BBQ Foodies Weekend

   This weekend was a good experience for multiple reasons. To start things off, my brother Jeff was wanting to go to a local bbq place called SugarHouse Barbeque located in one of Salt Lake favorite neighborhoods Sugarhouse. 

 

 
It used to be located down the street on 700 east, but has since been relocated up the road a bit. Now this location is a lot cooler than the older one. Years & years ago a barn stood in the same place that it stands now. When that barn was torn down, they had saved some of the original parts of it in storage. SugarHouse Bbq was able to get those original items and incorporate it into the new design, making the entire inside barn themed. It was a very nice atmosphere mixing old with modern (which I love).

I started out by ordering a Bloody Mary, which consists of  Five Wives Vodka and Absolut Peppar Vodka stirred with their homemade bloody mix and garnished with an olive, pickle, lemon and lime. This was delicious! I normally can't do Bloody Marys at night but it sounded so tasty! I then ordered a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. What is interesting about this meal is that the shredded chicken is lightly sauteed in buffalo sauce. On the table they have sauces so you can put how ever much you want of whatever sauce. So with me loving spicy & hot food, I covered it in Buffalo Sauce. I also ordered a side of cornbread. I am a crazy person when it comes to cornbread. I love it! I can admit I was not a fan of theirs. It was a little to dry and I wish it would have come with some honey to accompany the butter. Travis got the chicken and ribs & my brother got Ribs. The ribs were cooked sooo well, that they just fell off the bone! I had to sample some of Travis' of course. When in Rome right?! We decided to let the Foodies in ourselves come out and we all gave our own rating of the place. I believe we came to the conclusion of giving it 8 Stars out of 10. The environment was nice and relaxing & the meals were delicious but the sides lacked just a little bit.

Now this weekend also ended up being The Lords (as we call ourselves) monthly food experience. The plan was to go to Tin Roof Grill located in Sandy. This restaurant has been featured on Food Networks  Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, which is hosted by one of my favorite Food Network hosts Guy Fieri. We had 9 in our group that night, so Travis an I went to go put our name on the list while we waited for everyone else to arrive. It was slammed that night! The waitress asked if we had a reservation, which we didn't even think about. She said without a reservation, it would be an hour to hour & a half wait.

Well, on to plan B then! We all decided to go to Yi Sushi Bistro, which offers 50% off sushi. They were slammed as well! Once again, it would be an hour wait. Chadivus then brought up that there was a Korean Bbq called Bumblebee's BBQ & Grill down the road that had no wait. 3rd time is a charm huh?!?! When we arrived, it was just a small fast food type restaurant where you order and then seat yourself. The menu was foreign to me. The only normal thing on the menu was burgers and chicken strips. Everything else I just looked at clueless. 

Chadivus ordered a bunch of things off the menu so we could all experience the whole menu, which included Yang Star Chicken Wings, Bul-Gogi Tacos and a Fried Rice Ball type food. I would go back just for the Bul-gogi! It is one of the best meats I have ever tried & apparently it is listed at number 23 on the World's 50 most delicious foods. I highly recommend it.         

As for my meal, I decided to go out of my comfort zone and try the Mr. Kim Burger, which has kimchi, fried egg, cheese, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeno mayo, and Sriracha. I have always heard that an egg on a hamburger was good but I have never tried it. Man, am I glad I did! It was delicious! At first I was afraid to cut into it because I thought yolk was going to flow everywhere. But to my surprise it was a harder yolk, so I didn't have to be worried.

 If your feeling adventurous and want to try something new, definitely keep this place in mind! Bumblebee's has only been open for a few months and already are the buzz of town! Even when we went to India House in the previous blog, the owner there asked if we had been to Bumblebee's! Give it a shot. You won't be disappointed! :)


  

Valentines Weekend!

   This weekend was pretty much an Epic Not So Fail weekend. We were all planning on going to the Reel Big Fish / Less Than Jake Concert at the Murray Theater. Reel Big Fish is an awesome California Ska Band from the 90's. They are most known for their hit single Sell Out. 

  I have been wanting to see them for a while now but have never really had the chance too. So, for Valentines Day, Travis was going to get us tickets to go to it. I was so so excited! The day before the concert though, Chadivus messaged me and told me that as soon as he tried to check out, the show had sold out! I was so devastated! Everyone said there would be scalpers outside the show, but that just doesn't ever seem worth it to me. People also had tickets on sale online but they were about $60 rather than the $22 obviously. People have to make money from that right?! Ugh.... So, onto plan B. 

      Our group (which included myself, Travis, Chadivus, David, Jordan, & Jackie) still wanted to hang out that night so we decided to go to dinner at El Chihuahua. El Chihuahua is most famous for what they call Death Stars.This is an alcoholic drink served in a huge glass, almost like a small fish bowl and there is a limit of  2 that you can order per person. It's called a Death Star for a reason!  We scarfed down our food and enjoyed each others company. Once we were finished we had to decide what to do next.  

Back in the day, we used to go to Karaoke every week at our local watering hole, South Shore Bar. That is until it closed its doors forever. So, we decided to give it a shot again and we all headed down to a bar called The Highlander, which does karaoke 7 days a week! This place definitely  had a great vibe from the group of people there that night. There was an older couple that sang Johnny B. Good, which was rather entertaining. I sang my usual Hotel California and Travis helped me out with Little Talks by Of Monsters & Men, Jackie sang Say It Ain't So by Weezer and Chadivus sang Drunken Lullabies by Flogging Molly. Now Chad has always had a talent of drawing people to him without even doing anything. As soon as his name came on screen people were cheering, "Chad Dad, Chad Dad." As soon as he started singing, people were up there dancing around him. It was awesome! I even got it on video!

The next day was Valentines Day, so of course, I spent it with my love.

 

I started it off by giving him his present. I made a '130 Days of Love Jar' filled with love notes & quotes. Each day he picks one out to start his day off  to a good start. He loved it & gets excited when the time comes around to open it!

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Travis and I decided to go check out Gilgal Gardens which is tucked away in a neighborhood Downtown. I had never been before and had been wanting to go. Gilgal Garden was built by a man by the name of Thomas Child, who had a desire to give physical form to his deep-felt beliefs. The garden is filled with about 12 sculptures expressing those beliefs. I have included the link above in the text to the website and history of it.

 

After that we went straight to the best pizza in town for dinner, The Pie Pizzaria. We have a couple of them around town, but the only cool one to go to is the original underground next to the University of Utah. It's often referred to as "the best hidden secret in Salt Lake City". It's located in the basement of the University Pharmacy. It has a dark romantic feel to it with candles lit on the table to help keep the pizzas warm & help with the atmosphere. The walls are covered in years of scribbles and initials of past pizza lovers. I first ordered a pint of Blue Moon, then we decided to get the Xtreme Vegi pizza, which comes with Fresh Spinach, Artichoke Hearts, Sicilian Spiced Tomatoes, Red Onions, Feta Cheese, and Mozzarella Cheese & added pepperoni to it. I know, I know...what's the point of getting a vegi pizza if you're just going to put meat on it? Well, we love artichoke hearts, spinach, tomatoes and feta. Why not make it one step better?! We also got an order of Cheddar Pull Apart bread, because you just can't have pizza without cheesy bread. Haha.

 

 Our next and last stop of the day was Grey Whale Music located right around the corner from the Pie. The whole bottom floor is discounted & used DVDs, then you can go upstairs and they have the whole room filled with discounted music from cds, to vinyl. I just went in to look but I found 2 movies for a total of $13 dollars!






After my good find we decided to go home. Have a glass of wine and relax.

Another great weekend!

TBT: Run Disney Adventure Weekend!

   Welcome to the Throwback Thursday edition of Diary of a Crazy Lady! I won't be doing it every Thursday but if I have something that pops up, I sure as hell will jump in my Delorean and bring you along! 

   

   My story began when my sister informed she wanted to do the Neverland 5K in Disneyland and that she wanted me to do it with her. I thought to myself that I had never done a 5K before, so why not have my first be in Disneyland! I had 6 months to train! 6 months flew by and it was time to do this! My boyfriend, Travis and I jumped in my little yellow car (I like to call Minni) and we were officially on the road to Vegas. Our plan was to drive to my hometown of Las Vegas to meet up with my sister and brother in law. It was the first road trip I had ever driven myself. We finally saw the view of the Strip as we came up over the hill. Every time I go to Vegas, I know I am home when I see that silver lining. :) 

 Day 1! Jan. 15th 2014

   We planned on leaving the next day, but not till later in the afternoon. So, I got to take Travis on a miniature tour of my old stomping grounds. We first went to get coffee at Sambalatte in Boca Park (shopping center). It was delicious! The only thing I would complain about would have to be that it was a little over priced but I had to remind myself, "Hey! You're in Vegas!." We then went to the Total Wine & More store. My heaven! Being from Utah and someone who loves spirits, it's like a kid in a candy store when you visit normal states that have liquor for sale in lets say a 7-11. This is what I grew up used to, so you could imagine how it would be moving to a state with abnormal liquor laws.

We hit the road for Cali and arrived in the evening with time to spare. But first we had to check in to the hotel! Yep! We stayed at the Super 8 on Disneyland Dr. just 15 minutes walking distance from Downtown Disney. Since we had some time to spare we decided to go see what Downtown Disney was all about! 

Downtown Disney reminded me of the Caesars Palace Casino shopping center in Vegas, except Disney! I think my favorite store besides the Disney Store was the Lego Store. So much time and work had to of gone into those Lego statues. They were phenomenal! 

Day 2! Jan. 16th

   Big Day! 5K & Disneyland! Our morning started early! The race started at 6:30 AM, so we had to be up and ready by 540 am. We walked down to Disneyland in our cute Tinkerbell & Periwinkle race costumes that my sister made us! Once we made it to the main entrance, we sadly had to part ways with our cheer squad as we entered the gate. It was insane to be standing on Disney Main Street with thousands of other racers before the park even opened! They began with a firework show orchestrated by Tinkerbell of course!

Everyone waited in their Lost Boy & Fairy outfits to get the ok to go as the people who were there to truly race started. Throughout the race they played Following the Leader from Peter Pan as well as themed songs from the areas we were going through. Photo opportunities were also available with Mascots but the lines were way to long to even want to stop. As we continued through, we realized we were in the back stage areas. Bet you can't say you've been behind the scenes! They also had props from the holidays brought out from storage for photo opportunities as well. The sun began to rise as we made our way to California Adventure to finish the race and meet our guys! Watch us cross the finish line below! :)

  

Heading back to the hotel, we rested, got something to snack on then proceeded to spend the rest of our day in Disneyland! First, we had to get our Mickey Ears right?! We headed to the Mad Hatters Shop. Just like sisters, we both ended up getting the same Pirate Mickey ears. Travis wasn't about the Mickey Ears, so he got a grey Grumpy hat. Haha.

 I had been doing my Secret Disney research the week before and found out that if you go to City Hall, they will give you a Honorary Citizen pin if you answer some questions correctly. Let's just say, we are good! And they weren't as easy as you would think!

Ride time! We hit Indiana Jones first, which is my favorite ride! This ride now stands where the Eeyore Parking Lot used to be located, so when you are in the projector room, look behind you, above the projector, and you will see the old sign! You can also pull ropes and such while in line and make things happen. As we were enjoying the ride, it broke down. AND it was our Jeep that broke it down. It was dark and we couldn't move until a cast member came to evacuate us. Luckily, we were at the end of the ride. We asked if they could take a picture of us but said it would ruin the magic so we did it ourselves! Now, I do have to say, walking through and seeing the boulder just spinning and spinning in one spot & the Indiana doll just dangling there will forever be in my mind every time I ride it. Perks of it breaking down? We got to see the cast members area AND we got 2 free any ride fast pass tickets! Score!

Funny enough, our space ship on Space Mountain broke down too right as the ride began. But we got to go behind scenes a little again to get to the front of the line to ride. After riding what we could at Disneyland we made our way to California Adventure. It was pretty cool! My favorite part was Radiator Springs, & I never even really like Cars. Maybe I need to give it another chance now that I've been there! Haha. It was time for fireworks and The World of Color, so we ran to Disneyland to catch that, then back to California Adventure to see The World of Color. It was amazing!.....Until 5 minutes in, it broke......What is with things breaking down?!

My legs hurt sooooooooo bad by the end of the night from doing the race and a whole day between Disney & California, that I had to go back to the hotel. I hurt sooooo bad, I cried all the way back. We had to stop and get me some Bengay pain reliever and a couple of beers.

 Day 3! Jan. 18th

The next morning came & we packed up our stuff and went to Coco's Family Restaurant for breakfast. This place was pretty darn good! I recommend it if you are ever in Cali or Vegas.

Next stop, Seal Beach! I hadn't been to a beach since I was 7 or 8, so I was beyond excited. Well, as excited as I could be considering I literally couldn't walk from the day before...I loved all of the beach houses and tried to imagine what it would be like to live on a beach like that. It was so foreign to me I couldn't! 

 Now this is where Travis & I geeked out. We were on Ocean Ave. If you know pop/punk type music at all, you should be familiar with Yellowcard with a song called Ocean Avenue. Click here for the song! Ocean Avenue - Yellowcard. We were standing right there!!!!! I will forever hold that memory :)

   We had lunch at an Irish Pub called O'Malley's on Main just located near the beach. We ordered potato skins to share, which were to die for! Then I ordered a Cobb Salad & 2 pints of Blue Moon. Now remember, I am from Utah, who has lower alc. %'s. One pint alone got me feeling pretty decent since I am not used to normal. Hey, you spend less money I guess?! Haha. Sadly, it was time to go back to Vegas. 

Day 4! Jan. 19th

  We went on an adventure with my niece & nephews around Vegas. We first hit the outlet mall, where I bought Travis a plaid shirt that has now become his favorite piece of wardrobe :p Then we went to the Container Park Downtown. This place was awesome! It was a little outlet mall, but all of the buildings were made out of huge metal storage containers. They also had a play park in the middle and a stage where musicians can perform! 

   That night we decided to have a date night on the strip. I had forgotten just how crazy the strip can be, let alone driving when you're a "tourist". We decided to go wonder around Planet Hollywood and grab a bite to eat. That's pretty much all the time we had because we had to go back to Summerlin to meet my brother in law at the Red Rock Casino for some Bingo! I love Bingo and if I still lived in Vegas, I have no doubt, I would be one of those old bitty women playing bingo with a glass of wine. I love this casino specifically because its off the strip, It is also about a mile or so away from my old high school, so we all used to go to the movies & bowling there all the time!

   The next day we had to leave the warmth of Vegas and head back to the cold, snowy Salt Lake City. Before we left, I made it a priority to stop back at that wine store and get a big bottle of my favorite wine that is normally $13 at home, but was only $6 there! How could that not come home with me?!

Goodbye to warmth! :(

The trip was an amazing adventure and I wish I could go back and live it day after day!

Weekend Overview!

   Hey Guys! So, this weekend was actually kind of fun! To start it off, my friend Chadivus needed help with his blog. He is starting a new one where he will be interviewing local bands in the Salt Lake Valley & I will be helping him with photos/video if possible. If done right, this will be good exposure for these bands! The band we interviewed goes by the name of The Last Gatsby. When his blog for this interview is finished, I will share it with you all.

Later that night, we all met up at the best Irish bar in town! 
Piper Down. This has become our home bar. We will occasionally venture to other bars in the valley, but this is the one we have all come to love and feel at home. Pictured below is the back bar area. We prefer this area because it is like a different world compared to the front bar area. It has a more relaxed vibe and is never as crowded.

The group that made the night up was Chadivus, David, Jordan, Carly & of course Travis and myself. We enjoyed Strongbow hard cider on tap, which is far better than Redds Apple Ale and many other hard ciders.

 Because Utah is a Mormon state, it has strange liquor laws. They now are able to serve Strongbow on tap but have to serve it in a carafe because it is considered a "wine" not a cider. Weird right? Welcome to the life of a non Mormon in Utah...

Definition: The carafe /kəˈræf/, is a container without handles used for serving wine and other drinks. Unlike the related decanter, carafes do not include stoppers.

We have discovered the best way to drink a hard cider is by mixing it with a shot of cinnamon whiskey. We originally would use Fireball Whiskey for this mix but after news came out about their ingredients, I think its safe to say no one really wants to try it anymore. Luckily, Evan Williams has a great Cinnamon Whiskey that pairs well with the ciders. Travis & I then decided we needed something to eat. My mind goes into autopilot when food is brought up at Piper, because my favorite thing to get is their Smothered Leprechaun. Basically it is chips and queso dip, but not just any queso dip. Just imagine a pile of handmade guacamole covered in white queso dip with jalapenos swimming through out it. It's heaven! I always end up licking the bowl clean. (Not literally but pretty close lol). We often say its so good, we could forget the chips and just eat it like soup! Now this isn't the only good thing on their menu. They have everything from brunch items to Pub favorites like Corned Beef and Cabbage & Scott Eggs w/ Guinness Mustard Sauce, to just your typical bar foods like cheese fries & more. Here is a link to their menu! Piper Down Menu. 



Brunch is a great time to go because on weekends they have a Bloody Mary bar & mimosas. More on that another time! All in all we had a a great time with friends, enjoying their company, the spirits, and the music. If you are ever looking for a great bar, keep Piper in mind! :)




 To finish out this entry, I do have to hit one more topic. Going back to my previous post about the Superbowl, I had mentioned that at Hogle Zoo (my workplace), our male lion, Vulcan, had a shot at predicting the 2015 winner. And if any of you watched the Superbowl, you know who won! That's right! Vulcan predicted the Patriots to win the 2015 Superbowl and he was RIGHT! This makes Utah's Hogle Zoo animal predictions correct 8/8 times, 7/8 was predicted by our male Orangutan, Eli, who sadly passed away this past September. Below is the video of Vulcan predicting the winner!