On Saturday I flew out to Anaheim, to meet Rachel and Nancy ("Scrapbooking from the Inside Out;") for CHA (The Craft and Hobby Association show.) I was very excited to be going away for a few days ( sans family;) but also VERY nervous about being apart from Luis and the kids, considering that when I'm at home, I barely even get to go to the bathroom by myself. I knew that I was going to have a great time; how could I not? I was going to get to spend time with one of my best friends, doing something that we love to do (shop for scrapbooking supplies for the next six month worth of kits for SBFTIO;) I was going to get to meet the super talented, Nancy Doren IN PERSON AND have some much needed time to myself. And then to top it all off, I knew that Saturday night we were going to have dinner at my favorite restaurant "ROY'S." (Hawaiian fusion not fried chicken.) LOL and then Sunday night go to Disneyland. I honestly couldn't have designed a better trip if I was asked to. I was VERY apprehensive at the airport. I hadn't flown alone since 1994 and things have changed drastically since then. I bought an $80 bottle of water (ha, just kidding I think it was closer to $3 but I thought I'd throw that in for Rachel. ) I wrote a blog, (which I'm not posting because it probably reads more like a neurotic confession,) and then read the book that Michelle (sometimes she actually refers to herself as legally) K had lent me, "Dear Neighbor; Drop Dead" by Saralee Rosenberg. I boarded my flight with ease and settled into a seat next to an elderly woman. As we were taking off I remembered how much I actually like to fly. I LOVE the freedom of it and the promise of a new experience. I kept telling myself that the kids would be fine. Luis would be elated to have me off his back and out of his hair for a few days, and all I had to do was think about myself. (Now that's something that I haven't done in like; well, FOREVER.) I arrived before I knew it and made my way off the plane without incident. I found Rachel just as she was walking in the door; and then - I could breathe.
Rach and I had a very productive wait for Nancy. We reviewed February's play list for SFTIO and even started onto March's. Nancy arrived; we enjoyed hugs all around, and the
n whisked off to dinner at
The first time I dined (and you HAVE to say dined rather than ATE, when talking about Roy's) was with my sister, Michele (OK; not my blood sister, and not Michelle(...)K; but MY SISTER Michele; (My best friend from college who just happens to have the same birthday as me; and who got me through some of the most difficult times of my life.) Anyway, Michele, her husband Tony and their son Gian Carlo were in Scottsdale for a conference a few years ago and Roy's was right across the street from their hotel so we decided to give it a try. Michele had asked me if I liked Sushi, and I told her that I was undecided. I had only had it once; and although I didn't hate it; I wasn't sure that I ever needed to eat it again. Michele then conducted Sushi 101 - we discussed everything from the thinly sliced ginger to the different types of Sushi and by the time she was done; my mouth was watering and I knew I needed to give Sushi another try. Sushi connoisseur's that they are, we let Michele and Tony do all of the ordering. We also ordered off of Roy's prix fixe menu, which included an appetizer, main course and dessert. Lucky for me, the prix fixe menu was not very vast, so it wasn't too difficult for the Queen of NOT BEING ABLE TO DECIDE WHAT TO ORDER to make a decision. As soon as I put the first piece of Sushi in my mouth, this HUGE smile spread across my face. The flavor, the texture it was nothing short of AMAZING! It was love at first bite! And I have been enamored with Sushi ever since. Something that I have noticed about Sushi is that it lingers with you. That's no to say that there is an aftertaste; but that once you've had good Sushi, you yearn for it -almost like a drug, because all you can think about is, "I WANT THAT SUSHI." I want to taste it again, enjoy it again; and I must say that EVERYTHING at Roy's has that effect on me. I have never eaten anything there that was not superb. In fact I would order anything and everything that I've ever had in any of my meager 3 visits there.
n whisked off to dinner at The first time I dined (and you HAVE to say dined rather than ATE, when talking about Roy's) was with my sister, Michele (OK; not my blood sister, and not Michelle(...)K; but MY SISTER Michele; (My best friend from college who just happens to have the same birthday as me; and who got me through some of the most difficult times of my life.) Anyway, Michele, her husband Tony and their son Gian Carlo were in Scottsdale for a conference a few years ago and Roy's was right across the street from their hotel so we decided to give it a try. Michele had asked me if I liked Sushi, and I told her that I was undecided. I had only had it once; and although I didn't hate it; I wasn't sure that I ever needed to eat it again. Michele then conducted Sushi 101 - we discussed everything from the thinly sliced ginger to the different types of Sushi and by the time she was done; my mouth was watering and I knew I needed to give Sushi another try. Sushi connoisseur's that they are, we let Michele and Tony do all of the ordering. We also ordered off of Roy's prix fixe menu, which included an appetizer, main course and dessert. Lucky for me, the prix fixe menu was not very vast, so it wasn't too difficult for the Queen of NOT BEING ABLE TO DECIDE WHAT TO ORDER to make a decision. As soon as I put the first piece of Sushi in my mouth, this HUGE smile spread across my face. The flavor, the texture it was nothing short of AMAZING! It was love at first bite! And I have been enamored with Sushi ever since. Something that I have noticed about Sushi is that it lingers with you. That's no to say that there is an aftertaste; but that once you've had good Sushi, you yearn for it -almost like a drug, because all you can think about is, "I WANT THAT SUSHI." I want to taste it again, enjoy it again; and I must say that EVERYTHING at Roy's has that effect on me. I have never eaten anything there that was not superb. In fact I would order anything and everything that I've ever had in any of my meager 3 visits there.
Well, since I've been raving about Roy's for a few years now, and there happened to be one, not far from our hotel; Rachel decided that Saturday night we would pay Roy a visit. Although I've ordered some type of fish during my previous visits; on this occasion I chose to order the Pistachio encrusted lamb with blueberry reduction and Mushroom Risotto and I have to tell you, I have been haunted by this meal ever since I finished my last bite. The flavors were so intense and complimentary that it is something I want to experience again and again. I mentioned this to Michelle (...) K who recently had her first dining experience at Roy's and she fully concurred. We were in agreement that food can in fact haunt you; just like when I had NYPD Pizza for the first time. I'll never forget it. I was at my friend Tiffany's and we ordered from this place that she recommended; called NYPD Pizza; and I have to tell you that after eating it, I could think about eating nothing but this pizza for a week. It was extraordinary. I tried to recreate the NYPD experience (because there wasn't one close to my house;) and I got a slice from Ray's; which I prior to my NYPD indoctrination, I had thought was pretty good; but it paled in comparison to my memory of the NYPD pizza. And then a few short weeks later I saw a sign announcing that an NYPD was coming to a shopping center not to far from me. Well I stalked the shopping center waiting for a sign with a date announcing the opening; and once it opened I got Michelle (...)K to try it too, and what do you think happened... Well, about a week after we had it she told me "Since we had NYPD I could think of nothing but that pizza!" See; it's not just me. I always tell people that I think they put crack in their pizza, because there is just something about it that once you have it, you just want more and more. I don't know if it's the whole milk mozzarella that they use (as opposed to most of the Pizza jokers here who use god knows what;) or if it's the fact that they claim to use water from NY; all I know is it's GOOOOD! And ironically enough, they are in the same shopping center as my gym - but I NEVER go there; believe it or not. Yes I can now pass up NYPD (on most days;) but if someone offered me Roy's - I would be there in a heartbeat. Think about it; I'm sure that you've all eaten something that you tried to draw out for as long as possible so that the pleasure wouldn't be over too quickly. (OK, please disregard how that sounds like I could have been talking about something other than food.)
I would love to hear about the food that haunts you - so please feel free to leave me a comment; as it seems that most people I know LOVE food and LOVE to read or talk about it; almost as much as they love to eat it.
I was just going to say Bon Appetite and end right there, but then I remembered that I needed to turn back. There actually was A LOT more to my trip then just dining at Roy's. The hotel was lovely; and the convention was fantastic. It was so much fun to see all of the new products that the scrapbooking manufacturers are putting out, and try to make suggestions to Rachel for possi
ble kit inclusions.
ble kit inclusions. After a long day on the convention floor, we actually ventured over to Disneyland. It wasn't too crowded; and other than the Peter Pan ride, we barely had any wait at all. Woohoo! We were only there for a few hours, but I think that we probably went on just as many rides as we would have if we'd gone earlier in the day and had a wait; oh yah, and get this... when we first got into the park, I went into the Emporium (store) on Main Street to see if the stores stayed open later than the rides (which they do;) and when I came out, Nancy and Rachel were looking at one of the windows and I went over to find them and saw T.R Knight (George) from "Grey's Anatomy;" and I was giddy. I LOVE George, he's a great character; and boy it's true - the camera really does add 10lbs, because he was much smaller in person. I didn't ask for an autograph, or even say "Hi;" I was just just tickled that I had seen him.
On Monday we went back to the convention and then sadly it was time for me to go. Again I made it through the airport without incident; and I owe many thanks to the two nice men who helped me put my suitcase in and take it out of the overhead bin; because it was HEAV-Y from all of the catalogs.
When Luis and the kids picked me up, no one was any worse for the wear and we drove home VERY happy to be back together. Guess it's safe for me to take off on another adventure some time...
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING
1 comment:
I am haunted by your eggplant parmigiana!!! It is the best I have ever had. You need to post a recipe!
Post a Comment