This past weekend I took a very much needed getaway to Sequoia. I was invited to stay in a friend of a friend’s house up there, and unaware of all that it would entail, I accepted.
I knew that there would be others meeting us up there. I just had no idea that there would be a grand total of 20 people (and four dogs)! As ridiculous as that sounds, it actually made for a super fun and happy weekend. We all pitched in to make breakfast and dinner, small groups split off during the day to explore the area, we hung out with the neighbors (and their two adorable dogs), participated in a jam session with Wilberta (please check them out!), swam in the river pool in the back yard, my friend came up with the ingenious idea of making flatbread pizzas for lunch that were just delightful, we made s’mores around the campfire, watched the World Cup final, and saw a nice handful of local animals including a bat, a tarantula, and a bobcat! Yes, it was just the thing I needed before returning to work on Monday.
I figured instead of just listing every detail, I’d make this into somewhat of a photo-blog, and show you some of the fun we had. Take a look below.
Also, here is a link to my friend’s website. Her name is Kenturah, and she’s an uber-talented artist, who makes portraits using words and text. You have to see it to believe it. Quite amazing! Enjoy!
Have a lovely, sunshiny day!
Texture is a very important component of food. Just think, if oysters were crunchy, how many more people would eat them?
I’ve come to love all kinds of textures in food. Either that or I’ve been able to appreciate taste more and ignore textures. But there’s one that has become an absolute favorite of mine. Foamy!
I love how foam feels in my tongue. It’s light yet thick, and has thousands of tiny bubbles that fizzle and dance. I mostly get my foam fix in coffee drinks. I’ve had a couple fancy meals that feature a foam sauce of some sort, but a dry cappuccino is much cheaper and offers way more of the good stuff. My friends give me side eye for scraping the sides of my mug to savor every last tiny bubble. My coworkers thought I was weird, walking around shaking a mason jar with milk inside (a little trick I found here). But nothing makes my mouth happier than the weightless, airy sensation of foam. It’s the best part of any culinary delight!
Dry cappuccino in the morning
Foam overflow in Yosemite
Homemade foam using the jar technique
Caught without a spoon!
Now if only someone can master cold foam for iced cappuccinos and lattes, it would be the perfect summer drink!
I think some of the best places I’ve eaten at were total mistakes. I don’t mean that they never should have been in business. I mean, you’re hanging out with friends, and suddenly you’re hungry. You don’t really know what you’re hungry for, but food is imperative. You’re kind of not in the mood to Yelp, so you just start looking around. Literally. Then you find something so good and so unexpected that you can’t wait to go back. That’s what happened this past weekend.
I was in the Arts District in downtown LA with a friend of mine. We had no idea where we were going, so we kind of just started walking to see what was around. We came near to the east end of 3rd street, where there was just a chalk sandwich board sitting out on the sidewalk. As I walked up the steps, the place seemed to be closed, but walking just a few more steps I found the open door to Americano, a New American restaurant that uses locally sourced produce, offers seasonal selections, and domestic beer and wine.
There weren’t many people inside, which is usually not a good sign, but we stuck around anyway. Turned out to be the best idea all day! We sat down near the two large screen televisions (to watch the Costa Rica – Netherlands world cup game. Go Ticos!). The lunch menu was pretty small and simple. The drink menu on the other hand, was quite varied (not a bad thing at all). I had a red sangria. It wasn’t super sweet nor did it have too strong a taste of wine. I was happy with it. After our waitress gave us her recommendations, I had to ask her for her second recommendations that didn’t include meat. Haha. It came down to the “Green Valley” – a veggie sandwich, and the “Popeye and Olive Oil” flatbread. Once I confirmed that I could substitute mozzarella for provolone, I went with the flatbread. My friend ordered the recommended pastrami.
The sandwich came out first. Boy was it a hearty portion! Lots of arugula sat on top, hiding the tomatoes, pepperjack, dijon, pesto, and mouthfuls of sliced pastrami meat in a very rustic baguette. My buddy thoroughly enjoyed his sandwich! The flatbread came a little later, and honestly looked kind of underwhelming. I mean, it looked just okay to me. Tons of green spinach atop of a few slices of mozzarella, onions, and bread with pesto. Not all that exciting, right? WRONG! After the first bite, I had to do a double take. How does this taste like so much awesomeness?! I tried to eat it slowly because I didn’t want it to end.
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After we ate I checked out the bar. It’s a really nice, comfy space with a couple couches at the center and big, light-welcoming windows. I’ll definitely came back to hang out and enjoy the atmosphere… and the “Pull me up” dessert!
Sometimes, LA can be too hot to function. Even for native Angelinos it causes an urge to search for some relief. In my opinion, the best way to cool off is from the inside out. Naturally that means finding something cold and tasty. While ice cream is my normal go-to, every now and then I want something a little lighter, but more than just a cold beverage. Something that’s just as fun as ice cream, but has its own lovable personality. Something Hawaiian. I’m talking shave ice from Brian’s!
With flavors straight from Hawaii, and real Dole Whip, Brian’s is a trip to the Aloha State without dealing with the mayhem at LAX (and it’s under $5). What’s even more fun is customizing! There’s fillings like mochi or your choice of ice cream, toppings such as a “snow cap” which is condensed milk, or Ghiradelli chocolate, and over 30 different flavors! With up to three flavors of your choice that’s enough to have a different shave ice every day for eleven years! (Ya, did the math. *nerd alert*)
After literally way too much time (I actually left for an hour and came back once I made my final strategic decision), I had a Dole Whip and mochi with lychee, blue Hawaii, and tiger’s blood with a snow cap in a purple flower cup by request. I left cool to the core with a very happy belly!
My buddy had taro (in the background) also delish!
Eat. Go. Learn. Live. 