FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Bigger Byblos

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I last saw my mom when she dropped me off at the airport and took this awkward tourist photo before heading to LA.  That was twenty seven days ago.  And twenty seven days without mom time was starting to wear on me.

I shot her an email asking if we could do dinner after work and she politely declined.  Apparently this whole twenty seven day thing was affecting us differently.

No more than five minutes later, I had a new email from a completely different mom that was no longer tired and missed me equally as much as I missed her.  A new mom that had a Groupon for Byblos – hurrah!

The first thing I noticed when I walked up was a newer, larger outdoor seating area than what I remembered.  This triggered rumor memories of an expanding Byblos, rumors which were verified upon entering a gynorm, spruced up interior.

We ordered the salmon filet and vegetarian platter which consisted of hummus, grape leaves, baba ghanuj, tabbouleh, and falafel (i.e. heaven platter).  Everything tasted better this time too.  Perhaps the building wasn’t the only thing face-lifted during the renovation!

I Found You, Miss New Breakfast

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Val and I have started a new Friday ritual: going out for dinner and A drink and staying out for entirely too many A drinks. And although fun (very, very fun), it leads to a pretty rough Saturday.

The usual rough Saturday brunch spots are Pink Flamingo or Datz.

But this weekend, we decided to deviate from the usual and check out a long time local favorite that neither of us had been to – Pach’s Place.  We surely didn’t have expectations other than to appease our growling bellies, but I think there was a 3 to 5 minute shock factor going on as we plopped ourselves at the bar.

Like…  Who is Bob Hatton?  And is he cool with me drinking his coffee?

All speculation subsided when our food arrived.  Val ordered the Pecan Pancakes and I ordered the Eggs Florentine sans hollandaise.  My eggs arrived with a boat load of spinach and I was glad.  Putting green stuff in a hungover body instantaneously makes me feel a little less terrible.

And then the check arrived.

You’ve got to be kidding me!  Our entire order totaled just under fifteen bucks?  Looks like we’ve added a new spot to our rough Saturday rotation!

Milwaukee: Stop 1

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The oatmeal I had for breakfast faded mid flight and I was starving as I got off the plane.  So the second I unloaded my gear into the car, Steph and I headed to EAT.

We went to a little Mexican place in River West called Cafe Corazon.  The temp was in the brisk 60s, it was the coolest weather I had experienced and the warmest weather Steph had experienced this season.  We B-lined it to outdoor picnic area.

Steph had the carnitas and asidas taco plate and I had the vegan platter.  We cleared our plates and polished off our Dos Equis.

The bill arrived with two dum dums, which we gracefully chomped before leaving the table.  First Milwaukee meal = win!  Then it was off to Lakeside Brewery for the Environmental Brew Tour!

Florida Misconceptions

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A Dallas friend, Justin, was in town for business and I felt it was my duty to show him a proper meal after days of conference food.  He requested somewhere scenic, probably thinking that would be easier to come by than it actually is.

So that takes me to Florida Misconception #1: cities on the water have lots of waterfront restaurants.  I could only think of two (off the top of my head) that had outdoor seating, Hula Bay and Rick’s on the River.  Hula Bay was the obvious winner.  I was later reminded of Jackson’s, but I think given the option, I still would have chosen Hula Bay.

Derailing for a moment to discuss Florida Misconception #2…  Earlier this week, Chrissie mentioned her sister had an interest in flying from Southern California to visit Key West.  I asked “Really?  Has she ever been??”.  The answer was neither of them had been and she was SHOCKED when I informed her that Key West is bar-full, but oh so beach-less.  Florida has a gazillion beautiful beaches, none of which are located in Key West!

And back to the meal.  I hadn’t eaten at Hula Bay in a while, it’s kind of far and the first five times you drive there, you’ll feel like you’ve taken a wrong turn.  It’s that far.  It’s the BFE of Tampa proper.

But after this meal, it’s back on my radar.  I sampled some of Justin’s ceviche, partly because I was starving, but mostly because I’m having a difficult time resisting fresh seafood as summer approaches.  I don’t see myself being a full on seafood eater again, but being flexible does make the lives of my loved ones a little less annoying when dining out.

And that brings me to my meal.  I saw that they offered grilled portobellos as a side and asked if I could substitute beef for shroom and create my own “burger”.  So glad they said yes!  My grilled portobello and pineapple burger with citrus BBQ sauce was divine.  I ate the whole thing and all I can think about as I write is how soon I can head back out there and order another.