Soho's Worst-Kept Secret: Chalk Point Kitchen

The weather in NYC is officially cold, Winter is exactly two weeks away and we're right smack in the middle of holiday season.  All to say, Christina and I have both taken up hibernating in a very serious way lately. This has been great for cooking at home with the chilly weather inspiring us to turn on our ovens and use our stoves, but can't say we've really ventured out to try any place 'new and exciting' lately.  That is, until a few weeks ago, when we stumbled upon a little gem just a few short blocks from our office: Chalk Point Kitchen.

Now, there's a part of us that secretly hopes our co-workers happen not to see this post...because we'd really like to keep this place all to ourselves.  Working in Tribeca/Soho, there are countless trendy and exciting options for lunch, dinner and drinks - but there are certain spots you just always keep going back to...that everyone always keeps going back to...

But we wouldn't mind if we kept coming back to Chalk Point Kitchen. It's quickly becoming our new neighborhood spot that has the perfect cozy, inviting ambiance that is second only to the mouth-watering farm-to-table menu and freshly-squeezed cocktails. 

From the outside, it feels completely unpretentious and almost beckons you to come in through it's dramatic, reclaimed wood doors.  The rustic feel continues inside with a design that is decidedly 'vintage farm house'.  Intimate lighting and antique market finds from Upstate New York and Pennsylvania all have their own place on the walls that give the room character - and yet still feels fresh and uncluttered. The 'fresh' feel is complimented by herb gardens heated by "grow lights" along the perimeter of the dining room that are actually used in CPK's cocktails.

The food is a mix of locally sourced, seasonal, sustainable and organic products and, wow, is it delicious!  Check out a few of the menu items we can't wait to come back for:

New Orleans Style Crab and Avocado: flavorful with lime and old bay, generously chunky & fresh, paired sesame crisps.

Union Square Cauliflower Steak: salty tahini against sweet golden raisins with the perfect al dente texture.

CPK's signature Kale Martini.  
You can have your kale and drink it too!
Incredibly refreshing (think cucumber martini), balanced and easy to drink.

Classic Butterscotch Pudding with vanilla ice cream and duck fat popcorn.
It's amazing how well butterscotch, vanilla and popcorn go together!
Fun, inventive and so, so delicious we were licking our spoons!

Feel good!

Pumpkin Pancake Flavor Face-off

Fall is in full swing and I've been having an apple moment for the last month ever since we went apple picking in early October. But after making apple-everything, it's all about pumpkin now. This is my pumpkin moment.

It's the first weekend in November that we've been home to enjoy the crisp, fresh, Fall air and so I took advantage to do exactly what should happen on a perfect Saturday morning: homemade brunch.

The tricky part about cooking anything when it comes to the hubby and I is that we eat completely differently.  He's all about flavor, and I'm all about how healthy it is. My argument of course is that the two can, and do, go hand-in-hand.  

However, when it comes to pancakes, he wants the old-fashioned flour, milk and sugar kind, while I'm left scouring Pinterest for a hemp seed, flourless, protein-packed version.  And so today I ended up with a flavor face-off of pumpkin pancakes.  I'm happy to report that BOTH were delicious!

Traditional Pumpkin Pancakes for Him:

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a separate bowl. Stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Pumpkin Pancake recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com

Healthier Pumpkin Pancakes for me:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oatmeal

6 egg whites

1/4 cup pumpkin

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

a splash of vanilla extract

2 tbs hemp seed (optional)

1/4 cup crushed walnuts (optional)

Grind the oatmeal first by using a coffee grinder, magic bullet or a blender (I used my new Ninja blender, which worked amazing).  Stir the rest of the ingredients all together. 

Set a non stick pan to medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Cook each side for about a minute. Depending on the size of your pan it could make from 3 large pancakes to 5 smaller ones (which is what I did).

Recipe courtesy of fit-fun-delish.com

Like I said, both of these recipes were delicious.  I would say 'his' were a bit sweeter (even before adding maple syrup!), and did have a very nice, spiced pumpkin flavor.  I loved mine for the nuttiness of adding the walnuts against the sweetness of the pumpkin, and ended up topping with raspberry jam for a fruity kick.

Feel good!

Mashed Cauliflower with Jalapeno and Cheddar Recipe

I made mashed cauliflower a couple of weeks ago and I've been a bad, lazy blogger about sharing it with you. I had just received my Ninja blender in the mail, one day before my final CSA (AKA huge bag-o-veggies) arrived, and I just wanted to blend everything. Realizing that would be unwise, and likely unappetizing, I took to the CSA bag to find something that made sense to blend, and that is how I landed on mashed cauliflower.

I had never mashed cauliflower before, so I did what every normal 27-year-old girl would do - I spent a half hour on Pinterest looking at pictures of it. But the pictures made me think of grits, which made me crave jalapeno grits from The Smith, and I did have one last jalapeno left from my summer garden, so I decided I would switch things up and treat my mashed cauliflower like loaded grits.

And that is how the following recipe came to be. The final product was so rich and creamy. The spicy jalapeno gave it the perfect kick, and the sharp cheddar added just the right cheesy flavor to counter it. You can take out the jalapeno and cheddar for a more traditional mashed potato taste, which I might try for Turkey day, though I worry that it might be sacrilegious to forgo real mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.

Oh, ONE ANNOUNCEMENT before you read this delicious recipe: Alycia and I are both proud new owners of the Nutri Ninja I Ninja Blender DUO With Auto-iQ. We'll be conducting a 'blend off' over the next few weeks to put them to the test! This blender was the star of the show at IFBC, and the nice folks at Ninja are letting us try them out for the blog, so expect smoothies, soups and sides in the near future!

Mashed Cauliflower with Jalapeno and Cheddar

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets 
• 1/3 cup chicken broth, warmed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt
• pepper
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• fresh chives, thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)

Fill medium-sized pot with water and bring to a boil. Place cauliflower florets into water and boil for about 10 minutes, until fork-soft.

Drain the cooked cauliflower and place in Ninja blender (or any blender/food processor). Add chicken broth, butter, salt and pepper; puree until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and mix in jalapeno and cheddar, leaving some aside to use as garnish. Top with remaining jalapeno, cheddar, and chives, and serve.

Feel Good,
Christina

Our Favorite Little Corner of Seattle: Le Pichet

Who would have thought that in the port city of Seattle, we would stumble upon the most adorable French café and discover our new all-time favorite French rosé?

Well, we did. Our very first night in Seattle, fresh off our flight from New York. We were hungry, thirsty and dying to wet our palates with our first experience in this new city. After getting situated at our hotel for the night, Inn at The Market, we were told that there were two late-night options that would be open for a bite and drink - and thank goodness we chose Le Pichet.

Located just around the corner from Pike Place Market, steps from our hotel, Le Pichet seats just 32 at a time and transports you straight to France with it's small wooden tables and warm, humble ambiance. The café's name, 'Le Pichet' means 'The Pitcher' - a simple, ceramic vessel used to serve wine, which is the norm for traditional neighborhood restaurants in France. This is one French custom we (literally!) picked up quite nicely.

We somehow made time to come back for a second visit while exploring every nook and cranny of Seattle. Whether it was the deliciously delicate rosé or the quaint, inviting café - Le Pichet made us come back for more of 'Le Pichet'.

The wine wasn't the only slice of heaven we came back for. Our first night, we shared a mouth-watering display of cheeses and charcuterie, as well as their pâté albigeois (pork pâté), and a beautiful salad with thin, delicate shaved duck atop fresh greens. When we returned a few days later, we sampled the vibrant beet salad with pommes frites, traditional ham and gruyere on baguette and the quiche special, which changes daily but was spinach and red pepper on this particular day.

The beets were accompanied by a soft boiled egg. Which, at first, felt a bit unnecessary. However, once the egg was cut into, the bright yellow yolk escaped immediately and became the perfect, sunny backdrop to the dish. The sharp contrast of the yolk against the blood-red flesh of the beets was almost startling. I soon discovered how much soft-boiled-egg and firm-tender-beet actually belonged together. This, against the salty pairing of the pommes frites, was the perfect introduction to our meal.

Beets & Pommes Frites

For my main dish, I chose to go traditional and unfussy with a French baguette layered with mild, nutty gruyere on top of salty-sweet ham, complimented with country whole-grain mustard. It was perfect and simple. Just what I was going for. Until...

Ham and Gruyere on Baguette

...Christina chose the quiche. You could almost taste it with your eyes. I remember instantaneously rethinking my decision with the baguette as soon as I saw it. The fluffy, pie-sliced egg looked like a pastel-colored cloud interspersed with veins of deep green spinach and subtle, translucent cheese.  The flakey crust was almost too delicate for a fork to handle. Although the crispy, buttery pastry wed so perfectly to the pillow of eggs and spinach, it was just so good you almost forgot about the pie crust all-together. That, my friends, is a French quiche.

Spinach and Red Pepper Quiche

I think perhaps the only way to top this truly French experience in our favorite corner of Seattle would be for a foodie field trip to where else...France?!?  Girls can dream!

Santé!

Feel Good!
Alycia

IFBC 2014: Cooking Seasonably and Stuffed Winter Squash Recipe

How do you plan your dinners? Maybe you're having a small group over for a dinner party and you whip out you favorite cookbook to find a recipe that will impress your guests. I've done this before, copying the long list of ingredients and heading to my grocery store (and usually three more in the area) to hunt down every last obscure spice. More often though, I play my favorite game of 'what's in my kitchen?' collecting whatever ingredients are on hand to create something new. This is mostly due to laziness over creativity, but when life is busy, it works.

Surprisingly, award-winning chef Thierry Rautureau (Chef In the Hat) validated my method during a cooking demonstration at last week's 2014 International Food Bloggers Conference (IFBC).

Image from Foodista.com

Rautureau talked to us about the beauty of using fresh, in-season ingredients, and showed us that an artful meal can be made with just seasonal produce and the food in your fridge. Rather than starting with the recipe book, he suggested starting with a trip to the grocery store or local market to scope out what is in-season, and planning your meals from there.

I really like the notion of cooking what is seasonally available to you, and agree with Rautureau that this is a step towards a more sustainable future. Each Summer I join a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group through a local farm, which sends a big bag of fresh veggies my way every two weeks; cooking fresh and local could not get easier. I came home from IFBC in detox mode after all of the lavish dinners, wines and desserts, so I looked to my CSA bag and my swag from the conference for inspiration. This is what I came up with.

Roasted and stuffed squash is pretty much my lazy girl go-to on chilly fall or winter days. I always keep quinoa and chicken stock on hand, so it's just a matter of finding some fresh veggies and squash, and dinner is served. This recipe is completely interchangeable with whatever is in your kitchen, so open the refrigerator door and have at it! It can also be modified easily to fit into a vegetarian or vegan diet by substituting the chicken stock and butter. 

I used this roasted acorn squash with wild rice stuffing recipe on Chow.com with some modifications to help guide my cooking method. Click over there for a different variation on this classic!

Ingredients: 

2 medium winter squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 sweet red pepper, diced
3 stalks of broccoli rabe, torn into bite-size pieces
3 cups of cooked quinoa, prepared like so (I used Aneto chicken broth as my liquid, but veggie broth or water also work just fine)
1.2 ounces of sliced black olives (this number is random because I used a pack of Pearls Olives to-go, courtesy of IFBC)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions:

Heat the oven to 450°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place the squash cut-side up on a baking sheet, brush 1 tablespoon of the melted butter over the tops and insides of the squash halves, sprinkle with the brown sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, place 1 tablespoon of the melted butter in a large frying pan over medium heat (substitute with cooking oil, if desired). Once melted/heated, add the onion, red pepper, and broccoli rabe, season with salt and pepper, and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just softened, about 6 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the quinoa, black olives, and crushed red pepper flakes. Divide the quinoa filling among the roasted squash halves and sprinkle the hemp seeds on top to garnish.

Continue roasting until the squash is completely fork tender, the edges have started to brown, and the filling is heated through, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Feel good,
Christina

IFBC 2014: Food Photography

Christina ready for IFBC weekend!

After almost two full days of exploring and eating our way through Seattle, we were finally ready to dive head-first into The International Food Bloggers Conference at the Friday night opening reception - and was it delicious!

We walked away with tons and tons of local & specialty goodies that we were already strategizing how to pack for the flight back to the East Coast!  The sponsors of the IFBC clearly put their best foot forward with so many opportunities to try their products and talk to them directly about how great they are.

Highlights included gorgeous "Beef It's What's For Dinner" serving towels, Nutiva hemp seeds and protein powder, gimMe teriyaki seafood snacks (outrageously delicious!) - and Aneto 100% Natural paella & chicken broth straight from Spain!  Aneto even went as far as embroidering each and every one of the attendee's blog or company names on an apron...so now when someone asks if we have aprons embroidered in Spain with 'Feel Good Foodies' on them...we can say yes! ; )

So. Awesome.

Before the keynote (with Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, award-winning authors of The Flavor Bible, What to Eat with What You Drink and others) on Saturday, we were served a light, yummy breakfast from Noosa Yoghurt.

The first session of the day was probably one of my most favorite of the weekend.  It starred Todd Coleman, Tasting Table's Creative Director and Co-Founder of Delicious Contents, who talked to us all about Modern Editorial Photography.  

Some of the things he taught us might seem obvious, but actually seeing the photography-art that came out of the principles he shared was breathtaking. 

Photo from: www.toddcolemanphotography.com

He was also just fun to listen to. Todd's demeanor was refreshingly humble, it felt as if he was a friend in your living room offering up a few tried-and-true tips on food photography - except his end result is anything but humble.  Todd's photography is awe-inspiring and the stories behind them are just as captivating.  It almost felt as if: the better the photo, the better the story, and vice-versa.

He taught us to be bold, gutsy and 'get the shot' no matter what you have to work with.  In some cases, Todd explained that putting food in unexpected places can create unexpected and exciting textures. Whether you're faking natural light with a flashlight to create a specific visual experience, or using aluminum foil to create light and shadow, it all came down to creativity and looking at things a little bit differently.

Photo from: www.toddcolemanphotography.com

During IFBC weekend, I attempted to put some of what I learned from this session into practice when Christina and I dropped by our new favorite French cafe in Seattle, Le Pichet (future post coming on this little gem soon!) for the second time.  I found myself looking at beautiful foods a bit differently after Todd's session - everything doesn't always need to be in its right place and can be beautiful apart from the initial presentation, which is what I tried to capture here:

...And yes, it tasted as delicious at it looks ; )

Feel Good!

Alycia 

Shiro's Sushi & Lola: Seattle Twosome

As New Yorkers, we eat a LOT of sushi.  We should have a completely separate budget set aside apart from rent, groceries, etc. and include a 'sushi fund' in the mix.  That said, we certainly have our share of sushi experiences to compare from - and last night that was deliciously put into practice.

After a full day at Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle, we had met enough locals that after asking 'where's the best sushi in town' over and over again, we knew where to go: Shiro's.

If you've every watched the Netflix documentary, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" (just watch it), you'll know that anyone who has studied under the 'Godfather of sushi,' Jiro Ono, has undoubtedly become a master of the craft in their own right - and Shiro is no exception. A two-time James Beard nominee, Master Chef Shiro Kashiba brought his sushi skills and years of grueling apprenticeships from Tokyo to Seattle.  In 1967, Shiro opened Seattle's first full service sushi bar.

During last night's sushi experience, we discovered the delicate, buttery complexities that Shiro is famous for - and Jiro dreamt of.  Dreamy slices of elegantly-laid fish made us pause between each sushi piece and reflect on the flavors that were swimming through our senses.  It was, in a word, blissful.     

Tako-su (Octopus in miso vinaigrette) appetizer

Omakase (chef's choice)

(The best) Miso soup (I've ever had)

Our special treat: tempura shrimp head
(actually very delicious!)

...But we couldn't just end the night without a little something sweet.  After we came out of our sushi haze, we headed over to Lola, a Tom Douglas creation.  The renown Seattle chef and restauranteur, has ten restaurants throughout Seattle and Lola is best know as Douglas' Greek's inspired restaurant.  Thought the food receives rave reviews, it's perhaps most famous for it's doughnut dessert: pillowy sweet squares paired with mascarpone and apricot preserves.  We had to try them of course, and they didn't disappoint. We also laid into the decadent Chokolata: a rich dark chocolate confection layered with turkish brittle coffee ice cream, spiced caramel, explosive chocolate pearls, topped with a chocolate macaroon. Essentially a chocolatey, spiced, party-on-a-plate.

An epic dinner finished with an epic dessert.  If this was our first full night in Seattle, I can't wait to see what else is in store for this foodie weekend!

Chokolata & Doughnuts

Feel Good,

Alycia

IFBC 2014 Pre-Con: Feel Good Foodies Hit Pike Place Market

Almost everything we do at Feel Good Foodies is planned down to the T, planning is a big part of our day jobs, after all. Our approach to 'Day 1' in Seattle was no different, and despite our late-night arrival on Wednesday, we set our alarms for 9 a.m. Thursday, aiming to roll out of bed and conveniently cross the street to explore Pike Place Market. Well, anticipation got the best of us, and we both popped out of bed by 8 a.m. ready to go. We spent the entire day exploring this little but robust part of the city.

After walking past the original Starbucks for a quick picture (I was a barista for three years, so this was a must-do!), we entered the Market and were greeted by friendly vendors and lots of samples. Some of our favorites included:

Sampling smoked salmon and talking NYC with the guys from City Fish Co.

Tasting just about every preserve, marmalade and sauce that Woodring Northwest had to offer (try the strawberry rhubarb)!

Indulging in Black Forest and Pinot Noir cherries from the adorable folks at Chukar Cherries.

...And tasting every single oil and balsamic vinegar from OMG! Olive Oils. We both decided we couldn't live without the White Truffle Oil. Favorite balsamics included White D'Anjou Pear and Barrel Aged Vanilla Fig.

All of this tasting occurred before breakfast, but we found it in ourselves to roll over to Lowell's for a late brunch.

I had the San Juan Benedict (one smoked salmon and one crab), and Alycia had the blueberry, lemon, ricotta pancakes. The Benedict was perfect. I liked that it was atop sourdough bread rather than an English muffin, and the seasoning on the Holandaise sauce was just right. The pancakes were rich and sweet, and everything tasted incredibly fresh.

The main attraction of the day though was catching a fish at the Pike Place Fish Market. You'll be happy to know that we both succeeded.


We rewarded ourselves with a tasting flight at The Pike Brewing Company, and a walk through Post Alley to leave our mark.

We stopped through the aquarium during octopus feeding time, which was quite incredible. Did you know that octopus change colors depending on what they're doing? When they're active they turn an amazing red color, but if they're sleeping they tend to camouflage with their surroundings (sorry, no pictures). 

When we thought we were done for the day, until we happened upon Copperworks Distilling Company, a local craft distillery and tasting room, on our walk back to the hotel. 

This vodka, let me tell you. It had just enough of a hint of vanilla, and it was so smooth. The gin was good as well, less dry than your standard and just a bit more subtle in flavor. The third that we tried was a limited edition malt barrel gin, aged in an American Oak barrel that was previously used to age malt whiskey. The taste was complex and interesting, and I'd love to see a skilled bartender creatively incorporate this one into a signature cocktail. 

Ok, I'm exhausted just writing about this day. Alycia will pick back up later to tell you about the best sushi we've ever experienced.

Feel good,

Christina 

Foodie Field Trip: Seattle

BIG NEWS: At this very moment, Feel Good Foodies (AKA Alycia and myself) are in-flight on our way to Seattle for the 2014 InternationalFood Bloggers Conference (IFBC).

This opportunity actually came to us through our employer, Edelman, and a program they offer called Edelman Escape. According to Edelman, Edelman Escape offers U.S. employees with an escape from the duties of everyday work to pursue a dream, goal or experience that will enrich their lives. Alycia and I have Edelman to thank for our friendship, and for this blog, so when we heard about the program we decided that it was absolutely necessary to apply.

For those of you not familiar with the story of Feel Good Foodies, allow me to provide some background. Alycia and I met on our very first day at Edelman in August 2010. While bonding over our first meal together during orientation (gratis pizza, of course), we realized our shared passion for healthy living, cooking and exploring the world through our taste buds. We became close friends quickly, and shared many recipes and extravagant meals together before forming Feel Good Foodies in 2012.

Through this trip, we hope to reawaken our passions for cooking at home, explore a new city to share with our readers, and enhance our writing and digital skills. We’re looking forward to linking you up to new bloggers that we meet along the way, and getting fresh ideas that we’ll share through to the blog over the course of this trip, and beyond. We’d like to thank Edelman for this amazing opportunity, and also Piggyback Letterpress for arming us with our fresh new business cards. Check ‘em out:

Seriously, these guys are awesome. They took the time to brainstorm design with us, and we came out with a new logo that is a true collaborative representation of the blog (thanks Lee)!

Stay tuned for live conference updates over the next week, Seattle restaurant reviews, and more! Maybe a surprise second stop on the road home? Hmm…

Feel good,

Christina

Scotland: Feel Good Foodies Goes International!

My long-awaited trip to Scotland with the hubby and father-in-law, six months in the making, just wrapped up.  Not to be all 'woe is me my vacation is over,' but although it's only been two days since we landed back in JFK, I find myself re-living the whole thing through the hundreds of photos from the past week.

Not only was it a rich cultural and scenic experience (to say the least), but the food was an experience all on it's own.  Friends who had been to Scotland before I left would tell me about haggis and black pudding and I have to admit I was a little afraid!  What I found instead was that Scottish food (and food found in Scotland) is steeped both with history and flavor!

Lunch at Loch Ness

You couldn't go far without having an opportunity to have some fish & chips, and were they delicious! This super traditional dish is (obviously) always paired with french fries (or as the Scotts call them, chips) and mushy or garden peas.  It's funny how well this trio of foods work together. Couldn't get enough of the crispy crust and buttery fish, Yum!

Fish & Chips spot under Central Station in Glasgow.

This 'grab n' go' hole-in-the-wall was probably the most delicious F&C we had in Scotland!

Stopped at this little gem called Mohr Bread (get it? ; ) on our way to Isle of Skye in the Highlands.

Another traditional food you can find most everywhere are savory pies. Chicken pot pie, macaroni pie, steak pie, lamb pie -- you name it, it probably comes in a pie!  

Port of Siam, Thai, in Edinburgh

Something you probably wouldn't expect in Scotland is how good the Indian food is known to be here. Unfortunately, we didn't end up trying any -- since the spot we were most interested to try in Edinburgh, which was quite a walk from our hotel, was closed on Sunday (once we walked all that way to find that out), a lovely local instead directed us to this INCREDIBLE Thai restaurant.  

Inside Port of Siam

Asparagus & mushroom clouds with coconut rice

(yes, they called them clouds, I was sold!) 

Hands-down the BEST Thai I've ever had in my life.

Another thing I discovered was how beautiful their shopping and dining centers (AKA: malls) are. We dined at Princes Square one night, which was beautiful.  After spending our days in Glasgow pubs (also awesome) at the beginning of our trip, it was nice to change things up and try a different type of ambiance.

Princes Square in Glasgow

Prawn (what they call shrimp) & hazelnut salad

Inside Zizzi at Princes Square in Glasgow

I have to admit the food wasn't mind-blowing at the place we chose (though could have just been a fluke or poor choice on our part), but the whole restaurant and ambiance really was beautiful, and just wish we had more time to try other places.

It just wouldn't be right not to include Scotch Whiskey as a food following this trip. I think it's pretty much common knowledge that the Scotts take pride in their distilleries and single malt Scotch Whiskies (apart from their master-blended cousins).  

Glengoyne distillery just North of Glasgow

I'm proud to say that Scotland made me a bit of a whiskey drinker (dreams really do come true), and that my new favorite is from Glengoyne Distillery just North of Glasgow, one of the most beautiful distilleries in Scotland.

If I had to name my most favorite place in Scotland we stayed, it would be Isle of Skye, in the little harbor town of Portree. Absolutely picturesque, we had a few great meals in the 2-3 days here. Our last night was at the Rosedale Hotel right on the harbor.

Rosedale Hotel Restaurant

Scottish Salmon

I'll leave you with one last photo from Portree and a few more favorites from Isle of Skye : )

Feel Good!

Alycia