Tuesday Tune-Up

Sizzlers, 

It's time again. For Tuesday Tune-Up and for TEAM USA! The World Cup has given me heart palpitations, heartache, excitement and the great desire to run very fast for 90 minutes and pretend to be a world class athlete. Right?

In the midst of my unpacking frenzy and general life nuttiness, I thought I'd take a few to tell you about 2 things. 

1. Treats.

2. Good tunes.

Great combo. Treats and tunes are two of my favorite things. 

1. The "treat". 

Summer must.

For those of you who know me personally, you know I have a little obsession...With leopard/jaguar print. The phrase " as far as I'm concerned, leopard is a neutral" has crossed my lips (though originally it was coined by Jenna Lyons, who is amazing). So you can imagine my excitement when I was sitting at The Swell Cafe in Mission Beach with MainSqueeze, flipping through a local magazine when I saw the absolute gem pictured above by Maslin & Co. This company does animal print, and they do it WELL. Tasteful, classy, with the perfect touch of funk. Find these gems here.  

2.) The tunes. 

I don't know about you, but seeing all the pics from #FPSF, Glastonbury, Coachella, etc. I've been jonesing for some live music out in the sunshine. 

My last night in Hawaii. Amazing sunset (and the company wasn't too shabby either...!!!)

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to sit outside in the sunshine and listen to live music. One of my favorite live performances was in Austin, 2010ish(?) and Band of Horses played an incredible set as the sun started to sink off into the horizon. Unreal. I'll never forget it. I know you've all had an incredible concert experience, no? 

So, my friends. I leave you with a link to my Spotify profile where you can see my playlists. They range from what you want to listen to when you're having a cold brew outside, to what you want to listen to when it's raining and grey out. CLICK HERE FOR EAR CANDY.

Next on TheSizzle we'll talk about #NOMZ. All the vacation nomz I had, all the nomz I've had in between, and nomz to come in the future. Thank you for your patience during my flurry of craziness! 

I'm sorry. Lo siento. Je suis tres désolé.

Sizzlers. I don't even know where to begin. I have been so MIA that it's not even funny. Trust me, my heart strings have been pining for some Sizzle, and things have finally (somewhat) settled down enough for me to post! 

Last time we talked I was in the airport headed to Honolulu. I have eaten delicious things, seen amazing sights, run 13.1 miles and taken PLENTY of pics for your viewing delight. 

And so it begins. But first I had a spa day at the Trellis spa at the Houstonian. I had a credit there that I had been hoarding so I decided what more could prepare me for a long flight than a massage, lunch on the terrace, mani/pedi and a little peace and quiet. 

Trellis spa. 

Ladies & Gentlemen... if you're looking to splurge on a spa day, this is worth the cash. Excellent customer service, immaculate facilities and fabulous services. Highly recommend. 

HAWAII PART ONE:

I was greeted by MainSqueeze with a beautiful orchid lei, big hugs, joyful tears (I know, I know, but I'm secretly a total softie) and a huge appetite. I have an odd habit of not eating too much while I travel, so after an almost 8 hour flight, I was FAMISHED. 

MainSqueeze had been in Hawaii for almost a month, so he had been exploring the sights and tastes and staking out spots worth trying. One of his favorites was Ono Seafood and Takeaway near Waikiki. 

Hole in the wall. Standing room only to order and literally, take out. There are two picnic tables out front and that's all folks. But that is NOT all in terms of flaaaaava. Wow. 

Poke for days. Spicy ahi and octopus. #nomcity

Holy tuna. There are several flavor combos to choose from, and all they offer is ahi (tuna) and octopus served on white or brown rice. I can't even explain how delightfully fresh and tender the tuna was. un.real folks. 

I inhaled it. I almost regretted being so hungry because I feel like I didn't get the full experience. So we obviously went back a few days later because, duh. 

So now, ahi is kind of ruined for me. I haven't had any since my trip, and I'm afraid I won't be able to find anything close to it here.... Does that mean I need to try it again? Certainly. 

So, chew on that. And get ready to feast your eyes on one of my top 3 favorite meals in my life (plus the company wasn't too bad) Next up is our "omakase" style dinner at Sasabune. Sushi.HEAVEN. 

So, for now, tell me where to find velvety fresh tuna in Houston and I will repay you with sushi pics. In the meantime I shall hold them hostage. But not really, because I can't wait to share. 

So long and so sorry for my hiatus!

The Tie that Binds...Common Bond.

Buenos Días Sizzlers!

Happy Hump Day! I'm officially t-minus 48 hours away from jetting off to my long awaited vaca and meeting up with MainSqueeze. Needless to say, I've been in a packing, unpacking frenzy and have to get a lot of work done to boot! 

Now. I know you know that I know how much I love food. So it goes without saying that when I heard whispers of a "world class bakery" opening just a hopskipandajump away from my house, I was flooooored. And it opened. And I'm in heaven. 

Common Bond is what dreams are made of. And I'll be dining there for lunch today with Lil Miss Baby Mama and Foodie Photo Blog. 

In the meantime, feast your eyes on the delicacies I encountered when I went on Friday for the soft opening. 

just wow. 

cookies from heaven

macarons. i love macarons. more than i love a lot of thangs. 

So, go make your own opinion. Let me know what you think! In the meantime, I'll be fervently scurrying around! 

My Current Favorite #VietNOMese place...

Aloha Sizzlers! I hope you brought your appetites today, it's a big'un! 

So one of my darling coworkers is pregnant. And when you have a pregnant friend, that means that EVERY time she craves something, you HAVE to have it too.  It's a rule. And since you're doing it as a friendly "supportive" gesture, the calories don't even count. Did you know that? You're welcome. 

Last week, little miss pregnant decided she wanted a Banh Mi. Well excuse mi....but that means we HAD to find the best one downtown. Oh, and we did. 

Me, baby mama and Foodie Photo Blog headed down to the newly remodeled Thien An, and it was delightful. Foodie and I ordered Thai Teas, and I must say it was the best Thai Tea I've tasted in my 20something years on earth. No jokes. Then we attacked the menu. The expansive and delicious menu...Feast your eyeballs. 

Thien An's menu. So many options, so little time. 

We sprung for some Vietnamese eggrolls and were delighted. Not too greasy, no scary meat and dipping sauce that was perfectly done. 

cripsy, tangy, delicious. #NOMCITY

I refrained from my typical order of Pho and decided to try the grilled lemongrass chicken. It was good, but not my favorite dish on the table. 

Grilled lemongrass chicken

Lil' Mama was after her banh mi fix, and boy did she get it. Fresh bread, crispy veggies and a good cut of meat. 

Banh Mi

Foodie chose a pork vermicelli bowl and not only was it HUGE, but it was scrumptious. She was very impressed. 

So, if you're hankering for VietnNOMese, head on Downtown to Thien An. It's fast, cheap and delicious. It gets TheSizzle stamp of approval for sure. 

Next on TheSizzle you'll see how we wound up in front of TV cameras, why we put dogs in our purses and I'll reveal more clues as to where I'm headed this Friday! 

A Belated Weekend Rundown

Amigos, my apologies for being so quiet! We've been suffering from a bout of insomnia and literally are walking zombies at this point. If this post goes off the deep end, you'll know why!

So this past weekend I went to Galveston to visit a dear friend of mine. We nommed, we danced, we girl-talked, and sat in the sun and enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was glorious.

Crab tower at Olympia Grill. 

Saturday consisted of driving back into town and eating Vietnamese crawfish and shrimp with my Mama for a pre-Mother's Day celebration. We tried 88 Boiling Crawfish. It's way out West, and we ordered to go. I highly recommend. 

#nomcity

Sunday morning I snuggled up with my sweet sweet puppy and Mama and I had Mother's Day Brunch. We picked up authentic deliiiiiicious Mexican Carnitas and I surprised Mama with one of our favorite desserts. The fruit tart from Central Market. It's super fresh, and the crust is almondy, and if you don't know how much I love anything almondy, then you don't know me well enough. 

Central Market Fruit Tart

Sunday afternoon was lazy and perfect, it included Pondicheri, pool time and catching up on cleaning and organizing (one of my favorite things). 

Iced latte and a delightful confection with blackberries, orange and quinoa. 

Anywho, this week has been an insomniac whirlwind as I start revving up for my big trip! I'll keep it a secret till it's time...Gotta keep y'all interested, right? 

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a wine recommendation and a playlist that'll keep you light on your toes. Click here for the list! 

Stay awake Sizzlers, I'll be back tomorrow with the most delicious dinner spread you've seen in a while. Send me sleep vibes!

Happy Weekend. Happy Sizzle.

Bonjour! Even though the weather today is not so great, I hope you all have great weekends! Find time to relax, catch up and just be happy!

Last night I caught up with amigos and grabbed dinner at Paulie's with some girlfriends that I've know from the ripe age of 12. We reminisced on our old days over delicious nomz and wine. 

Osso Buco, Thursday night special. I was jealous.

Roxy got the Osso...it's amazing. You can only get it on Thursdays and it runs out fast, so be sure to get there in time! (Like before 7....)

I went the healthy route and even gave my potatoes away....sigh. 

chicken breast with mushrooms and broccoli

After the feasting, we stopped to admire and drool at the shortbread cookies, I bought one to share with my amigos who I  met up with to watch the Spurs game. #GSG

delightful. 

So, my friends, I leave you with some beautiful flowers I saw on display at Lululemon (aka so much money spent I can't even) and wish you the best weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all you Mamas out there!