SXSW

South By Southwest (SXSW) is in full swing! Austin comes alive with this festival and I love it. It reminds me of New York with all the crowds of people and huge traffic jams. We kicked off SXSW with a music and food event sponsored by Noise Pop and Graffeats. It was a tribute to culinary and musical greats! We enjoyed a wonderful six-course meal paired with wines from Wente Vineyards. This event took place at the Swoop House where I can't wait to take part in their monthly supper clubs. I had to show you some pictures of my favorite courses from this amazing meal.

Uchiveche salmon, striped bass, tomato, bell pepper, garlic, cilantro

Tyson Cole, Uchi, Austin, Texas

Hot potato, cold potato, black truffle & parmesan

Grant Achatz, Alinea, Chicago, Illinois

Roasted cauliflower, grapes, almonds, curry

Daniel Humm, Eleven Madison Park, NYC

You know what they say, KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD. I found this very amusing...A guy walking a camel down the street. The police made him put the camel back into the trailer as the camel was causing too much commotion. HILARIOUS.

Lastly, I wanted to share with you my favorite bands that we saw yesterday. Our favorites were FREE ENERGY, THE PARLOTONES, and THE STONE FOXES.

I also went to the grocery store yesterday with the intent of cooking. However, that quickly changed when my husband got off work early and he wanted to go to see all these shows instead! I hope to be back tomorrow with a new recipe! 

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Semi-Homemade Greek Dip

Today's post comes from my cousin, Andrea, who is obsessed with Pinterest! I think she has tried almost every dessert posted on Pinterest. However, she came up with this recipe on her own for her Oscar's party and said it was a huge hit! I loved it because it sounded so easy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 large tub of Sabra Hummus (or your favorite kind of hummus)

1 cucumber, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped or a handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1 container of Tzatziki

1 container of Feta cheese (reduced fat is fine!)

1 bag of pita chips

Using a 9x9 square pyrex dish, spread entire container of hummus onto the bottom of the dish.

Chop cucumbers and layer on top. 

Then, chop the tomatoes and add on top of the cucumbers.

Drizzle tzatziki sauce on top (do not use the entire container). Finally, sprinkle with feta cheese (to your liking) and serve with pita chips!

Thanks for sharing An!  

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Friends with Kids

This weekend was rather dreary as it rained cats and dogs Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday. I was tempted to not leave my apartment but two of my friends convinced me to go and see this movie Saturday night. I loved it and I had to share it with you because I have not seen a good chick flick in awhile. It was a light-hearted movie that made you laugh and cry all at the same time! 

We saw this movie at Violet Crown which is an artsy theatre in the 2nd Street District here in Austin. I love movie theaters that serve alcoholic beverages and this theater even had specialty drinks! Make sure you buy your tickets online because their shows sell out fast and they only have reserved seating. 

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Napa Valley Done Right

We rented a car in San Francisco and drove to Napa Valley! I highly recommend stopping in Sausalito to have lunch at Fish! We loved this restaurant and would go back any time! As the name implies, they serve seafood in generous portions.
Fish
350 Harbor Drive
Sausalito, California 94965
(415) 331-FISH

Accommodations
I cannot recommend the Inn on First enough! This definitely ranks at the top of our lists of Bed and Breakfasts we have stayed at! Everything was immaculate and I felt like was in a fairy tale staying here. I chose this hotel based on the awesome reviews on Trip Advisor as well as the price. We stayed here for less than $200/night which is hard to believe. The location is great because you are walking distance to the town square. One of the highlights for me was the breakfast that was included in our stay. They never served the same thing twice and this was the perfect way to start your day in Napa!!

Wineries
As for the wineries, I had a terrible time choosing which ones to go to! There are just so many and it depends on what you like. The highlights for me were Frog's Leap and Swanson Vineyards.
Frog's Leap Winery-This winery was recommended to me by a good friend. This is a smaller winery which I think is why I loved it so much. Make sure you make reservations for your tour ahead of time because they only allot so many spaces per tour. Also, the tours with wine tastings are FREE which is another incentive to go here!!!

Swanson Vineyards-This is a more intimate tasting where your wine is paired with small bites. There are only 6-8 people at a tasting and it is quite costly at $65/person. However, it was an amazing experience and this is where I was introduced to dessert wines (my fave). Reservations are a must.

Domaine Carneros-This is the place to go for your champagne tasting!
Honig Vineyard and Winery-There is an awesome patio where the tastings are done. Tastings cost only $10/person.
Hendry Vineyard and Winery-I wish we had gone here. This winery gives very educational and informative tours and from what I have read, plan on staying here for a few hours.
We also went to Artesa Winery which I did not think was anything special. However, their grounds are beautiful and we took some of my favorite pictures here (see below).

Again, I wanted to share with you a few more wineries that some of my friends recommended that we did not get to go to:
Joseph Phelps
Cakebread Cellars
Quintessa (Wine caves are here!)

Lunch
Oakville Grocery-Great place to grab a sandwich in between wineries if you do not want a sit down lunch.
Mustard's Grill-This is the place to go if you want a sit down lunch. For the most part, we were always on the go and did not feel like having a fancy lunch because we wanted to save room for dinner but this is the perfect option if you want that!
Gott's Roadside-Go here for a nice, greasy burger in a no-frills setting!

Dinner
You would be amazed at how many Michelin-star restaurants there are in Napa Valley! We did not get a chance to go to the highly coveted, 3 Michelin-Star restaurant, French Laundry but if you want to splurge, go here! Make sure you plan ahead because most restaurants in Napa Valley require reservations far in advance!
Redd-This is a fancy, white table cloth restaurant that serves fine American food. The food did live up to our expectations but the portion sizes were less than impressive which is typical for this type of a restaurant. Don't go here expecting Texas-size portions!
Bottega-Italian food in a rustic yet cozy space.
Ad Hoc-This was on my list to go to and disappointingly we never made it here! Instead, we went to Ubuntu which I do not recommend. Ad Hoc, also a Michelin-star place, has been written up countless times for their exquisite American cuisine. Pin It

My 3 Days in San Francisco in a Nutshell

I tried to consolidate this list as much as possible but there is so much to do in San Francisco that it was hard to narrow it down! I did my best but I am sure I left off a few things so feel free to add anything I missed!
Daytime Activities
Yes, I am going to say it. You need to visit Alcatraz. This was one of the only things my husband requested that we do so I couldn't say no. I found the tour very interesting and not a waste of time. Try to make your reservations for the early AM so that you can enjoy the rest of the day. After our tour at Alcatraz, we enjoyed a leisurely stroll along Fisherman's Wharf where we ate and drank way too much! Remember to check out Buena Vista for their Irish Coffee!

After walking through Fisherman's Wharf, we took a cab to Burma Superstar for lunch. After lunch, we  took a wonderful walk to the Exploratorium. We didn't actually go into the Exploratorium but we took enough pictures outside of it to last a lifetime. I loved how all of the pictures turned out so I think this place is worth checking out for this alone!

After taking lots of pictures at the Exploratorium, we walked over to the Marina district. Chestnut Street is filled with lots of cute boutiques and restaurants! I found this area very charming so I would not miss going here either!

You also have to make your way to Haight/Ashbury Street to see where all the hippies used to live! This area reminds me of "the drag" in Austin with all of the vintage stores and tattoo parlors. You will also find the Painted Ladies here. The Painted Ladies are the colorful Victorian houses that were the backdrop for the show, Full House.

Another great but exhausting walk that we took, started at Ferry Plaza. We walked from there to Coit Tower, North Beach and Chinatown and ended in Union Square! It is a rather intense walk and unfortunately I do not remember where I found this walking tour so I can't give this person the credit they deserve. Also, please get a map in addition to following my directions because if I remember correctly we did get turned around a time or two as they are confusing. I still wanted to share it with you though!

From the Ferry Plaza, follow the Embarcadero north, with the water on your right side. Continue along the Embarcadero from Green Street for two blocks, passing a parking lot on your left. After passing the parking lot on your left, you'll reach one of two entrances to Levi Plaza Park.
Cross back through Levi Park, to the Southwest corner, and then cross Battery Street to Levi Plaza.
Go through Levi Plaza, with the offices on your left and the fountain on your right. At the end of the walkway, you will be facing Sansome Street. After crossing Sansome Street, you will reach the foot of the Filbert Stairway to Coit Tower.

Walk up the stairs to Coit Tower. This will be one of the best views of your entire trip!

From the parking lot at Coit Tower, take the stairway down the west side (opposite from where you came up the hill) to the path below.
Follow the path north (to the right) to the front entrance of Pioneer Park.
Exit Pioneer Park at the front entrance and walk down Lombard Street!
Get a map and make your way to the North Beach and Chinatown areas.
Once in Chinatown, you have to go to Golden Gate Fortune Cooking Factory. It is located on 56 Ross Alley between Jackson Street and Pacific Avenue. There is definitely a language barrier when you go to this tiny factory but the workers are so sweet and will let you try a fortune cookie hot off the press for less than a $1. Be careful because this place is easy to miss in this congested alley!

If you keep walking through Chinatown, you will eventually find yourself in Union Square where you can shop till you drop! This is where you can get some retail therapy. I recommend finishing your walk off with dinner at Gitane and calling it a day!!

To sum things up, here are the sites you want to see on this walk in case you get lost and need to ask someone....

Ferry Plaza

Coit Tower

North Beach

Chinatown (Golden Gate Bakery)

Union Square (shopping)

Night Entertainment

No trip to San Francisco would be complete without seeing the show, Beach Blanket Babylon! I was not looking forward to going to this show because I was so tired but I ended up loving it. Some people may say it is just for tourists, but I am here to say anyone would enjoy this show. It is upbeat and hilarious and you have to go!

You also have to go to a San Francisco Giants game. This is one of the hardest tickets in town to score but it is worth going to! We found our tickets on Stub Hub and paid a little more than face value but I am so glad we did! The food at the stadium is to die for. Make sure you get the garlic fries and nachos. I have never had such good stadium food in my life!

Other things you may want to do that we opted out of:
Cable Car Ride (Overrated)
Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Tea Gardens
San Francisco Modern Museum of Art Pin It

My Guide to Eating and Drinking in San Francisco

As spring approaches, I can't help but reminisce on the wonderful vacation my husband and I took almost a year ago. We spent a week in San Francisco and Napa Valley. A few of my friends have been asking me about San Francisco recommendations so I think it is only appropriate that I share with you my favorite spots. This is part 1 of a 3 part series! A few of these places I did not actually go to because we ran out of time. However, I am including them on this list because I have no doubt they are great. My husband and I are huge foodies so I spent a lot of time finding the best places to go!

At the top of my list for brunch is Foreign Cinema.

Foreign Cinema-Reservations are a must here! It is in a fun, trendy part of town. Make sure you save room for ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery which is walking distance from Foreign Cinema. They are known for their salted caramel flavor.

Ferry Plaza-You cannot miss coming here. It is the perfect stop for lunch before you tour all the sites. Here are my recommendations at Ferry Plaza:
Hog Island Oyster Bar-You eat on the bay which is very charming, just make sure you bring a jacket as there tends to be a strong breeze from the water. They serve some of the freshest seafood available.
Slanted Door-Known for their solid vietnamese food. I did not actually eat here because we were in the mood for seafood but this place comes highly recommended.

Another great lunch place that all the locals frequent is Burma Superstar! Anyone who lives in San Francisco knows about this place. They serve burmese food in a casual atmosphere. If you go here, you have to order the Tea Leaf Salad because this is what they are famous for!

Along Fisherman's Wharf, you have to stop and get an Irish Coffee at Buena Vista.  It may be touristy but definitely worth checking out. Their Irish coffee is so good and strong too.

You have so many options for dinner! My favorite restaurant that we went to was Gitane. It is located in an alley and is one of those restaurants that you have to know about. The ambience is what sold it for me! I would describe their cuisine as Spanish meets French where very bold flavors are incorporated into every dish. Their grilled squid appetizer was a standout for me!

Another restaurant that you have to check out for dinner is Frances. Plan on making reservations far in advance because this is one of the toughest reservations to come by! They serve American food in quaint ambience in the Castro district.
My husband and I also went to Range which I was less than impressed with so please do not waste your time going here! They took away their Michelin star last year and now I know why!

Lastly, Wilson & Wilson and Bourbon & Branch are two speakeasies that the average tourist does not know about! Both places have mixologists on hand that serve up some tasty cocktails. Make sure you make reservations or be prepared to get denied at the door. Ideally, if I were you, I would go to a San Francisco Giants game then head to one of these places for a drink after because they are so close in proximity.

Tomorrow I will share with you my favorite walks and things to do while in San Francisco! Pin It

Favorite New York Hotel for 5 people

This is my first post about New York!!!! I am ready to share with you the in's and out's of New York. For the past year and a half, I have been in denial about leaving what I think is the greatest city on earth. I hope you find my posts in the coming weeks interesting and perhaps you can refer back to them if you ever travel to the big Apple!

I just returned from a fabulous Bachelorette weekend in New York City. I was in charge of finding a place to stay for 5 girls. As most of you know, hotel rooms in Manhattan are not big and extremely expensive for what you get. It is very hard to find a hotel that has 2 queen beds and a pull out sofa. Most of the hotels I found in this extensive search were going to make me book 2 rooms which I found very frustrating. Long story short, I researched new hotel openings in NYC for 2012 and I came across this wonderful gem, TRYP New York City. Some of you who are familiar with NYC may turn your nose up at the location of this hotel as it is located on 35th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue. After living in an apartment in Herald Square for 2 years, this is the ideal location because it is close to all the subway lines and you can get anywhere in the city from here. I loved the decor of the lobby and the adjacent bar. Of note, the bar served up some delicious cocktails!

We stayed in the "family room" which had 2 queen beds, a sleeper sofa and a bunk bed! It also had two large flat screen televisions with every movie channel you can think of! We could have comfortably fit one more person in this room for a total of 6 people. Below is a picture of 1/2 televisions and the mini bar!

The bunk bed reminded me of a Murphy bed because it pulled out from the wall (terrible picture).

The shower in this hotel room was amazing. Check out the two shower heads. The rainfall is always nice but it never seems to give enough water pressure. This hotel had the genius idea to install another shower head that turned on simultaneously with the rainfall to give it the perfect water pressure. Yes, I am planning on having one of these in my house one day!

So you may ask what they charged for a room like this. The base price for 3 people was $260+tax. They did charge an extra fee for that 4th and 5th person however we split the room among 4 girls (we paid for the bachelorette) so the price per person ended up being less than $100/night for each girl. This is extremely cheap (by New York standards)! It is impossible to find a room this size and for this many people for under $400 with taxes. I recommend this hotel for bachelor/bachelorette parties, a girl's weekend, families, and even 2 couples that like to travel together. Everything was pristine and the service was impeccable. I have a feeling that prices will increase for this hotel in the coming weeks but if you are in need of a place to stay for a large number of people, keep this place in mind. I will be returning to New York in late spring and trying something totally new for accommodations, Air BnB. I will let you know how that goes and if it is worth trying!

Tips to booking an inexpensive hotel room in New York City:

• Look for the newest hotel to see if they are offering a grand opening special.
• Do not stay in Times Square. Hotel rooms cost significantly more in this part of town because they they take advantage of tourists!
• Be careful of the pictures posted on the hotel website. Most of the hotel rooms look nothing like the website.
• Yelp and Trip Advisor should be your best friend!
• Rooms cost significantly less in the off-season, January-March, so if you want a deal, plan your vacation around this time and embrace the NY cold!

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