Bergamot Girl

"Is it possible to love pancakes too much? No, I don’t think so. If I could, I’d eat..."

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 15:44:42 -0700

“Is it possible to love pancakes too much? No, I don’t think so. If I could, I’d...

Breakfast…starting the day right.

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:07:37 -0700

Breakfast…starting the day right.

The makings of a good crystal roll…

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:18:48 -0700

The makings of a good crystal roll…

Merry Christmas to you and yours! We were blessed with family...

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 18:30:12 -0700

Merry Christmas to you and yours! We were blessed with family time and a delicious selection of desserts (many of which were homemade and included flour-less chocolate cake with raspberry sauce, lemon ricotta tart with apricot jam, mini turtle cheesecakes, chocolate chip cookies (the BEST EVER), and holiday snowball cookies. May your Christmas be filled with loving family, sweet treats, and many blessings. Here’s to a terrific New Year in and out of the kitchen.

It’s that time of year where I run out of flour and bust...

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 15:23:00 -0700

It’s that time of year where I run out of flour and bust out my French rolling pin. This week I’m making some orange cranberry pecan coffee cake bread! Mmmm….stay warm!

Tried my hand at making 100% handmade croissants a few weeks...

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:23:27 -0700

Tried my hand at making 100% handmade croissants a few weeks ago. They were worth the hard work, butter, and elbow grease. Got 11 hours to spare? Make croissants! Ok, so they’re not your everyday baking project but trust me, once you bite into the soft yet shattering layers of buttery pastry wonder, you’ll want to make them again and again.

I’m thinking next time of playing around with some of the flavors (in addition to the classic plain variety): lemon curd filled, chocolate, or almond paste. These croissants didn’t last more than 1 day in our house for good reason—they were far superior than any G or I have ever tried in the States.

It’s an impressive feat to pull these out of the oven with their golden hues and buttery aroma and know that you made them. Take that grocery store bakery! I can make these all by myself, thank you very much.

Put on some Edith Piaf, make a café au lait, plate up a croissant or two, and you’d swear you were in La France.

Hitting the streets of Boulder, we were in search of a good...

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 15:17:00 -0600

Hitting the streets of Boulder, we were in search of a good ol’ hamburger…We found ourselves at The Dark Horse, an institution around these parts since 1975. The walls are filled with junk, the place probably hasn’t been dusted since the late ‘90’s, and it would seem that everyone has carved their initials in the wooden booths. That’s what I like about this place; its kitschy charm. We weren’t there to mess around with decor and circumstance, we were there to eat!

I’d say the burgers are good—greasy, almost impossible to eat without napkins, and cooked to order. The fries? Well, they could use some improvement. The service was agreeable and I think we’ll return again.

It was a late lunch date for G and I one day at KT’s BBQ...

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 19:41:00 -0600

It was a late lunch date for G and I one day at KT’s BBQ in Boulder. We must’ve just missed the lunch time rush as the place was fairly quiet.

Being that my dad is of Southern heritage, I’m pretty picky about my BBQ. I have to have the usual sides of either beans or ‘slaw with my pork sandwich. Secondly, the pork brisket has to be chopped or pulled. Sliced brisket is not an option for this girl.

We got our pork sandwiches, sides (we chose the zesty baked beans), and some sweet tea and headed outside to the restaurant’s nice little patio area outside. It was a nice fall day and it was perfect for chowin’ down on BBQ filed delights. At each table, they had three different sauces to choose from: hot, mustard, or sweet.

I really enjoyed the pork; it wasn’t too dry or greasy whatsoever. Both of which are huge thumbs up for me. I would’ve liked a thicker, more richer BBQ sauce and the baked beans were a bit on the spicy side for me but I still enjoyed them.

Overall, I’d say the star of the show here is the pork, which is what BBQ is all about in addition to the perfect bun on which it was served. BBQ sauce can always be improved or tweaked, good pork cannot.

The location is a little of the way, which is one of the many reasons I really like this little place. It’s not fancy BBQ and it really delivers the beef on an affordable lunch. You’ll see this girl back there again for sure to fill her belly.

It was a Thursday evening. I’d had another brutal week...

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 16:39:00 -0600

It was a Thursday evening. I’d had another brutal week (so far) at work. My brain felt like it’d been in a blender and it was time to break out of the daily rut. G graciously made reservations for us at Bones.

We’d eaten at Bones once before, during our awesome ‘Staycation 2012’ where we pretended we were tourists in our own city. Needless to say, we loved it as we had the chance to try restaurants we normally wouldn’t get to try during the week and experience the museums and attractions our great city has to offer. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend the Colorado History Museum and the Denver Zoo, they really are a lot of fun!

Bones is a great neighborhood restaurant which serves delicious Asian food. It is a very small restaurant (which adds to its neighborhood/cool charm) so be sure to make reservations. There is also complimentary valet parking. If you’re lucky, you’ll be seated at the bar, which is where all the action is with the chefs cooking in the tiny kitchen.

The adult beverages are fairly priced, well made, and composed of classic Asian flavors like ginger, sake, lychee, or green tea.

You MUST order the steamed buns with pork. I’ve tried both the suckling pig and pork belly. Personally, I’m not a huge pork belly fan, but they both truly are delicious and you can’t go wrong with either one. The steamed buns are what keeps G and I coming back to this place—pillowy soft steamed buns filled with pork, a little garnish, and some dark hoisin-esque sauce that you drizzle over the top. It’s sweet, salty, and meaty perfection.

Once you come back to earth from your pork filled revery, there are several main dishes to choose from: noodles, ramen, and soba. Every time I’ve been here I find myself ordering the hottest dishes on the menu. Somehow I’m blindsided by words like: shrimp, snow peas, spicy peanuts and I don’t see the words chile or pepper. Then, to my surprise, I find myself eating a dish that is so spicy I don’t know if I can make it through to the last bite. As I wipe the sweat away from my brow, it’s painful and yet delicious.

G always finds himself ordering similar dishes whenever he’s here too; each having a deep, rich flavor such as the duck ramen. Whenever I sneak a bite, it’s always a welcome reprieve from my spicy dinner.

The vibe here is laid back, busy, sometimes chaotic, cool, and welcoming. You somehow feel like you belong here every Thursday night. This little Asian noodle house is a great addition to the weekly line up and as long as Bones keeps making bomb diggity steamed buns, we’ll keep coming back.

The homemade veggie pizza I made for G and I for lunch over the...

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:36:31 -0600

The homemade veggie pizza I made for G and I for lunch over the weekend, ready for some oven lovin’ and loaded up on goodness: roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, spinach, mushrooms, fresh garlic, artichokes, and mozzarella cheese. I think yes!

The Kitchen [Next Door] Review

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 18:17:54 -0600

G and I were hungry for lunch one day in Boulder after a day of strolling Pearl Street. We...

The Chow.com Supertaster video series is awesome! I really want...

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 20:00:00 -0600

The Chow.com Supertaster video series is awesome! I really want his job. No seriously, I do.

I love Chow.com’s ‘You’re Doing It All...

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 08:00:48 -0600

I love Chow.com’s ‘You’re Doing It All Wrong’ video series. Great stuff!

Mmmm….brownies with chocolate ganache, olive oil, and sea...

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 08:00:19 -0600

Mmmm….brownies with chocolate ganache, olive oil, and sea salt. I think yes! Click on picture to see recipe, courtesy of Chow.com

PBJs looks crazy delicious! If only I was near Portland, OR...

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 15:50:32 -0600

PBJs looks crazy delicious! If only I was near Portland, OR...

"Don’t make me go to Paris right now just so I can eat!! Les croissants….miam..."

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 22:51:07 -0600

“Don’t make me go to Paris right now just so I can eat!! Les croissants….miam...

Classic Grilled Cheese Oh hell yes!!

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 12:37:55 -0600

Classic Grilled Cheese

Oh hell yes!!

Oh IKEA meatballs, you get me everytime!

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:05:27 -0600

Oh IKEA meatballs, you get me everytime!

G and I were up in Fort Collins, near my Alma Mater: Colorado...

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 18:44:00 -0700

G and I were up in Fort Collins, near my Alma Mater: Colorado State University (Go Rams!). Just being in the area made me want to swing by the Lory Student Center or hang out in The Oval or pick up those French literature books on the 17th century…Ok, maybe not that but it did make me want to relive the years I spent there, just not those spent in the library doing homework and researching.

Anyways, we were hungry as it was around lunch time. It was one of those kind of chilly days with grey skies. After a local brewery tour at Odell Brewing Company, it was time to get some grub.

Being a local of these parts for most of my life, I decided on an all-time favorite: the Pickle Barrel. This place is an institution around these parts and for good reason, it never changes. Whether you went here in 1988 or 2012, it’ll have remained the same.

There’s a great little hole in the wall bar when you enter the place and you can head upstairs to place your order. I’ve only mostly eaten their hot ‘sannies’ but I do recall having a cold one once and it being pretty good. Being that G and I went there on a cold day, the hot sandwich was just the thing we needed!

I decided to order my usual: the Hop-Sing; a delicious combination of turkey, salami, ham, and provolone served with marinara sauce for dipping. G went with a Reuben. Both hot sandwiches were served with pickles and we got some chips to share. Another cool thing about this place is that they serve your drinks in Mason jars. I love that! I also love that they had some homemade root beer on tap so, of course, I had to have it. Rule of thumb: never pass up good root beer.

Ok, so the picture doesn’t do justice for these massive and majorly delicious sandwiches but trust me on this one, they are GOOD. They made our bellies happy and helped ward off the chill of the day.

The deliciousness of it all, compared with all of the memories I have of this place and going to school here, just made it the best lunch ever. Well, except for that one meal in Paris that was even better than this one…If I speak French while I eat my Hop-Sing, it’ll be just as good as that meal in Paris right? I can envision myself next to the Champs-Elysées, sandwich in hand. Très chic.

Well, wherever I am, whether it be Fort Collins or Paris, as long as there is a Pickle Barrel around, I know lunch will be done right and I can count on a good dill pickle. Did I tell you that I’m on a major quest to find the best dill pickle around? I’m still working on it, but pickles aside, these are some darn good sandwiches! Just grab your order, fold the top of the sandwich over, get some napkins and voilà! It’s time to eat!

So it was time for breakfast. As usual, I was starving. My...

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:19:00 -0700

My breakfast

Inside

So it was time for breakfast. As usual, I was starving. My friend J and I settled on Snooze in Boulder. Being that I’ve only visited another location previously on a weekend, I was shocked that we only had to wait 10 minutes. On a weekend, expect a good 45 minutes to 1 hour wait time.

Snooze is most well known for its pancake selection, things like: pineapple upside down, blueberry, peanut butter chocolate chip, or red velvet. I decided to do away with the more carb laden options and go for something off of their light menu choices, titled ‘Like a Feather’. I chose the Snooze Continental. It was a delicious plate of local Noosa yogurt (one of my all time favorite Colorado products), house made granola, a caramelized grapefruit, and some majorly delicious whole wheat toast (that had sunflower seeds and millet in it). It was really good!! I enjoyed my breakfast with a Third Street chai, which is yet another delicious Colorado product.

Even though I couldn’t finish my meal, I thoroughly enjoyed every delicious bite—everything from the almonds and agave nectar in the granola to the creamy tang of the yogurt. The grapefruit was delicious in addition to that whole wheat toast. I didn’t even need jam on it.

The service was friendly and pleasant and they also played some seriously good music in the background that day too. I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed my meal, it was just perfect for me in terms of its flavors and variety. They should really name the dish ‘Up My Street’ because it really was my kind of thing.

It’s nice to have a restaurant that offers interesting pancakes for those days you want a pancake. More importantly, it’s nice to see some different offerings for those of us that want to eat something lighter on occasion. Also, I try to support local businesses and Colorado products when I can, and it’s nice to see that Snooze uses products like Noosa and Third Street in their restaurant.

Yes, I will be back, preferably on a week day. In the meantime, I’m off to find out how I can create my own grapefruit brûlée. Eating grapefruit makes me feel like I’ve truly arrived into adulthood. All I need is a copy of the New York Times (preferably in paper form) and a glass of orange juice. Yep, those are the three key things to feel like a true adult. Mysteries of adulthood solved.