For our main course, we ordered  Squash Blossoms which were filled with mozarrella cheese, lightly battered and fried.  I’ve had squash blossoms filled with goat cheese before but not with mozarrella.  The different cheese created a lighter taste that allowed the subtle flavor of the blossom to come through.  We also ordered the Sauteed Trenne.  Drizzled with a beef bolognese style sauce, these triangular shaped pastas were cooked and then lightly sauteed in olive oil.   I actually could have dined on an order of the Trenne—it was delicious and reminded me of my mother’s and grandmother’s spaghetti sauce.  Since both of them are fantastic Italian cooks, that’s quite the compliment for Chef Peel! 

My main course was the Grilled John Dory, a light white fish that picked up a hint of what I think was oak planking through the grilling process.  It gave it a savory flavor that almost fooled my palate into believing I was eating steak–without triggering any of my red meat issues!  The really fantastic part about eating out with three other adventurous people is that you get to take a bite of four entrees instead of just one!  My husband tried the Santa Barbara Cod, cooked to perfection of course.  My daughter had the lamb and though I have a real aversion to eating lamb for reasons only clear to others who can’t seem to disconnect the meat on the plate from the star of Mary’s Little…I tried it and I liked it!  My son-in-law ordered a prime rib which was also cooked to perfection making it cut-with-a-fork tender and he also said he picked up on some oak-grilling technique that gave his meat a rich, deep savory undercurrent. 

I’m not actually a food critic, so I really hope I don’t offend anyone with my speculations about the oak-grilling methods, but in my effort to describe the unusual taste, I’m taking an educated and validated-by-my-dining-companions guess! 

For dessert, we all shared a pear-rhubarb tart and the flourless chocolate cake.  The cake wasn’t too sweet–I love it when chefs allow the true chocolate flavors to shine and don’t try to hide it behind a pound of refined sugar, so this slightly sweetened baking chocolate taste was perfect for us.  The chef also allowed the fruit to sweeten the tart instead of masking it with sugar.  Both desserts were fantastic…and since I shared, I don’t think I blew my points allowance too badly!

Okay, so the beer-battered squash blossoms with the melted mozarella would have been a full day’s worth by itself, I shared that too!  The fish was only 4 points…served with greens–the flavor-popping had to be aided by some kind of sauce, butter or oil so I’ll add two points to a usually 0 point side dish; the trenne and beef bolognese could have cost me plenty, but sharing it and having my French-Women-Don’t-Get-Fat three bites saved me from blowing it on that count and with the desserts!  I may have had three bites, a drink of coffee and then three more bites, but then, really, who’s counting? 

When in LA, make a point of visiting The Campanile restaurant…for brunch, lunch or dinner, Charlie Chaplin’s old office space makes a romantic setting for delicious food. 

Buon Appetito!

A great place for breakfast, lunch, after school snacks and pastries is La Provence Patisserie & Cafe.  La Provence has two—count ‘em—two locations.  The Bevery Hills Plaza location is smaller, houses their bakery and has been in business for 13 years.  I visited the Brentwood Cafe which has a gorgeous view from its Brentwood Gardens rooftop location, a large selection of organic egg breakfasts, lunches and dinners AND pastries.  Ooh la-la the pastries!  Their red velvet cupcakes and cakes are iced with cream cheese icing; their chocolate cupcakes boast chocolate ganache and their macaroons are the best in the LA area–or so they say–I’ve not yet eaten everyone’s macaroons in LA, but I will say as I compare them to my Columbus Ohio faves at Pistacio Vera’s, they are in the same league. 

French women don’t get fat–or so the book says–and I don’t want to either, so I split my macaroon selections with my husband and took half of each home to my daughter and son-in-law.   Michelle, the bakery manager who works at the Beverly Hills store should be commended for the quality of the buttercream middle and the light quality of the cookie.  In true macaroon fashion, these seem to melt in your mouth.  We tried 3 flavors:  the caramel fleur de sol, which has a homemade soft caramel middle instead of the buttercream, the lavendar and rose.  All the macaroons are made with almond flour giving each flavor a light nutty aftertaste.  The caramel was the most unusual macaroon I’ve tasted and without a doubt my favorite of the three.   The rose macaroon is made with rose water and if you can imagine the smell of one red rose…you can almost imagine the taste of the rose macaroon–very light floral taste that doesn’t overpower the almond undertones.  The lavendar was my least favorite…a bit strong, but not at all unpleasant.  When I say least favorite, I certainly don’t mean that I wouldn’t eat another one; only that given a choice, I’d order the Caramel Fleur de Sol every time. 

We also enjoyed an organic brie and mushroom omelette for breakfast, served with a cup of fresh California fruit and a small French baguette.  An estimated total points for my meal: 16!  Yikes!  Almost my daily total, but remember French Women don’t get fat?  That’s because they don’t clean their plates…so half the omelette is 5.5 points, eating all the fruit helps fill me up and only adds 1 point; and sharing those 3 macaroons?  well that adds up to 3 out of the 4 points for a sandwich type macaroon—9.5 points and I’ve enjoyed some of the best French Patisserie food in LA!  

Bon Appetit!

So, the butternut squash ravioli comes in at about 9 points…a lot of points but so worth it.  The ravioli burst with a sweet flavor.  I savored every bite.  Of course, the weightwatcher tips will tell you to cut points on a pasta meal by ordering marinara sauce, but go ahead and splurge at Giorgio’s and let them give you the cream sauce.  It’s also worth the 10 extra points for the half cup of cream sauce that coat the ravioli.  Now we’re up to 19 for the entree, but remember if you are good all week, you’ve got some points to use on this celebratory dinner.  The Giorgio side salad was a nice spinach, arugula mix with a roasted red pepper to add some extra pizzazz without extra points and the olivetini appetizer–if you leave the cheese and crostini’s alone only add 2 points if you can stick to 7 olives…good luck.

I recommend Giorgio’s for anyone who loves Italian food, and wants to celebrate their great weightwatcher behavior all week.   We had a good time with our friends.  Service was excellent and the price was great for such a fantastic meal.

We left the steps and entered the Chado Tea House at the rear of the museum where we had pastries and four different kinds of tea.  We also got an education about making the stuff—did you know, for example, that green tea leaves are too sensitive to just pour boiling water over them?  You should always coat your green tea leaves with a thin layer of cold water, then pour on the hot.

We had Japanese candies in Fugetsu-Do Candy store where we also sampled Mochi, now a favorite sweet.  We had fresh Mochi ice cream at Mikawaya and wine at Spitz Cafe on East 2nd Street and a full-course Japanese meal at Shabu-Shabu Restaurant in the Japanese Village Plaza.  We walked, talked, laughed and ate for 2 1/2 hours.  I recommend it to anyone who loves to eat, learn about food and experience cultures.  Go now–book a flight from Florida, the midwest or Canada and go to the only place left on earth where the sun is still shining!   Well, maybe I’ve exaggerated about the sun, but only a little!

Besides a wall of teas, you can sniff fresh spices along the opposite wall.  They carry things like anise stars and fennel powder.  I loved two specialty items in the center aisle—an Aroma Bouquet for $29.95 and packs of Sharon’s Sugar.  The Aroma Bouquets look like bunches of origami flowers, but inside each paper bud is a different tea.  Great idea when you don’t want to send flowers or candy.   Sharon’s Sugars come in little cellophane packs and are colored and shaped like little frogs.  Very cute to fill a mug for your secretary.

I love walking Westerville anyway…though not on a January day like this…and Blue Turtle is a great addition to the array of specialty stores and restaurants on State Street.

Oh, and just as an extra tip, I went to see It’s Complicated after visiting The Blue Turtle.  Great movie–a fun grown-up romantic comedy.  It makes for a great winter afternoon—hot tea and a hot movie!

This is one place I’m not going to count the Weight Watcher points.  If you’re going to Sugardaddy’s leave all illusions about sticking to a diet in the car.  Okay, try just a bite, buy a box and take it home—ration the bites over the next week—share, like I do, with nine other people–send gift towers to your friends and family and then you can at least feel good that if you aren’t going to lose weight, well, those other people aren’t either!

So, Sugardaddy’s isn’t a daily stop for me, but it makes a special occasion even more special.

When you stop in, make sure the guys know you got the 411 for Food and Fun right here!

No, that comes AFTER the Book Loft for me.  I buy a few dozen tomes for my eco-friendly tote bag and tote them next door to Cup o’ Joe’s, my favorite coffee shop in all of Columbus.  I don’t apologize for that—the other coffee establishments get enough of my business, but when I’m anywhere near downtown, I’d rather go to Cup o’ Joe’s than anywhere else.  The parking is horrible there—HORRIBLE—but worth it.  I love the atmosphere, the baristas, the selection and the coffee.  Remember to save your coffee sleeve and after 10 punches, you get a free drink.  Now, if I get their awesome decaf Americano, naturally decaffeinated and brewed to perfection, not bitter, not acidic, then I’ve used NO  Weight Watcher points.   If I’m lucky, I’ll get the soft upholstered seats in the front where I can pull out one of my books, sip coffee and read.  Many people sit outside in the summer and Cup o’ Joe’s even leaves a full dish out there for its canine consumers, but this time of year, it’s those cushy seats that beckon to me.  They’ve also added one of their MoJo Lounges at this location, so if you want a little nip of something a bit stronger, an appetizer or sandwich, you  can walk right past my favorite baristas, turn right at the 1st hallway and enter the Lounge area.

Since I’ve used no Weight Watcher points so far, I can zip on down to Pistacia Vera, where I can buy the absolute best macaroons in the entire world even if they misspell them:  macarons.  It’s probably spelled correctly in some language, but in any language, they are delicious.  My favorite flavor is pistachio, but you need to try as many flavors as possible–that’s my philosophy when it comes to Pistacia Vera’s macarons!  Weight Watcher points for macaroons is 2 for 2 cookies; I’m sure the deletion of that second ‘o’ in Pistachio Vera’s spelling also decreases the points just a tad, so I’m thinking I could have 3 with my Cup o’ Joe’s Americano.

And after refueling, a stroll down 3rd street in German Village isn’t complete without a stop at Caterina, Ltd.   A stop at Caterina’s fills you up as surely as if you had eaten 6 of those macarons.  They have beautiful imported linens and pottery, soaps and jewelry.  I always find some little thing there that I can afford to bring home so that every day I can be reminded of the wonderful places waiting just 25 minutes from my front door.

I didn’t talk about half the places in German Village that are worth a two hour drive…so add your own favorite German Village stop to my list.

She gave me her advice about length and layers and style and she was totally right.  My new cut got rave reviews at work today.  While she cut, she also styled a conversation that drew me out and created connection, not just between Dina and myself, but a connection that included the woman sitting beside me whose daughter in Florida is getting married in a few weeks, and the woman on my other side who didn’t really run into an old boyfriend at the grocery store on a day when snow turned into rain.

Studio Fovero is located in German Village, one of the few walking communities in the country.  A walking community means that a resident can get everything they need within walking distance of their home.   Visiting in the Village is a fun way to spend a day.  While you’re there, stop in at Studio Fovero, say hello to Dina and make an appointment.  You won’t be sorry.

I have never had as much fun in a hair salon—I was reluctant to leave when my hair was done.  I wanted to talk a bit longer to the new friends I’d made and have another cup of hot tea.  I guess that means I have to go back!

And with those few inspiring words, 411 For Food and Fun was born!  I hope you enjoy hearing about all the places I enjoy.  I love trying new places to eat and visit.  I can’t promise that I’ll always have something nice to say, which may disappoint my mother, but I hope it won’t disappoint you.

Just so you don’t feel like you’re wasting your time on my blog’s birth story, let me give you the low-down on a new European-style cafe you can find in Dublin…OHIO, not Ireland!

Tuula’s is located in the new Kroger’s plaza on Sawmill Road.  It faces Hard Road beside Hoggy’s.   With granite countertops and comfortable seating, Tuula’s is warm, friendly and beautiful.  They offer fresh-baked pastries, sandwiches and specialty coffee drinks.

Okay, so how did I find out about Tuula’s?  I first saw Tuula’s after we groomed our dog Zoey at Mutt & Co in the same little plaza.  Jack (my husband) was driving and I was bribing Zoey to like us again with freshly purchased organic dog treats when I saw the sign for Tuula’s.  We couldn’t stop then–we were both covered in dog hair and Zoey wasn’t really in a state to be left alone in the car.  Actually, we were concerned she’d do something vengeful for that recent bath, so we put it on our list for a return visit the next day after church.

Now when you go to Tuula’s, and I know you will, go with someone who will split with you so you can try several different items on their menu.  Jack ordered a chicken salad sandwich and I got the Greek Quiche.  The chicken salad contained just enough fruit to make it unique and utterly delicious; and the Greek Quiche had olives, spinach and feta cheese.  Unbelievably good.  We then split a Butter Eye Pulla, but when I go back, I’m getting my own.  There are things you can split and definitely things you should keep all for yourself.  A Butter Eye Pulla falls in the latter category.

If you’re in Dublin, Ohio, try Tuula’s.   In fact, you might see me there because just writing about it has made me very hungry!