Tuna Panzanella Salad

Salads don't have to be boring and they don't have to have a million ingredients to be full of flavor. The best part about it is that it doesn't even have to have lettuce! Panzanella salad is a traditional Italian summer salad with bread and tomatoes. Cooking Light's version is made with pita chips and tuna for a protein. The best part about this salad is that it gets better the longer it sits and it couldn't be easier to put together. All you have to do is crush the pita chips, toss in cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives and tuna, top with balsamic vinegar, lemon and mint, and mix. I assure you that this couldn't be easier and can be thrown together in minutes. The longer the salad sits, the better the flavors mesh, but the pita chips do get soggy (but that doesn't bother me). This is a great salad to entertain with as it doesn't really matter if it sits out since there's no mayo in it. It is a fresh twist on a salad, super filling, and definitely very waistline friendly. This will probably be one of my "go to" recipes because it is so fun and the mint adds a unique flavor. So for all your upcoming summer potlucks, go for something new and delicious!

Brunch at Saint Genevieve

There are places that are just so good you need to go back and try multiple times. Saint Genevieve is definitely one of those places. I heard they had an awesome brunch and so of course I had to go try it. They have their full drink list plus an array of special mimosas. We opted for pineapple coconut mimosas which immediately transported you to a beach. (It was even more appropriate considering it was a perfect day outside!) The mimosa wasn't overly sweet and had a very nice balance of flavors....definitely something to sip on while laying on the beach or poolside. Fortunately, my sister is like me and was having a difficult time deciding between sweet and savory... so I convinced her to split one of each with me. 

We ended up with Nutella french toast and an egg white and goat cheese frittata. The frittata was light and fluffy. It was topped with a whole roasted tomato and arugula. The arugula added some mustard like flavor and crunch. However, I wish the tomato would have been incorporated into the frittata instead of on the side. It was a great option if you are looking for something on the healthier side. I'll be honest, some how whenever I do this the super unhealthy choices usually wins (maybe that's because it's always the sweet option and I do have an affinity for sweets), so this time the Nutella french toast won hands down! The whipped cream like Nutella dollop on top melted and covered the french toast on goodness without being too heavy. The banana slices paired nicely with the Nutella and the french toast had a nice golden crust on it. This is a great brunch place, but be sure to make reservations because you might not be seated if you don't. They do their seatings at 11:00am and 1:00pm, which isn't advertised on the website and it was only by chance that we got in. So learn from our almost mistake and go ahead and make reservations.

Liberty Kitchen and Oyster Bar

Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar is a quaint place nestled in the Heights, serving fresh seafood specials. Since it was a beautiful spring day, my sister and I headed over to check out the brunch. There were things like french toast and macaroni and cheese, eggs benedict and fresh seafood, however the one thing that caught my eye was the jumbo lump crab salad. It was served on a half a head of lettuce, along with hard boiled eggs, avocado, cucumber, tomatoes, asparagus, maple bacon, and of course a helping of crab meat and an Italian olivette dressing.

This decomposed salad was fresh and not too heavy. The texture and sweetness of the maple bacon added crunch and an interesting twist. The crab was fresh and it was fun to get to mix your own salad. It doesn't look like it would be too filling, but it definitely was. The eggs benedict was made with pork belly and house potatoes. I am not a fan of eggs unless they are scrambled or in an omelet, the Hollandaise sauce was delicious. This was a great place for fresh seafood and a laid back atmosphere. However, I do have to say that the next time I go back, I will be trying the shake with a WHOLE piece of cake in it...it looked beyond amazing.

Macaron by Patisse

I will be honest I have never had a macaron even though I think that they are one of the most precious desserts I have ever seen. I really don't know why I have never had them. Potentially I have only seen them in pictures, but I finally decided it was time. Luckily for me a new place opened called Macaron by Patisse. It is a quaint, modern, and sweet little French shop that only sells macarons. The glass cases hold these delicate wafer like cookies with a smidge of icing in between. There were flavors like tiramisu, blueberry vanilla, dark chocolate coconut, and lemon meringue. I love coconut and chocolate, so I went for the dark chocolate coconut and my sister tried the lemon meringue. Don't be fooled that because they are very small that they are just a waste. I assure you that they are most definitely worth it! When you take a bite, you get the crunch of the coconuy cookie that isn't super dry and a hint of the rich chocolate icing. It was perfection! I wanted about a million more. The lemon meringue was fresh and summery. I can honestly say that you probably can't go wrong with any flavor you try. If you haven't already made a trip to Macaron by Patisse you need to go!

Saint Genevive

Happy hour is a treat for me, as I don't get to go too often so of course I wanted to try some where new. We popped on over to Saint Genevieve in West Ave for some quality catch up time. Trying new drinks is sometimes just as exciting as the food and the drinks were really unique. I had a thyme, honey and orange champagne cocktail. My friend had a citrus vodka and lavender drink. We started off with some parmesan guacamole. Who would have thought to put parmesan cheese in guacamole?.... I don't know, but it was delicious! It was served with some super thin and crispy pita chips. The guacamole had a hint of tang from the cheese, but was rich and smooth. Since my friend had been a bit more proactive than I had and read the reviews, we decided to split a lobster empanada and crab cake.

The crab was good, but the lobster empanada won hands down! Don't get me wrong, it wasn't that the crab cake was bad, it was just the lobster was better. The outside was crunchy and the filling was creamy and rich. The crab cake had a nice balance between the crab and the filler, without having too much mayo or being too bland. Either way you can't go wrong, but definitely try the lobster empanada (and order more than one!) Since those were small, I also tried the short rib taquitos. These weren't too heavy and had lots of fresh hers and texture going on. The drizzle of sauce added enough moisture to the taquito without it getting soggy. I heard that their brunch was to die for too, so I will definitely be back. Saint Genevive is a great place to relax and enjoy some unique food and drinks, so be sure to stop by and enjoy their patio and toast to a beautiful day!

Black Cherry Amaretto Gelato

I think that every once in a while a treat is well deserved. One of my favorite treats happens to be gelato, but most of the time it's not real gelato. I recently saw a commercial for gelato from Haagen Dazs and decided to give it a try. Fortunately, I didn't have to decide between too many flavors. My options were cappuccino, stracciatella, limoncello, dark chocolate chip, sea salt caramel, and black cherry amaretto. I went with black cherry amaretto, as I was feeling extra fancy. To be honest, I wasn't expecting much. However, I was beyond pleasantly surprised! It was rich, silky smooth, and absolutely delicious. I would have to say that it did taste a tiny bit like ice cream, but it was by far some of the best "almost gelato" I have had. The flavors were very natural tasting with huge halves of cherries sprinkled throughout. I had to practice a lot of self-control in order to not eat the whole thing and I will definitely be trying the other flavors.