Julia Child’s First Meal in France – Course #1

Oysters on the Half Shell Rye Bread Unsalted Butter

Oysters on the Half Shell with Rye Bread and Unsalted Butter

Inspired by reading Julia Child’s memoir, My Life in France, I decided to re-create the first meal she experienced with her husband in France. It was a meal that she fondly remembered: “Our first lunch together in France was absolute perfection. It was the most exciting meal of my life.”[i]

She dined at Restaurant La Couronne, France’s oldest restaurant, which dates back to 1345. The meal started with half a dozen oysters on the half shell served with pain de seigle (rye bread) and unsalted butter. This preparation of oysters was new and intriguing to me. Typically, my husband and I eat Apalachicola Bay oysters on the half shell drizzled with lemon juice and served atop a saltine cracker with cocktail sauce and horseradish. read more

Eating at Alinea – A Magical Dining Experience!

Alinea Restaurant Exterior

Alinea’s nondescript exterior–it’s the gray building in the middle.

Alinea has been on my radar for a while now. I first heard about it in 2012 when one of my favorite food bloggers wrote about her experience. In 2013, Bon Appétit named Alinea the fourth best restaurant in America (see The 20 Most Important Restaurants in America). It’s also one of only two restaurants in Chicago with three Michelin stars, and it has been recognized as one of the world’s 50 best restaurants since 2007. read more

Wazazu Restaurant – Las Vegas, NV

Wazazu Restaurant Las Vegas, NV

Wazazu Restaurant – Las Vegas, NV

Las Vegas attracts top culinary talent from around the world and hosts show-stopping restaurants with sinfully delicious food, global flavors, and creative flair. Dining out in Vegas can be a surreal experience. From elaborate décor to unforgettable dishes, the city has a no-holds-barred policy when it comes to entertainment and food. There’s really no place quite like it!

Wazazu Crystal Dragon

A 27-Foot Crystal Dragon inside Wazazu Restaurant

Wazazu restaurant is located at Encore on the Vegas Strip. The décor is bold and impressive. Gold and red dominate the entrance, which is accented with dark wood, large golden pears, and red lanterns. The open interior features white tufted furniture and a 27-foot-long crystal dragon that curves along the back wall. The shimmering dragon is comprised of over 90,000 Swarovski crystals and is a true treasure to behold! When it comes to glitz and glamour, Wazazu doesn’t disappoint. read more

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier

Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery Point, Maine

I love traveling and exploring different parts of the world, learning about cultures and experiencing the uniqueness and beauty of a given place. Traveling expands your mind and changes your worldview. Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” read more

Dumpling King – North Miami Beach, FL

Green Onion Cake at Dumpling King Miami

Green Onion Cake with a Sweet and Spicy Sauce at Dumpling King

Dumpling King was our last restaurant adventure in Miami before returning to Chicago. It came highly recommended by one of Corey’s colleagues and fellow foodies, so we were eager to squeeze it in before we left. We’re so glad that we did! We’d been craving some authentic Chinese food (which there isn’t much of in Miami), and this sure hit the spot.

From the outside, Dumpling King didn’t look too impressive; it’s located in a strip mall in which building repairs were underway. But we didn’t let that stop us, and neither should you! After all, one of my favorite restaurants, Raku in Las Vegas, is located in a strip mall. I still dream of their homemade tofu and crispy shrimp, and I can’t wait to go back to Las Vegas to eat at Raku (among other things). read more