Maybe you can go home again... (Part 1)

Get ready for an epically long post... ;)
This summer, I took advantage of our shutdown time at work to take a full week off and drive back to Michigan. Yes, a little insane (especially with my insistence on making the drive each way in one day), but worth it to have the mobility once I made it there. It was so wonderful to get to catch up with friends from so many stages of my life, from childhood to my last job before leaving for Boston.
I drove into the Metro Detroit area first (after a slight disagreement with Pennsylvania, where road construction added a couple hours onto my drive...sigh) to stay with Shelley, one of my (old) work besties. She was dog/housesitting, so as a bonus I got to play with an adorable pup!

On Sunday, we participated in a fundraiser event put on by her barre studio, Barre Code Metro Detroit, at Atwater Brewery. Nothing better than barre + beer + raising money for an animal shelter! Naturally we followed this up with brunch-at Vinsetta Garage, a restaurant I had actually been wanting to try back when I did a show with Birmingham Village Players. It was worth the wait!

On Monday morning I drove into Ann Arbor to spend some time just wandering around my hometown (and shopping for Alvan's birthday present!) and spend time with friends who live there. I hit up Roo's Roast for breakfast-my favorite avocado toast in Michigan and amazing coffee-then wandered around all my favorite stores downtown. Naturally I went to the M Den (where I limited myself to just one sweatshirt!), but also made it into Shinola, Cherry Republic, Rock Paper Scissors, and Literati (where I did not manage to limit myself to just one book...oops). I need to do some more research into Boston bookstores, as I'm sure there are wonderful ones...but I just miss Literati so!

obsessed with the food & drink section here!

I then met Elizabeth, a friend from the Ann Arbor theatre scene (particularly Brass Tacks Ensemble) for lunch at Sava's and a stroll through the Arboretum. It was a hot and humid day, but there was no way I was passing on the Arb-I love it not only for the natural beauty but also memories it holds from my childhood all the way through Shakespeare comedy performances with the Residential College Players (you never forget it when you have to spring through the woods on a hot summer night in Elizabethan dress to beat the audience!).

I had to get some ice cream at Blank Slate Creamery, of course-they have the best flavors and I love that it is all made fresh from quality ingredients! I then decided to take full advantage of happy hour (as it doesn't exist in Boston-which just drives me crazy) at the Raven's Club. I always love trying out their seasonal infused vodkas!

That evening I got see a number of people-first dinner with Alex (we became friends in middle school when I did my first play with Ann Arbor Civic Theatre) at Jolly Pumpkin, then sangria with Megan (friends since I volunteered to be her buddy when she transferred schools in 6th grade) at Aventura, then some of my trivia crew-Joe, Steve A, and PJ-where Megan and I helped them secure first place in the final round.

Tuesday was pretty chill, as it was planned entirely around lunch and dinner plans. I did make sure to go by Zingerman's for breakfast-and a couple drinks to take home-where I wondered why I couldn't just have leisurely mornings with pain au chocolat and café au lait all the time.

Megan and I had made reservations at the Lunch Room's new restaurant, the Detroit Street Filling Station, as it was their soft open-perfect timing, right? The food was fantastic and I cannot wait to go back (someday) now that they have a full menu-and to hit up the Diner & Canteen for some vegan ice cream treats!

Megan refused to take a photo with me...so I made her dog, Sophie, take one instead!

Tuesday evening I got to have a reunion of sorts with my old coworkers, my warriors of love. Binh hosted us all and it was truly fantastic to get to catch up with everybody. I have become close with some of my coworkers here, but there was something magical about our relationships there.

Stay tuned for part 2...I promise it is waaaay shorter!

xoxoxo
Emma

Eating Elsewhere: Denver (Part 1)

Boy oh boy does Denver have good food! Tons of breweries apparently also means tons of excellent "new American" as well...prepare to drool and/or plan your next trip.

After Dad's and my late arrival on Friday, Lucas took us directly to an excellent coffee shop and bar, Hudson Hill, conveniently right by his house. I was almost too tired to enjoy it, but their cocktails were absolutely worth staying up for (till what felt like 4am!).

Of course we finished the night with a slice...I never get tired of white pizza!

The next morning we hit up Lucas' go-to spot for visitors, Jelly Cafe, to fuel up for our "nature walk". We had a light appetizer of all their donut bites (OMG the spicy Thai peanut was ridiculous). I followed this with some breakfast sliders and breakfast potatoes, all of which was great. My standard for judging breakfast/brunch spots is the potatoes so I get them nearly every time...that's a good excuse, right?

Thankfully our outdoor adventures allowed us to work up enough of an appetite to enjoy a late lunch at the Post Brewing Co. (closer to Boulder to allow us to meet up with some more family). I think if you eat meat, specifically fried chicken, it might be more exciting...though my chile relleno and Post Dark Bloody were quite tasty, and the biscuits are to die for!

When we eventually made our way back to Denver, we made a pit stop at Little Man Ice Cream. We waited for about half an hour, which is apparently not long on a summer day! It was 100% worth it-I loved both the salted maple pecan and Earl Grey tea & cookies flavors I got, and who doesn't enjoy a freshly baked waffle cone??

After dropping the car off at home and walking around for a while, we finally thought we could consume some more food & drink. We had to hit up the classic tiki bar Adrift-I wish I could've gotten better pictures, as the decor and presentation were on point, but the lighting was not conducive to it at all. I don't think Lucas minded (he doesn't exactly love my obsession with photographing my food and drink) but I gave it my best shot! The exterior shot turned out much better...

We ended up eating dinner finally (very late) at a lovely little Mediterranean restaurant, Gozo, where we obviously started with the burrata. Without fail my one complaint is not allowing it to come to room temperature. It was definitely high quality cheese, and the accompaniments were excellent, but the flavor of the burrata itself comes through so much more when it is not cold.

The brussels sprout salad, however, I had absolutely no complaints about-I was in desperate need of protein and greens so it hit the spot. Dad's risotto was also delicious-I feel totally inspired to incorporate eggplant into mine in the future now.

Stay tuned for Day 2!

xoxoxo
Emma

Holiday Weekend Recap

My oh my, what a weekend! Going back to work today was a real struggle...not least because of staying up a little too late after the fireworks, enjoying the beautiful summer night.

On Friday night, I got to experience a gorgeous space-the Liberty Hotel. I felt a little weird about the whole concept of it being a converted prison, but I will admit it was gorgeous-and the cocktails were delicious. They have several bars and restaurants there, and I would definitely enjoy experiencing some more of them. It's also the kind of place that seems like it would be perfect in the winter for a staycation...making note of that for the future!

On Saturday, Michelle and I finally made it to Five Horses Tavern so she could get her sour beer. I opted for another tasty cocktail to go with my falafel sandwich and jalapeno cheddar mashed potatoes (yeah, some eclectic combinations happening there), while Michelle had a special with her beer-a hot dog with mac&cheese! If I ate meat, you know I would have been all over that...
We attempted to go to Spoke, but didn't feel like waiting, so opted for ice cream at J.P. Licks instead. We're grown-ass ladies and can do what we want! :)

Sunday I made it to yet another new restaurant for dinner, Machu Picchu, after a productive morning of barre, church, and errands. It is an excellent Peruvian establishment-I had never had that cuisine before and definitely enjoyed it. We then meandered over to Brass Union for another beer...I hadn't been since my girls' night before I moved to Boston, and their patio was a lovely place to enjoy the evening!

Monday I was dead tired, so Michelle's and my plan to lay by the pool, drink some wine, and make empanadas was absolutely perfect. I may have swung by Blackbird Doughnuts on my way back from my friend Molly's for some patriotic treats...

And finally, the actual 4th of July! Naturally I went to barre in the morning before another day of eating and drinking. Dad had a flight out of Boston in the evening, so he came in early and we went to lunch at City Tap House, where they were having a BeerBQ competition-both the brews and BBQ were in it. Of course I could only partake in half, but I think it's safe to say Dad enjoyed 100% of it! The salad and tapenade I ordered off the standard menu were excellent as well.

I also had to make a point to embrace the upgrade to a childhood treat-a bomb pop frozen cocktail! A little sweet for my taste (which I think I could have guessed) but oh so fun. It's so nice to have Dad so close by that we can have a (fairly) spontaneous lunch like that-thanks, Dad!

I made plans with some friends to watch the fireworks from a restaurant in Charlestown, Blackmoor, which boasted views from their patio and dining room. I wouldn't say it was the best view, but the food and drinks were good and the service was fantastic-they were so very kind as I changed the reservation 3 times within a few hours! Suffice to say if I ever want to go back, I don't think the reservation can be under my name...whoops. I did make sure to leave a solid tip at least-I hate to be that person! Plus, we didn't have to deal with crowds at all which I definitely appreciated.

All in all, a fantastic long weekend...but thank goodness the upcoming weekend is only 2 days away! Hope you all had as much fun (and maybe more rest) than I did!

xoxoxo
Emma

Fainting Goat Distilling Co.

The last time I went to Greensboro, we walked by Fainting Goat Distilling Co. but didn't make it in. This time, however, Mom put it on the itinerary for the first day I got there!

The owner of it gave us a very thorough tour and description of how their different products are made.

Right now, they only have gin and vodka available, as they are currently aging both varieties of whiskey-bourbon and rye. At the end of the tour, they have you taste each of them, including the unaged whiskeys! Mom and I were pretty surprised to find that we actually liked the gin, as neither of us drink it, and slightly less so (though not entirely unsurprised) that the vodka was so smooth and easy to drink we could sip on it.

Botanicals used in the gin

I probably still wouldn't choose to do that, but on the rocks or with just a splash of soda (or as I had it at the Bearded Goat, in an excellent Moscow Mule).
I may have also purchased some vodka to bring home with me...I mean, how was I supposed to pass up Tiny Cat vodka??

Plenty of decorations in the restroom!

Father's Day Festivities

I got to actually spend Father's Day with my dad for the first time in years-we were trying to figure it out, and I'm 99.9% certain it's been since high school! Dad requested that we go down to Newport, RI for the day as he has been wanting to explore it for years and somehow has never made it, ha.

I mean, of course we started the day with Providence Bagel-I had to get the rainbow bagel since they brought it back for Pride, and it was great with honey walnut cream cheese. Dad loved the Federal Hill sandwich, with egg, mozzarella, mushroom, roasted red pepper, and pesto-I definitely need to try it at some point.

It was a pretty dreary day (until we got back to Providence at the end of the day, of course), so we missed out on some views going into Newport (as well as along the coast full of mansions), but we found plenty to do! We started at the Museum of Newport History, which was small but informative!

We then made our way to the Touro Synagogue, the oldest one in the United States. Our guide was so knowledgeable, and I really appreciated that he acknowledged (once asked) the complexity of the affluent families who built and attended it and where their wealth came from-including slavery or profits linked to it.

After walking up to view the cemetery, we decided we needed a brunch break, so we decided on White Horse Tavern, America's oldest tavern (are you sensing a theme?). While the food was quite good-and the cocktail I had was fantastic-Dad and I decided the most accurate word for our dining experience was "confusing". Our server seemed nice enough, but wasn't exactly a good listener-thankfully Dad likes blue cheese far more than I do! I will also give him credit for taking a good photo, ha. We were seated on in the corner next to the server stand despite the room being empty almost the entire time we were dining. I will definitely recommend the cheese board and the Trading Post though!

Fortified by our omelets, we walked down to the water, but there wasn't much to see given all the fog. We decided on one last stop-possibly the one I was most looking forward to-the Redwood Library and Atheneum. It is-you guessed it-the oldest library building in the USA, and absolutely gorgeous. I love that it is still a functioning lending library while maintaining its history. I definitely could have hung out there for a while!

As I mentioned, we drove by the Newport Mansions-they are crazy! I can't imagine not only owning but caring for one of those. However, I wouldn't mind trying...anybody want to introduce me to some of the private owners? ;) We couldn't see much of the ocean but the waves crashing were gorgeous. I didn't even take a photo-I knew I couldn't do them justice. 

All in all, definitely a good day! There's still more to see, so I would certainly make the trip down again-though I'd like a little sunshine this time, please!

xoxoxo

Emma