Celebration Time

I was born on December 31. Growing up, I didn’t get to celebrate my birthday in class. Most kids went away for the holiday break. Now as adult, there are pros and cons to my birthday being so close to Christmas. For one, I get a lot of 2-4-1 presents, unfortunately that isn't extended to my bar tab... There is always something going on, which can be a good thing with the right planning. If it is left to the last minute the restaurants are booked and clubs are completely full which could lead to an empty stomach and wandering the streets for somewhere to hang out.

For this year, my 29th birthday, which I am excited about (don’t ask me why because I don't know why), we have made some plans. I've always wanted to go to a ball for one of my birthdays. We had started to make some plans to go to one but thought it wouldn't be so much fun if we were the only people there that we knew. Hopefully next year.

For our alternate plan we booked a hotel at:

Andaz London Hotel
40 Liverpool Street,London, England (United Kingdom)EC2M 7QN

TEL: +44 20 7961 1234

FAX: +44 20 7961 1235

EMAIL: info.londonliv@andaz.comMap & Directions Download Andaz Brochure (PDF)

My husband did the research and it is right across from a tube station, which will mean less walking! Some of the features that lured us here are the photos. I want to stay in a hotel that feels like it is a 5-STAR hotel. I want a nice bed, decent bathroom, and some amenities such as wi-fi. This hotel has towel warmers and iPod docking stations. Don’t have an iPod? Not to worry, because they have them at the concierge available for checkout. Another thing that was really attractive about this hotel is the 5 restaurants and 4 bars. If we didn’t want to go anywhere we could totally just stay in the hotel and still have a great night.

We hope to do an early check-in, unpack, (if we get there early enough sushi for lunch) and find a nice place to eat for dinner. I hear that there that have a celebration of fireworks over the River Thames.

We also made reservations to eat at the Simpson's-in-the-Strand. I was refered to this from a co-worker. This is the first restaurant that I've seen that they have black pudding on the menu. I was also told that they have a strict dress code that has a NO DENIM policy. Which is great with me, I want somewhere to dress up on my birthday. Please see their menu.

Information:
http://www.london.gov.uk/newyearseve/nyelondon.jsp
http://www.visitlondon.com/

*****I will publish a follow up to this to confirm if this hotel has met my expectations.

Where to Eat: England

Where to eat in the UK:

Yes I know I just did one yesterday about food. It is a subject that I really enjoy. I also wanted to not get too stuck on the same old part of the world.

Sushi

Teri-Aki Restaurant & Bar, Cambridge

Phone: 01223 882288

This is the best sushi restaurant within 30 minutes of where I live, which is honestly not saying much... The sushi is good. Don't get me wrong, they have good food. It just doesn't knock my socks off. Their biggest area that needs improvement is service. I have gone here and there always seems to be something that takes forever from getting the server to split the bill or waiting forever for my food to come. A few times my friends and I had to literally chase down someone to pay so we could leave.

MENU

Italian

Below are 2 of my favorite restaurants local to me, but they are also chains.

Pizza Express

75 High Street Newmarket Suffolk CB8 8NA

Telephone: 01638 664 646

Prezzo

2 Exeter Road, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8LT

Telephone: 01638 669676

I probably shouldn't combine the 2 but they are very similar. Except Prezzo is a bit nicer than Pizza Express.

Where to Eat: Florida

I am currently living in England with my husband and I have been here over a year. I'm so homesick for food from the Panhandle of Florida!!! That is one of the things that I miss the most from the states, my family goes without saying. I wanted to share some restaurants from where I grew up and highlight few of my favorite dishes.

Seafood
Old Bay Steamer
102 Santa Rosa Blvd Ft Walton Beach, FL 32548
Phone: (850) 664-2795

This is our #1 favorite seafood restaurant. Old Bay Steamer simply makes me think that this is what a seafood restaurant should be. It has a great relaxed atmosphere and the food wonderful! I'm the type of person who always orders the same thing once I find my favorite. They have a house salad that is unique and I always look forward to it. For the main course, we usually order a platter for 2 that are piled high with: snow crab legs, King Crab legs, HUGE shrimp, clams, mussel, oysters, potatoes, and corn on the cob. I believe that they serve desserts here but I'm always too full to order any.
You also have to love their motto, "No fried crap!!"

Why should you go here? Great atmosphere, great value, great food, because you love seafood!!!

Mexican
La Paz Restaurant & Cantina
950 Gulf Shore Dr Destin, FL 32541
Phone: (850) 837-2247

This is not your typical Mexican restaurant. I found this restaurant because most of my high school friends worked as bus-boys and hostesses here. They have a unique seafood-slash-Mexican menu. I would say that La Paz had a beach feel to it. The have a festive color scheme that is very bold.

To start they offer the traditional chips and salsa, except they also offer a mild green salsa that is my personal favorite. Upon reading the menu, I haven't been there in over a year, it seems that they no longer serve what was my star pick, shrimp tacos with a mango cha-salsa. :(

Why should you go here? A different twist on Mexian. You are tired of the same old thing.

Sushi
Osaka Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
34745 Emerald Coast Pkwy., Destin, FL, 32541
Phone: (850) 650-4688

I love sushi! I think that Osaka's has a very unique menu. They have the traditional rolls (California, Shrimp Tempera, Eel, etc.) but I really love their volcano roll and Ichiban roll. They have unique rolls that don't have seaweed. Instead they use the peel of a cucumber and roll the ingredients inside. They are one of my favorites and it is so yummy!!!! My friend's favorite was the Fried Grouper roll. If you think that sushi doesn't fill you up, you should give this place a try. I always order much more than I should because everything is so great.
***They also do hibachi which is an entertaining show and very filling and delicious.

Why should you go here? Great atmosphere, unique rolls, fresh sushi.

Gourmet
BeachWalk
The Inn at Crystal Beach, 1st Floor 2996 Scenic Highway 98 East Destin, Florida 32541
Phone: 850.650.7100

Chef Tim Creehan runs the Beachwalk. My husband and I went here after we got married. They have an interesting menu. For my entree I had Ahi Tuna, one of my favorites. The best part of Beachwalk for me was that it signified a special occasion. It offers a wonderful presentation from the ambiance to the delicious editable artwork.

Why should you go here? Any special occasion.

Below: A special Congratulations from a chef.

Justin Gaffrey

I found Justin Gaffrey in the Panhandle of Florida. I think that he is an awesome artist. I would love to one day own at least one piece of his art.

My 1st encounter was seeing one of his painting in the Walton County Courthouse. I thought he used the textures and colors in a new and interesting way. It looks as though he was strongly influenced by Impressionists such as Van Gogh and Monet.

My 2nd encounter was during an art show at The Villiage of Baytowne. I saw his work and thought that it looked similar to that of the one on display in the local courthouse. Justin Gaffrey was there and I was able to talk to him for a minute. He told me a little of his biography, how he had only been painting for about 5 years, at that time, and how his wife Billie had introduced him to art. Prior to being an artist, he was a chef. I am inspired that he was able to make a career change and do something so creative so well without the technical training.

Welcome!!!

I always thought about the perfect job. I love food and thought how great it would be to be a food critic and be able to eat fine food for a living! I also adore art and took a few art history classes as electives at the University of Florida and had dreams of maybe becoming an Art buyer. (My major was Business Administration. I thought that that was a more realistic career stepping stone.) I believe it was in Dr. Stanley's Intro to Art History class my Freshman year that started my love of Europe and art. I also took Creative writing classes so what better way to combine the things that I love than with this little blog.

Now I live in England and I have been lucky to travel to a few countries in Europe. I love to taste the different food, see history and beauty, and experience a different culture.

I want to thank you for taking the time to share my experiences.

Teresa