Bice in the Gaslamp

Janet and I had our supper club date at Bice in the Gaslamp finally using the Groupon we got.  We were a bit trepidatious as the reviews either totally panned or totally raved it.

We took advantage of the valet parking as there is minimal parking in the neighborhood and the price was $15 for ACE parking.

We were seated directly at our appointed reservation time.  The restaurant is elegantly decorated and was not too busy when we arrived at 6:00.

We were presented with multiple menus and the restaurant is known for its cheese platters.  We tried one of these 3 for $18 with the chef's choice of the second category up from the soft cheeses.  The plate came with a few pieces of bread and some apricots and figs.  Two were very tasty and the other was creamy without much flavor.

I had originally ordered the sea scallop dish, but after a few other diners stated that the scallops had a bitter taste, the manager came over to inform me of the situation and allowed me to place an order for something else.

I ordered the seafood spaghetti in parchment paper, but the dish came out with the food wrapped in a piece of plastic with a clothes pin which was removed and poured into the dish at the table.

It was very tasty and fresh.  Janet had the sea bass which she stated was also delicious.

The dinner was expensive and I'm not sure if it would be worth the money for the super small portions without the Groupon special.

Ototo Sushi in the Neighborhood

I was able to try out the new sushi restaurant, Ototo, new in the neighborhood with Grace.

We stopped in for lunch and I had some sushi - Chuck and a Spicy Tuna roll and Grace had the Salmon Kama and a Caterpillar roll.  We shared the fries which were very good as they came out hot and crispy with a bit of aioli.

The sushi was fresh and quite a lot for the price.  Total lunch came to $30 and we were stuffed.

Good addition to the neighborhood eats and I will visit again.

Serged Box Bag

After all the holiday traffic and some free time, I was able to tackle the box bag that I had cut out fabric for ages ago.

The zipper function worked best with the thinner foot and it was pretty easy to do.

All pinned up with the zipper sandwiched between the fused front and the lining.

I kept the stitch length the same instead of going smaller as recommended in the Craftsy class.  After turning and pressing, it looked pretty professional although I should have chosen a different color zipper.

Flipping and serging the other size made a tube.

After using scissors to cut the excess zipper off, the sides were serged with the bag inside out including the little tabs at each end.

After marking and serging the corners, I ended up with a cool little box bag.

A bit of pressing finished it off.  I have the fabric for another one exactly like it but am waiting for a delivery of zippers.

New Mexican Cuisine

While in New Mexico, we had to try some local fare.  Genaro's came highly recommended and it was mainly mexican food.

I had tamales with red chile which was not too spicy.  I tried the green chile which was spicier, but still not as spicy as the salsa.

The best thing was the sopapillas that we ate with honey.  I can eat these all day!

The decor in the town reflected the culture as these huge vases dotted the road at intervals.

We saw this dye sample in one of the shop windows.

Navajo rugs are prevalent here but talking with a shop keeper revealed that the natives who weave are slowly dying and new weavers are not taking their place.

We also tried Ed's Cafe where he served mutton stew in various forms.

I had the fresh corn with squash mutton with the fry bread.

I liked the sopapillas better.

Last view of the scenery before heading back to Albuquerque and the hotel.

Our last meal of the trip was at the Japanese Kitchen.

Where we gorged on sushi.

New Mexico Field Trip

Had the opportunity to visit some of the Indian reservations in New Mexico and see some of the state I had not previously visited.

After landing in Albuquerque (still surprising how small this airport is), we stopped for a bite to eat at Applebees where we shared a taco appetizer and I ate fish.

After some meeting and scheduling, we checked into the hotel and ate at the hotel restaurant.  The shrimp sandwich was a bit greasy but the salad was good.

The next morning, we awoke to snow and cold.  The car was frozen over and we did not receive a ice scrapper so we had to impose on a kindly hotel worker for her personal one.

The scenery was white and pretty on the way to Arizona and the famous Window Rock.

We worked till dark and stopped at the Sizzler for dinner.  I haven't been to one of these in so long, but now you order up front and then they deliver to your table.  I had a cup of soup and the surf and turf.

January Spin Group

We started out the year at Suzanne's for spin group with faces we haven't seen in a while.  Everyone was spinning while I tried to work on knitting socks.  It was a sunny day that got cool in the evening awaiting rain.

The food was delicious as usual with a vegetable stew, a few salads, rolls, and snacks.

This was my portion of lunch.

I brought almond tofu for dessert which everyone liked.

We caught up on everyone's projects and goings on with plans to have a weekend retreat again in March.

Hibachi

Eileen decided to try Korean barbecue at home with her hibachi grill over a burner outside in the backyard to welcome Phil and Josephine home.  It was a bit chilly, but the stove kept us warm.

We had steak and mushrooms with onions to moisten the grill and some fatty pieces to oil up the pan.

We had a bit of sea salt and oil for a dipping sauce and some lotus root soup leftovers to round out the meal.  It was pretty good however, we were missing all the little dishes to compliment the meal available at a Korean place.  

After the meat grilling was all done, we placed some pea sprouts on the grill with a bit of oil and with the char from the grill, it was very tasty.

We headed back in for dessert of mochi ice cream of green tea and strawberry with some tea for digestion.

The dogs really missed Phil and swarmed him on the couch.

New Year's Eve Dinner (AKA Nobu at Home)

I crashed Karen and Jon's New Year's Eve dinner and it was fabulous.  Karen prepared a spectacular japanese dinner with the following dishes:

Hijiki or Seaweed SaladBurdock Root (salad)Pickled Daikon or Turnip or Kim chee 

Siracha Deviled Egg with Tobiko (fish egg)

Tuna Poke'

Nobu New Style Salmon Sashimi

Hamachi with Yuzu and Jalepeno

Steam RiceEnoki Mushroom packets

Fruit Dessert with Pop Rocks

I contributed almond sponge cake and we had that with some awesome tea that Jon brewed from the "tea gangsters."

After some conversation in front of the fire with Petey snuggled up, we almost made it to midnight.  Great people and great conversation plus awesome food.