Where does the time go? Well, when you spend Tuesday and Wednesday in Houston for business and Thursday and Friday in Minneapolis, the week rolls by quickly.
I must say Minneapolis has the most fabulous airport. I was in the Lindbergh terminal and even got a massage and it was so fabulous. There is shopping and restaurants and classical music playing so if you have to wait on a flight, it is not a bad place.
While in Minneapolis, I had their famous Walleye fish which was divine and found a great little card shop as well-called ZoZo. I think I will be calling to ZoZo for Christmas gifts and sure hope they open an on-line store. It is rare that I like all the crazy items one little gift store has.
June 22nd, 2008
Last time I was in Boston, I stayed downtown and never made it to the North End where the neighborhoods are filled with tiny Italian restaurants and dessert is served in a separate restaurant altogehter. Mike’s is a special stop for Cannoli which comes a bit after dessert and the place was packed to the rafters on a Monday night. Travel has been fun, especially when you run across interesting parts of town that have their own history and culture.
Although this has nothing to do with the subject matter of travel, the talk of food and the carbon footprint is starting to get national attention. What is it you might ask? The measure of the impact of human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced measured in units of carbon dioxide. That is why buying local foods instead of foods that have been halfway around the world is getting global attention. Restaurants are having to raise prices on many foods, due to gas prices and grain prices, since ethanol is made from grain and considered a fuel alternative. But what about all the power and gas needed to take care of the fields that we want to use to create alternative fuel. Boy, the many subjects that stem from these debates are amazing.
My other concern is landfill. Goodness, have you ever carried out a meal from Pei Wei? The amount of trash once you have finished your lunch is ridiculous. We should all consider not bagging a couple things you buy from the store, eating in as not to have a pile of trash once finished and ways to conserve instead of filling trash bins each day. Even Whole Foods lunch containers are wasteful. You cannot get a small anything at the salad bar, the container is for a big eater, period.
These are just thoughts, but things to be considered. I know I consilidate the trips I take in my car on weekends because gas has definately affected our household income. What are you doing to make a difference? I think we have to pass some of these realities onto our children, no matter what age they are.
May 25th, 2008
This week was fast and furious with an incredible Gourmet Wine Cellar event in the Field Museum in Chicago. It was fun seeing the best restaurants in the city serve up their specialties, paired with wine.
I had the fortune of being on stage with Sara Moulton. Check out her new PBS show Sara’s Secrets for Weeknight Meals, the schedule is on www.saramoulton.com She is the poised and friendly Gourmet Magazine Executive Chef.
The chef from Alinea was just across the way and the foodies were out in force! The event was well executed with 25 top chefs from Chicago exhibiting their talent.
My first night in Chicago, I went to Rosebud, an Italian place that takes you back to Sinatra era, nothing trendy, but good.
Back to big D for the weekend and that included a meal with one of our finest chefs, Kent Rathbun. It was Ryan’s 17th Birthday on Tuesday and his wish, a four or five star dinner. He got the 5 star wish at Abacus www.abacus-restaurant.com and we all enjoyed the evening. The Euro-techno beat, the ambience of the newly remodeled dining room and delicious food and wine made for a remarkable evening. Ryan drove from Dallas to home for an added bonus!
May 17th, 2008
Let’s just start with an amazing dinner last Saturday night at Dean Fearing’s place “Fearing’s” in Dallas. We were with our good friends Wendy and Darren, the royal chef. We had a marvelous time and great food and wine!
Then on Monday, I go to work and someone says “I saw you on Rachel Ray” and sure enough Ty Pennington’s crew had filmed a short segment about the TurboChef oven and I was in it! Fun.
Then it was off to Austin for the weekend and Dave and I just hit all the stops Hula Hut, The Ditch, Cedar Door, Malaga and Taste. We had a blast and it felt like we were gone a few days and it was just a day! We know how to pack it in. We called it research because we will be writing an article on weekend getaways for Elegant Lifestyle Magazine. I highly recommend a short getaway, it refreshes the spirit!
May 12th, 2008
I have rarely been home these past few weeks and have eaten out most of the time I have been gone. Surprising enough places in Chicago get all the newsy write ups from editors of food magazines when honestly I had fabulous food in Omaha Nebraska in an urban type bistro called M’s. I loved it and even would consider it one of the better restaurants I have eaten in lately. Not to mention the sister restaurant Vivace where I had butternut squash ravioli with goat cheese and scallions…divine I say, divine!
In Chicago, I nibbled at Sepia, Boka and Blackbird. The latter two have been in the cooking magazines recently and I must admit the fennel soup with clams at Blackbird was amazing!!! The interior is stark so I lean toward some of the older more charming places I have been to in the past.
Joan, a girlfriend from college joined my on Friday night. She flew in from Kansas City so she could eat and spa all weekend (I was working at KBIS). We had a ball in a few neighborhood places and we really loved the funky little Asian place called OPERA that a local recommended. We ended our evening over coffee, port and dessert at Hot Chocolate (also very trendy and in the news!) Traveling broadens the food horizons-for sure!!!
April 15th, 2008
The President Hilton in the Power & Light Entertainment District blew our socks off with its historical beauty and snappy band in the Drum Room. Anna Lee and the Lucky So-N-Sos were fabulous with their swing and jump blues from a bygone era. We danced til the wee hours, after drinking and dining in the hopping new district.
I was in my hometown area for the Home and Garden show and had a fabulous time since my husband joined me. The evenings were spent with good friends with great taste! College buddies and family joined me on this quick work weekend.
That well kept city, Kansas City, still beats some of the most talked about cities for entertainment. You just have to know the right people to ask when heading out for social life. Let me know if you need some help and I will call my resources. I will take Kansas City over Seattle, Austin and even San Diego!
April 1st, 2008
Wow, Easter is here, spring break has “almost” passed and the year is almost a quarter of the way through.
I am not someone that enjoys a salty Virginia or any other type of ham for that matter, but a good prime rib, I will take any ole day of the week. Paula Deen has a nice standing rib roast recipe and for another foolproof version, try covering your prime rib in rock salt.
Place the larger rib roasts 5 pounds and up on a roasting pan and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Cover the roast in rock salt so it is completely covered on the pan (eliminates splattering and cooks perfectly). Roast 1 hour exactly; remove from oven and allow to rest 20 minutes. Break the salt shell and serve with your favorite sides. ( I love my Gruyere potatoes from Good Friends Great Tastes, Salad with Honey-Tabasco Vinaigrette with grapes, pears and blue cheese) and add some roasted asparagus. (Spring is the best time for asparagus-add a bit of EVOO and some sea salt!) The oven is already at 500 so asparagus can be done in 3-4 minutes. Happy Easter!
March 19th, 2008
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