She Likes Purple

What To Do in New Orleans: Eat at Commander's Palace

In April, a cowoker got married in Lafayette, Louisiana so another coworker and I made a weekend of it by spending a couple days in New Orleans beforehand. I had been to New Orleans before (here, here, and here), but she had not. Oh, we had such a wonderful time. We mixed the local traditions (drinking a lot) with our particular personalities (enjoying naps and relaxing in bed with a book). Example: We shared a bottle of champagne for breakfast one day (WITH ORANGE JUICE, OF COURSE) but were reading in bed by 10pm. 

Anyway, one thing I love about Adrienne (the lady I traveled with) is that really all we both care about when traveling (or just plain living) is where we're going to eat our next best meal. We had both wanted to try Commander's Palace and thought lunch might be the best way to do it.

We were both right.

The meal wasn't just incredible, the entire dining experience was. We expected this meal would be a splurge, but for a cocktail, a split appetizer, an full entree, and a split dessert, we each paid $50. That's not exactly affordable to do too often, but it was more than worth it for the meal we had.

I had:

A French 75 (probably the BEST French 75 I've ever had)
Spicy Shrimp Remoulade
Crawfish Grilled Cheese 
Strawberry Shortcake

Everything was delicious (the soup that accompanied the grilled cheese wasn't life-changing, I feel I should admit), but I do want to spotlight two particular things. The French 75 really was the most delicious cocktail I've ever had. It's how cocktails are supposed to taste, I'd say. Also, the strawberry shortcake was so good, it actually became one of my new favorite desserts right on the spot.

Honestly, if you're going to New Orleans without an agenda and with any meals free to fill, you need to head to Commander's Palace. You won't regret it.

(Adrienne and me in the French Quarter!)

What To Do: Eat a Few Pretzels at Mellow Mushroom

This isn't exactly a super unique recommendation because there are Mellow Mushrooms all over the damn place but, let me tell you, if there is one near you, head there immediately and get a half order of the pretzels as your entree. Get the regular butter and kosher salt flavor and add a side of beer cheese.

One of the best things I've eaten in ages. 

Oh, and if you're me, you'd probably add a draft beer to the side of those pretzels. 

What to Do in New Orleans: A Cocktail Tour!

(Wow, is this belated. I started this post on 11/14! That's...many days ago.)

When we got to New Orleans last Thursday weeks ago--Kristie, Elizabeth, and I drove from Fort Worth, extending my Road Trips to the Blathering record to three out of three--we drove straight to the waterfront for a cocktail tour.*

I don't know if you know this about me, but I was a history major in college. You know, one of those lucrative degrees that earn you a ton of money and respect. Anyway, this tour combined my love of history with my love of fancy drinks, and I was a big, big fan.

We started off near Jackson Brewery (which is not a brewery at all, apparently, which I learned when I asked the window agent if our first stop was Jackson Brewery and she said to me, "THAT'S NOT A REAL BREWERY.") and walked to Pirates Alley Cafe. At the first stop, we got a history lesson of absinthe and the period of time when New Orleans embraced it as their alcohol of choice. Something about wine being too expensive or prohibition or I DON'T KNOW, I WAS HUGGING EMILY AT THIS POINT. Then we were offered either an absinthe cocktail (HAHAHA NO) or a Pimm's Cup (sure!). The latter was delicious. I'd never had one before, and I loved it.

We then went to the Court of Two Sisters, which was hilariously where we'd already booked our group breakfast the following day. Here we got a history of....stuff. And we had...sangria, I think? (Note to self: This is why bloggers write posts more timely, so they can remember things.) (I'm also regretting telling you I was a history major since I obviously RETAIN HISTORY INFORMATION SO WELL.)

Anyway, then we went to Arnaud's, where we got a tour of the bar's Mardi Gras Museum and a history of the restaurant and bar and owner and his (interesting) daughter. It was fascinating, actually. (A little bit more on all that here.) We had French 75's, which we've already established I'm a fan of.

We had to skip out on the last place (The Carousel) to get ready for dinner, unfortunately, but it really was a great time. A walking tour of the French Quarter, a history lesson, and our tour guide ordered our drinks for us, so we could spend more time not paying to attention things, it would seem. When/If I go back to New Orleans, I'll probably add this tour to my to-do list, especially if I'm taking Mike. I think he'd love it and he'd probably be brave enough to try the absinthe cocktail AND smart enough to listen to the tour guide.

*Note: the $29 tour price didn't include drinks, which makes it seem crazy overpriced, but I'd still recommend it. I also split a cocktail at each place, so that helped.

Best Eats in Southern California

I think I said I'd round-up where we ate in California, when we were vacationing there a couple weeks ago. Whether or not you care about restaurants you may never try yourself, I'll still throw this post up. If only to live vicariously through my three-weeks-ago former self.

When we got off the plane, it was only 8am, but we'd been up for something like five hours already, so we were ready to EAT. We flew into LAX, even though we were staying in Orange County, so we decided to go in the completely opposite direction (it was 8am! we had all the time in the world!) and head to Hollywood for breakfast.

We ate at Joan's on Third. I had a delicious omelet (though you can ONLY get three things in your omelets there, no budging, which made me pout) and the rest of the table had pancakes, which I sampled (yum!). I also had the strongest cup of coffee of my life because, again, UP FOR FIVE HOURS AT 8AM.

We dined outside! Because California sure knows how to do weather even if it really doesn't know how to do inexpensive anything.

Hours and hours later, I headed down to Laguna (dragging Natalie along with me) to visit with some of my favorite bloggers. Rebecca suggested Nick's, and we had this lovely table right by the street, with a breeze coming in. I had already eaten a big meal, so I got the fried deviled eggs (they were....interesting) and a delicious farmer's market cocktail. It was filled with fresh berries and was just so refreshing. A few ladies got burgers that looked mouth-watering.

The next morning, we found Off the Vine, a breakfast place that was Zagat-rated. It was off the beaten path (a little bit) but INCREDIBLE. I still can't believe I didn't give in and get the peanut butter and chocolate French toast! Intsead, I opted for a mimosa (yay vacation!) and the chili verde quiche. It was TO DIE FOR. So good! I'd go back in a heartbeat, if I could.

I would like a mimosa right noooooow.

After some time at the beach later that afternoon, we were driving along the PCH and decided to stop for dinner somewhere nearby. I turned to Mike and said, "What do you feel like?" He answered with pizza, so I grabbed my phone, typed pizza into Google Maps and we were two minutes away from a pizza joint. We risked it and stopped into Gina's Pizza. It was good! (I love love love it when that happens.)

The next morning, we planned a beach day, so we met up with friends at Mutt Lynch's for brunch. We left so full, I could have napped right on the beach. It was insanely crowded, but on a non-Labor Day day, I'd recommend stopping here before your own day at the beach.

Disneyland was the next day and after a full day of searching for Mickey and riding rides and eating mouse-earred ice cream, we just wanted a good, sit-down meal. So we sought out a place Mike really wanted to go to (even though we were exhausted and it was 20 or so minutes away) and I'm SO GLAD WE DID. We went to Slater's 50/50 (here's the review I wrote on Food Lush) and it was FANTASTIC. Best burger ever! We had such a nice final night in California, toasted glasses, grubbed on food (all while Kyle snoozed on the bench, zonked from his day at Disney), and just relaxed a little after such an exhausting day. This place might be our first stop if we ever return.

I felt like we had non-stop restaurant winners on our trip. Good job, California!

Where I Ate in San Diego: The Highlights

I titled this "the highlights" because you probably don't care to know about the Starbucks iced coffee I had every morning or the convention center nachos I ate in our booth for lunch. Unless you do care and if you do, you're probably my mom. Hi, mom!

So, how about a top ten list of awesome? Yeah, sounds good.

Top Ten Delicious Things I Ate (& Drank) in San Diego

10. Dark chocolate gelato from Chocolat Cremerie. I had a rough day of set-up, so I treated myself to gelato. And, oh my, am I glad I did. This was as creamy and chocolatey as gelato comes. I got a tiny, tiny cup because it was before dinner, and I ate it in like 15 seconds.

9. Lagunitas beer from The Hopping Pig. I'd never had this beer before, and I got it, admittedly, because it's from a brewery in Petaluma, where my step-mom and brother live. It was amazing, though! I sipped it while people-watching and writing on the bar's patio, in the 70-degree weather. Blissful!

8. Gorgonzola mashed potatoes from Panevino. I don't think this needs further explanation, do you?

7. Norah's Pear-adise cocktail from R Gang Eatery. I don't usually like vodka cocktails because the actual taste of vodka is kind of throat-burny. But, this was delicious. Light, fruity, really good.

{Norah's Pear-adise}

6. Fried pickles from The Knotty Barrel. Yum.

5. Smoked gouda mac-and-cheese from R Gang Eatery. Oh man, was this delicious. It might be my favorite thing from the entire trip. Jen and I shared it, and I wanted to order three more servings.

4. Hummus with ground Kobe beef from Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. I love hummus, but I have never once thought about adding any other protein to it. I'M GLAD SOMEONE ELSE THOUGHT TO!

{Hummus with Kobe beef}

3. Deep-fried twinkies from The Knotty Barrel. We split these, as a table, and that was a silly idea. I could easily have devoured an order all my own.

2. Cheddar cheese fondue from The Melting Pot. Dipping carbs into melted cheese. Yeah, like this one needs further explanation.

1. Warm crispy mini-donuts from Sammy's Woodfired Pizza. Oooooooh, I am still thinking about these doughy delights. Dip half the donuts in chocolate and half in the raspberry sauce and thank me later.

And, now you can see why I'm spending an awful lot of time in the gym, post-trip. Anyway, if you're heading to San Diego soon (BlogHer, anyone?), you can't go wrong with any of these dishes. Or all of them. 

What to Do in Santa Fe: Grand Gold Margaritas at Zia Diner

We were in Santa Fe for just about 12 hours and 8-9 of those were spent snoozing. I must go back soon, though, because it's a beautifully unique city with a really cool vibe. Unlike any other city, I'd say. I can't compare it to another, and I love that. Also, once the sun goes down, even in early July, the cool breezes blow in. Let's just say, Texas does not do that.

We downloaded a pretty cool app pre-trip, TVFoodMaps, and checked out all the spots in Santa Fe that had been featured on some of our favorite shows. We settled on Zia Diner for dinner, and it was a nice choice. I wasn't blown away by the food (I had the poached egg and grilled cheese BLT while Mike had the smoked salmon quesadilla), but it didn't disappoint.

What did blow me away, though, was the Grand Gold margarita (on the rocks). It's a simply made drink -- gold tequila, grand marnier, lime juice, salt on the rim -- but it was made perfectly and was one of the best margaritas I've had in a long, long time.

Sit on the patio, when you go. Margaritas just taste better on a patio. Fact.

What To Do in Grapevine, TX: Try the Lemon Drop Pancakes at Old West Cafe

I don't really like pancakes. Now, I don't dislike them. Make me a batch and I'll eat them, swear it, but if I'm ordering breakfast, I'm very, very rarely going to choose pancakes over French toast or an omelet or anything else on the menu.

But, it was my dad's last morning in town on Saturday, so we took him to breakfast, and Mike picked a place he had been recently with some family, and I split a dish with my dad and let him pick what it was. We were in a crowded restaurant with lots of kitschy things on the wall and sticky tables. A family joint, you know? Where the food is never bad, but you don't expect your mind to be blown because it's cheap and loud and your kid can throw jelly packets on the floor without too many people glaring.

Except, this place? Kind of blew my mind with the one particular dish my dad picked.

The lemon drop pancakes, which no one would give me the recipe for, of course. I do know they were the size of my head and tasted like a buttery lemon pound cake with sweet syrup drizzled on top. Oh, they were just so good. I imagine this is why people love pancakes! Only took me nearly 30 years to figure that out.

I don't know why you'd ever be in Grapevine, TX (although that is where the DFW airport is located, so maybe on a long layover?), but if you ever are, give me a call first -- don't just come to town without calling! -- but also definitely try these pancakes.

What to Do in New York City: Eat at Locanda Verde

Last week, I was in New York for work and just like every other trip to every other city, I had to seek out my best blog friends to catch up with. I didn't feel like I had much free time, but I did manage a few really delicious meals after work was done each day and one such meal on one such day was with Metalia and Jen.

Metalia, the local of the group, sent us a couple restaurant choices ahead of time, and I suggested we go to the one she'd never been to, so we could all try something new.

The place was Locanda Verde.

It was incredible.

When you're in New York next, make your way to Tribeca (a 15-minute cab ride from Times Square, where we unfortunately stayed) and then send me a thank-you note in the form of any of the crostini options (the blue crab was my favorite but thoughts of the sheep's milk ricotta will carry me through my Vegan Summer).

I'd also suggest ordering the La Fantasia di Cioccolato for two (even if it's just you; we don't judge), which is just a fancy ice cream sundae that I could not stop eating even though I was well past the point of full.

The menu is kind of sophisticated, true, which is what drove us to our phones to Google half the terms on the menu to figure out what the heck we might be ordering, such as guanciale (turns out: bacon!), but the food wasn't overly sophisticated at all. It was simple and flavorful and ridiculously good.

Although, sure, it also helped that while we waited for our table, Justin Long walked through the restaurant. He totally asked for my number.

(Except that he didn't, at all.)

If I was a good food blogger, I'd now insert my many near-professional photos of everything I tasted.

Spoiler: I am not a good food blogger.

Regardless, it was such a tasty meal with good friends. You should trust me and go as soon as you possibly can. Here's an idea, take me with you when you do!

What To Do In Fort Worth: Two-Step At Billy Bob's

I grew up in San Francisco and have a definite liberal leaning, so it might surprise you to know that one of my absolute favorite things to do is go to a dusty, old, hole-in-the-wall bar, order an ice-cold bottle of Bud Light, and either two-step with someone who knows what they're doing (because I most certainly do not), or listen to a country music concert.

I got to do all these things last weekend.

We went to the pretty famous -- at least locally -- Billy Bob's, which is called the largest honky tonk in the world. Admittedly, I'm not even sure what that means, but the place was enormous, so I'm going to go ahead and believe them.

I even dressed like a hussy for the occassion.

That is an awfully short skirt for a nearly-30-year-old mother, I know, and I was more than a little self-conscious, but when we stepped inside the place, there were quite a few (dozens, really) of women much older than me wearing much less, and by much older I mean much older and by much I less I mean nearly illegal.

Honky tonk might just be a euphemism for something else entirely.

(Not that two short skirts make an appropriate wardrobe decision, but I felt better about pushing the dress-for-your-age envelope when I was around people who tore that envelope right up and then gave it the finger.)

Anyway, we were there to see Pat Green, who I was a big fan of back in college and whose music takes me right back to being 19 in that tiny little Texas town, and it was a lot of fun to be swept up in nostalgia for a night.

(If you want to take a listen, my favorite songs of Pat's are: "Nightmare," "Ruby's Two Sad Daughters," "#2," "Here We Go," "Threadbare Gypsy Soul," and "Galleywinter.")

It was a really fun night, and I kind of hope we'll go back, although Mike (not really the country music or two-stepping kind) would like to remind me that my year list made no mention of going twice, so we'll have to wait until 2012.

What to Do in Dallas: Eat at The Commissary

I'm off to see Forks Over Knives tonight, a documentary about a plant-based diet and what consuming animal products means for your health and the environment. So, let me post about this delicious, mouth-watering burger now instead of later because later the thought of this burger might make me a wee bit nauseous and/or socially guilty.

THIS BURGER WAS SO GOOD.

(I ate half at lunch and half the next day for lunch, and it was delicious both sittings, which made me love it all the more.)

This burger is from new gourmet burger joint The Commissary, although the prices don't match the menu, which I love. (This burger was $7, which included the shoestring fries.)

I want to go back and try just about every other burger offering, eventually.

I won't go so far as to say it outranks Twisted Root for me, but it was really close.

What To Do In Austin: Drinks at the San Jose Hotel

After Burger Day!, Natalie and I drove south to Austin to stay with Natalie, so we could all run the Cap10K Sunday morning. But, every race needs fuel, and our race needed booze.

Our strategies are unconventional but tasty.

Both Natalies and I picked up Regan and headed to the San Jose Hotel for drinks Saturday night (before heading to Max's Wine Dive for dinner).

This was a champassion: champagne, passion fruit, and raspberries.

It tasted even better than it looks, which seems impossible, I know.

I don't know anyone else who would spontaneously go on a road trip to Austin with me to run more than six miles and then do all the driving. She's a keeper.

This lady opened her doors to two bloggers! She's a reminder that for all the crazy the internet tosses at you, it sure can surprise you with a sweet and lovely friend (and running partner!).

But, seriously, next time you're in Austin (say, for the Blathering?), get thee to the San Jose Hotel and order the champassion.

Bring me along, though, okay?

(Also, WOW, I need a tan.)

What To Do in Denton: Eat at Frilly's

If you're in/around North Texas and you like fun joints that also serve delicious food, try Frilly's next time you go out.

When Mike and I were in Boston this past fall, he had cioppino at Legal Seafood and it changed his life a little bit. (Well, that along with the dozen bowls of chowder he ate.) We didn't expect to find anything remotely comparison-worthy in Texas since the nearest body of water is, well, it's not the Atlantic Ocean, let me just say.

But, after a little time spent with Yelp and Google, we found some good reviews for the cioppino at this place in Denton (a college town about 20 minutes from us). We headed out this weekend for a date night and while I had to pass on all things seafood (DAMN YOU BIGGEST BLOGGING LOSER), I did get some veggie gumbo and a salad. Both were amazing! The vibe was fun, too.

Mike raved about the cioppino, which is good since it's why we went. We'll be going back soon, so I can try some crabcakes or a po boy.

And a beer. I am nearing the point in my self-induced alcohol hiatus where all this water and Diet Coke is no longer cutting it.

What To Do In Fort Worth: Scat Jazz Lounge

If you were in the middle of planning your next vacation, you'd probably not include Fort Worth, Texas on your short list. Now, I could lilst a dozen or so reasons why you should (including: you could see me!), but my bias might show as it's never going to be as cool as Chicago or have as much to offer as Boston. But it's my closest big city, and I really do love it.

I've already decided 2011 is going to be the year I do a few big things -- relax more, try to save a significant amount of money, run a half-marathon, and, well, become well-versed in my city.

I'm adding a lot of things to my list next year to do around the area -- things I would recommend to you if you ever did come visit but, also, things I've never actually done myself. Lame, right?

One thing I never knew I wanted to do and will now recommend to anyone with ears is to go to the Scat Jazz Lounge in downtown Fort Worth.

We went over the weekend because it was my mother-in-law's birthday and she had always wanted to go to a jazz lounge. I found the place by just poking around the internet -- how I usually find things for good or bad -- and I was so delighted because it was just the kind of place I wanted to take her. 

I made reservations, although you don't need them. It did get us a front-row table, though, which was really nice, especially for my mother-in-law.

You get to Scat by walking down an alley and then taking an elevator down to the club. It felt very speak easy-ish, which was fun and also made me wish I had worn something other than a plain old sweater and jeans.

I also wish I had ordered a dirty martini or a sidecar instead of a champagne cocktail. Next time.

It was just great, and I'm glad we went and I'm also glad couple at the next table went, the ones who got up multiple times to swing dance in front of us. They inspired me to add "take a swing dance class" to my list, too.