Eat Local: Kitchen

If you find yourself in Providence on a Thursday-Sunday with an open morning ahead of you, I highly recommend you make your way over to Kitchen. A tiny, cash-only, no-call-ahead, no-frills breakfast spot, it is truly fantastic.

Dad, Georgina, and I lucked out when we went, as we only had a few groups ahead of us in line-and I ate a granola bar on my drive down from Providence, ha. We spent some of the time waiting planning out everything we wanted to eat...and building up our appetites!

We started with the griddled muffin-they make one kind every day, and we were totally ok with not having a variety from which to choose. The corn-raspberry combo was perfect.

We then dove into our entrees-a breakfast quesadilla for dad (plus a side of bacon, of course), the huevos rancheros for me, and the Big Shot for Georgina, which came with bacon, eggs, home fries, and the Portugese sweet bread French toast. The salsa for dad's and my dishes was even housemade-too delicious!

Dad and I also definitely enjoyed the coffee milk-it went perfectly with our savory and slightly spicy meals!

Let me know if you're headed over-I'll join you and bring coffee for the wait! :)

xoxoxo
Emma

TACOPOCALYPSE IS HERE

Run for cover!

JK...but I am about to make you pretty upset you missed it. So maybe I should hide?

It had all my favorite things...tacos, rosé, cold brew, doughnuts, good beer, and lots more on a perfectly summery day. It was a good thing Elly had a time constraint, otherwise I could have eaten probably 4x what I should have! Regardless of that, we definitely lived our best lives for the hour we were there.

Fried cauliflower tacos from Compliments Food Co. were a hit with both of us-I definitely plan to recreate these for a Taco Tuesday!

Bon Me didn't disappoint with a tofu taco (and some meat one for Elly, ha)! Of course I had to add some sriracha, but that is no reflection on a lack of flavor-it was delicious.

There was a beer/bar tent set up with a good selection of brews, but I had to try out the wine in a can. It was a tough choice between rosé and sparkling, but I had to go pink here. Also excellent!

Elly and I, being who we are, had to make a stop at both Blackbird Doughnuts and the fun sign on our way out. Cold brew coconut for her, chocolate old-fashioned for me. Always so yummy!

Please, if you know of any taco-themed events-send them my way! I clearly have a slight obsession...

xoxoxo
Emma

Entertainment Weekly 6.24.17

It is definitely summer! I got drenched this morning doing yoga outside, but now it is gorgeous and sunny-though still definitely very humid! Right now, I'm

Reading: I finished All the Single Ladies (and am happy to lend it out as long as I get it back!) and decided to take a break with a YA novel-The Traitor's Kiss. Of course it's the first part of a trilogy-at this point, do they even write non-trilogy YA novels? It was entertaining, and I'll probably read the other two books once they are published, though I wouldn't say it was groundbreaking.

Listening: Jesse Ruben's "First Day of Summer" is so cute-and of course, so appropriate for the season! I hadn't heard his music before, but I'll definitely be trying to make it to his concert in Allston next month!

Watching: I'm finally getting around to the third season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. I had a little trouble getting back into, but I'm happy to say I am again fully invested! 

Happy Saturday, y'all!

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

Happy Father's Day!

I can't believe how lucky I am-I get to write truly grateful posts for both Mother's Day and Father's Day. I am so thankful to have such great relationships with both my parents!

Dad-thank you so much for your support all through my life. In the past year, though, thank you for letting me live with you for far longer than I planned on when I moved out here, countless rides to and from the commuter rail, trying your best to play roommate when I had dating drama, always trying new food, whether it's something I made or another restaurant I wanted to try, letting me take a zillion pictures of said food, and playing host to my friends whenever I bring them along. I love you!

And Alvan-you came into our lives when I was already an adult (yet living at home...again...ha!) but I am so grateful for your love and support of our whole family.

Happy Father's Day!

Now, I'm off to explore Newport with my dad...and no doubt eat and drink our way through it!

xoxoxo

Emma

Entertainment Weekly 6.17.17

It's been a crazy couple of weeks...lots of socializing alongside some intense time at work. It's the end of the school year, so you'd think things would be cooling down...alas, that is not the case. Between having to address issues with schools, favorite coworkers leaving either temporarily or permanently, conferences, and the day-to-day unexpected, I've been too exhausted to even open my computer most nights! Thankfully, I've still had time to enjoy some good entertainment...

Reading: I am so into All the Single Ladies by Rebecca Traister. The author does a great job discussing the past and current situations of single women of varying races and SES-I reallllly appreciate that she doesn't fall prey to the frequent Ivory Tower trap of discussing only middle class white women.

Listening: I've been into my ladies lately-Schuyler Fisk and Tristan Prettyman. I've needed a little girl power as I get back into dating-plus they are great to sing along to!

Watching: Wonder Woman, duh! I've seen it twice-and would see it again. You can read my thoughts on it here-there's been a lot of controversy, most nonsense but some bringing up valid points to discuss.

Have a great weekend-and stay tuned for a shout out to my dad!

xoxoxo
Emma