Cape May Recap

It's been a while since something new has gone on around here. After a couple months of going to school in Pittsburgh, eating out there didn't feel like travel-eating. But summer = travel, so I am happy to be able to blog again!

My family and I have been going to Cape May, NJ for as long as I can remember. This, however, was the first year that I experienced Cape May as a vegan. I was a little worried at first. We eat out a lot at the beach, and I was afraid that being vegan would limit that. But, I found that with a little research and a lot of questions, I was just fine (which I think is probably the case wherever you go with dietary restrictions). So, here's a few highlights of what I ate.

This Israeli couscous salad from The Merion Inn was fantastic. It was bursting with fresh tomatoes, tender asparagus, plump mushrooms, roasted red peppers and pine nuts, all tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The dish was so simple, yet so delicious! (And, I think, easy to make at home.) I've just recently discovered how awesome Israeli couscous is, so I cannot wait to make a copycat version of this.

Another success was this fried plantain dish. It was fried plantains topped with a rice and bean salad and a special Costa Rican hot sauce. I would probably eat fried plantains topped with anything (well...almost anything), but the tropical sweet and spicy flavors going on here were great. The plantains and the dish below were both from a restaurant called Bella Vida. We'd never been before, but we thought we'd give it a try, and were very pleased!

This was fried plantains over rice with a pineapple-mango salsa and toasted coconut in a rum glaze. Oh, boy was this good. It was so bright and summery and very light. I felt like I was vacationing in the Caribbean! The portion was huge,  but I ate about half and didn't leave feeling overly stuffed or grossly full. Always a plus! 

The most surprising thing I ate was definitely the carrot "dog" at Hot Dog Tommy's. It's basically a grilled carrot topped with whatever you want. I had mine with banana peppers and onions. 

It was so fun and such a good idea! I mean, I had never thought of grilling a big carrot before, but I sure will now! I loved that it gave you a hot-dog feeling without being full of weird fake meat. Which leads me to a certain breakfast sandwich I ate....

This was a vegan BLT, with fake bacon and vegan cream cheese. Don't get me wrong, it definitely tasted great. The fake bacon had a wonderfully mapley flavor, and I was impressed with how bacony it tasted. But, the more I thought about it, the more I was weirded out by the fakeness. I generally avoid meat substitutes because I don't get why you want a bunch of fake stuff in your system. But, I caved with this one and tried it. And while I'm not sorry that I did, I don't think I would get it again.

The thing I like about vegan food (well, one of many things) is that it doesn't generally leave you feeling heavy or bloated or gross. When you're eating whole fruits and veggies and real food, you're definitely less likely to have unpleasant side-effects. But, after eating this sandwich, I felt kinda heavy. I think fake foods may be okay in moderation, but between the fake bacon and the cream cheese and then the big bagel (not fake, but still...), it may have been too much. But alas, we live and learn. 

The most artistic meal I ate had to be the gnocchi in a walnut-arugula sauce. 

Most of us are probably familiar with gnocchi made from potatoes. But these little beauties were made from couscous. We found them at a restaurant called Good Earth Organic Eatery. The owner was the sweetest Italian man and everything we ate was so carefully and beautifully done. It was like eating a piece of art. 

These gnocchi were plump, soaking up the creamy sauce (made creamy from the walnuts, I believe) with ease. It was absolutely wonderful and innovative (in terms of using couscous). I so want to try something like this at home, too! But I think this may take a bit of skill and practice. 

There was also a tex-mex place called Gecko's that made veganism a seaside breeze. We ended up eating there the first and last nights of our trip, which was fine by me! 

I had a burrito both times, but the second one didn't photograph as well, so I shall show you the first. 

This was a rice and bean burrito that was probably the most refreshing burrito I've ever had. The addition of rosemary was so unusual and nice. It added a sort of warmth to the other wise cool-tasting rice and beans. And now that I like guacamole, I enjoyed every bite of the dollop atop my tortilla. As a side note, our waitress on the first night also happened to be vegan! I felt like it was a sure sign that my trip was going to be a good one. 

So, there's a quick recap of my visit to Cape May. As my first real vacation since becoming vegan, I'd say it was a huge success! That's not to say there weren't a few bumps along the way (like discovering the only thing I could eat at one of our favorite breakfast places was a side order of tater tots) but it's those little bumps that make the smooth sailing that much more enjoyable....and delicious. 

Til next time, friends. 

The One. The Only. Waffallonia.

If you've been wondering where I've been for the past couple months, it is now safe to tell you. I've been dealing with this condition. It's called Waffleaddictionitis. It's a very serious condition, you see. It completely paralyzes one's mind, forcing the afflicted person to focus solely on the consumption of extremely delicious waffles smothered in extremely delicious toppings. I am now on the mend from said condition, and am fully capable of thinking about other things.

Okay. Maybe this condition is something I've conjured up in my head. (College does strange things to you.) But it seemed very real at the time!

In all seriousness, I would be a complete failure of a foodie if I didn't tell you about one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh. Just the smell of it makes me drool.

It's called Waffallonia, and it specializes in something called "Liege sugar waffles." This is probably french for the most outrageously wonderful waffles ever created. But I digress...

My friends and I happened upon this waffle heaven a couple months ago, at the suggestion of one of our floor-mates. Since we were in search of good waffles, and we were told this place served good waffles, it was clear that we had to make a visit. And how glad I am that we did.

The outside was much less grand than I had expected. Actually, the whole place is a lot smaller than I would have thought. But fear not. It may be small in size, but it is mighty in flavor.

We entered, greeted by the inviting smell of warm sugar. I mean, really, you know a place is gonna be good if it makes your mouth water the second you walk in.

Before the entering the waffle iron...

...and after! These babies are ready for some fixins!

They have a few pre-selected toppings you can choose from, like strawberries and whipped cream or bananas and Nutella. But, honestly. If you're going to get a waffle here, you gotta go all out and make it your own.

I came to this realization only after trying a waffle with ice cream, biscoff spread and bananas. The ice cream completely made it. I never went back after that.

Right now, my favorite combination is a waffle with bananas, biscoff spread, and strawberry ice cream. The biscoff gets all melty-gooey and delicious over the waffle. The ice cream provides a cool, refreshing balance, and the bananas...well, I just like bananas. They also have this cool banana slicer that makes perfect banana slices every time. It's waffle-magic.

These waffles are truly perfection. There's no other way to say it. If you're in Pittsburgh, you have to stop by. Just take me with you! One bite and I think you may find yourself with Waffleaddictionitis as well.

Till next time, eat well, my friends.

The Strip District

This past weekend, my floor planned a trip to the highly talked about Strip District. Although the description I was given beforehand was kind of vague, ("It's kind of a bazaar slash farmer's market...with vendors kind of like the ones on the streets of New York City") I was so excited. I had no idea what exactly I was going to find (and now that I've been there I can say that it is rather difficult to describe), but I already knew I was going to eat my way through the whole day. (I mean, why else would I be going?)

After some bus troubles (as in, just the usual confusion surrounding riding the bus in Pittsburgh), we arrived, ready to experience whatever exactly there was to experience.

One of the very first things that caught my eye when we arrived was a beautiful table of baked goods!!

Honestly, could there have been a more wonderful way to start our day than with the sugary confections before us? 

It was all sooo tempting, and sooo pretty. I wanted it all. But somehow I managed to restrain myself and made some very difficult decisions. 

The first item I had to try was the sticky bun. 

Can we just oogle at its perfection for a moment? The dough of this sticky bun was the most delectable, tender (yet just a little chewy), sweet and delicious dough I have ever had the privilege to taste. My friend and I split one, in awe of the magnificent sweet, sticky-ness of the entire thing. The nuts on top added the perfect little crunch, too. I could seriously eat one right now. It was so good I had to buy one to take back to my dorm. Trust me. It will make you....speechless.

I am still really hung up over those sticky buns, but that was only the first snack of the day! 

I would definitely be doing you a disservice if I stopped here. So, onto the next treat: Sfogliatelle. 

I've had Sfogliatelle only once before, at a little Italian place called Daniela's near my school. (See a previous post for more about those...) So when I saw these little guys, I could hear them calling out my name!! I bought two (can you ever have too many pastries?) and was quite content.

While I think the dough of Daniela's Sfogliatelle is a little more tender and flaky, these were still very good. I so appreciated the opportunity to have a little taste of home while walking through Pittsburgh. 

Just a little ways down the street, we spotted a rather demanding sign outside of a biscotti shop. 

How could we resist?

We entered the tiny shop to find it bustling and full of people. A little equation I find to be true goes as follows: Lots of people + tempting food = a good choice. I was ready to be amazed. 

Stacks and stacks of biscotti were piled before our eyes. It was quite an experience! 

In the end, we decided upon a black forest biscotti. It was okay. I found the consistency to be a little too chalky and not crisp and crumbly as I would have expected. Granted, the place was very busy, so I suppose some people really like chalky biscotti. But the day was still young, and I wasn't going to force anything that was just...mediocre.

It's a very good thing that I did that, too, because just down the street we stumbled upon a Polish deli!!!

I don't think you understand how excited I was. I have literally been looking for authentic Polish food since I've gotten here, and have not had good results. When I spotted this deli, it was like the heavens opened and little Polish muses were singing "Halleluiah!" in the sky.

Okay. Maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was exciting! I had to go inside. 

Welcome! (And welcomed I was...)

The interior was nothing special. The front was the deli area and the back was the packaged foods section. (With real authentic pierogies...not those "authentic" ones from the Italian company that I saw in Whole Foods the other day...) But it didn't need to be fancy. It was Polish and that was good enough for me. 

My friends and I ended up sharing potato and cheese pierogies, topped with butter and fried onions, of course. (No caramelized onions here, but I wasn't complaining.) 

You've heard me say this before, and you'll hear me say it again, but no pierogie is as good as Nina's. That said, these were much better than any other pierogie I've had in Pittsburgh thus far. The only thing that made them kind of weird for me was that the dough was almost mushy. If you poked it with your fork there was absolutely no resistance and the filling kind of spilled out as you ate it. But it was so glorious to eat a palatable pierogie! The day could not taste any better. Or could it?

Just when I thought I had seen all there was, we passed a vegetable area where people were selling veggies and other homemade products.

The bread immediately caught my friend's eye, and we made our way over there.

Can you even believe that this stuff is real? It just looks too good to be true! The woman behind the counter gladly told us about the differences between the breads. But why pick one? I would have taken them all! But alas, carrying six loaves of bread back to my dorm probably wouldn't have been the best idea... My sensible friend bought one. We were pleased. 

As we wound our way down the other side of the street, we came to a quaint little chocolate shop. 

I don't know how you could pass up a store full of chocolate. We certainly couldn't, and so we made our way inside as quickly as we could. 

The smell of the store hit me in the face as soon as I stepped through the front door. I only remember this because it was not the smell I was expecting. There was something strangely floral and musty about it- not exactly what I thought I'd be smelling in a room holding more chocolate than most. But I quickly put the unusual smell behind me and made a bee-line to the candies. 

There were so many to choose from. Again, I had the urge to stuff myself with one of each. But common sense prevailed (unfortunately) and I settled on one particularly tasty-looking chocolate covered S'more.

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised by this choice. I do love a good S'more. It's graham cracker, marshmallow, and chocolate...how could you not be in love? And just look at how awesomely layered it was...

I was so happy. My day really could have been complete. But why stop when you're ahead? To use one of my favorite expressions, why not just throw yourself all the way down the stairs? It was lunch time, after all. So that's exactly what I did. 

As our final hurrah in the Strip District, my friends and I found a busy pizza place (still working with the busy = good theory) and sat down. 

There was so much to choose from. As we'd been grazing all day, you'd think we would have been tired of making choices regarding what we were going to eat...but can you ever really get tired of that? Probably not. I will let you know if that ever happens. 

As per our waitresses recommendation, we ordered a side of cheesy bread and pizza. (Yes, I realize that cheesy bread and pizza are essentially the same thing. But...but... it sounded sooo good!) 

The cheesy bread was divine. 

The bread itself was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, where it was positively blanketed with gooey, melty cheese. We devoured it in no time.

Next came the pizza, which was also very yummy. But I think the cheesy bread may have been my favorite of the two. Our pizza was a pesto pizza that was perfectly cheesy and greasy and delicious. We were so pleased with our choice. And so full.

I don't think I've eaten so many delicious foods in one day in a very long time (if ever). It was an edible extravaganza with one yummy item after another catching my eye and insisting that I eat it! And I just can't say no to good food. It's a heavy burden...but someone has to carry it. 

Pamela's (again!) and Abay

I feel like I've been a complete disappointment in the blog department, lately. I apologize for my lack of blogging from the very bottom of my heart. I haven't neglected all of you intentionally, it just takes a lot of time to write a good post and time is something I've been rather short of, so blogging hasn't been first on my to-do list. But alas, I have finally carved out a few moments to catch you guys up on my recent adventures in Pittsburgh. (And with the bus system here, they're definitely adventures.)

A few weekends ago, we made the treck back to Pamela's. (It's amazing how much walking we do here!) It was busy as usual, but our party of six was seated in no time.

Although the hotcakes are a favorite of mine, it was time for a change.

As the portions are so big, my friend and I decided to split the California French toast, topped with bananas, and a side of the potatoes.

The bananas were MIA, so we had to ask for them again

The french toast great! Can we just assume at this point that Pamela's does everything really well? I mean, French toast is really simple, yet theirs was so yummy. I definitely couldn't have eaten a whole order, either, so it was a good thing that Su and I split it.

Everyone left very happy and very full.

That evening, Su and I went out to dinner. We'd been planning to go to a place called Six Penn, but when our friend Jack recommended this little Ethiopian restaurant he'd just tried, called Abay (pronounced uh-by) we couldn't resist.

We took the bus down to the restaurant, eager to see what it would be like. Neither of us had ever tried Ethiopian cuisine and we weren't really sure what to expect.

The inside of the restaurant was decorated in warm, earthy colors. African paintings hung on the walls in wooden-twig-like frames. Hip-hop music played in the background (an unexpected choice for an Ethiopian restaurant) and from the kitchen, you could hear the faint sound of rap music. (Thanks to Su for remembering all of finer details!) 

A row of tiny chairs and tables caught my eye from across the room. You can see one in the picture above. They were adorable, but also somewhat confusing. For what purpose could you possibly use them? Turns out they're backless, handmade stools and mesobs- traditional basket-like tables. I would imagine that people can sit and eat there, but no one was taking advantage of that opportunity while we were there. Next time, though, I might like to give it a try. Nothing like being authentic, right? 

We were seated at a large wooden table and greeted by a friendly waitress who gladly took us through the menu, explaining about Ethiopian food as she went along. 

Apparently Ethiopian food is traditionally eaten off of bread called injera. The injera at Abay is made in Washington, D.C. (shout out to Maryland!!) and brought up daily. Seems like quite a process. But, hey, if that's what it takes to get some good injera, I'm definitely not complaining. 

Since neither of us had any clue as to what to choose, the combination platter seemed like the best bet. We chose four dishes that came served atop a huge pan of injera. 

It was bigger than my head!

The foods beginning at the top and moving clockwise were kale, collard greens, finely ground chickpeas, split peas, and lentils, and chicken breast in a stew sauce. 

Our waitress offered us utensils and plates, of which we only took the latter. I was getting the feeling that eating with your hands was going to be half of the fun... and it was. 

The process went something like this. You would rip off a piece of injera (initially from the rolled up one on the side, and then from the flat one after you'd used up the first) fold the injera around one of the  foods, pop it in your mouth and then voila! 

There's something very nostalgic about eating with your hands, especially when you're with friends. It brings you closer to the food, to each other, and makes the meal that much more delicious. I think the whole process also forces you to enjoy each bite of food even more. You're putting in so much effort, you really just have to stop and realize how wonderful everything tastes. 

For dessert, we went for the seasonal special, a Pumpkin Sambussa with Caramel Apple ice cream. Both Su and I agreed that the ice cream may have overshadowed the sambussa  a little bit, but it was all delicious! 

Sambussa are little pockets of phyllo dough with some sort of filling. In keeping with the season, ours was pumpkin, and it was actually very good! It almost tasted like a pumpkin pie remix. The dough functioned as a sort of crust, and the filling was faintly reminiscent of pie filling. 

The one problem I had was cutting into the Sambussa with my spoon. The dough was flaky, but just slightly too tough to cut through with the dull edge of a spoon. Nevertheless, we prevailed. I might recommend eating it with your fingers, though. It would just be more convenient. 

As a side note, if you're feeling adventurous, you can do what my friend Jack did when he visited. After his meal, he pulled out a plantain and asked the waiter if the chef could do something with it. Accepting the challenge, the chef produced an apparently very delicious fried plantain dish with ice cream. So, if you're feeling up to it, you might want to BYOP (bring your own plantain) and see what happens. 

At the end of the evening, we left Abay content, but not uncomfortably full, either. Su and I had a blast trying all of the new Ethiopian dishes. It was a little culinary adventure, and a welcome escape from the stress of college life. 

A Weekend in Williamsburg

This weekend, I've come to a realization. I travel to eat. I know, it may come as a surprise to most of you that it took me this long to have this epiphany, but alas, it has. It doesn't seem to matter where I'm going. The first thing I investigate is the kind of foods I'll be able to eat there. While this may not be the best reason for travel, it is certainly my favorite.

For the past few days, I've eaten my way through Williamsburg, Virginia. My family has always enjoyed visiting Williamsburg, as anyone with even a remote interest in history would. Traveling to Colonial Williamsburg is like stepping back in time...to the late 1700s to be exact.

If you're considering a trip here, which I think you should, you may want to ask yourself these questions. 1. Do you like US history? 1.a. Are you interested in learning more about US history? 2. Do you enjoy playing dress-up? 2.a. Do you enjoy seeing other people playing dress up? 3. Do you enjoy touring refurbished houses? 4. Do you like to eat? 4.a. Do you like to eat by candlelight?

If you've answered yes to any or all of these questions, then Williamsburg is certainly the place for you.

When I arrived on Saturday, the first thing my Mom and I did, after leaving my things at the hotel of course, was to have lunch.

We made our way to the King's Arms tavern. One of the great things about Williamsburg is that they have a number of Colonial taverns in which you can dine. Upon entering these taverns, you will be greeted by people in period costume, treating you as if you have just entered their tavern in the 1700s. It's great. Really.

The King's Arms Tavern

Mom and I were quickly seated, soaking in the beauty of the recreated space. They do an excellent job of immersing you in the Colonial era. But honestly, the two of us were so happy to see each other that we could have eaten outside on the ground and been quite content.

Our Colonial-dressed waitress arrived to take our order, happily welcoming us to the tavern.

I chose the macaroni of the day. (Don't be misled, however... It is not macaroni and cheese, but a pasta of the day. Not pasta salad, but pasta. Really, calling it the noodle dish of the day may have been more clear.... but now you know.)

Anyway, we ordered and settled in to wait for our meals.

In the mean time, we had bread!

Let me just say, I could eat bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and be a very happy girl. At Williamsburg, I often find myself thinking that I could make a meal off of just bread and dessert.

These rolls were hot and crunchy on the outside, and warm and soft on the inside. We devoured them, topped, of course, with the lightest whipped butter you've ever tasted. It was so wonderful.

My meal was slightly less than what I had expected.

Don't get me wrong, it was very good. The ravioli were filled with mushrooms and topped with tomatoes, broccoli, and more mushrooms. I do enjoy mushrooms (I think you have to like them to make it through Poland), and the noodles themselves were fine, but I think it would have been much better if the sauce had completely covered the noodles. 

The sauce itself was a cream sauce (admittedly one of my favorite kinds), but I really wanted it to be hotter. The temperature of the dish was definitely off, not so much that I didn't enjoy it, but enough that I noticed it and knew how I would have changed it. 

Regardless, I was hungry, and the flavor of the dish itself was good, so I finished the whole plate in no time. 

Dessert was the best part of the meal, hands down. Apparently some of my family had gone to the King's Arms for dinner the night before and ordered the Bread Pudding. They had raved about it, so Mom and I knew that we had to order one...for each of us.

I think I melted a little when it arrived. 

Ohmygosh this was GOOD! The bread part of the bread pudding was spongey, piping hot, and delicious. It had the perfect amount of nutmeg and sweetness. Oh, it was just awesome. That part probably could have stood alone as a fantastic dessert, but they didn't stop there. The sauce on top was a rum-cream sauce. Oh, man was this a knock-out. Words cannot appropriately describe the magnificence of this dessert. I wanted to shove my face into it and lick out the bottom of the bowl.

I am drooling thinking of it. It was that fantastic. Seriously, you cannot come here and not try it. It's a must. Even if you think you're too full to take another bite. DO IT. You will not be sorry. :)

So, after completely stuffing ourselves with bread pudding, we were ready to go.

Mom and I met up with everyone else and walked around Gloucester street. We popped into shops, took a few tours, and generally enjoyed our time together before our dinner reservation at my Mom's favorite: Christiana Campbell's.

This tavern has legendary status in our family as the place with the good muffins.... sweet potato muffins to be exact. Ever since we started planning our trip to Williamsburg, my Mom has been talking about the muffins at Christiana Campbell's. Since it's been at least 10 years since our last visit, I had long since forgotten about how good the muffins were, and was greatly looking forward to being able to experience them.

Thankfully, our waitress, Candy, brought them right out.

For some reason, the kind people at Christiana Campbell's feel the need to bring dinner rolls as well. Should you have the good fortune to dine here, ignore the dinner rolls. They are a mere distraction. Do not be tempted. Do not pass go. Reach straight for the sweet potato muffins. 

These are some of the most wonderful muffins ever. They're sweet and spicy, with just the right amount of nuts on the inside and sugar on the top. As soon as you bite into the dense deliciousness that is the sweet-potato muffin, you will wish you could eat them for your meal. The insanely light whipped butter may have something to do with it, but only the slightest bit. You could eat these muffins morning or night, with or without butter, and be perfectly happy.

With dinner, they served cole slaw.

I am not a cole slaw person. I try to be, but I'm not. Those at the table who do like cole slaw, however, said it was very good. But, onto more important things.

Since neither Mom nor I were very hungry (remember the big lunch we just ate?) we decided to split an appetizer and entree.

The appetizer we chose was a Mushroom Fricassy. (I realize that doesn't seem to be spelled right, but I know they spelled it with a 'y'.)

Anyway, it claimed to be some kind of mushroom and puff pastry dish, which sounded good to us! I just realized that it was a very mushroomy day. But like I said, I'm a mushroom person!

When the dish arrived, it looked a little questionable.

It's not a pretty dish, but it doesn't need to be pretty. It was pretty darn delicious.

The mushrooms were cooked in a creamy, buttery, wine sauce and then generously ladled over a puff pastry shell. It was the best of all worlds. Mom and I agreed that we could have made a meal off of that alone.

But, alas, we had ordered the fish of the day as well.

How is one person supposed to eat all of that?

The catch of the day turned out to be mahi mahi and a crab cake. These were served with grilled veggies and a mysterious mustard sauce that neither of us needed, but both of us tried. It was good. Coming from Maryland, we tend to have high expectations for crab cakes, and this one was not disappointing. It was definitely different from what we're used to, but it was still tasty. It was pan-seared instead of broiled, but I actually liked the change.

My least favorite part of the meal was the fish. It was a thick fish and I would have wanted it to either be juicier, or to have more sauce. Not that it was unpleasant, just not my favorite.

One of the foods that was  my favorite was the Spoon Bread. I've never heard of Spoon Bread before, so I was really excited when Candy approached the table with a number of little silver pans. She proceeded to go around basically every empty bread dish, and spoon out a healthy serving of this foreign commodity.

The consistency is a cross between cornbread and custard. It jiggles when you poke it, but is still somewhat firm. I've never had anything quite like it before.

Taste wise, it's somewhat custardy. There's definitely an eggy presence in the bread, and a slight sweetness as well.

Basically, you have to try it and see for yourself. Everyone at our table really enjoyed it. And I was, yet again, possessed with the notion to lick the crumbs off of my plate at the end. I restrained myself.

The next morning, we had leftover muffins for breakfast. They were fantastic. We savored every bite.

Our first stop of the day was the Coffeehouse. After a nice tour of the building, given by a Colonial woman, of course, we were offered a sample of tea, coffee, or chocolate.

You should not be surprised by what I went for.

So adorable.....

Hot chocolate, of course! Many of you know my issue with hot chocolate. It has to be super chocolatey and super thick to pass inspection. Most hot chocolates around here fall flat. Thus, I was really excited to see what the Colonists had been drinking. 

I am happy to say, they know their hot chocolate. This drinking chocolate was flavored with a couple different spices, was very rich, and very thick. I was in love.

Thankfully, the kind Colonists directed us to a shop down the road where we could purchase some of this chocolate to take home with us.

When my aunt asked if you make it with milk or water, the answer was only water. Apparently using milk makes it too thick. But, really, can hot chocolate ever be too thick? I think not.

Since we had a lot that we wanted to see, we decided to do a fast lunch. Thus, we went to the outside eating area of Chowning's Tavern.

Mom and I decided to split the portobello mushroom sandwich.

I am a huge fan of mushrooms instead of burgers. Portobello mushrooms still provide all the meatiness and umph that you get in an actual burger, but are much better for you. 

This one was topped with pepper, onions, and provolone cheese. It was very good for "fast" food. (This is about as fast as you're gonna get at Williamsburg.) And if I was in a hurry, I would definitely order it again.

The ambiance of the eating area was also very nice. 

Please note the grown man in modern clothes and a Colonial hat.

See how cute this place was? Who doesn't want to eat under a roof of vines? The only thing that wasn't so cute was the insane number of bees swarming our root beers. It became something of a game to try and drink your beverage before another bee could get to it. But hey, think of what the Colonists had to endure!

We also shared a Dark Chocolate Pecan Myrtle at lunch.

Earlier in the day, Mom and I had walked up to the newer part of town and popped into the candy store. This place smells delectable. Literally, you'll want to eat everything inside! After careful consideration, we chose the myrtle. I'd never had one before and it seemed like a good time to start.

Evidently, a myrtle is a candy made of pecans, covered with caramel and chocolate. It was so delicious, tasting like a mix of a praline and something else.... This was definitely a good choice. I could have eaten the whole thing by myself (easily!), but we shared it with the rest of our family so everyone could enjoy.

That afternoon, Mom and I went to the Raleigh tavern bakery. We ended up buying an apple turnover for each of us, with plans to go back the next day to buy some for the road. (AKA to stock my fridge back at school.)

The apple turnovers have always been yummy. Although there are some things I don't remember from past visits to Williamsburg, I have always remembered these.

What you should do is take this to a microwave, heat it up, and stuff yourself with the warm, deliciousness that is the apple turnover. It's so worth the extra effort of finding a microwave in the Colonial era. :)

For dinner that evening we had planned to go to Shields, only to realize that they're closed on Sundays and Mondays. But, never fear! We simply made our way down to the King's Arms Tavern, which was happy to seat us.

The room was candlelit, casting shadows on the dark walls and illuminating the faces of our fellow diners. The lack of electricity made it feel all the more authentic, as we were approached by another Colonial-ly clad gentleman.

Since we felt like being fancy, Mom and I both ordered the Berry Shrub. Okay, it sounds a little sketchy (or, at the very least, prickly), but it was fantastic!

The Berry Shrub is cranberry juice with a scoop of berry sorbet floating inside. It's like any float you may have had before, but much better because a) it's called a 'Shrub' and b) you're drinking it in Williamsburg.

Dinner by candlelight

After we'd placed our orders, our waiter brought a little dish of accoutrements to the table.

Going from left to right, we have corn relish, pickled watermelon rind, and pork. (I'm not positive about that last one because I didn't eat it, but I think that's what it was.)

The corn relish and the pickled watermelon were both great. The corn was sweet, the epitome of summer, and the pickled watermelon was really exciting!

Have you ever eaten pickled watermelon before? If not, you must try it. It tasted like... chicken! Haha, no. Actually it tasted like bread and butter pickles. So if you like pickles, you'd like this. Plus it's just really fun to see how transparent the rind is after all of that pickling. If you didn't know it was watermelon, you probably wouldn't be able to guess. The consistency is much softer than raw watermelon rind. It kind of blew my mind.

Next, came the Sally Lunn bread.

You know how I am with bread. And this bread was particularly good. It was possibly the lightest, airy-est bread I've ever tasted. Literally, you could squeeze it (gently, of course) together and it would unfold itself. It was awesome! (I'm sure the whipped butter didn't hurt, either.) If this was the only thing I'd been able to eat all evening, I would not have complained. And did I mention that it was warm when it came to the table? Nothing better than warm bread!

After all of this deliciousness, we musn't forget about the main course!

I ordered both the 'Apple Salet' and the 'Peanut Soup.' Salad isn't exactly what you think of when you think "Colonial," but all of the heavy foods we'd been eating lately had started to feel a bit excessive.

Generally, I'm not a huge salad person. I mean, I'm growing to like them more. I recognize that they can be good for you, provided you top them with the right 'fixings.' (Had to throw that southern word in there!) And this one claimed to have caramelized onions on it. (YES!) So I figured it was a safe bet.

There was nothing particularly wrong with this salad. I think I just got tired of it after a while. And I had difficulty locating the caramelized onions. I was, however, very glad I'd ordered it, because I could not have eaten all of the food that came with the main meals.

The peanut soup, however, did not disappoint. Actually, let me rephrase that. I had no idea what to expect from the peanut soup. The first time we ate here, I'd avoided it because it sounded sketchy. Thick, brown soup? No, thank you. But it's a house speciality and it's authentic to the time period. I felt that, as a food blogger, I could not leave without trying something apparently so famous. So, I took a risk...

and loved it! The soup was thick and very peanutty. It even had chopped peanuts inside of it. Taste wise, it reminded me a lot of a chicken satay recipe we used to make, probably because of the use of peanut butter in both recipes.

So, if you like peanut-butter (or chicken satays) then, you'll really love this! I was skeptical at first, but it only took one bite to convince me. There's a reason it's a house specialty. If that's not enough to convince you, where else are you going to get peanut soup? You might as well give it a go.

Because there clearly wasn't enough food on the table already, our waiter proceeded to bring bowls of creamed spinach for the table. And, now that I think about it, I'm sensing  a theme. Christiana Campbell's gave us spoon bread, King's Arms gave us creamed spinach.... they will not let you leave hungry!

If anything has 'cream' in the description, I'm usually there. This was no different. I probably could have made a meal off of this, too. It was creamy, without being really heavy. The sprinkle of cheese on top was a nice addition, too. I ended up finishing the bowl for my section of the table. Either everyone else was full, or I just have a really awesome family. (Probably both.)

But wait! There's more! We were not about to leave dinner without ordering dessert. If you recall, the King's Arms has a delicious bread pudding. But, as Mom and I had just finished our bread pudding for breakfast that morning (along with the muffins), we thought we'd try something a little different.

Mom ended up ordering some kind of meringue with strawberries and vanilla ice cream. I wish I had a picture to show you. (Somehow that slipped through the cracks!) But it was light and summery and delicious! Everyone at the table thoroughly enjoyed it.

I ordered the pecan pie. You see, I love pecan pie. It's one of my favorites, yet, we never have it at home. (The reason for which I am still unclear.) So, you can imagine that I jumped at the opportunity to have a slice...topped with ice cream, of course!

Ah, warm pecan pie. It's the greatest. You get the nuts and the sweet, gelatinous layer above the crust, and then the cool slurp of the ice cream. It was so good. I was so happy. I ate it all.

Thus, our meal at the King's Arms came to an end. We were all stuffed, all happy, and all ready to return to the hotel for the night.

The next day we feasted on the remaining Christiana Cambpell's muffins for breakfast, before hitting the town. There were a few more places we wanted to visit before it was time to leave. So, we made our last walk up and down Gloucester street, spent a last few dollars, and then made our way to The Trellis restaurant.

See the trellis?

Mom and I had never been here before, so we were excited to see what they had in store. We had, however, heard rave reviews from my aunt, who had eaten here many times while visiting my cousin at William and Mary. 

One of the reasons we hadn't eaten here before was that it's in the new half of Gloucester street. Mom and I had always stuck to the old part for our dining excursions. But it seemed as good a time as any to try something new. 

The inside was very bright and clean, erring a bit on the woodsy-whimsical side with a swirly floor pattern and big, light, wooden tables. The waitstaff were all dressed in black pants and vests with white shirts and a pop of color in their ties. Our waitress was very friendly, pouring us water from big glass bottles as soon as she approached. 

As this was my last big hurrah before returning to college food, I decided there was no holding back. I began with a chocolate milkshake. 

Words cannot describe how amazingly chocolatey this was. It was rich, chocolatey, smooth, creamy... Pretty much any positive description could be applied to this drink. It wanted to dive into it and drink my way out. But really.

It was decidedly more difficult to choose what to order for lunch. Although I went back and forth for a while, I ultimately decided on the soft shell crab sandwich. It came down to the fact that I never get soft shell crab sandwiches and did not want to miss my only opportunity. And boy am I glad that I did!

Gooey cheese? Yes, please!

Can we just take a moment to soak in the beauty of that sandwich. Every aspect was perfect. The bread was toasty and buttered. The swiss cheese was melty and wonderful. And the crab, well, that was most certainly the star! (As it should be, I suppose.) 

I'm not a huge crab person. (As in I don't enjoy picking crabs because it takes too long and you get too little meat.) But I am a HUGE soft shell crab person. This particular soft shell crab was so fresh tasting. It almost had a sweetness to it. I can't even accurately describe it's pure perfection. This sandwich may have been my favorite food of the whole trip. It was all just so fresh and wonderful. If only I could have one every day....

The sandwich also came with shoestring french fries. 

First, look at the adorable presentation! You can serve me food in a miniature frying basket any time and I will fall in love! But, in all truth, the french fries were pretty darn good. They were definitely up there on my 'good-fry' meter. (Nina still makes the best, but these were a good try at second.) They really didn't even need ketchup, either (always a sign of a good fry) but I still used it.

Throughout the meal, I'd seen countless slices of chocolate cake leaving the kitchen. It wasn't just any chocolate cake, either. It was called 'Death by Chocolate.' As a side note, how many times have we heard that as a dessert name? It's losing it's intimidation factor....

This deadly good chocolate cake is very popular at The Trellis. It is also, apparently, very hard to finish by yourself. But of course, that's why there were four of us! We ordered a slice and four forks and prepared for one final indulgence.

Let me preface this by saying that it was a challenging cake to eat. There were seven layers, plus ice cream- that's a whole lotta chocolate! Each of the layers were different and delicious. One of my favorite layers was one with a light, whipped sort of chocolate and little crunchies. It would have helped if the cake had been slightly warmer (the first few bites were a bit hard to obtain), but all in all, it was a fantastic way to end our meals in Williamsburg!

As far as the "Death" part of the name goes, perhaps they mean death from heartbreak after realizing all of the cake is gone. I could relate. I was so sad and so full when we had finished. But I will definitely come back and dine at The Trellis again.

In a strange twist of indulgent irony, as soon as we finished lunch, Mom and I went across the street to The Cheese Shop to buy a sandwich that I could take on the plane with me.

I felt quite piggish buying food right after finishing food, but it was pretty much the only option if I wanted a guaranteed meal later that evening. (A 45 minute layover doesn't exactly give you much time to grab a bite to eat.)

My cousin at William and Mary spoke very highly of The Cheese Shop, which, as you may have guessed, serves more than just cheese.

It's a bustling place at lunch time, which tends to speak well of the finished products. Mom and I joined the line and waited to place an order.

By the time we arrived at the front, I'd decided that I would get the Veggie Sandwich. There was no description of what it was, but it should be kind of obvious. The only change I made was to ask for house dressing instead of the pesto they would have put on. My cousin said the house dressing is the best, so I had to try it!

After purchasing the sandwich, it was time to go. It was kind of a tease to spend such a great weekend with my family, only to have to turn around and leave. We'd enjoyed the time together so much that it was hard to say goodbye again.

I boarded the plane with my sandwich, my Williamsburg goodies, and many memories from the weekend.

Later that evening, while I was waiting for my plane to get the 'okay' to fly, (there was a storm in Charlotte that had delayed us) I unwrapped my sandwich.

Honestly, it was a bit underwhelming. Perhaps I'd waited too long to eat it, or perhaps I'd had unattainable expectations. But whatever the reason, I just wasn't as impressed as I thought I'd be.

Mostly I think it was because I could have made a sandwich like that, or better at home. The sandwich was basically one of those sandwich thins topped with lettuce, Edam cheese, and sprouts. (There was a hint of a tomato somewhere, but it didn't have much presence.)

If I had wanted a sprout sandwich, I would have ordered that. A few more veggie varieties would have been great. Maybe a turkey sandwich would have been a better bet. And as for the house dressing? It was good, but I could have used a bit more. It was apparently a mix of mayo, dijon mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. (I thought I tasted a bit of garlic, too.)

I realize it sounds a bit whiny, but don't get the wrong idea... the sandwich was fine! And I would go back, if only to see what else they have there. This place is always packed, so it has to be good. My experience just wasn't the best.

All in all, it was a very delicious weekend in Williamsburg! I am so glad I got a chance to get away, relax with my family, and enjoy some good food. It was a much needed break from the craziness that is  college. I'm already looking forward to the next long weekend. But, until then, I wish you happy hearts and full bellies.