My obsession with Cheese at Cypress

My mom and I swear we were rats in another lifetime.  One of my favorite meals is wine, cheese, good bread and more cheese. Maybe so olives or grapes thrown in for good measure. So for my birthday,  the husband (OMG still weird) took me out to Cypress in Tallahassee, FL.
His reason was for their AMAZING cheese selection and cheese plate!

And OMG was it good.

Upon arrival at our table, my husband handed me to cheese menu and said order a plate!(I knew I married him for a reason- he is my cheese enabler). Any place that has a cheese menu is already good in my book, but  a place that has a well put together menu is even better diversity and the uniqueness of Cypress' cheese menu was wonderful. (Cheese Menu Link)  The menu included Sheep's milk, truffle, and even raw milk cheese.  Needless to type, I was in heaven.  We ordered Montgomery Cheddar and Nuvola Di Pecora (see below for pic ).
Our waiter who was fabulous recommended the Roomano and it turned out to be our favorite. The cheese's texture reminded me of a good well aged Parmesan Reggiano with all the saltiness and depth but was more buttery and less sharp.
The cheddar was good  with a strong nutty grassy flavor.  I always love a well made cheddar.   The Nuvola Di Pecora was a nice semi-soft sheep's milk cheese.  It had the texture of a nice creamy Gouda but tasted tangy with a nice sweetness that balanced out the kinda herbal/vegetal notes. The cheese platter came with 2 strawberries, some nuts, and crostinis.

Because I was indecisive, I decided to get two small plates instead of a typical dinner order.  I got the  Southern-Soul Sea Scallops -which were paired with collard greens, tomatoes, fennel and a spicy oil.  The Scallops were cooked perfectly and the fennel paired well.  However, I must admit  the Gulf Coast Oysters & Biscuits  were by far my favorite.  The salt and not slimy oysters were topped with a sherried Cream Sauce, Leeks, yummy bacon, tomatoes with biscuits.  Think oyster pot pie. All the flavors paired and balanced each other out creating a truly rememberable food memory. 

The Hubby (Weird) ordered from the dinner menu.  How adult of him, right?  He ordered the  Cypress Vegetarian which was Fried Green Tomatoes, peas, goat cheese, Pickled Okra,  Garlic-Horseradish Sauce.  The fried green tomatoes were not greasy at all.  The pickled Okra gave the dish a note of playfulness and surprise along with adding a brightness of acidity.

OVERALL- I loved it!  I will so be back for more cheese and fun unique food!                                             SIDENOTES FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN CHECKING IT OUT- Cypress does have a $4 Happy Hour from 5-7pm which is only available at the bar.  Also, they are currently on restaurant.com.    

                                      

My Latest Obsession...Almond Milk

No...it is not the new Taylor Swift song, despite my playing on repeat. NOR a pair of pretty shoes (See husband, I am staying on budget).

 It is Almond Milk.  

My friend Rachel, who is an amazing and lives a paleo lifestyle (more on this in another blog), recommended this to me as a great starter in the mornings or snack.  She said it was more filling then a lot of other under 200 calorie snacks and WAY healthier than chips or my personal favorite, CHEEZITS.  This is also an alternative to dairy and soy products.

So I gave it a try and I am hooked.  I like drinking the milk first thing in the morning.  I actually pour it into a Solo cup and take it for my drive like most people do with coffee.  I find that the Almond milk keeps me full for about 2 hours at work.  So the almond milk gets me through the morning rush to the 10:30/11am mark. Or my glass of almond milk sustains me through a nice 4-6 miles walk (for longer walks I find I need more intake otherwise I get tried faster and lose traction so I pair with a 100 calorie bar or fruit).  I also find that the milk helps fill my craving for cheese (I was a rat in a previous life) even though it has no dairy.

So here is my break down of flavors and brands



I love love love Silk's Pure almond Dark
Chocolate.  It is like chocolate milk any a bit more decadent.  I find the dark chocolate is great when I am craving chocolate or something sweet a terrible like cake or doughnuts or OMG now I want a cupcake.  Anywho, this great to help with the cravings



The original Silk flavor which tastes the most like milk out of the bunch is good not a strong flavor to perfect in a smoothie or paired with snack.

 However, I really like the vanilla flavor because it was a bit sweeter without being too sweet, plus creamier.  So, the vanilla flavor is perfect on it's own.

The unsweetened is not for me.  I find the flavor bitter and had to add fruit or splenda syrups to make them drinkable.  This does not mean the flavor is terrible, I did finish off the cartoon and a bottle of chocolate sugar-free syrup, but not my favorite.  Maybe this flavor grow on you with time.  I just would rather not force myself and go straight to the




I find the Almond breeze brand to be stronger in almond flavor, less creamy and a little grainier.  It is still good but I prefer the Silk brand in all the flavors.  Though, I have not tried the chocolate flavor yet.


I have not tried the generic Publix brand or So Delicious Almond milks yet, but when I do I promise to update. For those of you wanting to try out my latest obsession, you can sign up for Silk coupons here.

What do you think?

Sakura and Sweet Shrimp or the continuation of the dearly departed

After trying three restaurants I previously enjoyed years ago in Tallahassee for dinner and finding them ALL closed which I describe in more detail in my post "The  , the Hubby(still weird)  and I decided to just go to Sakura.  Sakura is a Japanese restaurant we passed a couple times trying to find Fusion café and the two other restaurants.

I am always happy to have Japanese food and/or sushi,  I have a  mine obsession I blame on my father,  so we figured why not.

Now, my husband (OMG)  family owns a sign company. Under their influence I have grown to perceive a  great amount about an establishments from their sign. Therefore, the discolored older signed lead me to make certain assumptions.

But we had been driving around for an HOUR and I was hungry.

As we walked in, we saw the specials board which boasted 5-7pm half priced wine Monday- Thursday.  Drinks special are always something  good to remember.  

I was pleasantly surprised to found the Restaurant to be much nicer on the inside with medium and dark wood paired with Japanese prints and almost romantic low lighting.

We were sited immediately which for me is a HUGE plus.  1-I hate waiting. 2- I was STARVING.
And the server came right over and got our drink orders. Check number two!
Then due to hunger, we ordered and ordered WAY too much!  We got the Sushi Deluxe (10  pieces of nigiri and spicy tuna roll)  which comes with miso soup and salad.  On top of that we ordered al la cart

2 shrimp nigri

2 sweet shrimp nigri

2 Ikura or salmon fish roe

2  mackerel

because that wasn't enough

1 Peanut Avocado roll

1 Toro Jalapeno roll

Sadfully for my taste buds, they were out of Uni or Sea Urchin, which is one of my personal favorites. The positive, I don't know if we could have eaten anymore if Sakuri had Uni in house.

The food arrived and looked GORGEOUS as you can see from my modeling the plate with all the al la cart items.

All the nigiri  ordered, I had eaten before except the Sweet Shrimp. Now for those who don't know what Sweet Shrimp is (I didn't know until the Hubby suggested we order it) raw shrimp. The body of the shrimp is cut and placed on top of rice similar to typical shrimp nigiri only not cooked.  The head of the sweet shrimp is fried and served next to the nigiri, ie the photo.  Now to be honest I had no clue what to do with the head.  I thought it was a fun garnish.  However after a little research and thanks to Jeffsayyes, I learned that the heads are similar to soft shell crabs and are meant to be eaten. Unfortunately, I learned this too late and will have to go back to try sweet shrimp heads.  Although, Jeffsayyes wrote about eating them in his blog  so check it out here for a description of the experience.

So Sweet Shrimp.. the first thing I noticed was the looks.  It looks just like raw shrimp which it is.  So I had  to get past that, since I am so conditioned to make sure shrimp is cooked through when preparing food.  So part of me wanted to tell the waiter, "Excuse me, this food is not done."  Second the texture, is not chewy and as solid as cooked shrimp. The texture is closer to the skin of salmon roe.  It is unusual but so good.   Sweet shrimp tastes sweet, slimy, sea ocean salty and wet.  The taste is not overpowering but very distinct.
I am definitely looking forward to having Sweet Shrimp again.

We found the sushi rolls to be hit or miss so good or AMAZING.  The avocado peanut roll was an wonderful flavor burst in my mouth, so AMAZING.  I would have never thought to pair avocado and peanuts but it works.  The creaminess of the avocado insinuates the natural creaminess of the peanuts.  Then crunchy texture of the peanuts contrasts nicely with the smooth cool avocado.  This roll was one I must remember because it seems like something that could be recreated at home.  Maybe not as artfully, but definitely a sushi roll that would impress with flavor that has ingredients easy to find in the grocery stores.

The other roll the Tora Jalapeno was ok.  I think I was expecting it to be spicier or have a stronger punch of flavor, though the taste was good.  It did not impress like the Avocado peanut roll.

As for the rest of the meal, the fish was a good and fresh quality but not AMAZING. This is not five star quality, the finest sushi you have ever eaten.  Though it is certain not the worst either (I put grocery store pre-made sushi here).  Damn MF Sushi in Atlanta for spoiling me.  However, the pricing is way better and quite affordable for sushi.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Sakuri.  The food was good with some bursts of genius shining through.  The pricing was good.  The server was quick and courteous.  I have big plan to go back during Happy Hour to get the 1/2 priced wine and 30% apps for a girls night or another date night.  Plus, I must try the fried fish head.

The Dearly Departed.....Restaurants of Tallahassee

The great thing about moving to a new city/town is discovering new places to eat.  Unfortinately, Tallahassee is not new to me. So the interesting thing about moving back to a place, like I did to Tallahassee, is that after 5 years things have changed.  Some of my favorite staples have CLOSED unbeknownst to me.  So, when my husband (still weird)  tried to take me out for our 2 month wedding anniversary.  We went to 3 different restaurants that we loved five years ago only to realize they had been closed!

So to honor the closing of my food staples and some that i was just amazed at... 

Here is a quick recaps of the closing that have occurred over the past few years in Tallahassee 

RIP

Fusion Cafe my favorite place to get Duck in Tallahassee- I think Daffy is very happy about this one closing

The Loop- a theater school staple because it was good and close to the 

Chez Pierre- The overpriced French Restaurant

Anthony's-overpriced Italian food, but I did eat my first escargot here!

The Politician and privacy seekers friend Silver Slipper slipped followed Dorothy back to Oz

Schlotsky closed but supposedly is coming back in 2013

Cafe Cabernet- the wine bar and fancy (well at least for Tallahassee) night spot

Capri- I don't remember this one at all

Urbane- no idea this one even existed

The Main Ingredient- which had some of the BEST fried eggplant

I will miss all of you, though some more then other!  Like where am I suppose to get duck in Tallahassee now??

So now that I have mourned in my own very weird way, the restaurants of Tallahassee's past, I guess it is time to start exploring all the new offerings that the great city of Tallahassee has to off. (And by NEW, I mean new to me).

If you have any suggestions for places to eat in Tallahassee, please comment!

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together...Like EVER Evil Protein Bar

I admit it… while I hate eating anything that isn’t AMAZING.  Sometimes I don’t have time to cook, prepare or eat at a nice place. So I grab fast food (don’t judge) or prepackaged things like Lunchables (WHAT???? I typed no judging).  Therefore, today when I was running late to work, I grabbed a bar to tide me over till lunch.

The problem is I didn’t grab my normal Special K bars or Fiber1 bars.  Things that taste ok even good depending on the flavor.  But at least the bars I have had are just not as good as a nice hot home cooked breakfast.  Today, I grabbed one of my husband’s(Still weird) bars, a Pure Protein bar.

Well, my husband is on a workout kick.  He is all into building muscle and strength which he tells me means increasing his protein intake a TON.  I don’t mind this because protein is not too hard to increase for dinners or meals I cook. Though for his day to day lunches and snacks, I got protein bars and protein powder.  I just got the bars that were on sale that had the most protein.  My husband unlike me will eat ANYTHING regardless of taste or really anything.  Think like Mikey!  So I grab a pure protein strawberry shortcake bar.  It has 19 grams of protein and less then 200 calories.  So in theory the perfect breakfast/mid-morning snack.

NEVER AGAIN. 

LIKE EVER

These taste like cough syrup mixed with card board which is SIGNIFICANTLY worse than most bars that are so bland and flavorless.   Here is a picture so you may avoid this FLAVOR at ALL cost!  

Sorry, husband you are stuck eating ALL of the Strawberry Short Cake Flavor by yourself.  And I am going back to my less protein filled bars.

If you have any high protein good tasting bar or snack options, please comment…..

PS-Yes, the Taylor Swift Song is totally stuck in my head hence the blog name!

Now what?

Life happens or should I say Shit Happens like my Dad… And somehow this/my blog got side tracked! I got married, earned my masters and moved. All in one month. I know I am an overachiever!!! A very big overachiever. As my new life settles down I realize just how much has changed. I am married, way over educated and living in Tallahassee, FL.

  So now what? 

 I survived multiple life changing events and now am sitting on my bum with no idea what to do. I tried being a lovely stay at home woman and relax. Enjoy not having to write papers, plan a wedding or worry about packing. I got bored so fast!!!! After the first week, I took to taking 2 hour walks. I read 2-3 books a week and enhaled entire television series (thanks Michael) like they were chocolate to a hormonal pregnant lady. I began taking trips out of town. But even with bi-monthly trips out of town, I was about to start clawing the walls. Relaxing and enjoying quiet, felt like doing nothing. And the overachiever in me began to miss working towards things.
 Since, I am not ready for the adventure of children(Sorry Family) or responsible enough for a dog (Sorry all you cute puppies out there), I got a part time job, which I love. Wooo hoo…but am still missing doing fifteen different things at once. My husband (still weird to type) suggested, I return to blogging.

Well, here I am in a matter of typing. 

Attempting to get back in a saddle I never really was consistent with to begin with. But maybe this is just the outlet I need! After all I find cook relaxing and soothing…..and baking in the middle of the night (ONLY) helps me distress and fall asleep.

 Therefore, I am back! 

 And this time I am blogging from Tallahassee and my mother-in laws kitchen. There is a whole new set of dietary changes and restaurants to try. Not to mention grocery stores! So please if you live in the Tallahassee area post suggestions for restaurants and food stores!

Well Gourmet wishes,

Somewhat

How is it April already?

Well, I am back!!!! And crazier then ever!!!! Or maybe it is just my food is crazier then ever!!!

Last night, my lovely boyfriend brought me a basil plant. That is right spring is here and it is time for herbs. So, pray for Maria 2! She has survived the first 24 hours in my care. The lovely plant shows no signs of wilting or dying....YET! Please pray and send positive vibes to a Maria 2 Segal in Georgia.

In the meantime, I am already plotting all the wonderful things I could make. For example, the basil would perfectly compliment a nice green salad with strawberries and walnuts tossed in an orange vinaigrette. Or maybe, I will throw some basil and fresh mozzarella in cous cous.

Damn it! Now, I am hungry. Well, off to the kitchen, because dinner is not going to make itself. That would involve my crockpot and prep work which I did not do.