sweet

Egg-In-A-Hole from Santiago, Chile!

south america, sweet

I will be down in Santiago, Chile for five months and plan to blog about all my interesting food experiences.  Well today I had my first.  After huffing our way to the top of San Cristobal Hill we noticed everyone sipping and eating these…

We had NO IDEA what it was and to be honest it looked pretty gross and 0% refreshing.  But the same people that were sweating their way up the hill with us seemed to be enjoying them to we took a risk.  Turns out, DELICIOUS!

It was called “Rico Mote con Huesillos” and it was essentially peaches in a sweet tea with dried husked wheat at the bottom.  We have since found out this is national drink of Chile, and is especially popular in the summer time (now).  If you ever travel to Chile I highly recommend you try this national treasure.

Mi Tierra Restaurant & Bakery – San Antonio, TX

san antonio, savory, sweet
The great thing about living in San Antonio is the huge Mexican influence, after all Texas used to be a part of Mexcio right? Small Battle of the Alamo changed that and other things, but at least San Antonio was able to keep the Mexican culture alive.
 
 
My local native friend showed me the way of the land and took me to Mi Tierra, a restaurant y panaderia located in El Mercado – a plaza filled with entertainment like Mariachi Bands, Salsa dancing, shops where you can find Mexican souvenirs, and of course delicous food/drinks.
 
 
We started out with an order of Margaritas at the Mariachi Bar (which is located inside the restaurant of Mi Tierra)….Word of warning: just be prepared to be overwhelmed by color at this place. There’s a shrine to family and friends, lots of Catholic influence, a bakery filled with dulces, hanging pinatas and crazy lights.  I would normally complain about being in such an ornate, overwheming color boosting, loud, tacky decorations kind of place, but NO…It’s culture, I have to respect culture… I can feel like I’m in Mexico without having to be in Mexico. You get?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our first round of Margaritas weren’t as large as the couples’ sitting next to us, so we HAD to get the one’s in a bigger glass. Why? Was this necessary? Yes…Yes it was, for obvious reasons – the sake of deliciousness.
 
 
I conclude without having snapped a photo of the delicious food we ordered because um, I ate it. And I can’t come up with a better answer other than – did you see the size of our margaritas?!
 
 

Market Square

Mi Tierra: Market Square – San Antonio, TX
 
 

The Tasting Room – City Centre Houston, TX

houston, savory, sweet

Since the city of Houston is so large – there isn’t just one common area of Houston where everyone goes to shop, eat, drink, etc. Houston is broken up into “pockets”which include surrounding areas- mainly suburbs. Many of these suburb areas act as mini-cities and have started developing common plaza type areas where fellow residents can enjoy an urban-like atmosphere without having to travel long ways away for a social scene.

City Centre, located in the Memorial area is a great emerging mini-city hang out spot to catering to the local residents of the surrounding suburbs. I like to spend my Saturdays here by starting the day with an intense workout at Lifetime Fitness, then wasting the workout on a hefty brunch from Flora and Muse, browsing for unneccessary items at Sur la Table, then topping it off with a glass of Rose from The Tasting Room.

A bottle of wine isn’t complete without the perfect pairings – pictured above: Spanish chorizo and Bucheron goat cheese.  The goat cheese was light with creamy center and not too pungent, which balanced well with the smoky intense flavor of the chorizo.  Did I mention the live music? Yeah, there’s live music. Swanky, sexy, I feel like I should be on the beaches of Spain music. Here’s to lazy Saturdays!

The Tasting Room: 818 Town and Country Blvd.,Suite 100 Houston, Texas 77024

King’s Hawaiian – Hawaiian Paradise Cake

los angeles, sweet

This guava cake is a hit with all the kids in my family so it has always been the go-to cake for family functions. It’s the perfect balance between sweet and tangy flavors (guava, passion fruit and lime with a whipped cream frosting). Basically it’s just amazing and super refreshing. I also just bought a new springform cake pan so I’m ready to try out a copy cat recipe.

King’s Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant: 2808 W. Sepulveda Blvd.

Horchata Helado – Madrid, Spain

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Horchata is a traditional beverage that is common amongst various Latin cultures.   It’s common to find that different cultures have their own variation of horchata.  In Spain, horchata is made from tigernuts, water and sugar.  Pictured below is horchata flavored ice cream.  Delicious, creamy, and can be enjoyed anytime of the year.