May Restaurant of the Month in San Francisco -- Prospect!

PROSPECT: a simple 2-syllable word with depths of meaning. As part of our common-day vernacular, one might use this term in regards to a "probability or chance for future success," or perhaps as "a vision of the future; positive expectation".  All things considered, whether as a verb or noun, this word beams of positivity, which is why this makes an impeccable name for a restaurant in the heart of San Francisco.  With so many phenomenal restaurants in the Bay area gathering 5-star ratings, no wonder it's of utmost value to name your restaurant with a word that embodies the idea of success. 

As you may or may not know, I have started on a new contract with IBM out in California and I couldn't be more excited. Knowing that I love all things relating to the state of California, I think it's pretty safe to say I have continuous positive expectations of what's to come with my time traveling to the West Coast.  Nonetheless, it was my second day on the project and my program executive ordered a Team Dinner at one of the Top 100 Restaurants in the Bay Area!  After a day in the office, all 12 of us took a leisurely walk to Prospect, located just a few blocks away from the financial district.  This restaurant is a true statement of chic, savvy, and posh.  With its loft-like features such as wrought iron light fixtures, tall open windows, and earthy, serene tones, this place is sure to be a segway into relaxation mode after a hard day's work.

The ambiance of this restaurant is very welcoming.  We were instantly seated in a long table in the middle of the restaurant; it was great to feel like we were a part of the restaurant.  So often with upscale restaurants, when a large party comes in, you're put to the "side" or in a special "nook" of the restaurant. Not with Prospect - us 12 amazing IBMers where seated in the midst of the yuppies and business men and women who were out for a casual cocktail or dinner. We were greeted by two great waitresses who took our drink orders. It was hard to choose one, but I ended up being sold on the Pompelmo Frizzante - a refreshing drink made with vodka, sparkling wine, grapefruit, vanilla and lemon. Others around me enjoyed a glass of wine or a martini on the rocks, while some enjoyed virgin cocktails, too! It was safe to say there was an option for every one's beverage preference.

I normally do not have many opportunities to go to restaurants like Prospect, whether in DC or on my corporate travels, but my interest was instantly peaked once I read the options on the menu.  Crispy Pig Trotters? Beef Tongue Carpaccio? Roasted Quail? What did I get myself into?!  I think it's a fair statement to say I have an adventurous palette like my mom. I'll try anything...well, almost anything, at least one time. For the appetizer, I decided to order the Crispy Crabcake – 2 small crabcakes adorned with tomatillo, bacon, spring onion aioli, and tempura scapes. At just around $14, these were probably the most delicious crabcakes I've had to date. I know the Marylanders out there might argue with me, but these were pretty fabulous and baked to perfection.  That was the simple part of my appetizer. Due to the overabundance of generosity my coworkers display, I had the opportunity to try octopus and shaved pigs head for the first time. Yes, you read that right - shaved pig's head! Now, I love a good piece of bacon or pork chops just like the rest of us, but never in a million years did I think I would try shaved pigs head.  The octopus was surprisingly tasty - it was a mildly flavored seafood that was soft and fresh.  But when my boss offered up a try of the Crispy Pig Trotters, I just had to say yes. This starter was shaved pig’s head with roasted peanuts, crunchy shallot, chili vinaigrette, and lime aioli.  I was a little hesitant, but it tasted just like prosciutto. I found out they take a pigs head and de-bone it, mold it, cure it and then shave a piece off. The trotter is the pigs forearm, which was great, too, but I was more a fan of the pig's head. I definitely made my mom proud by venturing out on a limb with my food habits.  But that's what life is about, trying things that are out of your comfort zone and blazing new trails.   

Shaved Pig's Head

Crispy Crabcakes

The wait time in between the starters and the main course was minimal, or at least it seemed that way with all of the conversations between my coworkers.  We are a talkative bunch!   When it came time to decide what I was going to eat for my dinner, I was toying between the Roasted Duck and the Salmon only because I've never had duck before.  The ONLY thing keeping me from the duck was the fact that it was adorned with olives. Call me crazy because I know I'm Italian, but I dislike olives. They are the one food I cannot eat.  So, I settled on the Wild King Salmon, made with fava beans, farro verde, braised artichokes, and drizzled with fava  leaf vinaigrette. Salmon is probably my most favorite seafood, so I knew this was going to hit the spot. To be completely honest, the salmon was a smaller portion than what I'm normally used to, but the meal was satisfying. The salmon was cooked to perfection and melted right in your mouth like hot butter. The braised artichokes were tangy and refreshing, too! I love artichokes so this was the perfect addition to my main course.  All of the meals had beautiful presentation and were cooked just right. All in all, the menu options matched the diversity that inhabits this beautiful city.

Wild King Salmon

Of course, it doesn't stop there.... we all I know I HAVE to get a dessert especially when I dine at such a modern, unique restaurant in a new area!  There were so many different options to choose from; with desserts such as Petit Smores, Sweet Ricotta Doughnuts, and Ice Cream Sandwiches, I felt like Prospect was calling out the kid inside of me, while keeping it upscale and posh at the same time. I'm not afraid to admit that I got very excited about the ice cream sandwiches.  Those were the best as a kid...nothing like eating one of those on a hot summer day after a long day at the playground.  Now, 20-some odd years later, and ice cream sandwiches still have the same appeal, just with a little more sophistication.  These were not your typical ice cream sandwiches, though - they were filled with raspberry ice cream and the chocolate exterior was more of a hardened shell. Mmmmm. Delicious! My other coworker, John, was kind enough to get the Sweet Ricotta donuts so I could at least try one or two....or three.  Not only were the donuts warm and savory, but they had a raspberry and chocolate sauce for the donuts, too!  Doughnuts like these put Dunkin' Doughnuts and Krispy Kreme to shame. 

Sweet Ricotta Filled Donuts!

Raspberry-filled Ice Cream Sandwiches!

This was a great way to start my week off in San Francisco, as well as break me into the various tastes and foods that are in the city. I've been told that San Francisco is THE place for the "foodie" in me and I can't wait to try more. Prospect definitely has an A+ rating in my book.  Between the exotic foods, delicious cocktails, enthusiastic wait staff and sophisticated décor, you can't go wrong. Whether you're looking for a hip place to have a few drinks or an upscale dinner, this place is sure to satisfy your palette.

April Restaurant of the Month - Pizzeria Orso!

I think trying a new restaurant has definitely been my favorite on-going goal that I've had to accomplish each month. It gets me out of the rut of not only going to the same restaurants, but also trying new types of food, too.  Also, it gives me a chance to strengthen my friendships and have quality time with some of the wonderful people in my life.  The restaurant for the month of April is a review of a food that we all love - Pizza!  It's nothing over the top, but Pizza can be a comfort food to many. Or, a food when you're on the go, but want something filling and yummy (not just greasy fries from a fast food restaurant). My friend, Callie, mentioned to me a great little pizzeria in the heart of Falls Church, so we decided to go there and try it out!  Now, most of you know that I actually don't eat dairy or gluten (I'm not highly allergic, I just think it's healthier to keep these to a minimum) - so pizza isn't exactly the best food for me to eat, BUT I had to make an exception for this highly-rated wood-fired pizzeria!

Pizzeria Orso is known as a casual dining restaurant with traditional neopolitan pizza. It is quite a charming place, filled with hues of yellow, red, and oranges. Very bright decor - which I love, because we all know I LOVE bright colors. We were greeted and seated immediately. I'd have to say my first observation was that this restaurant definitely caters to families. There were kids everywhere. My first thought was "please don't sit us next to these kids". (Hmmm...I see a little of my mom in me more and more!) The last time I was in a restaurant that was inundated with families probably would date back to the best Italian place in all of Williamsport, called The Villa.  I mean, let's be real, Washingtonians in my age range don't exactly go to family-friendly restaurants all the time. No, we're all about the newest lounges were you can get overpriced cocktails, appetizers, and sit in comfy white lounge chairs while you discuss things like how much you miss college, how life is so "expensive", and how the jerk on the metro wouldn't stop breathing heavy on you or something ridiculous like that. Or, on the contrary, we like the bars - ones with lots of TVs, where our minds can be so over-stimulated with sports, or ones that have the best happy hour deals ($2 drinks - heck yes!). I mean, you don't exactly see 4-yr-olds running around these DC hot-spots.

They sat us at a cute table and our waitress came over to give us menus. I rarely eat pizza, maybe once a year, so this was going to be a treat for me. The menu had a wide variety of food, such as neapolitan pizza, antipasti, house made charcuterie, fried appetizers, desserts and, of course, a plethora of wine and beer to choose from.  I'm a big fan of restaurants that use food and ingredients from local markets - it's fresher and saves everyone money, while helping local Ma & Pa businesses. Pizzeria Orso's pizzas are served unsliced, and finished with olive oil, and the mozzarella is locally produced by Blue Ridge Farms in Leesburg, VA. At just around $15, I ordered the Verdure Pizza, made with tomato, mozzarella, onion, crimini mushroom, peppers, basil, eggplant, capers (hold the capers, please!).

Me with my Pizza

The Verdure Pizza!

I loved this Pizza - it had all my favorite ingredients piled high with an excellent crust and perfect amount of cheese. What's even better for us nutrition freaks (like Me!) is that it's not this overly enormous pizza. It's just the right size to get your fix but not feel like you have to go hike the Appalachian mountains to make up for it. Plus, I've got my veggies and calcium, right? Let's just not talk about all the bread involved :).  This pizza was delicious and I don't really know how to word this, but it was very easy to eat.  Do you ever have a pizza where the cheese falls off in one big sheet? Or, the sauce is so overpowering that it ruins the crust? Well, this was not. Every bite had the perfect blend of cheese, sauce, savory crust, and veggies. Of course, like every other American out there, I thought I'd for sure eat half and box the rest up. Yeah, that didn't happen. 7 slices in and my grandmother would have been beyond proud that I left my plate looking like it came right out of the dishwasher.  Growing up, my mom never let us leave the table unless we were done. My poor brother would shove food in his cheeks for HOURS just so he could leave the table (oh the good ol' days of being a kid!).  But, the pizza was SOOOO good that I just had to savor every bite and finish the entire thing.  The great thing was the portion was a medium size - it wasn't like a pizza you order from Papa John's or anything.  It was small enough to eat in one sitting (Yes, this is me justifying the fact that I finished a whole pizza).

Callie's Pizza - The Crudo

Additionally, Callie ordered a very yummy pizza, The Crudo, a pizza made with tomato, mozzarella, basil, arugula, Grana Padano, and prosciutto di Parma.  The combination of cheeses was superb and the added flavor of the prosciutto gave this pizza an extra kick.  Depending on your pizza style, there's definitely an option for you at Pizzeria Orso.  I love my pizza with tons of veggies and cheese, but if you choose to have a classic, more traditional pizza, you can have that, too! Overall, for the pizza alone, Callie and I both gave it a two thumbs up and we want to go back there again.

...Now, of course it doesn't stop there. I had to indulge a little in the desserts, too.  When I choose to write about a restaurant, I have to give my readers the full review from entree to dessert.  Not to mention, who doesn't love a little excuse to eat something sweet after a meal? There were about four different desserts on the menu, but the one that was most intriguing to me was the Lemon Doughnuts filled with Nutella.  1) I secretly love donuts. I don't always have them, but when I do it's a nice treat. 2) Lemon flavor is one of my favorites - so refreshing, tangy, and sweet! Furthermore, the waitress raved about these lemon doughnuts, so I had to try it out!  A cute little canoe-shaped plate came out with three warm mini-donuts, stuffed and topped with Nutella icing and sprinkled with powder sugar. THEY WERE DELICIOUS! They were so mouth-watering good, completed melted in your mouth. I've never really had a dessert like this before. Normally, I'll have a piece of cake or creme brulee, but never Lemon Doughnuts!

Overall, I was a big fan of this little pizzeria.  It's great if you're looking for something quick, inexpensive, yummy, and moderately healthy. I recommend Pizzeria Orso in Falls Church, VA. Next time you want a piece of pizza, grab a friend and head on down to this little secret hideaway!

Goal #4: See my Father -- Check!!

Wow... honestly, I thought this was the goal that wouldn't get accomplished this year. Not to be rude to my father, but he isn't the greatest on follow-through. (You know it's true, Dad!). I can't tell you how many times we had "planned" a visit to see each other only to be canceled at the last minute for some obscure reason.  So when I first chose this as a goal of mine, not only did everyone think I was crazy, but I told my father about it over the holidays.  Had to give that man enough prep time. He had 12 whole months to get his act together and make it happen! :) It wasn't one I was going to stress over, though.  If it happened, then great. If not, life still goes on.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I don't exactly have the picture perfect relationship with my father. My mom raised us on her own, and I've really only met him once during my adult life.  We first met when I was 19 years old in sunny Florida. That was an interesting experience to say the least. A lot of emotions run through you when you realize someone so critical to your life missed out on so much.  Seven years had past since our first visit, and I had figured it was a good time to see each other again, but little did I know it would happen on a whim. My dad is like an energizer bunny and a ghost combined (His favorite line - Often imitated, but never duplicated - that's a good thing! ha!).  He flies from city to city and you can't keep track of where he's going next.  I think it's safe to say that I have certain aspects of his personality - the love of travel, the adventuresome spirit, the on-the-go mentality, and the ability to charm the heck out of anyone. Two weekends ago, I was in Pittsburgh visiting my sister, brother-in-law, and the two CUTEST little nephews ever. I know, I'm biased....but, I'm there Aunt and I'm allowed to be :).  See pictures below....

Me and Graem, my 2-yr-old nephew!

Me and Emmett, my 4 month old nephew!

While in Pittsburgh, I received a call from my Dad saying he was doing business in Ohio and he wanted to do dinner with me and my sister. I was a little skeptical at first that it would actually happen, but figured that these opportunities don't come around that often (since he lives in Florida), so I thought it was best to go see the old man! I'm a happy-go-lucky person and I've forgiven my Dad for not being there for me.  At the end of the day, I am the woman I am because of my upbringing and my stricter-than-life mom (love you, Mom!). I don't hold any grudges or bitterness. To me, there's no point. God hands you circumstances for a reason and I ended up just a-okay in life.

My sister and I took a mini-road trip and met my father in the hoppin' city of Youngstown, Ohio (insert sarcasm here), about an hour from Pittsburgh. [Side Note: I rented the 2011 Hyundai Sonata to get there - SWEET car!]  I realized I'm SUCH a city girl now.... Youngstown has all of a few stop lights and restaurants, with men named Billy-Bob whose goatees are longer than my hair.  Not really my style.   We went to the highest-rated seafood restaurant in all of Youngstown. It was a cute place and we met my dad and had drinks by the bar in the first part of our visit. My dad looked great. He looked healthy and still had memories of all his old stories...even some crazy ones about times when my mom and him were together back in the day! We caught up on life, and all that we were doing over the past few years. I think I shocked my dad at first.... 10 minutes into our aperitifs, I was like, "Can we get dinner now? I'm hungry..."  I wasn't trying to rush, but my stomach was a-growlin'! He told me I was a bossy kid... guess that hasn't changed too much now that I'm older :). The man was smart enough to order an appetizer, so I could fill my stomach without getting cranky.  What can I say, my less-than-perfect patience and my demanding personality must come from my Mom....

While at dinner, I felt like my sister saw heaven's gates open up.  She hadn't had an alcoholic beverage in three years due to having two kids.  She was quite content to have a few cocktails on Dad's dime. ;)  Dinner was great, though, and all in all, the visit couldn't have gone better.  We reminisced, talked about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness, and Dad was sure to throw in a few of his jokes here and there.  I know it meant a lot to him that Marci and I took the time to go see him. Who knows when that next time will be, but I was glad I went to see him and was able to get a few nice pictures of us together.  I mean, he is partially responsible for my good looks, so I have to kind of thank him for that right?! .....haha, just joking!

At the end of the day, we all have to make choices and decisions that allow us to be at peace with ourselves when we lay our head down at night. I knew making the effort to go see him was the right thing to do and I'm happy with my choice. I'm glad my sister and I could give my Dad a reason to smile for that short time having dinner with him.

 

For those of you wondering: here are the goals that I have left.  I'm doing pretty darn well, if I must say so myself. It's at the end of the first quarter, and I'm more than halfway there!

1. Volunteer at least 40 hours to a Children's Organization
2. Go Skydiving 
3. Learn how to shoot a gun at a shooting range - (This is in the works; tickets are bought, I just need to schedule it!)
4. Ask one guy out that I would totally be scared to approach.
5. Write one Children's story
6. Participate in the Warrior Dash - coming up in three short weeks!

Goal #6: Eat Atomic Wings at Quaker, Steak, and Lube -- Check!

 

I know it may be hard to believe, but I think this was the goal I was most afraid that I wouldn't be able to accomplish. Jump out of a plane someday - piece of cake. Run in a 3 mile mud-infused Warrior Dash - got that in the bag. But eat a half of dozen atomic wings at just around 200,000 Scoville Units - no way! I was petrified; I saw man vs. food where Adam tried the challenge and he was sweating bullets. I thought if he barely scraped by, how am I going to accomplish this?  I love food and I was raised on hot peppers canned by my mom, but wings made with the ghost pepper was a scary thought!

The atomic wings are the signature wing at Quaker, Steak, and Lube, a restaurant located in the heart of Pittsburgh, PA. It was nice to have that location because my two adorable nephews are in Pittsburgh, so it was so good to be able to see them and accomplish my goal at the same time. For those of you who are unfamiliar with QS&L, the restaurant is known for its chicken wing hot sauce flavors; the Atomic flavor is sold individually in a dropper bottle sealed in a childproof container.  Even the chefs have to wear gloves when preparing the wings, because the burn on your fingers can be extensive. I know, I'm crazy. Why would I put myself through this torture?! Customers must sign a liability waiver before ordering the Atomic wings, freeing Quaker Steak from any liability. I repeat, I'm crazy! :)

My sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews all sat down for wings this past Friday night.  We started off with a bucket of the Arizona Ranch wings.  On the level of "hotness" they're at the middle tier. I wanted to at least enjoy my wings before signing my life over to the world of the ghost peppers.  I had about 10 Arizona Ranch, and then it was time for the doom and gloom.  One order of Atomic wings please!  

Our waiter brought out a half of dozen wings, all coated in 200,000 Scoville Units of way too hot peppers. I was a bit nervous, but knew I had to dig right in. Accomplishing this challenge required a strategy. We all know, as consultants, we excel in strategy. I had to have my hair pulled book. I had to eat the wings without stopping; I barely wanted to take time to sip water in between, because that would just make it worse.

I started with the first wing, pretty much ate that wing in one bite - piece of cake! I went onto the second one and kept my momentum in the fast-paced eating. By the third one, the sweat beads started to form and the heat started hitting my throat.  I took about 4 sips of water throughout the entire challenge.  My sister broke out her paparazzi camera and was all about this. She was snapping pictures left and right....of course, how sexy can one be while consuming wings made with ghost peppers?!?

Needless to say, I could have easily gone on the Travel Channel's, Man VS. Food, and challenged the head honcho.  I ate all 6 Atomic wings within 7 minutes, and received my name on the "Wall of Fame" and a super cool bumper sticker!

...It turns out that Quaker, Steak, and Lube has now obtained a Triple Atomic wing, made at close to 500,000 Scoville Units. That will be on my list for 2012! Have to go one step at a time! :)

Celebrating My Quarter-Life Triumph!

Many of you know I recently celebrated my 25th birthday on this past April Fool's Day. It was a blast turning 25 and unlike most, I'm actually excited about my year of being 25!  Everyone calls your 25th year the "Quarter-Life Crisis."  I don't see the point in that, honestly.  I'm a big proponent of positive thinking and that your thoughts and words dictate your life. Why would I want to label a year of my life as a crisis? Instead, I'm calling it the quarter-life triumph. I don't know if there's something I necessarily want to "triumph" over, but I do know it's going to be an excellent year and I have little goals to accomplish along the way. One thing I wish everyone could experience everyday is the amount of love and happiness they experience on their actual day of birth.  People come out of the wood-work to wish you a happy birthday. I think I heard from people that I haven't talked to since the second grade, folks that I didn't even knew remembered my name.  But, nonetheless, between the phone calls/emails/tweets/facebook messages and posts/emails, I received a lot of birthday lovin'.

My birthday celebrations were simple, yet crazy...just how I like it!  My most favorite part was having dinner with 8 of my closest girlfriends at a charming restaurant called Tonic in downtown DC. Being surrounded by my friends meant a lot to me, and it made me realize how grateful I am to have such amazing, encouraging friends in my life. I think it's safe to say that it is hard meeting women that you want to be friends with - us girls can get so caddy and competitive. But being at dinner with all of my friends, both from Dickinson and people I've met here in DC just meant a lot to me.  After dinner, we went to my most favorite place in Dupont - Lucky Bar!  I love Lucky Bar, it's my favorite place. It's just so much fun there and everyone has a good time dancing there.  Not to mention the eye candy can be plentiful :). All in all, I felt like my birthday was a ton of fun. We danced till 2 am and had a crazy good time!

So thanks to all of my friends and family that made my birthday so special! Cheers to an amazing year ahead of us!

March Restaurants of the Month - Kramerbooks and Tara Temple!

Okay, so I'm on a roll with trying new restaurants.  In the month of March alone, I think I've tried 4 new places in the DC/VA area along with new hot spots on my corporate travels through Seattle and LA.  I love food and I love finding the little hole-in-the-wall spots that have an element of charm and flair to them.  For the month of March, I've decided to do a review of two completely different restaurants.  It's just another example of how I'm an overachiever at times - so, ladies and gentlemen, you're not getting ONE restaurant for the month of March, you're getting TWO! :)

First Restaurant of the Month: Kramerbooks & Afterwords
Washington, D.C - Dupont Circle

I had never heard of Kramerbooks until a recent friend of mine suggested it as a good dinner place in Dupont Circle. As a fellow Washingtonian, we are aware that any place worth knowing about is through word-of-mouth.  It was last Friday and I wanted to go out in Dupont, but also wanted to have dinner with two of my close friends, Mike and Stacy.  We all have drastically different schedules, so it's nice to sit down and catch up once and a while over good food and delicious cocktails. Kramerbooks is a cultural hot spot located in the heart of Dupont Circle; a go-to place for the yuppies of Washington D.C.  It is literally located within a book store, and not a situation where you have a Seattle's Best coffee to the side.  People hover around some of the most eclectic book topics I've ever seen as they wait for their name to be called at this local gem.  We waited about 30 minutes for our table, but it wasn't so bad knowing we had a plethora of books to keep us entertained.

We sat down at this little table; it was sort of a neighborly place.  Everyone was seated close together that it felt like a small-knit community. This place had a sense of warmth and coziness to it - the dim lighting, intellectual conversations, and over abundance of cloth hats and scarves made it known that it's a place for stimulating conversation with young intellectuals.  We were greeted by our waitress, April, who gave us a drink menu and ran down the list of specials.  I started off with the Real Espresso Martini, a delicious combination of vanilla vodka, brewed espresso, Kahlua, and Frangelico.  It was late and I knew I needed a drink that would give me a little extra boost to get me through the night.  (Hey, this isn't college anymore; working all week exhausts me!).  The drink was a very rich, smooth cocktail and is a must-have for coffee lovers. Stacy ordered an amazing glass of white wine; I think it was a Sauvignon Blanc.  It was so good that she went to Total Wines that same weekend to find it in the store.  Mike was the adult of the group and just stuck with water. :)

Now in regards to our meals, there was a wide variety of different dishes to choose from, all within the $20-$30 range, which is pretty reasonable for the heart of Dupont.  Much to my surprise, the waitress recommended getting any dish with seafood since it's brought in fresh everyday.  I was torn between two salads, and the waitress recommended the Crab, Tomato & Avocado Salad, which was jumbo lump crab cake, sliced California avocados and tomatoes, over market greens and red onions drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil and balsamic dressing. I love seafood, so I was very excited when my salad came with a nice portion of crab meat.  It was a simple, clean, healthy salad - the avocados and tomatoes were perfectly seasoned and the dressing added just enough sweet and tangy to the crab meat.  It's appearance was exquisite.  It was a good-size meal, but I wouldn't say I was exactly full after my meal, but that's okay since the meal had a lot of other great qualities.  My friend, Mike, I think made the best choice by his Smoked Pork Cuban Sandwich.  At just around $15, he had a great portion of slow-smoked porked, pulled from the bone and piled onto a grilled baguette.  It was layered with aged gouda (that's enough to say yum already), aioli, prosciutto and pickled jalapenos. With that, he got a nice side of market greens and "dirty" rice and beans, made with black beans, sausage, bacon, garlic, onion, and red peppers. He labeled the meal as "delicious" and I'd have to add that I tried a little of the pulled pork and it was delectable and extremely tasty. And, last but not least, my friend Stacy got the Lobster dish with a side of mac & cheese and succotash.  Unfortunately, her lobster was sub-par, and seemed to be very bland.  It was a huge amount of lobster, but was not appropriately adorned with the right fixings.  When you order lobster, you expect great things, so I'm not surprised by the disappointment.

My jumbo crab meat salad!

Mike's Cuban Pork Sandwich

Stacy's Lobster dish

I think, overall, Mike and I give Kramerbooks a 4 out of 5 stars, while Stacy might come out at more of a 3 stars out of 5.  The location was perfect for fellow Dupont Circle-ers and was a nice mix up from the upscale lounges.  This is that perfect place if you still want to go "out" on a Friday night, but want something a bit more low-key with a little bit of flair!

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Second Restaurant of the Month: Tara Temple
Arlington, VA - Ballston

I found out about Tara Temple through Bloomspot, a company which delivers unique offers for spas, restaurants, and bars in the Washington D.C. area.  It's like a groupon, but better because their offers for restaurants are for 3 or 4-course meals.  Their motto at Bloomspot is "Live Life Better," and I can say without a doubt that I've done that every time I purchase a voucher from them.  I received a voucher for $60 towards a three-course meal at Tara Temple, a trendy Thai restaurant located in the heart of Arlington, VA. I love Thai food and ever since I've lived in Virginia, I've grown to appreciate authentic Thai. It's a pretty common category of food here in the area, so it's important to stake out a good spot!

I went to Tara Temple on Sunday evening after attending an amazing ballet with my friend, Stacy.  She treated me to the ballet, so I treated her to dinner, haha!  I'm so blessed to have the friends I do.  Tara Temple is adorned with true, authentic decor - it's red lounge benches and spunky chandeliers make this a great place for happy hours or a fun date night.  We started off our three-course meal with a glass of wine for Stacy and a vodka club soda for me.  Long gone are the days of wine for me....finding out I was allergic to it was a sad day! For our appetizers, I ordered the Crying Tiger steak and Stacy ordered the Pork Gyoza, which are dumplings steamed in a spicy ra-yu ponzu.  The crying tiger steak was delicious - phew, did it have a kick to it!! It was spicy, but so good and cooked to perfection!  The steak was moist and savory.  Stacy's pork dumplings were steamed to perfection and quite tasty as well.  Our appetizers arrived within a timely fashion, which earns big brownie points from me.  I hate waiting for food; being Italian, patience is not my strong suit... it's something I'm working on, but it is a hard task.  My mom might have passed down a variety of traits to me like intelligence, beauty, tenacity, and hootspa, but patience was not one of them!

Pork Dumplings!

Crying Tiger Appetizer

For our second course, the main entree, I ordered the classic Thai dish, the "Drunken Noodle."  A delectable dish of  wide flat noodles stir-fried with tomatoes, onions, red and green bell peppers, and chicken drenched in a spicy Thai basil sauce.  For fellow Thai-food lovers, the Drunken Noodle dish is a staple; it's a great way to test if the Thai food is authentic and savory.  This dish was a hit in my book and boy, did it clear out your sinuses.  It was a SPICY dish, one of those where you feel like your nose will run, but it was oh-so-good!  Besides the quality of ingredients in this dish, this was a perfectly-sized meal for the girl who's not afraid to eat.  As you know from my previous reviews, big portions earn big brownie points for me!  Now, you can order the Drunken Noodle with either chicken, shrimp, beef or vegetarian (which is tofu).  I ordered it with the chicken and it was cooked to perfection!  Stacy ordered the stir fry with spicy fresh Thai basil, chili and garlic sauce.  Both dishes had enough "kick" to them... I felt like if a spirit lived inside of me, it would have come out due to the intensity of the heat, haha!  Also, both dishes gave us a perfect amount of food while staying true to Thai authenticity. From the spices, to the ingredients, to the mixture of it all, these dishes were sure to please those who find Thai food to be a signature staple in their palette.

Drunken Noodles...yeah!!

Stacy's Thai Basil Dish

Finally, for the dessert we split the Caramel Apple Cake, which came with side of chocolate ganache.  It was a very simple and yummy dessert but I could have done without the frozen apples in the cake.  They should have either been warmed or taken out of the cake completely.  Biting into a mouth-watering piece of cake can be instantly dissatisfying when you bite into a frozen, unbearably cold piece of apple.  Although delicious, they should warmed the apples next time!

The Caramel Apple Cake

Overall, I think Stacy and I would give Tara Temple a 4 stars out of 5.  The service was timely, the dishes were plentiful, and the food was authentic and appetizing. The location was incredibly easy to get to as well, and the decor of this place made it easy to see how the transition can go from a casual dinner to an upscale lounge.

Goal #5: Meet a Celebrity -- Check!!

Meet a Celebrity - Check!

I know most of you may laugh but, yes, I indeed had a goal of meeting one celebrity OR attending a celebrity-like event for my Top 11 Things I Want to Accomplish in 2011.  I honestly felt like this would be my hardest goal to check off, but less than three months into the new year, I've accomplished yet another goal.  Of course, I think it'd be great to still attend a music awards event, but for now, I'm proud that I at least had the opportunity to meet one celebrity this past weekend - Bethenny Frankel (star of the Real Housewives of NYC and Bethenny Ever After). I'm aware that some people may or may not consider her a true "celebrity". Granted, she's not a Julia Roberts, but she's a self-made success, and for that alone I was extremely proud to meet her.  She didn't have a cookie-cutter life where everything fit nicely into a box and then she "magically" became famous.  I don't think Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, the Kardashian sisters, or even Kate Hudson are half worthy of their success --- all of those celebrities had wealthy, famous parents which made it easy for them to stroll right into the spot light.  I'm a fan of fighters, those who beat the odds to have success (For Example: Chris Gardner, from the Pursuit of Happyness or Michael Oher portrayed in the Blind Side).  Those who think outside the box and defy society's expectations... those stories are MUCH more interesting and their success is much more deserved in my eyes at least.  Bethenny grew up without parents.  I couldn't even imagine that. I grew up without a father and that has been a roller coaster of emotions alone; I couldn't imagine not having the mom I have. My mom has encouraged me and been my biggest cheerleader my entire life. When I'm down, she's there to put a smile on my face and lift my spirits.  Some folks tell me my mom worries too much (that to which I agree), BUT I'd rather have a mom who cares SO much about me to watch over my every step, than a mom whose love was non-existent.  Bethenny had to be tough because she didn't have everything served on a silver platter, nor did she have a family to love, encourage and support her as she strived for her goals.  One thing I truly loved about Bethenny is she wasn't one to have a "woe is me" attitude; she's had a tough shell because of her upbringing but she used it to make herself a household name.  Call it what you will, but that's success in my eyes.

Bethenny hosted a 13-city tour around the United States to promote her books as well as share her insight on her journey through life.  My friend, Callie, and I had the opportunity to meet her in Baltimore, MD at the Hippodrome Theater.  Women like Bethenny inspire me.  She didn't go through life in a "June Cleaver" fashion.  She had success, got married, and had a baby all on her own due time.  Life is full of pressure - especially pressure on women to find a man, get married, have kids, and live up to everyone else's expectations.  It can be exhausting and so agonizing.  It's like leave me alone already. Someone's version of success could be settling down at a young age and having a bunch of kids. Another's can be working to the top of the ladder and putting marriage on the back burner.  Another, could be living to fulfill a greater purpose of consistently volunteering to make better the lives of the less fortunate.  Bethenny was downright sassy, inappropriate, tell-it-like-it-is, and all around hilarious. She does not sugar-coat a thing, so I naturally felt right at home because I came from a family who doesn't really believe in filters.  (Example #1: Me -"Hey Mom, like my new shirt?" Mom - "No, looks horrible, get it the hell off." / Example #2: Me - "Why in the hell are you going to the Dominican Republic?"  Me - "Because I want to travel to a beach and try somewhere new. Mom - "Trader, can't believe you're leaving the US." ) Yep, that's my mom for you.  That's why I felt at ease when I was listening to Bethenny talk--definitely a straight shooter.  My heart did go out to Jason a bit, though.  She rips him apart - everything from his parents, to the size of his package, to his weird quirks.  I know it's all in good fun, but it definitely takes a patient, loving man to not let anything get under his skin.

Bethenny looked fabulous - definitely a Skinny Girl at heart.  She ran through the thoughts behind her books and gave a lot of advice on finding your passion, dating, becoming a Skinny Girl, and working in your daily job.  I was actually quite amazed - the lens of fame and fortune is not all sunshine and glitter.  Just a few short years before her big break, she had a $50,000 negative tax return and the year before that she had a $150,000 negative tax return.  Her path to success wasn't a yellow brick road, and her unwavering determination was profound.  Numerous companies turned down her idea for the "Skinny Girl" Margarita; now, they all come to her begging to buy her company.  When she came up with the idea for her first book, a publisher turned down her idea telling her it would never sell.  Little did he know she would be a NY Times-Best Seller and he would subsequently be fired. Her moral of the story was even if you don't have a "cookie-cutter" life, you can have success and you can have all the things your heart desires; and that sometimes saying "no" to someone or something is really saying "yes" to yourself.  The one negative side to her event was she did a Q&A session, which is something that is well-thought of because it gives a chance for her fans to say hello and ask a special question to her.  However, the "fans" used this to get up and explain their whole life story to her before asking a silly question.  She went through about 25 or more questions, and it made the crowd restless.  No one asked an intriguing question. People were asking her if she received their emails, or if she has a good recipe. Excuse me, she didn't receive your email and read her damn book for a recipe.  So, all in all, the show was good, but I was a little disappointed in the content.  I wish she would have elaborated more on the secrets of the Real Housewives show, or funny stories about her life as a mom and newlywed.  It basically was a book promotion and a Q&A session.  I did buy her one book, The Skinny Girl Dish, just so I would have something for her to sign.  Besides, it's always good to learn new recipes and ways of cooking.

Finally, we had the meet-and-greet session after the show where it was a quick autograph and snapshot. Of course, when it came time for my picture, the producer of the show didn't know what it meant to hold the flash button down for longer than a split second, so my photo came out a bit dark. Awesome. Thankfully, I was smart enough to ask for a group photo with my friend, Callie, so that one came out nice and clear. Bethenny told me I "was lookin' all sexy" and told me she was "jealous of my girls". HAHA--gotta love it.  So, we got a dose of what it means to channel your inner skinny girl while getting a few snapshots with the Bravo celebrity. All in all, I'd say meeting Bethenny was cool and definitely allowed me to check off another "goal". I think as women, we can be way too hard on ourselves and on others. We need to spend more time building women up instead of competing and tearing each other down. Bethenny exudes a sense of empowerment, that against all odds, one can achieve success. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither is a successful empire. We must work hard for what we want out of life.  Cheers to finding your inner skinny girl and working to achieve YOUR version of success!!