Smoothie in Paradise vs. Smoothie Reality Check

This is one of many Mango Smoothies I enjoyed in Mexico. I ordered the fresh mango smoothie and a cappuccino from Fast Break Net, a healthy little place right on the beach in Sayulita. Aah!
OK, Reality Check!!! This is what sits on my desk in the morning after the gym and a stop at Jamba Juice. To be honest, I usually have low-salt V8 on ice, but I had some time, so Mango Mantra Lite was the drink of choice.

It was OK. The flavor was a little, well, fake. I drank the whole thing, only because I was starving after my workout. Will I go back, probably.

TWD: Chockablock Cookies

I will make these cookies this weekend...come back later!

Crooked Kilt, Paso Robles, CA

You know what they call this bad boy? The Hangover Burger. Love, Love, Love this big ass mess of a burger! Burger, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and a fried egg...REALLY??!!

I can't say much about the potatoes, but they were not fries, so I didn't touch them.

OK, the burger...YUM! Hung over or not this burger needs to be served in all 50 states.

Hello Men out there, yes, the waitresses wear crooked kilts...short ones.

New Product: Thomas' Bagel Thins

OK, I don't really care about the calorie count...Obviously, because I wasn't holding back the cream cheese. However, sometimes I don't like having a big FAT bagel with my smoked salmon and cream cheese. I know you know what I'm talking about.
If you're looking for the awesome bagel, this ain't it. However, if you want a quick breakfast and don't want to be so full you have to go back to bed, try the Thomas' Bagel Thins!!!

Thinking of Paris...mmm...Macarons at Le Panier

To be honest, I don't think I ever ate macarons when I was in Paris. I ate crepes while walking to Notre Dame. Escargot, moules and steak frites. Chocolate and delicious wines.

I remember a lot of cheeses...YUM.

How did I ever forget to eat REAL FRENCH MACARONS, when I was in Paris.

Le Panier is our little piece of Paris, in Seattle. Le Panier has some of the best breads, sables, tartes, and so many more French pastries, I cannot remember. Oh, and the best baguette sandwiches EVER. My favorite baguette sandwich...ham and butter.

Don't knock it until you try it!

OK, the star, or secret indulgence at Le Panier...the macarons. Some of my favorites: cafe, pistachio, raspberry, chocolate, orange-ganache, vanilla, and lemon. Actually, I think that is every flavor macaron at Le Panier. I must have bought one of each on this particular visit.

Hmmm...what a surprise.

This is my favorite, orange-ganache.

Here they are waiting for you to bring them to your home.

A little bit of Paris, right here in Seattle.

The San Francisco Treat!

After a long day of travelling and meetings, this yummy cocktail was a well deserved treat! OK, there's more to this story. On a recent trip to San Francisco for 2 days of meetings, my executive chef & I decided to walk from dinner in North Beach back to Van Ness, via California. No big deal, right? Besides, the cable car runs on California. If we got tired, we'd just take the cable car.

Off we go...Hello BIG ASS hills!

I forgot the SF hills, do they EVER END???

I lived in SF for many years (many years ago), obviously, I blocked out the memories of walking up and down hills.

Thank God for the Fairmont Hotel. Great place for a beverage to quench my thirst. Guess what cocktail I ordered...the San Francisco Cable Car.

Just in time and just what I needed!!!!!

Tartare de Boeuf at Campagne...tres bien.

Still the hot spot, Campagne continues to deliver. Late Friday night, Chef Daisley was sitting comfortably in the bar at Campagne. Even without a reservation, John and I were able to get a great table in the dining room. To be honest, we started spending more time Cafe Campagne...less stuffy. However, I don't know why I ever thought Campagne was stuffy.

Campagne doesn't remind me of any places in Paris, but I do think it is a cozy and romantic place to eat. I love the small tables, I love that everything is dim, I love that every table is a good table.

If you are in Campagne, the tartare de boeuf is a must.
I had the lobster salad as my entree. When the lobster salad arrived, I couldn't wait to take a bite - thus , no picture. Perfect blend of flavors with a very clear presence of LOBSTER.
John got the duck breast with sauteed greens and a cauliflower puree. OH MY GOD!!!
Seasoned perfectly and seared just enough to hold in all the juices. MMMMM!
We finished off with these little chocolate truffles, well, after we had Gateau Opera. There are a lot of layers in Gateau Opera (Opera Cake), so I like to savor every layer of ganache, buttercream, genoise...YUM.

Sweet Cream Biscuits...YUM!

I have to admit, it's been hard avoiding carbs. Not so much eating them, but making them. I really do love to bake. Let's just say, baking is like therapy. Whatever the outcome, the process is relaxing and luckily for me, the outcome is usually good!
The recipe for SWEET CREAM BISCUITS is so easy, but a little messy.

Make sure to use a SILPAT for easy clean up.

These biscuits are so yummy! Best eaten fresh, with butter or a glob of Nutella.

I made these at night, so I could make a breakfast sandwich for my son in the morning.

He loved it!!!

The recipe can be found on page 23 in Baking from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Thanks to Melissa of Love At First Bite who chose Sweet Cream Biscuits. Check out the other bakers at Tuesdays with Dorie!

Post Workout Breakfast at Splash, Bellevue Club

After a great workout, the last thing I want is a Bloody Mary...I laughed when I saw "Build Your Own Bloody Mary" advertised at the Bellevue Club Splash Cafe. Different strokes, I guess.
OK, I didn't order this, John did, and he tends to be healthier than I at breakfast. To be honest, I was shocked that he strayed from his usual plain yogurt, fruit and granola.

Egg whites, chicken sausage and a grilled tomato. He said it was good.

That's what I'm talkin' about, Ham and Gruyere omelet with the evil breakfast potatoes!
I just figure, I worked out, I deserve it. I could have sat on my ass all morning and then ate this...could have been worse, right?

mmmmm...the big chunks of ham and oozing gruyere. I should probably do more cardio after this, but no. I'll just savor the flavor.

YUM!

Steelhead Diner, Pike Place Market, Seattle

There's nothing better than a sunny day in Seattle. Seriously. The air is fresh, the sky is bright and everything is GREEN. Perfect time to grab a friend and head down to the Pike Place Market, sip some wine (I suggest the Velvet Devil Merlot...mm!) and people watch.

Some of the restaurants in the market have outdoor seating, if you find one, grab a seat! The Steelhead Diner has a great patio that overlooks Post Alley.

Great Entertainment!

Fish and Chips are so good! The batter is light and crunchy and the fish, of course,
is fresh and tasty. The cole slaw doesn't come with the meal, but I highly recommend ordering it on the side, don't be afraid of the relish on top, it makes the cole slaw so yummy.

Lemon~Pepper steamed Totten inlet Manila Clams with fennel sofrito, tellicherry black pepper, & lemon bread crumbs. Are you kidding! I could eat these buttery little babies every day.

In true Seattle style, it's time to switch to coffee.
Entertainment change...
Finally dessert...this lemon cake with lemon curd shouldn't be legal. Not too sweet, great texture, a little tart...perfect.

Good Morning Sayulita!

We abandoned our watches, turned off our phones, stayed up late and partied with Patron. Who cares, we're on vacation and couldn't wait to sleep in...

COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!!

Everyday, 1 second before sunrise, the Mexican Alarm clock CROWS!

Teenage boys awake for breakfast? Never happens at home, however, when you are living in a an open air casa in Sayulita, the ROOSTERS alarm clock will not allow sleeping in! After our first early wake up call, we understood why the stores close between 2 to 4 pm...SIESTA.








You better try to get some sleep in the middle of the day, because there will be NO SLEEPING IN.







I stopped in the little store across the street and picked up eggs and cheese, also some fresh tortillas and salsa from the tortilla place around the corner.


I took advantage of the early wake up and enjoyed either making breakfast at Casa Redonda or one of the great breakfast places in town.





























A great place for people watching and right in the plaza on Revolution Ave, El Espresso was a favorite breakfast place for us. We stopped in to check email and the weather (as usual), but the wi-fi was all jammed up...oh well. On to breakfast. Waffles and "natural" pancakes were on the menu. John ordered the "natural" pancakes, which were whole wheat and so puffy.

Huevos Divorciado at El Espresso

I went straight for the Huevos Divorciado. Isn't that a funny name? This yummy plate had 2 fried eggs on tortillas, one covered with a green sauce and the other smothered with a roasted pepper, red sauce. YUM!

So, at the end of the day, we love all the chickens in Sayulita, expecially the hens!

Tigre, Sayulita, Mexico

Where do you go to escape the hundreds of people gathered in the plaza on Friday night? Tigre! Thanks to a recommendation from my dear friend Gillian, I couldn't leave Sayulita without checking out Tigre. Like many of the eateries around the Plaza on Revolution, Tigre is not a huge place. There is a level below and the bar above.

Great beers on draft, like Modelo. The only question you need to answer is...

CHICKEN or... BEEF? Fajita that is.
According to my guest food critics, the rice at Tigre is the BEST EVER!!!
The fajitas and beans weren't too bad either.

Tigre is a great place to hang out in Sayulita. Its central location makes it a Perfect place to people watch. The staff is super friendly and are happy to help you out when you fumble with your "not so perfect" Spanish.

Oh, and dancing starts at 9 pm, or rather 10 pm...well, Mexico time!

ENJOY!