Buellton, CA

In early February I was supposed to go to California’s Central Coast for work. I was really excited because I was going to drive up and see my parents the following week and work from their house and eat Mexican food. Plus, any time I can return to California makes me very, very happy.

Sadly, weather struck and Snowmageddon hit the East Coast in full force. I was supposed to fly out Sunday, right in the middle of the storm, but all the airports were shut down. I ended up spending most of my weekend on the phone with United (this is not an exaggeration). After all was said and done, I ended up having 7 flights booked and cancelled due to the storm. Since my class was supposed to start on Monday and with the airports shut down indefinitely, I was struggling to figure out a way to get back to the Left Coast. I was able to get on a flight from Dulles on Virgin America for Monday morning into LA (instead of SF as my original plan had been) that looked like it might actually work.

Now that I had a flight, I needed a ride to the airport. No one I knew had the means or the 4x4 to get me there. When I called my usual taxi service, they said that it was too dangerous for their drivers to be out on the road before 10 am and I was looking for a ride at 5:00 am. I ended up calling 6 different taxi and limo services before I found one that was willing to try and take me to the airport. Everything was in place; it all depended on the weather.

I was one lucky gal and caught a break in the storm. It was just long enough for my plane to take off and then, from what I have been told, the weather got much, much worse. I have to admit, I was really nervous about flying that day. I don’t want to end up on one of those planes that take off, get hit by lightning, crash to an icy runway and burst into flames. But that’s just me.

I really like Virgin America. If you pay to upgrade to their “Main Cabin Select” – which is like United’s “Economy Plus” it is a lovely ride. They have touch screens that allow you to watch all the TV and movies you want for free. You can also use the touch screen to order food and drinks anytime you want, for free, and the flight attendants bring it to you. It was awesome.

Now to complain – and those of you with kids are not going to like me. While I was sitting in the waiting area, the gate attendant called my name over the loud speaker. I was hoping that since I paid full price for my ticket, they might be giving me some kind of upgrade. No such luck. Some parents wanted to sit by their kids, and since I was a single traveler they wanted me to trade seats. I really didn’t want to do it, but I am a pushover so I said yes. It was all down hill from there. I ended losing my aisle seat to go to a middle seat for almost 6 hours. And the stupid kids were totally old enough to sit by themselves. So from now on my answer is no! It isn’t my fault you didn’t plan well enough ahead; therefore it is officially not my problem.

One I got to LA is was a lovely 70 degrees. I got into my rental car and drove around town with the windows down. I have to say it was a fantastic change of pace from snowed in Virginia. I think I even sent a loving text to Seabreeze and Shelley telling them how warm it was and how they could suck it. To make my point, a lesson in how to compare and contrast: on the left, a picture of Reston, Virginia and on the right, Marina del Rey, California taken within during the same time frame. Can you tell the difference?

I ended up taking a lovely drive up the PCH to Buellton, CA which is about an hour north of Santa Barbara. It was hard not to stare at the ocean while I was driving, but after having to swerve out of oncoming traffic a few times I learned my lesson.

Buellton is a lovely little community right in the heart of the Central Coast wine country. If you have ever seen the movie Sideways the characters actually stayed at a hotel in Buellton. It is also right next to a town called Solvang, which is done up to look like a quaint Danish village. Solvang and the surrounding vineyards are a big draw for the area. I could absolutely live there – it is just beautiful.

I was by myself for four days and then my mom drove down from Antioch to come and stay with me. It was so fun to have her around, especially because she had never been to this area before either. She was so excited to go to Solvang she could barely contain herself. Unfortunately we were there during Valentine’s Day and the entire area was packed with tourists. Who knew that a tiny re-created Danish town would be such a hot spot for lovers? I personally think it was the surrounding vineyards…but it is just a working theory.

Since I was not able to get out of DC to start my class on Monday, we had to being the following day. My client didn’t want me to cram 5 days of training into 4, so I had to stay the weekend. But wait, the coming Monday was President’s Day, so old Jen Davis got a 3 day, all expense paid weekend on California’s Central Coast. Not too shabby.

Here are some of the highlights of my trip:

Insider Information: My point of contact told me that the “Hitching Post” restaurant makes a great burger. Since they butcher (not slaughter) their own meat on site, there are often tips of great slices of meat that go unused. The Hitching Post takes these tips, grinds them and makes fantastic, savory hamburgers. The caveat is that these burgers are only available Monday through Wednesday. The Hitching Post served as a filming location in the movie Sideways. It was the restaurant where Virginia Madsen’s character worked.

Noah Wyle:  I had a big crush on him when I was in high school. He personified my ideal “cute, nerdy guy.” Well, I was sitting in a restaurant in Santa Inez when a family of four sat down at a table next to me. The guy had a really scruffy beard, but in California you don’t take that as a bad sign (right Dad?). It wasn’t until I heard him order that I thought I recognized the voice. Then the creepy staring began (by me) and I kept eavesdropping. Sure enough, it was him. According to IMDB, he owns a ranch in the Santa Inez area.

Neverland Ranch: In elementary school I was a huge Michael Jackson fan. I remember that in first grade my parents got me the Thriller LP for getting good grades (my parents rocked). I found out that Neverland Ranch was only 8 miles from where I was staying in Buellton and I wanted to see it. My mom fought me on this one because she didn’t want to go and worship a pedophile. I don’t know what kind of burnt offerings she thought I was going to make - I just figured that I was close and it would be cool to stop by. There is no sign indicating on the gate or any kind of official tribute to MJ. People have decided to write their feelings on the flagstones surrounding the gate. I can empathize with the sentiment, but they are ruining a lovely walk and stone wall. Now you kids get outta my yard…

Mission Santa Barbara: In the third grade in California you study California history (which is awesome). A large portion of that includes studying the El Camino Real and the California Mission system. There aren’t many close to where I grew up (we only had gang violence and great Chinese food in Antioch). Since I was so close, I decided to visit the “Queen of the Missions.” Naturally I took the tour, asked questions, and tried to put everything into a historical context. It is a beautiful location and a lovely mission. I actually just sat around on the grounds looking at the ocean and being very glad that it wasn’t snowing. I liked it so much I took my mom back when she arrived. For those of you who know how I feel about kids in museums (I am against them!) there were kids on the tour that were very well behaved and I even told their mother how impressed I was with their comportment. See, I reward good behavior.

The Ocean: Mom and I took a lovely drive up the coast from Santa Barbara to Pismo Beach (I would  live in Santa Barbara in a heartbeat). It was a lovely trip (aside from the inland portion that took me too close to farms) and we made it to Pismo Beach just in time to watch the sunset on the Pacific. I know that the East Coast is nice and all, but West Coast is the best.

Crab: We went to a seafood place that specialized in crab. My mom had a fear of ordering the crab because she didn’t know how to access the meat. After some cajoling, she ordered crab. Talk about a transformation, she went from nervous to devouring it in a matter of seconds. It was great to watch her have such a great time.

The Landscape: Everyone knows that I love California and I make no apologies for loving something that is so clearly awesome. Almost everywhere I traveled in the area was beautiful. It brought back so many fond memories to see the fog roll in over the hills. The cliffs on the side of the ocean still amaze me. The green hills dotted with old oaks and yellow flowers remind me home. I miss it.

Overall, I had a great time. I even got to go back up to Antioch and work from my parent’s house for a few days despite all the confusion. Snowmageddon totally worked in my favor.

Snowmageddon

The first weekend in February 2010 turned out to be a brutal one for the DC Metro Area. While it went by many names, Snowmageddon is my favorite. We were just pummeled with snow and it was worse than anything I remember seeing when I lived in the Rocky Mountains. Of course, Virginia isn’t nearly as prepared for huge blizzards like Utah, so there is a steeper learning curve.  That being said, I think this storm would have rocked even the most prepared community in the lower 48 (I know we in VA have nothing on Alaska).  The snow was not what I have been used to in the past, it was wet and heavy and shoveling it (which I used my recent knee surgery to get out of – well played Jen) was enough to give anyone a heart attack.

The biggest issue with Snowmageddon was staying on top of the shoveling. And that chore fell to Shelley since I had just had surgery and Seabreeze hurt her back (well played Seabreeze). It was her job to venture outside every few hours (even during the night) and shovel the walk and the deck. The accumulation was like nothing I have ever seen and the snow just kept coming – relentlessly so. Shelley gets the roommate of the year award for taking one for the team and keeping our walkways snow free.

It got so terrible outside that snow plows were breaking down. They just couldn’t handle the volume. The snow plows couldn’t even plow our little neighborhood parking lot. It got so bad that the entire neighborhood got together and just started shoveling (minus me of course). Since I was supposed to be leaving on a 2-week business trip that Sunday (more on that in the next post) everyone piled their snow behind my car. I have great neighbors.

We were one of the lucky few that only lost power for a few hours. Some people went for days without any electricity. I just had to spend a few hours not watching TV, which while difficult, I endured. I am a survivor!

While Snowmageddon was a pain in the ***, it was actually kind of fun. I didn’t have to go anywhere or do anything as the Metro Area was completely shutdown. I literally stayed in my pajamas for 3 days, watched movies, took naps and read. If there had only been more chocolate in the house I could have died happy right then.

Overall, it was an interesting weather-related adventure and I just hope that next time snow shoveling is required, I have a cold and just can’t risk being outside.

Knee Surgery and Dad Visits

I am a clumsy person. I have always wanted to be like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly, who with every movement exuded grace and dignity. It has only taken me 33 years to figure this out, but I am no Grace Kelly. I am more like a Weeble who wobbles and still falls down. I am a defective Weeble.

In January 2009 I was exercising in a gym. I know that this is hard to believe, but it is true. I was going to do leg curls in one of the leg curling machines when I realized that I didn’t know how to actually get onto the machine. So I decided to improvise – and that proved to be a huge mistake. I whacked my knee pretty hard on the leg curl thing. And being the idiot that I am, I didn’t want people to think I was weak so I kept working out although my knee hurt like crazy.

Now my knee continued to hurt severely for the next week and then the pain went away. I thought all was back to normal. I have prided myself on having good knees and I was glad to be able to gloat again about the awesome bending capabilities of my knees.

Well, during the summer I noticed a bit of knee pain when going up and down stairs. I naturally ignored it. It wasn’t until I couldn’t play tennis because of the pain that I decided the knee pain might be cause for concern. By October I couldn’t take it any more. After 3 doctors appointments, X-rays, and an MRI it was determined that I damaged my cartilage and I needed to get my knee scoped.

My dad decided to take an early retirement package in the fall of 2009. I scheduled my surgery for early January 2010 (which is the slow season at work). Since I was going to be out of it for about a week, my dad offered to come and take care of me since he wasn’t working. Isn’t he the cutest thing? It was especially good, because I had been laying the guilt on pretty thick so he would come visit me. I mean, I had to injure myself and have surgery to have him visit (meaning my plan worked perfectly).

My dad came to stay with me for two weeks and it was a good thing he stayed as long as he did. While the scoping procedure went off without a hitch, I ended up having a severe asthma attack a few days after the surgery. I honestly can’t think of a time when my asthma was that bad (except for when I had pneumonia). I ended up being on steroids and breathing treatments for 5 weeks. The doctor thought the attack was due to knocking me out for the surgery. Sometimes the tubes they stuff down your throat can irritate the lungs.

I was really bummed that I wasn’t feeling well during my dad’s visit. I had all these amazing, if unrealistic, plans to do with my dad. We ended up going for car rides so I could get out of the house (just like we used to do with our dog Chucky), watching Glee, Law and Order, NCIS and Bones, getting my dad a super sweet haircut by Carmen, and eating the best cake in the world from Edibles Incredible. We are people of simple pleasures.

It was great to spend so much time with my “D.” He even used his words and we had long talks about feelings and relationships. I would have to say that my dad is probably the cutest and sweetest dad around. I will fight you if you disagree.

Las Vegas and Phoenix

In December I took one of the many coveted trips to Las Vegas for a teaching assignment. In many ways Vegas is wasted on me as I don’t like: gambling, drinking, clubbing or pornography. I do love Las Vegas for the food. Vegas has lost the image of the steak and lobster dinner for $5.00 and has become a real foodie town. For that reason alone I was excited to make the trek. Plus my friend Elise was graduating with her doctorate and I wanted to go help with the festivities. To be honest, I really needed the frequent flier miles to make premier status for the coming year – so everyone won!

My company has a contract with the Flamingo hotel so I have to stay there. The Flamingo doesn’t seem so bad initially. It definitely lacks the charm of the Bellagio or one of the newer hotels, but I was hoping it would have some the old Vegas charm. It does not. I have been told, however, not to insult the Flamingo – “That’s Bugsy Siegal’s place.” Here is the deal with the Flamingo, if you don’t wear your glasses or look to closely at anything, than it isn’t awful. The second you start looking at the walls or the carpets or the furnishings you become sadly grossed out and start wearing sandals in the shower.

If you do stay at the Flamingo, ask for a “Go” room. Go rooms have been remodeled and compared to the non-Go rooms, the Go is paradise in comparison. I do like that there is a TV in the bathroom mirror so I could watch the “Today” show while showering. The bed wasn’t bad and I like having a flat screen TV in my room. The hallways do have a tendency to smell like diapers after a few days, so beware.

Whatever you do, do not eat at the Flamingo. Every meal I had made me sick for hours afterwards. I hear that Margaritaville isn’t bad there, but I wasn’t willing to risk it.

I did eat very, very well while in Las Vegas, as long as I didn’t eat at the Flamingo (I keep repeating this so the food must be bad).

My first night I went to Postrio in the Venetian. Postrio is a Wolfgang Puck restaurant. I ate at Postrio in San Francisco (which is now closed – I thought the food was good but according to chowhound.com it is “1980’s”) and I thought I would give it a try. I didn’t find the menu as diverse, but I did enjoy the food. Any place that serves gnocchi is fine by me.

The next night I wanted to try a buffet. I think you are legally obligated to eat at a buffet while in Vegas. I decided to try The Buffet at the Bellagio since I love that place and I figure the food would have to be delicious. I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. Everything was okay it just didn’t seem to be better than any other buffet. I guess I had higher expectations from the Bellagio. Word on the street is that the Wynn stole the Bellagio’s chef away and now the Wynn has the best buffet.

Since all the famous chefs have places in Las Vegas, I decided to head over to Caesar’s Palace and eat at Bobby Flay’s, Mesa Grill. My time in Vegas was a parade of famous TV chefs. I spent days deciding if I would eat at Mesa Grill as it is a bit pricy and there were so many items on the menu I wanted to try. I liked the Mesa Gill a lot. The creamy wild mushroom grits are fantastic. I also ordered the cornmeal crusted chile relleno (I love chile rellenos) was very flavorful but a bit too spicy for me. I am such a baby when it comes to picante foods, but I don’t regret anything that I ordered. The hardest part of the Mesa Grill was trying to figure out what to eat, most menu items had some ingredient that interested me.

I ended up eating at the Paris a few times. My students told me that there was a crepe place in the Paris. I love crepes, especially Mathieu’s crepes and the sweet and savory crepes at Crepes-a-Go-Go in the SF Bay Area. Le Creperie was fine, but they didn’t have the selection I was hoping for and it was $10.00 for a sweet or savory crepe. So you order both, but you just can’t eat both. It was a nice change of pace from the heavier food I had been eating all week.

My boss, John, recommended that I try Craftsteak. Craftsteak is owned by Tom Colicchio of Top Chef fame and I have been wanting to try his food since I walked passed Craft in Chelsea, NYC. The sweet smell of steak filled the air and I wanted to be a part of it. The food was amazing. The homemade rolls had a sprinkle of sea salt on them – who knew that would make such a big difference in flavor? The warm frisee salad that initially sold me with all the blue cheese was also full of bacon. I had to force myself to stop eating the potato gratin so I could save room for my steak. My NY Strip was perfectly done and didn’t need any steak sauce to make it flavorful. It was one of the best meals I have ever had. It was also one of the most expensive. I made it out of there for just under $100.00. Worth it.

My students recommended Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris for breakfast. They have a very good eggs benedict. It was so nice, even in December, that I was able to eat my breakfast outside. Life is good sometimes.

After I finished work, I headed down to Phoenix to see my friend Elise. Elise is crazy smart and she graduated (the day before I arrived) with her PhD. I was hoping that her brother would also be in town as Elise has already planned our wedding, but no such luck.

It was great to just spend time with Elise and her mom, Julia. We didn’t do anything dramatic like bungee jumping or getting tattoos, but we did something more our style - like eating and watching movies. I am so proud of Elise and how hard she has worked to finish her dissertation and graduate. You make me look like a chump Elise.

I got to drive over the Hoover Dam which rocked. I think the Hoover Dam is just amazing and I love the art deco styling. To drive over it was, strangely enough, a dream come true.

I was one lucky girl on this trip. I missed a huge snow storm that hit DC in December. Thanks to my boss and his extra first class upgrade, I was able to catch my flight and return to DC, in first class with people that had been waiting for days to get a flight to the east coast. I even saw a girl from Gilmore Girls on my plane. Her name is Krysten Ritter. She played one of Rory’s annoying Yale friends in the last season. She seems like a nice person and was very polite and never brought up that she was an actress. I have to admit that I was totally creepy and stared at her quite a bit because I was trying to make certain that it was her. I have become "that" person.

Ottawa, ON

Last November I headed back up to Ottawa for my company’s Canadian User Group. I love going to Canada because everyone there is so well mannered. It is as if the whole country took classes from Emily Post.

As with most conferences that I attend, I never really get to see much of the town. This trip was no exception. I did get out of the hotel twice, which for me was a record. This year our conference was at the Westin, which is a lovely hotel. I think that they have done an excellent job decorating the rooms and the beds were very comfortable. I also had a killer view of the Parliament building and Rideau Canal.

I did walk up to Parliament to see the sights. I like the Parliament because it is gothic and has gargoyles. I bet a lot of work gets done because the building is slightly intimidating. I walked around the grounds and looked at fountains and took pictures for people. Overall it was a lovely little excursion, although as soon as the sun when down it got bitterly cold.

A large group of my co-workers and I headed over to Giovanni’s. In my last blog on Ottawa I sang the praises of Giovanni’s and it was just as good as I had remembered. My colleagues seemed to enjoy the experience, especially the wine.

That was really all there was. It is unfortunate that I didn’t get to spend more time sightseeing, but I hope to go back again.

Next trip – Las Vegas and Phoenix

New England in the Fall with Mom

Back in October the guilt that I had been heaping on my mother finally worked. My mom had not been out to visit me since I moved out to Virginia two years earlier. As a mother doesn’t she realize that I still need to be raised up right? My mom caved so she wouldn’t have to face another guilt inducing phone call and finally came out to spend some quality time with me. We decided to take a fall foliage trip of New England since my mom has never been north of Virginia. She said it was one of her lifelong dreams to see New England in the fall.

Because I am an obsessive travel planner, I had our complete itinerary set up before my mom even arrived. If you talk to her today, I get the impression that I kept her on a very tight schedule – constantly informing her of the time to we could keep to our itinerary. While I think I was just keeping us on task so we could see everything, I get feeling that I came off a bit, how to I say this, overly controlling and demanding. If you ever decide to take a trip with me, you have been duly warned.

I need to give a shout out to my friend Ben. He works for Marriott and got me some sweet deals on hotel rooms. I don’t know if this trip would have been possible without Ben’s generosity. Thanks Ben!

The first leg of our trip was to Philadelphia. Unfortunately there was torrential rain that day and there were parts of the ride up 1-95 where we were going maybe 35 mph and could barely see in front of us. I haven’t been in weather like that since Houston. It all worked out well in the end and I was able to take my mom to one of my favorite places in Philly, City Tavern. I thought she would enjoy City Tavern because it is historical and they serve Colonial-style cuisine. I don’t remember what I had, but Mom ordered “Martha Washington’s Turkey Pot Pie” which was just amazing. The puff pastry crust was so good, I don’t know how people get pastry that flaky and buttery.


The next morning, before driving to Connecticut, we headed over to Geno’s Steaks. We ended up arriving at the same time as a police memorial motorcycle ride that was sponsored by Geno’s. It was a blast getting involved in the street party atmosphere and the cheesesteaks were fantastic.

Next we drove up to Connecticut. I think I almost gave my mom a coronary when I was driving over the George Washington Bridge. She kept slamming on the imaginary break pedal in the passenger seat. But hey, when in New York you drive like a New Yorker. I personally think I was aggressive but fair.

The next day we soaked up the beauty of rural Connecticut. I took Mom to a place my friend Becky Derby recommended called Rein’s NY Style Deli. They have amazing cheese blintzes. My mom is a blintz fanatic and I don’t think she was disappointed by Reins. I love their challah French toast.

Mom found a lovely scenic route on the internet and this was one instance where the internet didn’t lie. Next time you are in Connecticut in the fall, take SR-169. If you don’t end up looking to buy real estate in Pomfret you must have no soul. It was absolutely gorgeous.

We spent two days on Cape Cod. Now I have never been to “The Cape” but it was definitely different than what I expected. I figured it would be like the PCH where you drive along the coast with a lovely ocean to gaze at longingly. That was not the case – it actually took us 2 days to find a view of the ocean. Who knew it would be so hard to find the ocean on a peninsula?

Since Halloween was right around the corner, Mom thought it would be a blast to head up to Salem, MA. While the place was crazy busy since Halloween is Salem’s Christmas, we had a great time. The Salem Witch Museum was so full of drama and life-size dioramas. It might have been the best museum experience of my life because it was so over the top. Salem was full of zany characters around Halloween. Case in point, I saw a guy in a cloak riding around town in a motorized coffin. How awesome is that?

Since we were on Cape Cod, we felt a moral obligation to eat clam chowder. The receptionist at the hotel told us about Captain Parkers in West Yarmouth. The chowder was so fantastic that we went back the next night. I don’t know what made the chowder so delicious, but it was, hand’s down, the best I have ever had.

After Cape Cod we headed back to Virginia. I made my mom listen to an audio version of Salem’s Lot. Oh, and we drove through New Jersey. New Jersey.

Thanks for coming to visit Mom. I guess sometimes a daughter needs the comfort and understanding that only a mother can provide. And since I live so far away, I have to rely on your infrequent visits to sustain me during tough times.

Boy am I good.

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

When I moved out to DC a couple of years ago I promised Shelley that I would accompany her Colonial Williamsburg. I am not quite sure why I made this promise as I HATE Colonial Williamsburg. I loathe Colonial Williamsburg because I can’t stand historical re-enactors. I don’t hate people that dress in period clothing; I just hate people that pretend that they are from that time period, “Pray tell, what is this thing that you call a car fine lady?” I can’t stand that kind of stuff. I think Shelley must have caught me at a weak moment. Of course, who can say no to Shelley with that adorable face and sweet demeanor? It would be like kicking a puppy.

Well, last October Shelley called in the promise. She planned an overnight trip to Colonial Williamsburg and there was no way I could get out of it (not that I tried, face it, any trip to CW requires a cynic). Williamsburg is about 3 hours south of Reston, so we (Shelley, Ben Bennett. and I) drove down on Friday to party colonial style on Saturday. Because Ben works for Marriott, he got us some sweet rooms for a great price – you rock Ben! The Courtyard by Marriott in Newport News, VA has recently been remodeled and it was a very pleasant hotel experience. Two things that I really liked about this Courtyard: the internet was free in the lobby and every table had a TV for those business travelers dining alone.

On Saturday before heading to Colonial Williamsburg we stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast. I have been avoiding Waffle Houses for years for two important reasons. There was a Waffle House in Alexandria, VA whose outside sign was “Wafle House” and I can’t eat at a place that doesn’t spell its own name correctly. The next reason is because Kid Rock got in a fight at a Waffle House. What is it about the Waffle House that could inspire Kid Rock to duke it out and get arrested? I don’t think I want to know. It’s like Tiger Woods picking up that woman at the Pancake House. Can’t we all do better?

Ben is one smooth talker, however, so off we headed to the Waffle House. I have to say that I as long I didn’t look to closely to the dirty surroundings and had low expectations of the food I survived. The hash browns were tasty if that means anything.

It turned out to be a cold and blustery day. We walked all over that blasted town in light rain and wind like the troopers that we are. One cool experience was when Shelley and I served as jury members in the county court and we were, if I dare say, fantastic. Shelley loved all the legal aspects of Colonial law; I liked having places to sit down.

Ben and I also decided that we needed to create a super sweet air fife and drum band. Ben and I are very good, but don’t have a name yet for our band. Any suggestions?

At CW they do a reenactment (I think the British are invading something and taking something but I didn’t care to remember) that is full of drama, romance, and pathos. It was so lame. They had re-enactors wandering amongst the crowd, trying to get us all riled up. “Did you hear what the General said?” “Why would the British do this to its loyal citizens?” I kept moving around the crowd trying to avoid them because they honestly annoy me and give me the creeps.

I would say the highlight of the day for me, naturally, revolved around food. I loved watching the re-enactors prepare food. After looking at how hard it is just to prepare one meal, I kept thinking, “My kingdom for a Kitchen-Aid mixer.” Some of the food looked really delicious, especially the chicken and potato dishes. I even got to talk about Alton Brown with the chef (putting him the “Cool Re-enactor’ category).

Shelley (and me, although I will never admit this in public) loves to eat colonial food. We were able to get a reservation at Shields Tavern right in the heart of bustling Downtown Colonial Williamsburg. I have to say that the food was very, very good. The highlight for me is was the Welsh Rarebit. Welsh Rarebit is a savory sauce, usually made from cheddar cheese, ale, ground mustard, paprika, and Worcestershire Sauce, and is served over toasted bread. It is so tasty, although how can you go wrong with melted cheese and bread? See Alton Brown’s recipe for Welsh Rarebit here.

I think the trip was best summed up in the following conversation between Shelley and me:

Shelley: I could see how you could spend a few days at Colonial
Williamsburg.

Jen: Really?

Yellowstone

In early October I headed up to my parent’s cabin in Island Park, ID. I was excited to make the yearly trek up to family summer home. I had high hopes of riding ATV’s, sitting in hammocks, and enjoying the fall color. Little did I know that winter was coming early to Island Park.

It was freezing cold the entire time, and I am talking 3 degrees cold. I only rode an ATV for a few minutes because I got so cold that my hands couldn’t take it any longer. And then there was the snow – oh the snow!

When I was there last year it wasn’t that cold. So when I packed for this trip, I packed similarly. That was a big mistake as nothing that I brought was adequate for the weather. It was a great excuse to sit around in front of a roaring fire place while reading books and watching TV.

We did make it into Yellowstone National Park one day. I find Yellowstone so therapeutic. I don't know if I love Yellowstone so much because I have grown up going to Yellowstone or because it is really just that awesome. There weren’t a ton of animals out that day, but we did have some nice encounters with buffalo and elk.

I also got to see my super sweet friend Stephanie Archibald and her son Carter. There were many hugs and Carter was absolutely precious. He is a kid that passes my likability test.

Mom and Dad at Firehole Falls

Dad and I at Old Faithful Inn

Stephanie and Carter

Next Trip: Colonial Williamsburg

Lee's Summit, Missouri

At the end of September I headed back out to Lee’s Summit, Missouri. Lee’s Summit is a suburb of Kansas City (which I love). There isn’t a lot in Lee’s Summit but I had a nice hotel and a five minute commute so I can’t complain.

As for the food, I had to go into Kansas City to really eat well. Most of the restaurants in Lee’s Summit are chain restaurants and fast food. They even had a Jimmy John’s Sandwiches where I used to eat at while at BYU. It was a nice taste of nostalgia.

I try to eat where my students recommend as they tend to know the best local places. I was told to go to the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City. It is a lovely outdoor shopping area that has some great shops and fancy restaurants. There are fountains and the whole plaza is done in Spanish/Mediterranean architecture. I ended up walking around for a while because the weather was so nice and lusting after the entire inventory of Williams-Sonoma. I got very hungry and ended up eating at the Cheesecake Factory. I even ate outside because the weather was lovely. I know that Cheesecake Factory isn’t a local place, but I love eating there when work pays.

After dinner I went to Half Price Books. I have been to that particular store before and it is one of the better Half Price Books. I am like a junkie at those stores; I see so many books that I can’t help myself and I start buying. Of course, I never get to read all the books that I buy because I am slow reader there is always so much good TV to watch.

The next day I headed back to the Savoy Grill at the Hotel Savoy. I ate there the last time I was in Kansas City and it was so good that I went back for more. I ended up getting steak (again!) and it was fantastic. The side salad had so much blue cheese on it I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I also think I spilled on myself with every bite that I took. I have problems.

Another student recommendation turned out to be a great dining experience. I headed to Lidia’s in Kansas City. Lidia’s is located in a former railroad station and it is very cool and well decorated. If you go, make sure that you look at the chandeliers – they are gorgeous. Rumor has it that Lidia hosts a cooking show on PBS.

The food was amazing. The bread that they bring, foccacia and tuscan style, was light, warm and fresh out of the oven. They provide an olive tapenade and a pesto spread that I thought was kind of bland. The Caesar salad I had was the best I have ever had. The dressing was light, tangy and had more vinegar than most. I liked that the dressing wasn’t so heavy and that you could even taste the lemon in the dressing. The salad also had homemade croutons which were fantastic. I had no idea that homemade croutons could make such a difference.

As for dinner, I ended up ordering the Pasta Trio. The Pasta Trio lets you have unlimited samples of three pasta dishes (which change daily). The three pastas I had were: fettuccini with braised beef sauce, ravioli with ricotta and Swiss chard in a sage-infused sauce, and penne with arabitatta sauce and garlic slivers. The ravioli had a fantastic flavor combination and I think all sauces should be sage-infused.

Dessert came with the Pasta Trio and I was not one to turn it away. I am not a fan of most Italian desserts as they never contain enough chocolate. I had the ice cream trio: blueberry, cherry plum sorbet and caramel ice cream. I have never had caramel ice cream before and I devoured it before the others. The flavor was complex. The cherry plum sorbet was more on the tart side, and I couldn’t help but thinking of how much my mom would like it because she loves anything tart. I would highly recommend Lidia’s to anyone visiting Kansas City.

I asked around for a good BBQ place (I loved Arthur Bryant’s but I wanted to try something different). I was told that Oklahoma Joe’s was voted the best of Kansas City. I drove to Olathe, KS and had a pulled pork sandwich which was very, very good. They also had really good fries.

I know this wasn’t the most exciting trip to report on, but I did eat well. And isn’t that what this blog is really all about?

Next Trip: Yellowstone

Ladies, Please Take Note

Mathieu's Bon Voyage Party

In June my wonderful, awesome, French friend Mathieu had to leave to go back to France. I don’t know why he felt like he had to go back to Paris; I mean Reston, VA is pretty nice. It isn’t like he has family, friends and a wonderful girlfriend back in France. I guess I just have to respect his decision whether I like it or not.


Before Mat left we had a bon voyage party at The Tombs in Georgetown. The Tombs is a popular hangout for Georgetown students, especially because it is conveniently located across the street from the University. Luckily, school was out for the summer so we were able to get a reservation for a large group. If you do have a large party, the staff at The Tombs was very accommodating. One of the hosts even put more money in my parking meter for me.

The food was very good and I really enjoyed the cream of asparagus soup. The waitress recommended it and I really enjoyed the smooth, creamy flavor. It was a great place because everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered. Lala, Mat’s girlfriend, had the crab cakes because she wanted something that was representative of the local cuisine. The Tombs even has a trivia night and it was really fun playing along. Sadly, all of the questions that I answered correctly had to do with TV and movies. I have issues.

While the food was good, it was a bittersweet night because it meant that Mathieu was leaving. Come back soon Mathieu and Lala! America has great hamburgers and awesome television.