Learning Oysters.

   Over the summer I tried oysters for the first time while working on a food shoot. My boss was throwing them back one after the other and he asked the rest of the assistants and interns if they wanted to try some but all of them declined. When he asked me I was a bit nervous but I've always wondered what the hype was about so I just went for it! I immediately text Q to tell him about it and recommend that we try some at home ASAP! 

    Of course Q was immediately on board and the very next weekend we hit up Ippolito's in Philly to get the best goods. We didn't know what to pick out so we just let the guys at the counter make some recommendations. The only thing we left without was a shucking knife and that made things seriously difficult(and messy)! 

    I think we went through 3 knives, a kitchen towel, and a hot pad to get these guys open but eventually Q got the hang of it and we devoured these little gems with just a few drops of lemon juice and a pinch of capers. We are not experts by any means but we have figured out we prefer the sweeter West Coast oysters(not that we have a biased opinion though?!?! ;D).

 
  I totally enjoyed the oysters, really, but I also loved another opportunity to try something new with Q. I absolutely love that we share a passion for great food and we both have an adventurous side that keeps things fun and interesting♥ So cheers to new things blog family!

Photo Catch-Up: Maui's

While Calv was here visiting we made our way out to Mauis Dog House in Wildwood for an awesome lunch. We found the place on Diners Drive-Ins & Dives and waited weeks for it to finally open for the season. We all loved the food and Q and I decided we will definitely be making more trips out to Mauis soon (and it really was a fun mini-adventure to take Calvin on!).

Calvins first stop

When Calvin and I arrived in Philadelphia earlier this week we both decided a stop for cheesesteaks before heading home was definitely in order. We decided to take Calvin into Pats which was featured on Food Wars.

The steaks were delicious as usual and we had fun watching Calvin start to absorb the idea that he was finally "a long way from home"(his words) as we drove around Philadelphia a bit. Pretty good way to kick off his adventure.

Finally! A place that reminds us of CA:

{The sign I almost missed!}

{Handwritten Menu}

{Tacos de Lengua & Al Pastor}

{Torta Cubana}

{Tamales de Pollo}

{Fanta and Coke in the glass bottles}

Theres also always a telenovela playing somewhere in the corner, a woman with the biggest smile behind the counter who speaks NO english, and an entire row or failed parking meters out front. I dont think I can explain the kind of happiness and comfort we get every time we visit this place and eat the delicious food. Its my favorite cg-housing-area discovery to date.

Cheesesteaks.

Having lived in Penn Valley his whole life Quincy had never experienced a "real" Philly Cheesesteak. On the other hand, I had been to PA to visit my dad's family and still had a vivid memory of how good the cheesesteaks were so I was always talking them up. So now that we were finally in Philly together we decided no matter what time we left the airport we were going to find a place to get Quincy his first cheesesteak! We left the airport hotel first thing that morning, got a rental car, and headed downtown. We parked the car and just started walking aimlessly. We must have looked totally lost because at a corner a random man asked if he could help us find something! We told him we were on a hunt for a good cheesesteak and he recommended a few places but the Honey Restaurant was the closest so we headed over.

We got our steaks to go and headed back to the car for a picnic. As soon as Quincy opened his up his face looked like:

And I think he was hooked after that first bite. There is no going back to the wannabe sandwiches of the Northridge or the Steak Shop in the mall!

He decided every time we go to Philly we are going to try a new place so we can find the BEST one. Since that trip we have tried 3 other shops and its funny because the Honey Restaurant is still our favorite so far!

I think it was a successful foodie adventure and I cant think of a better way to start our new life!