Tiki time?

I recently spent some time in Bay City, Michigan for a family wedding. When we first arrived in town, we met up with my aunt, uncle, cousin and her little boy who drove over to spend the afternoon with us. After lots of fun and shopping downtown, we stopped to eat at The Kingfish Restaurant and Tiki Lounge.

It was a really interesting place, so I had to whip out my camera. Not only was the decor unique, it was also located right on the Saginaw River.

The weather was a bit rainy, but the clouds let up for a few minutes and we made a quick visit down to the water.

(It was also pretty windy, so the tiki-decor was going crazy.)

Oh- this bottle wasn't mine, but I took a picture of it anyway.

While the whole place was pretty nice, the dock couldn't be beat. Right on the water like that? Amazing! But I think the best thing about the dock were the stools- tons of them were lined up along the water, which looked like a great vantage point for all the events taking place on the river all summer.

Of course, one of the best parts of our afternoon was spending time with this little guy.

He's a total doll, and makes the cutest faces!

Don't believe me? Check him out with his Poppi...

And his beautiful momma!

I hadn't seen this cutie in a while, and he's gotten so big! Thanks to Aunt TGV, Uncle TMV, and EMVR for driving over to spend the afternoon with us- we had such a blast!

Thanks for stopping  by- I hope you have a great day!

Dining "Inn"

Given the crazy weather we experienced in Vermont, we didn't make it to our hotel until late in the evening.
But the Kedron Valley Inn in South Woodstock, VT was totally worth the wait!
Built over 185 years ago, this lovely establishment has an assortment of guest rooms available. And it is somewhat famous: it's often the background of those Anheuser-Busch commercials with the clydesdales... do you know the ones I'm talking about?
But back to the Inn. By the time we arrived it was pretty late- and we hadn't had dinner yet! Lucky for us, the Inn also has a tasty little restaurant in the main building... so we sat down to enjoy a meal together.
While we waited for our dishes to arrive, I took some photos... first my parents:
And then my brother- isn't he handsome?
When our food arrived, boy was it tasty! First, we enjoyed a plate of Vermont cheeses...
Followed by grilled flatbread...
Macaroni gratin...
And cheeseburgers smothered in Vermont cheddar- YUM!
We were all pretty stuffed when we made our way back to our room (which was located in a different building on the property). But I must admit it was a lovely way to begin our stay at the Kedron Valley Inn!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

The Green Mountain State

As I mentioned yesterday, I spent the weekend in Vermont! On the way to our final destination, we stopped through Brattleboro. This sweet little town was experiencing one heck of a snowstorm when we arrived, so we quickly took refuge in a local restaurant.
The New England House was a fun little restaurant inside an old farmhouse... and boy were we happy to get out of all that snow!
You know me: I love taking photos of food- and that day was no different...
So I snapped away as we enjoyed loaded potato skins...
Smothered bowls of french onion soup...
And flaky chicken pot pies!

(Also, how sweet is my brother? Look at him patiently holding his fork as he waited while I documented his meal... he's such a good sport!)

We really enjoyed our afternoon at the New England House, and we highly recommend stopping by if you're ever in the neighborhood!
Thank you for visiting my blog- stop by tomorrow for more photos of my weekend in VT!

So long discount!

Ever since I've been working on the Upper West Side, I've visited Starbucks on my way to the office each day. Luckily, I made quick friends with my local baristo*... so what may have become a terribly expensive addiction ended up being free (or majorly discounted) most days!!

Well, my trip down easy street has ended because today was my baristo's last day at the Sbux because he found himself a new job at a fancy restaurant in the neighborhood. So while I'm happy for him, I'm sad for my wallet... and my dangerous addiction to chai lattes!

So, here's to you, Mr. Baristo- thanks for everything!
Thanks for stopping by- I hope you have a great day!

*That's a term I just coined for a male barista, because even though I know this isn't the case in Italian, the 'a' at the end of that word makes me think it's referring to a woman who makes my coffee... like "bravo" vs. "brava"- you know what I mean?

I love German Village!

Believe it or not, I had never been to Columbus, OH before this past weekend! So before my cousin's wedding I was thrilled to explore a small part of the city with my family! We started in German Village, which as the website states:

German Village is a historic neighborhood just south of downtown Columbus, Ohio. It was settled by a large number of German immigrants in the mid 1800s, who at one time comprised as much as a third of the population of the entire city. On December 30, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

We began the morning at Juergen's German Bakery.
This traditional German bakery serves an assortment of regional delights along with an extensive array of homemade baked goods.
We grabbed a seat near the window, and while my family attended to their cups of coffee I turned my attention to a glass of iced tea.
As we waited for our food to arrive, I couldn't help but admire the variety of decorations throughout the restaurant. (I'm not exactly sure what this is, but I like all the copper!)
We were having a grand ol' time around the breakfast table- it's so nice spending time with the family!
But before we knew it, a whole slew of goodies had arrived to the table.
And while this tray of breads looked yummy, I couldn't resist grabbing a piece of the "pretzel" bread- I could eat that stuff for DAYS!
A few minutes later this plate of pastries arrived.
And while I was enamored with the pumpkin cookie on the bottom, my brother particularly liked the container of whipped cream!
And to top it all off, we had eggs, too! I chose plain ol' scrambled with a side of home fries...
While my dad was a little more adventurous with his German omelet and brat. (Oh- and dontcha just love those slices of banana on the side?)
As you can tell, we had a wonderful time at Juergen's! If you're ever in the neighborhood, it's worth a trip- even if you just pick up a bag of treats in the bakery! (Juergen's German Bakery: 525 S 4th St., Columbus, OH 43206, (614) 224-6858)

Thank you for visiting- I hope you have a great day!

What the heck is a "fish boil"?

When I volunteered at the lighthouse earlier this summer, I was thrilled to find that my fellow keepers were an absolute blast! Even though the five of us spent all day on the beach giving tours and answering questions, we still found enough energy at the end of every day to go out for dinner. The other keepers had volunteered for the past 8 years and were experts at the local nightlife in Mears (MI)- so when they suggested that we attend a local fish boil during our stay, I happily obliged.
Now, I must admit: I don't like to eat fish. I mean, I can barely swallow a fish stick slathered in tartar sauce, so I don't know what I was thinking... plus, I had NO idea what a fish boil even was! But I enjoy trying new things, so I went along for the ride!

We arrived at Cherry Point Farm just before 6 pm.
The farm hosts three fish boils a week during the summer, and they turn the front yard into a beautiful picnic space complete with wildflower arrangements picked from the property.
Of course when I arrived I wanted to see what was going on. I decided to start with the cauldron- the fire had been built about 3 hours earlier and the water was just about to boil. (When we arrived 8 pounds of salt had already been added to the water.)
Next to the fire pit were the boiling baskets, just waiting to be filled with food!
We had been advised to show up just before 6, and I'm so glad we did. Before the boil began the proprietress of the farm spoke to the guests. First she told us how she was the fourth generation of family to run Cherry Point Farm (which I think is pretty cool). Then she talked us through the fish boil process- it was fascinating and I'll try my best to relay as much as I remember!
Once the salted water had reached a boil, the fish fillets were laid in a boiling basket and lowered into the cauldron. (And since there were about 75 guests for dinner, you can only imagine how many pieces of fish were in that basket!)
The boil master kept a close eye on the fire, ensuring that the temperature of the water remained constant. And exactly 11 minutes later, red potatoes and whole onions were added to the cauldron in the second basket.
Just about 15 minutes after that, the party really got going. The boil master tossed a BUCKET of kerosene on the fire...
And, you guessed it, the pot boiled over (hence the term "fish boil")!
The proprietress gave us the following explanation as to what a fish boil actually does:
When the fish boils in the pot, the salt (thanks to osmosis) causes the fish oils to leave the fillet and float on top of the water. By adding the kerosene to the fire, which causes the heat to rise dramatically, the water boils over the pot therefore causing the fish oil to spill out over the side. This results in a sweet, barely fishy flavor to the whitefish fillets!
After the oil had been boiled off the top of the pot, the boil master and his assistant removed the baskets of food from the cauldron...
And boy did everything smell good!
And a few minutes after those baskets had been pulled from the pot I had a plate full of food to enjoy (for your information, clockwise from bottom left: whitefish, whole onion, potato, coleslaw, herb butter, regular butter, lemon wedge, homemade garlic bread).
I was more than a little nervous to eat the fish- I didn't even know how to get it off the skin! But one of my fellow keepers showed me how...
And I actually ate it! (One of the keepers recognized it as a momentous moment and made sure to take a photo.)
And as someone who doesn't like fish, I have to admit that the dinner was pretty good! Of course the rest of the guests loved every minute- and by the time the meal was over there wasn't a single piece of fish left! But to top it all off, we also got a piece of pie... a piece of homemade, cherry pie- and the cherries were picked right off the trees about 25 feet from where we ate dinner!
It was an absolutely wonderful evening! But before we left the farm, we stopped by the Labyrinth.
The labyrinth lies to the east of the farm- the center is comprised of a cherry wood arbor made with fifty two vertical posts, each representing the weeks of the year.
Within the arbor lay 12 segments of herbs, each divided into a specific category. Some of my favorites included: biblical, beverage, insecticide, Shakespeare, etc.
At the very center of the arbor was a large pole. Based on the position of the sun the pole's shadow would fall onto one of the herb beds, indicating what time it was- it was definitely the coolest sun dial I have ever seen!
The herbs throughout the gardens were spectacular...
And the lavender labyrinth surrounding the arbor was stunning- I want to try this in my backyard someday!
As you can see, we had a great evening at the fish boil!
Thank you for visiting- I hope you have a good Thursday!