Summer Update

This summer has been absolutely amazing so far! I have been traveling, eating, serving, driving, flying, sleeping, and getting pretty gross spider bites.

So here is the update so far:

Driving:

Utah to Washington D.C.: aprox 2,122 miles

Utah to Phoenix, AZ: aprox 632 miles

Utah to Vista, CA (Roundtrip): 1372 miles

And countless driving around town and to and from airports.

Flying:

Dulles, VA to SLC, UT: 1,842 miles  Flight Time: 3 hours 39 minutes

SLC, UT to Long Beach, CA (Round Trip): 1188 miles Flight Time: 2 hours 23 minutes

Los Angeles, CA to Nadi, Fiji (Round Trip): 11,004 miles Flight TIme: 21 hours 5 minutes

Totals:

Driving: 4,126 miles

Flying: 14,034 miles

Flight Time: 27 hours and 7 minutes

There is the update of my traveling so far this summer. I still have Houston and Dallas, Texas; Calgary, Canada; Rhode Island; Baltimore, Maryland; and a road trip from Virginia to Utah before my summer will be over!

Also: My birthday was yesterday and I listened to my favorite song as a both reflected on the past year and planned for the upcoming one. Life is so EXCITING! even with cancer.

Here it is:

"Embrace the past so you can live for now!"

 

This past Monday I spent a few hours outside walking around the Sugarhouse area of SLC. I was killing time waiting for my friend during her dance company's practice. As I was walking area I ran into this wonderful burger joint. It is on 21st South and roughly 9 east.







I remember that I had eaten here a few times while I lived in the Sugarhouse area. It is a great place to get an old fashioned hamburger. Two of these hamburgers will do the body good. They are not pricey at all. Each hamburger is $ 1.39.

I give this place a 4 out of 5 bald heads.

You don't go here if you want a big juicy stomach
filling burger. But, for a small lunch that will hold you over until a good dinner. This is the place.

Cornish Pasty Company

To end my time in Arizona, I had to go to my favorite Arizonian Restaurant. This place!

The Cornish Pasty Company! 

This and gay bar tacos are my two favorite places to eat in Arizona and are a requirement every time I am in the state.

The best way to describe it is "Gourmet Hot Packet" it sounds weird, but it is delicious.

5 out of 5 bald heads!

There were 8 people who accompanied me on my visit and they all love it. I have yet to take someone there who did not fall in fancy hot pocket love.

I even made new friends Connor and Shannon Coffin. They were great dinner conversationalists. I hope to meet up with them again during my next AZ visit.

Arizona Food Tour

Last Saturday following the wedding I went on a food tour for lunch. My good friends Dede, Liz, and Jenn came along to eat some good grub. We went to three places and had some great food.


Stop One: Chino Banditos, This place is a Mexican-Asian Fusion place. It sounds weird, but it is delicious.

We got their best dish. It is a Red Jade Chicken Quesadilla. (It tasted exactly like orange chicken)

It came with a side of black beans and jerk chicken rice. This is the second time I have been to this place.

Rating: 5 out of 5 bald heads.

Everything is great! Even the snickerdoodle that comes with the order. It is rich, fresh and cooked perfectly. It is soft, yet has a firm texture.

Stop Two: QT

No visit to Arizona is complete without a stop to the QT gas station. They have a plethera of beverage choices. Smoothies, horchata, soda, slushies, ect.

Stop Three: Chicago Hamburber Company

We ordered their award-winning sliders. They are very high quality and put White Castle to shame. We also ordered their award -winning Banana Shake (I am not a big fan of banana shakes, but this one left an imprint on my tastebuds).

Hamburger: 3.5 out of 5 bald heads

Fries: 1.5 out of 5 bald heads

Banana Shake: 5 out of 5 bald heads

Stop Four: Ted's Hot Dogs

We ordered their normal beef dog, another one with chili and cheese. We also ordered a side of fries and onion rings. Their hot dogs were very good and are shipped from a place in Buffalo, NY. But the shining star of this place was their onion rings. They were dynomite!

Hot Dogs: 3.5 out of 5 Bald Heads.

Fries: 2.5 out of 5 Bald Heads.

Onion Rings: 5 out of 5 Bald Heads



Overall it was a successful food tour. If I was to piece together the perfect meal from these three places; I would order the orange chicken quesadilla from Chino Bandidtos, onion rings from Ted's Hot Dogs, banana shake from Chicago Hamburger Co., and wash it all down with a Vanilla Coke from QT! (That would be a party I am not sure my tastebuds could handle).

Breakfast in Scottsdale, AZ

After flying from D.C. to Salt Lake City to go to a dr. appointment (which I slept through)...I got into a car and drove through the night to Scottsdale, Arizona to attend my good friend, Emily Baird (now Schramm's) wedding. I was specifically asked to attend so that I can "light up the dance floor" (all the mirror dancing has begun to pay off as I grow older.

So to the start the day off right I needed to have a good breakfast.... So, I went to Butters breakfast cafe.

I got the eggs benedict...which is one of my favorite breakfast dishes.

Rating: I give this dish 2 out of 5 bald heads.

The reason for the low rating was because they used a sauce known as Sauce Moutarde or Sauce Girondine. This is traditional hollandaise sauce with dijon mustard added to it. The fact that mustard was added was not the problem, because I enjoy myself some mustard now and again. However, their version of the sauce was a little Hollandaise sauce with A LOT of mustard. Also, the english muffin was soft and soggy.

But, I had a bite of the dishes others with me got and they were all very good. The pancakes were very good, and their syrup was of course on the Buttery side. (hence the name)

Overall Rating: 3.5 ouf of 5 Bald Heads.

I am always taking recommendations of where to eat. Feel free to email or leave suggestions in the comments below. I will be going to San Diego, Las Vegas, Fiji, Calgary, Canada, Rhode Island, and Baltimore before the summer is over. I will also be driving from Virginia to Utah going through St. Louis.

Please share your suggestions!

Medium Rare

My last meal in Washington D.C. needed to be a good one, so I called and made reservations at a fine dining steak place called Medium Rare. It is a quaint, little steak shop in the Cleveland Park area.

It was also a lovely opportunity to meet some of my dearest friends from college who have since grown-up and now work full-time jobs ( I am still trying to avoid this part of life).

Here is the stunning and beautiful Zach & Heidi Barnes!

We of course cannot forget a picture and rating of the food served at Medium Rare. This restaurant is unique in the fact that they only serve on entree. The only choice one must make is how your steak should be cooked. For a indecisive person like myself....This is a heaven send. So here is a picture of their food.

 

As found on their Website--Click Me! 

Here is the menu:

Artisan Rustic Bread

Mixed Green Salad

Award-Winning Culotte Steak & Hand Cut Fries

The steak is then served with their wonderful award winning secret sauce.

The Ratings:

Bread: 5 of 5 Bald Heads

Salad: 3 out of 5 Bald Heads 

(the ingredients were fresh and flavorful, but the dijon mustard vinaigrette was too mustardy for my taste)

Steak: 5 out of 5

OVERALL: 4 out of 5 Bald Heads

Until Next Time....Happy Eating!

A Live Show

Last Night I saw Imagine Dragons Live...It was most excellent and triumphant. 

I was smack-dab center stage, second row...the concert ended with my helping Dan Reynolds (the lead singer) pictured above crowd surf...most epic

I got some fellow concert goers to take pictures of me dancing during the concert so that my moves could be immortalized here on my blog!

                                         Move 1                                          Move 2

Feel free to get inspired by my awesome dance moves....they are legendary following a most glorious dance party in Scottsdale, Arizona last weekend!