And we’re back. Sorta. It’s hard to get into the swing of things when you’ve had a few days off, but we’re going to give it the old college try later this week with a round up of Dad appropriate gifts and a recipe for a crowd pleasing cocktail that we learned while attending the Saveur Best Food Blog Awards at the Bellagio.
Let’s break the ‘stays in Vegas’ rule and fill you in on a few of our exploits. Not only were we wined and dined by the resort kitchens (Sensi, Michael Mina), but also introduced to Mandarine Napolean, Zonin Prosecco and quite a few amazing and inspiring bloggers. So glad we got a chance to chat, In Sock Monkey Slippers, Indian Simmer, Good Beer Hunting, Sprouted Kitchen, Adventures in Food and The Boy’s Club (tip of the hat for the Secret Pizza reco). And a special thanks to Betsy Andrews, Executive Editor of Saveur, for lots of laughs over lots of drinks – we’ll be taking you up on that Test Kitchen offer.
Since we were already out west, we decided to tack on a trip down South.
horseshoe bay, yeya’s of san antonio, the luxury
A very delayed arrival into Austin sent us heading for late night eats in the Rainey Street district. Art of Tacos hooked us up. The rest of the weekend was full of friends and family, meeting new babies (puppies too) while anxiously awaiting word on another’s debut in Brooklyn. Oh, and there was also lakeside lounging, poolside lazing and big sky star gazing. We’ve missed you, Texas nights!
jerky from Whittington’s in Johnson City
Margie reluctantly had to return home but Jacque stuck around a few more days, long enough to poke around the Hill Country and take a side trip to San Antonio. Her parents live not too far down the interstate from the Pearl Brewery complex, site of a CIA campus, small shops and fantastic restaurants.
riverwalk snaking past the McNay Art Museum
The lovely riverwalk happens to run nearby, and Jacque and her brother were excited to come across Andrew Weissman‘s The Luxury, the porch (and bar) of the oldest VFW post in the state and some seriously awesome tater tots at Timbo’s.
Just realizing how much of our vacation revolved around food. Ain’t complaining. We managed to fit in margaritas, a jug band and a couple rounds of bocce too.
So back to business as usual around here, though you may notice a few less posts. Don’t despair! We’re simply planning a few class + cocktail events for later this summer and are also in talks with a couple of new column contributors. Good things are happening and we can’t wait to share.
til Tuesday…
{get well soon, happy pappy ~ j}