P.S. I Love You

I'm just home recently from a relaxing 5 days, spent mainly by the pool, in Palm Springs. I had never been before but Lauren and Paul go every year. This time they rented a cool mid century modern home and seven of us went in on it.

I flew in a few days after the rest and immediately hit the pool. The house had beautiful views of the surrounding hills and some great outdoor living space for chilling out. We mainly kept to the house, grilling and cooking together, mixing up various drinks by the pitcher to enjoy while lounging in the pool.

But one specific reason for the trip was to attend the Indian Wells Tennis Open. Us girls had tickets to Wednesday's quarter final events and we were all very excited, the boys were headed off to golf. I don't know much about tennis but was looking forward to a little lesson from the others. Unfortunately the morning started out with Lauren having to go to the emergency room for what turned out to be a return of DVT she'd had in years past.

Mary, Caroline and I started the morning with a men's double- Huey & Janowicz against Blake & Fish. The action was so fast on the doubles!We were sitting in the GA grandstands as the stadium had filled rather quickly and the views of the match and the mountains was a great way to start the day!

 

Next up was one of Mary's new favorites, Gilles Simon. He was playing Kavin Anderson in the main stadium where we had box seats. I couldn't understand why there weren't more people watching the match, for about 20 minutes. But then when I felt like I was in an oven, roasting at 475F, I figured it out! It was CRAZY hot. Most people were out on the lawn or in one of the bar tents, watching it all on the big screen TVs in the shade.

We took a break from the oven, I mean stadium, and lounged on the lawn for a bit, cooling down in the shade. We were waiting for the matches between Federer and Wawrinka and then Nadal and Gulbis and knew it was going to be scorching. Luckily the women's matches went on extremely long so we didn't have too long before the sun set when we went back in.

 

Our seats were fantastic and the action on both games was just awesome! Mary and Caroline taught me a lot and I may just have caught the tennis bug. I'm ready for next year!

The next night, after a full day by the pool, most of us went to dinner at Tinto at the Saguaro, which was excellent. When we got home I stayed up with Alex and Carolyn to have a few nightcaps before heading to bed. The next morning we learned that the casita (a converted garage next to the main house) they were staying in had been robbed while we were at dinner and they were watching movies in the living room! Cash, clothing and toiletries had been stolen, the credit cards and mobile phones mysteriously being returned to the outside of the house early in the morning. The whole thing was freaky! 

The day before we left, Steve and I drove out to Palm Canyon and did a short hike up onto one of the ridges. This is a gorgeous area, with both short/easy as well as longer/tougher hikes. And of course the warm water springs that nurture the massive Fan Palms, a vision of an oasis. 

 

Even with the few snafus, I've gotta say, I'm a fan of Palm Springs now!

All photos here.

March 2013

See the Sites in Budapest

Budapest is a completely regal city. Split by the Danube River, each side still feels as different as when they were two individual cities. Buda, to the west, is built up on the hill, where the royal palace dominates. Pest, on the east banks is flat and houses the Parliament buildings as well as the Jewish Quarter.

Being lucky to have friends living in the city, we had our built in tour guides, and met up on our first morning to start our day of sightseeing.

Stop number one was the Great Market. A huge indoor building, reminiscent of a train station in size, housing hundreds of vendors. Besides paprika, Hungary is well known for their goose liver pâté and foie gras, staggering selections of cured sausage, including horse, pickled vegetables & cabbage, and Tokaji wine. All of this and other things, like communist era souvenirs, live fish, and kitchen wares, can be found in the market. It was the perfect place for this particular foodie and a great stop for stocking up on delicious souvenirs. The morning we visited the market was the last day it would be open for a few days because of the Christmas holiday, I was so glad not to miss it!

Our plans to warm up at one of the many cafes that litter the city after our shopping, were deterred by it being Christmas Eve, so Brian & Anne invited us over again for a snack and a taste of the varying flavors of Palinka that they have amassed. Palinka is the country's special brandy flavored with various herbs, berries, fruits and is taken as an aperitif or a digestif. Or just in the middle of the day as we did.

Warmed up and fortified we walked down to the river banks and caught one of the many trams that crisscross the city. The trams, metros and busses go just about everywhere you need to go and even on holiday hours they run frequently.

We hopped off the tram near the famous Chain Bridge and walked across. The are eight bridges connecting the two sides of the city but the Chain Bridge is the most photographed and well known. It is fantastic to look at day or night. And when you get across you are at the base of Castle Hill.

It's a short but semi-steep walk up to the castle but I don't really know too much about it since there is a funicular that goes to the top (cue funicular song here...). And since neither Anne or Brian had taken it before we climbed aboard one of the cars and took in the pretty, yet foggy views of the river and Pest.

Walking around the grounds of the castle is really a must do. There are just breathtaking views in every direction. During the holidays there was also a little stand selling hot chocolate, gluwein and hotdogs. I'm sure you can guess what I ordered vs. what Dayne ordered.
We continued our way from the castle to the hilltop neighborhood by St. Matthews church. Sadly it was already closed in preparation of Christmas Eve services but again, the views from the grounds with the fog laying along the river, was beautiful.

From the church we hopped a bus which took us down the hill and across the river, back to Pest. We got off near the Jewish Quarter and walked to the Carl Lutz Memorial, so interesting and quite moving, we were literally the only people on the streets. We hoped to go into the synagogue and also get a little closer to the beautiful Tree of Life memorial, but again it was locked up tight. We stopped in for hot drinks at the only open cafe, the before making our way back home to get ready for an extravagant Christmas Eve dinner. Even the famed Ruin Bar was already shut for the holidays.

I've learned to not really mind this lack of open business, business. For me it's really a special thing to see a city so quiet and serene. I feel like I'm getting a secret peak at something most tourists don't see.
A few days latter Dayne and I went back up to Castle Hill on our own and went to the National Gallery, housed in the castle. What a different collection of art this is! The Hungarians haven't had such an easy time of it over the years and as art does, that is reflected here. Many areas of the museum also feel very 70's, communist, with dingy white paint and fluorescent lights in areas. Fluorescent lights in a museum! An eye opener for sure.

We also took a nice walk along the Parliament buildings and found another very moving memorial, called Shoes on the Danube.
 

You really can't miss the amazing architecture of Budapest whether you are strolling, bussing or taking the tram. When I was researching the city I was a bit confused that the "things to do" weren't generally things with admission prices and operating times. But I see now that it is a city of true sites; neighborhood squares, romantic bridges, regal buildings and historic areas. No admission fee required.

Budapest photos here

Christmas Market...Budapest

We left Paris on a quick EasyJet flight to Budapest Hungary where we would spend the next 5 nights. Upon landing it was snowing, we were hoping we would have a white Christmas but unfortunately this was the only active snow we would see on the entire trip. We grabbed a cab and were soon checking into the absolutely lovely Hotel Palazzo Zichy. The hotel was modern but built into an old building and we had a great room with a view of the gorgeous church and cute square across the street. It's in a great location too, being very near the Jewish Quarter, blocks from a main trolly line and only a 10 minute walk from our friends Anne & Brian's apartment.

After unpacking we bundled up and made our way to their place for a little Budapest welcoming of Hungarian sparkling wine, chocolate, salami & a delicious paprika cheese. Honestly Dayne hadn't met Anne or Brian before, and I had only met them once via other common friends, but that is one of the many perks of traveling IMHO. You get to meet and become friends with people all over the world who are like minded about traveling.

It was the last night of the Christmas market so after our aperos we all headed down to the main square for some dinner and holiday cheer. There were beautiful lights strung across most of the streets along the way and then at the square a light display was being shown on the side of one of the buildings. There were row upon row of little cabins where local artists showed their wares. And of course there was food. A few huge counters were set up, pretty with hanging lights and smelling of roasted meats and mulled wine. Anne pointed out various things that she knew we'd be interested in and we set to ordering. Sausages, potatoes, pork knuckles, stuffed cabbage, etc.

The snow had turned to drizzle but Brian found a picnic table under an umbrella and we had our first of many delicious meals in Budapest.

Hot wines and hot chocolates in hand we walked our dinner off (or one bite of pork knuckle maybe) by strolling around the market. There were many people out shopping, eating, drinking and listening to the live music. It was absolutely lovely.

Brian and Anne detoured us down a little street and we had our first glimpse of the Danube and its stunning waterfront. I couldn't wait to do more sightseeing the next day!

And then we made our way back, walking through connecting streets where the market continued with vendors, food stalls, even a little pop up bar with a fireplace you could enjoy a drink by, in the middle of the sidewalk.

It was exactly the way I had imagined our first night in Budapest. If you get a chance to go during the Christmas market I highly recommend it.

Budapest photos

"Yes, London. You know, fish, chips, cup o tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary-fucking-Poppins. London!"

Luckily our experiences with the food in London were very good ones. Just like the love affair I have for London cocktail bars, I found so many wonderful restaurants in the city known for mushy peas, that I really wish I was getting back over the pond sometime soon.

 Everyone goes for Indian food while in London and I was no exception. I met my girlfriend Caitlin for lunch one day in Covent Garden at Dishoom where we had an amazing mid-day feast. We started with lassis (rose & cardamon, and mango & fennel) and Bombay Pimm's (yes, both!) and then worked our way through multiple courses of really delicious food. The snack of behl (puffed rice with pomegranate and tamarind chutney), meltingly tender lamb haleen and chicken berry biryani were my personal favorites.

This was nothing like the cheap and quick Indian food from nondescript mom and pop shops that most think of, the kitchen here is adding modern twists on lots of classics. Remembering this lunch is making me hungry!

The other thing that is synonymous with the London food scene is of course fish and chips. There is much tongue wagging about who is the best, the original, the oldest, and on and on. One afternoon Dayne and I sought out The Golden Hind in Marlybone, open since 1914 and heavily touted as the best. You chose your fish (cod, hake, plaice, or haddock) and sides (mushy peas and/or chips) are ordered separately. The fish portion was quite large but just ok, the tartare sauce lacks zip and the chips were a bit sad. Ah well, can't win them all.

While I was out playing tourist one afternoon, I came across an adorable little shop called The Wine Library at 43 Trinity Square. During lunch time you can purchase a bottle of wine and then help yourself to a cute buffet of patés, cheeses, salads, quiche, olives, desserts, etc. The manager was very helpful in finding me a small bottle of chilled white and I loved sitting in the cave-like room, listening in on many wine fueled business lunch discussions that were going on around me.

This cute shop/cafe is also just across from the Tower of London making it a great location when seeing the sights.

London is having a love affair with big, meat-centric, chop-house style restaurants. Even though Dayne's boss (who we had many dinners with since this was an extended work trip) is a pescetarian/vegetarian, he loves the atmosphere and popularity of these bold restaurants so we gladly checked out a few around town.

The first one we went to is located in the lovely Borough Market. Roast is quite popular with the locals and tourists alike, and occupies a fantastic space, bright with walls of windows, that use to be part of the flower market. The menu is full of British favorites, all ratcheted it up a notch, like my fried rabbit and side of mashed potatoes with marrow.

Roast actually does have a nice vegetarian menu as well as a daily specials, cocktail & bar menu, brunch, Sunday roast, etc. We all walked out happy and stuffed.

Dayne and I had an impromptu dinner at Hix on Brewer Street one night, on the recommendation of some good bartenders. This particular location also has the very nice Mark's Bar downstairs. My understanding is that, although there are various locations throughout the city, the menus are mostly similar. The restaurants use a lot of ingredients, proteins and cuts that we had never heard of. Things like herring milts, sea beet, and Bannockburn rib on the bone make up the menu. Dayne had a nice set of lamb chops while I tried this incredibly crazy looking game bird (name I am now forgetting). This bird absolutely was living up to its gamey-nature.
 

The food was all delicious and I've continued to recommend the various Hix locations to friends who have all reported back with thumbs up.

The top dog of chop houses in London is Hawksmoor. Dayne treated his workmates and me to a big, meaty dinner at their Seven Dials location (lobster for the pescatarian). Order up a boozy tiki drink while you peruse the menu and daily board of offerings. The steaks are listed by cut and weight and they are big, gorgeous cuts like Porterhouse and Chateaubriand. You can then decide if you want a sauce for your meat like Bearnaise, bone marrow gravy, Stilton hollandaise...  Holy hell, these folks are not messing around. It was amazing.

The opposite of having decadent steaks is to head to St. John's where the focus is on "poor man" cuts and offal. We chose to eat in the bar one evening, which was quite lively and much easier to get into than the connected restaurant. We had a fantastic meal of small plates including their famed bone marrow with parsley salad, a lovely dish of duck hearts and white beans, welsh rarebit, and goat cheese, roasted shallot and mint which you spread on grilled bread.

France isn't the only place with Michelin starred eateries. We chose to have our anniversary dinner at the 2 star Pied A Terre which was a fantastic recommendation from a friend who lives in the city. We had the 7-course tasting menu (they offer a 10-course also) with wine pairings. They give you a choice between classic wine styles or "discovery", Dayne took the classics and I took the discovery and they were both a really nice selection of wines.

Another higher end restaurant that we loved (and happens to be next door to Pied a Terre's sister restaurant) was Roganic.We had an excellent 3 course lunch there with a friend who was in town from Seattle, they also offer 6 and 10 courses. Can you imagine 10 courses at lunch? Oy! The staff had no problem adding in a nice cheese course for us as well.  The space is very minimalistic and a little zen like. I'd love to go back for dinner next time.

And out in Chiswick, Hedone just received its Michelin star. When we went we thought it was good but not great. It felt like a very friendly neighborhood restaurant vs a destination restaurant. Chiswick is also about as far as you can get from our apartment in the Docklands so the hour + commute on the train might have influenced our opinions. If someone has been there since their star awarding comment below and let me know how it is.

Of course you can't go to London without eating at a proper pub. And you should absolutely make a point to have Sunday roast in one. Even Gorden Ramsay is in the pub business with his place on the banks of the Thames, The Narrow. The Sunday roast was fantastic but the banana sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream stole the show.  

Another really good pub was The Charles Lamb in Islington. Around since 1839, it serves excellent food, beer and is right down the street from 69 Colebrook Row. Bonus!

The Gun was close to our apartment in the Docklands, and recommended highly. There's a very nice restaurant on one side and the pub on the other.  We chose to eat in the pub with friends one evening and had delicious pies (savory), burgers and well-pulled pints. 

All London photos here!

 

Don't Mess with... Austin

Right before the holidays, Forest was in Texas visiting her parents, so I suggested a short meet-up to do a little eating and drinking. As we do. We chose Austin as neither of us had been before. As a bonus, my friend Margaret had moved there about 3 years ago and it had been way too long since I had seen her.

Forest picked me up from the airport and it was a quick 15 minute drive to our home for the next two nights, The Driskell Hotel. The elegant hotel has a 100+ year history and is the subject of many stories of political balls, Presidential sleep overs and even a haunting or two.

We had a beautiful room with crazy high ceilings and super comfortable beds. The location ended up being so perfect that after we dropped the car off with the valet we didn't need it again until we left town. I will say that we found the cabs in Austin to be possibly the least reliable and hardest to find than most any other city. And we had a few particularly sketchy drivers on top of that!

That night, Margaret met us at the hotel and the three of us were off to our first cocktail stop on our whirlwind tour of Austin. Peché had been recommended to me by more than a few people and it was obvious why. The space is large and just about half of it is taken up by a gorgeous, long, dark wood bar. The bartenders were very friendly and the drinks, like my fig Manhattan, were delicious. And they have this totally cool ginormous absinthe fountain!

Dinner that night was at the very delicious La Condesa. High-end Tex Mex was exactly what we were looking forward to for our first Austin dinner and this did not disappoint! I only wish we had been able to eat our way through more of the menu. Next time!

Forest and I finished up with a nightcap at the hotel bar. Well, we did after we basically had to beg the bartender to make us some martinis. Last call was surprisingly early every night we were in town.

The next day we explored 6th Street before walking over to the state capitol for a free guided tour. This was a really fun and informative experience. Our guide was a college student and had lots of stories about the history of Texas, the six countries who have ruled it, battles and the way the state is run now. The building and the grounds are really pretty and as with everything else in Austin, it was just a short walk from the center area of 6th and Congress.

After all that history, it was time to start checking out the local cocktails again. While waiting for the newest speakeasy in town to open up, we grabbed a quick cocktail next door at Parkside. I would really like to try to eat here next time I'm in town as it smelled heavenly! And a nice gentleman at the bar picked up the tab which made it even better :)

We finished up and headed over to Midnight Cowboy, found the appropriate buzzer, and were let in through a cruddy looking metal door into a very dim and pretty cocktail parlour.

It just so happened that the drinks we chose were done table side, a great way to get that "sitting at the bar" feel when in fact you are lounging in a booth. The drinks here were really good, the vibe very dark and hushed, and the staff was super nice in answering our questions.

We were starving now and it was time to meet Margaret at Barley Swine. It is very popular (for good reason) and they don't take reservations. Faced with an hour+ wait we decided to check out the (very few) neighboring bars. First up was Henri's Cheese & Wine were we had a really delicious charcuterie platter to stave off our hunger. Next we sauntered over to the Horseshoe Lounge in search of a margarita but found only very cheap beer on tap paired with fluorescent lighting. Not to be deterred we walked over to La Feria for slushy regrets. Luckily the restaurant buzzed and out table was ready.

We basically ordered the entire menu to share, which is absolutely the right thing to do. This is "tweezer food" but using southern ingredients like okra, pigs trotters, head cheese, etc. Absolutely delicious!

With such a short amount of time in town we forged on for a nightcap at Bar Congress. This swanky bar is actually part of the trifecta of Congress restaurant and Second Bar & Kitchen, all housed in the same multi-use building.

On our last morning we walked all the way over to the famed Franklin BBQ for a little brisket and ribs brunch. Everyone says this is the best brisket ever. Everyone says you have to go early because they sell out every day. Everyone says you have to wait in line forever. Everyone is right. We didn't get there until almost noon and we waited in line for an hour. And then the sold out sign got slapped on the door.

But not before we got this plate of amazing brisket! Ribs were gone but we had more brisket then we knew what to do with. We were also the last people to leave. The owner was super friendly, coming by all the tables to chat and apologize for not having everything we wanted. This is a must stop but maybe go a bit earlier ;)

We had just a short amount of time to kill before Forest dropped me at the airport so we grabbed a cab and headed to check out the SoCo (South Congress) neighborhood. It's filled with funky shops, patio cafes, corner lots of food trucks, boutiques and bars. We could have spent more time perusing, but it was still a good look at the quirkiness that is Austin. There's a reason the city's tagline is "Keep Austin Weird".

 

All Austin photos are here!

Birthday Fête in Paris

Taking advantage of our flight going thru Paris, on the way to our first stop in Central Europe, Dayne and I decided to lay over for the weekend and celebrate my birthday in my favorite, the city of lights.

A quick and easy train in from CDG (I really recommend this much more than taking an expensive cab, where you sit in traffic for over an hour!) and we were at Forest's apartment at the base of Sacre Couer. Since she just moved from this kitschy location this month, it was also a sweet goodbye-weekend-tour of the 18th, a neighborhood I have grown quite fond of.

And no "farewell Montemartre" would be complete without lunch at the Relais Gasçon, consisting of huge bowls of salad, lardons, chèvre and fried garlic potato chips. And a pichet of Bourgogne blanc bien sur.

Wandering back to the apartment for a much needed nap, we passed by a tiny Christmas market next to the metro Abbesses, selling mainly tourist tchotchkes, vin chaud, churros and saussicon.

Rested and spruced up we headed out that evening for pre dinner drinks at Glass, newly opened near Pigall by the fine folks who own Candalaria. The vibe is casual and relaxed. The interior slightly dark with seemingly unfinished wood stools and booths. The staff is more than helpful in answering questions about the well crafted cocktails, featured frozen machine offerings and even ideas for going off menu. This was a great stop and I highly recommend it if you're in the area- they are newly opened so it's not yet the crowded "hip" place and it was easy for four of us to grab a table. 

For dinner we had secured, after many attempts, reservations at the much lauded Le Chateaubriand. Nic, Dayne, Forest & I arrived to meet up with Thibault. The restaurant is quite casual, small and brightly lit. Decor is minimalistic and looks like your typical bistro interior. They also have a spot on the World's 50 Best list. 

Dinner here was good but maybe it was all the hype, or maybe it is just that "farm to table" is tougher in the winter, but none of us were blown away. We had a few nice dishes (Saint Jacques, a white fish, and beef), a very typical cheese course and some good wine and cognac. And then we went out for more cognac at a random corner cafe until it was late, late, late. Or early. Whatever. It was then officially my birthday.

The next morning Dayne and I hurried to meet Forest for my birthday lunch at the very excellent l'Ecailler du Bistrot (owned and next door to Bistrot Paul Bert). We had a wonderful feast of Breton oysters on the half shell, lobster with lemon butter sauce, frites fried in goose fat, a delicious cheese plate, dessert of Paris Brest and also an apple tartin with caramel, all washed down with some brilliant Sancerre. A decadent and perfect lunch for my birthday but I'd suggest it even if it was just a weekend ;)

To walk off all that deliciousness we headed to the Champs d'Elysee to the Christmas Market. This isn't the most traditional of markets, it is set up more for the tourists, but it was still fun to wander around. We bought Styrofoam cups of vin chaud and strolled the stalls selling everything from Russian dolls to fajitas. Pretty lights, some kiddie rides and lots of yummy smells tucked in amongst the grand sites of Paris.

Needing a warm-up break and remembering Mini Palais from last summer, we made the short walk and had a glass of champagne before heading out again to the newly opened Le Coq for pre-dinner drinks with the gang. Another hip, new cocktail spot in Paris, this one recently opened by London's cocktail darling Tony Conigliaro.

We then made our way to La Rollange, another newly opened spot, next to Table d'Eugene. The restaurant serves small plates of extremely delicious food, meant to be share and devoured, which we did. The wine is inexpensive and plentiful. It was a very fun and festive birthday dinner surrounded by wonderful friends who I don't get to see often enough.

The night wrapped up with Mel, Dayne and I closing down another random corner cafe after drinking one too many cognacs, and then climbing the stairs up and over deserted Montmartre, as quiet as I have ever seen it. The entire city sprawled out before us with it's twinkling lights at predawn.

And then the next morning we said goodbye to Forest's quirky neighborhood and studio (and those damn crazy flights of stairs) for the last time and caught a flight to Budapest. All in all, a birthday that I'll cherish for a long time to come. Thanks friends for celebrating with me! xo

All Paris photos are here!