Skin Care Chick

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mmmmmoco.....chili mmmmoco....

No hamburger. 

Thank goodness I can find this frozen. My little piece of Hawaii.  In a bowl covered in carbs.

Nom Nom Nom...and repeat.

It has been approximately two weeks since I began my food adventure.  Let's call it an odyssey because it just sounds more grand.  Homer ain't got nothing on these meals.

Granted, there has been a wedding, travels overseas relocations, etc but I choose to focus on the food part of the adventure.  When in cities such as Napa or San Francisco, it really is all about your meals.  To evidence my supreme involvement, there were times I didn't even take pictures to document my meals.  I know, shocker, right?!  I must have been delirious.  I was just too darn busy gorging myself on love.  So the following is a little trip down my stomach's memory lane.  My homage to the dishes that made my knees weak, my belly full and my pants a little tight.  Thank goodness San Francisco is also a walking city...

So we touchdown at the San Francisco airport and no more than 15 minutes away in San Mateo, Copenhagen Bakery awaits us.  This the the Burlingame area where all the couples are hapa and yuppie is not just a term, it's a way of life.  From the compact SUV to the Maclaren stroller to the golden retriever this town says private school all over it.  It also says, YUMMY!  Copenhagen's pastries are unbelieveable.  The perfect amount of sweetness, significant filling (I  dislike pastry that is just dough) and enough variety to keep a schoolroom of 3 year olds entertained.  I'm not a total fan of the omelettes, but pancakes and waffles are good to go.  Waffles here are firm on the outside and just a touch chewy inside.  I have issues with waffles that want to break my teeth or rip open my tongue.  We love waffles, they should love us back.  Copenhagen waffles do that in spades.

    
With bellies full and eyes closing, we made our way down to Napa.  This bride to be needed some shut eye before the big day.  And some noshing.

To Yelp's credit, we were able to find a fantastic restaurant not far from the courthouse when Shawn and I obtained our license.  The meal was excellent, the wine outstanding, but one dish was simply exquisite.  Soy braised pork belly.  *shiver*

I know not everyone is a fan of "the other white meat" but I'm in the camp with Anthony Bourdain who says that pork is pleasure.  This pork belly is seasoned perfectly, just a touch on the salty side so when mixed with the watermelon and tomatoes, the blend is unreal.  Warm pork belly, cool juicy fruit.  It's times like these that I wish I had a secondary stomach so I could store more.  Then again, I may not be able to fit in doorways so thank goodness for small miracles.

The next day was our wonderful, intimate wedding.  Gorgeous, and everything I could have hoped for--especially knowing that the man I married is my best friend, my playmate and my strongest supporter.  BRIX restaurant and vineyards is amazing, both location wise and food wise.  Matt Guyot, Director of Sales was excellent!

All food were delicious from the hors d'œuvre to the appetizers, etc.  Just got one shot of my salmon, served with a sweet corn succotash.

Not that I wasn't on my iPhone, I just had other things to take pictures of (i.e. my groom!)  Definitely a new generation wedding by the smart phone usage :)

Post wedding bliss not only included my spiritual joining with my husband, but it also meant I could eat without having to worry if I would fit in my wedding dress!  Woo hoo let the games begin!!!

We'll start at Travigne.  We had eaten at Pizzeria Travigne a number of times and it was always wonderful (then again, it's pretty hard to mess up pizza).  However, at my mother's urging, we decided to give the original a shot.  Michael Chiarello was always fun to watch on Food Network, and I had high hopes.  Unfortunately, I may have set them too high.  Not to say that Travigne was anything other than very good but with so many options in Napa Valley, one must stay on one's toes.  The restaurant itself is well done with beautiful rich booths and dark wood, whimsical posters adorning the walls and slick service.  We indulged in the carbonara (6 out of 10, it could have used more seasoning), their signature shortribs (7 out of 10, I wanted to be wowed), caesar salad and the mozzarella a la minute.  Now this was interesting.  Since it's made to order the mozzarella comes out warm and it served tableside with EVOO on toasted brioche.  Rich, but not sinfully so and hearty, I give this dish a thumbs up.

On a side note, it always amazes me how many wine are on the menus of restaurant in wine country.  With so many vineyard you would think that people would be wine-d out, but such is not that case.  I, on the other hand, think I am still wined out. :P  In fact, my liver is still silently weeping to itself.  Wuss.

In San Francisco the gluttony continues and I am beyond thankful for the "walkability" of the city.  We hit the old faithful spots, including Mocca on Maiden Lane, which is amazing.  How amazing?  Check out my Yelp review here.  And feel free to drool over this...

Tri Tip Steak Sandwich and Seafood Salad

So many meals, so little time, only so much room in this stomach of mine.

Now one meal above all others takes the cake.  It takes whole whole damn table, linens, silverware and all!  I met Kevin Lee almost a decade ago when he was working at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco at the Compass Rose, the coolest cafe of all.  They had a fab band that played, the Bob Dalpe band.  Very Sinatra.  Long story short, we founded a solid friendship over a love of food and Hawaii.  So Kevin does this amazing thing and takes us all over the city for pupus, drinks and dessert, one of which my new husband wanted to "bathe in."  That would be the butterscotch pot de creme.

The next day, he blows it out of the park by taking us to the restaurant his brother, Lawrence, manages.  Enter Mercury

Here's how it all started.  We're aimlessly walking through Chinatown, buying up a storm and I say to Kevin:

Me:  "What should we eat for dinner?  Prine rib?  Crab?  House?"
Kevin:  "Tough choice.  I'll tell my brother to pick up crab and we can eat at Mercury."

HEAVEN!

and not only did we eat, we feasted!

How it begins

Salt and Pepper Crab and Garlic Noodles.  Crustaceans eat your heart out.

Seriously the best crab I have ever had.  The best garlic noodles.  Best. Dinner.  Ever.  The company is what made the food even more delicious.

I was so sad to have left San Francisco, but if I didn't I'm afraid i would eat myself into a coma.

So off to Houston we go and just a few more pics of yumminess for the road.

Pappasito's Cantina is a must for Tex-Mex grub.  Giant portions.  Delicious.  Can't Complain.  Bonus:  Margarita the size of my head--$5.50.

$10.50.  No joke.  

As a parting shot, I give you exhibit 238132948239 showing the iPhone is made to take food pictures because DAMN, I'm not a great photographer but every picture I take with this gadget looks like Thomas Keller waved a magic wand over it.

Until next time, may your taste buds know only goodness, may your company always be great and may your waistline remain small.

It's Official! You can call me Mrs. Miller. Nicole Miller that is...

If fairy tales took place in Napa Valley and starred hapa couples, then I just lived mine.

Evil queen?  Check.  Frogs?  Check.  Prince Charming?  After much communications and understanding each other, check.  Princess?  Duh! CHECK!

  Complete with fairy godmothers (a.k.a my family who made everything possible), an intimate guest list (we knew everyone there) and a stunning setting (thank you, BRIX Restaurant, Garden and Winery), I married my Prince, and best friend on October 5, 2010.

Who doesn't love shoes?!

Pucker up and blow!