Yeesh.

It's been awhile since my last post, hasn't it? I promise I have a good reason :) I've been surprisingly productive with all this packing/selling/organizing nonsense! Much more productive than I thought I'd be. The apartment is looking lonely and I'm sad to report I haven't been putting in a lot of time in the kitchen. However, I have been making my rounds and making sure I hang out with everyone before I leave.

Up first - old roomie's 30th birthday dinner at Fogo de Chao. Now, I love me some red meat on swords, but not in excess. I don't know why I always eat to the point of pain when I'm there. I know what to expect, and I try to set out with a plan, but the gauchos win every time. Dammit! Have any of you been to a churrascaria before? Oddly enough, my first experience was in Beijing. How's that for multi-culti?

Because a belly full of steak only lasts so long, the same crew came out the following afternoon for a gorgeous day of feasting on crabs n beer (it's what Maryland does!).

The minute I realized I was moving, I demanded everyone come with me for one last crab day. You're probably thinking, um...they have crabs in California. Sure they have crabs in California, but I wanted crabs the right way - steamed Maryland Blue Crabs with a generous dusting of Old Bay resting on a tray atop a brown paper lined picnic table at a restaurant that sits on the water. Oh, and a bucket of ice cold beers and good friends doesn't hurt either :) P.S - I've been told that Yuengling is hard to come by in San Francisco?!

Where did we end up? Cantler's, of course!

Yeah, that's right, I bought a t-shirt.

Cantler's Riverside Inn sits right on the water in Annapolis. It's a bit hard to get to since you wind through a bunch of side streets and residential areas before you see anything that resembles a restaurant. Once there, you know these people know their crabbies. Apparently it's a little too early in crab season for the really meaty ones, so Susan and I split a tray (12 crabs) of mediums.

These guys were pretty small, but I was pleasantly full afterward. There was such a huge price difference between the mediums and larges, but not such a difference in size.

Afterward, as if we didn't have enough between steak and crabs, we decided to pay a visit to Mr. Yogato in Dupont. Susan had gone on and on about how this is her favorite froyo place in the city so we all decided to give it a shot.

At first, we were all a little concerned about the line, but Susan assured us that it's an itty bitty place so the line doesn't mean a thing. Plus, there was a guy that kept us entertained by offering us 10% off if we could answer trivia questions. We got a pretty easy one - name 10 four-letter countries. Can you do it??

For another 10% off, you could let them stamp your forehead. I passed on that. There are a bunch of other things you can do...check out the rules here.

Verdict? I'm still partial to TangySweet, but Yogato comes in at a close second. I tried their Chi-Chris Chazel (chocolate hazelnut) and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor AND color. I expected the usual dark brown yogurt...you know, the color of chocolate. Nono. This was just a hint of brown, almost beige. Interesting. It was a great, subtle chocolatey, hazelnutty flavor. Two thumbs up :)

I was super productive the rest of the day (did that froyo pack an energy boost?!) and packed up a ton of Jamie's stuff to store and did some major cleaning. Pretty sweet end to the weekend, yah?

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of dining with a couple friends in Chinatown. I prepped a Caramelized Onion, Pear and Gorgonzola Flatbread:

Caramelized Onion, Pear and Gorgonzola Flatbread

1/2 ball whole wheat pizza dough

1/2 c caramelized onions

1/2 c - 3/4 c gorgonzola

5-8 thin pear slices

handful arugula

Spread dough out to form a thin rectangle or oval and bake on a pizza stone at 425 degrees until golden brown. Sprinkle cheese, pears and onions on top. Add arugula and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until cheese starts to melt.

And the hosts had some delicious guacamole and sausage cake to snack on as dinner cooked. Unfortunately I forgot to charge my camera before heading over and I wasn't able to grab a shot of the fabulous meal they prepared - Pork Chops with a Sweet Mustard Glaze and Sweet Potato Hash. I LOVED the sweet potatoes - starchy, a little sweet and savory. Very addictive. Don't worry, I'll track the recipes down. They are big fans of America's Test Kitchen and frequently try out the recipes.

We closed dinner out with a sweet treat:

A ball o ice cream, stuffed with a cherry and rolled in Oreos. HELLO! It was just the right size and yes, I thoroughly enjoyed reaching the cherry in the middle :) Many many thanks to the chefs!

Since I was off on Wednesday night, I decided to check off another item on my to-do before I leave list - run with the store running group. It was a gorgeous evening for a run and I chatted with a running group regular. I'm happy to report I yogged the whole 4 miles and felt fantastic!

Afterward I grabbed a snackie at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. I've only been here for drinks before and was surprised at the food. I opted for the Pollo Sandwich (grilled chicken, arugula, tomatoes, olive oil and lemon dressing) with a side of Roasted Potatoes:

The sandwich was really dry and I didn't really taste the lemon dressing, but the arugula packed some good flavor so I didn't totally hate it. The roasted potatoes - YUM. Perfectly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Just the way I like it :) So yeah, come for the potatoes and the beer, but maybe not the chicken sammich. I'm just sayin'.

More later - I'm burnt out from this massive post. Eehhh.