The Seafood Bar ~ Amsterdam

May 11, 2014October 11, 2016 GOING NINETY MILESLeave a comment

The Seafood Bar restaurant in Amsterdam is where it’s at. We got there around 9:30 while navigating the streets with my iphone, we turned the corner walked a few steps and bingo, there it was! As we walked into the restaurant I could already tell this was gonna be good. The place was casual, fun and the food on everyone’s plates looked amazing.

The place was completely packed. We asked a waiter for a table and he said there would be one opening soon. But then we decided to eat at the bar. So we sat down, adjusted ourselves for some damn good food, and just as we did that the table against the wall (pretty much the third table back that you see in the picture above) opened up. We asked our kind and funny waiter again if we could have it and magically it became ours. We ordered a bottle of white (dry) and looked at the menu. I had no idea what to order! Everything sounded tantalizing. The lobster soup to the boiled king crab legs to the plate of oysters, I had major trouble deciding.

Donita settled on the lobster soup (delicious, fyi) and the prawns mango salad while I ordered the fruits de mer. Again our humorous waiter reminded me that this was a cold plate that I ordered. Good with me! Maybe Donita needed the cold plate considering she mentioned while our waiter was near that she was hot as she fanned herself with the menu. The waiter then helped her with the fanning process and said, “Shall I help you with that? And, by the way, of course you are hot!” Haha. He had a line for everything.

Check out our food. First, Donita’s prawns mango salad:

Looks amazeballs! And my fruits de mer. Lemme just say, it did NOT disappoint.

From the restaurant, to the food, to the service, this place was top notch. PLUS, what I liked about it the most is The Seafood Bar uses exclusively day-fresh products of the highest quality. Their products are 100% natural with no additives. When possible they use biological and Fair Trade products that have a transparent and responsible origin.

I look for this more and more in the restaurants that I go to. I want healthy food, but also I want food that has obtained the correct way. Look around people, this world isn’t going to last forever if we keep treating it badly. Wake up.

If you are in Amsterdam, do not miss The Seafood Bar. It is located at the Van Baerlestraat 5, one of the most beautiful streets of Amsterdam. The Vondelpark is on its side and only two blocks away from the Rijks museum.

ENJOY!!

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2013 · architecture · beauty · france · friends · just do it already · love love love · paris · sporty · travel

La Tour Eiffel

November 24, 2013October 10, 2016 GOING NINETY MILESLeave a comment

The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair, it has become both a global and cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 7.1 million people ascended it in 2011. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.

The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. Because of the addition of the antenna atop the Eiffel Tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 17 feet (5.2 m).

The tower has three levels for visitors. The third level observatory’s upper platform is at 279.11 m (915.7 ft) the highest accessible to the public in the EU. Tickets can be purchased to ascend, by stairs or lift (that means elevator to all you non British speaking folks), to the first and second levels. The walk from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. Although there are stairs to the third and highest level, these are usually closed to the public and it is usually accessible only by lift.

The line for the elevators was too long for our liking so we bought a ticket to walk the stairs. I can’t remember how much it was but no more than 10 euros. And the climb began! Up and round and up and round we went. Finally we made it to the first level! It was much higher than I thought it would be. Like everyone else, we snapped some pics.

You can see Sacré-Coeur in the background

And a lovely picture of us! I have this new habit of sticking my tongue under my teeth for some reason. But aren’t we adorable!?

We decided to keep going. Up to the second level. Yeah, we’re cool like that. That was about another 300 steps and we were getting high! As in elevation, my friends. I am usually fine with heights but I was getting a little dizzy and trying not to look down. Possibly it was being more claustrophobic with the people climbing the stairs up and down alongside me but the stomach was starting to do some flip-flops here and there. We arrived at the second level and took a quick walk around. Snapped some more pics …

.I took this one leaning back as far as I could. After that, vertigo kicked in and we had to GO! On the walk back down 600+ steps, Jeannette joked that we should start telling everyone, “Sorry, it’s closed.” I laughed the entire way down. Miss my Jeannie!

So there you have it. Maybe next time we will go to the top but maybe I will chicken out. Or maybe we will just hang out at the restaurant for hours and have several beers – will that make vertigo better or worse? Whatever the fact, time for you to climb the TOWER.

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friends · paris · travel

Paris This N That

November 8, 2013October 15, 2016 GOING NINETY MILES3 Comments

Paris Paris Paris! What a lovely city. Have you been? I would love to hear your favorite places.

I was in Paris last year, with Jeannie! With her job she sometimes needs to travel to France to meet with some French peeps and talk about French things … in English. Er, so I think. What the hell do I know? Anyways she had to go to Paris last month and asked me to meet her and the answer is always the same. OF COURSE I WOULD LOVE TO MEET YOU!

I did the same thing as last time, flew into Orly (with the WORST turbulence ever) and caught the Paris metro. It is SO easy! And saves me about 40 euros had I taken a taxi. We were staying at a different hotel this time. While it was nothing exciting and the room was quite small, it had a balcony which was fantastic. If you stay at the Mercure Paris Royal Madeleine hotel, make sure you ask for a room on the top floor with a balcony. Just do it.

I arrived around 4 p.m. and we walked a few blocks to a bistro and ordered two bieres. It was a bit chilly and I never seem to pack right for Paris. The time before I seemed to have only packed denim, I made quite the fashion statement. Oh yeah, I brought denim back y’all. After that it was all the fashion rage! And this time I was prepared for summer. I had a miniskirt, a tank top, a pair of jeans, a light cropped jacket and a flimsy blue scarf. And the temp was NOT summer. Alas, I survived. While enjoying our beers, a drunk guy aged about 30 years old was almost run over by a bus. But he retaliated by punching the bus driver’s window, so no worries. And then he stumbled away. There never seems to be a dull moment when Jeannie and I get together.

We wandered a bit. Stumbled onto the Champs-Élysées and took a quick (and blurry pic) of the Arc de Triomphe before being flattened by one of the speeding cars rushing by.

Then a pic of our shadows on the sidewalk a la Paris. (In my mind pronounced PA REEEEEEE)

.And because anything that says Felix always catches my eye (and my heart).

.Next up for the Paris blog post(s) – Eiffel, Louvre and cool bar on the Seine!

OH MY!

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beach · catalonia · fiestas · fun in the sun · just do it already · menorca · paaaarty · playa · spain · travel

Sant Joan Festival

August 16, 2013June 23, 2019 GOING NINETY MILES2 Comments

It’s that time of year again! Sant Joan festival in Spain. Many different versions around Spain – tonight in my sleepy Mallorcan town we will be heading to the beach for some BBQ, lighting LOTS of candles around us and possibly dip our toes in the ocean. This is all to celebrate the summer solstice.

BUT the best one to experience is in Menorca. The Sant Joan festival in Ciutadella. Which is CRAZY! Looks super cool but I would rather have the tamer version of it. And it allowed me to come into full contact with the horses! Something I doubt would be possible for me at the Sant Joan festival.

Check out these pics from the Sant Joan festival in Ciutadella. Insane in the membrane.

and this …..

Wowzers. That is A LOT of people. But that is the Sant Joan fiesta. Es normal.

The smaller festival that I attended the other year in Menorca was in Es Mercadal and called Sant Marti. The horse is the common hero of all the local saint’s day festivals celebrated in all the Menorcan villages during the summer and clearly shows how authentic the island customs are. The drivers and horsemen, dressed up in the outfit called “de just” (of the just man) in a combination of black and white and they ride Menorcan-race stallions in a long procession or parade (qualcada) which goes through all the main streets and squares of the town.

During the two days of the holiday, strict protocol is observed, mixing religious acts which are closely observed, with moments of collective fun especially during the “jaleos” which take place in the main square and where the horses, horsemen and public take part to an equal extent in the show.

And this Jaleo is what we went to on Sunday morning at 11 am in the Plaça Constitució. It was, in a word, fantastic. First, the riders rode in a procession through the street showing off themselves and their gorgeous horses. And then the fun begins! They ride into the public circle in twos while the spectators (me!) try to touch the horse while it rears up. This went on for about an hour. I am allergic to horses. Seriously, all I have to do is look at a horse and I start to get welts on my face and arms. But after 15 minutes I was ready to get into the game. Screw allergies! It was so much fun.

and

If you get a chance to go to the Sant Marti or the Sant Joan festival I highly recommend it. And make sure you wear clothes that can get dirt, sand, horse slobber and more on it. NO HIGH HEELS! No. Muy ridiculo – and don’t think I didn’t see it.

Happy Summer Solstice! xo

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beach · catalonia · hotels · menorca · paaaarty · spain · travel

Menorca ~ Part UNO

August 6, 2013October 15, 2016 GOING NINETY MILES1 Comment

Hola! How are you today friends? My cousin, Megan and I, went to Menorca last weekend. Where is Menorca you may ask? Well, let’s consider Mallorca the island major and menorca the island minor. It is only a hop skip and a jump away from here. There are two ferries you can catch from Alcudia (in Mallorca) to Ciutadella (in Menorca) – Balearia and Iscomar. Balearia has a faster boat which only takes 1.5 hours between each island and Iscomar boats take about 2.5 hours. Of course the faster boat is a bit more expensive but each way is anywhere between 45 – 80 euros depending on what all you want regarding speed and schedule.

Don’t you just love this little sketch I found? It is adorable! I wish we would have had more time to have seen everything. Menorca is MUCH smaller than Mallorca and I was surprised at how quickly we could get from one end of the island to the other. Let me tell you about the trip.

I decided that we would take our chances with the ferry ticket and we would purchase the round-trip ticket when we arrived in Alcudia on Friday. Why? I don’t know. Stupidity, probably. We arrived about an hour and a half before the Iscomar ferry was scheduled to leave, I asked for round-trip tickets, Friday and return on the Sunday 7:00 p.m. ferry. “Sorry, the 7:00 ferry is booked. We have the Monday ferry available?” Ahhhh, why do I do these things?!? I smiled at my cousin who may or may not have been panicking inside. We both had to work early Monday in Mallorca so that was not an option. “Two one way tickets to Menorca please.” I responded. And we got on the boat!

It was a very nice boat! We sat on the top deck in the sunshine and drank a beer while we cruised to Menorca. We arrived at the Ciutadella port a little after 19.30, jumped in a cab and went to our hotel, the Prinsotel. It was a nice hotel for a great price. The room was clean, a big pool, friendly staff and just a tad bit on the outskirts of Citutadella (about an 8 euro cab fare to the centre). We cleaned up, got ready for dinner, easily booked the 11 pm ferry back with Balearia on Sunday evening and we were off to have some food.

Ciutadella had a really fun and vibrant atmosphere going on. We headed down to the port where there is pretty much fish restaurant after fish restaurant with the same menu, maybe a pizzeria or two thrown into the mix. We choose a fish restaurant (naturally) with tables right at the edge of the port and settled in. It was lovely! There were fish jumping out of the water! Here is a picture from where I was sitting.

Gorgeous, right? After dinner we headed towards the “bar/nightclub” area around the Pla de Sant Joan. We thought JAZZBAH looked the best and it was so fun it was the only one we ventured to that night. There are three levels: the bottom level is the dance floor, the next two levels are more of a chillout area with tables that overlook the other clubs surrounding the area and the port. I ordered a POMADE, which is gin and lemonade but it was more like a lemonade slushy and it was absolutely scrumptious. I had a few more …… PARTEEEE TIME!

The next morning we ventured out of our hotel and grabbed a taxi to AVIS for our car rental. I will try to make a long story short BUT when we arrived and said we had a reservation they asked for our International Driving License. Okay, yes, I read in all the books that you should have one but NEVER in my 7+ years of living in Europe have I ever been asked for one – this is including being pulled over my Spanish Policia plenty of times. I argued and stated what I just told you but they stood their ground. So, last time I reserve a car with Avis in Europe. I had them call us a taxi and funnily enough it was the same taxi guy that dropped us off! He asked, “Que pasa?” and I explained the situation back to him in Spanish. WhoHoo for ME! He took us to Europcar and we had no problem renting a car with them. So off we went.

To a gorgeous beach on the Northern coast – Cala d’Algariens. If you go, don’t park in the first parking area keeping driving down that bumpy dirt road, there is a parking area much closer to the beach. We arrived, walked about 10 minutes until we got to the beach, walked down the wooden steps and crashed. We were tired, possibly a bit hungover (those Pomades!) and it was freaking hot. But check out the view.

The water was cold! And it gets deep pretty fast. But it was an expansive beach with room for everyone. Come and visit! After a couple of hours chillaxing we figured we should drive to the other end of Menorca and check-in to our hotel, shower up and grab some food. We opted for a quiet night in Mahon from partying it up the night before.

We finally checked into the Catalonia Mirador des Port. I say finally because they are many one way streets and it was difficult for us to find the correct street that would actually take us there! Possibly you could chalk that up to be hungover… Anyways, I was extremely disappointed in the hotel. While the reception woman was very nice and breakfast (for an extra 8 euros each) was fine, the room reeked of cigarette smoke and everything was out-dated. Regardless, we unpacked and walked around the Mahon port area. It was much quieter than Ciutadella. But sweet and tranquilo. We stopped by the restaurant Casanova (Moll de Ponent 15) for a huge personal wood-fired oven pizza. Delicious! Just what I was needing.

We had big plans for the next day – the horse festival in Es Mercadal (my favorite festival so far!), a cool bar on the cliffs of Cala En Porter and a beach on the Southern coast. Check back soon for Menorca Part Dos! Gracias!

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food · france · love love love · paris · travel

City of Lights

July 14, 2012October 14, 2016 GOING NINETY MILES4 Comments

Man, things have been a bit crazy here. Three weeks ago I was in Paris and then my cousin was here for two weeks. All of that being most excellent but busy busy. Plus I was teaching my English classes (which I must blog about soon) in midst of all of that.

Let’s recap PARIS, shall we? I landed at the Paris – ORLY airport and was determined to try out the metro instead of just catching a cab. It was so easy! (And I must admit I was quite proud of myself; just ask Jeannie as I mentioned the fact just a few hundred times) But then I chickened out doing it the way back – mostly from time constraints!

I met Jeannie at the Mercure Paris Opera hotel (not bad but absolutely nothing fancy) and we headed out for some food. After ditching two restaurants because they didn’t have exactly what we were looking for, we found the perfect one. We ordered two croque madams (pretty much a grilled ham and cheese with an egg on top – DELICIOUS), two beers and caught up on each other’s lives. Which sadly we never have enough time to do, we might need a few weeks at a quiet lake house for that.

Next up, the ferris wheel! Here are a few things we saw:

Can you see the reflection from the ferris wheel carriage?

The Louvre! So cool.

For the next two days we ate more croque madams (somehow that doesn’t sound right) and began our search for the best steak tartare. And my favorite of the three was at the Hotel Amour. We sat in their cute courtyard, were served bread with butter and almost licked the butter bowl clean. The steak tartare was spiced perfectly and came with a side order of steak frites. What’s there not to like!?

When we weren’t on our quest for the perfect food, I took photos. One thing to mention about Paris is that everything is so BIG! The buildings, the monuments, the churches = HUGE. I like things a bit more petite. How about that for using a french word in my post? By the way, I graduated college (Oklahoma State University WOOT!) with a minor in French, and now, I can speak n-o-t-h-i-n-g. Although I did come back to Spain saying Merci and Bonjour to everyone.

I have always been in love with the metro signs of Paris.

I love this one.

On our last night we headed up to Montmarte where many famous artists lived and worked – Picasso, Dali, Monet, van Gogh. How cool to walk the streets where they had walked, to look over the city like they did every day. And what a view it is!

The breathtaking Sacré Coeur.

And to end the post with things that made me laugh. I might have a bit of a strange sense of humor but I found these completely hilarious.

Pestacles or coque anyone!? Go to Paris now and tell me about your favorite croque madame and steak tartare!

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drinkin' · food · hotels · new orleans · travel · usa · yum

NOLA

May 15, 2012August 7, 2017 GOING NINETY MILES1 Comment

NOLA – New Orleans, Louisiana. Ah-May-Zing! So much fun. And I feel silly for saying this, but it was my first time there. I really don’t know what took me so long. I guess it was just the distance from my older stomping grounds. In Oklahoma we would head towards Lake Texoma, Padre or once for a college spring break we drove from Stillwater to Fort Lauderdale. When I lived in Dallas, well, I went to, um, Dallas! And when I was in the New York/CT area I went to well, Manhattan, of course. But also to Mt. Snow, Vermont and a few other random Pepsi sponsored ski areas.

But I am getting off track. Jeannette (the lovely) and I went to the Big Easy for our 40th celebration. We met up at the Maison Dupuy hotel. A very nice hotel with possibly a dead, bald guy in the hot tub. He NEVER left y’all! The rooms were clean, the shower had nice water pressure (something that is very important to me), the front staff were nice and friendly, there was a pool and free Wi-Fi. All in all, a great hotel for a decent price.

As I just said, I had never been to NOLA, even though Jeannette was a seasoned pro. We headed down Bourbon St. to see the crazies and get a drink. I was bound and determined to have a Hurricane but then thought, do I really want to throw up on my first day here? I settled for a beer and Jeannie introduced me to my new favorite beer – ABITA Purple Haze.

Abita beer whether it was Purple Haze or Amber was a constant for the remainder of our trip. Well, that and Bloody Marys, mmmmmmmmmmmmm, don’t EVEN get me started on the bloodies from Molly’s at the Market. We watched them being made: a little Guinness, half a squeezed lemon and lime, some Cajun seasoning, worchestire, horseradish, tabasco, juice from the pickled green beans (i wish i could have brought back 12,000 jars of those) and their already mixed bloody mix. The first time there we had THREE. I would have had more to stare at that mellow cat that hangs out on the tables with the customers but my stomach was rumbling and we needed to get ready for dinner.

Speaking of dinner/food we ate SO GOOD. Here were our stops and each were amazing. And in all actuality, it was mainly about the food. Don’t miss any of these.

1. Dante’s Kitchen – Ok, this place…they have the best vegetables in any New Orleans restaurant, an outdoor patio, and an amazing wine list. They have incredible meat and fish dishes too. This is a great restaurant to get away from downtown, and one of the most inspired menus I’ve seen anywhere. The food and produce is fresh, fresh, fresh, and they accentuate the freshness with the preparation and presentation. The only thing I will say is that the portions are HUGE!!! Bring some friends and plan on having one of the best meals of your life.

2. NOLA – This is one of Emeril’s restaurants in New Orleans. Featuring an eclectic menu of New Orleans Creole and Acadian cuisine with an occasional ethnic twist, the rustic style of cooking showcases Southern Cajun, Vietnamese and Southwestern influences using Louisiana products. Private dining rooms, a bread and pastry bakery and wine cellar are located on NOLA’s third floor.

3. Coop’s – Hands down this was my favorite place. The fried chicken was out of this world and the prices were excellent. This French Quarter bar, with its placement across the street from Margaritaville and down the street from Café du Monde, is kind of in tourist central, meh; but these guys have the real deal in red beans and rice, gumbo, fried chicken, and super authentic local favorites. Also check out the side salad, with the BEST homemade Green Goddess dressing in town. The servers are sweet and super tattooed, the kitchen is basically in the outdoor courtyard, and next door is the fantastically alt-goth bar…

4. Felix’s Oyster Bar – Besides being the name of my favorite boyfriend, it was also a fantastic place to grab a seat, an Abita and a dozen oysters. They also have Po-boys, seafood platters and some darn good fried pickles. Man, I could really go for another dozen oysters with lots of horseradish and lemon.

5. Central Grocery – Central Grocery is home of the muffuletta, one of New Orleans’ great sandwiches. A circular loaf of soft Italian bread is sliced horizontally and piled with salami, ham, and provolone, which are in turn topped with a wickedly spicy melange of chopped green and black olives fragrant with anchovies and garlic. You miss this, and you might cry.

6. Café Du Monde – World famous for its cafe‘ au lait, beignets, and the opportunity to people watch. Another New Orleans favorite, stop by for a chicory coffee and beignets to cure your morning hangover. The service was a bit slow while seated so maybe check out the TO GO line on the side if you are in a hurry. But it is a don’t miss.

7. Satsuma Cafe – Their Kale Salad, made of all local ingredients, fresh, and organic, features Lacinato kale, Parmesan dressing, and (this is New Orleans after all) a piece of bacon on the side. This is the BEST SALAD in the city, hands down. A few blocks away from Desire Street, (which kind of says it all), and in the stunning Baywater, this is the hippyish place to go for great coffee and espresso, fresh ginger muffins, super great Nutella banana pancakes, fresh BLT’s with real tomatoes, hummus, bagels and lox with all the sides, and fresh juices made to order. It’s also all organic. Sit at the Squirrel Table and read the New York Times, or a local paper with the locals (and believe me, they’re there). It has a totally great vibe and fresh, fresh, fresh organic food. These guys make an effort and it shows.

I think I will take a break here. Now I am craving an oyster po-boy, an Abita Purple Haze and some excellent fried chicken. Stay tuned for some more New Orleans news and lots of cool pics. Ciao!

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barcelona · food · love love love · spain · travel · yum

Dos Palillos

December 2, 2011October 22, 2016 GOING NINETY MILESLeave a comment

Dos Palillos is a restaurant in Barcelona where the concept is asian tapas. And it is DA BOMB, you must go! It was such a fun experience.

There is a long menu (for 70 € per person) or the short menu (55€ pp) to choose from. Naturally, my parents and I went for the long menu. You sit at the “asian bar” which is opposite the open kitchen and your chef is also your waiter. The chef explains each dish that is served and answers any and all questions you may have – my Mom had a lot. 🙂

To start us off we had a bright pink Japanese mojito. Here are some of the mouth-watering foods we were served. And I apologize for the pictures, I must work on my taking food pics skills….

Fresh Crispy Chicken Roll

Sunomono, with fresh seaweed and molluscs

Yummmmmy, Pasolasmonjas 2007 (Navarra, Spain)

One of my favorites – Tuna belly temaki

Roe

If you thought those looked delish, then just think of how much more deliciouser (yes, Kim word) they would be/look/smell/feel if I could take decent food pics! A few more mentions as to what else was on our menu: home-made shitake tsukudani, sardines with kombu, hot – raw fresh prawns, thai style laser clams, chawanmushi, free range chicken sasami, sea anemone tempura, steamed fresh prawn dumplings (another fav), japo burger, shao lom pao and to end it right – panda leaf ice cream. Have I said it was amazing?!

Just go already. Oh – and if you have the money stay at the Casa Camper hotel right next door.

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