Monthly Archives: July 2012

Shake Shack, Fig and Olive and Campbell Apartment

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Well, I’m back in Dallas now and I’m feeling a bit reminiscent about this past weekend. I had an amazing time seeing friends I hadn’t seen in a long time, spending time with Ryan and eating amazing food. There’s just something about NYC. I will be back soon.

So looking back, Saturday was all about getting to Shake Shack. Ryan and I walked an hour to get there, but it was worth it. The walk through Central Park was nice too. We waited in line for about 25 minutes, Ryan waited for the food to come out, and I stood in a line to get a table. Insanity. I’ve never seen this Upper West Side location so busy. We ate way too much food.

After that, we spent the afternoon lounging and watching the Olympics (my favorite). Once we felt like it was time to eat again, we decided on Fig & Olive.

I loved the pretty interior, and that evening it had rained, so it was a perfectly cool temperature, windows open and all. Since we weren’t starving, we shared 3 small plates. I love that Ryan and I share a love for trying dishes and getting little tastes of everything.

Please excuse the crappy iPhone photos, but this is going to have to do. We started with all 3 plates at the same time which I found to be a little rushed, but here’s dish #1. It’s their melon & prosciutto burrata salad. It was all my favorite things on one dish. Arugula, a bit of pesto, burrata, cantaloupe & prosciutto.

These are their Mediterranean chicken samosas with chicken, cilantro, Greek yogurt, bell pepper, scallion and olive oil. They were really good.

Finally, we shared a plate of 3 crostinis. From the top, [prosciutto, ricotta, fig, olive, walnut], [manchego, fig, marcona almond], and [burrata, tomato, herbs, balsamic]. These were just alright. Ryan commented that they didn’t exactly get their sweet to salty rations quite right. Some were too sweet, some just too bland.

After dinner, we set off in the rain to Grand Central Station.

I just couldn’t help but to look up in awe. I hadn’t been inside before! But we were on a mission to find Campbell Apartment. Thanks to everyone who tweeted me to suggest this amazing bar.

It actually was the office/salon of John W. Campbell of the 1920′s. It’s got that prohibition era feel with live jazz music and all and is located inside Grand Central Station (enter on opposite side of Ciprianis). Ryan and I fell in love with the place and spent a good amount of time just sitting and talking over our delicious cocktails.

(photo not my own)

I’m already missing that colorful city. Here’s to a trip back to NYC in my future!

Bon Appetit,

That Foodie Girl

A foodie’s paradise: NYC

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Greetings from NYC. I arrived Thursday night right before the huge storm rolled in. It felt so great to be back with Ryan, and we had a lovely (overpriced) meal inside the Waldorf Astoria.

On Friday I knew I was going to have to entertain myself because he had training all day, so I started off by running into an NYC favorite: Crumbs. I was good that morning and used the Waldorf fitness center, so I was really unsure of what I should do. I opted for an iced coffee and a muffin…the muffin was good, but I should’ve gotten over myself and ordered a dang cupcake.

I walked about 10 miles that day, and I especially loved the quieter and tree filled Upper East Side. When lunch time rolled around, I thought Dishes looked pretty busy, so I went in and was greeted by several healthy options. I love how it’s so easy to grab a made to order salad here. I had a spinach salad. On my lap on a bench outside Bloomingdales before I went in to shop.

I was craving something sweet (always) and opened up my FourSquare app to see what was buzzing around me. I slipped into Momofoku Milk Bar since I had heard so much about it.

The menu was kind of crazy and there was even a restaurant back there (Ma Peche) and a hotel! I ended up getting the cereal milk soft serve and a pack of birthday cake truffles. The soft serve was a very odd taste–though they hit the nail on the head with the cereal milk description. The bday cake truffles were something dreams are made of. Sugar. Rush.

Afterwards, I walked just about everywhere and oooed and ahhhed over this amazing concept:

What’s not to love? This is definitely on my list for next visit. The best part about my day was finally getting to be with Ryan. (cue the awwwwww’s)

But it’s true!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

and i’m back!

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Hi everyone! I can’t believe an entire week has passed since the last time I posted. I have taken the last week to get out of my regular routine and I did quite a few things.

The above picture is of myself and my grandmother, whom I visited in Oklahoma City. It was an easy drive from Dallas, and it was a fun time with family and good food. If you’re ever in OKC, I recommend you try 501 Cafe, which is where we are in that photo. We both had cosmos. :)

Right after my 3 days in OKC, I headed back to Dallas, and was greeted by my twin brother Travis. He and I spent the last few days together and it was a really fun time. Last night we had dinner with friends at the Common Table, then drinks at the Katy Trail.

The night before we started our evening out with a drink at the Nodding Donkey. I had an icy cold Blue Moon with a slice of orange and he had a glass of Jameson.

And finally, we got to visit this little joy. His name is Pierce, and he’s my cousin’s 7 month old baby boy. He was too much fun.

Tomorrow I am headed to NYC (it’s been an entire year!) to be with my fiancé and have a weekend of fun in the city. I will do a better job at being a foodie, and I promise you will be seeing posts with lots of NYC eats. If you have any recs of places I just have to go to while i’m there, please comment below!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Shiner Ruby Redbird, veggie pizza and Starbucks Refreshers

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Greetings from Austin! I spontaneously decided to drive home and spend a few days here. Because it’s my vacation and it’s so nice to be here! Today I have snapshots of what I’ve been up to. This first one is getting some work done out on my porch with little Molly.

We also went on a 1 mile walk together. We’ve been sticking together.

As soon as I got home yesterday, I headed to our pool with my brother and enjoyed a Shiner Ruby Redbird. One of the many perks of summertime. Then we decided to make a veggie pizza. We chopped up veggies, rolled out the whole wheat dough and topped it with marinara, some light mozzarella and cheddar and dashed it with goat cheese. It turned out really well. With caprese salad on the side.

We also had a few friends over for a glass of wine.

And finally, a drink I had been wanting to try, I got it on the way to Austin. The Starbucks Refresher. I tried the very berry Hibiscus and wasn’t a huge fan.

I like that there were blackberries “muddled” in there, but the overall taste was a tad artificial.

Has anyone else tried it?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

My love for Daiya

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Go ahead and pump this jam for the rest of the day/week/month/year. I know it’s not exactly a new one, but this song never fails to make me happy. So get listening!

And it’s Wednesday, so it’s time for What I Ate Wednesday!

This month’s theme is Fun, Food + Fitness.

But I’m going to go straight into the food.

I’ve been getting great use out of peach season this year. This was paired with grilled chicken and quinoa on the side and the salad was later topped with balsamic. Peach and balsamic is a winning combo. Try it.

Enter my obsession with Daiya “cheese”. This is quinoa “mac & cheese” with sautéed veggies. AKA a bowl of heaven. I have made this almost every single day. It’s super easy to make.

Take 1/2 cup of quinoa, add 1 cup water, cook 14 mins covered. Meanwhile dice any veggies you have on hand (I used zucchini, bell pepper, grape tomatoes) and sautee them in oil of your choice (I used coconut oil). Once the quinoa is done, add as little or as much Daiya as you want, mixing over the stove top until completely mixed and melted in. Add veggies. Enjoy.

Another favorite this past week has been spelt spaghetti (the texture is awesome) with tomato sauce and…Daiya! Surprise.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with cheese. I’m by no means vegan, but I try to avoid dairy when possible, with the exception of yogurt lately. If it’s cheese and I’m cooking at home, I’ll substitute with Daiya. It’s kind of an acquired taste, but I love the flavor.

Any Daiya fans out there? Vegan or not vegan?

And finally, some birthday roses I received from my uncle:

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Baboush: Mediterranean-Lebanese food in Dallas

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Baboush Market & Bar

What: Mediterranean/ Lebanese fusion

Where: West Village, Uptown Dallas

How did I not know about this place? It was a nice surprise as Ryan and I were walking to get a pizza from Grimaldi’s and I’m so glad we decided to give Baboush a shot. We sat outside, and despite it being really hot outside, we loved being able to dine al fresco.

I decided to cool off by ordering one of their “sexy drinks”– the Lebanese Night. Vodka, guava nectar, fresh strawberries and lime juice. Really delicious if you like something fruity.

Ryan went with an exotic Lebanese beer.

At first glance at the menu, we were impressed by the decently priced menu items…especially for an uptown venue. When we actually received the dishes, we understood it was more of a tapas-style place. Smaller portions. But that’s ok.

We started off with their hummus. It was creamy and smooth, and the pita bread was warm and fluffy. And we got another basket full of the pita bread.

I was excited for my falafel to arrive, but was a bit disappointed. They were over-fried. They were extremely tough and hard to get my fork through. On the side is a lemon tahini sauce. I’m willing to give it another go just because I haven’t found a whole lot of falafel spots in Dallas.

On the side I had their saffron couscous with chickpeas, raisins and white onions. It wasn’t all that flavorful, but there’s something about couscous. I just love the texture. It went well with the hummus too.

Ryan enjoyed the grilled chicken kebabs with a tabbouleh-like salad underneath.

All in all, I think Dallas needs more Mediterranean spots like this. I truly hope the falafel will be cooked to perfection next time I stop by. Otherwise, the hummus and pita and cocktails were enough to get me back there. Also, if you’re into hookah, they have that too.

Bonus: Scout Mob just posted they have a 50% off deal right now. Just download Scout Mob on your smart phone, show the deal to your server, and voila! You’re welcome!

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Gluten Free Strawberry Cupcakes

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These little babies were quite a hit at our 4th of July get-together if I do say so myself.

Meet the gluten free strawberry cupcakes, made from scratch. No gelatin, no box cake mix. Just pure goodness. Recipe came from A Dash of Sass. I added a pinch of baking soda, substituted rice flour for self-rising flour and nixed the red food coloring.

It was a great way to use the giant bin of fresh strawberries I bought on sale at Whole Foods!

For the 4th of July, we headed to the Belmont Hotel to hang out with friends. This was our view:

Great view, great weather, great company.

I even got to celebrate with Ryan despite his exhaustion due to being overworked as an investment banker.

So he took a nap and represented his patriotism while doing so. (and wearing 2 pairs of Ray Bans). haha.

What did you do to celebrate?

Bon Appétit,

That Foodie Girl

Happy Birthday America!

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Happy 4th of July everyone!!

Today is such a great holiday because it includes:

  • grilling out
  • good food
  • family & friends
  • festive baking
  • fireworks

I hope you all are getting to enjoy this mid-week holiday! Did you all notice the new header?? TFG facelift!

Now, let’s launch into this weeks What I Ate Wednesday!

Whole Foods had GIANT containers of strawberries on sale for $3.99, so it was hard for me to pass that up. Hence the first photo of this post…I’ve been eating strawberries galore. And I’m ok with that since they’re all perfectly crisp and plump.

I had this fun little lunch a few days ago. It took me right back to my childhood. I used the Whole Foods brand mac & cheese, “chik’n nuggets” and a side of strawberries and cherries. The chik’n nuggets were Quorn brand, meat-free and soy-free. They were really good.

Mmmm fruit. And finally, my workout yesterday:

I just did 2.22 mile run around my neighborhood right before sunset. I was dodging everyone on the sidewalks walking to the bars to celebrate the 4th. I felt very dedicated even though I was just making up for a lack of workouts lately. I was pretty proud that I ran my first mile in 8:30. Pretty good for not even trying to run as fast as I could. Yay! I really am interested in signing up for a race. I should look into that…

Hope you all have a great day today!

Bon Appétit,
That Foodie Girl