Azuma zoom zoom . . .

So our group had a new paralegal start last week resulting in welcome lunch at Azuma. Usually I just get sushi there but thought after 3 years I should try something else.  So rice bowl with name I can't recall it is! Fried pork cutlet and veggies with soft poached egg on top. Huge portion. Pretty damn tasty. Success!  

What little I know of Japanese food I think this tasted pretty authentic. While I'm talking about Japan, Hubs and I have hatched a plan to go to Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics! Already excited. Stay tuned. 

I've never had a bad meal at Azuma. 4 microwaves and I recommend it. 

I Give Up . . .

I am getting so far behind on this blog it is embarrassing.  Doing a long recap post to get everything up to date.

Last week I had surgery on my sinuses and nose.  Kind of sucked The first day I was a big baby about it to the point where I was emailing sad pictures of myself to my Moms for sympathy (while totally high on painkilelrs.  I even texted a pic to Twist).  Normally I am not so much a big baby, but my head felt like it had been scraped out and stuffed into my nose.  Wednesday I think all I had was a milkshake.  Milkshakes are my preferred remedy for about any medical situation.  Vanilla.  Thursday Awesome Coworker came over with Awesome Baby and brought lunch.  How nice was that?  You see, there is a reason I code named her Awesome.  A collection of salads from Whole Foods.  Thai coleslaw (spicy), Kale salad (sweet and delish), um, something else I don't recall that was also tasty and mixed fruit.  Since I found out I am allergic to canteloupe I am off the mixed melons for the most part.  I subbed in a Hawaiian roll which ACW sadly, could not have b/c she is dairy free for baby.  A sacrifice I am not sure I would be willing to make for my kids.  Sorry Kiddos.  It's true, you rank beneath dairy.  Cheese at the very least if I had to choose.  Baby was adorbs and bonus for me, I got to do some holding, some feeding and some snuggling to sleep.  Ahhhhh.  No.3 son is out of the snuggle phase.  :(  He's moved on to constant movement, screeching and taunting phase.  But he is still cute.

Anyhoo- it was so so so so nice to hang out with both.  I hope they will come back!  Mostly b/c I think I owe her money for lunch.  I did get to keep the kale afterall.  I thought the kids would love it so I gave everyone like 2 bites on their plates at dinner.  I got one outright no way, but the other two ate it--i thought.  After dinner I found partially chewed and discarded kale at various spots on the floor.  Honestly though, it tasted really good and wasn't bitter or anything.  I'm not sure what the dealio was.

I dont think I have a picture of the salads.  I'll post and go look.

Um what was next? Friday I don't even remember happening.  I did drag myself out to see Elysium with Hubs.  Pretty good.    Love Matt Damon.  Especially love that he is just as believable in drama as he is in action stuff.  He has turned out to be a pretty good action hero person.  Plus he has a normal wife and like 4 daughters.  How can you not love that?

Oh wait-- Tuesday before my surgery I went with the ladies here to Tacos a Go Go.  Me plus 3 other gals that I don't yet have names for.  I should eat with them more.  They are a riot.  Did a breakfast taco- egg with tomatoes, cheese and refried beans on corn tortilla AND, a Mexican Coke.  i.e. Coke with real sugar in it.  soo good.  and cheap.

Labor Day weekend didn't have any food worth mentioning.  And now today- I blew an opportunity t have Ducky Momo and Chungry bring me Treebeards so I ended up having to get a box from Starbucks.  All they had was crackers and cheese.  I like crackers and cheese so that is ok.  the green apple it came with was horrible though.

Take Two . . .

Ok- so I wound up going to Benjy's a second time a few days after my inaugural visit.  Orchestrated a work lunch for my group and our VP.  My group includes Boss Lady, New Cubed and Veggie Tales.  Aside: Veggie Tales is having twins in December!  Holy shit.  I can't even wrap my mind around that. I don't think I have the mental skills to deal with 2 kids at the same time who are on the same level of need.  However, b/c it's babies I am super excited for her.  If anyone can conquer twins it is Veggie.

So- went with special, Lamb stew.  had gnocchi in it which we know I usually don't dig, but this was not so gag inducing.  I ate about half of them and then picked out everything else.  Meat was tender, the gravy was really nice.  I can't remember at all what the wait-dude said went into it.  No one did dessert, thus that portion of the menu remains untested.

I can say though that Benjy's is very much on top of filling the water and tea.  And, I never thought I would say this, so much so it is in fact very annoying.  If you use sugar forget it.  The minute you get the balance right the guy swoops in and fills your glass.  At one point I was forced to do a very aggressive hand-over-the-glass manuever to keep away the refill.  It was so frequent my iced tea never once got even as far as half full.  It was like two sips, refill.  4 sips, refill.  My next strategy was just to act like i was drinking my tea everytime the guy came around.  While on the one hand I greatly admire and appreciate the attention to the refill, on the other hand this was totally nutso refilling.  I felt like the refill dude should have just been eating with us he was at our table so often.

Pic is not the best.  I mean its stew so really, how nice can it look? Ultimately chili and stew look like bowls of mud at best.  Do not let it fool you.  It was the shizz.  I'll just put this out there, I like lamb.  For the most part no one can cook it worth a damn other than a lamb chop.  I mean how hard is it to cook one of those?  However, anything else seems to befuddle the majority of kitchens.  Perhaps it is the quality as well.  Whatever the constributing factors were here, the results were very nice indeed, and I thank you for that Benjy's.

4 out of 5.  I shall return.

Reunited

Back from vacation this past week and priority scheduled Twist for lunch. I admit I did text him some of the more significant events during our trip, but still needed a welcome back lunch.

Settled on Warren's. something about it was different. Couldn't decide in what exactly. Finally agreed that maybe it was cleaner?  Twist went for the special; chicken sandwich. I had an off the "menu" grilled cheese. Warrens is the only place I have found to date that can do a grilled cheese right. I.e. not with a panini press. Plus they have good pickles. 

What's to say. It was a nice grilled cheese. The mushroom soup of the day also delightful. I would even go so far as to say it was homemade? Had a kick and fresh mushrooms. Another bonus: iced tea was not brown but a lovely orange the way it should be. 

Had a nice chat. Good to be back. 

3.5 recommended. 

Nice, Very Nice . . .

I had a networking lunch with a collegue yesterday at Benjy's on Washington Ave.  Had never heard of it before, but that's not saying much.  I haven't heard of most things.

Easy to get to from office, bonus.  Food was fantastic, bonus.  Server was fantastic, big bonus.  And while convo centered on work crap and industry stuff and what not, it was fine too.  A succes all around!

I had a grilled salmon salad with crispy chickpeas and some nondescript dressing.  The chickpeas were a nice addition.  Salmon was cooked great with nice flavor.  Dressing was the real downfall.  not much taste at all and more or less just made the salad oily.  I forgot to get it on the side.  My lunchmate had a ground lamb burger.  He took the top bun off and ate it with a knife and fork.  It came with roasted hatch chilis, but I don't think he ate them.  He had a big mound of green stuff to the side of his plate that I assume was the chilis.  Kind of thought it was odd he didnt just get it without the chilis.  But, whatever.  I take pictures of my food so there you go.

Nice atmosphere but once it got full of diners it was really loud.  Restaurants that have that big open thing going on I like the vibe of until people come in and then you can't hear shit.  I spent half my lunch leaning into the table and asking, what?  It's annoyinig if it's not night time with friends or you're drunk.

I'll give Benjy's a 4 and recommended, noting that desserts are untested which will necessitate another trip.  Who knows when that will be at the rate I go to lunch.

Side note- stumbled back in from vacation on Monday.  Have a few posts to put up.  Will try to get to it within the next few days.

Eat good this weekend!

More Vacation Eats. Grand Tetons

Wrapped up our stay in Jackson with a visit to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar followed by dinner at the Million Dollar steakhouse. Both excellent experience for vibe and food.

Bar has been around forever and is fun. You can tell it's packed during ski season and on the weekends.  Bar stools are horse saddles. A little awkward getting on and off those but whatever. They were out of the house brand beer. Fail. But we had some other local brews that were good. MDCB doesn't have anything on tap. Weird? I think so. I kind of like my draft beer. 

On to dinner.  Locally sourced produce and meats. Homemade bread. Awesome. Started with homemade wheat bread with chipotle honey butter and smoked trout with dill and capers in cream cheese spread. Both phenomenal. Bread good taste but leathery crust.  Appetizer was Elk and huckleberry bratwurst.  Hello!  Great job on the grill. Great texture and flavor. Very juicy. Loved it. 

bratwurst

Entrees were Elk filet for Hubs and Bison ribeye for me. Nice surprise on ribeye. It came topped with crab meat and a hollandaise sauce. Ribeye was excellent flavor on its own. Mixed with crabmeat and hollandaise, it was the bomb. Elk filet was nice. Very tender. Different flavor. Almost had a sweetness to it. Not gamey at all. Our server attributed that to being grass fed   Whatever it is, it's working for you.  Sadly, no dessert.  Too stuffed.   

elk filet

4.5 microwaves. Recommended.

bison ribeye with crab

Afterwards we made our way to the Jackson Cinema and saw We're the Millers.  Freaking hilarious.  I still laugh thinking about some of those scenes.  I may have to see it again.  Had a box of hot tamales, my fav candy -- and they were fresh!  Left my bags of souvenirs there at the theater.  Remembered around midnight and it was already locked up tight.  Had to call for 3-4 days and send an email BUT the theater did write me back and mail me my stuff, so Respect!  Much appreciated.

Vacation!

Mega driving trip with the fam. Right now hubs is telling no.1 son that flies nest in your hair and lay eggs. No. 1 son on verge of tears. 10 more days to go!

Jackson Hole Pizzeria Caldera. Quattro Stagione pizza with sausage in lieu of prosciutto. Thin crispy crust. Good service. Nice selection of local beer. Super tasty slice. Highly recommended if you're in Jackson, WY. 

4.5 microwaves. Doesn't reheat in microwave that awesome. Oven would be better, but we don't have one in our groovy cabin. 

Chungry also on vacation in Jersey doing what seems to be a statewide pizza review.  I don't know how one can eat so much pizza. Although we've been living on crackers and cookies during the day on this trip. Maybe I should review crackers next. Son no.3 seems partial to rainbow goldfish.  Have to keep him constantly fed or my man gets PISSED off. 

Photo tk. Took it with Hubs phone. Internet half ass in the mountains.

Note: 8/23 still dont have my pizza photo, and now we've taken so many pictures it isn't in the photo stream either.  boooo.