I recently learned of a new taste in addition to sweet, salty, bitterness, and sourness. The umami taste is exemplified by the non-salty sensations such as cheese, mushrooms, meat, AKA 'the deliciousness factor.'
I can eat with the best of them. I love fine dining, but I also love dive dining now and then. Here are some of my most delicious eatery experiences.
Geronimo in Santa Fe, NM Elk Steak served with snap peas and mushrooms. Whenever we visit my grandparents in Santa Fe, we always make our way down Canyon Road and look at art and eat elk steak at Geronimo. It's a tradition; and awesome one at that.
For my 21st birthday, Will took me to Mockingbird Bistro in Houston for a dinner and wine pairing. We had the most fabulous 5 course meal which included lamb chops, scallops and risotto. yuum.
The best apple fritters on the planet reside at the Castle Pines Country Club. Our family tries to make a trip to CO every summer. Summer's are filled with hiking, golf, sun, mountains, and FRITTERS.
Christmas 2004. We broke the traditional Christmas ham or turkey or roast and had my great grandmother's homemade spaghetti and meatball recipe. We all chipped in and helped make the meatballs beforehand. There is not a whole lot that compares to that Christmas meal.
Kanamwon. To say 'great Thai food' would be an understatement. This place is a paradox. There's not much in the way of ambience, it's understaffed, and in the worst location near Univ of Houston, but the green curry and tom kha gai are worth the drive. Before Ben, we had set up a fun tradition to skip out on Halloween with my aunt and uncle and go there.
I come from a family of wine drinkers. I love the stuff. It's in my blood. I have many awesome wine experiences, but there was something extra special about my first glass of wine post pregnancy. My dad saved a bottle of Abacus for the occasion. I think we had steak that night? But it was the wine that I remember.
Bob's Taco Station in Rosenberg tops my list for the best breakfast tacos on earth. Bob's was the 'cool' place to go before high school. Even though I wasn't really into cool, I loved me some Bob's.
Julie's chicken salad when I came home from the hospital, our freezer and fridge were full of homemade goodies from Julie and Gina. I swear, we were provided for so well during the first month that we brought Ben home. I don't think I had to go to the grocery store for a month. One simple meal made by my friend Julie was the most memorable. It was this delicious, chunky, rich chicken salad...on a croissant...heavenly. After we ran out of it after the first week, I have used her recipe to try to replicate it, but it's never the same. I probably make my own version of chicken salad every other week on average. It is so convenient. You just make it on Sunday, and eat on it for the rest of the week.
We have probably celebrated a combination of 20+ birthdays at Churasscos. The steak is one of a kind. The tres leches cake tops my list of all time favorite desserts as well.
Dos Brisas in Chapel Hill, TX. For my dad's 50th birthday, we spent the weekend at the ranch. He wanted a low key birthday with just family. I think he reiterated this request throughout the entire year to make absolutely sure that my mom wasn't planning anything extravagant. He got his way in that it was just family, but Dos Brisos is nothing less than extravagant. It is one of the few Forbes 5 Star restaurants in the United States. Dos Brisas is seated in the TX hill country on a small 300 acre ranch. For a hefty price, guests can stay at one of the lovely casitas and enjoy horseback riding or fly fishing. All the herbs and vegetables are grown at the "Inn's own organic garden, seasonal produce from the farm, and naturally produced ingredients are transformed into culinary masterpieces." This was one of the best meals I have ever had and a perfect way to celebrate my dad's remarkable life.
Serendipity, NYC. Have you seen the movie Serendipity? The ice cream shop where they share that giant milk shake also called Serendipity has been around since the 50's. My mom and I took a girls' vacation to NYC after I graduated college. ONe of the more memorable stops was this quaint little restraurant off the beaten path. We were greeted at the door by the owner himself who signed the Serendipity cookbook himself. I ordered the famous frozen hot chocolate and at was simply serendipitous!!
Le Cirque, Las Vegas. I am not much for gambling, high dollar shopping, or an entire lobby of greedy people, but Las Vegas is a city full of GREAT chefs and entertainers. My most recent trip to Vegas was with my mom and grandmother. You can imagine the wild times! Within the Bellagio, there is a small restaurant decorated like an elegant circus tent (if you can imagine). The Bellagio hosts Cirque du Soleil's 'O'. I had the best scallops I have ever had there.
Ray's Country Gourmet, Fulshear TX. Small town feel meets big city dining. I just made that...sounds pretty good. Seriously though. We are so fortunate to have this amazing restaurant in our backyard. I'm pretty sure I would love everything o the menu. They change the menu to match the seasons and all the produce is locally grown. When I was pregnat, sea food of any kind repulsed me. This was very disturbing given the fact that prior to my pregnancy I loved sea food. When Ben was about 2 months old, we went down to Ray's and they had a special feature for the evening: sea bass. The description was alluring, so I gave it a try...my first taste of fish in close to a year. Let me just say, I cleaned my plate. It was buttery and delicious. It was served with potatoes and leeks and spinach with this sauce...OH THE SAUCE was too yummy for words. I will never forget it because that meal got me back on a much needed sea food kick. I haven't looked back.
This list was condensed like 5 times to only include the best of the best. I love trying new places and new foods. All this talk of food is making me hungry...Chao!
Happy eating everyone!
