17 August 2010

Nutritionista in Traverse City (Part 2)

Read Nutritionista in Traverse City (Part 1) here!

Day two in TC brought more beach time, more good food, and some spontaneous decisions (what’s vacation good for if not spontaneity??).

While we were at Mackinaw Brewing Co. the night before, we saw a sign advertising an event featuring Mario Batali, the Food Network star and owner of many five-star restaurants across the U.S.

Though I’m not super familiar with Mario’s food or his restaurants, I’m always thrilled to be in the presence of people who love and appreciate food as much as I do! So we decided to buy tickets to the event. We weren’t totally sure what we’d get for our money, but we were up for the adventure.

We arrived at the event right on time, only to find a long line, huge tent, and HOT sun.

We had to wait about 45 minutes just to get inside! I tried not to whine about the heat while we waited.

I was sweating, trust. Once we got inside, the wait was worth it. We were greeted with two separate menus featuring Mario Batali’s food from two catering companies in the Traverse City area, The Cooks’ House and Epicure Catering. They also both focus on local and sustainable food, which of course won me over.

We got to sample both menus! Plus, we also sampled master mixologist (such a bogus title, but whatever) Bridget Albert’s 231 Harvest Signature Cocktail.

The Cooks’ House menu featured: Grilled Beef Brisket with Herbs, Corn on the Cob as Italians Eat It, Farro with Cucumber and Roasted Tomatoes, Pennette all Amatriciana, Grilled Focaccia with Roasted Garlic, Scallions, and Provolone.

The cocktail was: Grand Traverse Wheat Vodka, Northwoods Lemonade, Drunken Harvest Berries and Juice, Northwoods Cream Soda (with a squeeze of lemon).

The Epicure Catering menu featured: Grilled Local Sausages with Peppers and Onions, Local Peaches Tossed with Fresh Basil, Green Bean Antipasta, Cacio e Pepe, Grilled Ciabatta with Herbs.

The hands-down highlights:

Grilled Beef Brisket with Herbs: so flavorful and tender!
Corn on the Cob, Italian-style: this was corn coated with bread crumbs, parmesan, and other spices. It was so delicious and unexpected.
Local Peaches with Basil: I love basil with fruit, and this was no exception.

The cocktail was good, but nothing I’d pine for. I liked the muddled blueberries — it made for a delightfully pretty drink.

Oh, and one more highlight? Seeing Mario himself!

He seemed like a nice guy, though I didn’t talk to him myself. I’m shy, what can I say? Mario was interviewed on stage by Paul Saginaw, the founder of Ann Arbor’s own Zingerman’s! It was cool to see two foodies in action.

We finished off the night with some American Spoon gelato and left the event to walk around by the bay.

The next day, before we left Traverse City, we hit up North Peak Brewing Co., sister restaurant to Grizzly Peak in Ann Arbor. They have such a nice patio (something that Grizzly Peak is missing!).

I ordered the Cajun Crawfish salad, while the boyfriend rolled with a Grilled Chicken Pizza.

The perfect way to end a wonderful, food-filled weekend in Traverse City! I’m already nostalgic. If you’re heading to northern Michi and need some restaurant recs, hit me up!

16 August 2010

Nutritionista in Traverse City (Part 1)

I’m back from a MUCH NEEDED vacation in Traverse City with my man, and I have many foodie tales to tell! Traverse City is a low-key beach town in northern Michigan, and it was the perfect summer weekend getaway. I’ve been a couple times before, but I always forget how nice it is.

My general policy when I’m on vacation is this: I eat exactly what I want, but I pay close attention to my hunger signals and don’t use “but I’m on vacation!” as an excuse to over-eat at every meal. This vacation was no different. I ate lots (no, really, lots!) of good food, but never felt over-stuffed.

I also make sure to stay active, which was easy to do in Traverse City! We walked everywhere and swam whenever we could. We also got in an actual workout one day, too. It feels good to actually work up an appetite.

We got to Traverse City on Friday afternoon, and we started thinking about dinner soon after. Our first evening in Traverse City was perfect! It was “Friday Night Live” in downtown TC, so the main downtown street was closed to traffic. There were tons of people walking around, plus performance art and street food. I love the old-style TC theater! We missed the film fest (it was a few weeks ago), but I’d definitely try to go in the future.

For dinner that first night, we wanted simple bar & grill-style food, and the Mackinaw Brewing Co. fit the bill perfectly.

To start, my boyfriend and I decided to try some of MBC’s microbrews. I got the Belgian Whitecap and he went with the Red 8 Ale.

Both were really tasty!

Something about being near the lake puts me in the mood for fish, and the fried perch on the menu was calling my name (loudly). It came with a side of veggies, choice of mashed potato, sweet potato, rice, or fries, and a wheat roll. I chose the sweet potato (with honey cinnamon butter? YES, PLEASE!).

The perch hit the spot. It was well-seasoned and not greasy at all. My boy got a hamburger, and he said it was great. I feel like it’s hard for restaurants to serve stand-out hamburgers, so that was pretty high praise!

After dinner, we walked around, got some ice cream from Kilwin’s (disappointing banana fudge pie for me, strawberry in a waffle cone for him), and then hit the Cherry Stop for some cherry-flavored adult beverages.

The Cherry Stop is like a bookstore/bar/souvenir shop. A little odd, but it works! We wanted to try the local cherry vodka, so the boyfriend tried it straight-up and I tried it with coke (tasted just like a Cherry Coke). I definitely couldn’t finish the drink, but it was a refreshing taste. You can sneak a peak of my handsome boy in the back! He’s totally blog-shy, but he allowed this one pic.

Day one in Traverse City also included some beach time, and a late-night stop (well, late for TC — it was like 11pm) at Poppycock’s for another drink. Ahh, just reliving it now is making me want to go back. I love how laid-back TC is!

Check back here tomorrow for Part 2 of Nutritionista in Traverse City…We may have made a last-minute decision to go to an event featuring a certain Food Network star!

18 July 2010

Top Foodie Finds in Cleveland

I spent all of yesterday in Cleveland visiting my dear friend Taylor (who currently lives in Egypt — TOO FAR AWAY!). LeBron might have rejected Cleveland, but it’s actually a secret haven for foodies, I swear! I’ve had some pretty memorable meals there, and yesterday was no exception.

Taylor and I are both pretty obsessed with food, so we did a bit of research before deciding on a brunch spot.

All signs led us to Lucky’s Cafe in Tremont. I was totally sold on the place when I read they grow a lot of the ingredients for their signature dishes in their own garden. It doesn’t get much more local or fresh than that, friends.

We actually got seated outside right next to the lovely little garden.

When deciding what to order, Taylor and I pretty much spared no carb. When I’m at a one-of-a-kind place like Lucky’s with a friend who I’m lucky to see once a year, I really don’t have much regard for nutrition. It’s all about what’s going to bring me the most joy in the moment! I think there have to be SOME occasions like that in everyone’s life (if not a few little ones every day!).

I let Taylor make the final call, and he chose the Baked Mac N Cheese (“Cheddar, brie, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses, baked with pasta and cream, topped with brioche bread crumbs served with house-made apple sauce”). We added bacon because, well, we could.

So delightfully creamy, crunchy, and cheesy! We also got the Biscuits: “Cheddar scallion biscuits topped with soft scrambled eggs and sausage gravy served with hash brown potatoes and grapes.”

After reading my fair share of reviews on Yelp, I was a little bit worried Lucky’s was going to be overrated. Not so much. Both of these dishes were pretty impressive. Totally decadent, rich, yet flavorful and clearly well-thought out. The Mac N Cheese was second in my mind only to Slows’, and the Biscuits have inspired me to try out my own sausage gravy asap. Seriously good, home-cooked food. RECOMMEND!

After brunch, we headed to the West Side Market, which was total foodie paradise. Fresh produce for miles and miles, meats and cheeses from the finest local butchers, and plenty of other treats like baked goods, fresh pastas, and authentic ethnic fare.

We even caught some belly-dancing at the artisan market across the street!

All in all, it was a wonderful day, both foodie and otherwise. I’ll miss Taylor, but I’ll always remember our delicious meals (and company!) in Cleveland. Safe travels, T!

18 June 2010

Sushi on the Cheap

I know you guys must think I go out to eat every Friday. Not the case, but Friday does tend to be my treat-yourself day (you have to have at least one a week!). Today, the treat was a three-course sushi lunch (under $10!) with some coworkers.

First course: miso soup + salad (free)

Second course: Spicy tuna salad + sushi appetizer (3 pieces sushi + 3 pieces California roll) ($4.50 + $5.50)

Third course: Some kind of watermelon in sweet water dessert (freezie!)

It was the perfect palette cleanser!

Total? $10.00 + tax/tip. Lovely lunch.

7 June 2010

Gettin’ Jolly at the Jolly Pumpkin

There’s a new brewery/eatery in town, and of course I had to check it out.

The Jolly Pumpkin Cafe & Brewery’s menu is “driven by fresh seasonal ingredients collected daily from local markets. With avant-garde aspirations in both taste and presentation, our passionate culinary experts are constantly revising traditional dishes to mindfully reflect a variety of organic regional flavors.”

What could be more me? And who better to try it with than Rachel? Her friend Tracy also joined us. I liked Tracy right away because it was clear that a) she likes good food and b) isn’t afraid to eat it. If you appreciate good food, you’re okay in my book. We got a choice seat on the rooftop patio, which is super cute and perfect for summer dining.

The menu was just great all around. I love when it’s clear that people took time and care creating the menu. It wasn’t massive, but I wanted everything, which means it’s good. They mostly have bar & grill-type food — sandwiches, granite-baked pizza, fries, nachos, etc.

But everything is elevated to another level. The nachos come with “red chile marinated chicken, pickled red onion, black beans, avocado, and artisan jack.” The fries are “truffled, fried crisp, with truffle salt and fresh rosemary.”

Oh, you can bet we ordered those. They were heaven.

For my entree, I wanted something light but hearty. Steak salad sounded perfect. I also tried one of their beers.