Summer Favorites {Sabbatical time!}

And I’m off! Wahoo! It seems like forever ago I was planning and scheduling my 6-week break from work, and now here it is.

The agenda includes hiking and camping in Bryce Canyon and Zion in Utah, then hopping on a plane to Europe where I’ll be touring around London (where I’m attempting to rent a stick shift to drive myself around…wish me luck!), Prague, Vienna, Budapest and Rome. After a few days back in Portland, I’ll be off to Santa Fe with Meredith. Lots of exploring, relaxing and of course eating are scheduled.

Be sure to follow my adventures via Instagram, Twitter and even now Snapchat (yes, I’m still pretty bad at the Snapchat game, I just don’t really get it, especially the whole faceswapping business, but I promise to have some fun travel snaps). All the above have the same username: @bakery_bingo.

In the meantime, you’ll find some regular programming on the blog. Catch ya in a few weeks! xoxo

Summer Favorites

Where I’m been eating – new finds:

• Americano: I’m pretty sure I would hang out here all the time if I was doing the working from anywhere gig again. I love the space with its funky art deco and beautifully stocked bar. It is part cafe and part bar with awesome cocktails and simple yet delicious food, like the grilled strawberry salad with shallots and blue cheese was pretty top notch. I can’t wait to return.

• After Dark Cookies: A new late night cookie delivery company is here! Who doesn’t want warm, freshly baked cookies sent straight to their door?! They’ve got all your traditional cookies like chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, and snickerdoodle, but also really fun monthly special which are often collaborations with other local businesses like their double-chocolate raspberry popcorn cookie featuring Poplandia popcorn and Kruger Farm raspberry jam. And oddly enough, I’ve got to say my favorite of all of their cookies was the Gluten Free White Chocolate Macadamia Nut. Somehow they have made a GF cookie that is spectacular.

Where I’m been eating – old haunts:

• Lincoln: In the continual “gotta try every new restaurant in Portland” search, I hadn’t been back to Lincoln in quite a while, despite always being impressed. Now I’ve been back twice in a month and can’t wait to return. Their happy hour is a killer deal with incredible dishes including the grilled dates stuffed with marcona almonds and tossed in a ton of lime zest and sea salt. And if you get a chance to try out one of their Israeli dinners like I did a couple weeks back, you won’t be disappointed. Chef Jenn Louis is in the midst of opening an Israeli restaurant in LA, so she knows her stuff. The flatbread and asparagus hummus is perhaps life changing. {Next dates available here}

• Mucca Osteria: This is definitely one of those special Portland hidden gems. Situated right on the Max tracks near the City Target downtown, we stumbled upon this place when we used to live nearby. We hadn’t been back in sometime but when craving Italian and wanting a date night, Brice and I decided to head back there. Sitting at the chef’s counter is a great experience here, being able to chat with the friendly Italian chef and watching him cook their homemade pasta to perfection. My choice: the Cavatelli Pasta with Zucchini, Shrimp and Cherry Tomatoes. Special note: they have a small space so expect a wait or make reservations if you’re in a hurry.

• Noraneko: One night Brice got home from a work trip late and was craving ramen, Noraneko near OMSI was the only open place we could find. For some reason I was intrigued by their veggie burger, despite being at a ramen joint. Good thing I was. Their Japanese-spiced burger was out of this world good, topped with housemade pickles, a big hunk of lettuce, secret special sauce, all on a fluffy sweet roll. Perhaps my new favorite veggie burger in town.

What I’m been making:

• Grilled Caprese Bruschetta from this Bon Appetit recipe. Insanely messy but also insanely good. The perfect summer appetizer.

What I’m been reading: By request, I’m now including what I’m reading to my seasonal favorites list! I love to read and probably get through at least 2 books a month, some are better than others, but I’ll share the ones I really like. These were my recently read recommendations:

• Wool: Book one of the Silo series, which is all about a dystopian society set decades in the future. If you’re into sci-fi or dystopian books, add this to your list. Plus I love that this is a self-published series. Only caveat is that if you are looking for a series, while I was really into the first book, the second hasn’t proven to be nearly as gripping.
• And The Mountains Echoed: Written by the author of the Kite Runner, this is another story about life in Afghanistan. It is moving, heartbreaking, uplifting and engaging all at the same time.
• The Girl With All the Gifts: Totally weird and a little eery, but I was really into it and couldn’t put it down. I won’t tell you what it is about because it is just more fun to find out yourself.
• The Nightengale: I didn’t initially think I’d like this since I’m usually not into wartime love stories, but this book about two sisters in occupied France during WWII was really well written and a great story.