2016 Recap

Happy New Year!

Where did 2016 even go? It was quite a whirlwind of a year!

Some highlights that happened:

March 2016

We got married!

Cake by Cakery Bakery

May 2016

Honeymoon time to Europe!

Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana 

July 2016

I partnered with the dermatologists that originally created Proactiv and am now a skincare consultant with Rodan + Fields. 

September 2016

I colored my hair purple and chopped it all off! Something I've always wanted to do but was too chicken before.

Stylist: Yuzu Tanaka 

November 2016

I had a birthday and celebrated in Napa with awesome company!

Truchard Vineyards - Ask for Nick. He'll give you a great tour!

December 2016

Took a mini trip to Puerto Vallarta before the crazy holidays began!

That's been my 2016 in a very very quick recap. I'd love to hear about yours!

Take 5

I know I've been absent from the blog world. I've had a LOT going on lately...

1. While we were in the Pacific Northwest, our camera broke :( We didn't even have a chance to get photos of the wedding we were there for!
2. We've been undergoing a database conversion at work... it's a lot of work! My mind has been wrapped around this new program and it's been draining. 
3. Got the new iPhone! I'm finally caught up with the rest of mobile technology #nomoreblackberrys...ever!
4. My boss was going to be out of the office for some time to take care of some things which meant there was going to be a lot of prep work for me to do. 
5. My boss passed away while he was gone. It's been a big loss for us at the office. We've been emotionally challenged each day.
6. The friendboy's birthday was a couple of months ago! We celebrated with a Justin Bieber cake, friends from near and far, and TACOS!
7. Went to the Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch with our friends and their kiddos. We had a blast picking fresh vegetables and pumpkins! 
8. My Birthday was a month ago! We had some delicious dinner and delicious cake(s)... I had waaay too many cakes!

This is just a small random list of the things that have been going on...  I haven't disappeared. I promise. I've just been mentally and emotionally tied up :(

Here are a couple of photos I've managed to snatch up with my nifty phone camera. DSLR still needs to go in for repair :(

Got myself a new iPad Mini! It's been nice for travel! Of course I got myself a den.m bar iPad mini sleeve! :)

To come... my final review of my jeans!! Yes, I finally got them!

Pacific Northwest :: Part One

Hi All! I know, I know... I've been really MIA lately. I apologize. It has been chaos at work... we're implementing a new database in our office and it's been VERY time consuming. I have been working 13-15 hour days on the regular!

I am glad to say that I've had a chance to travel (as guilty as I feel for leaving in the midst of the chaos at work) to Seattle and Portland. Still here now and still eating my way through the two cities. It's my first time in Portland so... I'll definitely be sharing my journey with you all!

Just a quick few snapshots for now:

Pike's Place Manhattan Clam Chowder

Pike's Place New England Clam Chowder

Voodoo Doughnut in Portland

New Chloe!

View of the city in Portland

Please don't forget to follow me on Instagram @aneyeforfashion

Glutton Tuesdays :: Gary Danko

Have you been following on Instagram or on Twitter?? If so, then you've been seeing me in all my fatness, prancing around the city of San Francisco, eating my way through.

We started our trip with QUITE the dinner. Gary Danko.It currently has a one Michelin star rating. It has been one of the restaurants on my "to dine" list! We were lucky enough to get a reservation however, it was VERY late. The last of the evening... at 10PM.

My girlfriend C and I were very ambitious and decided to each get a 4 course meal. We're thinking, "Eh... the plates are probably small. It'll be fine." You have the option of going from 3 to 5 courses. The friendboy opted to go with 5. Of course, we studied the menu before going too. BUT, we didn't notice til later that everyone's dishes around us were HUGE! Well, huge as in, it's a lot of food for 4-5 courses to eat in one sitting.

Here's a peak at some of our dishes...

Seared Sea Scallops with Beluga Lentils, Red Peppers, Madras Curry Vinaigrette and Mint

Made the right choice by going with this dish. Great start to a over-fulfilling ending.

 Roast Maine Lobster with Potato Pur©e, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Corn and Tarragon

This Maine lobster was QUITE tasty and buttery! Melted in our mouths!

Lemon Pepper Duck Breast with Duck Hash, Bacon Braised Endive and Huckleberry Sauce

Not a huge duck fan but this was REALLY good! May even be my fave of the dishes we all ordered.

Seared Filet of Beef with Yukon Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Tomato-Corn Relish and Basil Butter

So full that I maybe had two bites and I was down for the count!

Roasted Pork Belly and Tenderloin with Bacon and Pea Stew, Roasted Peppers and Maple Cider Glaze

We were quite full when this dish came out. It was one of C's last dishes. We were so full, we couldn't taste some of our food anymore! We overworked our taste buds!

Strawberry Souffle with Strawberry Sauce and Strawberry Sorbet

I thought this was different. We thought to try this one since we've never had a strawberry flavored souffle. Quite tasty but not overly sweet.

Baked Chocolate Souffle with Two Sauces

I've always got to try everyone's souffles. This one had both the vanilla bean sauce and a dark chocolatey cocoa sauce poured into the center. It was also an airier cake... almost like a light mousse.

Assorted Cookies

So cute! I couldn't even try them because I was so full. :(

Pineapple Cake for the Ladies

Nice touch! A gift for the ladies to take home with them after dinner.

The cool thing about their course menu is that you get to choose your own courses. They don't even have to be from each category (appetizer, main, dessert). You can pick 5 entrees if you wanted to. You can pick all appetizers OR desserts. It's your choice.

Go if you have a chance! :)

Until later... have a great day! I'll be rollin' around ;)

Tuesday Tastings :: The Pie Hole

Totally found this place by chance. We weren't looking for this place but I did hear about this place from Vivian of Diamonds & Tulle. Actually a friend and I were across the street getting Wurstkuche to go! We were waiting around outside and looked across the street. And there it was. The Pie Hole.

Of course, we decided to walk in and check it out. We had time.

Inside is a small area with chairs and tables. Very limited seating. At first we weren't sure where the pies were... then we turned to our left.

Sweet displayed out front and savory ones made in the back. We didn't know what to do with ourselves. We were already two sausages and one large Belgian fry order in and were then tempted with PIE!

They even have The Pie Hole swag!

Needless to say, we ordered two chicken pot pies and one Crostata to go. We figured we'd eat it... later.... Hey, don't judge.

We actually saved our goodies for lunch the next day. The person who helped us at the counter gave ours to us slightly undercooked so we could complete the cooking process at home. She gave us some great heating instructions and we were set.

After heating it in our toaster oven for about 15-20 minutes it was ready to eat... and piping hot! We were instructed to heat it at 400 degrees in the regular oven for 7 minutes but I don't think the woman who helped us knew we would be fridging it. In any case, really nice and flaky crust. I love pie crust! Pretty juicy on the inside with fresh chicken tender meat.

And we sure didn't forget dessert! The Crostata was a very decadent and rich chocolate, caramel, and sea salt slice of sweetness. I warn you, it is VERY rich! Almost too rich for this chocoholic. Hard to believe right? It was a toss up between this one and the Mexican Chocolate pie. Next time... I. Will. Eat. You.

Will we be back? Probably.

What are some of the food adventures you've had? Any of you in LA? If so, please share your favorite spots with me :)