Hinoki & the Bird... & Some Celebrities

My girlfriend, AG, and I should have known that we were committing to a scene when we tried to make a reservation for two on a random Tuesday night at 7 PM and had to accept a reservation at 7:45 PM instead. 

 

Before our dinner arrived, we saw Matt Feuerstein, lead actor from "Royal Pains" (USA), on his way to his table and Cat Deeley, host of "So You Think You Can Dance" (FOX), at the bar. AG had the vegetable curry, an off-menu option, and I had the fried oyster with black garlic aioli appetizer with the coconut curry mussels, sausage, and cauliflower entree. The food was good but I didn't think anything was spectacular. The restaurant vibe was hip and trendy and the plate prices reflected it. As we were paying our check, Marlon Wayans, from the movie "White Chicks" and "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra", strolled in for dinner.     

4th of July Harvest

Our summer garden is doing well and three out of the four vegetables we planted were ready to be harvested: eight ball zucchini squash, Kyoto ball eggplant, and bush lake green beans. The last of our planted vegetables, purple beauty bell peppers, will be ready to be harvested in a couple of weeks. I can't wait. I love the freshness and flavor from our farm to table veggies. As an added bonus, it looks like an old tomato seed sprouted so we will have tomatoes by the end of summer. Even though I don't like eating raw tomatoes (and get queasy at just the thought of it), they are still fun to grow to cook or to give to family or friends.

MH has been putting in long hours at the office in preparation for a few new projects, so we took it easy and spent the day resting and relaxing at home. In the evening, we took the train to Exposition park to see the firework show. The park was very crowded but there was plenty of open seating in the parking lot, and we were pleasantly surprised that the show was even better than last year. This year, music was played through speakers and the finale was one to remember. There were so many fireworks going off during the finale that I almost felt like there were too many fireworks at some moments!

Dachshund Rescue of Los Angeles - Wiener Splash Auction

The Dachshund Rescue of Los Angeles recently hosted a Wiener Splash Auction to raise funds to assist with veterinary expenses.

Hobbs and I were happy to contribute to the cause. Check out the new bow tie we scored!

Villa Del Sol

MH and I jumped at the opportunity to visit Villa Del Sol after I received the opening weekend email notification from Gary & Maxi, the orchard owners. We arrived a little after 10 AM, and the orchard was full of fellow cherry enthusiasts. The cherries were perfectly plump and sweet!

You can join their mailing list to automatically receive all of their updates here!

Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

I win. On my flight home from Newark I snagged this photo as we were getting off of the plane.

Anne Hathaway was on the flight too but I wasn't able to snag a photo. Is there a game for her too?

Shouldn't He Be In North Korea?

While I was sitting at a bar at the Legal Sea Food at the Short Hills Mall, all of a sudden, all of the bartenders collected in the corner and started whispering to each other. 

When I turned around to try to figure out what was going on, I saw Dennis Rodman getting seated for dinner. It was hard to snag a picture without being too conspicuous, but if you can make out the guy in the hat, sunglasses, and huge silver ear ring, that is him! He is really unmistakable in person, his size and flair give him away at first glance.

Happy New Year!

Wishing you and yours a joyous 2014! MH and I kicked off the new year with a day trip to Stone Brewery with K&J and finished with this fantastic ice cream sundae at Farrell's Ice Cream Parlour Restaurant. 

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas Eve!

MH and I hosted an Italian themed Christmas Eve dinner for the family. Mangia mangia!

Branciole                                   Seafood Medley

Roasted Artichoke Salad               Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

Italian Ragu & Pasta                          Dessert Buffett

Verwelkoming From Amsterdam!

Between our work assignments abroad, my colleagues and I enjoyed a weekend rendezvous in Amsterdam. 

Guten Tag From Germany!

 

After some drinks and food at the original HofBrauhas MH and I spent the rest of the afternoon taking a lovely stroll through the park. 

Flour's Famous Banana Bread Recipe

After trying Flour's delicious baked treats in Boston, I had to try Flour's famous banana bread recipe at home. What a moist and delicious treat!

Homemade Deep Dish Pizza

We tried to make deep dish pizza at home and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Our crust was wonderfully buttery and flakey. However, our sauce could use a little work. 

MH made a sausage and mushroom pie and I made a chicken, mushroom, and basil pie (trying to imitate my all time favorite Zachary's stuffed chicken pie). 

A Weekend In Boston

In between a two week work trip in NJ, MH and I met for a weekend in Boston. We fulfilled our duty as tourists and walked the freedom trail and ate fantastic food all weekend. The cannoli at Mike's Pastry didn't disappoint and all of the seafood we had was great. 

Cannoli from Mike's Pastry

USS Constitution @ the Boston Navy Yard

Bunker Hill Monument

Lobster Roll @ Rabia's

Seafood Platter @ Rabia's

Myers + Chang

Myers + Chang

However, my absolute favorite meals were our lunch at Flour and dinner at Sportello. Everything we had at Flour was so delicious that I had to make a second trip there before we left to grab some goodies to go. Then, we had the most delicious gnocchi at Sportello. The dish knocked my socks off and really made me feel like I was eating little potato pillows. If you're ever in Boston I definitely think they are both worth the trip.  

Phantom Of The Opera On Broadway

Did you know that Phantom of the Opera isn't a love story?!? I used to listen to the soundtrack as a kid and knew all of the lyrics, but I guess I didn't realize who was singing each part and boy was I surprised when I was watched the show live on Broadway!

Shout out to Ickity for another another awesome night out together. 

Labor Day Weekend West Coast Road Trip

MH and I enjoyed the beautiful Labor day weekend with a road trip up the coast. We arrived just in time for a wonderful lunch at Post Ranch Inn and then spent the rest of the day enjoying Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. 

In San Francisco, we took a tour at the TCHO chocolate factory, enjoyed some delicious pizza at Tony's Pizza Napoletano, and visited one of America's crookedest streets, Lombard St.

Birthday Celebrations

MH and I celebrated our birthday milestones with a day trip to Catalina and a homemade Momofuku Milk Bar Cinnamon Pie. Cheers to another year of grace, wisdom, and beauty!

Dachshunds At Anthropologie

I love the house and home section at Anthropologie. A couple of years ago, I picked up a cute little dachshund ring dish that I use when I am in the kitchen cooking/baking or washing dishes. 

Check out the current dachshund items that they have available:

From left to right: Sweet Dachshunds Dishtowel $22, Dachshund Letter Holder $32, Menagerie iPhone 5 case $48

Allen Berg Racing School

MH finally cashed in his Christmas present and had his Allen Berg Racing School experience. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the day.