EDO

between sean's call nights, i thought it appropriate to treat him to dinner. he suggested a new sushi place, edo, that a friend told him about. it's on summer ave. near mendenhall- it looks like hole-in-the-wall place. and it kind of is. but the quality of food is consistent with hole-in-the-wall places- AMAZING.


it's small inside, when we got there we were sharing the restaurant with 3 or 4 other tables. as dinner progressed, though, it became clear that people definitely knew about this place, and that they loved it. by the time we left, every booth in that little restaurant was full. 


they use plastic (but decorative) cups and plates, my placemat was paper, and i didn't get to eat my miso soup with one of those fancy spoons. (and i LOVE those fancy spoons.) but in this case, i think that's why this place is so good. the sushi is the most important part of their business. it was so fresh i swear it has to be flown in daily. the flavors were so full and that was some of the best miso i ever had. just as i judge mexican restaurants by their rice and beans, i judge sushi places by their miso soup. edo passed with flying colors. and everyone i saw who worked there was 100% japanese, so you know it's legit (in my opinion that's one of the first signs of a good restaurant).


and then comes the BEST BEST BEST part. the  p r i c e ... sean and i each had miso soup and we split 4 sushi rolls, one of which "expensive" (at $6!?) and our bill was just shy of $25!!! what!? for amazing sushi!!!!


and then we capped off the night with cupcakes from muddy's. life doesn't get any better.


I LOVE IT. WE'RE GOING BACK. END OF STORY.

friends+ old venice + muddy's

sean's on call for pediatrics tonight- he left at 5:30 this morning and i won't see him until i get home from work tomorrow night. that's no fun. BUT i have fantastic friends who invited me out for dinner and dessert!! many thanks to paul and suzanne for adopting me tonight- paul even bought my dinner!

along with several other med-students, we went to old venice pizza company. believe it or not, that building used to be my pediatrician's office! when we were eating, i tried to see if i could remember the space how it used to be, with colorful murals everywhere and jars of lollipops. not quite... the food was delicious. suz and paul got some killer spinach dip and the chicken tuscany pizza. i got the eggplant parmesan. not the best i've had, but definitely tasty. (ciao bella is still my fav.)

after dinner we went to muddy's bake shop- a place i've been eyeing for a looong time. i'd heard so many great things, and just recently they won "memphis' best bakery". i got a classic staple- vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing. mmmmmmmm. i'm already looking forward to going back. i mean, place your eyes on THIS....

to all my girl friends who come visit every so often... this is going to be our next must-do activity. coffee and cupcakes at muddy's. i'd better not hear any arguing.

another vacation!! so soon!!

so on friday, i'm leaving work early to head south with the fam... seagrove beach, here we come!! this has been our beach vacation spot for many years now, and we thought it was about time to revisit and reconnect. we'll be spending friday night in birmingham and then driving the rest of the way on saturday morning. we'll be there for ONE WHOLE WEEK!!! YAY!!!! here are just a few of the things i am looking forward to:

pool-side afternoons

shell gazing

walks along the beach

swimming in the gulf

the red bar

fried shrimp and hush puppies

quickest, most delicious dinner ever

PAN-SEARED SALMON with FRESH TOMATO-BASIL RELISH

this dinner for two takes only fifteen minutes!!! since i am missing my other half, i ate most of this dinner myself. but in my defense i did buy a slightly smaller piece of salmon than the recipe called for.

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

2 (6-oz) salmon fillets, skin on

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp olive oil

combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic, vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp in a small bowl.

sprinkle the salmon with the cumin and the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add the salmon, skin-side up, and cook for 4 minutes. turn the salmon and cook 1 minute longer. cover the pan, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the salmon is just opaque in the center and flakes easily, 2-3 minutes.

transfer the salmon to serving plates and add the tomato mixture to the skillet. increase the heat to high and cook until the mixture is warmed through, 1-2 minutes. spoon the relish over the salmon.

it's a weight watchers recipe, too :) 350 cal per serving. enjoy!!

martha, martha, martha

there's a new addition to my family of kitchen tools.

a martha stewart collection salad spinner.

one of my childhood friends, clay, got married this past weekend. another one of my friends, eric, and his fabulous girlfriend, suzanne, were in town for the blessed event and needed to go to macy's to buy a gift. eric kept raving about his salad spinner back in new york, and insisted that i needed one. so he bought me one!! i'm sure it was a thank you for putting them up for the weekend, but i also think he is just THAT excited about salad spinners. which i find fantastic. so thanks, eric, for the wonderful gift!! i have no lettuce right now, but i'm going shopping soon and am really looking forward to some legit salads.

(plus, look how pretty it is.)

while searching for the perfect gift (which, by the way, is EVERYTHING MARTHA STEWART) i fell in love with the following products and want to own them as soon as humanly possible.

Martha Stewart Collection

Multi-Color Prep Bowls

i don't actually know what i would do with these bowls. i know they're for "prepping" but i think it's really just a fancy way to say you have more dishes to wash when dinner is over. maybe i could use them to hold little snacks: teddy grahams, a bit of ice cream... yes. that sounds good.

Martha Stewart Collection

Mouse Novelty Cutting Board

it's just SO precious!! just look at his little tail. at the store, some of the novelty animal cutting boards were being displayed as "plates" and i wondered how realistic that is. do people serve meals on little individual cutting boards? maybe rich people. though if i had this little mouse cutting board i would find a way to eat off of it everyday.

Martha Stewart Collection

Over-the-Sink Cutting Board w/ Colander

this is just c o o l. the colander is collapsable so it's easy to store. you can rinse and drain your veggies in the colander, over the sink, and then chop them right there. genius!! my friend, jessi, has one of these and i remember the first time i saw it... like i was hearing music for the first time. and i'll never be the same.

gearing up for a girls' weekend!!

i'm super-duper excited for my weekend trip!! i'm driving up to springfield, mo tomorrow for a girls' weekend, and a wedding thrown in there somewhere :) one thing i always love about going back to spfd is that it always has a bit of a "college reunion" feel to it. several of my very close college friends are still in town working, so i get to see them. i think we may take in a movie, definitely some sushi, lots of wine, and girl talk. ooo it's been too long and i'm so excited! oh, and how could i forget the "woody p. snowmonster" at andy's frozen custard??? i would SO blow my diet for that delicious dish. in fact, i plan on it. here are just a few of the things i'm looking forward to:

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU GIRLS!!

(looks like a good time, huh? yeah, i know you're jealous.)