vcHwgpXWtAC3fb1-MQdPzlddsLoHJ84oRp8ZHYd9H0uH/s400/IMG_4488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407058720067883362" border="0" /></a><br />With those lemons, we made Lemon Custard Cakes! We followed a recipe from the book <a linkindex="14" href="http://www.amazon.com/Everyday-Food-Great-Fast/dp/0307354164" target="_blank">Everyday Food: Great Food Fast</a>.<br /><br />Here's the result:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkavGubMkSxCJKca5C_Fzxwzxp5DwEgsXiocZ4r-Wqe2tkwTA8p5s3f_YVazDZeb-9nkYgAK81tizFTSK9Db1wgjbWiZXRyWlco4c7hgU7s71KCKGc5rydu0rb4vXAAaF8N22Q6m-usS-/s1600/IMG_4490.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLkavGubMkSxCJKca5C_Fzxwzxp5DwEgsXiocZ4r-Wqe2tkwTA8p5s3f_YVazDZeb-9nkYgAK81tizFTSK9Db1wgjbWiZXRyWlco4c7hgU7s71KCKGc5rydu0rb4vXAAaF8N22Q6m-usS-/s400/IMG_4490.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407074210286643778" border="0" /></a><br />Very easy to prepare and very delicious!<br /></div></div>Andyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14167532914002881105noreply@blogger.com1