...it's nice to meet you. I'm glad that you have finally arrived.
Goodbye 2011. I am happy to see you go.
It wasn't that 2011 was a bad year. There were great cocktails, delicious feasts, fantastic events, a new niece, a Northwest vacation, and many small moments of random beauty. But it was also a year of navigating a new reality, one that will be less disorienting and more familiar in the year to come.
LP and I celebrated the coming of 2012 with fabulous cocktails in the company of gracious hosts at the Bar Downstairs in the Andaz. The Bar Downstairs is on "The List" and remains one of our choice spots. The cocktail menu is creative and changes seasonally. The space is open, which we love because it allows a great view of the mixology (and, of course, the nice-looking bartenders). Some of our current favorites (drinks not bartenders) include the Fourth Estate, Somewhere in Manhattan and the Holy Mole.
Lamenting our hang-overs the next day, we blamed an off-the-menu classic--the French 75. Although it was delightfully tasty and pretty, it was also our fourth cocktail of the evening. We surpassed our usually self-imposed three-drink limit, first with a champagne toast, and then with the French 75, which was followed with a pint at an Irish pub down the street. I suppose, though, it was probably the pint that did us in.
I haven't stayed up all night and consumed that much since... hmm... I can't actually remember. But I had a wonderful time, and LP hosted a lucky New Year's day brunch that could reinvigorate even the most overindulged. She served collard greens, black-eyed peas, chicken wings, and cornbread plus her perfect hummus with just enough garlic and lemon. Perhaps most welcome, was the homemade (unspiked) ginger ale.
So, 2012 is off to quite a nice start indeed. Before I dismiss 2011 completely, I thought I would share some of my favorite UG moments from the year (in no particular order)... I would love to hear about your top gastronomic moments from 2011 as well!
Happy New Year!
Goodbye 2011. I am happy to see you go.
It wasn't that 2011 was a bad year. There were great cocktails, delicious feasts, fantastic events, a new niece, a Northwest vacation, and many small moments of random beauty. But it was also a year of navigating a new reality, one that will be less disorienting and more familiar in the year to come.
LP and I celebrated the coming of 2012 with fabulous cocktails in the company of gracious hosts at the Bar Downstairs in the Andaz. The Bar Downstairs is on "The List" and remains one of our choice spots. The cocktail menu is creative and changes seasonally. The space is open, which we love because it allows a great view of the mixology (and, of course, the nice-looking bartenders). Some of our current favorites (drinks not bartenders) include the Fourth Estate, Somewhere in Manhattan and the Holy Mole.
Lamenting our hang-overs the next day, we blamed an off-the-menu classic--the French 75. Although it was delightfully tasty and pretty, it was also our fourth cocktail of the evening. We surpassed our usually self-imposed three-drink limit, first with a champagne toast, and then with the French 75, which was followed with a pint at an Irish pub down the street. I suppose, though, it was probably the pint that did us in.
I haven't stayed up all night and consumed that much since... hmm... I can't actually remember. But I had a wonderful time, and LP hosted a lucky New Year's day brunch that could reinvigorate even the most overindulged. She served collard greens, black-eyed peas, chicken wings, and cornbread plus her perfect hummus with just enough garlic and lemon. Perhaps most welcome, was the homemade (unspiked) ginger ale.
So, 2012 is off to quite a nice start indeed. Before I dismiss 2011 completely, I thought I would share some of my favorite UG moments from the year (in no particular order)... I would love to hear about your top gastronomic moments from 2011 as well!
Happy New Year!
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| Brunch at Public |
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| Fiddelhead Ferns for a Wild and Dirty Martini |
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| Trader Vicky's Flower Power Cocktail Hour |
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| Oyster Mania |
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| Mushroom Forest |
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| CM's Chive Oil (from The Northwest and West Coast Conspiracy) |
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| Paella for Dad's 65th Birthday |
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| My first edible homemade pie for Sunday brunch |
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| Professor Sprout Cocktail from Harry's Birthday Bash |
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| Tomato Lemonade (with bourbon) from Tomato Sunday |
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| Eggnog from Happy Chickens |
Happy New Year! Hope I can join in some of the gastronomic adventures in 2012! :-)
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