Mountain Standard - Vail

The Amazing Bone Marrow

An interesting take on shrimp and grits

Fun Drinks

Mountain Standard sits right on Gore Creek in Vail Village and offers delicious food in an energetic setting.  I felt no qualms about bringing my kids to this eatery where the happy hour revelers made enough ambient noise to drown out any silliness from my little ones.  The highlight of the meal was probably the Bone Marrow appetizer - the tender, delectable marrow is presented in half of a bone and could easily provide enough appetizer bites for 4 people.

I enjoyed the creative take on Shrimp and Grits while Major Obvious loved his pork chop.  (Personally, I do not really like brined meat.  I think the texture gets rubbery and the flavor ends up inevitably salty.  But everyone else seems to love it.  Besides, I don't know for a fact that the pork chop is brined, this is only a suspicion).

Mountain Standard provides an extensive kids' menu (even if someone has carelessly left the year 2012 on the top of it, thereby prompting my pedantic husband to ask our server what entrees are on the 2013 children's menu).  There are also fantastic cocktails.  If you're looking to dine here during peak season, you should probably make reservations ahead of time and dine earlier in the evening.  The service tends to fade as the night continues.

Shuga's - The Perfect Warm Cup of Soup on a Cold Day

Shuga's provides a cozy little retreat on a chilly day.  The tiny house has roughly 15 tables and offers tasty sandwiches, salads, and soups.  My favorite is the Spicy Brazilian Coconut Soup.  I'm not sure how Brazilian it is, but it does have wonderful savory and sweet flavors.  I also love their daily desserts, smart cocktails, and quiche specials.  This spot is perfect for having a cozy lunch or meeting your friends in the evening for some drinks, cheeseboards, and laughs.

Mmm...Spicy Brazilian Coconut Soup

Whimsical decorations abound

It's Never Too Cold For Gelato

Many, many choices...

 In a mind-boggling tangle of chain restaurants and megastores at Colorado Springs' University Village (Panera, Chipotle, BJ's, Costco, Target, Loews, Kohl's, etc.) lies an unassuming gelato shop called Glacier.  This place has the ability to get me to eat dessert many more times than I normally would.  I think about stopping here every single time I go to Costco.  I don't, but I do often visit because I don't want these Boulder folks to regret opening up a Colorado Springs location.

It's so special that I feed this to my kids often, too!  I hate to sugar up the little ones, but this is just so darn tasty.  How could I deny my family the wonderful flavors of Nutella, Pistachio, Straciatella, Lemon Poppy Seed, Bittersweet Valrohna Chocolate, Hazelnut, Coffee, Colorado Peach, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato Pie, Vanilla Bean, or Caramel?

Glacier also sells pints to go which are reasonably priced at $3.99 each.  Enormous gelato and cookie sandwiches are $6.50.  They also have coffee drinks, too, although these are a bit weak for my taste.  But if you're into lots of milk and syrup and little espresso or coffee, then these hot numbers are for you.

If you stick with the ice cream or gelato, you will not be sorry.  It's worth a trip even when it's almost winter in the Rockies.

Aspen Eats

We've recently moved to Colorado Springs!  Major Obvious had Labor Day off, so we headed to Aspen for a family getaway.  When asked, "What are you going to do in Aspen in the off-season," our response was an emphatic, "EAT!"

Yogurt parfait at BB's Kitchen

And wow, did we eat.  We loved breakfast at BB's Kitchen, where Little Man dove into a yogurt parfait, "This is delicious!"  Sweet Pea had a Belgian waffle with fresh berries, Major Obvious had some kick-ass Huevos Rancheros, and I had the decadent and toothsome Lobster Eggs Benedict.  Mmmm, that Benedict was really something.  There were homemade English muffins, huge pieces of tender lobster, loads of asparagus spears, and a perfect amount of dreamy Hollandaise.  Can you tell that I miss it?

A great lunch can be had at Ajax Tavern, which is located at the gondola base of Aspen Mountain.  Kids can have white cheddar pasta or enormous cheeseburgers while grown ups partake in regular or little plates.  Some fun little plates include lamb short ribs or truffle oil fries (those fries, incidentally, do NOT come on a little plate, but in an enormous cone).  I can heartily recommend the Lobster Roll, which I shamelessly had only hours after my Lobster Eggs Benedict.

Dinnertime is well-spent at Rustique, the country French bistro that Jacques Pepin supposedly visits when in Aspen.  (I suspect that he hangs out in the kitchen and makes little things with the chef instead of actually just eating there like a mere mortal).  The menu at this cozy place has great classics like frog legs (Little Man's favorite), escargot, cheese souffles, artichoke gratin, and mussels.  After eating such delicacies, we barely had any room in our stomachs, but manned up for the super-tasty homemade ice cream and sorbet.  With one of the best wine lists in Aspen and tempting tidbits such as warm, crusty bread and foie gras, it's a miracle we made it out of there alive.  The wait staff is extremely friendly and attentive.  They are ready with answers to questions or will enthusiastically cheer you on as you crazily order the entire menu.  They also have a lot of information about the area and will point you towards great sandwich venues, places for kids to have a great time, etc.

Kono's Surf Club Cafe - San Diego, California

Overlooking the ocean at Pacific Beach in San Diego, Kono's Cafe offers an extremely casual and tasty breakfast or lunch.  Customers order at a counter and then sit down outside for the gorgeous view or inside to catch the morning football games.  The pancake syrup is not maple, the plates are styrofoam, and the chairs are of the plastic lawn furniture persuasion, but the burritos are stuffed with fluffy eggs and the potatoes covered in plenty of cheese and scallions.  Everything is so enormous that you should consider sharing...or asking for some foil to wrap up your delicacies to enjoy later.

704 Garnet Avenue, San Diego, CA 92109 (858) 483-1669 () ‎ 

Taco Asylum - Costa Mesa, Orange County, California

When we are in Orange County visiting grandparents and friends, we LOVE to eat at Taco Asylum.  This eatery cleverly taps into cuisines from all over the world to bring customers tasty fillings such as ghost chili pork, short ribs, duck with brie, pork belly with hash browns, and wild mushroom.  The tortillas used to house these delights are like none I've ever had before; they are something of a tortilla-flatbread hybrid and are simply delicious.  Sweet Pea and Little Man like to eat the tortillas by themselves filled with little non-spicy selections of meat from our tacos.  You can order the tacos a la carte, in a flight (so that you can sample different kinds), or with Israeli couscous and lentils.  I always stuff myself silly at this place because I can never decide which taco I want, so I eat too many.  Which one is the best?  The meats are often in different marinades, so it's hard to have a "favorite," but I have never been disappointed with the pork belly, no matter what they've put with it.

Byron - The Sequel at Old Brompton Road, London

It was very naive of me to think that I could partake in a euphoric Burger Experience all by myself without any consequences.  My family insisted on trying Byron out for themselves, so we skipped over to the Old Brompton Rd. one which is conveniently located to those great South Kensington museums like the Natural History Museum or the Victoria & Albert. 

Major Obvious had the Byron Burger complete with homemade special Byron sauce and bacon.  Little Man tried the Macaroni & Cheese while Sweet Pea had the Mini Cheeseburgers (both children's meals came with generous helpings of fries).  Everyone loved the Courgette Fries.  To cap everything off, we also ordered a chocolate milkshake with malt.  The shake came served in the tin canister, large and in charge.  Super chocolate-y, super decadent.  We had 2 servers and both were extremely friendly.  When they asked, "How is everything?" Sweet Pea responded (pointing to the shake canister), "This is YUMMY!"  Our server responded with eyes lit up, "I KNOW!  You know what's even better?  OREO."  Well, we had to leave something to look forward to next time! 

The Best Sushi I've Had In The UK - Atari Ya, London

I've FINALLY eaten sushi here in the UK that I find noteworthy!  To be fair, I haven't conducted an exhaustive search.  I tend to shy away when someone comes up to me, "There is a new sushi joint in X, we should try it out."  Rather, I'm more inclined to research and poll, asking questions such as, "Is it Japanese-operated?"  (Although I am Chinese, I do not trust my people to prepare raw fish for my consumption.  We are too inclined to cut corners).  "What are they known for?"  (If it's a place that does mostly rolls with imitation crab, I will run in the other direction).

I am pleased to report that Atari Ya is definitely Japanese.  On an early Saturday evening, my family and I attempted to eat here, only to realize that every table had a little "Reserved" sign on it.  One Japanese family after another came in and happily ordered lovely looking meals.  The waitstaff was particularly gracious to them and us, even though we had opted to just takeaway.

We ordered sashimi (yellowtail, tuna, salmon), nigiri (fattiest tuna), rolls (spider, spicy tuna, cucumber avocado), chirashi, chicken teriyaki, shrimp tempura, and edamame.  Ok, I will admit that I was really hungry when I was ordering.

Everything was delicious!  Everything was awesome!  I can't wait to go there and sit down to eat.

Byron - A Tasty Burger in London

The quest for the perfect burger in the UK poses a fun challenge.  Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant chain gives you a fine one, but unfortunately, the burger changes.  Sometimes it's Italian-inspired, other times it's more American.  The quality of ingredients is always high, but often the flavor isn't exactly what I'm seeking at that moment.

Byron, the London chain that has multiple locations, offers a consistent burger that thankfully pushes all my buttons.  It's like someone picked into my brain and came up with 3 characteristics that I most love about hamburgers, putting them all together.  From the American school of burger-making, the meat is not manhandled too much into a dense hockey puck.  The sandwich takes advantage of its British roots and comes with a sharp, tangy mature cheddar cheese.  And the coup de gras is that the burger is charred on the outside, pink all the way through and even a little bit raw in the middle, which the French embrace.

Now, not everyone would want mature cheddar or a rare, bloody hamburger.  Byron thoughtfully allows you to specify how well-done you'd like the meat and allows you to choose from a variety of cheeses that include Monterey Jack and American.  You can also get bacon, portobello mushrooms and avocado.  You can choose the condiments.  A default burger comes with iceberg lettuce, tomato, red onion, and a bit of mayonnaise.  There are a million choices to be made, which I think also comes from the American school of dining.

But wait!  Your choices aren't over yet!  What sides do you want?  You can have french fries, special skin-on chips, courgette fries (gorgeously straddling the line between tempura and beer-battered), and macaroni and cheese.  There's also milkshakes and fun American-inspired desserts like cheesecake, brownies or a sundae (which the Brits insist on calling Knickerbocker Glory). 

When it comes to describing this marvelous culinary treat, I think Homer Simpson says it best, "Mmmm.....burger."

Hyde Perk Bistro - London

Somehow I ended up with the chance to see Totem, the latest Cirque du Soleil show, at the Royal Albert  Hall in London.  Amanda and I had an hour to kill before curtain, so we wandered by Hyde Park in search of some munchies.  We dodged the raindrops and came across the Hyde Perk Bistro, a cozy little venue with a surprisingly extensive menu.  There were pre- and post-theatre meal options along with breakfast served all day and specials like the lovely leek, potato, and rocket soup I enjoyed.  Amanda got the pain au chocolate and hot chocolate (gotta give props to a girl who lives large and orders everything chocolate).  After our meal, we ordered takeaway sandwiches for our journey home after the show.  I happily chewed my brie, cranberry and lettuce on walnut bread as we drove through Old Brompton Road and saw the National History Museum, the Victoria & Albert, Harrod's and Harvey Nichols.  My compatriot's sandwich looked just as delicious with its mozzarella, tomato and pesto goodness inside an enormous ciabatta.  Hyde Perk was such a great, lucky find on a rainy afternoon! 

Carluccio's, Cambridge and Bury St. Edmunds

When Major Obvious and I have a free morning together, we usually make our way to Carluccio's in either Cambridge or Bury St. Edmunds.  I can't get enough of their Eggs Benedict which are served over deliciously grilled bread instead of the traditional muffins.  My dining companion is in love with the mushroom and onion egg scramble.  The lynchpin of the meal, however, is the Bicerin, a Tuscan espresso drink that magically combines the wonderful worlds of gooey chocolate, sharp coffee and heavenly whipped cream.  The servers at Carluccio's know us by now and always show us to the same cozy booth.  Major Obvious happily sips his Bicerin as I admire the gorgeous holiday decorations and revel in being surrounded by stacks and stacks of Christmas panettone luxuriously wrapped in golden paper and bows.  After we dine, we never resist a visit to the deli and shop where we stock up on teddy bear brownies for the kids, Italian candies for later, and hard-to-find items like squid ink pasta.  A visit to Carluccio's always proves fun, but it's even more indulgent and spectacular during the festive season.

By Jove! Tearoom, Burwell, Cambridgeshire

Dr. Tex was gracious enough to treat us to a sumptuous tea at By Jove! tearoom, a charming English house nestled in Burwell.  I loved the enormous sandwiches (the "fingers" that inspired these likely belonged to the Jolly Green Giant), the homemade cake, and the iPod dock secreted behind a vase of flowers.  There are also two little gift shop rooms that sell hilarious things like hand-knitted tea cozies, notebooks with the Queen of England's portrait on the cover, and tartan passport covers.  (Oddly enough, there were also Wizard of Oz mint tins, which did not strike me as either British or tea-related, but oh well).  

Each of us had the traditional set afternoon tea which came with the aforementioned enormous "finger" sandwiches (egg salad, tuna salad, and cucumbers with butter), a ridiculously large "slice" of cake of your choice, two raisin scones served with clotted cream and jam, and tea or coffee.   I was warned to come hungry, so I made a point of eating nothing all day long in an effort to "conquer" this tea.  Well, I managed to devour all of the sandwiches and one of the scones, but I ended up taking home the cake for Major Obvious and the kiddies to share.  Oh, and I took home the other scone, too, but I ended up eating it before I had a chance to tell anyone about it.  These things sometimes happen.

The Rose & Crown, Snettisham, Norfolk

On our way back from Norfolk Lavendar, we stopped off at The Rose & Crown.  This charming gastropub serves up an incredible variety of delicious food.  Skyscraper-high cheeseburgers on ciabatta with bacon, matchstick French-style fries (no thick English-inspired chips here, to the delight of Sweet Pea), crispy pork belly served alongside grilled peaches, sauteed scallops and halibut on a bed of black risotto...everyone found something delicious to devour.  We even had the opportunity to try something new...the scallops and halibut were served with a side of marsh samphire.  It seemed odd to eat these vegetables, as they looked like the plastic plants that one would find in someone's aquarium.  But this sea plant consisted of pods along a rosemary-like stalk that exploded with salty flavor when we bit them.  Complete with a children's menu, friendly staff, and a fun layout made up of multiple little rooms, The Rose & Crown is a fabulous lunch stop and we look forward to going again.

Dinner in Edinburgh...With Kids!

We ate a lot of Italian and Scottish food while in Edinburgh, but it seemed that our favorite stop might have been at Mussell Inn.  It was so much fun sitting outside during a calm summer evening and watching Sweet Pea devour mussell after mussell.  Our server was duly impressed when he saw her empty mussell pot, "Where are you putting it?  You're so tiny!"  

If you find yourself in Edinburgh, you might want to stop off at Martone for some homemade gelato and pizza.  Centotre, located in a gorgeously restored Georgian mansion, offers freshly made pastas and fun activity packets for kids.  

Scottish Brunch and Tea

I just spent the past several days in Edinburgh, Scotland with the family.  Perhaps our favorite activity was eating brunch or having tea there.  This wonderful city has no shortage of places!  We loved our butternut squash risotto at Always Sunday (served on top of a butternut squash half so that you just scoop out more squash while you're eating the creamy rice). Major Obvious and the kids enjoyed munching on bacon and Belgian waffles at Treacle while watching reruns of Streetfighter cartoons.  I particularly loved the smoked salmon sandwiches and shopping at eteaket, where the kids were delighted to partake in their first "babyccinos" (steamed, foamy milk with swirls of cocoa on top).  The hog roast sandwiches at oink are super tasty as well.      

More London Finds

While hanging out in Knightsbridge for a few days, we found some more yummy treats in London.  My mother uncovered the treasure that is Harvey Nichols' Lime and Coconut Curd.  Completely sublime and utterly decadent!

We also loved dining at Da Scalzo on Brompton Road, a dream-come-true Italian restaurant that manages to tick all the boxes.  They serve breakfast (heavenly Eggs Benedict), make wonderful pizzas, turn out the best mushroom risotto I've ever tried, and are somehow child-friendly.  How do they do it?  I have no idea, but it's amazing.  They also have an incredible bakery that turns out fabulous almond croissants, eclairs, tiramisu, homemade donuts and chestnut meringues that you are more than welcome to take home with you in case you ate too much Italian sausage and mash.  It's the perfect stop after marveling at the Chihuly sculpture at the Victoria & Albert, having butterflies land on you at the Natural History Museum, or checking out Lewis Hamilton's F1 car at the Science Museum.

If you'd like to enjoy the famous Fortnum & Mason experience with kids, skip the St. James room at head to The Parlour Restaurant.  You can partake in quail egg and ham or rare roast beef sandwiches while the kids devour grilled cheeses, then dive into fabulous ice cream sundaes or ethereal coffee drinks.  With unique flavors such as stem ginger honey and old favorites like chocolate, mint chocolate chip or toffee, nobody will be disappointed.