3 Days in Monterey, California

If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed my Instagram stories off on some beautiful coast somewhere in the mountains. A few weeks ago, shortly before I was laid off from my job, my older sister and I took our mom to Monterey, California for her birthday. The trip was quick, but literally felt like we were there for a while. Mainly because we had our days packed with activities from sunrise to sunset. Every time I visit a new city, I'm reminded of how truly beautiful this country is. Experiencing a different country gives you a different viewpoint on life, but what does experiencing a different state in America do for you? Every state makes you feel as though you've traveled to another country, some might even help you get a feel of different cultures all in one...And that ladies and gentlemen represents the USA, and don't ever forget that!

4 Days in Portland, Oregon

I've been quite busy over the past few months, hence why I haven't posted about my work trip to Portland. I traveled to Portland for my last work trip back in November, literally right after the election. The trip made for an interesting experience as I had messages from loved ones telling me to be safe. During the time I was in Portland, they had one of the craziest( as the media painted it) protests. I remember noticing a large group of peaceful protesters at Pioneer Square one evening on my walk to Departure Restaurant and Lounge. On my walk back from dinner that evening, I noticed the group had left. It wasn't until later that evening that I received texts messages and began hearing loud crashing sounds outside my window. It made for quite a weird experience of the city of Portland.

Day 1

Pok Pok

Prior to visiting, I had asked a couple of foodies food recommendations. Pok Pok was one of the restaurants that came up. One the evening of our first day, our job responsibilities landed us in the neighborhood where the restaurant is. For starters, don't come expecting this to be a fancy looking restaurant but do expect the food to be good. Pok Pok is a Thai restaurant bringing all the flavors and creativity of Southeast Asia to America, focusing mainly on the flavors of North & Northeast Thailand. We were served their Pandan flower infused water(which actually tastes like tortillas and had me confused.lol). I ordered their " Cha Ca 'La Vong'", their take on a Vietnamese restaurant's catfish dish marinated in turmeric and sour rice. The dish was surprisingly delicious! I also had a taste of their Vietnamese fish-sauce wings and they were fab!

Day 2

Departure Restaurant and Lounge

Departure is an Asian-fusion restaurant located sky-high in the Nines Hotel, offering guests a chance to mingle and relax in a luxurious atmosphere while enjoying great food and drink. I ordered some Edamame, a California Roll and their Okinawa Colada, made with a 7 spice infused Gruzan Rum. I would say the cocktail was the highlight to my night, before I headed back to my room to only hear crashing sounds outside my window.

Day 3

Urban Farmer's Restaurant

The highlight to this day was lunch at Urban Farmer, also located in the Nines Hotel building. This refreshing and urban farm-to-table restaurant brings the garden to a fancy luxurious hotel and does it very well. I ordered to go because I had some work to do, but that did not stop me from admiring this restaurant. I ordered their Grilled Chicken Sandwich which came with a side of fries.

Day 4

Farmer's Market - Horn of Africa 

Prior to heading off to the airport, I grabbed some lunch at the Portland Farmer's Market and also bought a few personal souvenirs for myself. I stopped at Horn of Africa and grabbed some plantains and a samosa before driving back to the airport to catch my flight back home. 

4 Places to Dine in Lower Manhattan, New York

I spent a few days last week at the corporate office in New York, and off course while I was there I ate at some of the city's most delicious restaurants. It's always refreshing being able to walk the streets, block-by-block, catch a subway, and go sight-seeing. I managed to spend an hour and a half on the subway, on a trip back from Macy's where I met Lauren Berger (InternQueen). Side note: I worked with Lauren a couple years back while in college as one of her campus ambassadors. On my way back from the 6th annual InternQueen party, I spent an hour and a half trying to get back to my hotel. A trip that would have taken a New Yorker 20 minutes.

I was amazed by the wonderful people on the train. Some with whom I had small talk with, yes people are actually nice in New York. I also visited some of the loveliest places, and restaurants at the Chelsea Market and in Lower Manhattan.

By Chloe:

I flew in on Sunday and arrived just a little past lunch time, so I walked a couple blocks down from my hotel in SOHO. A friend of mine recommended I try this restaurant that serves sustainable vegan dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients in their most natural form. I asked for a recommendation, and went with their Guacamole burger. The patty is made of black beans, quinoa and sweet potatoes, and was topped with corn salsa, onion, guacamole, chipotle aoili and tortilla strips. Sounds intense and I wasn't sure I'd like it, but it was very flavorful and delicious. My "Purple Rain" smoothie was okay, but the chocolate chip cookie was missing flavor.

Book Bell & Candle:

The team and I dined at this lovely restaurant one evening. Book Bell & Candle is a basement restaurant located in West Village. The restaurant serves locally sourced, organic, and sustainable meals on a seasonal basis; the produce is gathered from their aeroponic roof-top tower garden. Our dinner started with drinks and appetizers; where we were blessed with several of their Lobster tacos, with a tomatillo and avocado salsa. Oh, what a blessing they were! Other items on the menu were; the crispy fried oysters in a green chile buttermilk dressing, and their Chipottle beef Quesadillas. We enjoyed a lovely evening of work and conversation at the kitchen table of this restaurant.

Dominique Ansel Bakery:

A friend recommended I try this bakery, and I passed by there on my last morning in the city. The bakery is owned by one of the most praised chefs in the country, Dominique Ansel. Ansel is known for his creation of the Cronut, which is a croissant and doughnut combination that has gotten huge praise across the world. On my morning visit, I off course ordered the cronut, and I can say it is the best thing I have ever had. I love croissants and doughnuts, but this lovely treat is beyond words. I ordered their July Cronut, Apricot Toasted Almond, and just fell in love. I'm really at a loss for words because it was the best treat I have had in a long time.

Seamore's:

I stumbled upon this lovely restaurant on my last walk in Lower Manhattan. After passing up some of what were probably some great restaurants in Little Italy, I stopped in Seamore's because it looked refreshing-Like a seaside restaurant. Seamore's is a sustainable seafood restaurant located in NoLita, serving seasonal dishes currated using items from local fisheries. I settled for their Crispy Fish tacos, with cabbage, guacamole and chile mayo, served on two flour tortillas. I paired the lovely tacos with a side of sweet potato fries and their refreshing Agua Del Mar cocktail.

My First Cruise on Carnival Elation

This past month, I went on a much needed 5-day vacation to Mexico with Carnival Cruise Lines. This trip marked two things in my life; it was my first trip outside of America since moving here with my family 16 years ago, and it also was my first time on a cruise. So, off course it was a big deal and I was excited.

I had never really looked into cruises that much, but it's interesting to learn that there are different cruise ships that all give you a different experience. The experience was indeed great, doing nothing all day and night. Meaning, not checking/answering e-mails or calls, Internet, cooking and driving. IT WAS FANTASTIC!
One thing I did do was eat, drink, and have fun...Okay, that's totally more than one.

One of my fears about being on a ship was getting sea sick or getting tired and bored out at sea. I might sound a little claustrophobic(out at sea, really?). But lucky for me, I almost never felt like I was at sea...Well except for the times when the ship would rock from side to side. Luckily, there's plenty to do on ships to help you get over the fear or nervousness. From dancing, drinking, comedy shows, to spa treatments...There's definitely something to keep everyone busy.  There's also plenty of food to go around, with buffet styled eating to specialized food areas...You'll basically be eating, drinking, tanning, and right back around. I didn't have spectacular dining experiences, but they were great- service and all. My favorite station was the " Mongolian" Food station, which kinda speaks for itself.

At our first stop, Cozumel, we went on a beach day excursion. The day involved, snorkeling, cultural tour, salsa class, and a Tequila tasting. It was also my first time snorkeling, and after a small panick attack and help from our tour guide, I managed to enjoy myself. At the Tequila tasting, we were able to learn about this spirit and how it is made, and the different sorts of Tequila that one can enjoy.

Our last excursion was my favorite. We stopped in Progresso, Mexico, the city which everyone advised there wasn't much to do. I wanted to do something food related, something that would get me closer to the people and the culture. We took an excursion with Via Yucatan, entitled " Holy Guacamole, Salsa & Margarita Cooking Tour. This excursion took place at a beach house 35-40 minutes from deck, where we learn how to make Tequila infused Guacamole(pictured below), Salsa and a spicy margarita. Our guides were very informative and hilarious, teaching us about the culture and history of Mexico, as well as the cost and ways of living there.

The food was delicious. The Margarita was perfect, with a great amount of sweetness and spiciness. The Guacamole was the same, and off course it's hard to say no to Guac...So that in itself says a lot. I managed to hold a conversation with one of the employees, in SPANISH Y'ALL!! I was proud of myself!

Jack's Wife Freda - New York, NY

Restaurant:
Jack's Wife Freda

Location:
224 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012
50 Carmine St, New York, NY 10014

Hours:
M-Sa 8:30a-12a
Su 8:30a-10p

Ambiance:
I had the pleasure of brunching at this cute little gem while in New York City for work, this past week. My time in NYC felt like a freeze, but I wanted to make sure I dined at at least one interesting place. Jack's Wife Freda is a 4 year old restaurant in New York, with location on Lafayette St and Carmine St. Portraying the all American dream, Jack's Wife Freda tell the love story of the owner's grandparents. The restaurant's owner(Dean), always dreamt of living the American dream. So he left his hometown of Johannesburg and left for  the big Apple, where he later opened a restaurant with his wife(a transplant from Israel). Dean and his wife decided to name the restaurant after his grandfather's wife, Freda, who apparently was an "incredible host, gracious & warm, always having family, friends, and couple strangers over- and always lots of food." Jack's Wife Freda is a quaint, New York style-bistro, with a hip, fun and hospitable environment.

What I Ate:
I was pretty excited when I arrived, it was a cold rainy day but I had made the decision to walk a couple of blocks just to try it. I sat at the tiny cute bar, right in front of the staff, and ordered hot coffee with milk. Their staff is young, and hip(one of the waiters was wearing the cutest ninja turtle t-shirt). After looking over the menu, I asked for well with my order. As hungry as I told them I was, they recommended I have "Madame Freda," consisting of a pressed sandwich with duck prosciutto, Cheddar Bechamel, Gruyere w/ a sunny side up egg. The order came with an Arugula salad which went well with the pickled onions served with it.

Chelsea's Kitchen- Phoenix, Arizona

Restaurant:
Chelsea's Kitchen

Location:
5040 N. 40th St., Phoenix, AZ 85018 

Hours:
 M-Sa 11a-10p
Su 930a-9p

Ambiance:
Rolling through PHX with my suitcase. A friend of mine recommended I try Chelsea's Kitchen before leaving Phoenix, Arizona. Pointing out it is one of the best places to eat if you find yourself stuck at the airport and starving. Chelsea's Kitchen has two locations in Arizona, one at Sky Harbor Terminal 4 and the other on East Camelback between Phoenix and Scottsdale. The restaurant prides itself in providing high-quality honest foods while paying tribute to the history of the area. The environment was busy, leaning towards the business kind of business, as everyone seemed to be a passer-by headed somewhere else. The service was spectacular, I had two waitresses. One was new and the other was around making sure everything was going smoothly.

What I Ate:
If you know me, you know it's pretty hard to pass off tacos, so I ordered Ethan's Vegetarian Tacos with an addition of Chicken(hah! Yes, I did). The dish consists of a selection of locally farmed vegetables, pictured below. I must say, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal, it tasted fresh and was well prepared. All the ingredients, which are pretty easy to see, brought so much life to this dish and to my last few hours in the city.