Monthly Archives: December 2012

December 24, 2012 · 1:40 pm

Gilroy Gardens Holiday Lights

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Gilroy Gardens Holiday Lights

We took a family trip to Gilroy Gradens Holiday Lights which was a wonderland of millions of lights and endless wonder. As you walk through the entrance, you are transported to Candy Cane Lane, where the trees are lined with lights and lit up large candy canes.

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Candy Cane Lane

Continuing on, you will see trees, bushes, buildings covered in colorful, bright lights.  Then, there is fake snow swirling about and both Sally & Snoopy from Charlie Brown, are there to give you a friendly greeting.  There are also fun souvenir shops and rides, such as the beautifully exquisite carosuel.

We got to see the Waterfall Illumination, which showed a music and lights display. The display was quite a magical experience. It starts off with the waterfall becoming pitch black, then lights of red, green, pink, purple, and blue, dance to the beat of “Little Drummer Boy.”

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Waterfall Illumination

Afterwards, we went on a train ride around the Gardens. It was nice to be able to see all the different areas around the park. We ended the night by seeing “A Charlie Brown Christmas” show which featured Charlie Brown, Lucy, Sally, Linus and Snoopy, in a performance about the true meaning of Christmas. Though the play was targeted to children, I still enjoyed watching the very adorable and fun musical. The characters did a great job with telling a story, helping us to really get into the holiday spirit. One of my favorite parts was when Snoopy was trying to light the Christmas tree, which didn’t work but after we all chanted, “Peace on Earth; good will towards men,” the tree miraculously lit up!

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Charlie Brown Christmas

We did a little exploring before leaving and got to see an area full of delicious & huge looking lit up cupcakes, gingerbread cookies, and lollipops. We also came across the Butterfly exhibit, which was nice with leafy greens, red flowers, large trees, decorated Christmas trees of all different colors. Then, we happened across a great big hall called the Snowflake Palace which had tons of lights strung up on top, creating a gorgeous sparkling view that was a sight to behold.

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Snowflake Palace

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December 21, 2012 · 1:56 pm

Hotel Abrego Dining

Hotel Abrego

Hotel Abrego

Recently, I had the pleasure of enjoying a beautiful meal at the not-yet officially opened restaurant at Hotel Abrego in Monterey, California. The Hotel Abrego lobby and dining area is warm, inviting and cozy, complete with brown accents, a stone fireplace and lovely lighting.

The chef, Marc Jones, personally came out to introduce himself and present us with the menu. He was personable, knowledgeable about the food he prepares and concerned with keeping everything sustainable. The menu itself didn’t have a ton of choices, but that didn’t bother me as it normally would, because all the choices sounded so delicious! For an appetizer, we had salad which came with grapes, tomato, fresh lettuce, Parmesan and pepper with a light vinaigrette.  It was tasty and I enjoyed the added sweet flavor of the grapes, combined with savory.

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Salad

I also loved the honey bread which came with the meal. It was perfectly crisp, fresh and warm from the oven, a delightful mix of sweet and a tiny bit of salty. It was something different, but delicious. I couldn’t get enough of these little morsels!

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Honey Bread

We tried 2 different main courses. The first being pan fried Alaskan sand dabs, accented with grilled squash on the sides and mashed potato below. The sand dabs were fried in butter and topped with olive oil. I enjoyed the crispy well done texture of the sand dabs, as well as the yummy flavor. The mashed potato was superb, perfectly creamy and smooth, and seasoned well.

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Pan-Fried Sand Dabs

The other dish was bacon-wrapped shrimp with filet mignon with risotto and mushroom sauce. The bacon worked well with the shrimp, and the risotto had a great appetizing flavor to it, but I think my favorite was the filet mignon. The filet was amazing- Tender, like butter and quite juicy, full of deliciousness.

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Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp, Filet Mignon, Risotto

I will have to come back to try the desserts, calamari appetizer and filet of sole, cooked in parchment paper, with a bounty of in season vegetables.

 

Location:  755 Abrego Street in Monterey, CA

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December 16, 2012 · 10:41 am

Christmas in the City

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

I’ve always loved Christmas in New York City, with all the beautifully decorated trees, pretty colorful lights, holiday markets, window shop displays, 5th Avenue, and the feeling of joy & good cheer. Before going back to CA for the holidays, I spent the day with some wonderful friends and got to experience all that the NYC holiday scene has to offer.

We met at the New York Public Library at Bryant Park, by the huge and magnificient stately Christmas tree, with pillars and candles on either side of it.

NY Library

NY Library

After marveling at the beauty of the tree, we headed to the Bryant Park Holiday Market, which was lovely and quite charming. We all enjoyed having our hands washed with soap, salt scrub, warm water and then pampered with lotion that made our hands baby soft and smooth. The tree there was also nice, with blue lights and silver ornaments and a star on top.

We continued on and checked out the window displays on the shops at 5th Avenue. There was everything from gorgeous high fashion and elaborate designs, to the cutesy, snowy and fun displays.

Bergdorf's Window

Bergdorf’s Window

Saks Window

Saks Window

We then of course passed by the beautiful Rockefeller Christmas tree and angels…

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center

We also went into St. Patrick’s Cathedral with the display of Jesus’ impending birth, illuminated with red candles shining brightly in front.

 And of course we witnessed some of the staples of the season: Red bow tied at the side of a building to make it look like a life size present; sparkling belt buckles of twinkling gold lights; decked out lights, diamond accents, greenery in front of Harry Winston (jewelry); a huge brightly white glittering snowflake in the air; a very large scorpion-like bird in bright lights alongside Bvlgari’s shop…

Belt Buckles

Belt Buckles

Harry Winston

Harry Winston

 We finished up at the Plaza Hotel, where I saw my favorite tree yet. It had white lights, gold balls and the best part- cascading glittering silver snowflakes surrounding the tree.

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Wishing you and yours the very best this Holiday Season!

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December 9, 2012 · 11:15 pm

Shanghai Cuisine

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Food in Shanghai was amazing! I tried everything from street food, to restaurant cuisine, to home made cooking at relatives’ homes. ‘

One of the staples of Shanghai cuisine is xiao long bao (pictured above & below), or soup dumplings. These particular ones are from a famous spot where people come from far and wide to try. And they were delicious – Little pockets with plenty of  savory soup and meat.

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Street food was a delight- So many choices, even compared to NYC. Skewer sticks of grilled chicken, lamb, pork, squid, vegetables- potato, tofu, cabbage, leafy greens with spices- delightful peppery mix.

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Fried sesame balls, glutinous rice balls, fish balls, fried radish cakes, fried scallion pancakes. Also warm roasted sweet potatoes (really miss that!), roasted chestnuts, peanuts, walnuts, crispy sesame chips, and so much more!

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Fried Scallion Pancakes

We also visited quite a few restaurants, like New NanHua Restaurant, Cantonese Family Restaurant, 930 and several wonderful huo guo (hot pot) ones. My favorite dishes were sweet/sour fish with pine nuts and peas; rice with Chinese sausage; cucumbers displayed beautifully with rice noodles in a yummy sauce; pork buns lightly fried on the bottom (that my dad and I had at the famous walking street, Nanjing Lun); fried duck skin pieces with thin pancake, sweet + salty sauce, onion, cucumber- A version of Peking Duck.

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Sweet & Sour Fish

Fried Pork Buns

Fried Pork Buns

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Cucumber & Rice Noodles Dish

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Hot Pot

Hot Pot with Fish

Hot Pot with Fish

As for dessert, I loved something made in a soup called “tang yaun” which is  glutinous rice ball filled with black sesame. Also pretty much anything with sweet red bean paste, and fried pumpkin buns.

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Fried Pumpkin Buns

We also ate at home quite a bit, and I enjoyed that experience as well. What was great about that was every morning the person who was cooking for the day would go out and buy fresh meat and vegetables to make for lunch and dinner! I loved the meal below of egg battered fried chicken, lima beans, beef and onions, tofu and celery.

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Being in Shanghai was truly a never ending and eye opening culinary experience!

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December 7, 2012 · 12:18 am

Privé Sample Sale

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On my way back to work after my appointment, I passed by The Privé Multi-Designer Holiday Sample Sale that featured jewelry, men’s and women’s apparel up to 70%  off retail price.

Women’s contemporary Winter apparel from Free People, Eva Franco, Alice & Trixie, Tuleste Market, Qi Cashmere, AG Jeans, Walter, Chelsea Flower, American Vintage, and more great brands for a fashionable holiday season.

Men’s contemporary brands include Descendant of Thieves, J Brand, WILL Leather Goods, Michael Kors, Anthony Morato, Tailorbyrd, and more.

Location: 530 Fifth Avenue (at 44th St)

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