TINI Bigs With Finlandia Love

It was our last night in Seattle and it turned out to be one of those nights that is so perfect you couldn’t have ever attempted to plan it. Just one of those, wow- really nights.

It began simple enough- we did the tourist thing and took lots of photos, eating our way throughout the city (yum yum oh incredibly yum on another note!). On a great recommendation from a particular cigar smoking man, we decided to end our visit with a night at the famous TINI BIGS Lounge.

We had a red eye to catch back home, so it would be a night at the bar, some walking around, and then on to the airport for the flight back home. We walk in to this lovely little bar fairly early at about 5:15 in the afternoon or so. It was already dark, the time change does some wonders on that doesn’t it? So we were ready for some drinks. The bartenders were very friendly and introduced themselves as they welcomed us in. One of them asked if we would like to order, but if that we decided to wait five minutes drinks would be free.

… excuse me?

That’s right… apparently, and for this evening only, they were celebrating their official sponsorship of Finlandia Vodka. The international ambassador for Finlandia had flown in for the event and everything- so from 5:30 until about 8:00 any drink with Finlandia Vodka in it in any way was complimentary. Wow, how beautiful is that!

I must admit, when I first walked in and saw the drink list there were numerous bourbon and gin based drinks that had caught my attention- but how could I refuse complimentary drinks especially when there was a celebration to be had for the bar itself? It would be just rude.

The drink above was the favorite of the evening, the Pop 5. It contains Finlandia wild berries, midori, white grape juice, sweet n’ sour, and sparkling wine. It has quite the refreshing twist and pop- lovely drink! The Grapefruit-Tini pictured just below was also quite scrumptious with Finlandia Grapefruit vodka, campari, Cointreu and orange juice. These drinks were the features of the evening and so we felt it was appropriate to order them. Yum.

I will have to venture into the other drinks the next time I visit, and there will certainly be a next time.

As for their food menu- the mac and cheese is heavenly- crisped on top and creamy in the center- cheesy perfection. Definitely a must for the evening as well!

Next time I am going to go for La Bicylette and for the Aloe Martini (Bombay Saphire, Aloe juice, lemon and lime- yum).

Some Aussie Love

Okay, so this lovely cookie somehow was only just introduced to me. Oh how yummy and delightful of a treat- we have much catching up to do.

We are still in Seattle, and some of our friends here with us are from Australia. They were missing the tastes of home, when one of them discovered a pub that seemed to serve authentic food and beer of their homeland. Well, we decided to give it a go and see for ourselves.

And one of the things we discovered upon entering the place was that they offered Tim Tam cookies- sounded interesting enough on its own to me, but our friends were ecstatic! And I can see why now- these cookies are so fluffy and moist and light… simply heavenly! Completely new to me, and I am quite thankful to have been introduced to them. How fun!

So next on the list for us was food- if we were going to be drinking then we first needed some food in our bellies. It had been quite the long day and we were all starving. Well, our Australian friend- one of them in particular, was more focused on the beers… returning to the table with 24 bottles in his arms of this..

Basically, he went ahead and ordered all the beers they had chilled… lol- not kidding. We asked him if he had bought them out, to which he answered “no, don’t worry, they are putting more in the chiller now.” Nice… I think the first eight disappeared rather quickly to him. Bottoms up. It isn’t my usual style of beer (I like mine black or Belgium for the most part) but it was pretty alright.

So then came a matter of ordering the food. I ordered an Aussie Floater, a meat pie served upside down on top of split pea soup. Meat and peas- thought it was a safe order as how could that be bad. And it wasn’t bad at all- quite delicious, I would order it again.

It was an incredibly fun and delicious experience- not to mention entertainment as our Aussie friend continued to drink and dance about the table. I had one bite left of the meat pie in the soup left- I was full as I was snacking all around… and he refused to let it go to waste, by digging his hands into the soup and finishing what was left of my plate- lol. Very entertaining indeed.

If you ever get the chance, do take a taste! You will love it and love the experience. Let’s look at those cookies again, shall we? I saw them again the next day while making a quick shopping stop, only they were being presented by Peperidge Farms cookies. Will have to look for them again once I am home.

IZZE, A Yummy Little Drink

I have seen the name and brightly colored box for some time now, but always avoided it thinking it to be one of the many energy drinks. After all, the can size matches them and even with its bright colors it blends in with the others.

Now I know, though! While grocery shopping, I noticed them with their own little side display and picked it up when I saw the “Clementine” flavor. It caught my curiosity, and I wanted to see what it was all about.

Looking at the ingredients, I was pleasantly surprised and had to give it a try- I love it! It is so refreshing and absolutely delicious. Simply fruit juices and sparkling water, no preservatives or other nonsense. Not to mention it is the perfect size- not too much, just a great taste.

We have since tried three other flavors from them and continue to look for more. So far the sparkling grapefruit is probably my favorite, and the sparkling clementine a close second.

I am curious to try the apple and blueberry next! I have been very pleased with all of them so far. What a delightfully unexpected treat!

On another note- I bet it would taste GREAT mixed with vodka, especially the sparkling grapefruit. Will be trying that sometime soon, too! This could definitely lead to some great cocktails. Yummy.

Kaffee gute Nacht Makes For A Good Night

The only thing that makes this a “coffee” is the splash of coffee found somewhere within this drink- absolutely delicious by the way. Hardly coffee, though- all booze, wow and yum.

The drink is prepared table-side, and what a beautiful presentation it is. The owner created the beverage himself and presents it beautifully with care. He begins with an orange wedge to the outside of the glass, then proceeds to coat the glass in sugar. He has a flame prepared and then brushes the orange-sugar coated glass to the flame.

Next is the beverage itself- mostly whiskey, kahlua, and some sort of citrus liquor- added by spoon fulls that are lit by the flame- glowing with a flame during the entire preparation. He mixes it from glass to glass and tops it off with some cream- and a final spoon of the flame-lit liquor.

Somewhere in the mix he added some coffee- it was so beautifully orchestrated that I didn’t pay enough attention to the actual coffee. To call it Kaffee gute Nacht or “coffee good night” is quite appropriate as afterwards it will be good night.

Rudi Lechner’s German restaurant was an absolute delight, and even a more welcomed surprise to have the man himself prepare for us his beverage.

Kobe Burger, Fois Gras, & Trufles I Love You

Mmmmm.. so heavenly! One of my favorite things to indulge upon is a kobe burger topped off with fois gras and truffles!

Be still my heart- the look of it alone is beautiful. The photo above is from the Wall Street Burger Shoppe in New York, and it looks divine.

In Miami, I would always go to Prime 112 to satisfy my cravings (oh, also the fries are made in truffle oil). They also made my beloved Lychee Martinis there, what else would I need.

Actually, at Prime 112 they also have a Kobe hot dog, its a big one, too. Kinda awkward for some, haha. Its fun to watch the reaction when someone sees it for the first time. Definitely something to behold. If you go and want to simply enjoy a meal, I would recommend lunch time. Its much more pleasant if you aren’t trying to do the whole “just to be seen” sort of thing. Gets overrated and crowded wherever you are under those circumstances. But I have always found lunch to be perfect there. (That or an extremely late dinner is nice too).

Nom Nom- Yum. Anyway, wherever you are I would recommend hunting one down, it is well worth it. If you travel make sure to indulge in one along the way.

One Of My Favorite Glamorous Dinners

So last night my fiance and I enjoyed a wonderful evening in celebration of a recent business endeavor. It is something we both wanted to accomplish and throughout the year finally made it true.

We decided, why not celebrate it in our favorite glamorous style- a meal that stands out like no other and is simply a celebration on its own.

And so we did- we opened our chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose and prepared a couple of hot dogs- a dinner of absolute style and delight.

Marlene Dietrich had it right when she said her favorite meal was hot dogs and champagne- they go quite lovely together- really! You have to try it, it is simply delicious and all around too fun. How can you not enjoy yourself? That is what it is all about anyway, isn’t it. You may laugh but it is absolutely wonderful.

We enjoyed ourselves and will remember the occasion so much more for it. It makes it all the more unique and special. I think we are both anxious to do it again soon. I suppose that means we better start creating more reasons to celebrate. I think I can handle that

Here’s to a luxurious and glamorous dinner of Hot Dogs and Champagne- after all, in the words of Coco Chanel:

“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it s not luxury.”

Much love and luxury,

Bombshell Beauty

Barbecue Capital Of TEXAS Is Lockhart

This is the reason we drove 150 miles west out of Houston; Kreuz. It is worth it every time. We had sat around the house with no power or water for a day when we and the neighbors began talking of warm food and instantly we all agreed to drive to Kreuz before they closed for the night (which meant we had to leave right away if we wanted any chance).

We made it in record time and enjoyed the magical experience of what is Kreuz. The smell of the building when you walk in is like nothing else- Oh how I love it!

The rub is perfect and the rule of the house is “No Fork No Sauce.”

It doesn’t need it either. (Sauce is thought to hide the lack of quality in a meat). It just melts and falls apart lovely- especially the fatty brisket pieces. So yum. (Shhh, secretly, this place is my favorite)

(Less photos though, simply because the meat did not last in front of us- too delicious. We had limited timing too!)

So the next day (Sunday, and Kreuz is not open) we visit Smitty’S, the rivalry of Kreuz. When it all began they were both Kreuz, and then a man by the name of Smitty’s joined the family in business. After the passing of the father, the children argued and eventually one kept the Kreuz name to a new building while the other kept the original building and called it Smitty’S.

Three of the number one barbecue best are all located very near each other, two being in Lockhart and the third being in Lulling (only minutes away really).

All three use the same technique of having a fire with the smoke traveling a slight distance to the meat- it requires much patience and attention and so very few continue this style of barbecue but the results go extremely far. It is well worth it.

Next, finally, is Monday’s visit to Lulling’s City Market. I cannot recall the name at the moment, but the editor or one of the writers for Gourmet Magazine named this their favorite meal ever (stating even though you would think it would be something fancy and expensive, the meat was so true and divine nothing has been better).

It comes very close to Kreuz in my opinion, VERY close. In fact I absolutely love them all. Just look at it in its divine beauty- oh so perfect. Yum!

This is barbecue done to perfection and with love. It is always the same people you see working at these places, too. I love that. They know and truly love what they do and do it extremely well.

They have been doing this for years and years, and it shows. Even the cash register has soaked in the smoke throughout the years, lol. What a lovely place to be.

For The Love Of Chocolate & Beauty

Oh but I do love chocolate. One of my favorite to indulge in on a regular basis is the Ritter Sport chocolates. Yummy and so many flavors I cannot seem to find them all quickly enough.

I think they are fun, too- with so many styles and all packaged in a convenient size. You know the square wherever you go, it stands out. Dark is generally my preference when it comes to chocolate (like truffles and especially when powder and/or bits of cocoa nibs are involved). And second to that is anything involving hazelnut or hazelnut cream/liquor. Love it.

So for me my favorites to have on hand from them are the Praline and Dark Chocolate With Hazelnuts. So yum.

I must say their Alpine Milk Chocolate is quite wonderful too- so milky and creamy. Just the right decedent consistency that melts in our mouth.

A surprise for me was the cornflakes chocolate bar- it was like nothing I imagined at all and quite lovely! It really works. I was expecting it to be ‘eh’ or ‘just okay’ but was quite happily surprised. My fiance thinks so, too (as I have noticed that one tends to disappear rather quickly without any supervision). The marzipan seems to vanish rather quickly as well, but that one is rather classic and true to form. Also delicious.

Look at them, aren’t they pretty? I am out to go enjoy some now, maybe cuddle up in bed to a movie or cartoon.

Next time you come across one I would certainly recommend picking up a bite for yourself as a lovely treat.

Cookie, Cookie, Cookies

I love cookies, lol. I was out and about early this morning and decided to make a stop at my favorite French bakery in town, rightly titled French Gourmet Bakery. I remember coming here as a child with my parents to purchase fresh bread for delicious meals at home. So this place and I go back, I love it.

Me and cookies are very much like that episode of Family Guy where Stewie has a crush on the little brunette girl who’s line of notice throughout the show was “Cookie?” For then Stewie to find out she never liked him- it was only for the cookies. Mmmm, cookies, haha, that would be me, too.

My craving came from the other night- we were enjoying some wine with our neighbors when someone said cookie, and both she and I instantly start saying cookie and that we want a cookie.

Now I have them, and yum! Your classic chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin are pictured at the top- chewy and magical, simply perfect. This bakery can do no wrong, not once in all these years have I ever had a bad experience.

Following the classics, is another one in my heart- the thumb print cookie. Perfectly crumbly with the right amount of moistness that melts only when placed in your mouth, oh and the chocolate they use is ridiculous how great it is. My “I don’t like chocolate” friends fight for the last bit of it. Truly, a must have.

The last one is an iced ginger cookie with the little silver ball sprinkles. Simplicity goes far with this one, and all the spices are just right.

Normally I do like to bake my own cookies, but I have not done so in a while. Besides, this place for me is an extra special treat.

Here’s to the love of cookies. I dare you not to want one, now [ LOL ].

P.S. I just found out they now deliver online (their cookies at least, cakes are in store only). So if you are in for a treat take a look: http://www.fgbakery.com – much love!

Cafe Cubano Just Around The Corner

This is great; I move from Miami and at apparently the same time so does this gentlemen around the corner. Even better, he opens up a little shop and calls it “Cafe Cubano” and you guessed it, serves the most wonderful cafe cubanos and all the traditional Cuban cuisine to go with it. Yum!

My fiance loves the coffees, but only once in a while for him. He instead has found delicious enjoyment in the Malta from Hatvey- oooh, this is a good one.

They have a couple different Malta’s, I think this one is the best by far- it has the most flavor, strong and distinct which I like in a beverage. Just the smell alone is fantastic. This is a must try if you ever come across it- let me know when you do.

Okay, back to the cafe cubano- or in my case, cortadito con leche evaporado. There is nothing like a nice strong espresso brewed with sugar and then topped off with steamed evaporated milk- just a little of course, and talk about heavenly! Oh I love this drink, and finally I can begin having them again and just around the corner from where I live- how lovely is that?

He makes my favorite little pastry to have with a coffee, too- the guava and cheese pastels. It compliments it perfectly.

I would love to see walk up Cuban Cafes start spreading like the Wine Bars have been, maybe this will be the next thing. What a treat that would be. People need to love coffee again (actual coffee- don’t get me started).

Alright, I am off for a cortadito and guava and cheese. Ciao.

Ooh- a little PS, Here’s a little look of some of the other fun sodas they offer. I’m told the IronBeer tastes similar to a fruity Dr. Pepper, but I don’t know- we’ll see. We bought them to try later, I’ll let you know how it goes.