marvin goes to portland...

obviously, all marvin did was eat.  see below for proof!

scallops and halibut ceviche :: grilled halibut :: panna cotta tart (i love papa haydn! )

traditional swiss cheese :: lobster, prawns, and meats :: tiramisu fondue

cute fondue timers :: passionfruit martini :: view of portland

don't let the pretty pictures fool you!  other than the panna cotta tart, nothing tasted that good - and the sad part is, we were eating at portland's finest restaurants.  the food isn't even all that pretty...all the pots they used at urban fondue were all old, charred, and blackened (i tried really hard to take the pics from different angles so that the ugly pots are less noticeable).  and they didn't even offer fresh veggies with the entree...what an atrocity!  even their jamba juice sucks...the juicer was broken so they couldn't offer me fresh oj, and they forgot to add strawberries to my mega mango smoothie!  grr. 

all in all, i'm feeling mixed about portland restaurants - the food is pretty unimpressive, but reservations are easy to make, service is fast, friendly, and helpful, and prices are pretty reasonable.  at least food always tastes a little better when i'm not paying...the only good thing about business trips!  

i heart track 4 on this album (非你莫屬)

(i know i know, i'm a fob...heehee )

my latest shopping indulgences...

and of course, i'm always eating!  here's my rendition of zuni drumsticks...not as good and crispy as the whole chicken recipe but still very tasty

just not in the mood for real updates these days...inspire me!

marvin's back!

the smallest panna cotta ever at rubicon...so good but so small, just like everything else they serve.  plus points for good, rich flavor...minus points for small, overpriced food. 
 

yummy chocolate napoleon at ana mandara's...i wasn't a big fan of the mango soup.  bonus points for the comfy lounge atmosphere and live jazz.

a super tasty proscuitto tartine at the girl and the fig in sonoma...their frites are nothing special but addictive nonetheless.

the world's most amazing roast chicken at zuni...definitely worth the 1 hour wait!  munch on a salad while you wait.
 

anzu - terrible food and completely undeserving of a picture.  but at least there was awesome company  

here we are chilling in the lobby of the fairmont hotel in sf...


here's what i'm snacking on at home when i'm too lazy to go out for food...simple but satisfying.  yum!

reasons to love chicago...

girltime with allison!!  here we are at the 96th floor of the hancock tower for a quick bite.  doesn't it look so deceivingly warm and tropical?

well, don't be fooled!!  we were actually dressed like this all weekend:


that's our distorted reflection in the bean at millenium park, in case you were wondering why we look so short and stumpy.  and don't say that we are normally short and stumpy so you couldn't tell the difference!

we also ate and shopped ourselves into oblivion (hurray for lord and taylor's closing sale! ).  too lazy to post about food for this entry, i have no chicago readers anyway.

and because i'm missing allison so much, i'm still shopping to fill the void.

still thinking about this one...why can't you hurry up and go on sale already!!

next stop...the hot springs of san luis obispo