staying in rochester : birthday weekend food tour

I celebrated my birthday over the weekend. And by celebrated, I mean I ate an abundance of really good food with a lot of really good people.

OH…the abundance!

In highly uncharacteristic fashion…I didn’t photography ANYTHING that I ate. Who am I?! I’ll return to normalcy next time around, but for now, enjoy the logos and website links!

Here’s how it all went down:

Thursday:

Location: Napa Wood Fired Pizza

Order: The Medusa (wood-fired pizza with basil pesto, goat cheese, the Napa cheese blend, figs, and caramelized onions instead of pineapple)

Friday:

Location: Yotality

Order: Vanilla, Pink Lemonade, and Pomegranate Frozen Yogurts with Toppings

Location: Dogtown

Order: The Schnauzer (traditional dog with sauteed onions and brown mustard)

Location: Yotality (Round Two)

Order: Peanut Butter and Chocolate Frozen Yogurt with Toppings

Location: Village Bakery (full post coming soon…this place stole my heart!)

Order: Farm Table Salad (organic greens, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, goat cheese, croutons, nuts, lemon vinaigrette), the Daybreaker (espresso, steamed milk, honey, vanilla simple syrup, cinnamon sprinkles) (OH MY WORD.)

And…there’s still a trip to Simply Crepes left for next weekend! Does life get any better?

Here’s to good food and extended celebrations!

beka stays in rochester : magnolia’s

Since a) I love trying new dishes/restaurants and b) I live in the opposite of a food desert, I have a rule when it comes to ordering takeout: if I order it, I have to walk to pick it up. (Unless it’s clear on the other side of the city, in which case all bets are off.) It makes me feel less guilty about eating out because I’m saving gas AND calories! Right? Maybe?

Regardless, it comes in handy that Magnolia’s is only about a 10 minute walk from my apartment. Especially when I’m craving pizza, as I was last Saturday.

Isn’t it pretty?

This is their Margherita pizza, which has a full layer of cheese, red sauce, and strips of basil. I usually prefer the traditional preparation: thick slices of fresh mozzarella and chunks of marinara sauce and whole basil leaves, but let me tell you, this pizza makes me forget all of that. There’s something special about it; the flavors are incredible! It’s also huge, which means I get 4 meals for $10! That’s what we call a deal, folks.

Also, their tomato artichoke soup is hands-down the best tomato soup I’ve ever had. Potentially the best soup of any kind I’ve ever had! It’s SO good!

If you live in Rochester, go visit Magnolia’s. (But you don’t have to walk there if you don’t want to.)

the dailies : 9.12.11

daily word: “But from that Garden beginning, God has had a different purpose for us. His intent, since He bent low and breathed His life into the dust of our lungs, since He kissed us into being, has never been to slyly orchestrate our ruin…He means to rename us – to return us to our true names, our truest selves.” – Ann Voskamp, One Thousand Gifts

daily sweat: Remember those fuzzy memories of the summer? They’re crystal clear right now. Life was workout enough for today!

daily dish: In the hustle and bustle I plum forgot to take pictures of anything today. But here’s the rundown:

breakfast: oatmeal with peaches, banana, walnuts, brown sugar, and almond milk

lunch: hot quinoa bulgar italian salad

dinner: leftover pineapple and ricotta naan pizza

snacks: kashi dark chocolate coconut bar, mini york peppermint patties, prume plums, and dried mango

daily mile:

Day 7: potatoes, pigweeds, and processing

Day 8: a tale of two markets

And now…while I don’t at all regret the decision to stay up and watch the Jets miraculously come from behind to beat the Cowboys last night…it’s time for bed! Goodnight, all.