Mexico: A Week in Review

Our trip to Mexico was exactly what we needed with not much more than some well-deserved R&R with my husband. So on that note I give it a 10 out of 10 :-)

You can see all of our photos on my flickr feed, but here are some highlights. (A full review is below.)

Our visit to Tulum, the Mayan Ruins:

The resort:

Our Suite:

Since I always rely on trip reviews, especially through tripadvisor, to plan the perfect getaway I will let you in on my more extensive review of our all-adult, all-inclusive resort: The Royal Playa del Carmen. If you use trip advisor, you can find my review here.

Otherwise here is is below for your reading pleasure: The Royal Playa del Carmen, "Beautiful grounds & suite, hit or miss food & drinks."

We just returned on June 5th from our 5-night/6 day stay at The Royal Playa del Carmen and were impressed overall. The staff is friendly, always smiling, and although service was often slow it was acceptable for a low-key, relaxing atmosphere.

Check-in however was disappointing and we had to wait two hours for our room, one hour after the first hour they said we would have to wait. Hanging out in a hot lobby and a hot restaurant after a long flight was not ideal.

Once we got into our suite we were happy. The suites are spacious, comfortable and very clean. The bed linens were soft and high thread count. I enjoyed reading in our balcony hammock and we really had no complaints about the room at all. The in room Jacuzzi tub was a nice touch, too.

The location, just steps from 5th Avenue was ideal if you ever plan to go off the resort, and it was just a 15-minute walk to the ferry to Cozumel which is convenient if you plan to visit the island. The pools were large, never overcrowded and the beach is equally gorgeous. You have to rise early to get your ideal pool or beach loungers and cabanas, but even later in the day we never had trouble finding a chair somewhere.

I think the drinks and food is where The Royal fell a bit short of my expectations. If this was a middle-of-the-road resort, I would have been impressed, but for place the touts their food as "gourmet” and ranked #3 in luxury, I think they are over-promising and under-delivering. So I'm going to be a little harsh, largely due to my high expectations.

DRINKS: It took me two days to really find a suitable drink at the pool. And I'm really not that picky. Often I settled for beer. Daiquiris are not fresh at all and are very syrupy. And although top shelf liquor is offered, the same types are not offered at each bar, each time. One day you might get what you ask for and the next day (or even hour) they might say they don't have it there. I asked for a coconut rum & pineapple juice at one bar and he told me that the coconut rum bottle was just full of water and not real rum, and that he didn't have any available. Ok. Vodka tonic it is then. Also, their wines by the glasses were not good at all. And they only offered one white and one red table wine; otherwise you had to upgrade to buy a bottle. For an all inclusive, they should include at least one or two acceptable red and white wines by the glass.

FOOD: Spice and Mediterraneo were just ok, but what do you expect from a buffet style service? Ceviche at Spice for lunch was nice.

Asiana & Maria Marie's (French Mexican fusion) were the shining stars of the resort. Both had great food, with a terrific presentation to match. At Asiana I recommend the Shrimp with Coconut Milk & Vinegar, but skip the sushi rolls. Sashimi was ok, but don't order anything with crab, it was dried out and looked to be imitation. At Maria Marie's the Caesar Salad is TO DIE FOR (and I'm not easily wowed by a salad), along with the crème brulee for dessert.

I also had a wonderful grouper at Pelicano's, where my husband also had a very good flank steak. Tapas & Pintxos had a small selection but was nice for lunch. The fish tacos were stellar and the sangria there was the best drink I had all trip (finally!).

The new Coffee Bar over near the newer, smaller pool was also very nice and a good place to get an iced latte in the morning. You also can dine at the sister resort across the street where we enjoyed Maria's (Mexican) and both ordered enchiladas mole, but did not like Il Pescatore (Italian) at all. Skip it. My other complaint is that every indoor restaurant, with the exception of Asiana, was still very hot inside. Even at night I was sweating at almost every meal, which certainly takes away from a fine dining experience.

Lastly, room service was good...when they got it right. Their coffee and cream was terrific, but we ordered room service breakfast 5 out of 6 mornings and it was only correct twice. They didn't mess it up enough for us to complain or wait 30 minutes for a fix, but a tiny bit annoying none-the-less.

Overall, if you aren't much of a food snob, and want a beautiful place to relax and unwind, I highly recommend this resort. It's clean, comfortable and overall classy. If you are a foodie, just mentally prepare yourself for good (but not great) food and ok drinks and you'll be just fine.

And about Playa del Carmen in general, I will still stand by my word that this area of Mexico has some of the most beautiful water and beaches in the entire Caribbean :-)

Revolution Brewing Co.

Yet another review of another great Chicago food and drink experience... I'm realizing we must really like beer. And eating :-)

We went to Revolution Brewing Co. in Logan Square last night and had a terrific experience, even with an hour + wait.

They were really thinking when they built the waiting/cocktail area. It sure beats getting bumped into for an hour while crowding around a bar and interrupting those eating there to get the bartenders attention.

On the contrary, we had an excellent cocktail waitress, who kept our beer glasses full and made the wait enjoyable. It also didn't hurt that the weather was finally nice, so they had the wall of windows open to the sidewalk which made it bright and breezy. I also loved the lighting fixtures and ceiling:

Revolution has a nice selection of their own brews, but I stuck to the Bottom Up Wit which I thoroughly enjoyed. Dave had the Cross of Gold & the Logan Pride and both were quite nice.

Now on to the food. As an appetizer we had the sweet potato cakes, which are served with a red pepper & curry yogurt. These were quite good. Very sweet, could have used a touch of salt, but very good none-the-less.

My favorite of the night though was the pizza special, a Spring Pea & Bacon Pizza served with a pea puree as the sauce, fontina cheese, halved grape tomatoes and an organic fried egg on top. TO. DIE. FOR.

If you like more meat on your pie though, try the Smoke House Pizza with pulled pork, bacon, and smoked tomato sauce.

This was our first visit, but it will not be our last. It's so nice to have a walkable option like this in the hood. I am also excited that they are now offering free brewery tours every Saturday at noon. Tours last about 45 minutes and include a free sample.

Check it out this summer :-)

Flirty Cupcakes on Wheels

Friday was such a nice day here in Chicago, which perfectly aligned with a rare day that I was able to leave the office for lunch. To make my day that much brighter I came across the most glorious sight on my walk, a cupcake truck!

Why didn't I think of this?

Good thing the people of Flirty Cupcakes *on wheels* did. As fate would have it, the day I got away from my desk was the day they parked their van just a few blocks from my building. It was so cute that it lured me right in and I just had to get a taste.

Sure, there are other bakeries scattered around town where you can go for a cupcake craving, but this is different...like the difference between seeing an ice cream truck and seeking out an ice cream parlor. Both are good, but there is just something so spontaneously special about encountering your treat on the street and getting it handed to you through a window.

Here is the Flirty Cupcake mobile:

Their flavors include:

Devil in Disguise

(Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting)

No Plain Jane

(Vanilla Cupcake with Italian Vanilla Buttercream Frosting)

PB&C

(Chocolate Cupcake with Peanut Butter Ganache)

The Curious George

(Banana Chocolate Cupcake with Salted Caramel Italian Buttercream Frosting)

The McDreamy

(Chocolate Cupcake with a Cream Cheese & Chocolate Filling)

CBFF

(Chocolate Cupcake with a Nutella Ganache)

Coconut...Nuts!

(Vanilla Coconut Cupcake with Toasted Coconut Frosting)

Each cupcake is $3.25 or they have the option of purchasing 4 "mini's" for $5.25 (only available in 4 flavors though). I ordered the "Coconut...Nuts!" and it was to die for. Moist and sweet, but not too sweet.

If you live in Chicago, be sure to check out Flirty Cupcakes on Facebook or Twitter to see if they are on their way to an intersection near you.

Two Brothers Brewing Co. - Ebel's Weiss Beer

I love trying local brews and I think I found a new favorite.

Two Brothers Brewing Co. Ebel's Weiss Beer

I guess I totally have a thing for Hefeweizen's considering the only other beer I have reviewed here is one with very similar characteristics as well.

According to the website, Ebel's Weiss beer is a very traditional German Hefeweizen that is naturally unfiltered. It has wonderful malt sweetness and a soft aroma of clove, vanilla, and banana. This deep golden colored weiss will make you think you are in Bavaria.

Two Brothers Brewing Co. is located 30 miles straight west of Chicago in Warrenville, IL and I was happy to discover that they have brewery tours EVERY Saturday at 1:00 & 2:30 and now Sundays at 1:00, too.

Now I know how we'll be spending a Saturday afternoon in the near future!

Haagen-Dazs: The Honey Bee's Knees

I picked up a scrumptious pint of ice cream tonight at Whole Foods...

Haagen-Dazs Vanilla Honey Bee

I can see what the buzz is all about. It's delicious. I love simple ice cream flavors. My favorite flavors are most anything with a vanilla base and just a few slightly sweet or salty additions such as caramel, nuts, etc. So the touch of honey added to this creamy vanilla goodness is such a fun surprise and makes my choice seem a little less...well, vanilla!

To top it off, there is even a worthwhile cause behind each spoonful.

Honey bee colonies are disappearing at a steady rate, and since we rely on bee pollination for one-third of our food supply, this is a bit of a crisis. Check out helpthehoneybees.com to find out how each bee built flavor helps Haagen-Dazs fund research to save the bees.

I can't think of a more delicious way to do my part!

Italian Roast Coffee & Creamer Rave

I am currently obsessed with an Italian roast coffee and creamer right now. It is so flavorful that I have virtually kick my Starbucks latte habit, saving me calories and cash.

First, brew a pot of Starbucks Italian Roast. I always purchase at my local grocery store or Target because it is up to $3 cheaper there, as opposed to buying it from a Starbucks retail location.

This is an extra bold coffee but even though it's dark, it is sweet and smoky, never bitter. If I drank any coffee black, it might be this blend, but I'm not quite that much of a coffee connoisseur yet. Thus, I add a touch of Coffee-Mate Italian Sweet Cream and I'm in heaven.

Use this liquid creamer, and you won't even need to add sugar to your coffee (if you usually take it that way). And at only 35 calories in a tablespoon, it's a delicious treat that's cheaper and less caloric than a chock-full-of-sugar flavored latte.

I have been buying this creamer in quart size and keeping this Italian roast stocked at home. Then I bring it to work each morning, skipping my Starbucks stop altogether. With these new finds, and of course the addition of our new home espresso machine, I think our Starbucks days will be numbered.

Try it! I think you'll like it :-)

Holy Mole, Rick Bayless!

I know I promised a review of my dinner at Topolobampo and luckily it was all it was cracked up to be!

Dave took me here a week or so ago for my birthday dinner, after making reservations months in advance, and we were not disappointed. The drink menu is to-die-for and I had a very unique Autumn Margarita which included ingredients such as cinnamon giving it a warmer feeling than it's limey, summery sister cocktail.

For dinner, I opted for the whole mole tasting menu (it was my birthday after all) and it was amazing! It included five mole dishes...

Tamal estilo Misantla, Mole Verde Oaxaqueno (Creamy polenta-style corn masa tamal with herby Oaxacan green mole):

Conejo Almendrado (Roasted rack of Gunthorp rabbit and almond milk-braised leg in Oaxacan estofado almendrado -- my FIRST rabbit experience):

Pescado en Mole Amarillo (Brown butter-poached Lake Superior walleye in Oaxacan yellow mole infused with hoja santa):

Puerco en Clemole (Roasted "Pata Negra" pork in old-fashioned clemole castellano -- dark dried chiles, pecans, pinenuts, hazelnuts, avocado leaf):

AND lastly,
An AMAZING Chocolate Mole with chocolate cake balls, coconut ice cream, etc. (sorry no pics)

My husband is a bit of a pickier eater so he decided against having one of the chef's whole tasting menus and got just the Sopa Azteca to start (best soup we have ever tasted) and the Puerco en Clemole (pork mole) entree instead, which was my favorite of all the moles. I will say though that Dave's full dish of the pork mole was cooked superbly yet, my smaller portion was overdone... their one and only strike against them of the night. The rest of that mole dish though, including the pumpkin bread pudding, was so amazing that the pork was more of a sideshow anyway.

The complexity of flavors in both the soup and each of the moles was indescribable. I have never had such layered and sophisticated flavors in a Mexican meal in my life, and probably never will again since I'm unsure of the next we'll splurge to go back. I will however, try the more affordable and casual Frontera Grill in the future. They share a kitchen and a drink menu.

Overall, I'd highly recommend a visit to Topolobampo next time your are looking for a special night out in the city of Chicago! My compliments to the chef, Rick Bayless!

Suzi Skis in Pyrenees

It's rare that I will recommend a nail polish, because quite frankly I generally neglect my poor nails. They are not very strong and don't grow very long, so manicures often fall low on the priority list for me. When I do get a manicure however, I rarely fall in love with a color as much as I have with my current selection.

I'm now a BIG fan of OPI Suzi Skis in Pyrenees from their Espana collection.

I seriously still cannot decide what color it is, but that's what intrigues me. OPI calls it a "deep, smokey, blue-grey". In some light I think it's a dark charcoal and sometimes I get a hint of dark blue as well. What I love is that it's very close to being black, without being so severe looking on my pale hands.

Two (darkly painted) thumbs up!

Tall Boots for Big Gams

Call them "Athletic", "Wide" or just plain "Large" but my calves do not fit in to just any pair of mid-calf or knee-high boots. You might remember my trials and tribulations just trying to find rain boots last year and I finally just gave up on new boots all together last season.

This was so especially upsetting because once you realize you have big calves and subject yourself to a limited search for "Wide Shaft" or "Wide Calf" boots you get stuck with just a few options of unstylish, frumpy looking boots that are as wide at the ankle as they are at the top.

HELLO! I didn't say I had cankles, too! Just what I would like to consider well developed calves from years of playing soccer and volleyball. Thank you very much. And even if I do have "larger than average" gams, they deserve to look stylish and trendy too.

Well, after a little more education and actually measuring my calf circumference, I set out again this season on the search for tall boots that fit my legs AND maybe would even allow me to tuck in some jeans for the first time ever.

The good news is that I have had success now that Zappos.com, endless.com and a few other online retailers have caught on to my dilemma and began adding shaft circumference to their product details! Zappos' search function is much more robust in this area, so I had luck finding many great options simply by typing in "16.50" circumference", etc.

So now I search for boots that have at least a 15.50" circumference and above. Through trial and error I found that going 1"-1.5" larger than that allows some additional room for knee socks or a pant leg and 15.50" exactly will leave room only for my calf and a pair of tights to wear with skirts & dresses.

So my first stylish pair to reveal are the Jessica Simpson Grella boots in Mud Brown:

The shaft facts: 15.50" circumference. 15.50" shaft height.

Jessica must be getting sensitive to fellow ladies with curves ;-) Being that these are a pull on style, with no zipper or elastic venting at the top, this will be one of those "fits like a glove" pairs that I will wear with skirt & dresses, and probably tights. The leather is soft and the color is rich, giving much more variance and dimension than this photo shows. I am excited to wear these soon! Also, my co-worker told me that she has a cobbler that actually adds in an elastic vent to some of her boots, who knew you could do that?! So if I really wanted to try it, I could see what a shoe guy could make happen, but I think I'm happy with the way they are now. Why mess with close to perfection?

Next, is a surprising find, Naturalizer Brommsly Wide Shaft boots in Black Leather:

The shaft facts: 17.00" circumference. 15.50" shaft height.

WOW! This pair of boots is perfect. Comfort. Style. AND I wore them already and was able to fit my calf, my knee sock and my skinny jeans into them without looking like a stuffed sausage! SUCCESS! Plus, they are skinny at the ankle, so they look tailored as opposed to frumpy. The ankle detailing is also very cute. I wore these puppies from 7:30am on Friday until 11pm that night, and can say with certainty that the Naturalizer comfort factor is still upheld in these boots. They actually inspired me to write my first ever Zappos review!

Lastly, with my new found knowledge of circumference and recent boot luck, I'm debating giving Hunter Wellies one last try.

You see, before I was only ordering the women's wellies style which only have a 15.00" circumference:

But now I realize that the Men's version is actually unisex and has a 17.00" circumference, which could be perfect!:

Look just about the same, right? Of course, the unisex ones have much fewer color choices but I do think that classic green is still a nice option. I think I will order them and see what happens!

Our New Camera

It's been a month since my big Kentucky Derby win and I decided to put my winnings to good use by finally ordering our new DSLR camera online!

I settled on a Pentax K200D SLR Digital Camera with 18-55mm Lens and purchased it online from B&H Photo with no tax and free shipping!

I did a lot of comparison shopping and comparative research, and ultimately settled on the Pentax because:

a). I've owned a Pentax point-and-shoot in the past and it lasted me 6 years with amazing quality photos, I have yet to find a comparable replacement.

b). It's equipped with Pentax's Shake Reduction mechanism, which reduces camera shake for sharp, blur-free images.

c). It's body is sturdier than most I compared it to, with dust-proof, water-resistant construction.

d). This Pentax will accept ANY Pentax lens ever made, even from decades past. No, I don't own old Pentax lenses right now, but I like that I have the option to find many interchangeable and affordable lenses in the future, new or used, that will extend the life of my camera body, hence making it less likely to become obsolete to me.

The best news is that it is supposed to me delivered TOMORROW. I can't wait to open it up and try it out this weekend. I know I have a lot to learn but it will be a fun process.

I'll be sure to start posting many more photos very soon!

I Heart Pepsi Natural

I'm not a huge soft drink person, so when I do have a craving it's only for a fountain coca-cola or vanilla coke. And since vanilla coke is hard to come by, vanilla vodka works just fine as a flavoring agent ;-)

Since I am not a huge soda drinker, and I hate the taste of artificial sweetener, I never felt compelled to switch to diet soda. I honestly would rather go without than drink diet, and even diet is filled with all sorts of chemicals that scare me. Kinda of like zero calorie spray butter, what is giving all of that liquid it's flavor and substance??

I do however have to rave about the new soft drink I picked up at the grocery store this weekend, a four pack of Pepsi Natural. I don't even like Pepsi very much, or bottled/canned soda in general, but this stuff ROCKS!

Now I know this is by no means diet, or even organic, but it is free of artificially derived flavors and contains no high fructose corn syrup, so it's just all natural sugar...yum! I give it two thumbs up!

Dear Microplane...

Dear Microplane,

Where have you been all of my life? In particularly, where were you just last weekend when I was grating two blocks of cheese for our Valentine's fondue with another grater, which resulted in sore biceps for days? I don't know why it took me so long to bring you into our home, but I'm so glad we have finally adopted you (gotta love registry completion discounts). You just shaved minutes off of my shredding, zesting and grating needs forever, though I may have you to blame for my flabby arms now. Oh, and by the way you are also responsible for the most incredible microwave white cheddar nachos I have ever had, the perfect 60-second snack (grating & cook time included!).

Sincerely,

Steph

P.S. I think you are worth every penny!

Not a Hunter, but maybe a Huntress?

So, I posted last month about the wonderful Hunter Wellies I bought off of Zappos. They were pretty. And purple. And did not fit my calves :-(

I did fit into them (a minor accomplishment), but they came up so high (almost to the knee) that my calf could not even wiggle in it, none-the-less have any hope of fitting a pant leg in the shaft as well. So I sat on them (not literally). And sat on them. And just decided to print my Zappos return label tonight to return them.

BUT I may be in luck. No, they do not come in pretty purple, BUT Hunter has considered us bigger calved ladies and made a slightly shorter and wider style, called Hunter Huntress. Now these only come in black, green and navy, but since green is the original Hunter boot (and my fave color) I went ahead and ordered them tonight to give them a try instead.

I'll be happy to report how they fit as soon as I get them. What do you think?

Kitschy Kool: Volume 6: Milwaukee...not just cold, but kool!

This past Saturday as part of my birthday present, Dave took me to Milwaukee. True, it's no Vegas as we originally had hoped, but the real point was just to get away for a night, so we did and it was great.

First, we drove up and stopped at Kopp's Frozen Custard for some of their legendary jumbo burgers and frozen custard (yes, I eat frozen custard and really all ice cream no matter how cold it is outside!)

After that, we made our way to the Eisner Museum of Advertising and Design . This place was a little gem! At least to me since I'm an advertising dork.

There were 3 exhibits there, one featuring the brand, Fossil's "Vintageology":

Another exhibit showed the course of Coca-Cola advertising over the years (sorry no photos) and the last exhibit showed the work of Cramer-Krasselt ad agency. Funny that I went to a museum to see CK when I walk buy their building everyday at work, but it was still a nice display:

And then Dave posed with Mr. Clean, and gave him a run for his money:

Then we checked into one of the most kitschy kool hotels I have ever seen: The Iron Horse Hotel . We booked it through my favorite hotel website, Tablet Hotels, where you can find unique, boutique hotels around the world... even in Milwaukee ;-)

When we first checked into the Iron Horse Hotel, we found a brick and timber loft that I can best describe as a mix of biker-chic/shabby-chic, think Harley Davidson meets Anthropologie catalog.

Our Room:

Our bathroom, complete with "rain" shower and see-thru frosted shower.

Let's just say that you might not want to share a room with just anyone with this semi-private shower/bedroom view ;-)

The bed was also great:

And the accent wall was papered with vintage images of Milwaukee women, the same women that adorned the room keys...so cool:

And the hallways had funky zebra carpet:

And they had a library where they served brunch:

And the lobby was just my style, full on trinkets!:

After exploring the awesome hotel, Dave's brother and our sister-in-law met us for drinks at Water Buffalo and then dinner at Swig, both in the 3rd Ward district downtown, just a 1/2 mile from the hotel.

Scott & Beth

Me & Dave

After a lot of good food, even more good drinks, and a good night's sleep, we checked out and made one last stop at Mars Cheese Castle.

We couldn't leave The Dairyland without picking up some delicious cheese curds!

All in all my birthday rendezvous in Milwaukee was everything I hoped for and more. The downtown area and hotel was full of charm and kitsch, and just what the doctor ordered.