Friday Link Love and Lovelies

Let's just talk about my outfit first to get THAT out of the way.  

Shug and I were invited to the annual Salt Lake Magazine Dining Awards on Tuesday evening.  Shug was going to help run the awards and my job was to drink champagne.  I had about seven minutes to get ready after I rushed home from a crazy clinic day.  Let me tell you something about putting a cute outfit together: it takes some thought. 

It is very clear that I did not have much thought to give to my belly-shirt-witchy-woman-poncho-disaster.  It's ok.  Really, it is.  But when bumped up against the likes of Supermodel, Ciel, and Capricieux, I look a little cray.

Sartorial choices aside, we had a fabulous evening!  It was filled with good conversation with some of our best friends.  It was so fun to have this experience with them!  We also have a list of restaurants to try in Salt Lake City this weekend!  Hope you have a good one...I'm getting to be less of a lump/grump now that I can feel spring just around the corner!

The Salt Lake Magazine Dining Awards 2013 winners! 

 

Mayyyybe going to attempt to knit one of these.

I know smoking is bad, but I am dying over these bobbies.

The new Emerson Fry comes out on February 25!  Can't wait!

So ridiculous.  And perfect in a weird way.

Should have styled my sweater like this!

Important read for all women.

xo.

Beautiful Pizza at Pizzeria 712

There aren't a lot of reasons for a heathen like me to head to Utah County.  There is a vast shortage of coffee shops and an even shorter list of places that serve alcohol.  READ: the two beverages that make my life manageable.  Ok, ok, maybe not manageable, but I am a girl who enjoys a glass of wine or two with her meals...especially meals I get to enjoy with my husband, who I see about two days out of the week now!

Enter the holy grail of dining in Orem: Pizzeria 712.  Tucked away in an ocean of beige strip malls and condos, this little oasis leaves you positively uplifted with it's cuisine and delicious beverages.  Shug and I started our meal with a pork belly on a bed of tart cole slaw.  The pork belly was so tender we could cut it with our forks.  I enjoyed a seasonal salad with blanched almonds, fresh nectarines, green beans, red potatoes, and a simple vinaigrette.  The highlight of the dinner was definitely the pizza Shug ordered.  While I wasn't able to sample the pizza (damn you, gluten!), Shug reported the fresh mozzarella and basil paired perfectly with the thin slices of summer squash and Pecorino Romano cheese.

The art decorating the walls and the music that was the backdrop to our conversation was the icing on the cake.  Edgy, yet lovely, both the art and the ambiance were greatly appreciated!  If you are ever in Orem...I know, not very likely, but IF you're in Orem, stop by Pizzeria 712 to treat yourself for your travels!

Happy Valentine's Day!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I hope you have a lovely lovey day with your sweetheart!

Shug was so sweet and took me to a romantic dinner at Fresco on Friday.

They actually had quite a few gluten-free items on the menu!

And you know what else?

.

.

.

.

.

Chocolate

is

gluten

free,

too

!

Have a happy day, ok?

Even More Excited...

...to go and eat dinner with my uncle, aunt, and two cousins! They very well may be some of my most favorite people in the world! PLUS we get to eat at Red Iguana, pretty much the best Mexican food restaurant in Salt Lake City!  I'll let you know how stinking good it is next week!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Salt Lake City Restaurant Review: Eva

It's pretty difficult to find a restaurant, actually ANY restaurant in Utah, that is delicious, has a liquor license, and won't cost your entire chunk of fun money for the month. It's even more difficult to find a menu that will cater to the needs of a very diverse crowd of dietary restrictions/diseases/lifestyles. So where can you go in good ol' Salt Lake, have a glass of wine, and choose from a menu that would make any gluten-freegan, vegan, or carnivore salivate like a Pavlovian German Shepherd?

Eva.

Shug and I first went to Eva on Valentine's Day and sampled their special five course menu of the evening with oysters with a cranberry granita, mesclun greens with some dressing made from unicorns and rainbows, foie gras, a lobster and scallop saute with truffle mashed potatoes, and vanilla bean panna cotta with a blackberry reduction. I KNOW. It took so much strength to eat every morsel placed in front of us, but we managed...!

A few weekends ago, we met up at Eva with a large group of friends that are as diverse in their food habits as they are in their taste is music. We had me (the resident gluten-free debacle), a vegan, a flexitarian, a low carbie, a salad-only eater, and a few meat lovers. Suffice it to say, the chefs at Eva were able to serve every single one of us without any deviation from the menu and everyone had a meal they enjoyed.

Eva's wine list and drink menus are also worth mentioning and if you're looking for a "designer" martini or just a glass of locally brewed beer, Eva can handle that, too. If you haven't noticed, Eva is pretty accommodating.