a night out at newsies!

one perk of living in a big city is having broadway shows

come in town. musicals are one of our favorite things,

so we are big fans of SHN, the theater company here.

when i heard newsies was coming to town, i had to

get tickets straight away! it is chase's favorite movie

of all time (he might know every word to every song..)

and i saw it in on broadway in NYC a few years ago 

without him, so it was high time he got to see it!

we hit the show with our fun friends and spent the night

singing along with jack kelly, crutchie, and the gang.

it's always fun to be able to walk to a show

downtown from our apartment . . . city living!

the orpheum theater is classic and gorgeous.

it's always a treat to attend something here!

chase and tom ... best buds ^^

i haven't seen chase this happy in a while! 

he whisper - sung the lyrics of every song into

my ear, and smiled the entire time...it's hard not to!

a live performance is always so great to attend.

the level of talent it takes to be up there in front of an

audience night after night is unreal. i love all the young

newsie boys in this show full of crazy talent and new york

accents! :) the set, music, singing, and dancing are the best.

and, the boys' attempt at a jumping pic ^^

you better BELIEVE we waited after the show at the

stage door to wait for the cast to exit. chase got his

newsies bobblehead signed by jack kelly himself,

and a picture too! haha --- jack kelly is his idle.

and of course chase had this little graphic made at the

show with his name in the title ... haha newsies nerd!

newsies is playing in san francisco through sunday, march 15.  

tickets are on sale through shnsf.com or at 888-746-1799.

prices range from $36-$250.

tuesday–saturday at 8pm
wednesday, saturday & sunday at 2pm

we still headed to a late dinner after the show

got out, and took the trolley there...the best!

tap(415) is a perfect late night bar bites 

and great comfort food in the best environment.

be sure to try the buttermilk biscuits here with the

black pepper honey ... it was crazy and amazing! ^^

their mocktails are a must ^^

as is their great, classic burger!

although there are lots of classic dishes here, there are 

some more unique dishes that we tried like OCTOPUS! ^^

and we ended with sugary doughnuts dipped 

in chocolate, like all meals should end. ^^

..another fun night out in this city of ours..

as newsies says, open the gates and
SEIZE the DAY!
xo

po' boys in new orleans

new orleans is a food city.

to me, a food city means that a place

not only has incredible places to eat, it also

has its own food and way of eating. new

orleans hits it out of the park when it comes

to the food. you have some of the southern

influence, some of the french, and a lot of

the new orleans original. from beignets to

gumbo to jambalaya to po'boys to crawfish,

i think we covered the spectrum in our short

visit. somehow we kept eating and eating!

today i'm sharing one of the classic spots

that makes new orleans and its food

special. parkway bakery & tavern

is a well-known place in the big easy,

which is evidenced by the lively line

down the entire sidewalk. the difference

here is that it's not right in the french

quarter or a touristy spot -- it's north

where you have to work to get there.

this makes it feel like a true hotspot

when you see locals and in-the-know 

visitors in the line. it's a neighborhood

landmark and a true "new orleans

tradition." even president obama has

dined here! if you want to try a good

authentic po'boy, this is your spot.

^^ we took the streetcar from the french quarter

up to the area near bayou st. john where you

will find parkway. next, you will find a line:

but, it's fun line full of happy people because 

it's new orleans and that's the way things are!

straight to the good stuff : i got the golden fried

shrimp po'boy .. a classic! it was delicious, especially

with the unique remoulade sauce they have here.

a po'boy is a traditional sandwich that came from the

term "poor boy" since it was a cheap way to feed the

working class with leftover french bread slices. it it

still served on french bread with all different

kinds of meat / fried food and lots of fixings.

let's not forget the cold barq's rootbeer and

the sweet potato fries ....... perfect compliments!

chase had the popular roast beef all dressed up with

toppings and gravy galore. it was amazing & filling!

two really unique dishes we tried were:

fried pickles (above), and ... ALLIGATOR::

i was not so sure about this dish, but i think it was

my favorite of all. who knew alligator was so delicious?

this is a great stop in new orleans, and i can't

wait to share more in my new orleans guide!

^^ and a little behind-the-scenes of when we do a feature :)

thanks for having us, parkway!

we can't wait to come back next time we're 

in new orleans...we'll probably be full until then!

you can find parkway at

538 Hagan Avenue | New Orleans, LA 70119

xo

houston's best burgers

you might not think of houston, tx as a foodie destination,

but the food scene is buzzing. there are top restaurants

popping up all over! we definitely found some gems here,

starting with stanton's... best burgers in houston for sure!

we tried everything from houston-brewed rootbeer to the

popular "miss piggy" burger made with candied bacon...

to the luke skyburger with fried bacon...yes you get the

picture! somehow these burgers don't feel too heavy 

despite the ingredients. they are well-made and packed

with fresh flavor. we all loved ours...and the fries too!

be sure to try the italian fries + the sweet potato of course!

just look at that beautiful burger! i feel like i can trust

texas to make me a flawless all-american. hamburger.

before --> and after. do you think we liked it? :)

one of the best parts of this little restaurant in a white house 

is that it's family owned. theresa, jonathan and samantha

honestly run the place. their sweet dad started it and

they carry it on now. we had to pull the mom out of the

kitchen for a picture! she is that involved, every day.

you have to love a personal place like this.

//

after a filling dinner, we still needed dessert!

we drove onto rice campus to try such a fun place

called snow block shavery. it was delightful!

what's not to love about hawaiian shaved ice,

ribbon ice, fruit crush ice, and yummy block 

toast made with condensed milk. these desserts

are different, but they are so delicious.

this ribbon ice mat look crazy, but it was the best.

they basically freeze ice with a flavor + sweetened

condensed milk, and then shave it off so you are

eating flavored ice! it has the best texture.

between stanton's and snow block, it was fun

to get a sense of houston's fresh, unique and

unexpected food scene. food is always best 

enjoyed in good company, so we loved it even 

more with these great friends in houston.

thanks stanton's & snowblock!

more from houston here!

xo

valentines brunch at the four seasons austin

the last few valentines days have found us

in new cities. from paris to rome to porto

to now austin this year, all i ever ask for on

my favorite holiday is to spend it somewhere

new with my love. wish granted! we loved 

being in such an unexpected city this year.

after lots of food trucks, tex-mex and bbq,

we were excited to do valentines brunch at

TRIO, the restaurant at four seasons - austin.

it is right on the river and beautiful.

the food keeps up with the atmosphere,

offering local fare kicked up a few notches.

seeing as we were in the heart of texas surrounded by so

much great tex-mex, i opted for the enchiladas de migas

off the local menu. let me tell you, i ordered well! TRIO's

chef makes these to perfection...just look at this dish!

i was so excited to try them as i took this photo, and

they measured up! every ingredient tasted incredibly

fresh and the combination of flavors was perfected.

chase went for a sweeter dish, the ricotta-stuffed 

challah french toast. i love this about my valentine -- 

he will always order the perfect dish to balance my

meal so we can try both savory and sweet meals!
( does he do this on his own, or did i train him to? :)

this was the ideal, relaxed environment for a lovely

brunch together before continuing our travels

through texas and onto new orleans for the long 

weekend. our deal for valentines is to have the

gift be an experience or date together like this trip 

was, but he still slipped a surprise in his love note

more from the weekend to come!

hope you had the best valentines day!

xo

we were welcomed as guests to the four seasons -- austin, 

but all opinions are our own...and we will be back here!