London Eats > Barrafina

Chicken thigh with romesco sauce

This is a long overdue post, but I'll keep it short since the photos do more justice than words. I went to London last month and went to the lovely Barrafina for dinner in Soho. Teresa and I sat outside and went to town on the tapas menu. Every dish was more delicious than the last, and it was made even better with never-ending glasses of wine, sitting outside and people watching. If you ever find yourself in London, Barrafina is a must!

Razor clams

Pan con tomate

Octopus with capers

Classic tortilla

Brill

Chocolate tart 

lobsta pizza > blue 13 dinner highlight

After attending a cocktail hour/party a couple of weeks ago that was a little light in the hors d'oeuvre department (read: there were none), Robin and I were faced with a challenge Chicagoans will be able to commiserate with: We needed a good spot for dinner... on a Friday... at 8:30... in River North... without reservations.

This is a tall order, but Robin had the brainy idea to try Blue 13. Success! Not only did we get a table as soon as we walked in, but our dinners were both delicious. The highlight, however, was the "3 Birds" Lobster Pizza - super rich and lobster-y and this crappy phone camera photo doesn't do it justice at all. While everything was awesome, next time we're going back for this just this pizza, cocktails and dessert.

Travel Tested > Isla Mujeres, Mexico

 

Playa Norte Beach!

Crystal clear waters on Playa Norte Beach

Morning on Playa Norte Beach

Hotel Secreto infinity pool overlooking private beach

I wrote earlier about my love for Isla Mujeres and Hotel Secreto and have successfully convinced a friend to make it her next girl's getaway trip. Huzzah! She inspired me to document my travel tips and restaurant and activity recommendations. The best part is that all are budget friendly! 

General Travel Tips

• Isla Mujeres is a cash island. Bring plenty and  get pesos from your bank a few weeks in advance to avoid steep international ATM fees.
• For other purchases (like the hotel deposit), I applied for a Venture Capital One credit card – no international fees tacked on, and those can really add up! I travel out of the country enough and figured now was as good a time as any. I'm also a crazy, crazy freak for great rewards programs and this is all travel. Love at first flight. Bah-dum-ching! ... Sorry.
• Transportation to the island – If you, like me, are flying into the Cancun airport, you’ll have to get to the ferry dock that zips you to Isla Mujeres. I’ve been to Isla Mujeres a few times and by far the easiest (and cheapest) way to get there was with Best Day shuttles. There’s a group of Best Day staffers standing outside right when you exit the airport. Give them the info you had from booking your reservation online, and you’re off on your merry way. $17 roundtrip and payable online.
• Walk, skip or golf cart to the nearby supermercado to buy a huge jug of water (literally a DOLLAR) to use during your stay. Our hotel had a few free bottles of water a day but I am a friggin’ camel and just used the huge water jug to refill, and it saves you money. Brillz.
• Bring bug spray. It's always warm there and it's.. an island. It's a good idea to spray before dinner to wane off any attacks.

Pork shoulder tacos at Taqueria Medina - best tacos on the island!

Blue corn hotcakes and papas at Mango Cafe

Breakfast quesadillas at Mango Cafe

Restaurants - Where to Eat in Isla Mujeres

Isla Mujeres is a small island so that makes your eating choices much easier – you can easily sample the best restaurants during your stay. I had a list going in, but here are my top picks to get your chomp on:

• Taqueria Medina – Best tacos on the island for about $1, simple, cheap and right on Hidalgo Ave – what’s not to love? Dinner only and open late! Pork shoulder taco had a great grilled char to it and you get the full spread of fresh toppings: lime, pico de gallo, om, nom, nom…
• Olivia – Great Mediterranean food for a nicer island dinner in their gorgeous, dimly lit outdoor patio. Reservation only (again, Hotel Secreto’s front desk took care of us), and open Tues – Sat . Keep in mind that they do seatings at 6:30 and 8:30 for dinner.
• Mango Café – Lori, the owner is a UW-Madison alum and her lovable restaurant is a must-stop for breakfast/brunch when you rent that golf cart or moped to explore the island. Bright café that you can’t miss, right across from the Guadalupe Church.
• Qubano – The best place for a filling lunch. On Abasolo right off of Hidalgo. Cuban sandwiches, hungarian potatoes, fresh watermelon water, tostones. Everything was amazing, and we couldn’t finish our sandwiches (so consider splitting so you can get the sides!). The watermelon water and tostones are a MUST – I had never had tostones before but the crispy, fried plantains had an amazing onion type of relish to dip it in and it was a flavor party in. my. belly.
• Barlito – Adorable husband and wife team in an eclectic breakfast/sandwich shop right on Hidalgo. They have drool worthy, fresh breakfast sandwiches and homemade bagels that made our day. Tip: get one breakfast sandwich and their homemade cinnamon rolls to split both. Totally worth it.
• Sunset Grill – The above restaurants had more exciting food, but had to include this in the list because of the setting. Yes, it is more expensive, but you are eating right on the beach and they take credit cards (helpful when you are out of pesos and refuse to take more money out of the ATM!). Worth a visit if not to eat in the sand. ☺

ziplining station at southern end of Isla Mujeres

Do you see him?! Mr. Iguana (that is an iguana, right?) and his friends were everywhere!

Activities - "I want to do stuff!"

I'll be honest. When I'm on a beach vacation, I really don't need a lot to entertain me. I just want to read. But if you get antsy, there's plenty to do on Isla.

• Rent a golf cart for a day ($60 USD/negotiable) and check out the Tortungranja (tortoise farm) and Punta Sur (small Ichtel ruin) on the souther tip of the island. I just asked Hotel Secreto’s front desk to book it for me the day before and they will bring the golf cart waiting for you outside the hotel. Just watch out for all the iguanas and lizards!
• Two words: Swimways. Float. Yes, I’m a loser but I was at the island to be in the water and soak in the sun, and this allows you to lay and be IN the water. Best $30 I ever spent. And it collapses neatly into your suitcase.
• Snorkeling – We also booked this through our hotel for $40 a person (you can probably get it lower if you have more than 2 people). Took a taxi to a local little dive spot, got hooked up in snorkeling gear, headed out to the boat and snorkeled with a guide along the reef. Spotted: barracudas! Tortoises! Angelfish! Note to the seasick – I grew up as a swimmer and am very comfortable in the water but the waves were so rocky I was getting motion sick even swimming. If you’re like me, maybe skip this and stick to swimming along the beach
• Playa Norte beach – the most beautiful beach on the island. White sands, bluest blue water and shallow pretty far out into the ocean. Lots of areas are pay to stay in the sand (with/without chairs and umbrella) but you can find little “no man land” spots on the beach to get away without paying. Would recommend heading here first thing in the morning to explore with less crowds!
• There's also scuba diving, swimming with dolphins or whale sharks and ziplining at Garrafon Reef Park or Dolphin Discovery. Fair warning - I haven't been to Dolphin Discovery because of the steep fees and annoying photo sales pitches involved that I read about, but let me know if you end up checking it out.

Seattle Eats > And the Best Breakfast Sandwich Ever

My friend Katie and I went to visit some dear friends in Seattle a few weeks ago, and I wanted to share the fun trip photos! The most important one, at the top, was the best breakfast sandwich I've ever eaten and it was from Dahlia Bakery. Sooo as you may or may not know, Lauren and I are kind of obsessed with breakfast sandwiches. Like a lot. Top 5. Easy. This one takes the cake. The english muffins (the best carb a breakfast sandwich could ever be nestled in), are baked fresh in house and everything's made to order. The one pictured was fried egg, sausage, melty cheddar and dijon, all for about $5 and welllll worth it.

We also shared the doughnuts (not pictured because we gobbled them up in the car within 3 seconds right outside the bakery driving on our way to Vancouver). Um, if you're ever in Seattle, please get these. I don't even like doughnuts but they were 6 little mini bites, again made fresh to order, in a bag, tossed in cinnamon and sugar and with a vanilla marscapone dip that's exactly what heaven would taste like if it were a desserty condiment. I mean, stop it.

We were lucky enough to have two handsome Seattle tour guides, and my friend Chris, (a Seattle Met Mag and Nosh Pit blog editor) was verrrrry well versed in directing us to the best eats in their lovely city. Here are some highlights:

• the Walrus and the Carpenter - An oyster bar in Ballard and my favorite restaurant that we went to for dinner: gorgeous wood and white interior, champagne, fresh, local and amazing food. Including the best asparagus dish (with anchovies and bread crumbs) that I've ever had. As Chris put it perfectly, "just special."
• Sitka & Spruce - I heard and read a lot about this place so it was admittedly a bit hyped up for me. It was in a really cool space and I loved the open kitchen set up - we sat on the same counter/table as the chefs preparing our food. But the food fell a little short of the bold flavor profiles I tend to like. Very pacific-northwest-local-freshy all over the place, though. Think lighter dishes.
• Hazlewood - Lounge in Ballard. We went here for drinks before the Walrus and the Carpenter, and I just loooved it. My friend Nick got the Hazlewood cocktail and it comes with a truffle and a Nat Sherman clove on a gorgeous porcelain dish. I don't care if it's a gimmick, I bought into it and wish we had something like it in Chicago. 

In Need of an NYC Restaurant Intervention

via thestantonsocial.com, ny.eater.com, spitzerscorner.com, gustorganics.com

Help! In planning for an upcoming NYC trip in November, I can’t stop researching and finding new places to eat. Every time I hear anything positive about a New York restaurant, it goes on my ever-growing list. I’ve now sufficiently identified upwards of 20 restaurants I’m dying to try.

Let’s think about how many meals (lunches and dinners) we’ll ACTUALLY need over the course of four days. That’s about eight. So needless to say, I’m going to need to prioritize or plan on eating Manhattan out of house and home.

Maybe it’s because this is my first for-fun NYC trip since high school (every visit since has been for work), and I’m trying to make sure I get my foodie fix. I also signed up for New York Groupons a couple months ago to get some good deals on restaurants, (good travel tip, by the way) and I bought three so those are non-negotiable.

But I now need to be cut off. Here’s a quick rundown. I’m in desperate need of some expertise; what can get the axe? What HAS to be on here that I’m missing?

Momofoku

Stand

Spotted Pig

Levain

Spitzers

Stanton Social

Suenos

Stecchino

Gustorganics

Eataly

Co.

Prune

A Salt and Battery

The Breslin

Public

Sigmund Pretzelshop