The Best Mornings Ever

OK, I'm still working backwards on last weekend's adventures in food. So before there were spiders, milkshakes and burgers... there were coffee and magazines.

My absolute favorite thing to do on a weekend morning (on the rare occasion I am actually in town), is to wake up, walk down to my favorite coffee spot, buy a few mags, and sit back and read and people watch. That's just what I did, and this time joined by my spider killing friend, who from here on out shall be called SpiderWoman.

SpiderWoman and I had plans to meet there at 10:30 Monday morning (remember, it was a three day weekend). I had woken up a early, and decided to go for a little stroll before our planned meeting time. So I laced up my new Nikes (bright LiveStrong Yellow.... LOVE them) and headed out the door. Normally I like to walk through the neighborhoods around me and check out the historic homes and see what's on the market, but Sunday I decided on an easy stroll around Capitol Park. 

I live right across from the park, and if you walk the path all of the way around it, it's just over a mile. That's why it's a favorite for runners and walkers alike. Plus, there's only two spots where you might have to wait at a crosswalk (both are entrances to the Capitol's underground parking garage). Anywho, I started my walk around there, and observed the following: a wedding in progress (the Rose Garden is a constant merry-go-round of weddings in the warmer months), a horse taking a potty break (CHP offices patrol the park on four legs), and a tourist yelling at a homeless person. Ah, what a beautiful day.

Thirty minutes later I made it to my destination: Peet's Coffee. Oh Peet's, how I love thee. I got stuck on Peet's after trying their sugar-free-nonfat mocha. If you think it sounds less than appettezing, that must be because you've tried the same thing at Starbucks. If so, you'd be right. BUT, this version of the 195 calorie drink (medium, no whip) does not taste like chemicals, as its counterpart does. This one tastes like the real thing. So much so that the first couple of times I ordered it and tasted it, I went back to them and asked if they were sure they made it sugar-free-nonfat. They assured me it was, and I have been a loyal drinker ever since. 

Now the best part about the Peet's that I frequent, is that it's built in this complex that takes up an entire block between J and K streets. It's part of the MARRS (Midtown Art, Retail and Restaurant Scene) building. There are nine different businesses that open up onto a huge wooden deck. Peet's is on the end of the building, and therefore gets a nice large chunk of the deck, with MARRS supplied chairs and tables. This is the perfect place to sit down with your drink, as evidenced by the steady stream of people rotating out of the tables with their dogs/lovers/friends/laptops/small children. 

SpiderWoman and I stepped inside to place our orders. They already knew what I wanted (they always do) and started my order right away. SpiderWoman ordered a hot chocolate and savory ham and cheese muffin to boot. Once we got our orders we stepped outside on the glorious deck. Of course the tables were all taken, so we wandered down a bit and took a seat on a bench. We chit-chatted and I tried a bit of the muffin. To her dismay it wasn't warm (and Peet's advised they did not have a microwave), but still pretty tasty. It wasn't so much a muffin as a really dense bundle of goodness. It had small chunks of ham, and the amount of cheese inside made it really thick. Probably not the healthiest choice, but worth the calories. 

After SpiderWoman left I headed right next door to Newsbeat. I'm pretty sure Newsbeat has every magazine ever made, and can print up any Newspaper that is published. I like to go in and scour the fitness section (wishful thinking), home section (more wishes) and local publications. This time I picked up Sacramento Magazine (where I read about Burgers & Brew), and Sactown Magazine.

Magazines in hand and sugar-free-nonfat-extra-hot-mocha in my belly, I opted to head back home rather than wait around for a table to open. So I walked back, fully satisfied with what I had accomplished already that day. After all, it's was a holiday. The fact that I even got dressed was a miracle in itself. Little did I know I would nearly die that night (see below).

Spiders and Milkshakes

I know "Spiders and Milkshakes" don't necessarily go together, but in the world of Me on Monday night all by myself in my apartment, it does.

Monday night I finally decided to do what I had been avoiding (by going out and eating/drinking) doing all weekend: cleaning. I decided to start with my guest closet, because I had to replace a broken closet rod (whoda thunk a rod cannot support an entire closet full of jackets?). Much to my delight, when I started to lift the rod, a gigantic spider the size of my fist crawled by my hand. And by size of my fist I mean the size of a quarter. It was not only humongous, but it was fuzzy, and had white spots on it. I did a freak-out dance and scream combo and ran out of the room and closed the door. Being that I can't even look at a spider without throwing up in my mouth, there was no possible way I would consider doing something about it ALL BY MYSELF. So I called someone who I thought would be able to help me: My boyfriend. Who does not live with me. Because he lives two and a half hours away. Of course he would be able to help on a Monday night when it's almost 10PM, right? Here's how it went:

Me: "Mister! There's a spider in my closet and it's HUUUUUGE! And furry! It might be a black widow!"
Mister: "There's a what? (giggles) What do you want me to do about it?"
Me: "I want you drive up here and kill it! I can't even look at it!"
Mister: "Well just leave it then."
Me: "I can't leave it! It could crawl out of the closet and find me, or go somewhere where I can't find it. Plus the babies could eat it!" (Don't worry. Not real babies.)
Mister: "Well then you're really going to have to kill it. Go to the store and get some bug spray, and just spray the [heck] out of it."
Me: "I can't. I need you come up here. You HAVE to come up here."
Mister: "I would if I could. Is there someone else you can call who actually lives close?"
Me: "Why yes there is.... "

Who better to save me than a friend from my old job who I swore had to have more cajones than me. I call her up.... and she promptly tells me there's no way she can handle spiders either. She made me feel better, though, by saying "It could jump off the wall onto you and bite you and kill you!" That's what friends are for.

Next on the list is someone who I clearly remember not being afraid of spiders. I remember being in Texas with her and making her kill one for me. Now that's a true friend. "So how do you feel about spiders?" It's not hard to make this girl laugh, but she let out the biggest laugh I've heard in a while. "Why do you need me to kill one for you? You know I'm going to make fun of you forever for it!" If that's the price I had to pay for being able to sleep that night, then so be it. She came right over, and with a killer flip-flop in hand.

By the time she got there, the spider had relocated to OUTSIDE of the closet (he was fast). I couldn't even watch her try to kill the thing, so I just listened. SMACK! "Aahhhhhh!" SMACK! "Oh, he's not dead yet!" SMACK! "Aahhhh!" FLUSH! I was relieved. And I knew I had to repay the girl for coming over at almost 10PM on a Monday night. That's where the milkshakes come in.

I tolder her about "Burgers & Brews" (where I had been earlier that day) and that I had seen milkshakes on the menu. She was down. We got there and were led to a table outside. I forget that nights in Sac can get a bit chilly once you throw in the Delta Breeze, but luckily I was wearing my P.J's: Long sleave shirt, leggings, and Uggs (or $130 house slippers if you ask her). I promptly ordered a strawberry shake and she ordered a chocolate one with a side salad (those two go together, right?). The shakes were as good as shakes get (hard to go wrong). The strawberry was smooth and sweet (no chunks), and the chocolate was super rich and tasty. And all for a decent price. The exact total of the bill shall remain a secret. You never reveal the price of presents. However, I can tell you the one she gave me was priceless.

Starting From the Bottom

So let me tell you (all two of you, three if I count myself) about my last great adventure of the three day weekend. Don't worry... you won't miss anything. I'll work my way backwards. I know you were worried.

Anyways, on Sunday I had promised myself I wasn't going to eat crap and wasn't going to spend money on crap. Lord knows I had done that enough already. So when I read about a new restaurant JUST down the street from me-- owned by the same people that run Crepeville (you'll def hear more about that)-- I knew I couldn't resist. The place is called Burgers & Brew, and served just that. It just opened about a month ago, next to stand-by's R15 and Cafe Bernardo. Also, its located right underneath some awesome condos that just opened, and are practically all sold (think exposed brick walls, ducting, plumbing, huge windows, roof-top deck, floor to ceiling kitchen cabs). Back to the food...

So I stopped by and ordered at the counter. I later found out they have table service in the evenings. And by later I mean a coupe of hours later when I went back for more (More on that sad story tomorrow. It has something to do with spiders). I ordered a Bacon-Jalepeno Cheeseburger. It came with regular fries, so I of course upgraded to garlic fries. Let me tell you about these garlic fries. They were the best. Ever. They weren't like fries you get at other places, with the garlic chunks so big they burn your mouth. I want to say they were made with crushed garlic (or at least it was the best mincing job I've ever seen), and fried up extra crispy. The garlic flavor didn't overwhelm when I bit into it, but instead the garlic taste lingered a little longer(sexy!). Oh and word to the wise: If you like ranch dressing with your fries, I hope you like Hidden Valley. Straight out of the bottle.

The best part of the fries were that I saved them until I was done with my burger. That meant that all of the grease and juice from the burger (there was A LOT), got all over the fries so they tasted like garlic-burger-fries. The burger itself was impressive. Not going to say it's the best I've ever had (that goes to The Squeeze-Inn), but it might now be Top 3. It was extra juicy and greasy and cooked to order (medium for me). The burger was garnished by bacon (hard to go wrong), marinated jalepenos (tasted more like regular), and a jalepeno mayonnaise (masked by the flavor of the regular jalapenos). Despite the marinated jalapenos not being marinated, the burger was still really good.

As for the "Brews" in "Burgers & Brews," I stuck with a diet coke. But they DID have a large selection on tap and an even larger in bottles. And wine too! This is def a place my dad and brother are going to LOVE. Good food. Good drinks. Good location. Good patio. Sold.

AND, the best part of the whole thing: The food wasn't crap and the prices weren't either ($11 total). So I didn't break my promise :)

So I Thought About It...

As I sat in six different restaurants/gathering spots this weekend (give me a break... it's a three day weekend) I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted to post about them. Sure, I love to know what I have to say... but does anyone else (besides my Mom)? The answer I came up with: No. But 2 people is good enough for me.

With that said, let diarrhea of the fingers begin.