Mom's Birthday Part I

My Mom celebrated a milestone birthday this October and it was absolutely spectacular! She *thought* that I was whipping up a casual Sunday brunch for just her, myself, and my dad but the reality was that we had her family drive (and fly!) in to surprise her, took her to Truluck's for dinner Saturday night, and then had brunch on Sunday. Mom's favorite kind of cake is carrot cake so I borrowed a simple but delicious recipe from a nice woman I work with to make for her. It's moist and delicious and ALWAYS a hit at the office when she brings it in. :)

Every little surprise was so special and fun for my Mom. When our family walked in through the door, she laughed and cried and then ran around like a crazy person trying to get ready for dinner! We had a champagne toast before Dad "suggested" taking pictures outside. Little did she know that he had gotten a stretch Hummer limo to take us all to dinner and back! 

Truluck's is known for their crab claws so we feasted on the remaining claws that they had (seriously, we cleaned out the house!) and then each ordered fish for dinner. I started out with a yummy hothouse tomato salad. My main dish was the miso-glazed seabass and it just melted in my mouth. We topped off dinner by sharing key-lime pie and chocolate cake and then had the limo take us back home where sang Happy Birthday, opened gifts, and went off to digest/sleep off dinner. Absolutely fantastic. :)

Tomato, shaved parmesan, warm bacon, fresh herbs, house ranch dressing

MSC certified South Georgian Chilean seabass, crab fried rice, chilled cucumber slaw

Key-lime pie

Chocolate layer cake, vanilla ice cream cup, strawberries

Ann's Famous Carrot Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 cup oil
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups grated carrots (1 lb.)

Mix together flour, sugar, and oil.  Add eggs beating after each addition.  Add cinnamon, salt, and soda.  Add grated carrots and mix.  Pour into 3 8-inch pans that have been greased and floured.  Bake 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Cool thoroughly before icing.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 8oz bar cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
• 1 box 10X confectioner's sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla

Beat together cream cheese and butter.  Add powdered sugar and mix.  Add vanilla and mix.  Spread on cooled cake.  Refrigerate.

Flora & Muse

My best friend Erin had her birthday last month (July 13th woo hoo!) but due to our busy schedules (ok HER busy schedule), we weren't able to get together to celebrate it until this past Saturday. We went to this fabulous little bisto slash coffee shop slash flower shop called Flora & Muse. They serve brunch until 2pm so I was able to get breakfast after sleeping in and she ordered lunch....something for everyone!

I ordered the European breakfast which included two fresh eggs, lamb sausage, roasted potatoes, a mini fresh baked croissant, juice, and french-press coffee. The lamb sausage was to die for; not too greasy and with a spicy kick at the end, I loved it. 

Erin ordered one of their stone-oven flatbreads with pear and Gorgonzola cheese. Topped with arugula, and pine nuts, it was both of our favorites. 

It wasn't very loud where we were sitting so we had a blast catching up and nomming away on yummy food. She's a foodie and it's always so nice to not only see my bestie, but know that I have a partner in crime in the same city who is willing to try new things like me. :)

Beautiful birthday girl!

<3!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and P.S. I liked this place so much, my mom and I went here for brunch on Sunday. We had the SAME waiter as Saturday...."Nice to see you again." *facepalm*

Colorado Part IV: Snooze

I think that everyone knows by now just how much I love breakfast....if not, I love it A LOT IN CAPS! Snooze takes my love of breakfast and multiplies it by a gazillion!!! THAT'S how good it is. Period.

This was our last meal before I headed home to Houston and I enjoyed every last bite as this was also the one place I was looking forward to going to the most. Kristen started with a latte, I ordered a mocha, and when our drinks arrived in Snooze's signature yellow mugs, I was happily surprised and tickled to see that they had written "Snooze" in chocolate across the top. Seriously, how cute is that?!

After consulting with our waiter, I ended up ordering their Caprese Benedict and it was everything I wanted AND more. Poached eggs (mmmmm...), check. Fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, check check. Cream cheese hollandaise...(I KNOW RIGHT?!), check! It was SOOOOooooo good!!!!! All served so prettily on toasted ciabatta bread with a nice mound of hash browns on the side.

Heirloom tomato slices, fresh mozzarella, poached eggs, basil pesto, balsamic drizzle, toasted ciabatta, cream cheese hollandaise

Kristen ordered the "Sandwich I am". As far as breakfast sandwiches go, you can't get anything better than this! She let me have a bite, it was fantastic. Normally it comes with hash browns, but not being a lover of hash browns, she swapped them out for the pancake of the day: a mint oreo pancake. Wow.

Udi's soft pretzel roll, scrambled eggs, chedder cheese, sausage patty, smoked chedder hollandaise on the side

Pancake of the day: mint oreo

It was definitely hard to go back to her house and pack after this breakfast. We even joked that all we were missing was a wheelbarrow to wheel us on home. :)

Snooze - 2260 Larimer Street, Denver, Colorado, 80205

Approximately: "I can't even remember I was in a food-coma", 2 people

1 - Latte

1 - Mocha

1 - Breakfast Sandwich

1 - Caprese Benedict

1 - Pancake of the day

Food: 8

Atmosphere:7

Presentation: 7

Colorado Part III: d Bar Desserts

d-Bar Desserts....where do I even begin?! 

As much as I loved Euclid Hall, I loved my meal at d-Bar just a little bit more. We got to sit at the bar where we got to watch Avery the pastry chef whip up all sorts of delicious goodies. d-Bar is very popular, but most people skip the delicious savory food in favor of the desserts. Never one to practice restraint when it comes to yummies, I got to experience the deliciousness of both!

Kristen and I started out by splitting their grilled caesar salad. Grilling the romaine lettuce gives it this very distinct un-lettuce-like flavor which I liked immediately. I am not sure if most people would like it right away, especially if they were not expecting it like I was. The presentation was beautiful, and the crunch of the breadsticks added a nice texture.

Grilled whole romaine, caesar dressing, balsamic reduction, shaved parm

For our main course, Kristen ordered the steak and frites and I ordered the Kobe sliders. OH. EM. GEE. CAPS. PERIOD. I've had excellent sliders at 'Lil Bigs in Houston but those paled in comparison to these. The Kobe beef patty was velvety in texture with amazing mouthfeel and flavor, the white chedder added a delicious bite, the garlic aioli added even more richness, and the soft buttery brioche bun soaked up all of the succulent juice. Everything came together beautifully -- absolute perfection on a bun.

Kobe beef, brioche, drunken onions, white chedder, garlic aoili, parm fries

The amazingness of my sliders were equal to the amazingness of Kristen's steak. At one point, she even showed me how she could cut her steak with her fork (I know she loves me greatly since she let me have not one but a couple of bites!). Her fries soaked up the delicious, delicious meat juice; again, absolutely fabulous.

USDA prime flat iron, shallot red wine butter, garlic parm fries

Our desserts were amazing. I went from not having any room to spare to gobbling up every last bite of my dish. I ordered this fabulous seasonal peach creme brulee stack, Kristen ordered the s'mores waffle. Best part was that we got to watch Avery make it right in front of us and then hand it to us over the bar counter. SO AMAZEBALLOONS!!!

Rock candy graham waffle, manjari cremeux, toasted marshmallow, malted ice cream

Fresh peaches sauteed in lavendar syrup, shortbread cookie, vanilla bean creme brulee, peach sorbet, sugar shard

 d Bar Desserts - 1475 E.17th Avenue, Denver, Colorado, 80218

Approximately $55, 2 people

1 - Grilled Caesar Salad

1 - Steak and Frites

1 - Kobe Sliders

1 - Peachy Amazingness Dessert

1 - S'mores Waffle

Food: 9.5

Atmosphere: 8

Presentation: 8.5

Colorado part I: Euclid Hall

I'm sitting here staring at my post, thinking about Colorado, and completely stumped as to where to begin the FANTASTIC EPICNESS that was my trip!!!! Let's start with the County Fair....my friend won FIRST PLACE!!!! YAY!!!! This came as no surprise to me, her yarn was gorgeous... :)

We ate at Euclid Hall on Friday night. After a bit of discussion, we decided to do a tasting of quite a few things but to order them after each bit just in case we changed our minds, which we did a few times.

Beer in hand, Kristen had to talk me into starting with the bruléed bone marrow but let me say this: OH EM GEE. CAPS. PERIOD. Our server (who also happened to be quite adorable), described it perfectly as...."meat butter." It was completely different than what I had pictured in my mind (which I am not going to describe here because it was quite gross and the opposite of what it ended up being), and I ended up spooning up little bits of the delicious gravy that was served with it after we had finished gobbling it up.

Bone marrow, demi glace, sherry reduction, grilled sourdough

Just a quick note: I had brought my camera but didn't put it on the "food" setting so unfortunately, this picture is fuzzy. The other ones turned out well though! :)

Next, we ordered lamb poutine. Poutine originated in Quebec and is traditionally a dish of french fries, gravy, and fresh cheese curds. Euclid Hall kicks it up a notch and offers three gourmet poutine dishes that completely knock your socks off. We chose the lamb version and it was again, absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious.

Braised and grilled lamb, smoked espagnole sauce, goat cheese, micro sorrel

After a quick breather, we each chose a dish to share. Kristen went with the Spätzle, I chose one of their fresh, hand-cranked sausages. The sausage came with four different kinds of house-made mustard; all spicy, all grainy and delicious.

Caraway Spatzle, sauteed crisp, 10,000 island dressing

Beef short rib kielbasa sausage

At this point, we were stuffed to the brim but we couldn't walk away from sharing their S'mores Pot de Crème. Day to day,  I prefer savory over sweet but I couldn't keep my spoon out of this little dessert cup. I've also never had a homemade graham cracker before! Ummm can you say AMAZEBALLOONS?!

The beer that I drank was Lefthand Milk Stout Nitro. Similar to Guinness in texture but sweeter; It was poured beautifully and was the perfect accompaniment to my meal.

Euclid Hall - 1317 14th Street, Denver Colorado, 80202

Approximately $50, 2 people

3 - Different beers

2 - Bone Marrow

1 - Lamb Poutine

1 - Spätzle

1 - Kielbasa sausage

1 - S'mores Pot de Crème

Food: 8

Atmosphere: 8

Presentation: 8.5

I LOVE NY!!!

My adoreballoons big brother recently moved to the Big Apple to begin his orthopedic surgery residency -- a five year long program that will be (you know it!!) jam packed full of visits from moi.

My mom and I were travel buddies this visit, and managed to cram five days worth of clothes into one carry-on bag each and a smallish tote (we're talking miracles here foodie friends...MIRACLES). We arrived at the hotel and set out with our stomachs growling and maps in hand. I can officially say that "I heart NY" because of all of the delicious goodies that we searched out and stumbled across during our trip. Again, apologies for the crappy pictures, they're from my iPhone.

Let me just begin with "YELP" IS YOUR FRIEND!!! The places we enjoyed the most were those that we never would have found without the help of Yelp and the reviews of the Yelp foodie contributors.... Thanks guys! We (and our tummies) love you!

All time favorite place that everyone MUST visit is an idyllic little hole in the wall on the Upper East Side called Alice's Teacup Chapter II. Mom and I were a little late leaving the hotel the second morning and we picked Alice's for breakfast/lunch. Alice's Teacup makes a variety of fresh, homemade scones every day, along with delicious sweet treats and teas. Each diner has a different design on his or her china and drinking tea from a sweet little teacup in a beautiful room creates a truly memorable experience. Mom and I ordered a "Mad Hatter," which is a selection of scones, sandwiches, and treats meant to be shared. For the scones, we ordered a traditional buttermilk (served with fresh strawberry preserves and clotted cream), ham and cheese, and pumpkin. Every scone up to this point that I had eaten was very hard and left me wondering what all of the English fuss was about. Alice's scones had the texture and consistency of homemade biscuits: they were warm, slightly dense but still fluffy, and just MELTED in your mouth.

We each chose a sandwich to share. At the suggestion of our server, Mom chose their curried chicken salad. It was a yummy combination of chicken, a hint of mayo, red onion, celery, granny smith apple, on semolina bread with golden raisins and fennel. I chose chicken breast, granny smith apple, and herbed goat cheese on seven grain bread.

For dessert, we had an assortment of fresh baked cookies and a delicious lemon tart. It was light and the perfect end to a lovely lunch.

 I need to check my camera (HOPEFULLY I didn't delete it...), because I photographed a delicious Italian dinner that Mom and I had on our first night. Terrazza Toscana is Zagat rated and has a snazzy, young atmosphere. They make their pasta fresh, and after you have homemade pasta, you never want anything else! MMMmmm delicious, delicious carbs...

Mom started with a salad of braised pear on a bed of peppery arugula, dressed with a light lemon vinaigrette and shaved pecorino cheese. I'm slightly ashamed to admit this, but I can't remember what salad I had! It was one of the specials and I liked Mom's more (go figure). For our entrees, Mom ordered veal scallopine, which was sauteed with pinot grigio, pine nuts, golden raisins, and spinach. I went the pasta route, and ordered rigatoni with crushed tomatoes, garlic, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil. Deep into our food comas, we managed to hail a cab and called it a night after that.

We did experience NY pizza on our trip...how could we not?! Lombardi's is the first (and arguably the best!!!!) pizzeria in New York. Also Zagat rated, be sure to order the meatball pizza if you go. Lombardi's meatballs were so incredibly fantastic, we ordered a side of meatballs to add to those on our pizza. Combine that with Brooklyn Lager on tap, you have a memorable (or not so memorable since in my food craze I forgot to take pictures) meal.

Thomas Keller is a famous and critically acclaimed chef on both the east and west coasts. He has won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation and his NY restaurant, Per Se, has three Michelin Stars. Did we dine there? ....Nope! However, we did enjoy a tasty lunch at his restaurant, Bouchon Bakery, above the Whole Foods at Columbus Circle. We had a gorgeous view, and noshed on food that was delicious and beautifully presented.

Mom ordered a salad with perfectly poached scallops, crisp asparagus, and greens that I have no clue what they are, all dressed in a delicate and flavorful vinaigrette.

I ordered a sandwich. Yes, a sandwich. Before you start writing rude comments about "how one can go to Bouchon and only order a sandwich?!" I insist on you looking at the picture because this was NOT JUST ANY OLD SANDWICH. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY DELICIOUS SANDWICH!

Served warm, it contained roasted chicken breast with an aged, sharp chedder spread and spicy mustard....a lightly dressed salad with a nice tangy dressing....freshly baked, toasty bread....this foodie friends, was one hell of a sandwich! Combined with the view, I'd definitely recommend Bouchon Bakery to future NYC touristas looking for a good time.

Things I would GIVE for us to have Pinkberry down here:

*My right arm (I'd still have my left arm to shovel frozen yogurt in my face)

*One gajillion dollars (one sec, I'll write you an IOU)

*Cupcakes (except the ones from Crave because I don't want to hurt their feelings)

*The entire cast of Jersey Shore (I can perform my own fist pumps)

*Anything ELSE that I could POSSIBLY dream up to trade for Pinkberry every day....*sigh* It's so good...

For the summer, Pinkberry is offering watermelon frozen yogurt that you can add fresh watermelon on top of to make it THAT MUCH BETTER!!! Before my first bite, I thought that it would taste like any other old frozen yogurt....Pinkberry IS NOT any old frozen yogurt. Rich, creamy, slightly tangy, and low in calories -- they have an abundance of fresh fruit and other toppings (like chocolate and fruity pebbles!) to make it your own. If something is good, you know I will do my best to snarf it down. After waiting a bit in line, I received my treat and I SAVORED my watermelon Pinkberry cup like it was the last of its kind while walking around Columbus Circle. I <3 Pinkberry!!!

These meals stood out (or because I remembered to take pictures before I dug in), but TRUST ME, we enjoyed many other meals that didn't make it to the blog. New York is such a different place compared to Houston.....it has so much personality and character all crammed into one tiny island. We had a list of things to do but barely made a dent! We saw no Broadway shows, did little to no shopping (I bought shoes because mine broke within the first several hours of walking), took no tours, we didn't make it to Chinatown or Little Italy...

Holy cow...what DID we do?!? Walk, eat, stare up at the buildings, eat, drink water, eat, repair shoes, eat, buy books to read in our sweltering hotel room at the end of the day, visit Frank, EAT!!!

I can't wait to go back!!!