My dear friend Sali was the one who introduced me to the wonders of creme brulée.  Before that, I was strictly a chocolate dessert kind of girl.  Who knew that dessert could be so fun?  I always require group participation in the breaking of the sugar crust.

Wish I could say I got to taste this dessert, but at least I got to photograph it!  From the archives…

What could be more summer than this picnic basket of freshly harvested local tomatoes?

We live in Texas, so of course we are always working on the art of BBQ pork ribs.  Or, I should say that Noah has been perfecting his recipe, I merely document and consume.  Verdict:  pretty fine.  He’s got his own spice recipe and the meat was fall-off-the-bone delicious.

Tokyo Crepes in Folly Beach, South Carolina makes funny-yummy crepes out of a little food trailer.  I had the decadent Banana Nutella Cheddar Cheese.  It was oddly good.

A breakfast of bacon and biscuits (my famous gluten free biscuits).

Plus some Dragon Well green tea in my favorite tea cup.

Happy happy.

I was told about Burma Superstar by Shalou and Eric (who got married in April and I was there, cameras in tow)(their wedding was fantastic and I can’t wait to show everyone!).

For now, just a big thank you to them for telling me about this restaurant.  I had stir-fried pea shoots and coconut rice with crispy onions on top.  Divine!

I can always count on picking up some new fashion tips while visiting the west coast.  Here we have a revealing yet concealing outfit made of pretzels.  Be sure to get the pretzel bracelet as the finishing touch.

Mozza is the Los Angeles pizzeria created by Nancy Silverton.  They are artisans and even their take out food is amazing. 

I was in LA recently and caught up with Elisha and Buzzy (they had a very cool wedding in April, photos coming soon soon soon) for dinner.  They suggested four restaurants, each one being a fine choice. However, they got me with their offer to order in from the famous Mozza.  Apparently there are strict rules for how to serve the to-go items and of course the packaging is p-r-e-t-t-y. 

Here’s what we had:

Rucola, funghi and piave salad

Meatballs al forno

Squash Blossom Pizza (with buratta, which Elisha added, per the Mozz-2-Go instructions, right before serving)

Salami and Spinach Pizza

Butterscotch Budino for dessert  Can I just say, oh my, so utterly delish!  I now think of my life as “Before Budino” and “After I had Budino”

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At last, I’ve had High Tea at The Rotunda at Neiman Marcus in San Francisco.  I went with my High Tea Buddy, Desiree.  Whenever we see each other, we find a new place for tea.  The Rotunda was a new favorite.  It’s got that amazing glass dome ceiling (with great light, a photographer’s dream).  Then there are the cushy red velvet chairs, sandwiches with crusts cut off and waitstaff that makes you feel like royalty.  Oh, and I had a fantastic pot of Organic Emperor’s Jasmine White tea.