mission: asian food invasion!!!

i have returned to do some blogging, since i have been lacking in this area for a couple of weeks. whenever i am under a lot of stress, and i have the 10 new wrinkles on my forehead to prove it, i tend to have serious writer's block! but now i am stress free and ready to talk about my amazing birthday dinner at morimoto in philly (nyc also has a location as well...check it out new yorkers if you haven't already)!

so last weekend, i went to visit my mom and step-dad, kirk, because they wanted to do something special for patrick's and my birthdays. kirk said he really wanted us to go to morimoto together and thought we would enjoy it. well, anytime a good restaurant is mentioned, there is never a second thought in my mind whether or not we should go...so we did. tori and dylan also joined our foodie ranks and so her birthday was also celebrated that night as well. it was the trifecta of birthday celebrates!

upon entering the restaurant, my excitement began to mount (or was that the 2 vodka shots i had at mom's before we left...maybe both). the place was chic and modern, with funky lighting and a structural architecture that made you feel like you were beneath a wave of bamboo planks with swirly dry walled foam. the booths changed colors from green to blue to purple adding to the marine like ambiance. the staff added to the uber coolness to the atmosphere, having the right amount of pretentiousness and friendliness, giving you that feeling that you, as the consumer, were privileged and yet a pal.

so patrick and i indulged in the omasake, which is their 7 course tasting menu. everyone else got sushi. oh, tori had the kobe beef fried rice, it was melt in your mouth tasty!

first course: i am trying to remember what fish it was...tuna (i think) tartare with a crispy onion, doused in a fish broth and accompanied by wasabi. it was sweet, salty, and spicy. it definitely had the food feng shui going on! to cleanse the palate, the dish had a japanese peach, which is the size of a raspberry. it was very tasty.

second course: black cod, seared and drenched in an olive oil sauce. it had an asian flare to it, of course, and it tasted like fishy heaven.

third course: more fish!!! i can't remember what it was, i guess it wasn't too memorable.

in between our beginning courses and the entree like ones, we had a palate cleanser, which was a fizzy sweet drink that tasted a lot like sprite. i thought it was pretty good, but not very impressive.

fourth course: my favorite of the night, was the chilean sea bass with a black bean puree, shaved ginger, and hot oil. this particular item is found on the regular menu (the rest weren't) and i highly recommend it. it was perfectly cooked and the flavors were very balanced, once again.

fifth course: duck with foi gras and pickled ginger. the duck was very tender and had a lovely asian flavor to it. the foi gras was the most flavorful i have had to this date, but i had a difficult time eating it again due to the too velvety texture (which is a good thing if you love it).

sixth course: 5 pieces of sushi that began with the most mild fish and ended with the most fishy. i was so full at this point that i had a difficult time finishing this plate. i did manage to take a bite out of each piece so that i could covey how wonderful their sushi is to all my readers. i have to say that tuna is my favorite kind to eat.

seventh course: a chocolate cake topped with a strawberry gelled mousse. it had honey and bee pollen on the plate as well, making the dish look very pretty. there was also a spoonful of white chocolate mousse that was simply divine, sweet and smooth that complemented the cake very nicely.

for those of you who go there to order from the menu try these recommended items: ramen noodle soup (a favorite of the restaurant and my mom), any of the sushi or sashimi, and the chocolate pot de creme. that dessert will make you forget every other course and just have that to eat. it is decadent, not overly chocolately, creamy, and unforgettable. oh man is it perfection!

my other asian food invasion experience is the rickshaw dumpling bar food cart that travels around the city for lunch and early dinner. the flagship restaurant is located in flatiron, but you can follow them on twitter, @rickshawbar, to find their whereabouts throughout the week.

patrick and i had the chicken thai basil and the pork dumplings. each type of dumpling comes with its own dipping sauce, and you can get other things like edamame or salad to go with them. they were so freakin yummy that i wish i could them every day! rickshaw also has some vegetarian options for those who don't eat meat, and i am sure those a some pretty tasty dumplings as well. check out their website for menus and locations.

this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplished.

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mission: nice day in nyc

i am taking a small break from writing about my trip to greece in order to blog about this beautiful day. just to let you know, spring is my favorite season. life has once again returned after the cold dark days of winter, showing its face in the colors of the tulips, the buds blooming on the trees, and the care-free attitude breaking free in every child holding onto the hope that summer is right around the corner! yes, it is a grand time indeed.

i also love the spring because it means my birthday is almost here (two days as a matter of fact). i have been a little more blue than usual about my b-day because i am now entering my late 20's and i feel that life is flying me by! but after a good cry on patrick's shoulder, i have bucked up and am excited about all that is life for me. so bring it late 20's! i will show you what i am capable of.

to celebrate the day of my birth, i am going to take a couple of days and have some fun. patrick always makes fun of the fact that i like to drag out my birthday events for several days. i have now gotten him liking this treatment as well! so friday night we are going to my favorite (and cheap) thai restaurant, thai basil and then maybe followed by a crumbs cupcake (i mean definitely). afterward, we are going to see kristin chenoweth and sean hayes in the revival of the so nice they named it twice "promises, promises!" i can't believe i am going to witness firsthand both of those actors on stage, but to hear kristin sing...oh man is it going to be great!

on my actual birthday, i am going to have some friends over to play games. i am going to force my faves on them (balderdash and maybe some beatles rockband for the wii) and have a grand ol' time. i also ordered a lemon mousseline cake from amy's bread! it is going to be a fun-filled night.

until then, i get to enjoy my day today, filled with sunshine and warmth. i also get to see my friends alison and laura tonight to enjoy our fave burritos from chipotle while cheering on patrick at his very first softball game for his work. hope everyone enjoy's their tax day. and if you are having a difficult time with that, go grab a free coffee from starbucks when you bring in your own reusable cup!

this is beth signing off.

mission: takin it ease today...takin it ease.

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mission: greece days 3 and 4

right now i am awaiting a package that is to be delivered by the (in my opinion) unreliable and unpredictable ups man, and so as i listen to smooth french jazz of madeleine peyroux, i find it the perfect time to blog about athens.

even though blogging about this trip is taking me a long time to get through completely, i am finding that it is the only way to stay connected to the greek ways of taking my time. also, i get the chance to relive each moment one singular memory at a time, and i hope you are enjoying my process as well. patrick says i should write everyday to keep my readers engaged, and yet with everything else going on in my life right now, i blog when i can. thus i begin.

day three was all about the sight-seeing around athens, riding in

a mini-bus while stopping at the most significant ruins of the greek golden era. our companions on the tour were the ever engaging 10 year old lochlan and his wonderful mother linda from sydney, australia. our first stop on the tour was zeus's temple. in the middle of a green field, stands erect 15 of the original 104 columns of the greek god's temple. one has fallen down, making 16 in total. this is not a greek temple, but rather a roman structure built for zeus, and if you would like to read more about this temple click here.

we took our pictures for about ten minutes,and then were herded into our mini bus to continue the tour where our next stop was the old olympic stadium. our guide, maria, informed us that the greeks don't call it the old temple, but the temple that is made out of marble. everything the make is glorified, and of course the best. this st

adium is still used as a finish line for the yearly marathon, and is also used to begin the olympic games passing of the torch race around the world!

our final stop on the tour, was the acropolis (acro meaning edge and polis meaning city gives you the greek word for the site of the parthenon). along the way to the acopolis, maria pointed out many interesting sites around athens, such as the parliament building and the president's home. so we get to our destination, and hiked our way to check out the heart and soul of the greeks (when i say hike, i mean climb a lot of stairs, but it's not too exhausting). we learned that it only took 17 years to build the entire complex of the acropolis which includes the parthenon, the propylaea (gateway), the temple of athena nike, and the erectheion (another temple). the temples were beautiful to look at and all were very photogenic, but the views of the city were simply breath-taking. you could see the entire city of athens all the way to the sea port village of pireaus.

when we had seen everything and taken all the desired pictures, we headed back to our hotel. stelios, our trafalgar guide of athens, wanted to show us around plaka. stelios, in my mind, it your stereotypical greek man, just like the father from my big fat greek wedding. he gives you the entire history of the greeks along with the meaning to every word...ever without being asked. i found him very endearing.

so, even though we had ventured to this part of town already, we indulged him and gave him the chance to talk about everything that we saw. i cannot recount many of his stories, mostly because i zoned out and patrick was busy being entertained with the millions of stray animals and wanted me to take part in his excitement. (side note- there are no squirrels to be found in the city of athens, but in their place are hundreds of stray cats and dogs. i mean it, they are everywhere!!!) patrick and i were feeling quite hungry, and so as soon as stelios's plaka tour was over we headed to a cafe for some gyros! they are a lot different than the ones over here because the meat was not difficult to identify. however, they did not have many lamb gyros around, mostly chicken and pork.

we napped in the afternoon, checked out the acropolis museum, and then ate at an italian restaurant near our hotel. i think we needed something other that greek food that night. it was actually really good, so good we ate there again before we left. i had a farfalle pasta dish with shrimp and red peppers in a

tomato cream sauce while patrick had the cheesiest lasagna i have ever seen!

day four was a national holiday, and not just any holiday...THE holiday! it is the day that the greek celebrate their independence, march 25. this meant that everything was closed, and so we had little options for sightseeing. we began the day with stelios taking us to the military parade. it was so over crowded and so hot, i thought i was going to hyperventilate and pass out. thankfully i made it through the entire thing, and then patrick, linda, and lochlan and i took the metro back to the hotel. we decided that the metro system in greece is pretty amazing. it is clean and mostly made out of marble. i think that the mta should take note of this!

after some more napping and a change of clothes, and another round of gyros and tzaziki, patrick and i ventured out vis metro to faliro (i think) which is along the coast on the outsk

irts of athens and situated near the olympic complex. we walked along this one street and were amazed. the entire row was restaurants, one right after another. you could find any type of fare you wanted, from traditional greek to cuban to seafood! what i found interesting about these places were half of the restaurant was on one side of

the street overlooking the harbor and the other half was on the other side of the street. we deduced that the kitchen was on the non harbor side as we saw wait-staff lugging trays across the busy street. we were longing for some food but were not quite ready for a full dinner. so we settled on the haagen dazs cafe where we had a delectable dessert and freddo cappuccinos! between the view, the sweets, and my sweet, i was in heaven. it was so relaxing, and so perfect.

to get back to our hotel, we took the tram this time to experience that form of transportation. what can i say, us new yorkers have to know how to travel around each place we go! it was a long trip, but relaxing as we got to see the coastline and parts of the city we hadn't seen yet. our stop was quite close to our hotel and so we trudged back to our room to relax. for dinner that night, we thought we would try some greek fast food at their nation chain called goody's. we got some burgers and fries, and were happy to not spend hours at a taverna for dinner (although greek life agrees with me, i am still very much american).

patrick and i ended our night watching madagascar in greek. it was funny, and the amount of commercials was ridiculous! the same 30 second ads were played over and over for about 20 minutes! i am not exaggerating. i tried to count them at one point, but by commercial number 40, i lost interest in the game and fell asleep.

this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplished.

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mission: greece day 2

day two began with patrick and i hailing a cab to the center of athens. as part of our trafalgar tour package, we stayed at the divani palace acropolis. we checked in around 1 p.m. and then headed out to explore the city. our first stop had to be food since we were getting hungry. patrick wanted to find the ancient agora (agora is the greek word for outside or open space) so we followed the map to that general area and stopped at an outdoor cafe called tepina. we had some traditional greek food including a salad with fresh goat cheese, bread with tomatoes and feta, and kebab that we smothered in tzatziki sauce. we finished our meal with a freddo espresso, which is iced coffee that has a creamy foam floating on its surface.

from there we explored the flea market and the old part of the city called the plaka. you can find all the greek souvenirs your heart could ever desire in this part of town. the buildings in here have a classical feel to them and are much more pleasing to look at than in the more modern places around athens.

after plaka, we hiked up a hill which led us to the acropolis, although we waited till our tour to actually go up to see the parthenon, and we also saw the ancient agora from above and took pictures. we wound our way around the streets until we ended up back at our hotel where we got ready to meet up with maria loi, a greek celebrity chef and personality, at dionysus zonar's acropolis. i think this was my favorite part of the whole trip because we had a great time with maria and the food was phenomenal! this restaurant could rival any upscale place here in nyc and it is a foodie delight. if you travel because you love food, or love food and travel to find it, go here!

we had a several course meal that the chef carefully prepared just for us! we began with salmon sashimi with a thyme sauce. it was fresh and a great way to start off the meal. then we had a traditional fish soup that was creamy, savory, and full of flavor. the next course was by far my favorite, crayfish in a fava bean puree drizzled with olive oil. in between these courses we enjoyed bread and goat cheese and olive oil. our waitress gave us butter at first to accompany the bread, but maria loi sent it back asking for olive oil instead...she said she hates butter. course number four was shrimp in a creamy rice, very similar to risotto. our main entree was a perfectly cooked angus filet in a red wine sauce topped with foi gras. last time i had foi gras i did not like it, but attempting to not be rude i tried it again, and surprisingly enough i enjoyed it. the meal ended with a vanilla custard tart and a delicious vanilla gelato.

throughout the course of the night, patrick and i met the head chef, the head of wait staff, and the owner of the restaurant. we tried to convince everyone that nyc needed!!! a greek restaurant like this one. we sang praises to the owner and chef urging them to come to us (i don't think we got too far with them on that idea. maria will have to work her magic to convince them any further). our meal was also met with a challenge by our waitress. she was telling us how whenever americans come to the restaurant they say how wonderful it is there and describe it as "heaven" or "it's view is like a movie." she then told us how she wanted to start writing all these things down and post them on the internet. so i told her i would come up with the perfect sentence for her. i looked out the window, taking in the breathtaking view of the parthenon lit up in all it's glory. i had also just eaten my steak that was so perfect, and thus i was inspired. my sentence was, "food that will melt in your mouth, and a view that will melt your heart." it took a total of 30 seconds for me to come up with this line, shared it with patrick, and finally with our waitress. well, you would have thought i said the most earth shattering sentence ever created! everyone loved it, and maria loi was deeply affected by what i had said. she told me that i understand the greek way of life, and she began to tear up. everyone wanted me to record my words, and soon the whole restaurant had a copy of my sentence. i didn't know how to react, and so i tried my best to remain humble about what i had said. it was fun, and i am honored to have had the chance to be recognized by maria and the staff for understanding the greek culture. so if you see a cook book with a title similar to this sentence by maria loi, you will know where it all began!

after our dinner was over (three hours later...i love greek time, it is so relaxing. you can stay at your table as long as you want. you will never feel like you are being rushed out of a place) we said our good byes to maria and staff. it was a delightful dinner full of fun and good conversation. thank you to maria and everyone at dionysus, it was the most amazing time we had in greece and we hope to visit your beautiful country again soon!

this is beth signing off.

mission accomplished.

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mission: greece day 1

the entire time i was in greece, i had no access to the internet (and to be honest, it was kind of nice being disonnected for a while. so now i get to recount all of the fun adventures patrick and i had in the big olive for the next several blog posts...hope you enjoy them!

day one began after a long overnight flight. this, in theory, would have been nice if i were the type of person who could sleep on a plane. alas i cannot (subway, yes any day of the week...plane never), and so i hazily made my way through customs and baggage

claim wanting so desperately to snuggle up in a bed.

anyway, our first stop on our trip was the westin at astir palace, located on the vouliagmeni penninsula, which about 15 miles

away from downtown athens. while we were waiting for our room to be cleaned, we were served some complimentary coffees and cookies and enjoyed soaking in the gorgeous view of the surrounding beach and resort property. the lobby of the westin is located at the top of a cliff, so we could see pretty much everything in the surrounding area.

after our coffees, we further explored the hotel, chilling out in some lounge chairs while listening to the soft lapping of the waves against the rocks. it was so serene, and so perfect i could have stayed there all day. but patrick wanted to check out more of the area, so we walked up a path and found a little field overlooking the agean sea. patrick climbed down some of the way, and i took this picture of him.

when we were finally able to go to our room, the first thing on my agenda was to take a bath, bubble of course, and the second thing was to take a nap. upon waking up, we felt refreshed, got ready for our dinner, set up by greek celebrity chef maria loi, and took another walk. this time we walked along the road and found some beaches (we didn't go to them because we had to pay and it was too cold outside), and finally arrived at our restaurant, ithake (pronounce ee-tha-kee).

dinner was lovely and the perfect introduction to greek cuisine, and the view from the restaurant was divine. we could see the resort coastline and with the moon high and bright, everything romantically glimmered. anyway, the food...patrick and i shared a nice salad and some calamari. my entree was a filet of grouper that was cooked to perfection and seasoned very simply. it was fresh and clean on my palate, and i ate it alllll up. our dinner was paired with a delicious white wine from santorini (and later on we got to see the vineyards there). dessert was a traditional greek pastry with honey and phyllo dough, but it wasn't baklava. similar but not the same. i think we were there for about three hours total because the greeks really value taking time to enjoy a meal, to be with the ones you love and truly enjoy the food and good times. this way of life could really suit me, and i wish that nyc was more like that at times rather than feeling pressured to leave as soon as my meal has been consumed.

patrick and i then left for our hotel, sauntering all the way back. the rest of our vacation was ahead of us, and i couldn't wait to experience more of this beautiful country.

this is beth signing off.

mission: accomplished.

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