So many places. I really need to stop eating for a while. Or I need to only eat vegetables. Or do something about the flat tires on my two bikes. Or I need to start walking to/from work like every day. (I say this because today on my way out of work, I ran into my colleague and neighbor who has been walking home from work every day for the last year or so and he has lost so much weight…sigh.)
Bar Toma, 110 East Pearson. So firstly, I need to give them props because their location is huge (both in size and the perfectness of location) and if I were a tourist and stumbled in here, I would be very very happy. It’s casual. There’s a bar. And look…I ate some vegetables! We LOVED the charred carrots with Capriole goat cheese, almonds, and Acetaia San Giacomo balsamico. Also loved the beets and gorgonzola. Our pizza was just good, but we weren’t very creative. Just a Pizza Margherita. I tried to get my friend Aileen to have some Prosecco and she demurred. Who says no to Prosecco??? I think she’s preggars. The Verdict: Fun. Cheap. Casual.
Lula Cafe, 2357 N Kedzie: I dragged my friend Amy here one afternoon after New Year’s and I think she hates me now. Lula’s was packed. We got two seats at the bar and were promptly ignored by anyone and everyone. We eventually placed our order and we were promptly ignored again. And then we ate our food — my butternut squash soup and salad were good but not swoon-worthy — and we asked for our bill and (surprise!) we were both promptly (or impromptly) ignored again. It was all rather tiresome, and we left very tired and very grouchy. The Verdict: Hard to focus on the food when the service was so terribly terribly terribly abysmal. (You can imagine my Madonna accent — yes the UK one — as I’m saying that.) I liked the decor though.
The Southern Mac & Cheese Store, 60 East Lake Street. Even though my one and only experience at The Southern in Bucktown was nothing to write home about, I really liked my Artichoke Spinach Mac & Cheese at The Southern’s newish retail outlet. Crispy where it needed to be crispy, with plenty of artichoke and spinach, only two of my favorite things. I was surprised the shop wasn’t more crowded on the day we were there. Personally, I think they need to offer half portions because of the perception of mac & cheese alone. A lot of mac & cheese is NOT good for the waistline. Somehow a sandwich of the same caloric value doesn’t have the same perception. The Verdict: I liked this, but I can’t eat like this all the time. I’ll be back once a quarter.
I think I still have more to catch up. The more I eat, the less I write. I’m okay with that.
I might have restaurant fatigue. I might have everything fatigue. You try living in an apartment in Brazil with a broken microwave and no oven — only two electric burners — and you tell me what you think. (In hindsight, I should have held a Twitter challenge. What can I cook on my two electric burners?) Suffice it to say, I ate a lot of yogurt. I may have actually lost weight this trip. Not a bad thing.
In the meantime though, if you ever make it to Sao Paulo, here’s another installment of where I ate…
Avila, Rua Bandeira Paulista, 520. Itaim. This Argentine steakhouse offers a nice businessman’s lunch for 50 Reals, which is quite a steal given that the couvert (bread and sausages) is included, along with a luscious green salad. (Sometimes after a while traveling, all I want to eat is vegetables.) I was one of the only women present in the restaurant during our visit, which was slightly disconcerting. And although my rib tips were nice, the accompanying rice and vegetables were dry and lackluster. The Verdict: Meh. I liked the sausages and salad best.
Butcher’s Market, Rua Bandeira Paulista 164. Itaim. Everyone raves about the burgers here. Next time I’m in town, I need to meet this blogger and this blogger and have them take me to their favorite places. I totally loved the vibe here and I loved the service. But I thought my cheeseburger was just good, not great. That being said, I would try Butcher’s Market again. The Verdict: Good if you’re a homesick American in need of a burger.
Armani Cafe, Shopping Iguatemi, Faria Limia 2223. I had really bad vibes walking into this place, in an open corner of the top floor of the Iguatemi shopping mall. You know where there’s a lot of staff milling about, all in matching outfits, but none of them are actually doing anything? THAT. That being said, my chicken club was surprisingly nice. The Verdict: Not worth a special trip, but fine if you’re in the area.
Bottega Bottagallo, R. Tabapuã, 618. Itaim. Laissez Fare introduce me to his friend Ana, who happened to live right up the street from me in Itaim. She took me to this popular Italian small-plates restaurant. I loved the atmosphere and the service — super friendly and sweet. The food was homey and straightforward — braised beef, pastel with cheese — and sometimes you need that. The Verdict: The right atmosphere. We only sampled two dishes from the menu, so I’d go back to try more.
Kaa, Av. Juscelino Kubitschek, 279, Villa Olimpia: So if you have to go one place while you’re in Sao Paulo, this is really not a bad choice. It’s trendy, the atmosphere is great, and the huge wall of plants is pretty cool. Brazilians love Hearts of Palm, which is great because so do I. I started with two huge palmitos, and then had a nice portion of pumpkin ravioli in almond sauce. All very nice. Service was a little forgetful, but they were better than the servers at the Armani Cafe, so I will forgive them. The Verdict: A nice trendy spot with good food. I can see why people like it here. Did I die over it though? No.
Rascal, Rua Leopoldo Couto Magalhães Jr, 831, Itaim. Everyone loves this popular Brazilian buffet chain. The Itaim location is bright and airy and has one of those living plant walls like Kaa. Only problem? It kinda smelled like water damage the day we were there. The torrential January rains had done their damage. Service was distracted. The buffet lines were packed. And at the end, I ended up eating too much of stuff I never really wanted to eat anyhow. I don’t like buffets in America. Don’t like buffets outside America either. The Verdict: Most people will like it here. I prefer a waiter and a menu.
If you are at all familiar with Brazil, you will probably figure out that I was staying in Itaim Bibi. Traffic can be ridiculously terrible in Sao Paulo, so it’s best to stay local. These guys seriously need a congestion charge or a bike program or a massive subway project. I definitely love the vibe of Sao Paulo, but I’m not sure how this city is going to survive the next 25 years as such a driving city. Crazy town.
Cashews. I’m kinda a fan. Hate almonds, love cashews. (Also love macadamia nuts.) I will forever remember Sao Paulo because it was here that I learned where exactly my favorite nut comes from. A fruit! (Yup. I had no idea.) And look…you only get one nut per fruit. That’s a lot of work for one cashew.
Shoes at Liberdade, the Japanese part of town. You might know that Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside Japan. 1.4 million and counting. There are a lot of Japanese restaurants in Liberdade. We didn’t try any, but we did laugh at our tour guide when she tried to explain tempura and yakisoba to us. Poor girl.
The famed Mortadella sandwich at Hocca’s at Mercado Municipale. It’s like eating fried bologna, if you’re into that. I liked the sauce though.
There are a lot of crazy fruits in Brazil. Things you’ve never seen. From the Amazon. It’s pretty wild. Brazilians LOVE fruit and juices and all sorts of Vitamin-C bearing things. They also like to give you the “thumbs up” sign a lot. I mean, A LOT. (Non sequitor, sorry!)
Caipirinhas at our local in Itaim Bibi, Boteca San Bento. We learned the hard way that Brazilians don’t drink caipirinhas much because of the cachaca. It’s too strong for them. So they drink caipiroskas — that’s a caipirinha with vodka. You try having two caipirinhas on a Tuesday. Ouch.
Up the street from my apartment in Itaim, there’s a bar called Salve Jorge. There are always people there, at any time of day. The waiters wear ties. And there are crystal chandeliers. I like it here.
All around Itaim Bibi, there are orchids attached to trees. It’s really super lovely. Someday, in the dark of night, I will attach orchids to the trees of Wicker Park, Chicago. I will become the Orchid Bandit.
The Ferinha do Bixiga, an antiques market on Sundays. It’s nice. If you like old things like sunglasses and tea cups.
The Museo do Ipiranga, a small but lovely tribute to Brazil’s history. If I had time, I would have brought my gym clothes and jogged around like the many others I saw. It’s a bit of an oasis in a terribly huge city.
Beco do Batman in Villa Magdalena, an alley covered in graffiti, which apparently changes quite frequently. Suffice it to say, I wasn’t the only one wandering the alley with an SLR over my shoulder.
I took this picture out the car window as we were driving out of Beco do Batman. I wasn’t even paying attention. And it came out perfectly. How’s that?
I just made one of those traveler errors. You know, where you’re not paying attention and get totally screwed. I am in Brazil. They like cashew nuts in Brazil. A lot. So I bought this bag at the grocery store, not even thinking, and then I got the bill. 40 Reals. That’s $22. Of nuts. F*ck me.
Hello from Sao Paulo, my temporary home for the next couple of weeks. And much like Mexico City, I haven’t been kidnapped here either. No one has tried to steal anything from me, and I walk the streets day and night with no fear for my personal safety. That being said, I’m staying in Itaim Bibi, which I understand to be generally very safe and neighborhood-y and there are probably other places where I wouldn’t walk around with my DSLR around my neck, but for now, everything is fine.
Very very fine. I have a little studio apartment and a maid that comes every day. There are three large grocery stores within a 3 to 10 minute walk. Today, I got my nails done for 11 Reals, or about $6.16. (Just a polish change.) I also bought a lot of Havianas for friends and family. They’re about 20 to 30 Reals each, so a steal in comparison to American prices.
I’ve also had some really nice meals. In some cases, REALLY REALLY nice meals. Here’s where I’ve been eating…
Aoyama, Rua Bandeira Paulista 405, Itaim Bibi. We dropped in here our first night in town and learned the hard way about buffet prices. The restaurant is a Japanese all-you-can eat sort of place. We said yes to the 60 Reals price tag and before we knew it, food kept arriving and arriving and arriving. And you know how I generally feel about mushrooms. We had to force them to stop deliverying food, and they seemed just so very disappointed in us. Another lesson learned? Be careful when ordering beer in Brazil. They keep bringing you beer after beer after beer as soon as your glass is half empty. (Half full?) Just say no. Verdict: Meh.
Mani, Rua Joaquim Antunes, 210, Villa Madalena. One of my Brazilian friends from grad school took us to this sweet but modern Brazilian-European restaurant. The menu leans towards vegetable and seafood dishes, but we still managed to squeeze in some foie gras with guava to start, served almost like cherries. I followed this with a deconstructed feijoada, the national dish of Brazil. It was a tiny taste — more about textures than food. This is not a bad thing. (The farofa — dry and crispy. The beans, soft and butter-like.) Best of all was my fish of the day. I have no idea what sort of fish it was — a white fish of sorts — but it was on a bed of bananas! Genius. Verdict: Go!
Spot, Rua Min. Rocha Azevedo 72, Jardim Paulista. My friend Ana from London, now of Hong Kong, says this is one of her favorite places in Sao Paulo. (She’s originally from SP.) We loved the buzz and we loved our server. (Although his American accent and use of “guys” became grating after a while and I actually had to tell him to cut it out.) My veal piccatta was nice and flavorful but the presentation was off and it was all just a bit basic. Spot is essentially a modern bistro. That’s fine. Verdict: OK.
Due Couchi, Rua Manuel Guedes, 93, Itaim. A FANTASTIC local Italian. Introduced to me by an American guy I met at the grocery store. Afterwards, I dreamed of my veal tortellini all night long. Soft little pockets of loveliness. The atmosphere is not super fancy or scene-y. It feels more like a family run restaurant. I like it. A LOT. Oh, and the cover charge of 14 Reals per person? Totally worth it. Homemade focaccia and tapanades and some mini bruschetta to start. The Verdict: Do it!
General Prime Burger, Rua Joaquim Floriano 541, Itaim. I’ll be honest. I only wanted to go here because they have a strong wifi signal, and our Internet wasn’t working so hot. So we went for lunch one day and had the salad bar, and it was pretty lame. Maybe we should have had a burger. But I’m not sure I’m impressed enough to go back. Verdict: Meh.
Nagayama, Rua Bandeira Paulista, 369, Itaim. Another recommendation from Ana, I LOVED this tiny upscale Japanese place. I took one of the remaining seats at the bar and let the older Brazilian woman next tell me what to order. I wish I could tell you what we had…salmon topped with tempura and bonito flakes, unagi nigri, and a tempura roll of shrimp and salmon. All very high quality and very very good. Verdict: Love. Like love, love. Mwah.
So that’s my latest. I still have a lot of catching up to do. Telegraph and The Bristol and Moscow and Madrid and wow…
I’ll admit it. I was afraid. I’ve been afraid of Podhalanka since I first moved to Wicker Park. Let’s face it, it looks a little sketchy from the outside, doesn’t it? Would you really want to eat here?
But then go inside and see this! Lacey tablecloths. Fairy lights. Van Gogh posters.
And then there behind the bar, there’s homemade who knows what, post cards, and little knickknacks. It didn’t take much for me to fall in love. It was like being in Grandma’s house. Maybe Grandpa’s basement. Love.
Also love: the homemade mystery juice. I asked if it was apple? No. Pear? No. Plum? No. They honestly wouldn’t tell me, but they did say they make it themselves. (Yelp suggests it’s prune juice, which might be why they didn’t want to tell me. But a prune is a plum so I don’t know.)
And the cabbage soup? At just $3.50 a BOWL, with four slices of bread, it’s a tremendously hearty delicious value. (My medium soup at Au Bon Pain always seems to come in at $4.43, and it’s a smaller portion, it’s not as good, and it doesn’t come with four slices of bread.) New favorite routine? Come home from work and head to Podhlanka for a bowl of soup and the nightly news.
And then for the heck of it during my first visit, because I was having such a good time, I ordered up a plate of latkes. Four arrived — two too many for me — so I practiced a random act of kindness and gave two of them to the guy next to me. But after I gave them away, I became tremendously sad because these were, honestly, so so good and I kinda wanted the extras back, but we have a politically incorrect phrase for that in my language. Perfectly cooked and crispy and fresh oil, not old oil. Their only fault was they could have used a pinch of salt, but that was easily remedied.
The Verdict: I love Podhalanka. Love it. Love it. Love it.
After hitting the Bahamas over Christmas, I headed to Fort Lauderdale to visit my dad. I joke that my parents saw me more when I lived in the UK; I would come home for two weeks at Christmas and not the five days that I do now. The good news for me though is I don’t go on the huge shopping binges I used to. Example: Customs officer: “Excuse me, ma’am. But can you please explain why one of your suitcases is empty and the other suitcase has nothing in it but another suitcase?” Um, the answer was for a while there? I was getting $2.05 to the British pound. Now THOSE were good times. **wistful**
To subsidize my quick visit to Fort Lauderdale, I used Starwood points from my amazing Starwood American Express card and booked a night at the W Fort Lauderdale. This is good because after staying one night, I don’t think I’d stay here again.
Let’s start with the positives. The view from my room was pretty great. Fort Lauderdale is a city right on the ocean, with a great beachfront path for running and biking. That’s nice. Also nice, the Bliss bath products, but I decided afterwards that I didn’t really like the Bliss shampoo and conditioner. I did like the body butter and the face wash though.
Now on to the negatives. First thing, my cousin and I saw a hooker on the side of the road when we got off the expressway earlier that morning. She turned up at the hotel!! I know they can’t control their guests, but I was seriously standing there, looking at this woman and thinking, “Seriously? Isn’t it a little early to be hooking? And two days after Christmas? Come on.” (But as I’ve learned over time, the sex trade knows no time constraints, and I can tell you from experience that the holidays are the busiest time of the year. There are A LOT of lonely people out there.)
Then, the colors used in the hotel. Fort Lauderdale is a happy place. Colorful. This hotel was painted darker than battleship gray. This bothered me. Also, although my room in that picture looks nice, there was a bit of an IKEA feel to things that I can’t really explain. Also no free wifi and no slippers. And the slowest elevators in the world. In short, having stayed at many hotels in Fort Lauderdale over the years, I wouldn’t stay here again. Try the Hilton or The Ritz.
Now, to food…my dad took me to three different places while I was in Fort Lauderdale and while none of them are super-gourmet, two of the three might be worth a visit if you are ever in town and looking for something basic and local and not fussy.
Fort Lauderdale Ale House, 2861 N Federal Highway: Definitely a locals place, just because of its location on a busy commercial strip. This is an efficiently run sports bar with bar food to match. I had a grouper sandwich, sweet potato fries, and an Arnold Palmer (half lemonade, half iced tea). My dad swore that one of the cops from the TV Show “Cops” (The Broward County edition) was in the Ale House while we were there, but I have no idea. The Verdict: Perfectly acceptable, but probably not worth going out of your way.
The Lauderdale Grill, 1901 Cordova Road: The more I talked to our server/bartender here, the more I liked the place. They smoke their own meat on premises, and I enjoyed my 10 oz smoked prime rib. Also, the caesar salad I had to start was one of the best examples I’ve had since my repatriation, with just the right touch of creamy, salty, garlicky dressing. Lastly, we visited during happy hour so our drinks were half off! Can’t beat that! The Verdict: Good. Go during happy hour.
Quarterdeck, 1541 Cordova Road: I’ve been going to this place since I was a teenager, so I’ll always have a soft spot for it. This time around, my dad and I split six of the biggest oysters I think I’ve ever had in my entire life. (They were the server’s recommendation. Our receipt said “Blu Point” but I know nothing else.) Our server was slow, but otherwise, my blackened grouper caesar salad was quite nice. (Sorry, when in South Florida, I’m a bit predictable with the grouper thing.) The Verdict: Good. Check their Web site first for specials, which can be quite a steal. My dad had a nice sandwich and side for $5.99, making up for the oyster purchase.
Random Fun Moment: While I was out to dinner with my dad, I saw on Twitter that my London blogging friend Mathilde (she, now of Paris) was in Fort Lauderdale! Where was she staying? Of course at The W! So we had a nice night catching up over champagne with her and her husband and their two friends. The world is a small place sometimes, for sure.
I was in Mexico City for work back in September and somehow never got around to writing about it. I ate really well in the DF and the service was some of the best I’ve encountered in any country during my travels. And to make a sweeping generalization — only because of all the people who warned me to “Be careful” when they heard I was heading south of the border — I did not get kidnapped. So that was awesome. Heck, I even tempted fate by WALKING from my hotel to dinner one night and nothing happened to me! Imagine that!
While in Mexico City, I stayed at the Hotel Nikko, which I really really liked. I’d recommend it. The gym was great, room service was great, and the service was great. (Except for the maid who tried to get into my room at 8 am on a Saturday morning, but the more I travel, the more meaningless I find “Do Not Disturb” signs to be. Someone in the New York Times commented on this recently, how in a lot of countries, Do Not Disturb seems to mean more like, “Yes, please do disturb me. While I am naked. And bring twelve of your co-workers and the vacuum with you.”) The wifi was only free in the bar area, forcing me to drink some very lovely Mexican Chardonnays and Verdejos, so that was a bit of a bummer. But otherwise, I survived.
For lunch one afternoon, my co-workers took me to an inexpensive taco joint called El Lago de Los Cisnes that served up cheerful service AND cheerful tacos. And guacamole. And quesadillas. I rolled out of here pretty happy. I’m not sure if A Life Worth Eating’s write-up is of the same exact El Lago de Los Cisnes that I went to, but check it out for more details. The Verdict: Recommended for a cheap, filling and delicious lunch.
The next day, we hit El Refugio for a late lunch. (Well, a normal lunch for my Mexcian colleagues. A late lunch for me.) After the previous day’s joyous taco fest El Lago de Los Cisnes, I was really looking forward to this. But I was sadly disappointed. The mole was sweaty and the whole place smelled like someone’s damp basement. Now that’s a MAJOR turnoff. Plus, we asked for the bill at the end of the meal, and even my colleagues couldn’t believe how long it took for it to arrive. Slow slow service — apparently even for Mexican standards — and only average food. The Verdict: Not recommended. Apparently, it’s in all the guidebooks, so watch out.
And then even though I had just finished eating a few hours earlier, I took myself to Pujol for dinner. People of the world, Pujol is exactly why you should NEVER sit in your hotel room alone on a business trip. This was one of the most beautiful meals of my entire life, from the service — THEY GAVE ME THE PASSWORD TO THEIR INTERNAL WIFI!!! — to the beer list (all Mexican and a HUGE list that made me want to come back just to drink beer) to the gorgeously gorgeous tasting menu. If you are in Mexico City in 2012 and assuming nothing changes in their kitchen, you MUST MUST go here. You can see all the photos over here on my Facebook fan page. Maybe become a fan while you’re at it. I’d like that.
So despite one miss during my short sojourn in Mexico City, I had two tremendous hits, and my hotel was lovely too. I can’t wait to go back and explore some more!
Winter is upon us here in Chicago. And I’m not happy about that. As I write this, it’s 22 Fahrenheit outside. That’s -5 Celsius for the rest of you. Yes. No fun. So I’m heading to South America. Seriously. But in preparation for my departure, I’ve been eating where and when I can. Here’s the latest…
Vera: First stop, Vera in the West Loop. I like Vera for the sherry alone. Americans don’t drink enough sherry. So I’ve been drinking enough to make up for the rest of you, but you really do need to get on this and widen your drinking horizons. While we were at Vera, we settled in for mixed platters of meats and cheeses. My favorite dish of the evening though had to be the anchovies. I don’t know what it is about me and anchovies lately, but I just can’t get enough. I’ll be back here to sample more of the menu, as we were only there for sherry and snacks. The Verdict: Recommended for the sherry selection and the very nice Spanish menu.
Slurping Turtle: I dropped in here on a Friday afternoon…I think it was their first week of business. Well, that will teach me because I totally suffered the consequences. Service was ridiculously, abysmally slow. (All my American romanticizing about service in America while I was living abroad? I’ve yet to have my expectations MET…forget about having them exceeded. America, what has happened to you???) Service aside, my Yuke Tataki of beef tartar, spicy chili paste, sesame oil, and quail egg was pretty awesome. The pork belly snack was also pretty great. The Verdict: Recommended for interesting Japanese food and communal seating/solo dining.
Jerry’s: I ended up working from home one day for some reason or another and was going a little stir crazy so I needed to get out of the house for lunch. I discovered that there’s barely ANYTHING open on Division in Wicker Park during lunch so I found myself at Jerry’s, which was fine because I wanted a salad anyhow. Jerry’s is very low-key. I liked that. I also liked that they made their own sodas on the premises, so I had something lovely with lime and ginger. Then I ordered a salad, which actually came with a side. (!!!) So I had some creamed spinach. This was all very acceptable, although the service — yet again — was pretty poor. I had no idea where the guy was half the time. Maybe he was in the back making soda. The Verdict: Not a destination, but a good place for lunch.
So…that’s three places I’ve been recently. How about you? Been anywhere good recently?
So I am an idiot. Do you know how far the Bahamas is from Florida??? Um, not far. Like really really close. Very close. So why we took an overnight cruise ship, I don’t know. In hindsight, we should have taken the high-speed ferry from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport. 2.5 hours. Instead of TWELVE.
We took the Bahamas Celebration from West Palm Beach to Freeport. It was fine. If you appreciate the finer things in life, I wouldn’t really recommend it. But if you’re on a budget and you like to gamble and stuff yourself silly and you don’t need to rest your head on a nice pillow at the end of the day, it will do. Warning: the elevators on board are SLOW.
While we were in the Bahamas, we stayed at the Grand Lucaya resort. It too was fine. Not great, just fine. People who don’t stay in hotels a lot would probably think this is just dandy. We weren’t there to hang out in our rooms though. We were there for some SUN and the BEACH and because my Aunt Ursula didn’t want to cook Christmas dinner.
The beach at the Grand Lucaya was pretty awesome. In hindsight, I should have spent more time in the water. The temperature was perfect and it was so clear and gorgeous.
We rented a boat one night and had the captain take us up and down the canals. There are a lot of canals. This was fun until it got dark and we were out on the ocean and the boat lost an engine and something went wrong with the steering and there were no running lights on the boat. Thank god for the Flashlight app on my iPhone.
Fun Fact! Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 were filmed in the Bahamas. Apparently Johnny Depp doesn’t drink much, but he does like to smoke up.
We at at Sabor at Pelican Bay twice while we were in Port Lucaya. I LOVED the conch fritters. I would recommend Sabor. Good food, friendly service. Nice view of the marina.
I made a video of the ocean one day. It sounds windier than it was. I forget how much I miss salt water and waves. During the afternoons, we would play dominoes and Rummi Cubes at the edge of the beach, with the waves crashing in the background. That was nice.
Between rounds of dominoes, we took a couple of spins around Port Lucaya each day. I would love to say I loved it, but it was full of a lot of touristy crap than made me fret about the fate of mankind.
One night, we had dinner at Luciano’s. It was expensive, and only okay. Another night, we had dinner at Agave. It was good–not great, but I can imagine if you don’t eat out much, you’d be happy here. Especially with a few happy hour mojitos under your belt. Yes.
The day we left, we had lunch at Banana Bay. And although I LOVED the atmosphere and the view big time, the food was just so very, very disappointing. It made me want to buy the place and bring the kitchen up to scratch.
I’m sorry if I sound so grouchy when I was in the BAHAMAS of all places. This was a family vacation, so I was a bit limited in terms of budget and options. So in that sense, this worked out just fine. And heck. At the end of the day, all I really wanted was this view anyhow!
A huge thanks for all the link love this year, but particularly to my Top 10 Referring Sites. These are some mighty fine blogs. I love them. You should too. And you should check them out when you have a moment. Like right now, on January 1, while you’re sitting there in your pajamas, wondering why you didn’t go grocery shopping YESTERDAY so you’d have something to eat in the house. Hah! Enjoy, and much love for 2012.
American in London: Alice had a baby this year, so it looks like her blog is on hold for a moment, but if you ever go to London, this is one of the finest restaurant resources. Mmmm Yoso: This super-prolific San Diego-based blog is HUGE. They do a lot in California and Hawaii but seriously, these guys are EVERYWHERE. Urbanspoon: I’ll take the love. Ms. Gourmet Chick: Another London restaurant blogger repatriates. Cara is back in Australia, but her worldwide travels make for great reading and along with Alice’s blog, these are the two blogs I always consult whenever I’m going somewhere new. Food Stories: Helen’s blog of fantastic recipes will be a book one day, I swear. Read her now so you can say you knew her when! Check out her 2011 round-up for some of her personal favorite recipes from 2011. Carolina Epicurian: Somehow, I ended up on the Links page of this Southern-focused blog and I am eternally grateful. Kavey Eats: The prolific Kavey is a social media MAVEN. And a fantastic cook to boot. Hollow Legs: I predict that Lizzie too shall have a book before long. I love her Twitter description. Eat Noodles Love Noodles: Who DOESN’T love Mr. Noodles!!! If you want to eat Asian in London, he’s an awesome resource. London Chow: How much do I love that most of my most-referring blogs are London blogs? Written by two Singaporeans in London, this is another great London resource.
P.S. I posted a picture of iced tea in the Bahamas because January 1 means SOBER JANUARY. Yes. Not so good times. But good for the body and the mind and the laundry, right?
So many places. I really need to stop eating for a while. Or I need to only eat vegetables. Or do something about the flat tires on my two bikes. Or I need to start walking to/from work like every day. (I say this because today on my way out of work, I ran into my colleague and neighbor who has been walking home from work every day for the last year or so and he has lost so much weight…sigh.)
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