Thursday Treasure - Busaba Eathai

This week's treasure is Busaba Eathi, a small restaurant with great food and even greater service, that I visited during my January vacation to London and Versailles. Boy BFF, Chuck and I enjoyed our meal so much that we embarked on our own version of The Amazing Race to have it a second time. We left London and spent a couple of days in Versailles, but during our trip back to London, we decided that we needed a repeat performance. We got back to London at 9:40 PM, knowing the last order would be taken at 10:30, so picture two complete lunatics hopping on the tube, rushing to the hotel, dropping off bags, and SPRINTING in a mad race against the clock. I'm pleased to announce that we arrived at Busaba Eathai with EIGHT minutes to spare!! Running through the streets of London to one last meal, makes Busaba Eathai forever a TSE Treasure.

Here's a little snapshot of our first meal. Please pardon the photo quality, they were shot with my Blackberry.

Thai Calamari

Pad Thai

Pandan Chicken

Brown Rice

Chinese Broccoli

All washed down with a few of these

Sadly, there are no photos of that last meal, but believe me there were TONS of empty plates and bowls on our table. What a girl won't do for a great meal!! What are some of your restaurant treasures?

Sheila Denise

Double Birthday Celebration...Oh My!!

Today, I had the pleasure of having lunch with my BBFF (boy best friend forever), Chuck at one of our favorite restaurants, Steel Atlanta. We pretty much eat here every week, so today was no different, EXCEPT, we were celebrating OUR birthdays!! Yep you heard me...OUR BIRTHDAYS!!! Lucky us, huh?? I think so too. Chuck has managed to worm his way into "Little Brother" status for life. He is the poster child for a true, true friend and I am grateful know him and honored to call him my friend.

Well, I arrived earlier than Chuck, which NEVER happens, so I tried to wait patiently , but didn't do a great job, because I was EXCITED to share some great news with him. Anyway, just as I was about to EXPLODE, in struts Chuck and I unload my happy, happy news the moment we are seated. We ordered our adult beverages, since we're both officially legal (Ha!!) and ordered our usual Bento Boxes, salmon for both of us this time, and caught up on things since our last conversation--yesterday.

And here's where the fun began. We were overheard discussing our birthdays and Steel's very own Chuck wished us a happy birthday, then Ms. Katie, who took wonderful care of us, wished us a happy birthday and said she had a surprise for us. Yippee!!!!! We enjoyed a fabulous meal and drinks and out comes Katie with our birthday dessert on a 2 foot platter, candle a-burning!! Someone should have captured our faces, because I'm sure were both looked a little "crazy" to say the least. We managed to pull ourselves together, made our wishes and blew out the candle and dove right into our Strawberry Cake. Katie said she had another surprise for us as we gobbled down our delicious dessert--the cake was VEGAN!! Did y'all hear me??? V-E-G-A-N!!! No-dairy-no-egg-involved-in-any-way-vegan. We almost choked!! Two sho 'nuff meat eaters enjoying a vegan dessert?!?!? Surely not!! We simply looked at each other and kept on eating, til there was nothing left. As we were getting back to reality, Steel's very sweet Ms. Kitty stopped by to wish us a happy birthday as well. There is nothing as wonderful as being surrounded by genuine people and Chuck and I experienced this at Steel (again). I love this place!!

Who knew, when I stumbled upon Steel Dallas years ago, that we'd have the pleasure of enjoying our very own Steel Atlanta? I'm so happy that Steel is a part of my weekly life. If you've dined at Steel, you know how wonderful the food is and if you haven't you need to make plans to do so. This weekend kicks off Midtown Restaurant Week and Steel is participating (hint, hint).

Happy Birthday to Chuck & me!!

Sheila Denise

The Traveling Guest Blogger Chuck - Bar Boulud London

Hopefully, y'all remember my little teaser a few weeks back when I mentioned that my boy-bestie, Chuck was traveling to London and Prague (and probably a few spots he didn't want my nosey self to tell everybody). Well, Chuckster is back and I must say, he did a great job "working " for me while enjoying his vacation.

I've decided to spread out Chuck's dining escapades over a few days to allow each restaurant to have their very own shining moment on my humble little blog. I can't thank him enough for taking on my interests and agreeing to blog for me. Now is that a TRUE FRIEND, or what?!? Might I also add that he ALWAYS returns bearing gifts?!?! I'm a lucky girl!!!

First up is Chuck's dining experience at Bar Boulud.

~Situated at the foot of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park on Knightsbridge, Bar Boulud is truly a gem. With it's three course Prix Fixe Lunch Menu at a modest 20 pounds, Bar Boulud is the place for the power leisure lunch. Bar Boulud, at The Mandarin Oriental is just down the block from the world famous Harrod's. After shopping at Harrod's, take a three minute walk on Knightsbridge (towards Piccadilly Circus) and experience Bar Boulud.

If you are dining alone, don't worry, Bar Boulud will supply you with the magazine or global newspaper of your choice. Now how's that for service! Chef/Owner Daniel Boulud has Bar Boulud restaurants in London, New York, Miami, Palm Beach, Vancouver, and Beijing.~

Salade du Marche

Volaille Lail PrintanierKetel One Dirty Martini - extra olives

Chuck didn't name the dessert and I have a sneaky suspicion that he might have been DEEP into Dirty Martini number two when dessert rolled around, so I'll simply call this a decadent looking chocolate torte with ice cream dessert (hey, I'm southern, gimme a break). ;-)
Website: http://www.danielnyc.com/barbouludLondon.html
If London isn't in your travel plans (or backyard), you may want to check out the other Bar Boulud locations Chuck mentioned.

Sheila Denise

Update (8/16): The dessert's "proper" name is: Tarte au Chocolat with Mocha Ganache & Caramel Ice Cream. Isn't that EXACTLY what I said?? LOL

Upcoming Guest Blogger - Dining in London & Prague

I'm so happy to announce that in a few weeks, you'll be hearing from my BBFF (boy best friend forever) Chuck is currently on holiday and has agreed to photograph his dining experiences while away. Hopefully, this information will be helpful when/if you find yourself in the area.

Here's a sneak peek:

LONDON:
Paramount

Bar Boulud @ Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

PRAGUE
Bellevue

I can't wait for Chuck to come back and share his experiences. Heck, I should have said yes when he asked me to join him on this trip. *sigh*

Sheila Denise

The Champagne (Ataulfo) Mango

I was strolling through the market and was pleasantly surprised to see a HUGE Champagne Mango display. I was even more excited to see that they were fifty cents each!! Boy oh boy, was I thrown into a tizzy thinking of the many ways I planned to enjoy these delicious little golden babies. I knew that as soon as I arrived home, I'd eat one standing over the kitchen sink, allowing the juices to run down my chin and wrists, while thinking about other ways to indulge myself with my mango harvest. I've been a lover of the mango for as long as I can remember and always manage to overdo it to the point of swearing them off--yeah right!!

While cleaning my face and arms, I decided to make my old standard for dinner, Mango and Black Bean Salsa. It's probably one of the simplest, tastiest, quickest recipes in my arsenal.
Mango and Black Bean Salsa

2 Champagne Mangoes, diced
1/3 Red Pepper, diced
1/3 Small Red Onion, diced
1 Jalapeno Pepper, diced
1 can Black Beans, rinsed
Handful of Cilantro
Juice of 1 Lime
Splash of Grapeseed Oil, or oil of your choice (optional)

Combine all ingredients. Allow to flavors to blend. Serve at room temp or chilled. This is an extremely versatile recipe, you can tweak it to your liking. I've added cucumber, tomatoes, whole kernel corn...you get the drift. This would be a perfect side for your Memorial Day gathering. Go ahead--give it a shot.
I didn't really feel like cooking anything elaborate, so I sauteed some chicken breasts, jerk style and enjoyed a fantastically light meal balanced with a glass of St. Urbans-Hof Riesling (okay two glasses). The Riesling was a gift from my dear BBFF (boy best friend forever), who I'm paying quiet tribute to this week...so CHEERS to you Chuck!!!

Sheila Denise

Gifts From Barcelona...Thanks Chuck!!

My colleague and BBFF (boy best friend forever), Chuck, is a frequent traveler to wherever the mood strikes. His latest location of admiration was Barcelona. One of the great things about Chuck's travels is his generosity in returning with gifts for ME!!! It's wonderful to have such a thoughtful friend.

White Chocolate & Lemon Biscuits:

When I saw the square box, I thought it was body cream because it looked similar in size to the Origins body creams that I love. Boy was I was surprised and happy to see that it was FOOD! Chuck picked it out, not only because the biscuits were tasty, but also because the packaging had won The Best Packaging Design Award - Laus 2008 (the most prestigious graphic design award in Spain). A tasty treat and unique packaging...life is good!

These tiny biscuits are D-E-L-I-SHUS!! The white chocolate pieces are just the right size and the little zing of lemon is absolutely the perfect combination. I've been trying to trying to resist eating them all at once, so I'm having a couple every few days for dessert. I will be very, very sad when they're all gone.

I also received this beautiful Antoni Gaudi Mug:


Architect and designer, Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926) is known as the most internationally prestigious figure in Spanish architecture.

Can I tell you again how great it is to have such a thoughtful colleague? Thanks Chuck!!

Sheila Denise