A basket is all you need

It was Friday morning in Manhattan and my husband and I were in search of food before heading over to the Central Park Zoo.  I quickly pulled out Yelp! to search for good breakfast options (other than Dunkin Donuts) and found Sarabeth's.  Reservations were recommended, but the first available per Open Table was not for a few hours and I was hungry now.  So we walked over and took a chance.  We first saw the patio hostess who told us if we wanted first available that we needed to go inside and speak to the main hostess.  Made me wonder why there was two hostesses - very confusing.

When we went inside we were a little overwhelmed by how packed the place was, but the hostess told us the wait was only twenty minutes, so we decided to give it a try.  I was looking around the front room and I saw some jars of preserves with labels that looked familiar, but it really didn't click with me that I was in fact at the famous Sarabeth's known for amazing preserves.  I can't even tell you for sure where I have seen her products before, but I will be in search of them in the near future.

After twenty or so minutes we were escorted back to our table and I think my husband and I both felt we were in a Tardis as the restaurant was ten times larger than it had appeared from the outside and the lobby.  The ambiance was a classic New York restaurant that you would see in Sex and the City, probably because the girls ate there once.

The first thing I noticed on the menu was the 26 ounce Bloody Mary. Three and a quarter cups of tomato vodka heaven.  And the pickled vegetables on top were perfectly pickled and nice variety ranging from carrots and bell peppers to jicama.  I was determined to finish the whole thing, while still having at least one cup of coffee, and I was successful.  Lucky children at the zoo since I was blitzed.  Can I get more of those veggies?

26 oz Pickled Bloody Mary (vodka, house pickled vegetables)

My husband selected the Farmer's Omelette and chose a corn muffin for his side.  The corn muffin was what you would expect - a simple corn muffin.  But the preserves made it amazing.  And the omelette was very tasty as well. It should be noted that the choices of sides were muffins (English, corn, bran, banana, pumpkin), croissant, scone or toast, all served with housemade preserves.

Farmer's Omelette (leeks, ham, potato, Gruyere)

I wanted to go with the short rib hash, as I was feeling carnivorous.  The eggs were perfectly cooked and the meat and potatoes were good, but not amazing.  I should have saved such an entree for more of a diner-style restaurant rather than a place like Sarabeth's, but it was by no means not good, just not great.

Short Rib Hash (baked eggs, poblanos, tomatillo salsa)

But it was my side that made the whole experience simple amazing.  And so my one piece of advice would be for any visitor to Sarabeth's to simply skip all of the other breakfast selections and simply choose the Basket of Sarabeth's Muffins & Legendary Preserves.  This scone was the most amazing scone I have ever had before.  It was buttery, bu not overly flaky.  It was dense like a cake, but yet moist.  And once I added even the smallest amount of the most amazing preserves on Earth, it was literally heaven.  I wanted to take some to go, not that I knew when I would be able to eat it or that I had earned the right to experience more of its high-caloric goodness, but I just didn't want to say goodbye to it.

Side scone & preserves

If you're looking for breakfast while in New York, I highly recommend Sarabeth's.  Make a reservation and get the pastries.  Oh, and don't forget the Bloody Mary.

Possibly my favorite place on earth

A little over two years ago I first walked into the Eataly in New York City and was massively overwhelmed.  We had just eaten lunch in Chelsea before we walked our way here not knowing what to expect, and ended up only having some gelato.  Don't get me wrong, the gelato was amazing, but I wanted so much more!

Flash forward two years and this time I was prepared.  My husband and I woke up and made our way to Eataly.  We arrived a little after 10:30, so we had time to walk around before any of the restaurants started serving at 11am.  There are so many to choose from, but today we decided on La Pizza and La Pasta.  Can you guess what they serve?  La Pizza and La Pasta share a dining room, but are two separate kitchens meaning that if you order one dish from each that they could be served at different times.

First up was The Classic.  Honestly, after one bite, I didn't need to eat anything else - ever.  Everything about this simplistic dish was amazing.  I don't think I had ever thought of drizzling olive oil on mozzarella before, and now I can't imagine not doing so.  The mozzarella was perfectly soft, but not mushy.  The olive oil added the right amount of sweetness, with the sea salt adding the complimentary salty bite that you need and bringing out the flavor in both the mozzarella and the olive oil.

The Classic Mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil)

The mozzarella was served with three slices of house made Italian bread, which was great to sop up the remaining olive oil left behind after the mozzarella was gone.  While the bread was perfect (crispy on the outside, soft on the inside), I just didn't want to fill up on bread.

House Italian Bread

For our pasta dish we decided to go with the gnocchi.  As you might be able to tell from the picture, it wasn't smothered in sauce.  Instead, it was complimented by just the right amount of lamb sausage and showered with fresh cheese.  Each gnocchi was perfectly soft, yet dense, unlike any potato gnocchi I had before and by which all future gnocchi will be judged.  Simply amazing.  Oh, and that bread?  Yeah, my husband used it to clean this plate.

Gnocchi con Salsiccia di Agnello e Melanzane (housemade gnocchi and lamb sausage with roasted eggplant and pecorino romano)

And finally we had to have pizza, of course.  The menu has two margherita pizzas on the menu: the basic and the fancy.  The two were separated by a mere $5, so of course we had to go with the fancy, or as they like to call it, the Verace.  So what makes it fancy?  Buffalo mozzarella from Naples instead of cow mozzarella, and extra virgin olive oil from Sorrento.  Simply amazing.  I'm sure the basic was just as good, but why go with basic when there is fancy?

Verace TSG (tomato sauce mozzarella di bufala from Napoli, fresh basil and extra virgin olive oil from Sorrento)

We finished off our meal by walking over to the gelateria to get some black cherry gelato just because we couldn't leave without experiencing even more of the food.  Eataly is literally heaven on earth and 2017 can not come fast enough when they finally open their first location in Los Angeles.  I'll probably be there every Saturday....all day.  Thank you Batali and Bastianich.

Not Distrito

We found ourselves back in the Palm Springs area again this weekend and decided to try Chef Jose Garces' other restaurant in the Saguaro Hotel, El Jefe.  If you try to research El Jefe on the Garces Group website all you really see is that its known as Distrito at its other locations, reservations are not available at this location, and the menu is not online.  So let me sum it up for you: its the hotel bar that serves nachos and tacos.  Now, don't get me wrong, the nachos and tacos are far from average, but the ambiance is a bar with limited seating.  It was actually hard to nail down what we were going to eat from all of the options, and yet the menu is listed on a simple laminated piece of paper.

We decided to try the goat tacos, because well, how often do you eat goat?  The tacos come three to a serving on a single tortilla, which I appreciated as I often find myself leaving the second tortilla behind as its too much "bread."  Be warned, the tacos are very saucy, so have your napkin handy.  The goat meat was tasty and soft, but not smushy.  The orange habanero salsa was not hot at all, which was a pleasant surprise.  And the tortillas are housemade, so they taste just right and aren't too corny.

Cabrito Tacos (goat, black beans, orange habanero salsa, goat crema)

A cabrito taco, up close

I've never had gazpacho before as I've been admittedly weary of eating cold tomato soup, but when I saw watermelon and crab in the contents, I knew this was the gazpacho I had to try.  The dish is served with the soup on the side for you to pour over the filling as you choose.  I was pleased with this dish.  I can't say that I had more interest than maybe four spoonfuls, but it was quite good and would probably be very refreshing on a hot summer day.

Gazpacho as its served, with the soup on the side for you to pour yourself

Gazpacho (watermelon, roma tomato, dungeness crab, chives)

I was most excited about the nachos, but unfortunately my server misunderstood which nachos I ordered and I ended up with the vegetarian Ignacio nachos and not the skirt steak laden Encarnacion.  The other primary difference between the two nachos is the beans, with the skirt steak being accompanied by refried beans and the vegetarian served with black beans.  I wish I had gotten the Encarnacion as I was disappointed with the Ignacio.  I did appreciate that the tortilla chips were made from the same tortillas used for the tacos, but there seemed to be too many of them and they weren't adequately covered with goo.  Also, radish should probably be the first ingredient listed as the nachos seemed covered in radish.  And while I'm not a fan of black beans, they seemed to be very few of them, which seemed unusual for a dish that lists the beans as the first ingredient.  If you are a true nacho fan, these are not the nachos for you.

Ignacio Nachos (black beans, tomato, queso mixto, jalapeno, chile de arbol, radish)

My husband wanted to try the yellowfin ceviche.  Its not a traditional ceviche as it doesn't have strong citrus flavor.  To get that you need to eat it with a small serving of the accompanying lime sorbet.  Also, the tostaditas that the ceviche is served with were too few and too small to be of any use.  I actually found myself using the lime on the rim of my margarita to season the dish, and the tortillas from the nachos to serve myself.  The fish was good and fresh, but this was not a ceviche to me.

Ceviche de Atun (yellowfin tuna, serrano coconut sauce, lime sorbet, tomatillo, tostadita)

If you want a quick easy way to dine on food prepared by an Iron Chef, then El Jefe is for you.  I'll probably go back to try more of the tacos, but that's probably it for me.  I'd much rather eat in the fine dining restaurant, Tinto, a few feet away.

Time For An Oil Change?

Over the summer I caught an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives and Guy was at a restaurant in Phoenix that served the most amazing looking pancake ever.  Since I grew up in Phoenix, though I almost never go back, I made a mental note of the restaurant on the off chance I would have an opportunity to go there.  Flash forward to late December and I'm booking a trip to Phoenix to see my close friend and his family, and while we're on the phone talking about the trip he says that he wants to take me to St. Francis for breakfast on Sunday.  What a happy coincidence!!!  Especially since my mental note had failed me until just that moment.

Back home in L.A. if you aren't at a breakfast spot by 9am, then you can expect long lines getting in to any restaurant.  St. Francis doesn't even open until 9am, so we arrived at 9am on the spot as we were a party of six and needed to make sure we got a table.  We arrived just in time and were seated in their loft area.  While we were up there I realized that the restaurant was in a converted oil-n-lube garage and still had the roll-up door.

Without hesitation I ordered the Iron Skillet Pancake.  I knew it would be sweet and I would need something salty to counteract it, so I made sure that my husband ordered a side of bacon.  And boy was I right!  The pancake was pure decadence.  It was fluffy, with the chocolate chunks melted perfectly inside.  The warm caramel apples were on top and merged with the maple syrup.  And the creme fraiche added the needed creaminess to the whole dish.  My only regret is that I was dieting, so I limited how much of the pancake I would eat, and ended up leaving slightly more than half on the table.  I had originally hoped that my husband would finish it, but he was full of sweetness from his own breakfast, and turned off by the chocolate.  I definitely need to go back when I'm not dieting.

Iron Skillet Pancake (olive oil, dark chocolate, caramel apples, maple syrup, and whipped creme fraiche)

One big positive of St. Francis is that children under 10 eat for free.  And they also get to order the Iron Skillet Pancake.  Its the same size as the adult version, but it doesn't come with the caramel apples or the whipped creme fraiche.

Iron Skillet Pancake - Kiddo Version

My husband decided to indulge in the cinnamon roll.  It was probably at least six inches long.  I only had a small bite, but it was yummy.  And my husband was thankful that I had ordered him that side of bacon as he too needed something to counteract the sweetness in his mouth.

Cinnamon Roll with caramel sauce

My friend, on the other hand, chose to go the more traditional route and ordered the eggs benedict.  That said, St. Francis foregoes with the traditional Canadian bacon, and instead lets you choose between prosciutto, smoked salmon, and avocado.  The dish looked delicious and I did get to taste the crispy potatoes which appeared to be fingerling potatoes that pop when you cook 'em.

Eggs Benedict (poached eggs, english muffin, hollandaise sauce, crispy potatoes with smoked salmon)

My friends are always trying to find ways for me to come visit them more often, and I think they might have found their hook.  I can't wait to go to St. Francis again for breakfast, and want to try them for the other meals of the day too.  Yummers!

Rock Some Sugar On Me!

Last night we found ourselves at Century City Mall in search of food.  We ruled out the food court, so that left a handful of restaurants.  We decided to give RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen a shot.  Pan Asian means that it represents all of Asia and I would say that was accurate as there were dishes that were Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian and other Asian countries represented on the menu.

The decor of the restaurant is fantastic - it definitely has an Asian feel.  You will initially walk through an open patio with tables that have their own enclosed fire pits.  The main dining room is a little loud, so I was relieved when we were seated on the covered patio with a view of Santa Monica Boulevard.  We each ordered a tasty cocktail from the vast selection - there were four of us and no repeat drink orders.

After given our choice of water (tap, flat or sparkling), an interesting starter was placed on the table.  Our best guess is that it was a sesame papadum.  It was served with a tasty chutney that looked like a salsa, but wasn't spicy.  The best part of this starter is that it wasn't filling the way most complimentary bread and butter or chips and salsa dishes are.

Not sure what this is, but came with a yummy sauce

We decided to start with an appetizer and selected the pork belly buns.  Our server told us they usually come three to an order, but offered to increase the order to four for a small fee.  I've never had a server or restaurant make such an offer before - usually four people have to draw straws on how to split the serving of three, or you have to order a second order and then you have six for four people.  Kudos to RockSugar for making this easy for us.  As for the bun, it was yum.

Glazed Pork Belly Buns (Kurobuta pork, pickled red onions, shallot mayo, chilies and cilantro)

Our server explained to us that all menu items are served family style, so we each picked a dish for the whole table to share.  I once saw a recipe in People Magazine for ginger fried rice and it was one of the tastiest side dishes I have ever made, so when I saw ginger fried rice on the menu, I thought it would be the same plate of heaven.  I was wrong.  When the server brought the plate to the table he offered to break up the fried egg that was on top and I should have asked him to wait a moment so that I could get a picture, but I was too embarrassed.  So the picture below is after his expert egg breaking and mixing.  I barely tasted any ginger or crispy garlic.  The Chinese sausage was cut so thinly and in such small portions that I could barely taste it as well.  It was just bland, and for something labeled with ginger in the name and presumably as the main ingredient, it was sorely disappointing.

Ginger Fried Rice (Chinese sausage, leeks, egg, sesame and crispy garlic)

My friend picked the snapper, and it was probably the best dish we had.  The snapper was lightly breaded and perfectly pan-fried.  The sauce was an excellent compliment to the fish, but the fish was the star.  And my peanut-loving friend was in heaven with the ample supply of peanuts left on the serving dish. Cha ca la vong is a speciality of Hanoian people. Cha ca means "grilled fish" and in the restaurant that originated the dish is a statue of La Vong (an ancient Chinese poet and revolutionist) fishing by a stream.  This statue symbolizes a talented and patient man who knew to wait for the right moment to come. And this dish was worth the wait.

Hanoi Snapper (Cha ca la vong style, rice noodles, cilantro, dill and peanuts with nuoc cham)

My husband selected the pork dish even though the description mentioned peas.  I assumed he didn't realize peas were part of the dish, so when it arrived covered in the green spheres I thought for sure he would be upset.  But instead, he just dug in.  The dish was tasty, but perhaps a little too sweet.

Singapore Hainan Pork (fried crisp, sweet onions, peas and spicy chili sauce)

I had debated ordering the Princess Chicken before I realized we were ordering family style, but instead my friend got the opportunity.  The tempura was tasty and the chicken itself was tender.  The sauce left a lot to be desired, but again, my other friend was in peanut heaven.

Princess Chicken (tempura chicken, roasted Thai chilies, peanuts and palm sugar glaze)

All in all it was a good meal.  Fun, vibrant ambiance.  Good food at reasonable prices.  Helpful servers.  And plenty of peanuts for the peanut lover in you.  Nothing to complain about here.

Zen Chi Part IV

Just 'round the corner from Tujunga Village is a little restaurant that can't ever seem to stay in business.  Eight years ago it took two years of construction for it to open as Zen Chi.  That lasted for maybe six months before it rebranded itself Nick's Grill.  That again only lasted six months before it closed and construction began again for Taverna 8 1/2.  Taverna seemed successful, but they apparently walked out on their lease after only 1 year in business.  Now almost two years later it has again reopened as Girasol starring Top Chef Seasons Three and Ten contestant C.J. Jacobson as executive chef.  When signage first appeared for the new restaurant it read that it was a "farm fresh eatery."  For some reason that made me think of eggs and vegetables, so I was thinking it might be a nice cafe style restaurant serving all three meals.  When it finally opened on July 1st I learned I was wrong - it was only open for dinner and they hope in the future to offer Sunday brunch.  On a positive note, the dress code is casual, so I didn't feel bad when I walked in wearing shorts and flip flops even though the decor didn't seem to match my attire.

We went on their seventh day of business and were asked by the waiter if we had dined there before.  Huh? Not likely.  Our best guess is that the waiter was simply seasoned and was used to asking that question.  Or, perhaps, there are people who have been there more than once within the first week.  My biggest, and probably only, complaint about the restaurant is that the tables have legs that are essentially a big box.  They are metal and quite beautiful and actually look like branches extending between the legs which is quite lovely with the overall decor of the restaurant.  That said, beauty doesn't equal function and you can't place your legs under the table, so you have two options: (1) sit with your legs wide open so that the table is remotely close to your body or (2) sit with the table a good distance from your body resulting in either you hunching over the table or dropping food on your lap.  Your choice.

We decided to stay away from the burrata this time and try some other appetizers.  First up was the hamachi.  Look how beautiful the presentation was.  And most importantly, it tasted as wonderful as it looked.  I had to Google nasturium before we ordered and just to let you all know, its essentially just watercress.

Hamachi with Citrus (mandarin, macadamia nut, nasturium, preserved grapefruit, verbena)

Next up was the beet salad.  Again, a gorgeous dish that I wish I didn't have to share.  Everything on the plate was equally portioned out so that you had enough beets to go with the goat cheese and a berry if you so chose.

Beets and Berries (whipped goat cheese, leafy herbs, hazelnuts)

My husband, not surprisingly, went for the whole fried snapper.  The way the fish is scored allows for the diner to easily portion himself a bite for dipping into the scrumptious sauce.  My husband was respectful and didn't start picking up the carcass to get more meat, but that didn't stop me!

Whole Fried Snapper (crispy greens, fermented fresno chili, sauce of kumquat, sorrel and citrus)

I decided for once to go with the simple chicken.  The chicken itself, while beautifully browned with the skin nicely crispy, was just that: simple.  But once you dipped it into the rich au jus, it was out of this world.

Roasted Mary's Citrus Chicken (stone potatoes, baby carrots, au jus)

They don't have a dessert menu that you can peruse and discuss with your date.  Instead the waiter reads the choices off to you and waits for you to decide.  I allowed my husband to choose and he picked the olive oil cake, so imagine my surprise when a plate full of peaches arrives with the tiniest piece of cake.  When I took the picture from directly above the plate, you couldn't even see the cake which necessitated this angled shot.  The cake was tasty and did go well with both the crème fraiche and the peaches.  I'm not sure if what was off to the side was indeed fruit leather as I had to borrow the plate's description from another review, but it seemed to us to be some sort of candied fennel.  The dish was yummy, but I wouldn't advertise it as "Olive Oil Cake."

Olive Oil Cake (peaches, crème fraîche and house-made fruit leather)

We will definitely go back to Girasol.  It's a good restaurant with good food made with fresh ingredients that makes you not feel guilty for eating out.

Victory Motorcycles?

I had heard about Black Market Liquor Bar for some time, but despite how many times I drove up and down Ventura Boulevard, I couldn't find it.  Then a friend of ours even recommended it, so I knew for sure it existed, but where?  Next to Jumping Java on the north side of Ventura Blvd just west of Carpenter under the faded sign reading Victory Motorcycles is where you can find it.

I'm not sure why an established gastro pub wouldn't publicize its name, but once you find it, you will want to go back.  Black Market follows the trend of a lot of restaurants lately where they serve small plates for the diners to share and recommend 2-3 plates per person.  While I appreciate this style of dining as it allows me to try many items on the menu, I also find it quite frustrating as I need to make sure I select a balanced meal.  I also never know what order the food will come in, and have often found that the food either comes 2 plates at a time or with long gaps in between.

That said, the food was quite enjoyable and the service was great.  If you are a picky eater, this place is not for you as the menu reads "We respectfully decline substitutions & modifications."  We started with the Crispy Squash Blossoms.  There were only two burrata stuffed blossoms and a large helping of salad.  The salad also seemed to contain chunks of parmesan cheese which was not listed on the menu.  I love squash blossoms so I was pleased with the item - I just felt that the ratio of salad to blossom was off.

Crispy squash blossom, burrata, zucchini, fried  herb vinaigrette, walnuts

Brussel sprouts - yum!  I can't really say that the almonds or grapes made a difference, but the brussel sprouts were amazing.  They were served slightly cooler than I would have liked, but it could be because they were served before I finished the squash blossom salad and cooled while they waited.

Charred brussel sprouts, almonds, grapes, parmigiano-reggiano

When we got the bill this item read Peaches and Cream.  I do think that is the best description for it.  The sushi lover in me silently hoped that the saba was Japanese mackerel, but yet was thankful that it wasn't as that would not have been a good flavor combination.  Instead saba is like a balsamic vinegar.  Much like the burrata dish we had the other night, the ratio of burrata to crostini was off, but the burrata was so creamy I just didn't care.  Well, actually I wish the empty plate would have been around for when I got the garlic baguettes with my mussels and there was too much yummy olive oil and saba at the bottom of the plate going to waste.

Burrata, roasted peach, speck, saba

This next dish was the most disappointing of the six that we had.  I can't even say much about it.  It was just okay and with Take A Bao across the street competing for bao business, you would think that Black Market wouldn't even bother to try.  The other issue with this dish is that it was difficult to share as once I cut it down the middle it sorta fell apart.

Chicken bao, pickled shrooms, scallion, carrot, savoy cabbage

I love Korean food and I love kimchi, so this dish was a hit.  Plus my husband had been craving chicken wings, so this satisfied that need as well.  The wings were the perfect combination of crispy, savory and not too spicy.  The kimchi, however, was HOT.  I only had one bite of it and left the rest for my husband who informed me that based on his experience, cucumber kimchi is always hotter than the traditional cabbage kimchi.

Spicy korean chicken wings, cucumber kimchi

Mussels.  These were my husband's choice.  I'm not a mussel girl, originally because of how they look, and then because they just can't compete with clams or crab.  Admittedly, I was not fond of the broth they were cooked in, but it did work well with the tasty garlic baguette.  I just basically ate the baguette and let my husband dine away on his beloved mussels.

Mussels, fennel, chili, garlic baguette

All in all Black Market was a good dining experience and exactly what we needed on a casual Friday night.  I just wish they had a sign - it really bothers me.

Pigg Heaven

Last Saturday night a couple of girlfriends and I went to the movies and then out to eat after.  I had been wanting to go to Umamicatessan since it opened, and not just because I am a fan of Umami Burger, so off we went!  I wasn't sure what to expect since I knew there were multiple restaurants there, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that all of the menus were combined into one.  I immediately focused on the P!GG part of the menu and we all agreed that we would order both appetizers, the Crispy Pig's Ears and the P!GG Style Fries.  Admittedly, what intrigued us the most was the brainaise.  So I asked our server what it was, and he said, simply that.  Pig brains whipped into mayonnaise to make a tasty dip.  I was skeevish at first.  Sure I'd eaten pig ears and pig cheeks and I strongly believe that bacon is a gift from the gods (though, not sure who those gods are), but I've never had pig brains before.  Heck, I'd never eaten any brains before!  Its not like I'm a zombie!  But my friends talked me into it, and it wasn't all that bad as long as I didn't think about what I was eating. Brainnnnsssss.......

Crispy Pig's Ears (parsley, lime, brainaise)

P!GG Style Fries (pickled peppers, ham puree, brainaise)

And even though my friends chose the Kosher section of the menu for their entrees (because Kosher food always follows a nice helping of pig!), I remained loyal to the pig.  What appealed to me most was the P!GG Breakfast Sandwich as it sounded yummy and I didn't care what time of day it was.  It was amazing!  Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of maple, but there was so much pig there that I barely noticed!  I was anxious to find out what pig ear bacon was and was disappointed to see that it was just more crispy pig ears.  And don't be nervous about the hot sauce because it was barely negligible.  I would recommend this sandwich to any pig lover for any meal of the day, including second breakfast and fourth meal.

P!GG Breakfast Sandwich (maple poached egg, sausage, pig ear bacon, cheddar cheese, hot sauce, house-made English muffin)

And if you can, save room for dessert.  It was so freaking amazing that we forgot to take pictures.  According to our server we ordered the two best desserts they have, and you must order them as well.  Our doughnut selection was the Tres Leches (tres leches, cajeta, ceylon cinnamon) which is a cake donut.  The menu says to allow 5 minutes to soak, so we asked if we had to wait once it was delivered.  Thankfully the answer was no because, as I said, we couldn't wait long enough to even take a picture!  And for our ice cream we selected Honeycomb.  Again, freaking amazing.  Our server had unfortunately delivered the items at separate times, but we all agreed they would compliment each other really well.

Next time we're going to plan ahead and order the P!GG Penn Dinner and further enjoy their piggie offerings.

A word to the wise: if you've had the stomach flu recently, stay away from the pig fiesta and get the matzo ball soup.

The Perfect Breakfast

This year I celebrated my 39th birthday (again) and there was only one thing I wanted when I woke up that morning: machaca and eggs with a papaya and mango smoothie from The Office on the Beach on Playa El Médano in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  To me, that is heaven.  The meat is so juicy and flavorful and the authentic Mexican tortillas make it heaven on a plate.  And to eat heaven in heaven was all I could ask for.

I recommend The Office on the Beach for all meals while visiting Cabo San Lucas.  The food is fantastic and the view is amazing! And the margaritas are so strong that half of one will cure your insomnia!  So what are the negatives: if you sit closest to the ocean you will be harassed constantly by beach merchants and there are often cruise ships in the bay blocking your view.  But with food this yummy, its easy to get past.