Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Where to eat in New Orleans for a special occasion
This subject is near and dear to my heart. My absolute favorite way to celebrate a special occasion- a birthday, a holiday, good news, etc.... is to get dressed up and go out to an upscale restaurant for a great dinner. I've been to a lot of great restaurants in New Orleans, but some really stand out.
Restaurant August- Chef John Besh is, in my opinion, one of the best in New Orleans and August is a wonderful restaurant. I ate at August for my 26th birthday and I still remember the wonderful duck with duck confit, foie gras, and tempura cherries that I had as an entree. The service was wonderful, and they actually mailed me a thank you card for coming to their restaurant. (I also love Besh's newer restaurant, Luke, for a slightly more casual experience. And if you go there, do try combining an order of the truffled pate with a dozen fried oysters. It sounds strange, but you won't be sorry! It is decadent!)
Lilette- I actually took my dear boyfriend here for his 27th birthday, which we celebrated on the same day that I defended my Master's thesis. I was amazed by the yellowfin tuna, which was served with beets, ginger, basil and mint. The combination looks strange in print, but the taste was amazing!
Bistro Daisy- Bistro Daisy is fairly new- my boyfriend and I celebrated out anniversary there this year. Bistro Daisy combines great food with a lovely, intimate environment and wonderful service. I particularly remember my excellent appetizer (the special)- foie gras with rhubarb compote. It was just wonderful.
Cochon- Cochon is more casual than the places listed above, but Donald Link is another of my favorite local chefs and so far I've loved all of the restaurants he's had a hand in (Herbsaint, Cochon, and Cochon Butcher/sWine Bar- I have yet to try his catering at Calcasieu). Cochon shines because of its menu- an upscale twist on traditional southern food. And Cochon's cornmeal pineapple upside down cake is my all time favorite dessert.
Restaurant August- Chef John Besh is, in my opinion, one of the best in New Orleans and August is a wonderful restaurant. I ate at August for my 26th birthday and I still remember the wonderful duck with duck confit, foie gras, and tempura cherries that I had as an entree. The service was wonderful, and they actually mailed me a thank you card for coming to their restaurant. (I also love Besh's newer restaurant, Luke, for a slightly more casual experience. And if you go there, do try combining an order of the truffled pate with a dozen fried oysters. It sounds strange, but you won't be sorry! It is decadent!)
Lilette- I actually took my dear boyfriend here for his 27th birthday, which we celebrated on the same day that I defended my Master's thesis. I was amazed by the yellowfin tuna, which was served with beets, ginger, basil and mint. The combination looks strange in print, but the taste was amazing!
Bistro Daisy- Bistro Daisy is fairly new- my boyfriend and I celebrated out anniversary there this year. Bistro Daisy combines great food with a lovely, intimate environment and wonderful service. I particularly remember my excellent appetizer (the special)- foie gras with rhubarb compote. It was just wonderful.
Cochon- Cochon is more casual than the places listed above, but Donald Link is another of my favorite local chefs and so far I've loved all of the restaurants he's had a hand in (Herbsaint, Cochon, and Cochon Butcher/sWine Bar- I have yet to try his catering at Calcasieu). Cochon shines because of its menu- an upscale twist on traditional southern food. And Cochon's cornmeal pineapple upside down cake is my all time favorite dessert.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Ah, Spring
To paraphrase Tennyson (poorly):
In the spring a young woman's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of....fresh herbs!
Or is that just me? :)
Yesterday, my dear boyfriend bought a catnip plant for the kitty. (The cat was quite taken with the fresh catnip and we recorded a pretty funny movie of his reaction.)
Since I had to pot the catnip, I went ahead and picked up a bunch of other herbs to grow as well: purple basil, lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sweet marjoram, sage, and savory. My porch looks so nice with all of my little potted plants!
I am also happy because we finalized the plans for our June summer vacation last night. We are going to Maine!! Specifically, Bar Harbor and Portland. I am really excited because I have always wanted to go to Maine and love the idea of escaping the hot, humid New Orleans weather for a little while. Plus, I adore seafood.
I am particularly taken with all of the Bed and Breakfasts I read about. Interestingly, it worked out to be more affordable to stay in B&B's rather than hotels. I love that sort of thing, so its fine with me!
So if anyone has any advise on things to do and see in those parts of Maine, please leave me a comment!
I haven't had lunch yet, so I think I'm going to go try out some of my new basil in a goat cheese omelet. Yum!
In the spring a young woman's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of....fresh herbs!
Or is that just me? :)
Yesterday, my dear boyfriend bought a catnip plant for the kitty. (The cat was quite taken with the fresh catnip and we recorded a pretty funny movie of his reaction.)
Since I had to pot the catnip, I went ahead and picked up a bunch of other herbs to grow as well: purple basil, lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sweet marjoram, sage, and savory. My porch looks so nice with all of my little potted plants!
I am also happy because we finalized the plans for our June summer vacation last night. We are going to Maine!! Specifically, Bar Harbor and Portland. I am really excited because I have always wanted to go to Maine and love the idea of escaping the hot, humid New Orleans weather for a little while. Plus, I adore seafood.
I am particularly taken with all of the Bed and Breakfasts I read about. Interestingly, it worked out to be more affordable to stay in B&B's rather than hotels. I love that sort of thing, so its fine with me!
So if anyone has any advise on things to do and see in those parts of Maine, please leave me a comment!
I haven't had lunch yet, so I think I'm going to go try out some of my new basil in a goat cheese omelet. Yum!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Classic
I did it! I ran the Crescent City Classic in 62 minutes!
It was so much fun! I've spent the last week saying I was never going to run a 10K again, but I think I may have changed my mind. I had a great time! The weather was perfect, and although it was crowded, it was so much easier to stay energized with so many other people running. Usually I'm ready to be done running by the time I hit 6K, but today I didn't even feel tired until the last mile- and I still had enough energy to sprint at the end.
Of course, in New Orleans, it is a given that there will be costumes. Today we saw The Easter Bunny, Batman, A fleur de lis, a bananna, girls in tutus who were running with the banana, the Blue Brothers, a monkey, a group of pirates (one of whom was carrying an inflatable treasure chest), a cowgirl, a cow, a group of Hooter's waitresses with guys whose shirts read "Jello Shots- Its not like you were gonna win!", and Waldo.
There was also an after party at City Park and I enjoyed lots of water, a beer, a tiny smoothie, gatorade and Jambalaya. Then I went home and took a 2 hour nap. :)
Good times!!
It was so much fun! I've spent the last week saying I was never going to run a 10K again, but I think I may have changed my mind. I had a great time! The weather was perfect, and although it was crowded, it was so much easier to stay energized with so many other people running. Usually I'm ready to be done running by the time I hit 6K, but today I didn't even feel tired until the last mile- and I still had enough energy to sprint at the end.
Of course, in New Orleans, it is a given that there will be costumes. Today we saw The Easter Bunny, Batman, A fleur de lis, a bananna, girls in tutus who were running with the banana, the Blue Brothers, a monkey, a group of pirates (one of whom was carrying an inflatable treasure chest), a cowgirl, a cow, a group of Hooter's waitresses with guys whose shirts read "Jello Shots- Its not like you were gonna win!", and Waldo.
There was also an after party at City Park and I enjoyed lots of water, a beer, a tiny smoothie, gatorade and Jambalaya. Then I went home and took a 2 hour nap. :)
Good times!!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Bliss
Having a day off has been absolutely wonderful! I slept ridiculously late, ran some necessary but fun errands, then spent the afternoon doing a craft project for my friend's upcoming bachelorette party. :) Its been incredibly relaxing to have some fairly unstructured time. Between that and the carbo loading I've been doing for tomorrow's race (I had a little extra low calorie granola and strawberry preserves in my yogurt for breakfast, a ground turkey sloppy joe sauce topped sweet potato for lunch, and mac n' cheese with chicken, spinach and peas for dinner. Yum!) today has been pretty awesome. :)
Of course, aside from a couple loads of laundry, I've gotten nothing chore related accomplished. Which really makes the day even more pleasant!
Of course, aside from a couple loads of laundry, I've gotten nothing chore related accomplished. Which really makes the day even more pleasant!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Strange Habits
I don't do this anymore- but I had two fairly strange habits when I lived in a dorm during college. I slept between two comforters so I didn't have to make the bed, and I brushed my teeth in the shower.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Speed Racer
I am getting really excited about running in the Crescent City Classic next weekend. Its supposed to be a really fun event, and I am very proud of myself for the time and effort I've put into training for this race. Before this year, I had never run more than 3 miles, and that was just a couple of times in high school. When I ran, it was usually a 2 mile run. Now I can run 10K (which is 6 miles). Knowing that I can do that makes me feel really strong!
When I signed up for the race, I expected to be able to run it (after months of training) in an hour and 15 minutes. My dear boyfriend and I ran our 10K yesterday in 58 minutes! I am really happy that I'm so much faster than I anticipated.
And of course, a large part of my personality revolves around setting a goal and meeting it. I love that I'm about to meet another goal that I've set for myself. :)
What does the future hold for my running? Well, I'd like to keep it up as much as I can through the summer (and beyond)- given the weather, this means running early in the morning or late in the evening. I will admit I'm not particularly attached to running a 10K again. I've happily run as far as 7K and still felt pretty good, but I haven't gotten past the point of needing to lay around the house for the rest of the day after I run a 10K. It is really hard on me. I have so much respect for people who can run half and full marathons. That's just amazing!!
On the plus side, I've really grown to love a good 5K run. I think I may bump my minimum run up to 5K (after the race, that is- I think I'm supposed to take it fairly easy this week). I feel really energized after a run of that length. I've also gotten to the point where I feel lousy if I don't get enough exercise. That makes it so much easier to exercise and to actually look forward to working out, so I'm hoping I can hold on to that feeling! I've been working out about 6 days a week for over a month now, and I'm amazed at how easy its actually been to keep up (previously, I was working out about 3 times a week). I definitely want to continue this trend. :)
When I signed up for the race, I expected to be able to run it (after months of training) in an hour and 15 minutes. My dear boyfriend and I ran our 10K yesterday in 58 minutes! I am really happy that I'm so much faster than I anticipated.
And of course, a large part of my personality revolves around setting a goal and meeting it. I love that I'm about to meet another goal that I've set for myself. :)
What does the future hold for my running? Well, I'd like to keep it up as much as I can through the summer (and beyond)- given the weather, this means running early in the morning or late in the evening. I will admit I'm not particularly attached to running a 10K again. I've happily run as far as 7K and still felt pretty good, but I haven't gotten past the point of needing to lay around the house for the rest of the day after I run a 10K. It is really hard on me. I have so much respect for people who can run half and full marathons. That's just amazing!!
On the plus side, I've really grown to love a good 5K run. I think I may bump my minimum run up to 5K (after the race, that is- I think I'm supposed to take it fairly easy this week). I feel really energized after a run of that length. I've also gotten to the point where I feel lousy if I don't get enough exercise. That makes it so much easier to exercise and to actually look forward to working out, so I'm hoping I can hold on to that feeling! I've been working out about 6 days a week for over a month now, and I'm amazed at how easy its actually been to keep up (previously, I was working out about 3 times a week). I definitely want to continue this trend. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)