banana shake

I had some bananas that were starting to turn pretty ripe and instead of making a banana bread, I decided to peel and freeze them. Earlier in the week I had made my favorite Indian Spiced Steel Cut Oats and so I had some leftover coconut milk.

After spending the day doing the Savor Seattle Chocolate Indulgence Tour I came home wanting to eat some fruits and veggies. I saw the coconut milk in the fridge and decided to experiment and make a shake out of it.

I came up with a recipe that turned out really well. Since the banana was frozen it transformed the would be smoothie into a milkshake like concoction. I added regular milk in order to thin it out a little bit as well as some ground flaxseed to make it a little healthier. 

Banana Shake

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground flaxseed

Add ingredients to a blender, blend away and enjoy!

classic cocktails

After trying out lots of bars in San Francisco, my favorites were the ones with the classic cocktails. I decided to make it my mission to find some bars in Seattle that could offer me the same. I enlisted my roommate Jackie to help me with this task. A couple of weeks ago we went to Tavern Law, which is constantly ranked as being one of the best bars in America. I wound up having three cocktails there, so I can personally attest to it's awesomeness. Tavern Law is hands down the best bar I have ever been to. I started out ordering an English Fizz that had earl grey infused gin. Heavenly. Next up, I ordered the Tuxedo #2 which is pretty much straight up booze (gin, vermouth, absinthe) with a little sugar mixed in. My last drink was my absolute favorite. We sat right up front at the bar, so we got to see the bartender make all of the drinks. A guy came up and ordered a drink that I couldn't hear the name of. I watched as the bartender freshly juiced a grapefruit, followed by mixing up some gin, elderflower liquor, aperol, lemon juice and lavender bitters. This drink looked right up my alley. After asking the bartender what it was that he had just made I found out that was called the Dr Girlfriend, a drink that used to be on the menu. Definitely my favorite drink of the night.

Jackie's second cocktail was also pretty good, the lusty lady. The lusty lady consists of gin, lime juice, simple syrup, cranberry juice, an egg white and some lavender bitters. While in San Francisco I saw quite a few cocktails with egg whites in them. I was skeptical. I never ordered a single drink with them in it. After trying a sip of Jackie's lusty lady, I can now say that I have been converted. Egg whites add a certain frothiness and creaminess. I can't wait to go back. Next time we're going upstairs to the Needle & Thread, the attached speakeasy.

The door to Needle & Thread from Tavern Law (speakeasy style)

Later that night we also went to Grimm's where I finally got my Fernet and Ginger Ale that I had been craving, followed by a trip to Barrio's for margaritas. It was there that I had the best salad of my entire life, a chipotle pulled chicken salad with romaine and cherry tomatoes. Unreal.

A couple of nights ago we ventured away from last weekend's Capitol Hill adventure and into Belltown, Rob Roy to be exact. They have happy hour from 4-7, so my Playmate cocktail (Pineau des Charentes, Fever Tree Tonic, Grapefruit twist) was only $6 instead of the usual $12. I enjoyed my first cocktail. Even though it was a bit on the sweet side, I loved the tart grapefruit mixed in. My second cocktail was the real winner of the night, the Ginslinger (Ransom Old Tom Gin, Fernet, Cane Sugar, Regan's Orange Bitters.) At first, I felt like I was sipping straight booze, but after awhile the ice allowed the flavors to really open up and I was left with a lovely cocktail with two of my favorites (gin and fernet.)

sipping on my Ginslinger at Rob Roy

Jackie got a couple of cocktails that she liked a lot, but I enjoyed mine more. I'm already planning future outings to Sun Liquor, Bathtub Gin & Co, Knee High Stocking Co., etc.

bar hopping in the bay

To celebrate my new job me, my sister Lauren, and her boyfriend Brad did some major bar hopping around North Beach in San Francisco. We started out with cozy drinks at Tosca. We ordered their Specialities: House Cappuccino (Ghiradelli Chocolate, Steamed Milk, Brandy) as well as the White Nun (Steamed Milk, Kahlua, Brandy). Since it was the first bar that we stopped in; it was a bit quiet, but we enjoyed our drinks nonetheless.

Tosca 

Next up we toodled next door to Specs where I ordered the San Francisco classic Fernet with a ginger back. Specs' was definitely a place worth stopping. Besides enjoying my new favorite go to drink, I also loved looking at the different nautical and hunting decor.

Fernet-Branca and Ginger Ale

After a couple of Fernet's we were starting to get hungry so we headed to Comstock Saloon, which was also ranked as one of the 50 best bars by Food and Wine Magazine. As we sipped our amazing cocktails we also shared a bunch of munchies such as the Pretzel with Mustard and Cheddar Mayo, Corn Hominy Fritters with a smoked pepper dip, the Smoked Salmon Plate as well as the Ricotta Gnocchi with Squash. Everything here was perfection. I adored the bartenders with their suspenders and handlebar mustaches. The decor was antiquely, which fit well with the classic cocktails and old-timey feel. 

Comstock Saloon

After some more cocktails and some food to coat our bellies, we were ready for more. Our finale was Vesuvio. I have been wanting to go to Vesuvio for years and was so happy to finally get the chance to do so. It's located right next to the famous City Lights Books aka where lots of Beat Generation writers would congregate. Being there felt like I was a part of history. I could picture Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady sitting down for some brewskies where they were later joined by Allen Ginsberg or William S. Burroughs. 

Fernet labels in the bathroom at Vesuvio

self portrait in the bathroom at Vesuvio

All in all, the night was pure perfection.