Nova Scotia

Back in July, my husband and I took a trip to Nova Scotia. When we found out I was expecting, we began brainstorming vacation ideas.  We wanted to go somewhere new and fun, but we also wanted it to be a trip truly centered around rest and relaxation. The more we researched, a trip to Nova Scotia to visit the quiet seaside sounded like just the right thing for us.  We also loved the idea of going somewhere a little milder during the sweltering Texas summer.

When we told people our travel plans, we received quite a few puzzled looks, as I don't think Nova Scotia is a particularly popular destination for Texas folks, but it should be!  During our years in Boston it was always a trip I longed to take (especially since one of my favorite literary heroines, Anne of Green Gables herself, grew up in Nova Scotia before moving to Green Gables on Prince Edward Island), and we had the most wonderful time during our week there!

We spent our first three days on the far western shore of the peninsula in the tiny fishing village of Middle West Pubnico where we rented the most amazing waterfront guest house on airbnb.  The owners lived in the main house next door and were so welcoming and friendly. We woke up to the sun rising over the water, seen through a wall of windows along the back of the house. We spent quiet mornings on our patio eating breakfast and enjoying the view. We explored the area during the day, visiting little museums, trying our hand at geocaching, taking scenic drives, and eating seafood directly off local fishing boats.  In the evenings, we pulled on a sweater and sat around the fire pit. It was just as beautiful and relaxing as we hoped it would be.

For our last three days, we rented a different apartment in Lunenburg, a slightly larger (and as it turned out, much more touristy) fishing village about halfway between Pubnico and the capital city of Halifax. On our way from Pubnico, we stopped in Shelburne, a lovely town on the water, for lunch and for a brewery visit (more on that later). Once in Lunenburg, we spent some time exploring the area, but we also took a couple great day trips while we were there: one to the post card worthy village of Mahone Bay and another to Peggy's Cove to visit the Peggy's Point Lighthouse.

Things We Ate:

We stumbled on to some truly wonderful food in Nova Scotia. Our most memorable meal was at a more upscale restaurant off the beaten tourist path in Lunenburg called Lincoln Street Food (#1). The menu was fresh and seasonal and boasted plenty of Atlantic seafood. We also loved trying a local favorite, haddock with creamed lobster, at the Red Cap Restaurant (#7) which was right down the street from where local fishing boats brought in their catch. Throughout the week we found  pizza with delicate seafood chowder (#2), hearty breakfast fare (#4), authentic (and fantastic!!) German schnitzel thanks to descendants of German settlers (#8), ice cream with a view (#5), loose leaf tea by the pot (#3), and mussels by the pound served on a patio overlooking the water (#9).

1: Lincoln Street Food in Lunenburg, 2: Rhubarb near Peggy's Cove, 3: The Tea Brewery in Mahone Bay, 4: The Savvy Sailor in Lunenburg, 5: La Creamy Treat in West Pubnico, 6: Charlotte Lane in Shelburne, 7: Red Cap Restaurant in Lower West Pubnico, 8: Old Black Forest Café in Lunenburg, 9: Salt Shaker Deli in Lunenburg

Other notable meals (not pictured above) were had at Dennispoint Café in Lower West Pubnico (get the fried clams and the poutine!), at Rebecca's Restaurant in Mahone Bay (I loved the vegetarian options here), and Brooklyn Warehouse in Halifax (you can't go wrong with their burger and with a pint of local craft beer).

Things We Did:

To stick with our relaxing vacation vibe, we limited ourselves to one or two activities per day (meals don't count, obviously). My favorite outings were geocaching around the Pubnicos and a visit to Peggy's Point Lighthouse in Peggy's Cove.  Geocaching led to some great scenic drives off the beaten path, and the lighthouse at Peggy's Cove was so incredibly beautiful. It was easy to see why it's one of the most photographed spots in this region of Canada. We made the drive from Lunenburg on a perfect sunny day. Once we walked up the rolling granite rocks to view the lighthouse, we found a perch on one of the rocks to soak up some sunshine and watch the waves come crashing in. I think I could have sat there for ages if only our stomachs hadn't started growling (if you visit, definitely visit Rhubarb for lunch afterward)!

We also paid visits to a couple Acadian museums in the Pubnicos (Acadians were French settlers that were eventually driven out by the English. Some eventually returned, but many ended up in Louisiana and are the ancestors of the Cajuns), a fantastic craft brewery called Boxing Rock, fishery and railway museums (including incredibly detailed model railroad recreations of historical regional rail stops), local scenic spots, a distillery, and even a UFO museum (touted as the Area 51 of Nova Scotia)!

1: Historical Acadian Village of Nova Scotia in Lower West Pubnico, 2: Boxing Rock Brewing Co in Shelburne, 3: Geocaching at Pubnico Harbor Lighthouse in Lower East Pubnico, 4: Halifax and Southwestern Railway Museum in Lunenburg, 5: The Three Churches of Mahone Bay, 6: Ironworks Distillery in Lunenburg, 7: Shag Harbor UFO Incident Museum in Shag Harbor, 8: Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg, 9: Acadian Museum and Archives in West Pubnico

And would it be a vacation with this husband of mine if there weren't a few stops for beers along the way? I think not! He's drinking for two now, after all.

With that, I think I've managed to hit the high points of our trip. It was a great final long-distance get away before baby's arrival, and I know I'll treasure the memories we made. 

Tucson

Last week, we spent a long weekend (that went by all too quickly) with friends in Tucson, Arizona. We met Kurt and Nina while living in Boston and bonded over a mutual love of good food and drink. They moved to Tucson around the same time that we moved back to Texas, and now that we're settled in our new homes, we figured it was high time for a reunion.

Now, I have to tell you --  I wasn't expecting a lot from Tucson. We were just excited to spend time with our friends. But boy was I pleasantly surprised. We had the best time catching up and exploring the city. First off, there is plenty of beauty to be found in the dessert. Below is the view of the mountains from our friends front porch as well as the view of the sunset from their back porch. Gorgeous. And given that it was snowing in Dallas when our plane took off, we didn't hate the warm, sunny weather!

Things We Did:

We didn't do too much sightseeing on our trip, but we did pay a visit to the Pima County Air and Space Museum. What a treat! The indoors portion of the museum is fantastic all on its own (the highlight is the SR-71 Blackbird, but I was also pretty excited to see an F-14, Maverick and Goose's fighter jet of choice), but the outdoor area is the real star of the show. Rows and rows of retired airplanes are lined up for visitors to admire. You can walk right up to them, touch them, take pictures with them.

Here we are with a very large bomber. Like, very large. At the museum, you can also buy tickets for a bus tour of The Boneyard, a startlingly large collection of retired aircraft located across the street at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. We didn't arrive early enough to take the tour, so we made do with sneaking a peak as we drove past the base. Talk about airplanes as far as the eye can see.

On Saturday, we spent the most fun afternoon playing Putt Putt, laser golf, and go-karts at Golf 'N Stuff. It was a blast, and not just because I tied for first at Putt Putt!

We also spent a good portion of our time lounging in Kurt and Nina's hot tub while admiring their view of the mountains, but I don't think that attraction is open to the public. 

Things We Ate:

Now we're getting down to serious business: food! And since this is Tucson, let's start with the Mexican food. It's so fun to visit different regions of the southwest, as each area has its own specialties. In Tucson, one of those is Carne Seca, beef that has been shredded and dried in the desert sun. We ordered an entire plate full at El Charro Cafe served with rice, beans, calabacitas, and fresh corn tortillas and enjoyed every bite. For breakfast at Poco and Mom's I loved my Green Chili Tamales, but my husband's phenomenal Silver City Breakfast stole the show (a plate piled with scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, green chile sauce, machaca, cheese, and refried beans). Our last meal in Tucson was another local specialty: Sonoran Dogs at El Guero Canelo.

Though it may not sound like it, we did make room for a couple non-Mexican meals, most notably pizza at Reilly in downtown Tucson. Their Speck and Egg pizza was heavenly, and I loved their roasted brussels sprouts with homemade hot sauce and pecan brittle crumbs. Right next to the University of Arizona, downtown Tucson was bustling with life and full of cute local restaurants and bars.

Things We Drank:

Tucson is also not without some great drinking establishments. We sipped cocktails at the Tough Luck Club (in Reilly's basement) and at The Still (located in the back of an Italian restaurant called Vero Amore). While both were great, The Still was hands down our favorite. It was a quiet, cozy little place, and the drinks were absolutely fantastic.

For an early evening pick me up, we stopped at Tucson Coffee Roasters. While I enjoyed my traditional latte, Kurt was more adventurous and ordered a Bulletproof Coffee featuring namely butter and coconut oil. I don't know how you would drink an entire cup, as it was incredibly rich, but it was delicious to sample.

Last but not least, we visited a couple of local breweries, Nimbus Brewery and at Sentinel Peak Brewing Company. With two homebrewers in our midst, how could we not? We started the weekend with a round of Old Monkeyshine at Nimbus and finished with pints of Dewpoint Dunkel Sentinel Peak.

As all good things must come to an end, the time came for us bid farewell to our friends and to catch a flight home, where this little furball was pretty happy to see us!  We're already looking forward to returning the favor of such a wonderful weekend by plotting a great tour of the Dallas area!

My 10 Favorite Things in November

Did everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving? Are your Christmas decorations up? We have Christmas trees decorated, lights hung outside (a fun first for us), and I have the NSync Christmas album on in my car. The Christmas season is upon us, but before I get too swept up into the most wonderful time of the year, here are some highlights from the past month!

1) Decorating our first big Christmas tree!

 Our little Christmas tree served us well over the years in our cozy Boston apartment, and it will continue to bring festive cheer in our library, but this year, we graduated to a full-sized tree in our living room. I'm pretty excited about it! 

2) Thanksgiving with the family

As I mentioned, this was our first year to spend Thanksgiving with family since moving away from Texas. We drove to Austin to spend the day with my husband's wonderfully large and boisterous family. We ate well, we chatted and laughed, we watched football, and we played with puppies and little children.  Later at my in-laws' home, Charlie had the best time playing in the lake bed of Lake Travis, intrepidly jumping in and out of the chilly water (a little stream through the lake bed is all that's left on their part of the lake)!

3) Our first fire in our first fireplace

 November brought unseasonably cold weather (and even a little snow!!) to the Dallas area, so we enjoyed the excuse to put our new fireplace to use. Curled up on the couch in pj's, dog curled up on the rug, and Apple-Ginger Hot Toddies in hand, it was pretty great.

4) Pie Night!

 Do you know what else I was thankful for this Thanksgiving season? Living within driving distance of our friends Liz and Peter, who hosted their annual Pie Night celebration on Thanksgiving Eve. This year, Liz baked 17 pies from scratch, and we happily helped her eat them. My favorite (besides her classic French Silk Pie) was a Lemon Sour Cream Pie. Delicious!

5) Wurstfest

Wurstfest is one of my favorite places on earth, and we had the best time this year with my husband's family. Beer, bratwurst, and polka music -- what's not to like?

6) Breakfast Date at the Allen Café

Both my husband and I have work schedules such that every other Friday, we have the day off. On one of our off Fridays this month, we went out for a "Breakfast Date" as an excuse to try the Allen Cafe. It's the cutest little local spot serving up classic diner fare...and one of my personal favorites, Chicken Fried Steak and eggs!

7) Catching an Allen Americans game

Why are minor league sports so much fun? I love minor league baseball and hockey games, so we jumped at the chance to go see the Allen Americans take the ice. They won the game, and there were a couple good fights, so it was quite a success!

8) Wine and Star Wars Mad Libs

I can't say this is one of the fanciest date nights we've ever had, but gosh did I enjoy sipping on a glass of wine and laughing over silly Mad Libs stories about lightsabers and the Force. (Speaking of Star Wars, everyone saw the Episode VII trailer right? I went from cautiously excited to very excited).

9)Paying a visit to perennial Longhorn Band favorite, Posse East 

My husband and I went to the Texas-TCU game on Thanksgiving, and beforehand, we grabbed a beer at this wonderfully dive-y bar, a much-frequented haunt of Longhorn Band kids (and plenty of other UT folks), and it was great to be back! We also ran into friends at the Unofficial Official Longhorn Alumni Band tailgate on our way to the stadium! Despite the score, it was great to be back at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium (our first time back since graduation).

10) A good bowl of Pho!

Last but not least, we found good pho in Fairview at Pho Crystal! It seems to be a little family-run place, and the food is wonderful. I've been hooked on pho ever since trying the (admittedly unorthodox) vegetarian pho at Happy Veggie in Redondo Beach, and I've been missing Pho #1 in Woburn, so finding this little gem was pretty exciting news. 

Wurstfest



It's that time of year again! Wurstfest, the self-proclaimed 10 Day Salute to Sausage, is upon us! This weekend, we made the pilgrimage to the little town of New Braunfels, home to a sizeable population of German Texans, to revel in all things bratwurst, beer, and polka!

I was introduced to Wurstfest, arguably the real "happiest place on earth," by two fellow clarinetists in the Longhorn Band who grew up in New Braunfels. Thank goodness for Sarah and Christina! Each year, we would gather a group of friends and drive south from Austin to participate in the festivities. I haven't been back since graduation (and my husband had never been), so this was an eagerly anticipated occasion!

We kicked off the festivities with my favorite Wurstfest combination -- a pitcher of beer and a "Wurst in Taschen." This is a bratwurst under a pile of sauerkraut tucked inside a fluffy pocket. I like mine topped with a couple pumps of spicy mustard. If this doesn't sound like your thing, food abounds in the "Marktplatz" where you can find everything from bratwurst-on-a-stick to reuben sandwiches to bratwurst nachos! A new favorite discovered on this trip were the fried mushrooms topped with cream gravy -- fair food at its best. This is a place where German and Texan cultures collide in the best possible way. Whatever you do, come hungry!

We ate in Das Grosse Zelt (The Big Tent) which is set up like a covered beer garden with a music stage where the Comal Community Band serenaded us with German and Texan favorites.

Our next stop was the Craft Beer Garden for some local brews (favorite name award goes to the New Braunfels Oktooberfest named after the favorite local pastime of tubing down the Comal and Guadalupe Rivers). At the neighboring music stage, we clapped along with the fantastic accordion stylings of Michael Bridge, the Canadian National Champion Accordion Player! 

Finally, we ended the afternoon in Wursthalle with singing and dancing to polka music thanks to The Seven Dutchmen Orchestra.

The festival wraps up this weekend, so if you're in the area, treat yourself and join in the small town tradition! Just don't forget your lederhosen!

New York Adventures

Sunday night, we returned from a quick trip to New York City. In our 48 hours in town, we squeezed in as much fun as we could manage (this usually took the form of food) and had a great time! Most notably, I achieved what can only be described as a dream come true -- seeing Ewan McGregor perform on Broadway!  So without further ado, here are the highlights from our getaway:

1.Dinner at Gramercy Tavern

Gramercy Tavern seems to be an institution in the New York dining scene, and I was thrilled when I managed to get a reservation for Friday evening. We each ordered a 6-course tasting menu, one Seasonal (including meat and seafood) and one Vegetable, and we shared each plate. What an absolute treat! The food was fabulous and so beautifully plated, the wine recommendations were excellent, and the staff was incredibly warm and friendly.

After the relaxed meal drew to a close, some of our favorites were an oyster chowder with trout roe, a plate of radishes and turnips (surprisingly my favorite dish of the night), a fried green tomato, the seared duck breast, and an ash-rind goat cheese. We were even sent home with pastries for breakfast the next morning!

2) A beer at Auger's Well

After dinner and a failed attempt to visit Death and Company for cocktails (we weren't up for a multiple hour wait), we ducked into the nearby Auger's Well, a tiny little place pouring interesting local craft beers. We loved the Kim Hibiscus Sour from Queen's brewery SingleCut (a new one to us).

 

3) Breakfast at Russ and Daughters Café

I was never up for standing in line at the original Russ and Daughters, frequently lauded for making some of the best bagels and smoked fish in NYC, so I was incredibly excited when they opened a sit-down restaurant. Finally I could see what all the fuss was about! We started with a first for me, Matzo Ball Soup. Not quite breakfast fare, but gosh was it good. It's basically the Jewish answer to Chicken and Dumplins right?

Next, we tried the classic bagel and smoked fish boards. I went with the smoked salmon (The Classic) while my husband tried the smoked sable (The Shtetl). We topped our toasted plain bagels with a thin layer of cream cheese, strips of the delicately smoked fish, tomato slices (perfectly ripe somehow in the middle of October), and a sprinkle of capers. I ditched the onion, because, to me, it overpowered the fish which was so good, that I had to eat a few bites of it all by itself. During breakfast we even caught the end of a proposal. When they entered the cafe, everyone broke into applause and cheers!

4) Coffee at Berkli Parc

After breakfast, we needed more coffee, so we spent a lazy morning chatting over lattes in wine glasses (??) at a cute coffee shop down the street from Russ and Daughters Café.

A confusing Subway ride and a short walk later, we arrived at a fountain ringed by autumn trees, just in time for lunch. Luckily, we were right across the street from one of the best pizza joints in Manhattan (or so we've read).

5) Joe's Pizza

I'll be the first to admit that I'm no connoisseur of New York pizza (heck, I grew up eating Domino's), so I can't definitively confirm that this is indeed the best pizza in Manhattan. But I can tell you that we loved it. So much so that we returned to the counter for a second slice. I know the crust is supposed to be a big factor in New York pizza, but I think my favorite thing is how light and...zesty?...the sauce is. Whatever the secret is, I like it!

6) The Friends building!

Since it's only a couple of blocks from Joe's Pizza, I couldn't resist finally paying a visit to the apartment building used in the exterior shots on Friends. Interestingly enough, there were quite a few other girls on that corner, all in their late 20s or early 30s.

7) Drinks at The Library at the NoMad hotel

Next we headed to The Library, a gorgeous bar lined with books. As it was still early, we had one of New York's premiere cocktail bards entirely to ourselves for an entire hour! Pretty incredible! We cozied up in the corner by the spiral staircase and whiled away the afternoon sipping cocktails.

While all of the drinks were wonderful, our favorite two were hands-down The Jitney (mezcal, Campari, dry vermouth, coffee-infused dry vermouth, and absinthe) and the Loisaida Avenue (mezcal, tequila, Chartreuse, lemon, and angostura bitters).

8) Dinner at Fedora

While not quite comparable with Gramercy Tavern, we enjoyed a pre-theater dinner at this cozy, bustling little spot. The local burrata drizzled with walnut pesto appetizer was fabulous, and the serving size was so generous that we couldn't even finish it!

10) Ewan!

I don't even know where to start on this one. Ewan has been my favorite actor for about 15 years now. Saturday night still feels like something out of a dream. But what I can say is if you find yourself in New York before January 4th, please go see the Roundabout Theater Company's production of Tom Stoppard's The Real Thing! What a fantastic play! The cast is great (along with Ewan, Maggie Gyllenhaal was pretty phenomenal). The dialog is dense and quick and witty. You really have to pay attention, but it's so dang entertaining and funny and thought provoking. (And as an added bonus you do get to hear Ewan sing a little bit!)

We just had the best time, and the play was over all too quickly. Afterward, we made our way to the stage door to see Ewan and for autographs. After Maggie and Cynthia Nixon made their exits, Ewan was the last to leave the theater (surprisingly along with John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, who made a quick exit in front of him). He kindly made his way around the group signing Playbills (even though some rude people pulled him away for a photo right as he was signing mine).  Once he finished, instead of ducking into a private car like the other actors, he hopped on his bicycle and rode away into the night. After watching him go, we made our way out of the craziness of Times Square and back to the quiet of our hotel room where I tried to process what all had happened that evening. 14 year-old me wouldn't even believe me if I told her!

11) Catching up with Philip

Last but not least, we met up with my friend Philip for brunch at Jones Wood Foundry Sunday morning before catching our flight home. Philip and I grew up together, and I love getting to catch up with him whenever we visit New York!

Southbound 35

Last weekend, we made the trek southbound on 35 to Austin so we could attend Grammy and Pampa's monthly "Last Saturday of the Month" get-together with the whole clan on my father-in-law's side of the family. It was our very first to attend, and with 24 folks in attendance, it was such a fantastic opportunity to catch up with the whole family! Moments like these are exactly why we moved home, and I'm so thankful for them! And as an added bonus, we got to have some fun in Austin!

We drove down Friday afternoon with the puppy in tow, and he behaved like a champ for his first longest roadtrip yet. As we pulled into Lakeway, we promptly got stuck in Lake Travis homecoming traffic, but we finally made it past the stadium and pulled into Sandeez Hamburger Hut, one of the last Lakeway restaurants remaining from my husband's childhood. It's the cutest little place with picnic tables out front, and the burgers are just the greasy burgers you would hope for from such a place. You can go classic or you can go with something like my Guacaholic smothered with guacamole and queso.

Saturday we headed into the Austin city limits to attend a book signing with Lisa Fain, the Homesick Texan, at the Byte of Texas book fair. I ran into a sweet friend from college, Kathryn, who was involved in the conference, and she was kind enough to bestow upon us an amazing goodie bag that was chock full of treats like Yellowbird Habanero Hot Sauce, Stubb's Wing Sauce, Michele's Granola, and little baby pies from Royer's Pie Haven.

We lucked out and were the first people there for the signing, so we had a great time chatting with Ms. Fain until other admirers arrived. It was such a treat to meet her, as she and her wonderful stories and recipes were so instrumental in my survival away from Texas for so many years!

After the book signing, we popped into Freedmen's for some BBQ, because "when in Austin..." For those of you who, much like us, do not have the patience or the perseverance required to wait in a 3-4 hour line at Franklin, but still want to try a new BBQ spot in downtown, give Freedmen's a shot. The chopped beef sandwich was heavenly. Their sauce, while not necessary for the meat, is delicious with a great kick. They make their own pickled cucumbers, onions, and jalapenos that pair well with the meaty brisket. The pit chili is smoky and spicy and appropriately topped with fritos, grated cheddar, and a sprinkling of red onion. While very good, the cocktails probably won't change your life, but that chopped beef sandwich sure might!

Gosh I love adventures with this guy!

To ward off a meat coma thanks to stomachs full of chopped beef and chili, a pit stop at Quack's 43rd Street Bakery was in order. While I studied at almost every coffee shop around Austin during our time at UT, my most frequent haunt was Quack's, and it holds a dear place in my heart. I hadn't been back since before graduation, so it was a glorious reunion and walk down memory lane. I was relieved to find that the little coffee shop really hadn't changed much in the past 7 years despite how drastically Austin itself has changed. It's still a quirky spot full of quirky people, and they still make the best gingerbread cake I've ever tasted.

Once our coffee mugs were emptied, we headed back to Lakeway via another walk down memory lane, this time for my husband. First he took me to the base of the Lake Travis dam. Before the neighboring bridge was built, driving across the dam was the only way into Lakeway. In the base of that "new" bridge is a time capsule containing student contributions including one from my husband! Next, we went to the top of the dam where you can still see the little two lane road running its length (though gates now restrict access) as well as views of the lake.

Finally that evening, we joined the family at Grammy and Pampa's for chicken spaghetti and family bonding. We brought Charlie with us, and he had a blast playing with the 5 great-grandkids, all under the age of 5. I've never seen him as pooped as he was after chasing them around all evening! We loved catching up with folks and finally being able to attend a family event rather than being "those weird cousins/grandkids/kids that live in Boston that never show up for anything." Like it or not, they better get used to seeing us a little more often these days!