Tag Archives: steak

Park City From the Eyes of a Non-Skier

Posted in Restaurants, Travel by

Hello, world. I’m back from my non-blogging slumber, though I can assure you I’ve been very busy in the real world, mostly chasing around my baby girl TODDLER, setting up our new home which we finally moved into in December, and navigating the world of suburbia, which is a brand new adventure for me. It’s been a busy, stressful, confusing, transitional time, but at the end of the day, I feel a sense of peace and gratitude that I haven’t felt in my life in a very long time. It’s truly wonderful.

Of course it’s not always rainbows and butterflies. Life as the mama to a very active toddler is chaotic and exhausting on many levels, which is why my husband and I try to prioritize some solo time when we can. We just got back from a lovely little couples getaway to Park City sans-baby (thank you, supergrandparents!), and I feel so refreshed and rejuvenated to be back home to my usual routine after four days of pure R&R. My hubby has been BEGGING me to go on a ski trip the last several years and I finally obliged, though frankly I’m terrified of skiing. Luckily one of our couple friends were in the same boat (he skis, she does not), so we booked the trip, seeking comfort in the fact that I would have someone to socialize with while the boys were on the slopes all day.

Park City did not disappoint. The skiing is phenomenal of course, but there are plenty of other things you can do in case you get tired on the bunny hill after thirty minutes (I’ve heard this is possible if you a) have zero experience and b) are a total chicken and have a deathly fear of heights). Here are a few non-ski related activities you can enjoy:

1. GO SNOWMOBILING! On the last day of our trip, we decided to book a guided snowmobiling tour with Summit Meadows, a company operated out of Garff Ranch. The company handled pickup, drop-off, helmet rentals, and offered a two-hour guided tour through beautiful snowy meadows with spectacular views of the Wasatch Mountains. Since I didn’t get past the bunny hills when attempting to ski, this was a great way to take in the views that I had missed out on. Perfect snow adventure if you’re not able to ski!

2. PAMPER YOURSELF WITH A SPA DAY. This one is a given. If you’re going on a ski trip, you simply have to treat yourself to a massage and escape from the snowy terrains for a bit. We loved the services at Aura Spa located right on Main Street–much more affordable than the fancy resorts, so we were able to squeeze in a two-hour massage and a facial. PURE bliss. Our Airbnb also had a private hot tub in it which added to our heavenly relaxation experience 🙂

3. BLOODY MARYS & APRES SKI AT THE ST. REGIS. We’ve all seen those drool-worthy Instas of fabulous skiers enjoying shot skis, poppin’ champagne bottles, and chugging beer after a tough day on the slopes. Apres-ski is simply the best, and doing it at the St. Regis Deer Valley just feels so luxurious (and less fratty). Sit outside by the fire and order one of their signature Bloody Marys. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

 

4. EXPLORE MAIN STREET. The heart of Park City is as cute and charming as you would expect a ski town to be. You can spend hours just walking around Main Street exploring art galleries, breweries, gift shops, and taking a hot cocoa break whenever you please. The nightlife on Main Street is also fantastic – we went to The Spur for a spontaneous night of dancing on a Friday night and O.P. Rockwell for some AMAZING live funk/90s hip hop music on Saturday night. We weren’t really expecting to party in Park City, so the nightlife was a pleasant surprise. The chic speakeasy O.P. Rockwell (pictured below) was especially great!

5. EAT! Park City is home to some really great (although pricey) cuisine. Whether it’s the resort turkey chili or gourmet Italian food, there’s a little something for everyone. Plan ahead and make reservations, especially for some of the more popular restaurants on Main Street.

Duck Enchiladas at Chimayo – such a unique and delicious dish

Turkey Chili at Deer Valley – so cozy and perfect for apres-ski

Amazing Italian fare at Grappa – my favorite meal!

Grub Steak Restaurant – casual vibes, live music, and your standard steak

Mushroom, Avocado and Ricotta Toast at Harvest, an adorable little Aussie-owned brunch spot

 

Parisian Foodventures: My Top 5 Meals!

Posted in Restaurants, Travel by

If you’ve been following me on the ‘gram, then you know that I just got back from an INCREDIBLE weeklong trip to Paris with my little family–yes, including the baby in tow! Most people thought we were absolutely bonkers to travel to Europe with a newborn who’s not even three months old, but it was so, so worth it. It was a LOT of work, but also tons and tons of fun. I’ll do another post on tips for traveling with an infant in Paris, so stay tuned 🙂

For this post though, I want to focus entirely on FOOD. We spent seven nights in Paris staying in the trendy Le Marais neighborhood, and it was so wonderful staying put in one place. Pre-baby, our international trips always consisted of multiple cities with jam-packed itineraries and daily restaurant reservations. This time around, traveling with a baby forced us to slooow down, space out our sight-seeing, and leave lots of room for spontaneous breaks at those darling French cafes people-watching for hours. Yes, it was as delightful as it sounds.

We made a few restaurant reservations ahead of time (a must for most Parisian restaurants!), and made sure to mention that we were with a newborn baby who would be in her carseat sleeping. Because she’s so young, we were able to get away with a few tasting menus, but still opted for more casual vs. stuffy/fancy restaurants. That’s more our style anyway! We had an amazing mix of meals during our stay in Paris – from modern French tasting menus, to delicious North African cuisine, to mouthwatering Italian food, and of course those fantastic pastries. I don’t think there was a single meal that I didn’t enjoy, but here are my top five FAVORITE meals that we enjoyed during our time in Paris.

*Disclaimer: There are obviously a zillion other restaurants in Paris, and we selected places that were convenient for us to visit with a newborn baby, but hopefully this is still helpful in your trip planning! Oh, and tip for eating out in Paris with a baby–make an early reservation (most places open at 7 or 7:30 pm) so that you can get in and out before it gets too busy. Some places might get cranky if you show up with a carseat + stroller (mostly because Parisian restaurants are tiny), but we were so pleasantly surprised with how friendly and accommodating each of the below places were. 

1. LA BOURSE ET LA VIE
http://www.labourselavie.com/en/  

My carnivorous hubby was obviously on the hunt for the best steak-frites in Paris, which is how we ended up at La Bourse et La Vie, a modern (and slightly Americanized) take on a traditional French bistro. With super minimalistic decor, and an uber-cool wait staff, we were in for a stellar meal. I’m so glad we found this place, because I’m still dreaming about that incredible rare steak au poivre with thick, crispy potatoes cooked to perfection. We split one steak, which was probably for the best, but I kiiiinda wish I devoured one on my own. So. good.

2. LES ENFANTS ROUGES
https://www.les-enfants-rouges.fr/ 

Les Enfants Rouges was probably THE most convenient restaurant we went to in Paris, because it was located right next to our Airbnb. It was also just an incredible meal. A tiny restaurant located in a side street of Le Marais with a Japanese chef, Les Enfants Rouges was exactly the type of modern inventive French food we were craving for our very first dinner in Paris. We opted for the six-course tasting menu, and our super sweet waitress who had just moved to Paris from Tokyo (and was juggling three different languages) happily described each of our dishes in English. French, with a touch of Asian influence. Our favorite dishes included a beautiful beef & mushroom dish and a mouthwatering molten chocolate dessert with pistachio ice cream.

3. COME A CASA
http://comeacasa7.tumblr.com/

It’s tough competition, but this might have been my favorite meal of all, just because the restaurant was SO ME. I live for tiny, hole-in-the-wall restaurants that make you feel like you’re inside someone’s living room, and that’s exactly what Come a Casa is. It’s a tiny place in a very residential neighborhood owned by an Italian couple that changes the menu daily. Oh, and there’s only like three things on the menu. And everything is simple, fresh, and exquisitely delicious. We sat outside, drank lots of wine, and ate to our heart’s content. Big thanks to my friend Kat (a former Parisian) who recommended this very special place to us!

 

4. EAST MAMMA
https://www.bigmammagroup.com/fr/trattorias/east-mamma 

We were severely depressed on our last night in Paris and had no idea where to go. We wanted to go someplace casual, and I was craving another Italian meal because well, what’s new. I always want Italian. Kat had told me to visit one of the restaurants from the popular ‘Big Mamma’ restaurants so I mapped out whichever one was closest to our Airbnb. So that’s how we ended up waiting in line for East Mamma to open its doors at 7 pm on a Saturday night. Pretty much everyone in the line was speaking in French, which is how I knew we were in for an amazing meal. And boy, did it deliver. We were quickly seated outside, ordered the truffle pasta and a truffle pizza, and…died and went to heaven. To top it off, we polished off a pistachio creme brulee that might have been even better than a Pierre Herme macaron. And that’s saying a LOT.

5. SEMILLA
https://www.semillaparis.com/en 

Semilla is one of those trendy Parisian restaurants that just oozes French sophistication. The local patrons there are impeccably dressed, and the waitresses are just-friendly-enough to still be cool. When we asked for the tasting menu, they warned us that our baby might not last the two and a half hours (…their polite way of saying, please eat quickly) but I’m glad we insisted on it anyway. And our little one thankfully slept through the entire dinner! I loved my meal here–it felt more clean and refined than the modern French cuisine at Les Enfants Rouges, but perhaps with a little less heart. I’d still recommend Semilla for the overall ambience and really, really good food. The sole fish with tons and tons of butter was DIVINE.