Kettler Travel Journal: Brooklyn

It's about that time, finally, to share our epic trip to New York last year! My amazing cousins just welcomed a little girl into the world, so I decided to get my butt in gear and finally post about our trip to Brooklyn last winter. So in honor of little baby Harper, here we go...

I decided to surprise Hubby with a trip to New York City. My cousins, John and Shawn, kindly offered to host us for a foodie-filled weekend. We provided a few requests, then gave them free rein on our itinerary. 

When most people think of New York, they think of Manhattan, the Empire State Building, Central Park and Times Square...While these are all iconic elements of New York, one of the most best spots, in my opinion, is Brooklyn. My cousins moved there about six years ago and have been raving about it ever since. We finally decided to see what all the hype was about. I had been to New York before as a teenager, but mostly stayed around Manhattan and the other tourist spots. I always wanted to go back since discovering my love for the culinary world and knowing that Hubby had never been.

The best part about visiting the city with locals is that you get to experience real New York. Sure, we did a few of the stereotypical tourist stops so Hubby could check it off his bucket list, but we also experienced some of the best meals we have ever had.

The Blue Apron - specialty cheese shop in Brooklyn, NY.

In the end, it was a jam packed 48 hours, but one of the most incredible food-filled weekends we have experienced in a while. I am lucky enough to have traveled across the States and even the world, but have never experienced such a concentrated Mecca of phenomenal cuisine as New York City. 

Kettler Travel Journal - San Francisco Part 3

Ok, its about time I got around to this.....the final installment of Ryan and I's trip to San Francisco is by far the most important! The food! 

Unless you've been there, it is hard for me to explain the scrumptious cuisine at every turn in San Fran. From fresh cherries, to homemade ice cream, to authentic Sicilian cuisine, we left about 5 pounds heavier, and a whole lot happier :) 

The breweries and wineries might bring people to CA, but the food makes them stay. 

Even though it felt like we spent an entire day just to get to San Fran, only to arrive at 10am, Ryan and I were energized when we arrived! We were pumped to be there, to see our friends, to explore, but most importantly, we were HUNGRY! After settling in a bit, we walked around the corner to The Plant, Jessica's favorite organic spot (with some damn good juices too)! We munched on delightful fish tacos, kale salad, coconut tempeh and udon noodles while planning our weekend together.

         

After our rather large meal, and weekend plan, we started walking back home and spotted a little gelato spot. We suddenly realized we had to fill the hollow spot in our legs, so we stopped in...

Black cherry pastrocchio and lemon gelato

Then it was off for our beer tasting at Lagaunitas and Russian River in Santa Rosa. I thought Ryan was going to cry, he was so happy to be there. We couldn't waste another moment, so decided to all try different beers and share. (And yes, as you probably figured out, I was NOT very good about my gluten free diet that weekend).

At Lagaunitas, I tried Etwas kolsch, Brandy Barrel Aged Stout, Lucky 13 and Schemed Saison. The saison was my favorite! At Russian River, we ordered the ridiculous 16 sampler and these amazing pizza bites made with their signature Pliny beer. Yes, these were worth EVERY calorie!

After several beers and stuffing ourselves with pizza bites, it was bedtime for the Southern travelers.

Jessica thought it would be a great idea to run the Lyons Steps the next morning...not so great after about 22 hours awake, plus many drinks. This straight up kicked my butt, and Corey's!! Jessica and Ryan were running circles around us. (Sorry to call you out Corey, but I couldn't be alone on this one)!

We picked up coffee and treats at Chestnut Street Coffee Roastery and got ready for our trip out to wine country. After a few wedding venue stops (which were amazingly gorgeous), we stopped into Healdsburg Bar & Grill for a much deserved cocktail and late lunch.

I should pause to explain that bar food in wine country is VERY different than in the South. They actually have local wines and produce on their menus. And, not everything is deep fried or covered in cheese! I enjoyed a refreshing John Daly cocktail and a grilled asparagus salad with green goddess dressing, pea shoots and radish (apologize for the picture qu.

         

Ok so maybe there was some deep fried food (like deep fried bacon and truffle fries) :)

We then headed over to Jessup Cellars, which we all know about already, to taste the finest of Napa! Afterwards, we rushed home, threw on a jacket (because San Francisco is about 20 degrees cooler than wine country) and ran out the door to the Giants game, with a quick stop into 21st Amendment.

This was our second Giants game...the first was the day after we got engaged. Always a blast, mostly because I can find gluten free nachos and good wine there.

The next day was left open to explore the city a bit more. We headed over to our favorite area, the Mission for the country's best ice cream at Bi-Rite Creamery. As we turned the corner and saw the very long line, we popped into Bi-Rite Market for a few snacks while we waiting in line. I picked up small bag of vibrant cherries and a beet salad, perfect for a little picnic in Dolores Park, which was the happening place that Saturday!

      

Then, the moment I had been waiting for...Omnivore's Books on Food. Who would have thought that a little simple book store would get me so excited. Well, folks you don't know me very well then! This book store only has cookbooks, books about food, books about drinks, historical books on types of cuisine, and more. We spent over an hour in there perusing through these mouthwatering pages.

Then it was the moment that Jessica (other Jessica) had been waiting for...our special dinner. Pause for a second to discuss my little friend here. To say she loves to surprise he friends is a HUGE understatement. This girl lives off of them, and she always finds a way to make it amazing and thoughtful. She made reservations at La Ciccia for my birthday dinner. My mouth is watering just thinking about this meal!

The restaurant is barely visible from the street. You walk through the door and can't even see into the restaurant because of a large curtain. There was so much suspense leading up to it, that when I finally walked through the curtain, I felt like I was literally walking into Sicily. Most of the staff didn't speak a lot of English, just enough to recommend the perfect wines and menu items. The place probably sat about 50 people and was packed the entire time we were there. 

Some of the dishes that we endulged in:

• Baby octopus stew in spicy tomato broth
• Squid ink pasta with lemon
• Semolina gnochetti with pork and aged pecorino
• Seared lamp tenderloins drizzled with cooked grape must

We dined like royalty that night, and I will never forget it! (Sorry I don't have a lot of pictures, but it was a very small restaurant with even smaller amounts of light.)

Before our sad departure, we made one more stop, Fort Mason Farmers Market. It was packed full of colorful and vibrant produce and tasteful treats, one of which was a gluten and wheat free bakery, Flour Chylde Bakery.

        

Bye San Francisco....for now :) See you next year :)

Kettler Travel Journal: Charleston

Epic Weekend with Epic Friends

That about sums up our way-too-short trip to Charleston. Some of our closest friends live on the West Coast, which means we don't get to see them much, which also means when we find out they will be within a 5 hour vicinity, we jump right on the opportunity to see them! They decided to bring a small West Coast crew to "tour" The South.

The Crew

Meet Jessica and Corey, our adorable friends! They live in Portland and San Francisco, respectively and are major foodies just like us!

Meet Dan, Crissy and Isis (also from Portland) - our new awesome friends!

It was a jam-packed weekend with several memorable moments, like this one:

Ryan and Isis attempting the Gangum Style dance in front of Kaminsky's.

The Old South

We had the opportunity to tour one of the oldest working plantations in the area, Boone Hall Plantation, which is right outside of Charleston. A lot of history spurs from this property and (for the ladies out there) this is the location where The Notebook was filmed and where Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively just got hitched! Pause for teenage girl shrieks.

There was a beautiful little butterfly garden that we frolicked through, and massive live oak trees that we climbed on. I love this L.L. Bean catalog shot we got:

The Butterfly Cafe featured homemade ice cream (that we eagerly devoured) before heading into Charleston for some afternoon fun. Some of the group parted ways to take advantage of the beautiful golf courses in South Carolina, while the rest of us decided to walk through the Straw Market and get an official tour of Charleston on a horse-drawn carriage (is there any other way?!?!). 

History

The Straw Market is a historical landmark in Charleston. Formerly known as the Slave Market, this served as the market where slaves would purchase goods for their master. The market is speckled with old tradition and new culture. Gullah woman mark the entrances and exits with the traditional craft of basket weaving, while a variety of vendors bargain food, clothing, jewelry and gifts. 

Next on the agenda was to hop on a horse-drawn carriage for a historical tour of the city. For those that have been going to Charleston for years and not done this, DO IT! I was amazed at some of the history I learned about the city. I mostly enjoyed the facts about the architectural past of the beautiful, rather large homes that fill the city. From wealth and wars, to fires and earthquakes, this city has retained its dedication for its past. Charleston may be steeped in history, but they have pushed the curve in the culinary field. 

The Food

We dined, and we dined well in Charleston. Here is a little preview for the food porn addicts of the world:

Crispy fried oysters with coleslaw, arugula and Old Bay aioli.

Honeycrisp apple salad, shaved fennel, pecans, smoked blue cheese, baby arugula salad with sherry honey vinaigrette.

Beef Carpaccio, arugula, herb aioli, soft boiled egg, black truffle vinaigrette and toast.

Grilled Sunburst Farms trout with roasted butternut-Brussels sprouts hash,  dressed micro greens with a citron vinaigrette.

Crispy smoked pork belly, black pepper cider gastrique and corn relish.

Stuffed South Carolina quail, housemade sausage, corn grits, okra, watermelon pickle, honey thyme reduction.

Seafood Pirlou, shrimp, mussels, scallop, grouper, country ham, Charleston rice, corn, okra, stewed tomatoes.

Mocha, salted caramel cake with fresh whipped cream.

And we drank, we drank VERY well!

Lavender Martini - Stoli Vanil, lavender syrup and lemon.

Barn Raiser: local honey infused Maverick bourbon, ginger ale, orange bitters, orange twist.

Cosmopolitan and sweet tea vodka cocktails.

Espresso, extra strong!

For those considering another vacation, I highly recommend Charleston and it's surrounding area. There are so many things to do there, especially with the culinary scene setting the bar pretty high for tourist spots!