Greetings amigos! I'm in foodie rehab right now. I honestly don't even know how I ate so much this weekend, but it was like a delicious blackout that I never want to forget. However I spent my entire Sunday groaning and sipping Peppermint tea. I felt so gluttonous that I couldn't even crack open my new issue of Bon Apetit. The mere sight of food made me die a little.

For some reason, the vast majority of my friends have fall birthdays, so a lot of my weekend was spent celebrating.

It all started Friday. I had a very skinny soup for lunch, and then met a friend at Uchi for Happy Hour. I know Uchi does a lot of things right, but their Happy Hour just knocks it out of the park. So that happened. I went home totally content and very stuffed.

Saturday morning I woke up to go on a nice run, but of course it started to monsoon. I really did have the best of intentions! I had a Birthday lunch at Caracol. I LOVE Caracol. I love the space, I love the staff, I love the menu and I can't even start on the food. Eight ladies who lunch gathered around a table and we ordered the hell out of that menu.

Tuna tacos and raw tuna with ginger/coconut magic.

All the girls pretty much ordered 2 dishes a person, and house "Caracol Ritas" abounded. It was one of the best lunch outings I've had in a WHILE. And it only got better when we gathered afterwards to drink some ice cold bevs and watch college football.

Later that evening, for Birthday celebration Numero Dos, Foodie Photo Blog and I headed to Tony's for a MEAL. We had originally planned on practicing restraint and splitting several things, but yeah right. Of course my phone died, so all I have are the photos she texted me later that night as I was lying in bed hoping the button on my jeans wouldn't pop off and shatter a window.

Tony's is truly a wonderful dining experience. I picked out a delightful Italian Dolcetto D'Alba to sip, and we split the Burrata Pugliese; fresh Oregon figs, Balsamic and some 'beer nuts.' Our pasta entree were breathtaking; Capelletti al Midolo (Bone Marrow, House Made Ricotta, Cognac) and Pansoti (Squash Filled Pasta, Parmesan Puff, Sage Essence.)

We also had the ribbons & squares ( ribbons and Squares of Ahi Tuna, Avocado, Soy Lime Vinaigrette) and then the grand finale was Birthday Souffle. Chocolate souffle with a fresh raspberry sauce and very fresh whipped cream. Un.REAL. If you've never been to Tony's, make it a priority. Another fun fact is that they can pretty much make ANY souffle you want. Our server informed us that "the sky's the limit" when it came to flavoring. Both of us stared at each other and after a couple minutes of feeling overwhelmed, we decided chocolate/raspberry couldn't be a bad call.

So now you can see why my Sunday was spent in a food hangover. But guess what? WORTH IT.

I know I still haven't finished telling y'all about Hawaii, and I promise I will! I also have some fun recipes coming up and lots of Holiday cheer! Stay dry, eat well and see you soon!

Bonjour Sizzlers; it's finally Thursday. I am so so ready for some sunshine, cold bevs and shorts.

Yesterday afternoon, after I almost fainted in the streets of Houston while attempting my first hot weather run; me and Foodie Photo Blog decided to treat ourselves to mani/pedis and an early dinner before our weekly sorority meeting. (Just kidding we don't go to sorority meetings we go to Bible Study on Wednesdays).

Sidenote: It was so hot outside and I was so dehydrated I was actually planning in my head what I would do if I needed to pass out or frantically beg for water. I was scanning for garden hoses in the neighborhood and was THISCLOSE to running into someone's front yard and turning on the hose.

Moving on....

The nail salon is next to Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette, and I've been jonesing to go. I browsed the menu on my iPhone and was STOKED. We snagged an outdoor patio table (mostly because I was still in workout clothes and was embarrassed to be in public looking like a sweat monster). And ordered cocktails.

Kelsey ordered "The Neoclassical" and I opted for a glass of Montepulciano. So far so good. Until her drink came. It tasted like water. She sent it back and got a glass of what I was having.

We decided to split the deviled eggs topped with fried oysters, and then contemplated entrees. I asked the waitress how the tuna salad sandwich was because I was in a sandwich mood, and she said "well I hate everything that has mayo in it so I definitely wouldn't order it." Well... I hate it when people tell me their own opinion about food assuming I'm going to hate it too. So as an act of defiance, I ordered the tuna salad sandwich. Because I'm not afraid of mayo, and I'm not afraid to do what I want. Kelsey went for the tuna tartare and a side of brussel sprouts. This was only after she asked the waitress which tuna tartare dish she preferred and she said "the other one" and Kelsey asked "why?" and she said "because of avocado"....errrrr. ok? So Kelsey also defiantly ordered her original dish. We do what we want up in here.

So the eggs were delightful. Would totally order again. And then my sad excuse for a tuna salad sammie came out.

1.) IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO EAT. Why? Because they put 12 lbs. of lettuce, bacon (which I WILL say was delicious) and tomato and tuna on AN ENGLISH MUFFIN. English muffins are BARELY big enough to support an egg for an egg benedict. So that's the first big problem I have.

2.) If you have a mayonnaise fetish, this is for you. Otherwise, GROSS. I mean, I will eat mayo when it's needed, but this was like runny mayo soup on lettuce with tiny tiny pieces of tuna. I basically ordered a jar of mayo with 1/4 can of tuna. The tuna was barely noticeable. Tuna salad is supposed to not be swimming in mayo. And then on top of that, they smothered one side of the tiny English muffin with another type of aioli mayo.

I will admit I felt a bit sheepish since the waitress warned me, but under NO circumstance is this acceptable. There was literally no way you could eat this thing except to take it all apart, spoon the mayo soup in your mouth, eat the muffin, and then eat the bacon. I ate the bacon and left everything else.

Drippy tuna salad and half a head of lettuce make NOT a tuna salad sammie.

I am not a whiner. But this was just not ok. When the waitress asked how everything was, I said "errrrr I mean I'm not going to eat this anymore" and then the manager came out, and then it got awkward but I'm sorry. No, I'm actually not sorry. They comped my sammie (which was nice considering I ate 1/16 of it) and we paid and left.

Needless to say, I was underwhelmed. I will DEFINITELY give this place another chance as I'm sure there are tastier items on the menu, but the tuna soup was not ok. I literally felt grossed out the rest of the night. I have never had anything against mayo, but this was overload.

So, Sizzlers, please tell me you've had better experiences at this place. I want to love it, and I will go again, but maybe after I cleanse my palate of the mayo overdose. That being said, Happy Thirsty Thursday, pour yo'self something nice this evening, and buckle your seatbelts for FRIDAY!!

peacelove&saynotomayo