October 18, 2012 | Posted in Blog, Life, Photography, Travel

Yucatan Cuisine: A Gastronomic Tour From Cozumel Chef

What better way to start our honeymoon with a food adventure in Mexico? Thanks to Angelina, I found the Cozumel Chef Tour through one of her blog posts on bacon is magic. The tour sounded so interesting that as a foodie couple we had to try it during our honeymoon. Before arriving I told our guide, Emily Egge, that my husband loves seafood and she was willing to tailor the tour for his interests and provided a custom itinerary about what we would be eating.

So my husband & I went on the Cozumel Chef food tour and it was the highlight of our stay in Mexico. Emily was absolutely wonderful and extremely knowledgeable. She was originally from the US and went to the French Culinary Institute in New York City. She lives in Cozumel now and she gave us a great introduction to the area.

Our first stop was at this traditional empanada stand. An empanada is a stuffed pastry usually prepared as a traditional breakfast. They’re typically filled with meat, fish, potato, and cheese fillings.  We both loved being able to try different types of empanada. Our most favorite one was the shark meat empanada. After our empanada stop we then headed to a yucatan taco stand, a place that only locals would know about. We had baby-suckling pig taco and these are usually served over the weekend early in the morning. We also loved the Pescaderia restaurant where we get to pick our fish and they prepared it right in front of us. It was super fresh and delicious. There is no way we could have experienced half of what we did with Emily if we tried to explore Cozumel on our own.

Apart from the food we tried, Emily also took us to a local market and gave us a a quick tour of different types of local ingredients they have. She did a great job with trying to show us different types of fruits and vegetable that we didn’t know about. It was an entertaining and interesting stop. I highly recommend it for anyone who is an adventurous “foodie” and who love to learn more about the Yucatan cuisine. A big hug to Emily and hopefully we’ll be back to Cozumel soon so we can try the food again.

Visit Cozumel Chef at cozumelchef.com or follow Emily on Twitter and Facebook.

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February 27, 2012 | Posted in Blog, Life, Photography, Travel

Photo Essay: Italian Renaissance in The Heart of Miami

To all my dear readers, sorry I haven’t been posting new adventures lately. I have been swamped with new work and being so busy with wedding stuff. So looking back at my travel photos has become one of my little breaks from all the busy insanity in my life at the moment. Today I just wanted to share some beautiful photos I took from Vizcaya Museum and Gardens a couple months ago. Why did I choose to share these? Because it’s one of the most popular venues in South Florida for weddings, shows, and events. It’s so romantic that it has become a popular spot for engagement and wedding photos. While I’m preparing my wedding in Mexico I feel the need to write a post of another popular place for weddings in the states.

Vizcaya Museum and Garden was built in 1914 overlooking the Biscayne Bay in Miami. It was built to look like the James Deering’s Italian Renaissance Villa. There’s so much to see and explore at this place. I wandered around the gardens, enjoyed the beauty and felt like the moment was frozen in time. Its history and the architectural beauty is so breath-taking. It’s a definite must to visit this stunningly beautiful estate when you go to Miami next time.

August 24, 2011 | Posted in Blog, Life, Travel

Check Out Fire Island, Another Fun Summer Spot in New York

When you ask people where can you find beautiful beaches in New York, they’ll usually say the Hamptons. I know just another spot that is as nice as Hamptons but much more affordable and laid-back – it’s the Ocean Beach at Fire Island. It’s a popular beach destination that I just newly discovered. This barrier island just five miles south of Long Island, New York and is accessible by ferry only. As a result of that, there are no cars on the island – just bike or wagon rides for the kids.

We visited Ocean Beach, which is the most family friendly community on Fire Island and great spot for beach trip. We took a 40 minutes ferry ride from Bay Shore to Fire Island. As we approach the harbor at Ocean Beach we saw hundreds of wagons are stored next to the dock. As people debark, many went straight for their wagons to carry their goods to their house or the beach. When we get off, we went for the gorgeous sandy beaches right away. The island is only a half-mile deep so along the walkways we saw many cute cottage home and cute signs outside the home. I think that’s what makes this island so unique and charming.

If you visit:
Ocean Beach is about 90 minute drive from Queens to Bay Shore, Long Island. You’ll take a 40 minute ferry ride from the dock. Be sure to check Fire Island Ferries’ schedule prior to visit at fireislandferries.com.

Boarding platform at Bay Shore Long Island

We were so excited to go to the beach

Arriving at the The Village of Ocean Beach harbor

Hundreds of private wagons by the dock.

Police Station

Food there are so delicious

Many ice cream shops on the island

Walking to the beach

Cute decorations outside the cottage house

More decorations outside the cottage house

Did someone left their stinky shoes out here?

Instead of parked car, it’s parked wagon outside every house

I love this sign

White Sandy Beach

Time to get sun tan

Central Walk, main street on Ocean Beach

Kids selling Lemonade

Even puppy get their own parking spot, how cute is that?

Kids selling painted shell to make few extra bucks. He was a good sellsman

Ice cream mixed with our love.

Many places to dine on this island

Time to leave – Adios

August 7, 2011 | Posted in Blog, Food, Life, Travel

Romantic Dinner at One if by Land, Two if by Sea

Last Sunday night I celebrated my 11th year anniversary with my fiance at One If by Land, Two If By Sea. This restaurant has been labeled “the most romantic restaurant in the city.” The atmosphere is incredible – just walking in we were very impressed by the ambiance and decor. It’s set in an eighteenth-century carriage house, formerly the site of Aaron Burr’s home (3rd Vice-President of the United States ). I’m so glad I picked this place for his surprise dinner because he was very intrigued by the character and history of the place.

A taper candle and a white rose were placed on top of each table with a pianist playing classy music in the background. As soon as we were seated, the waiter lit up the candle and handed the menu to us. Since it’s our anniversary we splurged and ordered from the chef’s tasting menu, which is a six course meal for $125 with a $55 wine pairing.

The meal began with a complimentary lobster salad. This was surprisingly tasty and my fiance loved it. Our first course was the Petite Salad and Scallop Sashimi. It was light and delicious. I found the presentation of the Scallop Sashimi to be very beautiful. Our second course was the Duck & Pork Country Pate and Tuna Tiradito. The Tuna Tiradito was his favorite course of the night. The tuna was prepared very well and fresh. The dessert was definitely the most romantic part of the meal. We ordered the Strawberry Basil Ice Cream Sandwiches. It came on a plate which had “Happy 11th Anniversary” written in chocolate and had little birthday candles in pink and blue colors. The dessert was light and not overly sweet with a creamy interior to be indulged.

Overall the food was well-executed and delicious. I’m so happy to see the big smile on his face and he’s been none-stop raving about this place to his co-workers the next day. I recommend my readers to consider this place when planning any special occasion or to try really great cuisines.

One if by Land, Two if by Sea
17 Barrow Street
New York, NY 10014
http://www.oneifbyland.com

Right: Colonial High Tea – chamomile grappa, sparkling cava rosé, watermelon juice served over crushed ice. Left: Rosemary Cucumber Martini – rosemary infused vodka, cucumber juice, St. Germain Elderflower, pasteurized egg whites.

A taper candle and a white rose were placed on top of each table

Scallop Sashimi

Petite Salad of Summer Vegetables

Petite Salad of Summer Vegetables

Tuna Tiradito (

Duck & Pork Country Pate

Pan Seared Scallops

Marinated Octopus

Poached Day Boat Cod

Maine Lobster Confit

Strawberry Basil Ice Cream Sandwiches sweet corn biscuit, basil ice cream, macerated strawberries

Us at the restaurant

July 29, 2011 | Posted in Blog, Life, Photography, Travel

Travel Photography – Best of Jamaica

Jamaica rules! There are countless reasons to visit this beautiful island Jamaica. You can eat, dive, relax, explore and watch the most amazing sunsets. During the week we were there we visit Negril, The South Coast and Montego Bay and we can’t wait to go back again. To wrap up my Jamaica trip I round up some of my favorite travel photos when I was in town that you haven’t seen in my previous posts. Enjoy!

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