The Sundry Tomatoes

DATE: July 2016 LOCATION:  Taco Flats BURNET ROAD ATX Hey Everyone! I've finally moved down to Austin  permanently  and basically I'm a New Yorker pretending to be an  Austinite !  I live down the road from a place called Taco Flats that the boy and I have been eyeing for a while. For some reason I just wasn't all that excited about the menu because I thought Torchy's was it for me. But he kept insisting and so I finally gave in and we stopped by for brunch. And I don't want to say he was right, but he certainly wasn't WRONG.  So here's what I had: Black & Green  grilled jack cheese, refried black beans, scrambled eggs, guacamole, grilled onion  and   Mister Popeye  spinach, fried egg, pico de gallo, avocado  At first glance the black and green looks a little bit like diaper contents, but I assure you, what this really is, is a Mexican grilled cheese!  That little bi...

DATE: Summer 2015 LOCATION: Don Bravo 5504 La Jolla Blvd La Jolla ,  CA   92037 Give a (wo)man a fish taco, she'll or he'll eat for a day in La Jolla.   Hands down, the #1 food staple I was most looking forward to eating in SoCal were tacos. Especially (fried) fish tacos. On our last day in San Diego, we spent a beautiful, sunny day at La Jolla Cove. As we left this beautiful blue slice of paradise, we needed to grab something to eat before we hit the road for our next stop on our West Coast road trip. A little research showed us that Don Bravo was voted to have one of the best fish tacos in San Diego. Don Bravo is a small, shack-like restaurant with a few tables on the inside, and a bar stand outside with a distant water view. Surprised how extensive their menu really was, it was almost overwhelming deciding on what to get; from their tacos, enchiladas, burritos, tostadas, tortas, and more! Sticking with simplicity, I ordered 3 fried fish tacos and ...

On our 2nd night in Vegas, we went to  Mesa Grill . This is Bobby Flay's restaurant and I'd been wanting to go here for many years so I was mucho excited! I got put on the spot when I got to the bar and ordered a Vodka and Soda, instead of the obvious choice: A Margarita. But I quickly corrected the mistake when I got to the table and ordered a White Peach Margarita. YUMO! It tasted like a sweet peach tea. It was refreshing and delicious and pink! Here is what we ordered:  CAULIFLOWER GRATIN  + Roasted Poblano - This tasted like macaroni and cheese with a kick to it. It was very creamy, and the cauliflower took on a soft pasta like consistency. It was rich and very flavorful.  MANGO + SPICE CRUSTED TUNA STEAK   Green Peppercorn - Green Chile Sauce + Toasted Pine Nut Couscous - I apologize but I do not remember at all how this tasted, but I ate all of it so I'm sure it was good. Actually what I do remember is that the consistency of the couscous w...

Hello Everybody,  It's been a little while, I know, I know. I've had a lot on my plate . I got a new nephew, I sold my shoe-box apartment, and in a month I'm heading to ATX, y'all! But before the big move I took a little ladies' trip to Las Vegas!! Aside from all the eye-candy and dancing, there was plenty of delicious opportunities for me to stuff my face.  Admittedly, this was a trip of firsts for me. There are at least two things I ate that I'd never tried before, and luckily I truly enjoyed both of them. It was Vegas, after all, so my memory might be a little foggy on some of these details and I recognize these are not my best photos. Cheers! First stop was  Searsucker at Caesars Palace . We ordered a few items for the table and then we all shared everything. This is a very fun way to eat, as you can taste a little bit of everything. This works particularly well for someone like me who always wants about six different things off every menu and even if I...

DATE: Summer 2015 LOCATION: OB Noodle House 2218 Cable St San Diego, California 92107 Vietnamese Pho is not on the top of my favorite Asian go-to food or noodle soups. Personally, I haven't had a really good, amazing pho in all my life in NYC. But friends had told me that pho is really good in California, and after stalking BuzzFeed lists, I was psyched to give it a try. By the recommendation of a friend and a feature on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, we decided to go to OB Noodle House . I could already tell this dive looking bar was going to be good, based on not just the amount of people also waiting for a table, but the look and fragrance of the bowls of noodles that wafted past us. While we patiently stood waiting for our table, I scrolled through Yelp and read a number of reviews mentioning how the wings were a must. Needless to say, I was glad to have an excuse to order even more food besides the pho. Well, if people say you have to get the wings, then HAVE...

DATE: Summer 2015 LOCATION: Hash House A-Go-Go 3628 5th Ave San Diego, CA 92103 Welcome to another chapter of my West Coast Eats mini-series, the San Diego edition. Several years ago, I remember watching an episode of Man vs. Food. Adam Richman went to Hash House A-Go-Go in Las Vegas. I had been dying to go there and check out it, and even though I had gone to Vegas twice within the past few years, never had the chance to venture out there to eat at. So I was really excited and determined to eat at Hash House A-Go-Go once I learned there was a San Diego location! A hearty brunch at Hash House was the perfect solution to fuel up for a big day of walking around and doing our tourist thing. Knowing how huge the portions were going to be, we decided to share Andy's Sage Fried Chicken Benedict - fresh split biscuit with fresh tomato, spinach, smoked bacon, griddled mozzarella, chipotle cream, scrambled eggs served with mashed potatoes. This was the ideal portion...

DATE: Summer 2015 LOCATION: La Puerta 560 4th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101 Brrr... the below freezing winter NYC temperatures has me guzzling cups of hot chocolate, but to keep my mind on warmer times, I will go on a nostalgic high of this past summer. I spent 2 glorious, warm, sunny sky weeks in California back in August. The hubster & I did a road trip driving north, up the Pacific Coast Highway from San Diego,  Santa Monica/LA, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, Monterey and lastly San Francisco. So that I can still reminisce over my amazing vacation, I'll be taking this East Coast blog to the flip-side, with a mini-series of West Coast Eats , starting off with the 1st city we ate at: San Diego . Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this blog, I just have to say I really enjoyed San Diego. Some of my favorite notable areas to visit were Balboa Park, Old Town and the Gaslamp Quarter. For fellow millennials & super foodies out there, Gaslamp Quarter was THE place ...