A Beast in the Kitchen

You may remember that earlier this year I enjoyed dinner prepared by Art Smith, a chef famous for his classic Southern cooking.

This restaurant was part of the USA Pavilion's participation in the EXPO in Milan and was open for 6 months.

Before it closed, I was able to attend another dinner, this time prepared by West Coast chef Naomi Pomeroy.

Like Art Smith, I had previously watched her cook on Top Chef Masters. She came in 4th on Season 3.

Top Chef is one of my most favorite shows.

Right behind Dancing with the Stars.

And Project Runway.

But Tom and Padma. Totally my jam. Love them.

So, we made a reservation for Pomeroy's visit in October.

Peggy, Ann, Lisa and me

We loved Naomi's food.

Even though some of it pushed our (my) eating boundaries a bit. (cough, cough...see the first pic!)

Steak tartare, quail egg, brioche tart

Ummm...this was pure deliciousness:

Tomato and taleggio, creme fraiche tart

Crispy pork rillettes

celery and fennel veloute

The pork was soooooooo tender:

Brined pork, wild mushrooms

And this salad was the bomb:

Fall chicory salad, apples, toasted hazelnuts

I wanted to lick this plate:

Bete noir, salted caramel sauce

Pomeroy, post dinner, discussing the menu

It's such a shame that this dinner series is over, but it was awesome to get to experience such a thing- twice!

Dinner was delicious! If you are on the West Coast of the US, you should make a point to head to Pomeroy's restaurant, Beast, in Portland, Oregon.

I'd love to go...maybe it's time to put some more domestic trips on the agenda.

EXPO 2015 Milan.

This year Milan hosted the EXPO, which is what the World's Fair is more or less known as now. Leading up to the event the city was a hot mess, with construction everywhere, trying to prepare everything for millions of visitors that were expected.

The EXPO kicked off at Piazza Duomo with a free concert featuring Andrea Boccelli and pianist Lang Lang.

Boccelli in front of the Duomo.

While it was crowded, there was more than enough room not to feel like you were being pushed from all sides. I stayed for a bit and listened to several performances before heading home.

It's hard to pass up the opportunity to hear one of the world's greatest tenors sing live FOR FREE!

One night in June, Caitlin and I headed out to the EXPO site, which was located outside of the city.

If you went after 7 pm, it was only €5 to get in.

Every country built a pavilion to showcase their homeland and feature ideas about food and sustainability, which was the theme of the EXPO this year.

Many of the pavilions were incredible, in design and architecture.

Since we only went in the evening, we missed out on some of the daytime events, and I think this caused us to be a little bored with some of what was on display.

There was a lot to look at, but seemingly, not a lot to do.

I had intended to go back before the EXPO closed October 31, but that just didn't happen. I had it on my calendar for late October, but heard the crowds and the public transport getting to the site were unbelievable, so I decided that I wouldn't try to get out there again.

If you missed the EXPO in Milan, you have 5 years to plan your trip for the next EXPO...in Dubai!

Did you go to the EXPO? What was your favorite pavilion?

Budapeschttttttt

Over Columbus Day weekend, Stacia, one of our school librarians, and I headed to Budapest.

Pronounced bood-uh-peschtttttttttt.

More or less.

This was another new pin on my travel map, country #31!

Many of my friends had been to Budapest previously and had rave reviews!

We spent time wandering the city, checking out the famous thermal baths, eating food that we can't get in Milan, and eating, and eating.

That about sums up our weekend.

Here's the photo evidence.

We're always on the look out for Starbucks!
And this fall cup is amazing! 

This was cup #1 of many.
And they had #PSL

I'll have to go back another time to see it under blue skies.

Looking at the Chain Bridge across the Danube

roof mosaics on the church, just like in Vienna, Bratislava

Parliament in the background

deliciousness in a bag
Remember me talking about turtlenecks? 

Entrance to the Szechenyi bath

again with the gray skies

the water was nice and warm!
and the people watching was fairly entertaining!

the interior pools were okay, but I preferred the outdoor ones

This end of the outdoor pool had a whirlpool in the center.
Be sure to pack your flip flops, towel and swimsuit.

A few tips for fellow travelers:
The front desk girl was very friendly to us (I've read otherwise online.)
We only paid for lockers. You can enter one of these booths to change.
Close both doors and secure it shut with the board from the bench that folds down.
Then put your clothes in a locker. 

We went to a place called Hummus Bar.
#yum

Parliament. Pretty spectacular.

On a cold, rainy afternoon you should definitely check out the pinball museum.

I imagine some people could spend hours here. I think we survived just under an hour.
The noise level is fairly intense.
And most pinball games require little participation from the player, which gets a tad boring.

Okay, I enjoy gelato in Italy.
But this is probably the best gelato I've ever had.
It had great flavor, was super creamy, and came in the most beautiful shape.

Found a little hole in the wall pho place.

Headed to Budapest? Here's some useful links!

We stayed in this AirBnb. The location was great the apartment had plenty of space for two people.

We ate burritos here. Twice. And I would eat there often if I lived in Budapest.

The website for the baths is here.

You can find that amazing gelato here.

Pho? Go here.

Rainy day activity? Try the Pinball Museum.

Local shopping options: Try Magma for jewerly, purses, art ceramics and more by local artisans. Or FolkArt Craftsman's House for authentic Hungarian wares, like felted pillowcases, embroidered shirts and ceramics.

Need a map for Budapest? Try the use-it map here.

Have any other Budapest recommendations to share? Let me know in the comments!

Manila...The Work Part...Sort Of!!!

My trip to Manila a few weeks ago was technically for work.

But I had a whole lot of fun, both in the markets and at the conference I was attending for work.

First, I got to play with Monopoly money the whole week.

Using currency that is in denominations so much larger than what you are used to is so crazy!

On the way to the conference I went to Starbucks every morning.

The Filipino people are so friendly.

The International School of Manila is located in a very nice suburb of the main downtown area.

It's a completely different world.

It's like a California suburb.

There was even a Krispy Kreme in this Manila suburb.

And a Cold Stone Creamery.

It was a week of gluttony.

I did actually go to the conference.

The campus is amazing.

Manila = not a hardship post. (in case anyone tells you otherwise!!)

I played with conductive ink to make a circuit. (So cool!)

And watched this kid try to teach us about Minecraft.

Rather unsuccessful if I do say so myself.

Anyone want to teach me this? Ask your kids! Where's my former student Nick Flint when I need him?

I also got to spend some time with one of the women I admire in education.

selfies with Kim Cofino!

This week was only made better by some pretty delicious food!!

A legit bowl of ramen? I need serious chopstick tutorials. STAT.

Crispy spring rolls. Yes please!

Tips on learning how to use chopsticks? or Minecraft? I'm desperate!

I'd love to hear about your favorite Southeast Asian cities...I'm trip planning!