Sunday, May 1, 2011

Hot Dog Heaven

Last weekend marked the long awaited opening of Memphis Taproom's Beer Garden.
an outside area next to the bar that offers gourmet hot dogs and fancy cans of beer from a permanently parked truck.
best idea ever??? i do believe so.
good thing its around the corner from my house.
Round 1. lunch with Jenny.
California Uber Alles.
beer battered dog, cucumber, avocado, nori, wasabi mustard, pickled ginger, soy
(AKA - out of control amazing flavor overload!)
Bigos Bambu.
grilled dog, sauerkraut, roast pork, kielbsey, apple, onion, beer mustard
Mackinac.
grilled dog, chili, cheddar, raw onion, yellow mustard, macaroni salad
Hell or High Watermelon Wheat.
umm. this beer is AMAZING.
Red Racer Pale Ale.
i would get this one just for the awesome can!
menu. pure genius.
went back later that night with Lisa and some friends for round 2.
Antipasta.
sharp provolone, caponata, garlic mayo, roasted red peppers, olives, pepperoncini
Polser.
bacon wrapped dog, remoulade, dijon, pickles, crispy shallots.
basket of Beer battered Kosher Dills with dipping sauce.

ICELAND

Amazing road trip adventure in Iceland.
hello beautiful Iceland!!!
at the great continental divide- standing between Europe and America
standing on one foot on a patch of ice 1 foot from the edge on cliff of this huge half frozen foss (waterfall)
seemed like a good idea at the time...
now my favorite picture of the trip!
huge rock formation- boats can sail through the arch.
this view was worth the exhausting hike up the snow covered mountain.
we saw hundreds of Icelandic horses.
they have thicker coats and shorter legs than regular horses but
don't call them ponies or they will get upset.
jet black volcanic sand beach and troll rocks.
church of Vik perched high atop a hill.
saw an Icelandic concert here at night.
we went hiking on a glacier!!!
we ended the trip with a soak in the blue lagoon, Iceland's largest geothermal hot spring
ever seen Hostel II? Yes...THAT blue lagoon.
over the course of 7 days we saw the landscape slowly change, showing hints of spring.
can't wait to come back in the summer to see iceland lush and green!

Icelandic fare

saved up by making pasta and veggies at hostels and splurged on one really classy dinner in Iceland.
Hotel Ranga ***** hotel. XOXO
in a glass box dining room, the sun was setting as we started dinner
smoked Arctic Char with toasted sesame seeds and soy
(chef sent this course out!)
simple greens salad dressed with roasted tomatoes and grated cheese
toppings for housemade bread:
evoo, sweet butter, sea salt, crushed pistachio, pepper medley
lobster soup with broiled langoustines and crushed pepper
serf and turf.
Icelandic lamb and Icelandic lobster with vegetables.
pea and potato puree with blueberry reduction and black salt

finished with chocolate lava cupcake and housemade blueberry sorbet

PORK-A-POLUZA

heart be still. but don't stop...please.
have i died and gone to pork heaven?? oh no, its just another trip to Sketch Burger in fishtown.
on special this fine day? the "PORK-A-POLUZA"
Dr. Pepper marinated pulled pork on a toasted butter bun topped with housemade goddess sauce, 4 slices of extra thick crispy applewood smoked bacon, and a fried egg.

WHAT??!?! can this really be true?

of course i couldn't neglect my ole standby, so we got 2 sandwiches and shared.
heart attack heaven.

Biketoit

March means Bikeweek in my family. Bikeweek 2011 in Daytona Beach.
can't wait for Biketoberfest!
so sleek.
i like em rusty and diy.
classic.
beautiful.
oh? its just lil hot rod.
safety has its price.
it costs $124.99

Traaaaditioooon! Tradition.

WOW. filling in some blanks here for the past 5 months..
here are some highlights from Christmas Eve dinner dessert.
One of my most favorite meals of the year.
traditional czech garb + lighting of the advent wreath
all the regulars...
homemade french macaroons
traditional poppy seed and nut & raisin kolach