Fiesta Fiesta!

The ten-day San Antonio festival known as Fiesta has begun! Living here for three years now, I still don't really know what it's all about and have opted to stay away from the crowds. (Lame, I know). Even my patient gave me a hard time for not taking advantage of the beautiful weather we've been having. I've been indoors cooking up some grub. (I also joined twitter, oy.)

Here's what's been cookin in the Ben/Jamie kitchen.



We got the recipe for this Halibut and vegetable rice in the Cooking Light magazine. We ended up using mahi mahi instead and I couldn't believe this recipe only took the 30 minutes they claimed it would. The fish was prepared with olive oil, salt & pepper. The rice is long grain white rice with grape tomatoes, corn, basil, etc. I would be more specific, but I lost the recipe! My apologies, but my point is--Cooking Light is legit. So tasty and quick.

After the endless wasted hours of watching Man vs Food we have something to show for it--the Juicy Lucy. We were inspired by the show to create our own version. All we did was put sharp cheddar and pepperjack inside the meat patties before we threw them on the grill. You really need to put WAY more cheese than you think you do for these to be successful.

I've been wanting to try my hand at this salad I keep having at restaurants. Some mixed greens from Central Market tossed with Granny Smith Apple pieces, goat cheese, candied nuts, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper.

We were on the hunt for Bison ribeye, but this top sirloin did the trick. I love me some beef.

So don't think I've been slacking on the restaurant front. Here are some SA shout outs:

Below you'll find some deliciousness from Godai. It's some kind of country/sushi fusion and all kinds of wonderful. I was skeptical at first, when we were only choosing from the happy hour menu, but since being back I can say the Heart Attack Roll, the Galleria roll and the Eve roll are to "dai" for. They are also opening a second location in the upcoming 1604 area.


I also visited Sugarbakers for some me time on Saturday and got taken on a date to Jason Dady's The Lodge. I can't say that Sugarbakers rocked my world, but I like what they are doing there. The Lodge was a (pricey) hit. I won't even try to re-cap what we ate, as you may follow the link to the menu, and because I don't know how to spell most of what was served. I liked getting surprise courses from the chef and the nutella dessert made my night. The restaurant building is actually an old house built in 1929 and we were seated in what was probably once an upstairs bedroom with a neighboring table of three middle aged ladies gabbing about their marriages and Catholic guilt, ay.

Stay tuned for reports on my Friendship bread. Sweet Jenni from our class thinks I am domestic enough to carry on the "bread starter" she gave me. I have very clear instructions so I think I can handle it. In four days I'll have a yummy loaf of homemade bread and some batter to pass along to three more friends.

Food, I love you.

Before I show you where I ended up....let's see where it all began. Our second-night seder was a success if I can say so. We had 9 guests and lots of food--brisket, charoset, matzah, gefilte fish, tsimmes, chicken, matzo ball soup, etc. Last week was absolutely crazy and not being able to eat bread made it even more insane.

Yasi brought some beautiful flowers that added some color to the table and I've been enjoying their scent ever since.


Last night we checked out a restaurant that was recommended by our classmate, Sheridan. SoGo is advertised as, "Market, Cafe and Takeout." I unfairly assumed it would be like Luby's or something, but it was so so good. I only got two pictures before Ben's iPhone died, so we'll just have to use our imagination here.

First off, the market has lots of little goodies you can buy to take home. I got some lavender soda water and banana butter--plus that delicious red velvet cake you can barely see in the carry out container. SoGo claims to use organic and sustainable products when possible, but bla bla bla, let's talk about the food! I ordered the PELT--a prosciutto, fried egg, lettuce and tomato sandwich on sourdough bread. It was so tasty! It was hearty and juicy, but somehow felt light. Ben got the braised pork loin with creamy polenta and cabbage. I'm not into mixing sweet with savory, but his dish was straight up good. The hummus we had as an appetizer was spot on as well--just the right kick of salty and zingy. It was quite the hike to get up to this Stone Oak cafe, but we'll definitely be making the trek again.

While I'm on the subject, we visited another Stone Oak eatery a few weeks ago. Cielito Lindo has a decent atmosphere with both a dining area and a lounge. The food and clientele were definitely authentic Mexican. I don't know enough about Mexican geography or Spanish language, but I know this food was more serious than the border area tex-mex food I'm used to eating and the Spanglish I'm used to hearing. I had chilaquiles and I think Ben ordered chicken fajitas (big surprise there). The food had an abundance of flavor and the temperature and textures were on point.

Here's another place I visited where the jury is still out---Green. This place is structurally and theoretically ideal, but I am not sure the final product really works. I brought my sister and dad to this place when they were in town because they are vegetarians. The boisterous manager greeted us and wouldn't stop chatting us up. My dad loves this kind of stuff and was egging the guy on, fist bumping and laughing/joking back and forth. Alyssa and I decided to get a "green machine" vegetable drink to start off. It straight up tasted like a burp. I mean I know it was our own fault for thinking a drink made of kale would taste delicious, but I know it's possible (hello Naked juices). I really wanted to get the Quinoa burrito, but I let that crazy manager talk me into getting the Carne Guisada, made with something called, "TVP". That's textured vegetable protein and it's weird.

I think Alyssa liked her fake meat Philly and my dad enjoyed his Portabella burger, but that carne guisada was NOT good. My dad ate up all that I couldn't stomach, but I think that stuff was only good to someone who hasn't eaten meat in a very long time. I can say with confidence, however, that the onion rings were delightful and the vegan cupcake (made from an outside bakery) was one of the best I've ever had. (And I'm very serious about my desserts).

The final straw with this manager (or maybe owner?) guy was what he was saying when an Orthodox Jewish family came in. We watched the people go wash their hands in the wash bins that were set out as part of the accouterments that make this place legally "kosher," and my dad started asking questions about the "koshering" process. Although my dad isn't Jewish, he obviously knows his stuff, being married to our Jewish mom for thirty-something years and raising us, but this guy didn't know that. He started saying, "oh boy are those people hard to please! I mean, I can please my mother-in-law and can't please them!" I guess he thinks all Jews are strict Orthodox Jews. All I have to say is, a guy who's trying to build a business catering to Kosher Vegetarians shouldn't be customer bashing while wearing an Arkansas Razorback embroidered on his shirt pocket. (If you are unaware, a razorback is a big ugly pig).

SPRING BREAK !@@$#$ (Part 2)

Denver really wasn't what I expected--it was kind of old and people just schlep around in beanies, fleeces and brown floppy shoes. I thought everyone would be eating granola and sipping on wheat grass smoothies, but actually there were lots of beer and burger joints. I guess that's what happens in a city nicknamed "Menville" that is home to more "dispensaries" (that's medicinal marijuana shops) than Starbucks. NEVERTHELESS, Colorado is beautiful and I was so grateful to get the chance to get away from here. We were surrounded by beautiful scenery, fresh air and great food.

So begins the recap...

The first night we arrived we had dinner with friends at the Cherry Cricket because we saw it on Man vs Food. Great burgers with allll kind of toppings. I had cream cheese, green chili strips and bacon.
I kept waiting for the altitude sickness to
kick in, but surprisingly I was A-OK. Tuesday morning we took a tour at the US Mint, where they "don't give free samples," hardy har. We like to do at least one educational event on each vacation, but this was actually more humorous. We had to have reservations and we weren't allowed to bring purses or cameras. We had to go through serious security with metal detectors and x ray machines. Do they really think someone's going to run off carrying 40 lb bags of pennies?? Anyway we later drove out to Boulder to see the sights and get our hike on. Above is a view of the mountains on the drive.

We had lunch at The Kitchen, which was suggested to us by my travel book and a valet guy. I loved the decor--a contrast between rustic and elegant with lots of sunlight. Excellent humus and slow roasted pork sandwiches. The restaurant was on Pearl street which is the main shopping strip through the college town.

After we ate we drove up to Chautauqua park to get our hike on. I love hiking because, as I say, it's just walking. We got great views of the mountains and threw snowballs.
This is my friend Aliza who was our tour guide and was gracious enough to let us use her house and car!

After the park we went back down to the city to sip on some suds at The Sink. We enjoyed chips, salsa and trivia and lost track of time--resulting in an overdue meter and subsequent parking ticket--woops.

As if we didn't have enough liquids in our body after The Sink and the gallons of water we were all drinking to prevent altitude sickness, we went to the Dushanbe Teahouse for their famous Chai. Tajikstan is apparently a sister city and all these hand painted tiles were sent over and reassembled in Boulder as a teahouse.


That night we got to visit Safeway and King Soopers to get ingredients for our home made Spring rolls. Maybe it's just me, but I loooove visiting grocery stores in other cities, so that was cool. (We also visited Wild Oats in Boulder).
Very glad I now know how to make spring rolls. We used cucumber, fresh mint, noodles, shrimp, peanut sauce, and bean sprouts. The trick is to be able to find these noodle wrappers that look like Vietnamese tortillas. They start out stiff and flaky until you dip them in water and they become sticky and malleable.
Since Aliza had to go back to work
on Wednesday, we were on our own. I was super sad because the place where I wanted to eat breakfast, Bump and Grind, a restaurant where drag queens serve you waffles, was out of business! doh! Not to worry though, Snooze was amazing. Snooze was definitely a must-eat. I had the Barbacoa Benny and the flavors were incredible. Both savory and spicy.

After breakfast we drove to the Cherry Creek shopping area to rent bikes. Unfortunately, the only bikes available for rent were road bikes--which I had never used before. We had a nice ride up by Cherry Creek through some residential areas to Washington Park.
Biking is a great way to get a feel for a city and I actually love looking at houses. It's nice to see how people really live. Wash Park is apparently the place to be and we had amazing weather. Unfortunately on the way back to Cherry Creek Ben got a flat tire! We were able to miraculously change the tire (it only took an hour) by watching an instructional video on YouTube from Ben's phone. Point: iPhone.

Wednesday night was one of our most fun events--the Nuggets game!! (On the way there we stopped on Larimer Street to eat at Corridor 44. It was truly delicious and we enjoyed Smoked Salmon w/ Caviar Potato Chips, Salad, Roasted Chicken, Seared Ahi Tuna--YUM.) The technology in ticket handling alone is a enough to be impressed. I purchased the tickets online weeks ago and all we needed to do was bring the credit card to the game. The ticket collector swiped our credit card on a machine attached to her belt and out printed our tickets right there! (The next day Aliza realized she lost a hat at the arena and a live person actually called her back in response to the message she left on the lost and found hotline).


We had the most fun taking pictures in these mannequins set up to make you look like Nuggets and Avalanche players. It was truly hilarious and really brought lots of strangers together pointing and laughing. Before catching the bus back home we walked through LoDo, the 16th street Mall and had some Blue Moon at LoDo Bar and Grill.

Thursday was the best outdoor activity day. The Coors brewery tour in Golden was truly informative and enjoyable! The tour was free and provided a bus ride through the town of Golden from the parking lot to the Coors plant. We had individual head sets that gave us history of the company and an explanation of how beer is brewed. Here are some pictures from inside the factory.






We walked through Golden after the tour and had lunch at Woody's Pizza.



And now for the big Thursday Finale.........RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATER. This place is so gorgeous and was teeming with people--some exploring, some exercising. There was even a bridal photo shoot going on. We walked down to the stage where the Beatles, Dave Mathews and other Jam Bands have performed and then walked up the 70 steps back to the top. I was very disappointed that the visitor center closed at 4 so I could not get the full history but I was able to use Ben's phone to read the Wikipedia page for Red Rocks. Another point: iPhone.





After the wonder that was Red Rocks we drove back to Denver and visited the gargantuan flagship REI store. This complex included a bike shop, ski shop and every camping gadget you could ask for. I got a new water bottle and a pair of running shorts for my mom (surprise!). Ben got a sweet new ski jacket way on sale. On the way out of REI we spotted a grocery store called Vitamin Cottage. I had seen one earlier in the day, but didn't have the chance to stop so I was so stoked.
Here is the loot I scored from Vitamin Cottage. It's pretty much a smorgasbord of vegan-gluten free-organic-hemp yada yada --awesome. We were so exhausted from our outdoor adventures that Thursday night we stayed in to eat this food and watch the Real Housewives of New York premiere. This should be another post in itself, but I was so disappointed! They are all going nuts and I can't handle Jill & Bethenny not being friends. The jury is still out on whose side I might be on.

I read about the Museum of Contemporary Arts and was really impressed with their concept. The museum ended up being alright but my favorite part was actually the rooftop garden and cafe. Friday was spent mostly driving around exploring different parts of Denver by car. We saw Centennial and the neighborhoods around University of Denver. Tried to eat at restaurants we had heard about-- Sushi Tazu and Fruition, but they were both closed at the time we visited! Hapa ended up serving us well.

Friday night we had an amazing time at the First Friday Art Walk in the Santa Fe arts district. We went into so many galleries and enjoyed complimentary snacks and drinks. Another perfect weather night and we finished it out with Ethiopian food. I had tasted this food once before, but had never been to an Ethiopian restaurant. It was Ben's first time to experience this cuisine and he really enjoyed it.


I don't remember the name of the place, but it was on Colfax and run by a lovely husband and wife duo.



Are you kidding me?!?!?! We stepped out of the apartment we were staying at one morning, looked across the street and this is what we saw. Why can't I ever escape dental school?

Saturday morning we cleaned up, packed and ate the best sandwiches at Snarf. They had great bread and a special spicy pickled veggie spread. We took a driving tour of the new health science center in Aurora before we headed for the airport.

Great trip! Too bad I didn't get to visit D Bar Desserts, but I will definitely be back. If for nothing else, but to see a concert at Red Rocks.....oh yeah and maybe try skiing.

Restraurant Review: hmmmm

We had been dying to try out the restaurant, Citrus, in the Hotel Valencia downtown. As we left the restaurant last night, the jury was still out on how I felt about the experience as it was a lot like a roller coaster ride of up and downs. About thirty minutes after our departure from Citrus, the final minus came in. Let me start from the beginning...

Hotel Valencia is in a good location, down the street from the Majestic Theater, and they offer complementary valet-- yay the first plus. The entry way is less than impressive and the smell of an old hotel fills the air--minus. I thought I'd let that slide because B didn't seem to notice a smell and the entry floor wasn't even the main floor. We walk past the bar/lounge which seemed lively (plus), but when we get to the small restaurant the hostess asks if we have a reservation. We say no and she says, "well let me go ask the manager if we will be able to accomodate you." "Umm lady, there are eight people in your restaurant, do you really need to ask permission to seat us?" Minus. The woman finally comes back and miraculously shows us to our table. The decor was really pretty--plus. I am not crazy over the color red, but I liked the tall vases with calla lillies and the romantic atmosphere. Not sure if this is a plus or a minus, but as B said you could hear a pin drop in that place. Minus because there was no music to help set the mood, but at least it was quiet enough to hear each other--plus.

So we are seated and get complementary bottled water--plus. We also got fresh warm bread with butter--plus, plus. Our waiter Michael (Hispanic Dana Carvey) was very nice and helpful in describing the dishes. I ordered Riesling and B got a Shiraz and waiter Michael filled these bad boys up to the brim-plus. We enjoyed the bread and wine, but it took a while for Michael to come and get our dinner order. From the reviews I read online people seemed to enjoy that the waiters were not all up in their business so as not to rush their dining experience, but I was just feeling flat-out ignored at times-minus.

Eventually I ordered the broken arrow antelope with blackberry goat cheese sweet roll and sauce poivrade for my first course and eggplant mousakka for the second. B (okay his name is really Ben and calling him B is getting weird, he says he doesn't mind) ordered the crab cake with toasted pumpkin seed, avocado and mesclan salad and the
crisp rack of karabuta pork with seared cheddar grits and glazed mango. We twiddled our thumbs for an hour before we ever saw our food--minus, minus, minus.

When the food finally came it seemed like everything was worth it. The textures and flavors were amazing. We actually filled up on our first courses--plus. I mean we sure should have filled up, that single crab cake cost SIXTEEN dollars-major minus. The second set of dishes came out and we couldn't even make a dent in them. Ben's pork was cooked to perfection, juicy with a crisp sweet outside, and I joked that pig was a sinful, dirty meat. It was my first time to eat antelope, but I was sure loving it, plus.

We took the rest of the main courses to-go and finished the dinner off with the cinnamon croissant bread pudding and two decaf coffees. Dessert was a big plus and we were feeling pretty content. I visited the bathroom and thought it was better decorated than the rest of the hotel, which was minimalist in a bad way. The best part of the bathrooms, beside the terry cloth hand towels and bowl-sink things was that there were mirrors in every stall! Plus! You could stare at your hair and outfit for as long as you want and no one would notice! Uh, or so I thought. On my second trip to the bathroom I really got into my secret-stall poses. As I walked out of the stall this girl was mad muggin' me and at first I thought she was non-verbally acusing me of the foul odor lingering in the area, but then I noticed the opaque glass pannel on the stall door. Although you cannot completely see in, that girl was most definitely aware of my private runway, probably from the shadows coming through the door. oops.

The nice guys at valet held on to our leftovers and told us the next place we wanted to hit up was within walking distance and we could leave our car at their hotel--plus. We briskly found our way to the Riverwalk's best kept secret, Delores del Rio. This place is only about as large as a post office waiting area and it looks like from the interior that it was never supposed to be an indoor space. This place is so quirky--there isn't really a normal menu and you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the bathroom. There were two guys playing live music and after a couple of songs they actually got taken over by a group of Toddler's in Tiaras contestants (there had to be some kind of convention going on because I saw lots of little cheerleaders) who sang acoustic versions of I Gotta Feelin' and Boom Boom Pow. When I have been to this place in the past there was cajun music and belly dancing.

Ben and I each get a glass of Chianti after the friendly manager guy jokes with us about Ben being a "soulja" who he would gladly accompany to Iraq and that behind every good man was a good woman--me. We didn't really get it, but he was just so nice and giggly we went with it. Just when we are really enjoying ourselves, being all romantic and vibbing the music, I feel a tight pressure/ache in my lower abdomen. I attribute it to all that I just ate and maybe a little feminine troubles. I look over at Ben and he is looking a little more pale than usual. His eyes start to water and he bolts for the bathroom.

Turns out Citrus rears its ugly head for a final minus. A la Charlotte and Harry and their "f-ing fromage" the rest of the night was spent taking turns in the bathroom, with Ben bearing most of the burden. It had to have been the dirty and sinful pork because I only had a taste. Looks like we will not be eating our leftovers nor will we be paying an arm and a leg for food poisoning ever again.

P.S. I totally saw the lastest Millionaire on Millionaire MatchMaker on the Riverwalk!

Quails, Men and the Land of Oz

I can safely say that I had a very fun and relaxing weekend, though not the most eventful. Sleep is always welcome and I got plenty of it, awesome. I was a little beat down at school this past week with several patient cancellations and just overall bad luck with scheduling, etc. The Sunday Depression has definitely hit hard today. Perhaps being woken up by movers who sound like a herd of elephants stampeding through the apartment complex each time they bring up a new piece of furniture doesn't help the situation. Regardless, I'm hoping that a nice run, a lovely trip to Central Market (Central Market > Whole Foods...if you ask me) and some home cookin' will fix me right up. Here's a list of things I learned this weekend:

• THE QUAIL AT LIBERTY BAR LOOKS LIKE A PERSON. Greg and I decided we needed to unwind with some good grub after clinic on Friday and Liberty Bar did not disappoint. The atmosphere was relaxing but not boring, the service was really friendly and the food fresh, unique and very satisfying. All that aside, you can not look at the photo below and tell me that those two "quails"...butterflied, seasoned and grilled to perfection...do not look like two miniature humans. With giant tomato heads.

You just can't deny it.

• COLIN FIRTH IS A GOD AMONGST MEN. Ok perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration but seriously, I can't get enough of this man. He had previously stolen my heart in films such as the A&E Pride and Prejudice (Mr. Darcy makes me feverish), Love Actually and even Bridget Jones's Diary. Well, he's gone and done it again! Last night, Brigid and I caught the late showing of A Single Man, the producing and directing debut of Tom Ford. Yes, the same Tom Ford who re-invented the House of Gucci and now has an incredible line of sunglasses and other accessories. Without spoiling anything about the movie, Colin Firth and Julianne Moore deliver unforgettable performances and the cinematography, early 1960's style and soundtrack are just too good to pass up!

I really wish I had come up with that caption.

• MY NAME IS YASI, AND I HAVE A TENNIS ADDICTION. Tell you something you don't already know, right? Last night at 2:30 am I curled up on the couch, Hugo by my side, with a steaming cup of hot chocolate and became completely entranced by the Australian Open men's singles final for approximately 3 hours. Who does that, you might ask? Addicts. I've decided to turn my tennis love/obsession into something productive and am planning to sign up for some lessons as soon as the weather warms up! Any one want to join? I will confess though...as much as this tournament was incredible to watch, I'm ready to to get back to a normal sleep schedule (Australia is 17 hours ahead) and also a normal level of human interaction during my free time, Hugo unfortunately does not count.

How did you slip past me??

Just when I thought I knew everything I needed to know about San Antonio, my college friend Sierra took me to the delightful Soleil Bistro. I met Sierra when we were paired up in Chemistry lab and decided to let our third group member, Sivakiran, conduct the calorimetry experiments while we drew eyeballs on notebook paper to put inside our safety goggles and subsequently act out Britney's "Toxic" video. We later majored in Sociology together and have both ended up here in SA. Sierra has a great sense of fashion and life passion and I get to tag along when her job (sales bisnazz at San Antonio Magazine) lets her visit such events as SA Fashion week!

Soleil is a French eatery with a lounge-y atmosphere. There was a formal dining area, but we opted to sit in the bar part on plush couches. The owner seated us and let us know it was our "lucky week" because all the bottles of wine were half off. We chose a sweet Riesling to accompany our fried calamari with jalapeno cream sauce and soy glaze and our blackened seafood platter with Parmesan risotto. I am on a huge risotto kick these days, probably because it's such a fun word. I wasn't expecting much, but the food was really amazing in a good salty/spicy kind of way. I like to pretend I am a gulf coast snob and am really going out on a limb to order seafood this far inland, but Chef Nicolas Lebas really did a great job. I am anxious to try his new downtown establishment, Le Midi, and Olmos Park area Bistro Vatel. Because Soleil is in a shopping strip I was hesitant, but then I remembered every restaurant/bar/club in SA is in a shopping strip AND the food was actually so well prepared. The calamari was crispy and wet in a way that let's you know the fried-ness was very fresh and the risotto was so smooth and flavorful.

I realize that not all of our readers reside in San Antonio, so I'll just fill you in on a few other restaurants I've enjoyed across the country.

Austin-- Moonshine. To say that I only like one restaurant in Austin would be like saying I only watch one show on Bravo, but I'll save the rest for another time. One of the things I like most in a restaurant is getting bang for your buck. At Moonshine the platters are large and you get POPCORN instead of the usual Texas' chips and salsa in addition to jalapeno cornbread. I like getting the Jalapeno Hanger Steak or the Green Chili Mac 'n Cheese. Don't forget about the white chocolate bread pudding and a jug o' wine.

Boston-- Parish Cafe. I came this close to eating at the table next to John Mayer, but more importantly, the outdoor patio and sandwiches at this place are incredible. I had a tortilla de espanola inspired sandwich and B enjoyed a seared ahi tuna sandwich. Basically all the top chefs in Boston put their dishes into sandwich form and voila you have Parish cafe.

San Francisco-- Tartine Bakery & Cafe. Here I enjoyed the Pecorino & Almond pressed sandwich while my mom and dad sipped on chamomile tea. The atmosphere was kind of hectic, but the pastries were tasty and just walking to the cafe through the hood and past the park was quite a treat.


So I do, in fact, do other things with my hands besides eat. I am currently back into arts and crafts. I am working on a project, closet dividers, for B's future nephew that I copied from Ashley Ann's blog. Yay I get to be a---well whatever you call a girl whose boyfriend will soon be an uncle! In case this blog has made it to the Dallas suburbs, I'll hold off on pictures of this project until it is completed and shipped, but I will say I am enjoying using Mod Podge for the first time.

Weekends make my life.

So since my last entry was a little hefty and because I love, love, love exploring and restauranting, here's a little recap. Friday was a very productive day at school--didn't get scolded by any professors (only got the stink eye once) and I actually felt like I was doing a great service to my patients! I was delighted to find out last week that I will be the Maid of Honor in a wedding in March (on a boat!!) and got to go try on my dress after school. Since I haven't been in any weddings since I was a flower girl for my mom's cousin and got such bad stage fright that I didn't throw a single petal--my one job--I am looking forward to making up for that come spring.



B and I had dinner at Paesano's out on 1604. I really love their decor and wish I had a better decor vocabulary so that I could explain what the place looks like. Lots of stucco, copper, polished nickel, and orchids set in the Hill Country. It was warm enough to sit outside next to the coy fish pond and pleasing-to-the-ears waterfall. I was having a hard time deciding what to order because all of the entrees sounded fantastic, but ended up copying B because one of our classmates, and subsequently the waiter talked up this dish so much--Jalapeno Pesto Fazzaletti with Peroni Post Roast, Cipollini and Goat Cheese. [pictured at top of post] Gah, it did not disappoint. Pair that was a bottle of Chianti and two decaf cappuccinos--we were in heaven.

Saturday was a beautiful day and we decided to try Liberty Bar for brunch. I have been meaning to try this place for like two years now and wish I'd gone sooner. The building itself is an architectural marvel and I am surprised the entire structure hasn't fallen over yet (think leaning tower of Pisa). The atmosphere is plain but soothing as you walk past a table with loaves upon loaves of fresh baked bread to seat yourself "anyplace you like." I started with a limeade and then devoured my french toast as it came merely TEN minutes after we ordered. That is my kind of service.

B ordered the Chilaquiles Nortenos, what I originally spotted on the menu, but decided it would be lame to order the same food as he did again. My french toast was enjoyable, but--I. kid. you. not.--that was the best plate of chilaquiles I have ever tasted. For those of you unfamiliar with tex-mex cuisine, chilaquiles and migas (as far as I am concerned they are the same thing) are a compilation of eggs, cheese (in this case creme fraiche and feta), tomatoes, peppers, onions, etc cooked in with corn tortillas paired with pico de gallo and beans. The tortillas really end up more like soft chips. The flavors and textures of this dish blew me away. It's very hard to achieve the right amount of crispy and soggy with the corn tortillas, so kudos to Liberty Bar!



After we ate, B told me he would give me $100 if I ate a stack of jalapenos he had put on his fork. Never one to be tempted into doing something stupid for a bet I immediately said no. Then he said, "oh come on, I've never seen you really step up to the plate and do something courageous." I don't know if it was his comment--insulting my ganas, or the fact that I recently became financially challenged, but I daringly ate the jalapenos. I immediately regretted this decision and remembered why I never play these childish games. Jalapenos are serious people! I didn't win a hundred bones, but B ate some too so we could be "blood brothers" and suffer together.


The time came for the bill and it never fails--I always get stuck with the extra penny! A little side note about B, he is the sorriest excuse for a conservative West Texas Cowboy you've ever seen. He thinks large trucks are "idiotic," he takes canvas sacks to the grocery, he thinks gays should marry and, AND, he gladly lets me pay for half of everything we eat or do. Word better not get out in his hometown that he supports stem-cell research, but anyhow, 9 times out of 10 we give the waiter two credit cards and if the bill is for an odd cent amount, I am always paying more. It's kind of become a joke and I really don't mind. I like that we are equals and I always end up ahead when it comes to birthday/channukah time--hello David Yurman.


I've received a complaint that our posts are too long, so to sum things up, amazing weather for the rest of the day saturday= Brackenridge Park, Sunken Gardens and Japanese Tea Gardens. We got yogurt at Prime Cultures which is a locally owned fro-yo shop run by a somewhat geeky, but friendly twenty something. We are usually the only patrons but enjoy the yogurt and the quirky style of the workers, who on Saturday delighted us with some acoustic guitar. B also completely, voluntarily rented SATC (seriously, you grew up in the Texas panhandle?) even though I was totally down with something called, We Own the Night. Saturday night party here and here for Megan's birthday and a relaxing Sunday. Waiting on Brigid and Yasi to return to SA so we can be fancy-indie-movie-watchers tonight.

Still Recovering

Why is it that when you spend any period of time thoroughly enjoying yourself-a good weekend or perhaps a little vacay-you need a few days post-enjoyment to recover?! Or is that just me? Please tell me it's not just me. Regardless, I'm currently in recovery mode from this past weekend and the process is only being hindered by the start of the Australian Open (!!!) and school (blah).

I wish I had pictures and stories from all the incredible new places I visited around town like Jamie, but I don't. I spent my weekend mostly in one location-Tom's apartment. And I spent my time with Tom and two of his really good friends from back home. "ew, yuck, gross boys poor me I had to spend three days with dirty stinky boyyyyys". Not true. They weren't dirty or stinky. Not even close. The humor, conversation and all around good time had with a group of guys is just different than when a group of gals get together. Not necessarily any better or worst, just different. I can blame it on nothing other than the fact that I was my older brother's second shadow growing up. He took me everywhere with himself and introduced me to all his friends and all I know about sports, games, competition and the outdoors I learned from him. I think a lot of my sense of humor comes from him (and the rest probably comes from my dad). Identity crisis? No! Some of my best friends are girls (ahem, PLSB ladies, cough cough). It's just that all that time spent with my bro and all his buddies taught me how to interact with guys...I get their humor, I can take a joke and dish it out just as well. It just works.

We went to Austin for a day, there was a cool breeze and abundant sunshine, it was perfect. We spent some time at Mozart's and Spider House, enjoyed the stuffed avocado at Trudy's and even visited a tattoo parlor to watch a friend get some work done..um, let's just say that put me a little out of my comfort zone. I don't like pain and the people getting work done were squirming around with agonizing expressions on their faces. Don't get me wrong, it looks cool and I was intrigued with the idea of some symbol with some special meaning to me being tattooed in some cool location on my body, but if you try to tell me that needle poking into your skin a million gazillion times doesn't hurt, you're a liar.

Sunday was spent watching football early on then switching to some stand up on Comedy Central, browsing the shelves at a bookstore, cooking and chit-chatting at a local bar. I love cooking. I whipped up one of my favorite persian meals that I learned from my mom-a stew with red meat and okra with a rich tomato base served over white rice. I always get a little nervous cooking for people, sure things taste OK to my palate but I never know what it's going to taste like to other people. Overall I think everyone enjoyed dinner and I was quite pleased. Perhaps the undeniable chemistry between me and one of the fellows (he shall remain nameless) added to my anxiety but that is neither here nor there! The evening ended with a little "jam session" involving a piano, a guitar, a banjo and even a harmonica. Tom and co. are masters of music and it turns out I can still play a thing or two on the piano, yay! The lack of sleep has left me dragging a bit these past few days but it was totally worth it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go catch up on some tennis action before clinic this afternoon. Yes, I have a weird borderline obsessive love for tennis. Don't judge me.

Re-discovering SA for Parents' Weekend

What a delight to have visitors for the weekend! My parents arrived late on Friday evening and had a home-cooked Shrimp Stirfry waiting for them. B got me (us) a wok for Channukah and we've been excited to use it these past two weeks. We have gotten more adventurous with our cooking and decided to go off-the-cuff instead of strictly following a recipe. The secret to our stir fry, we have decided, is using Sriracha hot sauce and Oyster sauce. It doesn't matter what else goes in the dish as long as you get those flavors going. We are grateful that Ed, the friendly HEB employee, introduced us to the Oyster sauce. I dislike talking to strangers (more on that later), but in this case it worked out.

So after dinner we headed over to a local coffee shop, Olmos Perk, where they now host live music on Fridays. We have logged many hours at Olmos Perk studying for pathology or reading magazines on Saturday morning, but this was my first visit during the night hours. What a different vibe! We sipped on lattes and listened to the musical stylings of "A Likely Few."





Saturday morning we went to the Pearl Brewery for brunch and farmer's market action. The Pearl Brewery is no longer brewing beer, but the site is host to new shops, restaurants, a culinary institute, and a Saturday morning Farmer's market. Before getting our shop on we ate at Texas Farm to Table, an "environmentally responsible" cafe. The food was very tasty, but the service left a little something to be desired. I had a bacon, egg and cheese panini with a side of fresh fruit while others in the group enjoyed breakfast tacos, turkey sandwiches and a tomato-basil omelet. This food was just the fuel we needed to carry us through the rest of the day's activities.



Farmer's Market
(we arrived late and most vendors were sold out of fresh produce)


I love lavender! I am hoping this makes my home smell fresh and delightful. Last fall, B and I visited wineries in the Texas Hill Country and I acquired some "Lavender Linen Water." I thought I was being all fancy and French and I would sleep so well, but actually the scent did not last long enough to drift me into a blissful, stress-free sleep, the spray just made my bed wet!


After eating and shopping we walked down to the newly developed SA riverwalk extension. This addition to the otherwise crowded and kitschy riverwalk is extremely refreshing. I actually saw San Antonians running, jogging and walking along the river with their dogs. The creators of this addition were sure to include art and detail into every sidewalk and underpass. My dad was tickled to imagine the dialogue that must have occurred between the construction workers and the artistic director who insisted that little artsy squiggles be placed in the concrete sidewalk. Below are a few pictures from our walk. This section of the river actually extends all the way to the downtown portion of the 'walk, but that is one long walk I do not need to make again.



Saturday night we decided to try a new restaurant, Nosh. Nosh is connected to the restaurant/bar/concert venue, Silo and was apparently created by the same guy who is behind another SA treat, Bin 555 (although I'm not 100% on that).



The restaurant space is small, but you can see the open kitchen and the ambiance is that kind of casual yet classy bit that I love.


Our spunky waitress encouraged us to try the sizzling mushroom bruschetta pictured below and the "Backporch Lemonade" cocktail pictured above. We enjoyed feasting on the "Nosh-oes," as well.

This hot and crispy chicken sandwich was incredible. I am not sure what was in the slaw sauce, but I couldn't get enough. The chicken had been prepared in sesame and cornflakes, I think, with a kick of spice.
B ordered this Ribeye cheese steak and my dad devoured his veggie tacos before I could get a photo.
In our family dessert is not optional. We ended up having two orders of these doughtnut holes with white and dark chocolate dipping sauces.

After dinner we met up at the local smoky, female friendly, bar with Yasi and Tom. All in all it was a great long weekend. After my parents left I did a lot of nothing, but did get to see Funny People. Kind of a sad story, but an enjoyable cast.

Sorry for the weird white stripes along the pictures...I was trying something new, but I guess that method for posting pictures is a no-go.