Puppy Bow Tie

Hello, this is my maltese pup. He's almost 5 years old now and still looks like a puppy. He is a big P-I-M-P and rocking a hair fuzz (I tried to make a mohawk, but I was unsuccessful). Also, his attire is a bow tie & collar that I bought from an Esty shop called, Learned Stitchworks. I would try to make this myself and find cute fabrics, but I didn't have time to. I will definitely try one day and post it on "The Crafty", so stay tuned.












Enjoy!

Satsuma

Satsuma - Bethesda, MD

Satsuma is a Japanese restaurant that offers smokeless grill. I haven't found a restaurant like this in the DMV area; however in Cali, these type of restaurants are everywhere. The restaurant is split in 2 sides, one that you can order ramen, sushi, and other types of food (this is great so your clothes don't get smelly), and the second side is for the smokeless grill. Even though, it is smokeless, the smell of grilling food still embodies your clothing, but the smokeless type does make it a little bit better.

For the smokeless grill - You simply order the different types of meats and veggies and you can grill it at your own pace. This could  be a 4 hour experience - order some sushi, some special rolls (my fav was Summer Dragon roll - see pic below), some short ribs, beef tongues (I actually tried this and I'm not an adventurous eater, but it was something worth trying out), mixed veggies, or mushrooms. And you have to take off your shoes! The tables are definitely Japanese style - see pic below.

This was definitely an interesting experience... I do recommend that everyone try it out. It's fun to go with about 4-6 people to sit down, chat, eat, and have drinks.

Wows:
- Summer Dragon roll
- Short ribs 
-  The waitress was super nice

Boos:
-Sushi (like typical salmon, tuna, yellow tail, and white tuna - needs improvement on the cut of the fish and rice)

The smokeless grill

Japanese style table and seating

Summer Dragon Roll

Enjoy!

Volt

Volt - Federick, MD

Kitchen Menu - 7 course prix fixe

This restaurant was founded by 2 brothers on Top Chef: Bryan & Michael Voltaggio.

The Kitchen menu was superb (minus the squab)... I would have to say the food here is very delicious, yet interesting. Each dish brings out an amazing taste and experience. I would consider the food to be more of an "artistic way" of eating, rather than eating for the sake of deliciousness.

WOWs:
- Gingered blossom cocktail
- Wine pairing with each course!!
- all the courses were amazing

BOOs:
- squab (I mean who wants a bird's leg with finger nails on their dish?!?!?) I still ate it anyways and it was tasty but not my favorite. I was feeling SUPER adventurous that day.

Enjoy!

2 Amys

2 Amys - Washington, DC

This pizza place was very cute. I would definitely say it is one of the better pizza places in DC, much better than Pizzeria Paradiso (in Dupont). I would rate it really high and pretty close to Lombardi's pizza in NYC - which is by far my favorite pizza place EVER.

WOWs:
- 2 Amy's special  pizza - tomato, sausage, fresh mozzarella, and some other stuff, which I cant remember, but it was amazingly delicious
- Salt cod croquettes - fried cod balls - Interesting, yet delicious
- Prosciutto and 2Amys homemade prosciutto
- Santa Brigida - Tomato, fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, and arugula - This looked like a huge salad on the pizza, but it was light, refreshing, and delicious - very healthy.
- Custom made pizza with fresh mozzarella, pepperoni, and peppers - the pepperonis were delicious- much better than pizza hut, domino's, or papa johns- LOL

BOOs:
I wish the location was closer to me! It is located in DC but right on the borderline of DC and MD. It's definitely work venturing out to eat delicious pizza!

Enjoy!

Dominican Republic

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

This place was "ok", not the greatest and not the most spectacular vacations spots. Definitely, brush up on your Spanish, before coming. They speak English, but you can barely understand them with the heavy accent.

Upon arriving at the airport, each person would have to pay $10 fee to enter the country. I mean do people have to pay $100 to enter the U.S.? I think not - so that was a BOO. The airport is very small and crowded- crowded as in full of DR people trying to make tips from getting your luggage. So, just watch for your belongings. If you look lost- be careful - because someone will most likely take advantage of you and your wallet.

We arranged for "VIP Travel Services" (booked through Orbitz) to shuttle us to/from the airport - umm, they got us to/from the airport safely, but they're just friendly with you so you would book your excursion trips with them. So watch out!

We stayed at Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe. This was a very impressive hotel: PB Dye designed golf course, mini golf for kids, about 4 swimming pools for kids with slides and wave pool, 4 adult pools with swim up bar, basketball, racquetball, and tennis courts, and a convention center. The hotel had a 24/7 train that takes you to different stops around the hotel. It was a cute ride to get around and about the hotel. I definitely wasn't a fan of the hotel restaurants, buffets, and drinks. The beach was nice. The water was clear green/blue and the sand was white; however, the water contained lots of broken up coral reefs and it wasn't soft white sand, it was very rocky.

WOWs:
-Pure White Hennessy!! - So delicious and so much smoother than Black Hennessy

BOOs:
-Everything else.

I wouldn't recommend this island to anyone going, unless they don't care about food and will eat just about anything. Pictures coming soon....

Enjoy!

Casa Tua

Casa Tua is located in Miami Beach. It is a great Italian restaurant. I would highly recommend this place to anyone that goes to Miami. Also, I would suggest getting outside seating on the patio. They have the cutest outside patio, very romantic too. The bar area is very small on the inside, but cozy. The dining atmosphere is spectacular- it is enjoyable, laid back, and amazingly great food.

WOWs:
-Ginger mojito drink
-Osso Bucco
-Filet with foie gras
-Wine pairing

BOOs:
-Absolutely none

Pictures coming soon....

Enjoy!

I'm in Miami B#!$@!

Miami, Florida - What a beautiful place!

This place has such a wonderful character to it. The beach here is amazing and the weather is fabulous! This is the perfect getaway from the winter weather in the North. You can spend about 3-4 days here and you'll get some sunshine and a nice bronze tan.

The people in Miami are so in shape! Walking on the beach, I noticed people are constantly active. It made my lazy self actually want do some activities. They were playing beach volleyball, running on the beach, bike riding, roller blading, and even the pups were having such a blast on the beach. Granted the water was a bit cold in winter months, but everyone still enjoyed the weather and stayed active.

To Do's:
-FountaineBleau
-FountaineBleau's pool
-South Beach Food & Wine Festival (typically in Feb)
-Mango's
-Wet Willie's

Restaurants:
-Casa Tua
-Bond Street
-Scarpetta
-Joe's Stone Crab

If you would like to see my reviews on restaurants, check out "The Pig" blog posts.

Enjoy!