Survival of the Fittest

Happy Memorial Day everyone! I'm happy to report that I survived through my most recent adventure, and am now resting safely at home. The hubs and I spent the last couple of days camping at Lake Hemet with dear friends and family, and I honestly can't think of a better way to have kicked off the summer. Although the weather was not very cooperative throughout the first day, (the winds were angry, and it even rained on us during the first night), we still had an awesome time!

{our sweet setup}

{one of my darling nephews - love him to pieces}

{Jack - the flying dog - check out Jack's blog, here}

{another one of my nephews - I'm lucky to have married into the most amazing family}

Hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend as much as I did! Tomorrow is already Tuesday.. yippee!

Simply Extraordinary

I fall into that teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy population of girls that doesn't care for sweets. Chocolate? I'd rather not.. Pastries? Meh. I don't know why, but desserts just never quite did it for me. That being said, there is one place in San Diego that even this girl can't resist...

Let me start off by saying that I have a degree in marketing, so presentation is everything to me. These desserts are so beautiful it breaks my heart every time I sink my fork into one. Fresh flowers decorate each and every pastry, and the selection, oh my... the selection is so extensive it would fulfill any type of appetite. And do I even have to mention the fact that every flavor we've tried, (and there's been quite a few), has been delicious? I meaaaan, that's got to be pretty obvious. Right?

There are two locations in the downtown area alone, so get your butts over there as soon as you can. Oh, and if you're stopping in to grab a birthday cake or something, don't worry they have you covered on the gift front as well. So many cute knick-knacks I could die. Die!

Alrighty-o! We're cruising off into the wilderness in t-minus 11 minutes. That's right kids, I'm going camping! Tell you all about it if when I get back. Wish me luck!

Little Korea

Ok, so I'm not necessarily a huge kimchi fan, but put a giant plate of galbi in front of me anytime, and I'm known to go to town! Last night when I got home from work I was 1) grumpy because I was hungry, and 2) craving a sizzling hot-pot full of marinated meat. By the way, the fact that I get crazy strong cravings when I'm not even pregnant, should only serve as an indicator of the types of things my poor husband will have to endure once I'm inseminated. Anyhoo... I've always been curious about the tiny Korean restaurant nestled smack in the middle of downtown La Jolla, and after remembering that I recently saw them listed as a participant on restaurant.com, the decision was made, and we were flying to the glitzy beachside town for dinner.

Little Korea

$3 Wines? Sold.

Kimchi, daily assorted side dishes.

Bibimbob - Sauteed carrots, shitake mushrooms, fresh season vegetables, sesame oil and fried egg, on top of steamed rice served with spicy gochujang sauce on the side. I had mine in an optional hot stone pot with bulgogi. 

Spicy Bulgogi - Stir-fried thinly sliced rib eye steak, marinated in sake and soy, onions, bell peppers and green onions.

I'm happy to report that our selections more than satisfied my cravings. The food was cooked perfectly, and I mean, who can beat a $3 glass(es) of wine? Not I, my friends. Not I.

Rrrrrrrama!

I'm pretty sure that I have gushed before about my sincere love for Thai food (it's seriously the thing I'm looking forward to the most about our upcoming trip to Thailand). I'm pleased to share with you that I have recently discovered a new Thai joint in San Diego, and I am absolutely obsessed!

Private booths for everyone! Love the concept of sheer curtains around each table in the Waterfall Room.. so romantic!

Summer Rolls - Yum!! One of the best appetizers, like.. ever!

Drunken Noodles - fresh rice noodles with thai basil, tomatoes, onions, garlic, fresh chili and kai lan.

Gai Qua - Fresh rice noodles stir fried with cabbage, chicken, squid and garlic soy. A street classic.

I'm talking about Rama - located in the heart of Gaslamp, directly across from the San Diego Convention Center. Rama provides an elegant and exotic atmosphere along with tantalizing music, and friends, don't even get me started on how delicious the food is! You absolutely MUST pay this place a visit.

Sooo... I'll see you there? Happy Friday!

Up In The Air

Well that's it folks - my last post officially wrapped up everything I had to share with you from our latest trip to Berlin, Prague and Vienna. Now the burning questions is.... where are we going next?! I think that I have already shared with you that the hubs and I are planning a trip to Thailand at the end of the year... that will probably be our "next big trip". However, I doubt I'll be able to stay put for that long. We have a few weekend trips already planned to keep us busy, and I'm working on a very special surprise for my husband for our one year wedding anniversary. Eeeek!

For now.. I am back to blogging about all the awesome things I've been keeping myself busy with in San Diego. It's a tough life.. I know.

Vienna - Yummies

It's going to be pretty obvious, judging by the lack of photographs, that by the end of our latest trip, we were far too tired and distracted to remember to take pictures of everything we consumed. Nevertheless, I did manage to capture two special meals, at two special restaurants, which I would now like to recommend to you, my dear readers.

The first place was recommended to us for being a local favorite. This was true. When we walked into Salm Brau there wasn't a tourist in site, yet the place was still packed to the max. We got even more excited when we realized that the restaurant had its own brewery and distillery! Fresh beer and authentic Viennese food? What more could we ask for? 

The second restaurant we accidentally stumbled upon, and good thing we did, because the food was delicious! Located right by the university, Cafe Einstein serves hearty food at great prices. We sat around for a little longer than we should of, taking in the aroma of the food and people watching. 

Gosh how I miss having a pint of beer with every meal.. oh well, that guilty pleasure will just have to wait until our next trip!

Vienna - Holiday Market

One of my traveling fantasies has always been to visit Vienna during Christmas time. I've heard wonderful stories about the beautifully decorated streets and festive markets. Not going to lie... I was a little bummed when I realized that we would miss the holiday festivities during our latest trip... That was of course, until I found out that we'd be in Vienna just in time for Easter prep. I loved seeing the city dressed up in pastels, and was even more excited when we stumbled upon an open holiday market. There we found delicious goodies and hundreds of gorgeous handmade easter eggs!

We picked up a few eggs to decorate our Christmas tree in the future.. best souvenir investment to date!