Return to Bentonville, Arkansas

I've traveled to Bentonville, Arkansas on and off since 2012 for work, as it's the home base for retail giant Walmart.  I went back for a few days this year for a work trip, and I tried my best to take photos of some of the highlights!

From a food perspective, my favorite meal was at The Preacher's Son, set in a restored church just off the downtown square in Bentonville.  Their menu changes seasonally, and in hindsight I can't remember exactly what we ordered, but everything, from the cocktails to the appetizer to the food was delicious.  I vaguely remember choosing a cocktail with pisco in it, because it reminded me of my honeymoon in Peru.

Preacher's Son

Preacher's Son

Another night, we went as a group to Doe's Eat Place, which makes me chuckle.  Saying "Eat Place" instead of restaurant reminds me of the time on The Office when Kevin decided to speak in "small talk" and not using complete sentences.  "Why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?"  That said, the tamales and steak were yummy, the portions were huge (I shared my steak with my work bestie) and Peyton Manning has eaten there, so...  #winning.

On our last free night, my coworkers and I visited Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.  It's as beautiful a building as ever, but the collection/organization have changed a ton since my last visit.  It's definitely worth visiting, but it has dropped off my list of favorite museums in place of some others.  But the sculpture trails are worth a visit on a sunny day for sure!

We actually hit up two museums in the same day, visiting The Walmart Museum in downtown Bentonville.  It's another place that I think has expanded/grown since I first visited.  I remember it feeling a lot smaller.  But my favorite bit of the museum is still Sam Walton's preserved office, down to stacks of magazines and things on the floor.

You could pretty much count the 21C hotel as a third museum, if you think about it.  It's full of artwork, including a painting from a French artist that I really loved!  We grabbed beautiful drinks at The Hive (I think mine was the Origami Crane.) and then walked to Tavola for Italian food.  Both The Hive and Tavola were placed I used to visit on trips in the past.

My 2019 trip to Bentonville was a good mix of new and old haunts for me.

Have you ever been to Northwest Arkansas?

Boston, Massachusetts

I took a work trip to Boston for three nights, and it was probably the longest stretch of time I've spent in what is truly a very cool city.

Flying over the city, walking near my hotel

My conference was at the Westin in Copley Square, a beautiful hotel that has restaurants and shops and a skywalk to the nearby mall.  I loved the mixture of historic and modern architecture in the area.

Copley Square area

On my first afternoon/evening, I walked to The Salty Pig for lunch.  I had their Salty Pig pizza with salted pork, pale ale caramel, and arugula, but subbed tomato sauce for the mustard... so good!  Then I walked to Flour Bakery + Cafe at the behest of my cousin's reco and grabbed a sticky bun.  In the evening, I connected with some college classmates in Southie for a nice night in.  (I was fortunate to have friends and family to connect with each evening I was there!)

The second night, I took the T to Fenway to meet my cousin for dinner at Wahlburgers!  I had the BBQ Bacon burger with white cheddar, bacon, housemade BBQ sauce & avocado spread (I skipped the jalapeños), and it was delicious.  The tater tots were also awesome.  It was a really good burger spot, and the decorations were very Boston and Wahlburg (movie posters everywhere) at the same time.

Wahlburgers

I also got to see my friend Lindsey on my trip to Boston!  I've been wanting a Louis Vuitton Neverfull for years now (yes, I'm basic, deal with it) and since Linds has her own collection, I figured it would be fun to shop together.  I chose a "damier ebene" canvas with the "rose ballerine" interior color.  Our salesgirl Athena truly made it a magical experience for this first-timer.  Is it normal or practical to spend so much on a handbag?  Probably not.  But if that's what you want in order to reward yourself for a milestone, I say there's no time like the present!

We finished the night with Italian food at Sorellina, where I had a delicious meatless bolognese (the Impossible Foods stuff!) and dessert so good that we didn't take pictures of it.  We had a slumber party at the hotel that night before I had to leave early in the morning.

I love Boston, and I need to spend more time there.  I want to explore more historic landmarks, the architecture, the food...  so much!  I could spend a week there and still leave things undone.

Do you have any Boston recommendations in case I go back?

Nashville Food Tour

Sometimes it's fun to play tourist in your own local area.  That's exactly what I did for a work event with coworkers!  We took a private food tour with Dabble Studio in Germantown and explored a multiple neighborhoods and types of Nashville classic fare.

We started off with hot chicken at the Listening Room Cafe, which moved to SoBro (South of Broadway neighborhood) a couple of years ago.  It's a great music venue, and the food was food too!  I've heard it's the kind of place serious music listeners visit, i.e. don't talk while the music is playing.

Our next stop was East Nashville, to get a bushwacker at 3 Crow Bar.  The bushwacker is the unofficial cocktail of Nashville, but I'd never had one before this tour.  I know, I know... I've lived here for seven years, what gives?  I'd heard that is was like an adult Frosty, and I'm not a chocolate person. But it's a delicious boozy milkshake that everyone should try at least once, and the liquor sneaks up on your fast.

Also in East Nashville, we had a sampler of hot dogs (and soda!) at I Dream of Weenie, probably one of the most Instagrammed spots on that side of town.  I loved the Cheerwine, which is such a Southern thing.

And it wouldn't be Nashville if we didn't stop at a mural for a photo opp!  Seriously, the number of murals in Nashville is insane.  I once did a post about visiting a bunch with my friend B, but now there are so many more... I love Kristin Luna's post about them with so many I haven't visited.

It wouldn't be a Nashville tourist

I had to leave the tour before the final two stops, because I had to get home to pick up Kenny at daycare.  But after I left, they hit up one of the best BBQ joints in town (Martin's Bar-B-Que in Belmont) and got dessert at Colts Chocolates in the Gulch.  Talk about a great way to spend an afternoon!

I'd definitely recommend you check out a food tour if you're coming to Nashville; this one hits so many different neighborhoods (they give you history and trivia along the way) and is a great way to enjoy a taste of Music City.

Little Rock, Arkansas

In the fall, I started a new role at work, which means I get to do more of something that I really enjoy... hitting the road for customer meetings and other events!  I've already done a quick day trip down to Fort Lauderdale (literally, I flew down and back in the same day), and recently I hit the road to Northwest Arkansas for a meeting.  Since it was a rather long road trip, we broke it up by stopping in Little Rock going to and from Nashville!

Outside of Little Rock, we headed to De Valls Bluff for one of my coworker's favorite BBQ joints: Craig's Bar-B-Q.  Craig's is a cash-only, family-run dive that is absolutely a gem.  Look, it's not fancy.  At all.  But we watched a steady stream of locals taking food away the entire time we were there, and we were able to get four sandwiches (three BBQ, one grilled cheese) and drinks for under $20.  For real. 

Craig's is one of those road trip detours that is absolutely worth the trek!  The pork is sliced vs. pulled (sort of the thickness/consistency of brisket) with homemade sauce.  We got it spicy, and it's served with a slaw inside.  I'm not even a slaw person, and I loved it.

On our return trip back through Little Rock, we decided to go a different direction foodwise... Asian noodles and dumplings!  We hit up Three Fold downtown and got soup noodle bowls, dumplings, and a steam bun to sample the goods.

Little Rock (and its environs) impressed us foodwise, and there were a bunch of places I wish I could have tried.  But we also tried to see some cool sights!  We drove by the State Capitol at night and it was gorgeous.  They had great statues and monuments around it, and it was beautifully lit.

We also did a quick walk-through of the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.  Regardless of your politics, I think visiting Presidential libraries and museums is pretty cool... it's like walking into a time capsule of a President's time in office.

President Clinton is one of the first Presidents that I remember, so it was kind of cool to look at the technology, the news headlines and major events, and more that happened from 1993 to 2001.  I really enjoyed the full scale replicas of the Oval Office and Cabinet Room, and seeing Cadillac One.

I also enjoyed seeing artifacts, gifts, and decor from the Clinton White House.  There were saxophones, china settings, letters, even a white Chihuly Christmas tree!

I wish we'd had time for a guided tour, but maybe next time!  It was really fun to blaze through before hitting the road back home.  These types of road trip stops remind of how much there is to see in America and its "flyover states".  I usually fly when I travel, focusing on my destinations.  On this trip, I enjoyed focusing on the journey and figuring out things along the way off the cuff!

Thank you, Little Rock!

A Week in NYC

In July, I spent a week living in Brooklyn for work, volunteering at a non-profit.  This was cool for a number of reasons.  1) I got to pretend I lived in NYC for a bit, 2) I got per diem to EAT ALL THE THINGS, and 3) I met new friends but also got to visit family.

My project partners

We lived and worked near the MetroTech center, near the shopping on Fulton Street south of Dumbo and north of Boerum Hill.  Our first night, we walked to Bijan's for dinner, which had delicious Persian fusion food.  They offer a delicious stew special, which I had.  So much flavor!

We also had beautiful dinners (my coworkers enjoyed some great seafood!) at Atrium Dumbo (in Dumbo, obvi) and Midnights in Williamsburg.  We really enjoyed exploring some of the other neighborhoods in Brooklyn while we could.  I also frequented Dekalb Market Hall, an awesome new food court that had so many options from bagels to Hawaiian to Katz's Deli.  And Shake Shack, OF COURSE.  Two of my other favorites?  We hit up Yaso Tangbao for a delicious lunch, because SOUP DUMPLINGS and spicy noodles are amazing.  We also ate at Aunt Jake's in Little Italy for fresh pasta that was just... perfection!  So good my Italian mother-in-law would approve.

Takeout from Yaso Tangbao

My favorite sightseeing, other than the beautiful bridge views in Brooklyn, was our visit to Merchant's House Museum in lower Manhattan.  If you're a history buff, I really think a tour of this impeccably-preserved home is in order.  It is the only historic house museum in the Greenwich Village/Soho/NoHo neighborhoods, where every other building has made way to development.  It's also considered one of the best examples of architecture of its period (1832 late-Federal brick exterior with Greek revival interior rooms), because the same family owned/occupied it until 1906.  I loved that so much of the family's original belongings were part of it.

The garden at Merchant's House

After a full week of work, I extended my visit to include a weekend staying with my cousin on the Upper West Side.  Her little girl is getting so big!  I loved spending time with family.  Our baby cousin (okay, he's grown, but I still call him our baby) came in from college in Boston to spend time with us too.  We walked to Gotham West Market (another food court, because this is a hot thing, right?) and I had pizza from Corner Slice, Ivan Orkin's pizza joint.  Yum.

We walked through Central Park and indulged in fro-yo, baked goods, and bubble tea/boba.  We also had a yummy brunch at Spring Natural Kitchen, my last meal with family before heading home.  Because that is what you do when you're in NYC.  You get out, eat all the things, and walk your butt off so you can eat some more!

I must say, I don't think I've ever gotten to "live" in NYC for an entire week every, so it was kind of awesome to wake up every day, walk out the door, and find AMAZING BAGELS everywhere.  And everything else you could imagine.  It wasn't as glamorous as Carrie Bradshaw made it look, but it was certainly loud, colorful, delicious, and fun.  I will admit that being in the super early stages of pregnancy on the trip kept me from eating/drinking some things I wanted, and the smells could be a little overwhelming... but it was still worth every bite.

Portland: Food

Every year, Dan and I try to take a week-long vacation as a couple.  For our 2017 trip, we decided to take a road trip through parts of Oregon and Washington!

Portland is a delicious foodie city!  While we were there, we definitely ate our fill.  A ton of places were walking distance (or a super quick Lyft) from our Airbnb in southeast Portland.  If you have a bad meal in Portland, you're doing it wrong.

Fifty Licks Ice Cream

Everyone talks about Salt & Straw (and their line is out the door), but another spot with a line out the door that we found was Fifty Licks.  Since it was in our Airbnb neighborhood, we ventured out for some scoops.  

I loved the smell of them making fresh waffle cones!  I got to see them making and shaping them as we waited in line.  There was limited seating, but we got our cones for walking since it was a bit crazy in there at the time.

As for the ice cream?  Buttery, fatty, deliciousness.  Just how ice cream is supposed to taste!  I'd highlight recommend it.

Cascade Brewing Barrel House
Just a quick (dark) pic from Cascade, because it's definitely worth mentioning.  Dan is a huge fan of good sour beers, so Cascade was a must-visit for us in Portland.  He liked the taproom, and they had a great selection.  While we didn't eat there, it's close to a lot of restaurants and serves its own food,  so you definitely should pop in for a visit.

Al-Amir Restaurant

We met up with my college buddy and his wife at one of their favorite Portland restaurants, Al-Amir.  Serving Lebanese and Mediterranean fare, I had no idea we were in for a family-style feast!  The food was fresh, aromatic, flavorful, and tasty.  It's unassuming from the outside, but once you're in you feel like family for sure.  Dan loves Lebanese food, especially lamb dishes.  We really enjoyed our meal at Al-Amir.

Screen Door 

One of the spots walking distance from our Airbnb (and highly recommended by our hosts) was Screen Door.  YES YES YES.  This place is a must!  I'm a huge fan of breakfast foods and brunch, and this place was awesome.  It was jam-packed with people too, always a good sign.

The food came in huge portions.  It was decadent.  I could eat there every day for a week and not get through all the things I wanted to try.  Again, I'm a breakfast fanatic, and this menu was amazing.  I went with the vanilla bean brioche French toast.  I think Dan got the waffle with fried chicken.  I loved every bite, and I'd love to come back here.

Blue Star Donuts
Here's another one where we went with a local reco over the iconic reco.  We'd eaten Voodoo Doughnuts in Austin, so we figured we should try the place that locals told us was even better: Blue Star Donuts.  These are seriously good doughnuts, but you'd be hard-pressed to finish more than one in a sitting!  So much flavor and density!   If you like a cake donut and foodie flavors, this place is for you.

Our one mistake?  We had no idea the day we decided to get these donuts was National Donut Day.  So basically it was perfect for Instagram, not perfect for lines.  We chose one particular Blue Star donut shop based on it being the most residential, so our line wasn't so bad as others faced that day.

EastBurn

EastBurn was another spot walking distance from our Airbnb.  We headed over looking for dinner, and this place also had a great list for beer and whiskey.  I loved the super hipster cage chairs hanging on their stage as seating, but Dan and I weren't up for braving them.  I totally have a fear that I'll sit in one and it'll fall and hurt my pride... and I might not be able to eat without making a mess! LOL

We made the mistake of ordering a delicious appetizer, meaning my (tasty) gut bomb of a sandwich was entirely too much food for me to finish, but boy was it flavorful.  I think I got the brisket sandwich, but looking back I was too busy inhaling it to remember months back.  I'm pretty sure it was the brisket, because a Korean inspired sauce is always my jam!

Do you have a favorite spot in Portland for great food and drink?