Itinerary Day Eight in Belize: Hanamasi Resort Snorkeling

Our last full day in Belize – we couldn’t say goodbye without a little bit of beach time. So, what better than a day at the beach and going snorkeling?

A Good Ol’ Seafood Boil… in SLC

During the holiday season, my friends invited me down to Bucket o’ Crawfish. It wasn’t bad…. for Utah.

Forage (Before It’s Gone) – Food Porn Quicky

Before friends move, I strongly believe we should Forage together. At least, that’s what we did before my buddies Tiffany and Rick made the venture up to Seattle.

Last meal, before moving day….

Tour of Eataly II – Gelato and Market Food Porn

How can you take a trip to Italy Eataly without having some gelato?

Me – BANANA AND STRACCIATELLA

Michael – PISTACCHIO

Then, of course, a stroll through more food porn market goods.

American Eats Tavern in DC – Limited Edition Food Porn

Little did I know that American Eats Tavern was a limited experience from chef José Andrés. Luckily! I was able to grab some eats there during my May trip to DC. Thanks Michael!

Another Fine Forage – Food Porn Quicky with Mom

Another fine dinner at Forage – with mom, this time around. It was a late, late mother’s day dinner… because I was off gallivanting around the East Coast during the real deal.

On with the (food) porn! Yeesh, I feel so dirty saying typing that…

I Ate a Cow in Los Angeles: KBBQ Lunch – Food Porn Quicky

Moodaepo II – Oh, Los Angeles, how you tease me with your good food. Last month, during my last-minute trip to LA, I hung out with old friends, David and Jamie. David suggested KBBQ (Korean barbecue), and I didn’t argue.

There are several buffet options to choose from… we got the cheapest one with the short ribs. Uh, because you do not get KBBQ without short ribs. It was pretty good – not awesome.

We all ate one cow each and then some (spicy, spicy octopus and some shrimp). It was easy when you can place another order of goods by a push of a button (literally! you can ring a bell to call the server). Beware, they charge if you don’t finish.

The shrimp and the short ribs were the best. Chicken wasn’t bad either, but I don’t think I’d waste time on much else aside from that… well, maybe the steamed egg to add some balance.

Lunch – chill, bright atmosphere in downtown LA.

Dinner* – disco ball, flashy lights, a dj, clubbing in Los Angeeeeeles.

*That’s what I was told and shown by the decorations subtly placed throughout the restaurant.

I did not eat again until about 9.30pm that day, and that was only because we are in LA and I had to eat more good food!

Friends Gather at Baco Mercat – Food Porn Quicky

Spanish tapas! Old friends! Homemade sodas! Nice weather! It was a fantastic way to enjoy the evening for dinner in Los Angeles with a few pals I hadn’t seen in months. A relatively new restaurant (from what I heard around and about my circles), Baco Mercat was definitely part of the re-emerging Downtown LA scene. I mean, it’s just a few minutes to “skid row” as my company CFO warned me…

Foraging for a Utah Dining Experience

Another Sundance Film Festival down – always a busy but enjoyable time. It’s always hard to find really great food during the fest… especially when you are working and partying simultaneously for hours on end with no sleep.

Well, I think Forage is always impressive to the likes of big city out-of-towners. So after hyping up Forage to my new foodie friend, she booked reservations and sent me this note:

Ok – so I booked a table at Forage for Thursday night at 8.15pm. After you talked me into it – you better make time to eat with us that night!

We ended up getting earlier reservations, but anyhoo – here’s the rundown of our meal that night. A Sundance escape… as my co-diners mentioned in the restaurant, “I don’t even feel like I’m in Utah right now.”

Copper Onion Birthday – Food Porn Quicky

Copper Onion – Dinner at 8.15pm (the earliest reservation we could get on a busy Thursday night) for Midori’s birthday. Fruit tart from Gourmandise penned with birthday wishes brought in early for a birthday surprise.

Super yum. A bit pricey, but that just follows the trend of localvore cuisine and quality ingredients…

Clear Springs Trout Fillet with fennel salad, mini beats and Marcona almonds.

Oh, it also came with a grilled lemon slice.

Good food. And can’t complain about the service… Yuko asked for a spoon, and received three from various restaurant staff within a few minutes.

However, boo on the lack of communication. Had we known they were going to charge $2/person to cut up our cake and serve it… we would’ve saved that $14 and spent it on a bottle of wine. Then, cut up the caked ourselves at home and had it with the wine! Why didn’t anyone parley this information to us?