windy city weekend

If Emily Post had it her way, we would've celebrated our fifth anniversary with the gift of wood. Or silverware. We decided to buck tradition and take a weekend trip to Chicago instead.

Friday
If you didn't already know from my constant ramblings about this, I love Rick Bayless. And if we had thought of planning this little vacation at least six weeks in advance, then maybe we would've been able to get a table at Frontera Grill. Enter Xoco, Rick's newest place, which serves up a gourmet take on Mexican street food (and is located right around the corner from Frontera and Topolobampo). Thirty to forty minutes of waiting in line might sound like a long time, but it doesn't seem that bad when you are agonizing over the menu and deciding whether to get a wood-fired torta with homemade chorizo sausage, roasted poblano, and artisan jack cheese, or maybe a caldo of crispy pork belly, toasty-tender noodles, and woodland mushrooms . . . or maybe the torta filled with braised Tallgrass shortribs and caramelized onion?? I was going out of my mind, people.

However, when I got closer to the counter I noticed there was a shrimp and elote torta special on the menu board. YES PLEASE. I cannot fully express in words how much I love elote and shrimp, and those two things glued together with chipotle mayonnaise in between two slices of crusty bread was like a match made in food heaven. TJ had the torta de cochinita pibil (wood-roasted suckling pig with achiote, black beans, pickled onion, and habanero salsa), which was also tasty, of course, and I appreciated that the habanero salsa was actually really spicy and not as watered-down spicy as it often appears in other establishments.

For dessert we ordered churros and the Aztec hot chocolate (made with fresh-roasted cacao beans ground on location and spiked with chile and allspice). If there were a churro ratings scale, it would be Costco churros at rock bottom or probably even lower, and at the top would be Xoco churros, eclipsing even the very good churros we had at the Latino festival in Lexington last month and the ones we had at the zocalo churreria in Puebla.

Saturday
I think that TJ's main goal in Chicago was to get his hands on a cemita from Cemitas Puebla. Cemitas seem rather hard to come by in the United States, and it's hard not to dream about them after experiencing this beauty earlier this year. From our hotel, we made our way to Cemitas Puebla by foot, by train, by bus, by bus again after we realized we were going the wrong way, and then by foot. The owner, who hails from Puebla, was right there to greet us when we opened the door—he was very hospitable and quite excited to mention his appearance on Triple D on the Food Network. We decided to go big and split the cemita atomica, which is basically made of three kinds of pork with a ton of Oaxaca cheese on top. Highly recommend.

We really did do things other than eat food. For the rest of the afternoon we just walked—along the Riverwalk, down the Magnificent Mile, and around Millennium Park and Navy Pier. I wanted to experiment with photographing fireworks at Navy Pier, but it was raining and I also forgot my remote shutter release at home, which would've made it easier . . . so maybe next time. But it was nice to spend the whole day out and about, especially when your regular life involves staying indoors hunched over a laptop 24/7.

We figured that we couldn't go to Chicago and not have deep dish pizza, so for dinner we made our way to Giordano's. Not sure why we picked that one—might've been the closest to our hotel? The wait was pretty crazy and apparently I look like a Laurence because that's the name they put on our ticket. The pizza was good, though—I guess you can't really go wrong with a dish that involves piles and piles of melted cheese.

Later that night we made our way to Black Dog Gelato. The guy at the counter was really patient with our indecision, and we sampled a bunch of flavors like Goat Cheese Salted Caramel Cashew, which might sound odd as a gelato flavor, but it was amazing. TJ ended up going with Sweet Potato (good if you like the idea of sweet potato pie in gelato form) and I had a combo of Toasted Coconut and Mexican Hot Chocolate (which tasted just like a frozen creamy version of the drink we had at Xoco).

Sunday
Before hitting the road for Lexington, we had lunch at Johnnie's Beef with Santa Barbara friends who had just relocated to Chicago. We arrived at the Elmwood Park location maybe 10 minutes before it opened and there was already a line forming outside. That place runs like a well-oiled machine, though—took no time at all to get our order taken and food served. We both got combo sandwiches in order to experience both the beef and the sausage, except mine topped with sweet peppers and TJ's with spicy. The fries were great (thin and crispy, just the way I like them) and the Italian ice was fantastic . . . just wish I could've gotten to all of it before it melted. Also, as I have zero friends in Lexington (this is what happens when you choose to watch eight straight hours of election coverage instead of going outside and talking to people), it was really nice to hang out and catch up with our amigos.

In all, it was a fun and tasty weekend.

cincinnati saturday

Since Cincinnati is about only an hour away from Lex, we drove up on Saturday afternoon to visit with my college bff and her husband and to meet their happy little baby Evy. We hadn't see them since our wedding four and a half years ago, so it was splendid to spend some time with them and catch some sights around the city.

I finally decided to trade in the old point-and-shoot for a brand new Nikon DSLR. Hurrah! After much soul-searching, I decided that my first lens would be the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8. Sharp, super fast, and great depth of field—love it. But now I can't stop thinking about how much fun I could have with such things as a super wide angle lens and how nice it would be to upgrade my computer hardware and software to complete the package. I hate having expensive hobbies. I should just go outside and play with some sticks.

So the photo above is of a park bench in Eden Park, which we strolled by on our way to the 2010 Butterfly Show at the Krohn Observatory. The park is so nice—we saw a duck pond, playgrounds for the kids, and scenic overlooks of the city and the Ohio River. I bet it's a great place to watch the sun set.

The park also has a replica of the Capitoline Wolf. I was wondering what Cincinnati had to do with the whole Romulus and Remus story (perhaps the only thing I remember from all those years of Latin), but as it turns out, legend has it that Cincinnati, like Rome, was built upon seven hills.

The Krohn Conservatory was pretty cool. Of all the plant life, I liked the orchid display the best . . . maybe that's my fondness for Adaptation showing. I was hoping to see more butterflies, but they were more scarce than I expected. Could it be  . . . murder? Every time I got close to one some kid would barge over and make a grab for the poor thing. I understand that children of a certain age are curious, have limited motor control, probably don't mean any harm, and that butterflies are exciting and OOH PRETTY . . . but still. It was sad to see so many of these creatures poked and prodded to death, literally.

And of course, no trek to Cincinnati would be complete without a trip to Findlay Market for some Liège-style waffles (thanks to A + J for humoring me on this). These waffles are sweeter—they have a caramelized sugar coating—and are much, much denser than the typical Belgian waffles that we Americans know and love. The batter looks like a ball of cookie dough being smushed in a cast iron press.

The waffles are being ambushed by strawberries and whipped cream so you can't really see them in this picture, but they looked (and tasted) really, really good. On the flip side, at Findlay we also had the worst tacos I've eaten in my life. So bad that neither me (the least picky eater you'll ever meet) or TJ (who has never met a taco he didn't like) didn't want to finish them. If you ever find yourself there, do bypass the tacos and go for the gyros at Areti's, which were fabulous. The meat was flavorful and piled on high, the tzatziki was thick and a little garlicky, and the pita was soft and buttery and just a bit crispy on the outside. The gyros also had a good ratio of tomatoes and onions, which I appreciated.

puebla here we come

Just booked a week in Puebla, the land of my ancestors, in May.  Yes!

what we did on our winter vacation

Spent three weeks watching five seasons of Lost, finishing just in time for the premiere of the sixth and final season next Tuesday. BRING IT ON.

Oh yeah—also spent a lot of time with family in Virginia; ate some really good BBQ in Memphis; made some Oreo truffles (hat tip: Rhettonica); read a couple of good books; sided with Coco; bought some fabric for a Dresden plate quilt that I will start but will surely never finish; reconsidered moving to Sweden upon hearing news of the Supreme Court's transformation of corporations into a real live boy.

Good times.

i heart LA

We went to LA for the weekend for the purpose of attending the 2009 Spring Oaxacan Family Festival, which would've been really fun if it weren't cancelled for some unknown reason.

So. . . it's us and a bunch of parking lots. What to do instead?

1. Seek out Oaxaca anyway. We went to a popular Oaxacan restaurant in Koreatown called Guelaguetza (named after an annual celebration known for dancing in costumes). We can attest to its authenticity—there they serve gigantic tlayudas slathered with asiento (essentially liquid pork rinds, very healthy) and dishes covered with a variety of moles. The front of the restaurant has a little shop where you can buy mole paste, chocolate, meats, and cheese. We picked up some of the mole negro paste to cook up at home—very excited about that.
   
   
2. Seek out the motherland. I haven't had Filipino food as often as I'd like since moving away from home, and it's not everyday that I'm surrounded by opportunities for someone else to make it for me. So we dropped by Glendale and had dinner at Max's of Manila (which is actually famous for its fried chicken—eaten with banana ketchup, naturally). I ordered one of my favorite dishes, pinakbet, which usually consists of meat and mixed veggies like eggplant, string beans, squash, okra, and the hard-to-love ampalaya, or bitter melon. I think Max's version of pinakbet is really similar to the kind my mom makes, which is pretty awesome.
   
   We also had a dessert called buko pandan—it's a coconut salad flavored with pandan leaves, which are commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking. This one had a scoop of creamy coconut ice cream on the top. You know that a coconut dessert is good when even TJ eats it and likes it.
   
   Then we went to a Goldilocks bakery to stock up on Filipino bread rolls called pandesal, sweet rolls filled with ube (purple yam) and coconut, and boat tarts.
   
   
3. Do several of the 10-minute yoga/aerobics/ab-strengthening workouts provided for free on the hotel TV.
   
   
4. Attend church in Spanish. I like finding different ways to improve my listening comprehension, so this has become one of my favorite activities.
   
   
5. Stroll the farmer's market at 3rd and Fairfax. Picked up some fresh-churned peanut butter here.
   
   
6. Stop by an Apple Store and drool over the MacPro and cinema display of your dreams. Unfortunately, those items are slightly out of our price range, but we did finally get our AirPort Express so we could wirelessly stream songs from our MacBook to a set of external speakers that previously have been sitting around collecting dust in the closet. Seriously, listening to music just got 100x better. This has also made connecting the laptop to the printer via USB cable everytime we need to print a document a thing of the past. Hooray for wireless!
   

More obligatory food pics:

photos from oaxaca

We recently returned from our weeklong Mexican adventure. We had been planning the trip for several months, lured by the promise of great food, magnificent architecture, mysterious archaeological ruins, and colorful art and culture.

We weren't disappointed. In Oaxaca, we discovered a vibrant capital city filled with dancing, parades, music, balloons, and friendly people. Buildings painted in candy-colored hues line every street, where vendors sell ice cream cones, hot dogs, and elotes, and indigenous women offer their beautiful crafts—intricately embroidered blouses, woven baskets, and bookmarks.

Attending church in Oaxaca was a particularly lovely experience. Everyone was eager to say hello and welcome us to the ward. The bishop invited us to have lunch with his family; we helped his wife prepare meat and cabbage for the delicious pozole we ate, and we had an interesting conversation with his son, who had just returned from a mission in Hermosillo. He said that the narcos would give the missionaries rides all the time.

While we were able to see a lot of Oaxaca in one week, including the historic sites of Monte Alban, Mitla, and the crafts villages of Teotitlán del Valle and San Bartolo Coyotepec, there still remains much more of this wonderful place to explore. We can't wait to visit again some day.

Below are a ton of slideshows from various parts of our trip. Sorry if you can't see the big play buttons to start the slideshows — I don't know what's up with that, at least in Firefox on our MacBook. But you can click on the slideshows to open up a larger version in Picasa.

Parks



Oaxaca City has many public spaces for people to gather: parks, plazas, and gardens. Here are just a couple of them.

Primavera



In Oaxaca City, you're almost guaranteed to stumble across some kind of celebration. On our first day, we saw a group of kids dressed up in various animal costumes, riding their decorated bikes around Conzatti Park. The parade was part of Primavera festivities, which celebrate the arrival of spring.

Monte Alban



The ruins at Monte Alban, one of the first cities in Mesoamerica. The ancient Zapotec metropolis emerged as the center of political and economic authority in the valley of Oaxaca. It was founded around 500 BC and flourished until AD 750.

Chocolate



Chocolate shops on Mina Street in downtown Oaxaca City, which grind and mix their own chocolate. Each shop offers samples of delicious chocolate in many flavors, including canela, vanilla, leche, nuez, and moka.

Teotitlán del Valle



We visited a workshop in the Zapotec village of Teotitlán del Valle, which is famous for its colorful weavings made with natural dyes such as indigo for blue, pericón flowers for yellow, and cochineal beetles for red.

Mitla



The ruins of Mitla, which served as an important place of burial during Zapotec and Mixtec times. At its height in AD 1350, Mitla reached a population of about 10,000 people. The walls of Mitla's buildings are characterized by distinctive geometric mosaics.

Food, Glorious Food



Oaxaca is well-known for its amazing culinary traditions. We sampled at least five different moles, tlayudas (giant, crispy tortillas covered with cheese and other delicious toppings), tamales, ice cream, the best pizza ever, tacos, chiles rellenos, and chapulines (grasshoppers, a Oaxacan delicacy). Fortunately, our daily feasting was offset by the miles of walking we did everyday.

Markets and shopping



Oaxaca's busy streets and markets are filled with stalls where vendors sell food, clothing, bags, leather goods, and a variety of other items. A favorite place to shop in Oaxaca City is MARO, a store run by native Mexican women artisans dedicated to preserving traditional handicraft techniques.

Iglesia de Santo Domingo



Built mostly between 1570 and 1608, Oaxaca City's Igesia de Santo Domingo is named for the Spanish monk who founded the Dominican order. The massively impressive Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca is housed within the monastery buildings adjoining the church; from the open windows you can get great views of the city and the monastery's garden.

Wedding at Santo Domingo



We were just walking around when we came across a traditional wedding celebration at Santo Domingo church, complete with big band, dancing, dancing giants, and a big balloon with the happy couple's names.

Baseball



We attended a few innings of a Mexican League baseball game between the Oaxaca Guerreros and the Pericos de Puebla. The game was nearly sold out when we got there and we could only get seats beyond the outfield in a section called los jardines. It cost about 10 pesos (or 75 cents) per ticket. We didn't stay for the whole game partly due to the fireworks being launched right behind our seats after each homerun, but Oaxaca ended up winning 8 to 6.

El Tule



In the small town of Santa María del Tule is El Arbol del Tule, a massive cypress that is thought to be at least 2,000 years old.

Around the Zócalo



Views around the zócalo, the primary public gathering place in Oaxaca City. A great place to relax and get your shoes shined. In front of the Oaxaca Cathedral, located in the northwest corner of the zócalo, you can always see children tossing and chasing around their globos (large tube-shaped balloons) in the open space next to the cathedral.

Miscellaneous



Pictures that I couldn't/was too lazy to fit into the categories above.

what's at stake

For the winner of our March Madness contest (clockwise from top left): market bag from Chocolate Mayordomo; cinnamon-flavored chocolate from La Soledad; black pottery keychain from Dona Rosa's workshop in San Bartolo Coyotepec; chocolate from Chocolate Mayordomo; a tortuga alebrije from the MARO shop in Oaxaca City; and two postcards with Dia de los Muertos-themed artwork.

Thanks for entering!

Check back later for pictures from our trip.

hundreds—okay, maybe three—will enter, but only one will win

It's March Madness time once again. Here's a sneak peek at our picks for the Final Four and the championship game:

Lauren

Wake Forest
UConn
Pittsburgh
Syracuse

Title game: the Orange will take it all in an epic rematch against their 6 OT rival UConn.

TJ

Wake Forest
Marquette
Pittsburgh
UNC

Title game: the Big East will prove their dominance in college basketball when Pittsburgh beats Wake Forest in a landslide victory.

Which teams do you think will make it to the Final Four this year? Post your prediction in the comments, and whoever gets the most right wins a sweet prize from Oaxaca, to be determined, but specially handpicked by us. In the event of a tie, we will randomly generate a victor from among the winning entries.

For reference, here are the teams playing in the tournament, in bracket format.

If you want to play, please get your picks in before 12:20 PM ET/9:20 AM PT on Thursday, March 19. Good luck!

countdown to oaxaca

In a few days we'll be taking off for the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, known for its colorful markets, colonial architecture, traditional folk art, social justice rallies, archaeological sites, and rich culinary traditions (I will probably try to hoard as much Oaxacan chocolate as I can in my backpack).

Coincidentally, Beirut just released a lovely double EP called March of the Zapotec/Holland. It's served as a nice soundtrack as we've prepared for our trip. The first half contains Mexican-influenced songs that Zach Condon recorded with a 19-piece church band in Teotitlán del Valle, a small village about 15 miles southeast of Oaxaca City.


This is a song from the EP called "La Llorona," which is based on a famous legend in Latino culture. There are many variations to the story, but it's basically about a woman who killed her children then herself after she was rejected by the man she loved. Consequently, her ghost is doomed to endlessly weep and wander in search of her niños.

Anyway, we are really excited about this trip. We've both been in dire need of a break from Santa Barbara (believe it, friends) and the daily grind.

From Little Tokyo with love

There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "Have a mouth as sharp as a dagger, but a heart as soft as tofu.” I don't really know what that means. But what I do know is that tofu is perhaps one of the greatest foods ever made. And that I would sit through LA traffic for only about three things, and one of those things is the LA Tofu Festival.

This was our first year at the Tofu Fest (and sadly, possibly our last, if what LAist says is true) and it did not disappoint. First of all, it had to be the most well-organized city gathering I've attended. They provided free parking and Subaru shuttles to take us from the parking lot to the festival area. Everyone was really friendly. Everything was reasonably priced (although I'd be willing to pay more if it meant bringing the festival back for another year). And as a double bonus, all the proceeds went to charity.

But back to the food. I will attempt to list the top five things I consumed (in no particular order).

• Tofu Okonomiyaki. Some call it a Japanese pancake. Others call it a Japanese pizza. I call it a fiesta in my boca.

• Tofu Tostada. So tasty, yet so simple to make. They were giving away the recipe with one purchase of a tostada, which made me happy.

• Fried Tofu with Peanut Sauce. I know what some of you are thinking. Tofu + Peanut Butter Flavor Drizzled on Top = ??? Let me solve that for you: Mmm.

• Young Coconut. Ok, technically not tofu—at all—but a nice refreshing beverage that I got to drink out of an actual coconut. With a straw, even.
  

• Tofu Teriyaki. Really flavorful. Goes well with Rooster chili garlic sauce.

We missed out on the Tofu Cheesecake, but fortunately I got hold of a recipe that I intend to try out sometime soon.

Also picked up a couple of t-shirts, a Soy What?! poster, the official festival cookbook, and a hardy plant that requires no water and thrives solely on solar power.

Overall, it was time and money well-spent.