me gusto mucho!

i want to live in this store and eat macaroons all day. pretty please?



(wait for the slideshow to move... the styling is incredible!)




photo courtesy of impactlab.com

from one side of the world to another.

i'm going to the philippines in june. and i might do a little jaunt to get some pho while i'm on that side of the world.


on top of my planning for this and that, i came across this place on the web.

how awesome is that store front?! and... they serve food like this:


and now, i want to go to finland. just to get coffee in that cute little, plaid cup.


oh, those europeans, always so stylish. what a great restaurant branding idea!

taste this!

Help the nearly 17 million children who are at risk of hunger. Your contribution helps surround kids with the healthy food they need to thrive.

my MIA excuse again is yet another volunteer charity event in the works + family coming from all corners of the world (london, philippines, wisconsin, nj - ha). march is definitely coming in like a lion.

check out share our strength and their big event, taste of the nation. the committee has been working to put on a really good event all in the name of good food and feeding hungry kids.

i'm copying and pasting this text from metrocurean (yes, i'm lazy). but regardless, you should come support this event and help feed a child.

Volunteers are needed for Taste of the Nation, coming up April 12. It's a great way to help an important cause, and you'll get to attend the event at a [discounted price]. A few details from event organizers:

"We have three shifts for volunteers: 1-5 p.m., 5-8 p.m., and 8-11 p.m. Volunteers in the 1-5 p.m. shift will be invited back to the event at 7 p.m. to join the event as a guest. Volunteers in the 5-8 p.m. and 8-11 p.m. shift will be given the opportunity to walk around and sample the great food and wine while they are on a break. As part of the volunteer commitment, there is a mandatory volunteer orientation either Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. or Thursday, April 8 at 6:30 p.m."

For more information and to volunteer, email DCTaste@gmail.com.

If you can't volunteer, please think of attending. it will be fun. and yummy (the restuarant list is INSANE).

friday, i'm in love

ran across these helvetica cookie cutters in blogland today. how awesome. awesome. awesome.


oh, beverly hsu, you are brilliant! you must have loved this documentary too? yes?

taste the rainbow!

just a little bit of color to add to the blinding white out/coverage in the DC area.

how cute it this cake featured on jordan ferney? i wish i was trapped at home (instead of at a hotel in capitol hill) so i could play with food dye and cake batter!


enjoy the snowpacolypse!

pie. on a stick. (aka heaven)

omg omg omg. how much do i love these pie pops!?


even better than the actual pop? the packaging! (iiiiiii!)


oh luxirare, you are totally my crush today.


(!!!)

classic

now that the holidays are over (i know, i'm late), let's do a review shall we?

in the last few months, i've visited my share of new bars and restaurants in the dc and philly areas. and with the rebirth of the cocktail and the trendiness of all things mad men, i've been enjoying my libations more than ever.

my current favorite? the old fashioned.

with it's agnostora bitters, sugar, and orange zest it's the perfect complement to my drink of choice, bourbon. you can find a recipe and some trivia here.

some places to check this classic cocktail out?

in philly, check out the village whiskey. don't forget to also try the duck fat fries and the variety of pickled items - it's way past vlassic. promise. or you can always go to the pub and kitchen, one of my philly faves.

in dc, definitely grab one at againn (best i've had so far - must be the brandied cherries) with frites. also try it at the W hotel's living room bar or at my virginia favorite, eventide.

cheers!

it's a new year!

traditional slovenian dinner

[clockwise from the top: sauerkraut, stuffing, dumplings, lentil soup and a rye pork roast]

happy new year! i can't wait to see what 2010 will bring my way.

last night, i attended a house party hosted by the fun boys of the alexandria harmonizers. besides a black and white casino theme, we were treated to spontaneous bursts of harmonies every few minutes and a beautiful rendition of "auld lang syne" at the stroke of midnight. it was a ton of fun! if you get a chance to purchase tickets to their next show, i wouldn't miss the chance. they are pretty amazing - and nice boys to boot!

today, my friend invited us over for a traditional slovenian new years day dinner (as in pork, not chicken). it was a delicious and will bring us good luck for the year. good food, good company and crazy ohio state fans while watching the rose bowl. what more could you ask for?

finally, santa brought one more family christmas party tonight. back to opening presents... hope you had a great NYE and great start to the new year!

Back Track Part II: Spa Castle

avenue S spa at Spa Castle (yes, that's a private jacuzzi in the back)*

Let's just cut to the chase here. I LOVE THE SPA. Again, I LOVE THE SPA.

So let me tell you, how excited I was when my friends took me to this place called Spa Castle in Queen, NY for my birthday. Ya'll, it was like an adult water park. But larger. And so much better.

You walk in, pay an entrance fee of $40 and get a waterpoof watch that acts as your locker key and 'credit card'. You lock up everything. Your watch, bathing suit, and assigned uniform is all you need.


The locker room has a bath area with 4 different jacazzis but we avoided that since it was nude only -traditional Korean bath - but it also had a lounge and some sauna rooms where you can lay and sleep (in your uniform).

Upstairs you walk up to the massive first floor. There is an area for purchasing private massages like a traditional spa and a lounge where everyone is chilling/eating. The lounge has a buffet, a pinkberry-esque yogurt place, starbucks, sushi, hamburgers, you name it.

the sauna town

Then it has 7 saunas. Again, 7 saunas. They are all different and cater to each guest. There was a gold plated sauna, a jade sauna, an ice sauna, a LED color therapy sauna, a infrared sauna, a super hot sauna, the list goes on and on.


In the mezzanine, there is a sleeping lounge with comfy recliners which all have individual TVs attached. People were taking naps galore. There was also a separate room just for foot and hand massages.


On the second floor were the pools. There was an indoor pool with a swim up bar and tables for eating (in the pool). There was the warm pool with various acupuncture-like massaging jets for each individual seat.

just one of the many outdoor pools/jacuzzis/waterfall areas

Outside it was like adult spa playground. There was a deck to lay out, the wooden aroma therapy jacuzzi, the regular jacuzzi, then the massive bade pool (building wide, at least 1 block long) with ever possible jet, spray, and waterfall you can imagine. The jets and sprays were strong enough to work out knots in my shoulders so that I didn't have to go the regular massage place.

my favorite jet, perfect for the shoulder knots!

The place is insane and all of pool and sauna access was included with entry. Entry is a day rate, so if you can get there at opening and stay until closing - no problem.


Finally, on the third floor, yup a 3rd floor, there was Korean restaurant, where one could enjoy the day on the patio or inside having the famous bulgogi and kimchi.


The best part is, the owners are building 19 more Spa Castles around the country. SpaCastle gods, don't forget DC please!


Don't miss: anything. If you have the time and money to check out the Avenue S spa, do so! if only I had the time and was not on a recessionista budget, I'd be there. For those who are on a recessionista budget, your $40 will go a long way in just the pools. Sit with the stronger jets for a while and you can probably work those knots!

Tips:

• You'll get the most of your $40 if you make this at least a half day trip and find out where you are most relaxed and sit for a while. You'll spend the first hour just getting your bearings and trying everything out.
  
• Bring a towel, the towels they provide are just hand towels and won't dry or cover much.
  
• Finally, be prepared for nudity (both to see and to partake) in the locker rooms. The showers are not private and again, the towels are teeny tiny.

*all photos linked from the Spa Castle web site

Back Track: Part I

photo of Nikko, c/o the Nikko Sushi Bar Site

It all started with a business trip to North Carolina in August. It was busy, busy, busy. But we were able to squeeze in some time to have a fabulous dinner at Nikko Sushi Bar.

Big city upscale feel meets Southern Charm meets Asian Zen.

The sushi was fresh and plated beautifully. My true test for good sushi is salmon and unagi. The The eel was broiled just enough and not dry/chewy (common mistake). But the salmon, ooh the salmon! The salmon sashimi was like butter - smooth, fresh, melt in your mouth yum! This place rivals the amazing sushi in Seattle.

To make the night even more recessionista fabulous is that Charlotte has a lower standard of living cost than the bigger cities, so I gasped when I saw the bill. For the price of only 2 in DC to have the same cocktails, salads, appetizers, 2 rolls a piece, and desserts the 3 of us had, we ate, and ate well. It was like a restaurant week discount. Bonus! If ever you're in the downtown Charlotte area, the short cab ride to Nikko is well worth it.

Don't miss: the Salmon Sashimi, the Strawberry Mochi, and the Red Bean Tempura Ice Cream and of course, owner behind the bar running around in a cowboy hat.

copy cat

i was inspired by my successful fondant experiment and wanted a treat from baked and wired (so much better than g'town cupcake). but instead of trekking my way into the city, fighting for parking and possibly getting disappointed (they have limited offerings of each flavor), i decided to just make my own version of lemon cupcakes with raspberry filling.

i started with a basic yellow cake and vanilla buttercream recipe and experimented with lemon zest and juice. then i injected some raspberry jam/preserves... and viola!


it's not the magically dense yet moist baked and wired cupcake - mine were fluffy instead -- but was very lemony.

ps. i still want cupcakes from baked and wired.

wonderland

i spent most of this weekend trying my hand at ousting duffy of ace of cakes... (ha, riiight). my sister asked me make a crazy, tea-sized, alice in wonderland themed cake for my nieces birthday party as a nice addition to the cupcakes and ice cream cakes already on the menu.

it's not perfect, but considering this is only my second attempt at fondant, i think it came out pretty well.

my sister did a great job decorating my parents backyard as a garden party gone mad.

the mad hatter made an appearance to do a magic show, face painting and some awesome balloons.

happy 4th birthday janiya!

riding the mexican train.

this is why we're hot [while chrys' neighbors played beer pong]

life's been a little crazy since i've returned from the beach but the girls and i still managed to have some good, old man, dominoes fun.

mrs. p4d hosted us on her glover park roof deck and we had a nice sunset dinner overlooking the national cathedral, washington monument, capitol, and even got a view of the nat's fireworks.

for our dinner theme, we decided to play up on the rules of the game ... aka... mexican [train] night!

k made a ridiculous mountain of ultimate nachos
complete with chili, corn, black beans and refried beans

peach sangria + rooftop deck = good night

new to my repertoire - black bean & chorizo empanadas
(watch out julias!)

save the bananas!

my friend, lovelola, has this joke that i like to "save bananas." it's true.

there's only short threshold when i think a banana is good to eat fresh (basically, just past green-- otherwise, it's too mushy). in an effort to not throw perfectly edible food in the trash, i have been queen of the banana bread, asking people for mushy bananas and making baked goods in return.

i've had a handful of people to thank for volunteering for the red cross waterfront festival and since i've been obsessed with cupcakes (see here, here, here, and here), and i just happened to have 4 bananas just past their prime, i decided to try out martha's banana cupcakes.

originally, i was going to make what i started calling banana splits - banana cupcakes w/ a chocolate ganache topped w/ a maraschino cherry - a theory that chrys at P4D and i had while at work last week.

banana bread + chocolate ganache glaze = FAIL (pretty! but not so yummy)

so i opted for a regular buttercream with a drizzle of caramel topping instead of going through the trouble of martha's caramel buttercream recipe that requires a candy thermometer.

sorry martha, as jessie spano said "there's never any time!"

operation save bananas + thank the volunteers = mission accomplished!

"good" publicity

photo from welovedc (another of my favorite dc blogs)

There's this great little custard shop in my fav local neighborood of Del Ray called The Dairy Godmother (formerly the Del Ray Dreamery).

They make only one flavor of custard a day in addition to vanilla and chocolate (and some select sorbets). You can check flavors on their website calendar or on their twitter. With that, you have many sundae options. It's super yummy. It's in Alexandria, so they are definitely dog friendly with puppy pops on the menu also.

As far as atmosphere, the place is cute. Liz Davis, the owner, is usually there with her fun staff sometimes handing out magic wands to the kids. Along with a working jukebox, there are a few inside tables including a picnic table usually with a half-finished puzzle on top for people to play with while eating. Most people hang out on the benches outside the shop with their dogs.

It's a been summer staple of mine since I moved to Alexandria and I've taken many a people there despite the long lines. It's my cute neighborood ice cream shop and I love it!

But you don't have to take my word for it -- Obama and the girls went there this past weekend: http://bit.ly/5X3YW

I'm so happy for the owner and the neighborhood, but selfishly, I'm pretty sure the lines have just doubled. This is what happened to another local fav, Ray's Hell Burger, when Obama and Biden went a month ago.

Don't get me wrong, I love that the Obama camp keeps going to local favorites but with the tourists and bandwagoners, it's just not going to be the same local vibe.

Le sigh. I'll never finish that puzzle!

inspired

mini coconut cupcake at bittersweet | alexandria, va

i've talked about my obsession with [making] cupcakes here, here, and here.

as of late, my friends (especially k) have fed into my cupcake obsession and now, we're on grilled cheese; we go to the local diner more often than not. so on my break from the waterfront festival, i stopped into bittersweet catering to pick up their happy meal, which consists of a half sandwich and a mini cupcake.

grilled cheese + mini cupcake = leah's more than happy meal

eat. eat. eat.

picture from the children's harbor tent | waterfront festival 2007

it's gorgeous out.

i'm headed to oronoco bay park to help set-up for the waterfront festival. you're coming right?

since i'll be out of pocket volunteering (and drinking beer and watching fireworks) all weekend, i wanted to leave you a link to one of the best foodie blogs of dc, metrocurean.

she's featured liveleah on five bites friday. yay and yum!

miss this

no rain + fruity drink + clear water = happy leah

it's another dreary day in dc. i miss this place.

see you this weekend?

who doesn't love pirates, fireworks and live music?

this is hilarious:




it goes without saying that the red cross means a lot to so many people. your attendance at the waterfront festival helps fund any disaster programs that happen in the dc metro area and helps train people to go where they are needed most (i.e., katrina, the midwest floods, etc.)

besides, the kids will love the rides and games, the adults will love the beer and bands and both will love some cotton candy (natch - pink, then blue)! win. win. win.

it's pronounced: ooh-bay

since i'm in portland, i decided to surprise my mom with her birthday cake over the weekend. and being that it was her birthday and not my own, i strayed away from chocolate ganache (oooh, ganache... drool).

instead, i made her an ube and coconut cake inspired in by my friends at ikneadthedough and designingurlife. for those that don't know, ube is a purple yam. it is commonly used to make desserts in the philippines. usually it's mixed with sweeteners like condensed milk and made into a soft pasty cakey-custard thing (if you could call it that). it's taste is similar to taro but it's not quite the same thing.

anyway, the cake was a ube chiffon with layers of coconut strings (macapuno) topped with a buttercream frosting and toasted coconut (the buttercream and toasted coconut was my deviation from this original recipe).

the cake ended up looking great and tasting even better!


*contrary to this post, there was no boxed ube cake. i made the cake from scratch with ube powder for the flavoring. is there even such a thing as boxed ube cake?