I am a huge sandwich lover. Over the weekend I decided to try a new sandwich place and squeeze a little shopping in since it was beautiful weather.
I decided to try Birchwood Kitchen, located near the Damen Blue Line stop.
Even at 2 pm this place was busy. Since I was eating by myself I was able to get a seat immediately at the counter by the window. The place is cute but probably not good for a larger group. Getting a table for 2 is the easiest.
I had the Speck sandwich. It consisted of smoked prosciutto, celery root cream, celery, truffle oil served on ciabatta. Yum. I love prosciutto but the celery was a little out there for me. It was delicious. It was actually really good together. The celery root cream was delicious and the celery provided a nice crunch. How does one come up with some of these sandwich combinations?
I highly recommend stopping by if you're in the neighborhood. They are only open for brunch and lunch on the weekends.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Tokyo
We fly through Tokyo on our way to and from Bangkok. The thought of travelling to Japan has never really excited me. Not that I wouldn't like to visit, there's just many many places before Japan on my list.
But now I am kicking myself that we didn't book a day or two in Tokyo at the end of our trip between flights. When's the next time we will be back to Japan? Probably not for years and years. And since our layover is only 3 hours there's no chance to escape the airport.
I have heard there is sushi in the airport lounge. That appears to be as close to Japan as I'll get.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Hotels in SE Asia
We are finally finished booking hotels for our Thailand and Cambodia trip. Well actually I'd booked a long time ago but then changed my mind.
In Bangkok we are staying at the Millennium Hilton. We were originally booked at Adelphi Suites but liked the idea of staying on the river as first time visitors to Bangkok. The river gives easy access to the main wats and the Grand Palace. Plus we were able to pay for 3 nights using our hotel points so it ended up being cheaper than the Adelphi Suites. Plus I fell in love with the pool at the Hilton although I probably won't even use it since we'll be so busy.
In Siem Reap we are staying at Viroth's Hotel. I love a cute little boutique hotel and am really excited about our stay here.
Back to Thailand in Phuket we're going back to corporate America with a stay at the Holiday Inn Phuket. Normally I'm not a fan of Holiday Inns but this was rated as one of the top hotels in the world or Asia on TripAdvisor's yearly rankings last year. I think it was something about the best value. Plus, once again we are using points to stay there. Hotels that are free are always just a teensy bit more attractive.
Our last stop on Phi Phi Island we are once again at a Holiday Inn and once again it is free. Phi Phi Island is small and there's really not a lot of choices. I believe the Holiday Inn Phi Phi Island is the second nicest hotel on the island. So either this is the nicest Holiday Inn ever or the other hotels would probably not be our first choices.
In Bangkok we are staying at the Millennium Hilton. We were originally booked at Adelphi Suites but liked the idea of staying on the river as first time visitors to Bangkok. The river gives easy access to the main wats and the Grand Palace. Plus we were able to pay for 3 nights using our hotel points so it ended up being cheaper than the Adelphi Suites. Plus I fell in love with the pool at the Hilton although I probably won't even use it since we'll be so busy.
In Siem Reap we are staying at Viroth's Hotel. I love a cute little boutique hotel and am really excited about our stay here.
Back to Thailand in Phuket we're going back to corporate America with a stay at the Holiday Inn Phuket. Normally I'm not a fan of Holiday Inns but this was rated as one of the top hotels in the world or Asia on TripAdvisor's yearly rankings last year. I think it was something about the best value. Plus, once again we are using points to stay there. Hotels that are free are always just a teensy bit more attractive.
Our last stop on Phi Phi Island we are once again at a Holiday Inn and once again it is free. Phi Phi Island is small and there's really not a lot of choices. I believe the Holiday Inn Phi Phi Island is the second nicest hotel on the island. So either this is the nicest Holiday Inn ever or the other hotels would probably not be our first choices.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Grocery Bistro
We started off dinner with a big fail. Grocery Bistro is a BYOB restaurant. Instead of bringing a bottle of wine from home, we decided to go to Perman's Wine Selection next door so they could help us choose a bottle. Their website said they are open until 9 pm to accomodate diners at Grocery Bistro and are sometimes open even later. When we got there slightly after 8 pm, the place was completely dark. Thankfully, there is a Dominicks grocery store right across the street where we were able to buy a bottle.
Grocery Bistro is not the place you want to go for a private and romantic dinner. There is a giant table in the middle that several parties are seated at. The tables along the sides are practically right on top of each other.
The appetizer list looked fantastic and I wanted one of everything. I started with the curried crab and apple napoleon, crispy wonton, and cilantro whipped cream. The crab was delicious. The only complaint was there was a bit too much cream since there was a thick layer at the top and bottom.
The Husband had the multigrain bruschetta with goat cheese, oven-dried tomato, and fava bean hummus. It was wonderful. It was also nice since this one was not messy and falling apart like traditional bruschetta often does.
I had the grilled ancho-rubbed flank steak with melted tomatillo, corn puree, chimichurri coulis, and tostones. This steak was too spicy for me to finish. If they cut back on some of the spice it would have been excellent.
The Husband had the Tallgrass Farms burger with white chedder and fried egg. He really enjoyed the burger although he said the egg over powered the cheese too much and he couldn't taste the cheese. It came with a side of frites and truffle aioli. The frites were awesome. Nice and small and crispy and the aoili was excellent.
For dessert I had the cheese plate. It came with tallegio, a blue cheese, and a parmesan-reggiano. The tallegio was good. The blue cheese was too mild, you could barely even taste the blue. And the parmesan-reggiano was too soft and almost processed. Definitely not worth the $14.
The Husband had the Venezuelan chocolate and bacon toffee crepe with creme anglaise. I tried the bacon toffee and it was excellent. Sweet and savory inside. He liked the crepe a lot. I didn't even get to try a piece.
Grocery Bistro has a fixed price menu available Monday through Thursday from 5 pm - 7 pm for $29 for three courses. This would be a good choice if you're looking to save some money. Generally when I eat out I prefer to do it on a weekend though and also at a later hour.
Overall I thought this ended up being a little pricey for a BYOB. Our total bill was $110 without wine. It also sounds like there's some drama with the owner. From the sounds of it, he didn't pay his last chef. So the last chef quit and they've got a new one. I've only pieced this together from things I read on yelp.com but he sounds kind of shady although I'm not sure of the full story.
Grocery Bistro is not the place you want to go for a private and romantic dinner. There is a giant table in the middle that several parties are seated at. The tables along the sides are practically right on top of each other.
The appetizer list looked fantastic and I wanted one of everything. I started with the curried crab and apple napoleon, crispy wonton, and cilantro whipped cream. The crab was delicious. The only complaint was there was a bit too much cream since there was a thick layer at the top and bottom.
The Husband had the multigrain bruschetta with goat cheese, oven-dried tomato, and fava bean hummus. It was wonderful. It was also nice since this one was not messy and falling apart like traditional bruschetta often does.
I had the grilled ancho-rubbed flank steak with melted tomatillo, corn puree, chimichurri coulis, and tostones. This steak was too spicy for me to finish. If they cut back on some of the spice it would have been excellent.
The Husband had the Tallgrass Farms burger with white chedder and fried egg. He really enjoyed the burger although he said the egg over powered the cheese too much and he couldn't taste the cheese. It came with a side of frites and truffle aioli. The frites were awesome. Nice and small and crispy and the aoili was excellent.
For dessert I had the cheese plate. It came with tallegio, a blue cheese, and a parmesan-reggiano. The tallegio was good. The blue cheese was too mild, you could barely even taste the blue. And the parmesan-reggiano was too soft and almost processed. Definitely not worth the $14.
The Husband had the Venezuelan chocolate and bacon toffee crepe with creme anglaise. I tried the bacon toffee and it was excellent. Sweet and savory inside. He liked the crepe a lot. I didn't even get to try a piece.
Grocery Bistro has a fixed price menu available Monday through Thursday from 5 pm - 7 pm for $29 for three courses. This would be a good choice if you're looking to save some money. Generally when I eat out I prefer to do it on a weekend though and also at a later hour.
Overall I thought this ended up being a little pricey for a BYOB. Our total bill was $110 without wine. It also sounds like there's some drama with the owner. From the sounds of it, he didn't pay his last chef. So the last chef quit and they've got a new one. I've only pieced this together from things I read on yelp.com but he sounds kind of shady although I'm not sure of the full story.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Out of Control...Again
We have tentatively booked a week in Amsterdam, Brussels, & Bruges around next Labor Day.
I say tentatively because we booked using airline miles and you have to book early to get the days that you want. Bookings for the weekend have only been open for 2 or 3 weeks and flights to Paris and Rome on the days we wanted were already closed. We can always cancel later if our plans change.
I say tentatively because we booked using airline miles and you have to book early to get the days that you want. Bookings for the weekend have only been open for 2 or 3 weeks and flights to Paris and Rome on the days we wanted were already closed. We can always cancel later if our plans change.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Trump Tower
My mother-in-law, aunt-in-law, and sister-in-law were in town Saturday. After a lovely happy hour at their hotel, Amalfi Hotel, they decided they wanted to have a drink at Trump Tower. Apparently I wasn't paying attention because I don't know which bar we went to for drinks.
There are three bars: the Terrace at Trump, Rebar, and a bar that is part of the fancy restaurant, Sixteen.
Based on pictures and the fact that I couldn't locate the same drink menu we had under the Terrace at Trump or Rebar I think we were at lounge at Sixteen. Sixteen doesn't list their menu on the Trump Hotel website though.
We were able to finagle a table by the window. Because there's really no point in paying the exorbitant prices if you don't get the view. Originally they said they didn't have a table for 5 but we were able to squeeze an extra chair in at a table for 4.
My mother-in-law and I had a drink called the Lady Rose. It had rose champagne and some other fruity and flowery ingredients that I can't remember since I can't find the menu online. It was decent but I wouldn't order it again. My sister-in-law had a drink that tasted so bad that we asked our server to take it off the bill. All of us tried it and none of us could take more than a few sips. The Husband had a vodka tonic and aunt-in-law had a glass of wine so those are kind of hard to screw up.
Looking at the drink menu for Rebar it definitely looks like a better choice for drinks in the Trump Hotel. And if you go during nice weather try to get outside on the Terrace. I've heard it's beautiful.
There are three bars: the Terrace at Trump, Rebar, and a bar that is part of the fancy restaurant, Sixteen.
Based on pictures and the fact that I couldn't locate the same drink menu we had under the Terrace at Trump or Rebar I think we were at lounge at Sixteen. Sixteen doesn't list their menu on the Trump Hotel website though.
We were able to finagle a table by the window. Because there's really no point in paying the exorbitant prices if you don't get the view. Originally they said they didn't have a table for 5 but we were able to squeeze an extra chair in at a table for 4.
My mother-in-law and I had a drink called the Lady Rose. It had rose champagne and some other fruity and flowery ingredients that I can't remember since I can't find the menu online. It was decent but I wouldn't order it again. My sister-in-law had a drink that tasted so bad that we asked our server to take it off the bill. All of us tried it and none of us could take more than a few sips. The Husband had a vodka tonic and aunt-in-law had a glass of wine so those are kind of hard to screw up.
Looking at the drink menu for Rebar it definitely looks like a better choice for drinks in the Trump Hotel. And if you go during nice weather try to get outside on the Terrace. I've heard it's beautiful.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Rockit Bar and Grill
We went to Rockit Bar and Grill on a Saturday afternoon to watch some football. They open up the upstairs half an hour before University of Michigan games. Brunch is served until 4 pm. The sad part about brunch is that means you can't get the lunch menu at that time. The happy part is they have wonderful drink specials. Being the lush that I am, I got the mimosa kit. This included a bottle of champagne, 4 juices/purees, and fresh fruit. And yes I drank it all by myself. What can I say? Football games are really long.
The main point of my post is to rave about what I got for lunch. I tried the lobster burger - it is the "2007 burgerfest champ" and is a lobster patty, red onion brioche, avocado, and lemon creme fraiche. Absolute heaven in my mouth. The lobster patty had nice large chunks of lobster in it. The brioche was delicious. And the avocado on the burger added an excellent taste. Amazing. We also got a side of the truffle fries. They were delicious although my only complaint was that they were really thick. I prefer thin crispy fries.
I really wanted to try the Rockit cheese fries which have melted brie on them except they weren't on the brunch menu.
Rockit does great upscale bar food. Highly recommend for a fancy burger.
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