The Best Things Ashy Ever Ate - 2

The sequel took a while, but as they say, better late than never! So here's my second installment of some of the best things I have ever had. Additionally, I have come to realize that, through this series I would like to narrate some of the memorable experiences from my travels, wanderings and restaurant-outings.

What: Galinha Com Camaraoes
Where: Atasca Portuguese Dining in Cambridge, MA
We went to Atasca on Valentine's Day this year. J & I love trying out new cuisines and so he picked this place which was complete surprise for me! It was our first time trying the Portuguese cuisine. I ordered this yummy chicken savory dish that came with a red-heart flaky pastry (special Valentine’s Day touch) and was not sweet at all. It reminded me of the 'Indian' khari-biscuit; it's a soft, flaky, pastry which we eat usually by doing a dip-dip in the tea :)
If you love trying different cuisines and are in the Boston area, then you I would highly recommend you to try this place. 
  
What: Churros
Where: Toro Salao, Puerto Rico
We had one of the unique dining experiences at ‘Toro Salao’ in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico – alfresco and beneath the stars! I remember we tried the Spanish chilled veggie soup – Gazpacho, Chicken Paella (aka biryani) and finished off the meal with Churros! Churros are soft balls of dough, deep fried and then sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar. You savor them as-is or dip in the warm chocolate sauce. In any case, the churros were ‘mucho delicioso’!

What: French Toast with Peaches & fresh berries
Where: Exchange Street Bistro, Malden, MA
What could be more fantastic Sunday than having a warm French toast with fresh berries and peaches for brunch? And if you happen to get this comforting breakfast at a walking distance from your home then, I would say it’s your lucky day! Well, it was my lucky day for sure, one beautiful 'Boston-summer' Sunday! Exchange Street bistro was a classy restaurant in our neighborhood (in Boston)and though we never dined there, I will always remember the sophisticated brunch we had!

What: Koffee in Kulhad
Where: At a tea/coffee shop by the Lake Fateh Sagar, Udaipur, India
On our trip to Udaipur in Jan 2012, the ‘Koffee in Kulhad’ was an experience in itself! The coffee was no doubt delicious, warm, sweet and milky – just the way coffees are made in India. But the best part was the 'kulhad' (earthern coffee cup) which enhanced the coffee flavor like 100 times. With the backdrop of scenic Lake Fateh Sagar, in Udaipur, I would say it makes as a perfect spot for memorable ‘coffee conversations’!

What: Gourmet Bhel-puri
Where: Indique Heights, Chevy Chase, MD
Bhel-puri is rice puff snack that you get on the streets of Mumbai or any other city in India. It’s usually made fresh in front of you by ‘Bhaiyya’ (street vendor) and wrapped in a cone of newspaper ready for you to devour in as you sit by the 'Marine drive' or choose to eat it as you travel in the crowded local train compartments. So you can guess my surprise when bhel-puri was served to me in such a glossy way! Well nonetheless, I loved the presentation and the spicy-tangy taste wasn’t compromised at all. This was our bar-snack while we sipped on Indian-flavor infused drinks at 'Indique Heights'. ‘Indique Heights’ has a unique ambience and serves great quality Indian food. If you are in the Washington DC area, it is highly recommended for an Indian-dinner outing.

P.S.: I  have been thinking of changing the blog's look for some time now and finally on the notable date of 12/12/12, the blog went through a make-over!
I was aiming for a more 'neat-n-clean' look here; I hope I have done justice to that. I would absolutely love to know any feedback or suggestions from a reader's perspective. Do drop a comment below!

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Crazy good date-night

This is what I wore on a date night, dinner and a movie! It was one of those rare days when everything goes as planned – house work, cleaning, relaxed afternoon, picture-perfect photo shoot and then a dinner n movie. check, check and check!

Date night started with a cozy dinner at - Karaikudi (in chantilly, VA) - a restaurant that serves authentic Chettinad cuisine. We started off with Rasam (perfect for a chilly night)and then moved to idli-wada sambar (my absolute favorite!) and finally finished off Chicken Chettinad with Chapatis/Rotis & Rice. 
The food itself was finger-licking good but super spicy & HOT! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy spicy food; but this was beyond my expectations (and in a real bad way!). The Rasam itself was tasty but again too way peppery for me (I left it half way while husband finished it off). The idli-wada were delish; sambar was served in meager quantities :( I mean charge me more but at least serve a cupful of that delish sambar! The Chicken Chettinad was as authentic as it could get - had a very home-madey taste to it! Awesome! Rotis were a let down (should have just stuck to parathas).
Though most of the patrons are from India, I am pretty sure that not everyone is aware of the fiery Chettinad cuisine. I wish the servers would have mentioned to me the level of spiciness and heat in the food. Well, having said all that, I think I won't mind going back there for the 'original' south-indian taste every dish had and probably will stick to idli-wada sambar/dosa. 

Well, though the dinner experience was a little setback for me (husband loves super-spicy food, so he had no complaints :)), the movie turned out to be SUPERB! We watched Argo that night. If you haven’t watched Argo yet, then go WATCH IT NOW!! Ben Affleck – the director and lead actor – is freaking 'brilliante'! 
I was spellbound after the movie; Argo is definitely one of the best movies in recent times. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but I loved watching the 1970's setting and was pretty excited when they showed Washington-Dulles airport in one of the shots. (I live quite close to the airport, you see ;))

It was quite chilly that day (which is how the weather is usually here now) so I picked my quirky skirt and paired it with a black turtle neck. Turtle necks I am not a big fan of! They make me a little bit uncomfortable around the neck area. But the fact that they are so warm and cozy, I do wear them on chilly days. Boots and leggings and a Crazy good necklace completed the look. So you see, I 'winterized' my 'summer' look here. 
I got this necklace from Tanvi’s very own boutique– Crazy & Co. Thanks to my stars, I won a giveaway for a gift card to Crazy & Co. on Vidhya's blog here. I was in love with this tribal-inspired design since I had seen the House of Harlow necklace. The best part is that it's black, which makes it totally versatile.

So on date-nights, do you try new restaurants or prefer the tried-and-tested ones? Do tell. 

What I am wearing: Skirt - Anthropologie (seen here); Turtle-neck sweater - Ann Taylor Factory Outlet; Boots - Born @ The Tannery, Boston; Statement necklace - Crazy & Co.; Earrings - Local boutique in Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA; Ring - Aldo; Belt - NY & Company; Purse - Linking Road, Mumbai, India; Glasses - Burberry; Jacket - H&M

The delicious Chettinad cuisine!

Idli-wada sambar on left and Chicken Chettinad on right.

I wore the statement necklace again on Monday with formal wear and 
it paired great, don't you think? :)

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Date night and restaurant review - Carrabba's

The title says it all! J and I went out for a date night after a really long time (well the perks of being married, I say!) we spent the whole day getting things straight in the house (read, DE cluttering, setting up furniture, vacuuming) Basically all activities when you move in a new place and have put on hold for quite some time ..well, till you are tired of the procrastination itself J

after a pretty hectic day at home there is not an ounce of energy to step in the kitchen and cook/microwave up a pack of Maggi (read:  instant noodles) and when you have had such an energy zapping day Maggi jus did not sound so appetizing (no offense Maggi, I still love you damn much)

But yeah, I did have some energy left to put an outfit together (give my boring jeans/slacks a break) and head out.

We had some stuff to return in good ol’ Target, so once that was out of the way we headed out to a new Italian chain restaurant – Carrabba’s. New I say ‘cause it was nowhere to be seen in the great New England region. Well and that Carrabba’s was just across Target also helped in our decision to pick a restaurant for date night.

overall I would give Carrabba’s 4 stars here – special mention to the service (now it was a weekday night so turnaround time was exceptional, and wait staff was extra attentive and catering to our needs)

Ambience was decent enough – very much Italian or so – old pictures of Italian men, women and children hanging above each booth, dim lighting and choice of both table or booth sitting (though I found the lighting more dimmer than in olive garden). We stepped in arnd 8pm and the restaurant wasn’t crowded much. There was a bar area and one end of the restaurant that was pretty much crowded given that a match was playing on one of the LCDs

The server was funny chap. He suggested us great drinks that we oh-so-loved!! There..he earned his tip-brownie-points. I got a Peach sangria by glass and J got an iced tea that was spiked up. While waiting for food, we gorged on on-the-house bread with garlic and herb olive oil – delish!

We started off with an app (or antipasti as the Italians put it) – Shrimp Scampi – it was a delectable shrimp cooked to perfection in garlicy butter sauce with some parsley for garnish – aah!! the sauce was so divine, and smooth and silky. Love to start off with shrimps, they are so light and don’t fill you up instantly. For main course we got a Sicilian chicken soup and we shared and entrée – Mezzaluna – ravioli filled with tender ground chicken, spinach and fresh ricotta cheese served in a creamy tomato sauce. Loved the dish and the fact that the sauce was not overpowering with tomatoey (tangy) taste or cheese.

Finished our meal with a delectable Tiramisu. I go by the saying – ‘when in an Italian restaurant, do eat the Tiramisu’. It really speaks bounds of how Italian they are ;) and yes the Tiramisu was light, flavoured with coffee and topped with shaved chocolate, chocolate sauce and cocoa powder. I just loved the fact that they skipped on the whipped cream part – it just becomes heavy and dilutes the main dish.

Well out and out a very memorable and not-so-light on calories meal – but hey we did our part by sharing the apps, appetizer and desert! Now how much more can you skip on calories when in Italy….oops I mean Italian restaurant..haha!

And, Eureka!!I think I have found my secret to mixing prints now - printed skirts and striped tees are made for each other. Add a scarf if it’s a lil cool, which it was that eve.

Top - Old Navy 

Scarf - H&M

Belt & Skirt - NY & Company

Shoes - Audrey Brooke - DSW

I wanted to keep the two prints in center and so did not go heavy on accessories. 

What are your tips for mixing prints? How do you spend your date nights? Any favorite hang out spots  or dishes? I would love to know.

Until next time, as they say in Italy – Grazie ‘n Ciao J

Yum Tiramisu - Carrabba's