Chicago

For the past few years, I had to visit Chicago quite often and I got to know the city pretty well.  It's such a vibrant, photogenic city with great cityscapes around every corner.  I've spent many nights just wandering the city to see where I could take great pictures.

The best thing about the city is all the great restaurants.  I have so many favorites that it's hard to choose where to eat.  

Pig's Ear with Crispy Kale, Pickled Cherry Peppers & Fried Egg @ The Purple Pig

Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Mashed Potatoes @ The Purple Pig

Turkey Leg Confit, Crispy Lentils, Treviso, Endive, & Agrodolce @ The Purple Pig

Prosciutto Stuffed Squid @ The Purple Pig

Teatime for the Empress @ Slurping Turtle

Drinks @ Mercadito

Italian Beef @ Portillos

Deep Dish Pizza @ Lou Malnati's 

Day to Night in Washington D.C.

Last year, I took a quick weekend trip to Washington DC.  I visited as a child, but it was part of a road trip just passing through on the way to New York.  This time, I was determined to see all the tourist sights in one trip.  We managed to see most of the monuments and about half of the Smithsonians.  All in all, it was a great trip packed with lots of walking and sightseeing.

Eating around LA

I used to live in Orange County so I would go to LA pretty often.  With the great weather and beautiful beaches, it's always great to make a quick weekend trip there to relax.

Whenever I visit LA now, it's all about food.  I'm always so torn between going back to my favorite places or trying new places.  I could easily fill up a trip by just going back to all of my favorites.  This time, I'm glad I got to try a handful of new ones.

Omusubis

Office Burger

Smoked Eel

Sea Urchin Cream Udon and Beef Tataki

Galbi Poutine

da KFC

One of the best meals I've had was at Bestia.  A fantastic Italian restaurant that is in an old industrial building.  We ordered as much as we could and stuffed our faces.  If you ever find yourself in the LA area, I would highly recommend making a stop here.

Chicken Liver Crostino

Slow Roasted Lamb Neck

Pan-Roasted Chicken Gizzards

Roasted Marrow Bone

Mussels and Clams

Spaghetti Rustichella

Strozzapreti al Nero di Seppia

Tagliatelle alla Zafferano

Agnolotti alla Vaccinara

Cityscape Nights

Growing up in suburbs of Houston, I didn't come to downtown Houston much, so I never got the impression that Houston had the big city, New York or Chicago skyscraper feeling.  I have lately been getting more into cityscapes and now that I'm more familiar with the city, there are definitely some impressive views to be had.