This Week's Eats + Another Trip to DC

Hello, friends. I am so excited for the three day weekend to celebrate the 4th of July! Stay safe out there this weekend!

This week was another busy one for me. On Monday night, Raisin Bread and I had dinner at The Artichoke Cafe. We originally were planning to eat here on Sunday night, but we wanted to keep on working on the house that night and stayed in.

We skipped the starters and went straight for the entrees. I ordered the half rack of lamb with fallafel, mashed sweet potatoes, chickpeas and tomato.

For dessert, I had the rosewater semifreddo with pistachio meringue and pomegranate pearls.

I thought the food was very inventive for Albuquerque and I was glad that we were finally able to try this restaurant out.

On Tuesday morning, I was up at 4;30 am to catch my flights to DC. I got upgraded to first class on my Dallas to DC leg! Woohoo. This was the third time in my life flying first class, and it was lovely as expected.

Warm nuts and a beverage served in an actual glass.

For lunch, I had a grilled beef salad with a pretzel roll.

But my favorite thing is by far the warm chocolate chip cookie. Yum!

I headed to the office for a few hours before checking into my hotel. I had some time to kill before dinner, so I visited the National Portrait Gallery. I think I mentioned before that this is the only Smithsonian that is open until 7 pm, so it is the only place I can visit after work. 

I saw one of the temporary exhibitions as well as some of the permanent galleries. Here is Bill by Chuck Close from the America's Presidents exhibition. 

Portrait of Elvis

 For dinner, I met up with my friend at Jose Andres's China Chilcano. This is the fifth Jose Andres restaurant I have dined at, and it was delicious as usual. China Chilcano specializes on a play on chifa (Chinese-Peruvian) cuisine. Peru has a large Chinese population and chifa restaurants can be found all over the country.

The menu is huge and since there were only two of us, we were only able to sample a few items.

I started with the ceviche classico.

We shared the tam tam: wheat noodles, spicy pork, peanuts and aji panca. I loved this dish. So spicy and flavorful.

Lastly, we had the ji song sillao: chicken, soy sauce, fried sweet potato, sweet drop pepper in a lettuce cup. This was also delicious. The sweet potatoes really made this dish.

The evening was calling for thunderstorms, but luckily, I made it back to my hotel in time. The next morning, I saw the effects of the overnight storms. Poor car

After a day at the office, I was headed back to Albuquerque. I got to catch the last part of the Women's World Cup semifinal game: Japan versus England. Wow, was the a doozy. Really tough loss for England! I am looking forward to cheering on Team USA this weekend.

Have a wonderful 4th!

Weekend Update: Home Renovations

What a crazy week this has been! Friday was such an exciting day. I could not contain myself when I read the news about the Supreme Court's decision that same-sex couples have the right to marry. Such a happy day!

Friday was also "Bring Your Dog to Work Day." Since I work from home, every day is bring your dog to work day for me! They are not amused that I have to go back to my office.

My weekend started off with watching the FIFA Women's World Cup - US versus China game with some of our softball teammates. USA! USA! Can't wait to see who wins the semi-final game on Tuesday. 

The rest of the weekend was spent doing home renovations and running around town getting things done.

One thing we got done was getting the pups trimmed up for the summer. Gus went to the groomer, and Raisin Bread and I did Carson's hair. Not bad, but it took us three days to finish it. He was so fluffy and knotted.

Our current home renovation project is redoing the hallway. The plan is to redo the floors and paint the trim and walls. Here's what it looked like before. 

Here's what it looked like after one day of work.

 And here's what it looks like currently. Still got some more work to do, but it is coming along!

Weekend Adventures: Time to Play Tourist

Hello, friends! Raisin Bread and I had a fun and busy weekend. His friend/ex-co-worker from Virginia came for a visit so we spent the weekend seeing some of the sights of Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

On Saturday, we drove the Turquoise Trail to Santa Fe. We made stops in Sandia Park and Madrid.

I think I need to invest in a pair of cowboy boots. Thoughts?

After lunch, we went to Cerrillos to view Kevin Box's Origami in the Garden exhibition. I forgot to mention that this weekend was the hottest weekend we have had since moving to New Mexico. It was a high of 105 degrees! Being an outdoor sculpture exhibit, it was a toasty one. Carson had had it by the time we were half way through and we had to take turns carrying him.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

The artist working

We made it to Santa Fe in the afternoon and walked around The Plaza. There is so much to see in Santa Fe that we visit different shops each time we are in town.

In the late afternoon, we headed up to The Bell Tower Bar, which is located on the rooftop of La Fonda on the Plaza for some drinks and appetizers.

The pups love how dog-friendly New Mexico is!

On Sunday, we headed to an old favorite of mine: St. James Tearoom. This month's theme was "A Pirate's Life for Me."

In the afternoon, we visited The Albuquerque Museum of Art and History. There was supposed to be an event going on, but we missed most of it. Instead, we decided to see the Killer Heels: The Art of the High-Heeled Shoe exhibit, which is something I wanted to do anyway. 

Lady Gaga's shoes

Awesome men's boots

Neigh....

That evening we had dinner at Sandiago's at bottom of the Sandia Peak Tramway. I do not recommend, by the way. We barely made it on the tram for sunset because the service was so slow. 

This was my second time on the tram, but my first time during sunset. The mountains are so beautiful. I guess this is why they are called the Sandia (watermelon) Mountains! 

We stayed on the top until the sun fully set and waited to the city below us to light up.

Lights of the city

It took us an hour and a half of waiting to finally get down the mountain! We had to wait for three trams before we were able to make it on.

So that was the end to our weekend of playing tourist. It is always so great to have visitors!

Carson's Runway Debut + DC + Parents' Visit

Now that I have completed all of my posts on our road trip vacation, it is back to our regularly scheduled program and an update on some recent happenings.

The first week of June was insanely busy and it took me a few days to recover from all of the running around.

Carson made his runway debut at the Reel Dog Fashion Show, which was the opening night event for the Albuquerque Film and Music Experience.

He was all dressed up in his tuxedo and bow tie and did a great job.

The fashion pre-show was open to anyone who wanted to sign up, so I jumped at the chance to get Carson out on stage. He was so adorable. 

We stalked the other dogs while waiting in the green room for the show to start!

The pre-show walkers lined up and ready to go. 

Photo credit: Allen Winston

Then it was time for the "real" fashion show. 

The next morning, I was up before the sun and made the journey across the country again to our nation's capital.

I scored a bulkhead seat and there was no one beside me! Double score!

DC did not seem to get the memo that it is supposed to be spring. The weather was rainy and gloomy the two days I was there, and as usual, that meant I didn't want to do much.

I did stay at the Hotel Helix, a new-to-me hotel this trip and I thought it was adorable.



The room was fashionably furnished and I loved that the tv was on a swiveling shelf, so I could watch from the desk or the bed.



Since there was not going to be any exploring that evening, I hit the treadmill for a nice 5 miler.

For dinner, I picked up sushi and watched home renovation shows for the rest of the night. 

The day after I returned from DC was our fourth wedding anniversary, which I wrote about before. 

Then on Friday, my parents came to visit us from California. On Saturday morning, we headed to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. 

We took in the exhibits and there was a native dance and song performance in the courtyard. 

The courtyard is surrounded by a number of huge colorful murals.

Then we headed to The Grove Cafe and Market for a late lunch. I had a matcha latte that was delish. 

Then I had the spring kale salad. I am addicted to kale. Why is it so yummy?

Carson decided to show how bad he can be by stealing my dad's house slippers and running around with them. 

On Sunday, it was Gus's first birthday. I got him a cake.

I even got him to wear a birthday hat! Gus has been a joy to have in our household. He is such a loving goofball.

We brought Gus and Carson along and spent the day with their grandparents in Santa Fe. My folks headed back to California on Monday. It was great seeing them!