A Lonely Blogger's Request

I know you are out there and reading my blog...AND I'm sure you're thinking, wondering, and are definitely hungry! Please comment on my blog and let me know you're out there. Tell me what you want me to blog about. Tell me what you want to eat, but are afraid to try. Please just say something! I'm lonely out here. 

Breakfast Crawl...Restaurant Review: Porcupine Pub & Grille

Salt Lake Magazine placed the Porcupine Pub & Grille on their Hiker-Biker breakfast (biker as in cycling). Those who know me know that I am neither a hiker, nor a biker and I still enjoyed it. This eatery is located at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon giving it beautiful ambience of Salt Lake's unmatched mountain views.  There is a patio on the northeast side restaurant which is nested above a ski lodge, making it's modern ski lodge decor more fitting. 

We were greeted and sat on the patio quite quickly despite the constant flow of patrons. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, and easy going. She was attentive, yet gave us the space you grave on a weekend morning at brunch served 9am to 3pm every Saturday and Sunday. Don't worry about making substitutions or specifying how you want something cooked, they accept and meet it all. 

The Porcupine is known for what the call the Big Ol' Pile, which consists of a double order of house potatoes (hash browns), four large eggs, bacon & sausage all smothered with cheddar cheese and served with toast or English muffin. The name of this dish did not disappoint. Laura stepped up to the plate and took it on. It could feed at least two people and leave you both more than full. The bacon was perfectly crisp and eggs were cooked just as Laura wanted it. Even when she was stuffed, she went back and picked out the sausage to eat because it was so good she couldn't leave it on the plate. 



I ordered one of the blackboard specials: Blackberry Pancakes. Again, these pancakes were huge. They were served in what i thought was a normal flat plate, but turned out to be more bowl-like, due to the depth of the dish. I barely ate half of them. The blackberries were tart, but balanced the syrup and pancakes well, making it a blackberry-lover's dream. I substituted my eggs for breakfast potatoes and ordered the bacon. As you can see, the bacon was lean, crisp, and yes yes...I ate it all. (I am officially the worst vegetarian ever!) 




We found the atmosphere relaxing and comfortable, feeling like we could stay for awhile after the check came. The price was extremely reasonable, as we both got out for about $10. We were so full, but wanted to keep eating, which is exactly what you want in a  breakfast spot. So get down to the Porcupine when you have a big appetite and want reasonable fares.

Breakfast Crawl...Restaurant Review: Eggs in the City

This review is late in coming since we went to Eggs in the City for the first time about two weeks ago. It was a nice bright sunny morning and we were not the only ones who thought eggs were a good idea.  I've been hearing about this spot for over a year and I was really excited to get in there, and even saved it for my D.C. guest, Jessie Pinkrah to go. 

When we arrived, the we had about a 20 minute wait, so we went over to Emigration Market and bought some nice ripe peaces and raspberry lemonade. Unfortunately, when we came back, we still had about another 20 minute wait. After waiting about 40 minutes for breakfast, we were ravished and were eager to have great food. As we checked out the menu, there were lots of egg fares to choose from: Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine to Huevos Rancheros, Steak n' Eggs and make your own omelettes.  It also had typical breakfast items including hot cake stacks, biscuits and gravy, and crepes. We ordered are food quickly and it came back quickly as well. 

Laura two pieces of the French Toast, which ends up being more like four. She found the dish very plain, but full of flavor. It isn't your typical french toast, but were reminiscent of a more Parisian style because they were made of sliced baguettes and seemed to have a hint of marmalade or jam.  

Jessie had a short stack of breakfast cakes with a side of scrambled eggs. We wanted one of us to get eggs. After all it is Eggs in the City. However, jessie was disappointed by the eggs, which were mediocre at best, lacking any flare or expertise. She thought the pancakes were fairly standard, leaving us all rejecting the hype surrounding this local hotspot. 

I had the Greek skillet, which consisted of spinach, peppers, onions, feta, cheddar, and avocado on top of potatoes served with a side of english muffins. The combination of feta and cheddar seemed a bit odd, but worked as feta does not melt and the cheddar bound it all together beautifully. I have to admit that there was not enough included in the skillet that made this dish unequivocally Greek. A few kalamata olives would have pushed the skillet to the top. However, it was filling, but just not enough to talk about beyond explaining what I ate.

The photo above perfect captures our feelings about Eggs in the City: eh. The food was better than okay, I won't say it was not good. What i will say, is that the wait to eat was not enough to make it worth it. Beyond that, while we sat and ate we felt rushed as servers asked if you were done with your food too quickly and hurried through ordering. The hustle and bustle of Eggs in the City was too distracting  for a leisurely weekend brunch and not enough to hurry me back to the corner of 13th South and 17th East anytime soon. 

Book Club Eats

Last night, I had some of my closest friends over for our monthly book club meeting. I was the host, so I decided to whip up a little dinner to go with our discussion. Despite the official start of the fall season about a week ago, it's still around eighty degrees in Salt Lake City during the day. I wanted to serve a menu that was not too heavy, but would hit the spot. I started with on my favorite salads, that I discovered during a visit with the Romans in Richmond, Virgina. Denton Romans, award winning chef extraordinaire (recent winner of Ukrops recipe contest) displayed this beautiful Roman Summer Salad (courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis and Food Network.)  

I've now made this recipe multiple times and it is the perfect salad to serve at a dinner party. It combines delicate richness and depth of umami flavor through its fresh ingredients. I recommend mixing it up with some yellow tomatoes, which brings another layer of color to the dish. I also recommend getting someone to help you chop if you are creating a larger menu and starting the balsamic reduction as soon as possible, as it takes awhile to get to its necessary syrupy consistency, if you're working with a low-end stovetop like I am. 

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup pitted green and black olives, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
3 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
8 fresh basil leaves, shredded
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound vine-ripened tomatoes (about 3 tomatoes)
Cook the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat until thick, syrupy, and measuring 1/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine the olives, parsley, anchovies, capers, garlic, basil, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl and toss to combine.
To serve, slice the tomatoes into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place, slightly overlapping, on a serving plate. Spoon the olive and parsley mixture over the tomatoes. Drizzle the reduced balsamic over the salad and serve.

For the main course I created a baked penne with sauteed vegetables and chicken sausage in a Mornay sauce. This recipe is one of my own making, after trying out a lot of different professional's recipes.

2 tablespoons of flour

3 tablespoons of butter

2 1/2 cups of milk

1 cup Parmagianno Reggiano cheese, grated

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper or white pepper

red pepper flakes

2 cups mushrooms, sliced 

2 red bell peppers, diced

extra virgin olive oil

1 pound penne, cooked al dente

1 pound of Aidell's Roasted Garlic and Gruyere Cheese Chicken Sausuage, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. This is now a roux. Whisk in the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, creating a bechamel. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. This makes the sauce a mornay. Set this aside and keep warm. Be sure no to overcook the mornay sauce as you are working on other parts of the dish. 


In a medium saute pan, over medium heat, add about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the sliced mushrooms and red peppers, when the oil is hot, but not yet popping. Season with kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste. Saute for about 4 minutes or until the ingredients are soft and your mushrooms have turned brown. 

Meanwhile put your sausage into a large saute pan for to warm and brown. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch pieces and brown. Set it aside. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pasta, sausage mixture and Mornay sauce. Mix well. Pour into a greased 2-quart oval baking dish or a 9x12 glass baking dish. Sprinkle the top with cheese and place in the oven on the top rack. Bake until the top is golden brown and bubbly, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool slightly and serve!

(I apologize for the photo of my dish sitting in a 9 x 12 glassware, I wish it were in Le Creuset bakeware, if you do too...my birthday is December 11th.)

Dessert was a store-bought Marie Callendar's Chocolate Silk Pie, thawed, which was delicious...I can only do so much.

Dine O' Round continues this week (ending the 27th) and so we thought we'd give lunch specials one more go.
This was my first time at Faustina and I was more than happy to share this moment with the my new lunch bunch(we're still toying with a proper name...feel free to give me suggestions): Michelle Allred, Laura Cañate, Theresa Foxley, and Quin Stephens. I name them because they were a great addition to my dining experience as they made sure to comment on food, service, and atmosphere.
Faustina promotes itself as a stylish lounge (they even have a lounge menu!) perfect for a power lunch. As a group of young professionals, I think we could all agree this description really fits. The dining room features contemporary clean lines with a mix of natural light from the large windows on the north and east sides of the building and tasteful track lighting and lamps. Tables had nice space in between them and we felt like we had our own carved out spot in the restaurant.

What'd we eat? Here it goes.
Faustina's Dine O' Round special consisted of two courses:

Course One
Bison Burger with chipotle aioli, Provolone cheese, tomato, and onion served with your choices of House Salad or Sweet Potato chips
Course Two
Strawberries and Strawberry Scented Sabayon
Quin and I* had the Dine O'Round Special. You might notice a similarity between this and the eats over at the Metropolitan. They both served bison burgers and sweat potato chips...that's where the similarities end. Faustina served a grilled beautifully cooked handmade burger topped with gently melted provolone. The chipotle aioli added a bit heat and, while the onions added the depth you search for in a burger. The sweet potato chips  were twisted and seasoned such that the salty flavor compounded with each bite. 

The Strawberries with Strawberry Scented Saboyon was more than satisfying for lunch. It was the perfect light and sweet end to our meal.  I have never attended culinary school and am a carefully traversing the culinary world, so when I saw sabonyon, I was really excited. I've heard this word a few times, usually associated with liquor. My excitement didn't stem from the thought of kicking back a few at lunch, but rather to finally discover what a sabonyon was. So scroll back up to the photo above and read below:

"The sauce you need is based on a foamy mixture called a sabayon (a cousin of the light, egg-based Italian dessert zabaglione). A sabayon is made by beating egg yolks with a liquid over simmering water until thickened and increased in volume. ( the liquid can be water, but champagne or wine is often used for a savoury sabayon.) The sabayon must not get too hot during cooking or it will become grainy: if it begins to feel warmer than body temperature, remove the pan briefly from the heat, beating continuously, until the mixture cools. Then return the pan to the heat and continue cooking. Sabayon may be served warm or cold; a cold sabayon is beaten off the heat until cooled.

Sabayons may be sweet or savoury. They may be served simply as a sauce, often flavoured with an alcohol, or they may form the base of some mousse mixtures. They may also be used for sweet or savoury gratins. Cornflour is sometimes added for stability."

(Taken from Le Cordon Bleu Paris found here.) 

 

Now that we've worked the dine o' round special and learned some new vocab, what did everyone else eat?

Laura had crab cake sandwich with chili aioli, avocado cream, lettuce, tomato, and onion. The crab cake had great texture without being dry or soggy, it held together until she took her last bite. It was accompanied with the house salad, which were house salad consisting of butter lettuce, and mixed greens with beautiful red and yellow beet ribbons crisped, topped with a roasted onion Sherry vinaigrette. This simply flavored salad was fresh and had a nice crunch. 

Next, taking on Faustina's soup Michelle had Candied Pecan Butternut soup served with freshly made house salad. The server placed a bowl with candied pecans and other delicious fixings in front of Michelle, and came behind her with a gravy boat of sorts holding the soup was poured over. It was a surprising and appreciated service at lunch, which was only matched by the soups full and hearty fall flavors. A great pick for any power luncher. 

Finally, Theresa had the Chicken Cordon Bleu Panini with roasted chicken breast, proscuitto ham, tomato, swiss cheese, and bechamel cream sauce. The bread was crisp and chicken was juicy and delicious. First, this is a lunch adaptation of the classic Chicken Cordon Bleu by creating a panini and you'll here no complaints from us. Definitely  a way to enjoy Chicken Cordon Bleu without the heaviness, although I don't think we saved on calories in the panini form. 

Faustina was a place quick enough for the business lunch crowd, without sacrificing flavor, service, or your wallet. All of us got out under $14 each, including soft drink, tax, and tip. 

* I know I "claimed" to be vegetarian and I'm really trying, but I'm maintain some integrity to the blog, so that I can give you, the readers, a fair representation of every eatery.

What's with the Aioli?

If you, like me, have noticed aioli popping up on menus and more importantly in your food from everything from your burgers and paninis to seafood and salads. How can one sauce go on every type of dish? Aioli is a cold traditional sauce made of olive oil and garlic, however most add eggs to add a creamy texture making it very similar to mayonnaise. The greatest thing about aioli is that it lends itself to be a medium for other flavors. Current trends include chipotle and caper aioli, but feel free to get adventurous with saffron aioli and spicy red pepper aioli, or traditional with lemon aioli and citrus aioli. Any way you emulsify it, it spreads deliciously. Get your taste buds ready for explosion of creamy layered flavor. 

Here's a simple aioli recipe, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse and Food Network, that I found that you can use to make your own. Play with the proportions of oil and eggs to drizzle on your seafoods and salads or spread on your next sandwich. 

Yields about 1 cup

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
2 egg yolks*
Pinch salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good olive oil
Directions
Place the garlic in a large mortar and crush. Add the eggs and incorporate. Season with salt. Slowly stir in the oil, a little at a time, until all of the oil is incorporated and the mixture is like a thick mayonnaise.

*RAW EGG WARNING

Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness. To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.

Breakfast Crawl Continues...Restaurant Review: Finn's

The Salt Lake City Magazine's Guide to the 65 Best Breakfast continues with the Cafe Breakfast. The place featured here, however, may be one of the best overall breakfasts in Salt Lake for three main reasons: 1) attentive warm service; 2) delicious Scandinavian fares; and 3) unassuming comfortable atmosphere. Originally opened in 1952 in Parley's Canyon, Finn's served dinner eats ranging from a steep $2.75 to a pricey $5.00. Now Finn's Cafe is only open until 2:30 each day and owns breakfast and brunch. 

I've been hearing about Finn's Cafe all summer and finally drove the few blocks to their current 1100 East Sugarhouse location. I have to admit that I'm always a bit apprehensive about going to places that friends have been gushing about for weeks, but Finn's did not disappoint.  When we first arrived we were quickly greeted and directed to a table of our choice. The hostess/server quickly informed us that the flowers surrounded the patio fence were attracting bees. This small fact made it apparent from the first moment that  service was going to be above average. 

So let's get to the good stuff: food. 

I ordered the Norwegian Waffles with Lingonberries and Sour Cream with a delicious orange soda. I know what you're thinking sour cream, you must be crazy and that's what I thought too. You'd learn this sooner or later, but I do not like sour cream at all, or so I thought. The combination of sour cream with lingonberry jam, which is a forest berry related to blueberries and are a staple in Scandinavia. This may be one of the first times I did not touch syrup, in fact, they didn't even offer any. So, I got brave took a bit of sour cream and a bit of jam slathered it on a piece of my heart-shaped waffles. The combination of flavors were divine. I was convinced that the sour cream was special or flavored and asked our server. She responded quizzically that it was just normal sour cream. Obviously, sour cream and I have some reacquainting to do. 

My friend visiting from D.C., Jessie Pinkrah, ordered an egg white Vegetable Omlette, which was filled with asparagus, red and green bell peppers, and mushrooms, served with hash browns, garnished with cucumbers and tomatoes. She said it was light and full of flavor.  It was served with a side of either sourdough, rye, wheat, or French toast with delicious raspberry jam, which we later found it is imported from Europe. 

Laura had sourdough pancakes. Hold on, because these are not your normal sourdoughs or your Roman's sourdoughs. They were very fluffy with mild sourdough flavor and delightful. They were a great twist on the run of the mill pancakes. We loved them.

Finally, on our way out, we were told to grab an apple! A what? An apple. Finn's sends every customer home with a free red apple. It was refreshing and just one more charming extra you'll find at Finn's. So get down there and try it out. The patio is still a great place to eat and hang out with friends on a lazy morning, for a few more weekends anyway. 

Diane Can Cook!

For awhile I tried to blend my two worlds: culinary and everything else, but let's be honest...It has not been working. My love for all these gastronomical has transcended the occasional blog post about food and I have now created a blog that will focus specifically about all things food.

My goal is to get people as excited about food as I am. Food is such a broad indiscriminate term, so I speak in terms of gastronomy, which means knowledge of food, but really studies how food connects with culture. Food is an integral part of every culture and has been a large part of my personal culture. Through this blog I hope to discuss everything from food trends to classics, easy and expert recipes, reviews of new and old restaurants, and everything in between.

I am so pumped to get started and have to give thanks to a few people* who encouraged me to really get going. Please comment, request reviews of restaurants, and ask questions about food. (As some of you know, I have already started commenting about food on a former blog and will include those posts below herein.)

Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a gourmet or even a foodie, but I love learning about, making, and eating food.

* Spencer "Juicy" LaCouture, Laura Cañate, Sean Wilson, and Liz Anderson.

Restaurant Review: SLC Dine O' Round

Salt Lake City is having a Dine O' Round, that is similar to Restaurant Week in other metro areas. Unfortunately, there are only about thirty spots involved. These types of events are generally semi-annual and a great way to try those great or classy spots in your area, especially if you are generally on a budget or are apprehensive about taking those risks often involved with the pricier eateries.

The first spot up in Salt Lake i decided to try was the Metropolitan. After seeing the Metropolitan about a year ago, I found it a bit pretentious, with it's large window fronts covered in velvet curtains creating an uninviting inaccessible aura. Despite these initial impressions, we decided to try it out for lunch this week. They were advertising a Dine O' Round lunch for $10 and I felt that a risk I could afford. Unfortunately, that lunch cost way more than was advertised.

The food itself was less than impressive. I ordered a mushroom panini with sweet potato chips. The caraway foccacia was buttery and perfectly crisp. The mushrooms had a great flavor topped with fontina cheese, sweet onions and spinach. It was paired with sweet potato chips, which sounded like the perfect pairing, however, I imagine the chips were left too long in the fryer or were not served quickly enough. I found them a bit soggy and salted improperly. The nice thing is that they were plated nicely.

My friend Kim ordered a tomato salad which consisted of various types tomatoes, burrata, basic, aged balsamic, and fiore di sale. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese that consists of mozzarella and cream, which gives it a unique soft texture. The salad was similar to the italian caprese. Fiore di sale is an Italian version of a hand harvested sea salt. Kim found this salad flavorful, light, and satisfying. The perfect combination for lunch.

My fellow diners ordered the Dine O' Round special which was a green salad to start and a bison burger with pomme frites (aka french fries). We expected a nice lean grilled bison patty, but instead it was more like a bison Sloppy Joe. For a self-proclaimed restaurant of handcrafted new american cuisine, the Sloppy joe is old news.

So now, I'm dropping the hammer on the metropolitan. The service at the Metropolitan shot for the stars and fell very short. The presentation was over the top. They tried to serve everyone at the exact same time, however, they were not able the maintain the heat or freshness of the food. I cannot be excited about a restaurant that sacrifices the food for "service." Furthermore, despite eating our food only took about 15 minutes, we were surprised that we were at the restaurant for an hour and a half and not because we were so caught up in conversation. The food took such a long time that we became so frustrated since we are all professionals and I'm very aware of how much my time is worth. When the check finally came, it took another twenty minutes for our cards to be processed. This left a bad taste in our mouth, that I still cannot shake.

The Metropolitan is not for the metropolitan woman. The cost , the service, and the experience makes this a place to which I would not care to return.

Restaurant Review: Ruth's Diner

Week One of the breakfast crawl began a bit rocky. After a crazy sleepover, we decided to get out early. We were craving pancakes, and as much as we wanted to go to the Original Pancake House, our favorite local breakfast eatery, we decided to go up Emigration Canyon to go to Sun and Moon Cafe, however, my hunger and laziness thwarted our trek up the canyon. On the way to Sun and Moon, lay Ruth's Diner, another top SLC breakfast spot listed in Salt Lake Magazine.

The problem with this breakfast place can be illustrated in two simple facts: 1) we didn't finish our food; 2) we wanted to leave immediately. The best breakfast place you should be sitting around musing about the philosophies of life and making memories. The only memory I have is running away from Ruth's...nonetheless here is my review of how it went down.

Here is what Sean ordered: eggs benedict. In recent days after talking to people, apparently this is what you should order at Ruth's Diner. Unfortunately, this is not what anyone else ordered and maybe that is why we were all over this place.

Laura had french toast, while Sarah and I had pancakes. I tried to go for the most simple ones...buttermilk. I feel like every breakfast stop should be able make a great buttermilk pancake. My pancakes were undercooked, despite their perfectly golden brown exterior color. Sarah's had strawberries with cream on top, yet she still didn't finish her pancakes either. These are not good signs.

I will not be returning to Ruth's Diner.

The Omnivore's 100

The blog Very Good Taste has come up with a list of 100 items that every omnivore should try in his or her life. Then it was put on Serious Eats and now I'm copying it. Basically, you copy the list from Very Good Taste's The Omnivore's 100 and post it to your blog, bolding the items you've tried and striking through any you would never try. (I'm gonna italicize the ones I will never try.) Oh, just go visit VGT for the nitty gritty. I'm not tagging anyone, but just tying to share.

Disclaimer: I am now a vegetarian, because it really helps my condition...but these is in my life.

Diane's List

1. Venison

2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
(I'm allergic to eggs)
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding (ummm...sick)
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake-->I have had all of them ...love them all!
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill-->Ashley Groom's little sister hit a deer on the way to the cabino and so her dad turned it into venison jerky...yummmmm
76. Baijiu or shaojiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant
85. Kobe beef (American kobe...if only i could get the money and hutzpah to get some Japanese Kobe)
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse (does glue count?)
90. Criollo chocolate--> not sure?
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor --have you seen this?
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee ---> i get jitters.
100. Snake

I had to italicize the liquor since I shouldn't drink...but if things ever things change, I'll be alllll over that scotch, vodka, malt whisky...let's just stop.

Most Important Meal of the Day

I love living in Salt Lake. i'll say it. Things just got a whole bunch better now that the Salt Lake magazine has done a feature on the 65 Best Breakfasts in the SLC area. So check out the Salt Lake Magazine's Breakfast Guide, because it's full of great breakfast stops broken down into various categories like: The Working Breakfast, the Big Spread Brunch, The Diner Breakfast, The Urban Breakfast, the Late Night Breakfast, along with lots of others.

I love breakfast and love brunch even more, so it's no wonder why I'm so excited. I am initiating a Fall Breakfast Crawl. I'm gonna try to go to as many recommended spots in SLC as possible. So, if you want to join me, let me know. Now that I'm a working girl (in the non-prostitute sort of way), I will only be doing one, maybe two a week. Hopefully, you will come with me! For those who you cannot make it, I will be doing reviews on all the spots I hit up.

Writing what I Know? (Probably just love...)

I've decided to put more direction into my blog and talk more about what I really REALLY LOVE: Food. Anyone who knows me knows I love throwing dinner parties and bake when I'm stressed. I have such a passion for everything food. I love making food, finding new recipes, reading food magazines, and of course fine dining, especially discovering new restaurants.

That being said, my new face of blog will consist of a restaurant reviews, new recipes I've tried, recipes I have created, and basically anything food. This is really where my passion lies and I'm not really into the journaling so much anymore. I still reserve the right to add in some personal info, but for now...bring on the food. Feel free to add your own recipes or tell me about really cool blogs about food. Either way, I hope you few people who read my blog , please keep reading!