'Ello UK

'Ello! Wow it's been a trip! I recently returned from a college trip (2.0) with my awesome papa. We looked at Uedinburgh, St Andrews, UCI, and King's College. All were lovely, and what is an added bonus is the location. As an aspiring history major, UK is ideal because of it's rich history, which is blended so nicely with modern times. I can honestly say the UK never ceases to amaze me; from the people, the schools, the history, and even the food. And that accent isn't hurting anyone! 
(fish and chips blog to follow)

Southern Hospitality

JT- YOU'RE A LEGEND! Despite my deep love for Southern cuisine & nysnc, I was a little nervous going to a restaurant owned by a pop star. However, I was craving the savory goodness of the south, so i decided to face my fears. My lunch consisted of BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS, PULLED PORK, FRIED PICKLES, MAC&CHEESE, and RED VELVET CAKE.

The poetry of this list should indicate how awesome this place was. The pulled pork was moist, the Mac&cheese was good (but not amazing), the fried pickles were awesome (I have had a lot of fried pickles in my time and these were the best), and the red velvet cake was divine. However the star was the chicken wings because they didn't wimp out on the spice- oh no no- it was spicy/ hot/ wonderful. Therefore, this little foodie was very happy and Justin Timberlake gets a big thumbsup!

Fried Pickles (ohh yeaaa)

Southern Food Crawl

'ello everyone!
The next couple of posts will be a Southern food adventure. My favorite phrase is Food Crawl (n: a multi-stop investigation of the best restaurants, meals, or specific item on the menu) but adding southern in front of it adds a new layer of delicious.
First stop is Southern Hospitality, second, Cowgirl Hall of Fame, last in Hill Country
yiha!

Steak

Bourbon Steak

Whoa! Long time no speak! However, I have come back with a bang, and what's grander then steak? Bourbon steak is beyond yummy! And when I say yummy it's like mouth wateringly yummy!

We started with duck fat french fries (which are 10X better than normal fries and btw you know a place is good when they give you french fries to start). Then rolls which would make any carb queen sing. They were buttery and salty and everything you would hope pan made bread would be. Dream Rolls

I usually love a great appetizer but I dove right into what I came for: the steak. The steak was tender and perfectly cook. I added mac and cheese and spinach on the side (yum yum yum)

Steak: all that needs to be saidSpinachMac and Cheese... good cookin'

Bourbon Steak
2800 Pennsylvania Avenue
Northwest, Washington, DC
20007-3717
(Four Seasons Washington DC)

Blue Ribbon is good for the soul

Nothing does good for the soul like sushi. Sushi will always be there for you; it doesn't make you gain weight, it is filling, and delicious.... bottom line: sushi is my best friend. I have always has an affinity for Japanese food. A few Japanese places make me feel like little 5 year old Nina again. The 5 year old Nina that craved food but especially Asian like no other.
There is the Japanese Restaurant in my town (Hanada Sushi), where they know what I am going to order before I order it which makes me feel special. Which sushi does (obsessive?i know, i know) and then there is Blue Ribbon in NYC. I haven't gotten to the point where they know what I'm going to order but we're getting there. Blue Ribbon is a foodies dream. The menu is complete with an amazing selection. While each bite contains a light, filling (but not fatty filling good filling), flavorful mouthful.

Miso Soup con Rice... Comfort at it's finest Veggie Tempura Pork DumplingSpicy Yellowtail

I live for this! Fresh Fresh Fresh Fresh, Delicious, Delicious, Delicious. It's the perfect meal!
This blog post is for my baby Claudia cause this was her Birthday din din. I hope my Baby Claud Claud feels soooo special

Blue Ribbon Sushi
308 West 58th Street, New York, NY 10019
Subway: Columbus Circle

School Lunch

Chicken, corn, baby onions, peas over mashed potatoes and covered in southern gravy

When you think school lunch, you don't think what you see above. However, just like how PCS is no ordinary school, we don't have an ordinary lunch. Our culinary goddess, Deb whips up amazing meals every day at 7am with the help of Joseph. Side note, Joe and I share a pretty awesome secret handshake every time I grab my grub. Like how the kitchen is my favorite room in my house, the cafeteria is my favorite room in the school. Beside the fact that there is food, my possey is down there. Today started like every other day, I went down there during my 5th period free started talking to my sidekick, Genny about my deep affection for Anderson Cooper, when Deb came up to me and told me to try the lunch today. She made me a plate and I sat down and was ready to rumble. Everything went really well together. The dish was savory and sweet and had multiply textures to make a it a complete and great lunch. And, drum roll please........ it's healthy! Now, what else could you ask for?

Feasting in Baltimore

I remember each meal we ate in Baltimore vividly. As we drove into the city, I was ready and prepared to enjoy each and every bite and deal with the consequences later.

Heading south at 5 am, we arrived around 8, that combined equals tired. Therefore, our first stop: Daily Grind.When you enter, your eye fixates on the giant black board filled with menu items and cartoons. I grabbed a mango smoothie and a poppy seed bagel and headed outside. The Daily Grind is just one of those places that you go when you want to just sit and hang for a couple of hours. I sat next to the doggy door (a door where people that have their dogs can grab something on the go- I think it's pretty genius, no?), enjoyed my smoothie and bagel and blissed out for a little while. Pretty nice start, huh?

Fried Oysters

Next stop Obrycki's! Of course we had to eat crabs, we were in Maryland... My favorite place to eat crabs is Obrycki's because it's so fresh, the seasoning has the perfect spice, and well it's the first place I ever ate crab when you had to crack the shell; so many memories. Crabs, Crabs, Crabs!!!!!!
We started off with fried oysters because the last time we went my friend, Lily, had them and I felt like grabbing the plate and dashing. Therefore, this time, those puppies were mine! Once we finished, the crabs arrived: the battle has begun. We started with the hammer and got crackin' (which is a lot of work for the amount of meat you get but it sure is tasty!)! We then ordered another batch of fried oysters which topped off a amazingly satisfying lunch.
Black Bean Hummus and Guacamole, oh yea.....
I don't know if I'm the only person who does this but once I love a restaurant I have to keep going to it and eat the same thing every time. Talara happens to be one of my favorite restaurants in the world! When I'm in Baltimore, I have to eat there 24/7. This trip I ate there every night. It's a mix of South American and Japanese food and it is as awesome as it sounds. We started with the Black Bean Hummus and the Guacamole. Both were made fresh and both were made delicious. Side note, Black beans and hummus mix is now my new favorite combo.
Frozen Virgin Mango Mojito... ahhhhh (sometimes words can't express)
Cuban Roll... now that's what I call fusion
Then came the Latino sushi! i don't want to say that this is the reason I go to Baltimore, but it's up there. We inhaled the three different types of sushi that they serve. 1st, the Cuban sushi roll which has salmon, calaboaza, jicama, and avocado rolled inside and spicy tuna, sriracha mayo, ponzu sauce and malanga straws. It's savory and refreshing at the same time. Tuna Crudo

ahi tuna sashimi style with sea salt, cracked black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and aged balsamic with a citrus arugula salad. Yes, it's delicious. Yes, it's refreshing. Yes, it's healthy. Momma and I each having a Jimmy Roll and a Cuban Rolldrum roll please! my favorite, the Jimmy roll
Sliced tempura fried sushi roll, topped with jumbo lump crab, harissa mayo, avocado, ginger, and cucumber. Tell me that's not amazing, I dare you!! You can't and trust me it's 10x more amazing than it sounds. It has something fried, it has spicy crab and it mixes different textures and tastes. I will say it: it's perfect and I will never get sick of it!
Woodberry Kitchen
...And we tried a new restaurant! I'm a creature of habit but you know what after Woodberry Kitchen, I might try something new more often. This place made me so happy but I don't think words can really express it, so lets dive right in...
Virgin Bloody Mary, spicy just the way i like them.
Tea time!... see that sugar, that ain't no splenda, that's the real stuffBreakfast Burger, Breakfast of ChampionsEggs Benedict
(on left) pumkin, vanilla, and malt ice cream...(on right) apple pie sundae, it's sinful :)
Now let's get to talking. By the pictures you can see this place is AMAZIN' but besides being delicious it has a great atmosphere. The best comparison i can make is Stone Barns in the Rockefelller Park; fresh food with a farm, down home feel. I started with a Virgin Bloody Mary which like spicy and not too heavy and tadaaa it was perfect! Next, it was time for the Breakfast Burger. A burger with an egg, cheddar, and english muffin. It was the best for the morning because it kept me satisfied the entire day and each bite was scrumptious. My mom had the eggs benedict which with every bite you took could tell how fresh each ingredients are. Now, it's time to get to the sweet part: dessert! I usually never order dessert because I'm always too full to get to that point. However, today, i made room for it. I love apple pie and I love sundaes so what could be wrong...NOTHING. Apples, pie crust, ice cream, and caramel. It was an explosion of flavor in each bite and i miss it everyday. Thinking about it now, I MISS BALTIMORE!