Friends + eats

Sometimes there is nothing better than finding time in our days, evenings and weeks to catch up on some gossip and giggles and spend some fun moments with the girls. It's even better when it's done over good eats (and, of course, drinks!). Looking back at this week I had many opportunities for that.

Cocktails with a new writer friend at Bluehour kicked off the week just right, and lunch at Olympic Provisions with another writer/producer/foodie (though she despises that word) friend was a perfect mid-week break. Breakfast at Milo's City Cafe with my favorite Florida girl on Friday was a perfect end to the work week, and led into the beginning of a girls' weekend away at the beach.

It's always fun spending time with the variety of friends in my life, as, especially in the span of one week, I get to see the different personalities that they each have and get that opportunity to flex and express different sides of my personality as well. It's sort of like food in a way, right? The world provides us with a wide range of ingredients, cooking methods, traditions and flavors and we have the option of letting different aspects into our lives day in and day out.

The week was great, and I'm feeling recharged to begin a new one thanks to all the ladies!

Some things I just loved this week...

• Lunch at Olympic Provisions. I had heard the hype for months ever since it open in late '09. I usually don't get wrapped up in hype all that much, but it was time to give it a try.  I have to admit,  I think I have a crush on O.P. The aroma of meat upon entering, the modern pub/meat counter environment, and the menu really caught me by pleasant surprise. I finally gave in to the smoked chicken salad on brioche with the beet salad, but cannot wait to return to try the pork rillete-filled hand pie, the homemade ham on demi baguette, roasted cauliflower, chickpea, sumac and parsley, roasted carrots with walnuts and cilantro pistou, and... Sigh...so much to go back and try. And the grilled apple-walnut bread that is served with honey? Honey, it is fantastic. So much so that I actually asked if I could take a loaf home. The server did inquire for me and say yes, for $20. Hmm. It was good, but I decided to refrain from throwing down a crisp Jackson for the delectable, sweet and savory carb. Photo courtesy of Olympic Provisions

• A beach weekend with homemade quiche. Courtesy of my friend Susy, us girls were spoiled for breakfast on both Saturday and Sunday. It was a Martha Stewart selection that included a hashbrown crust, and Susy added her own twist by throwing bacon into the mix. It was perfect and kept us girls happy to hit the outdoors and take on the impressive Oregon beach weather we had. 
• Some news I failed to mention in last week's 'things I just loved'. My first article for Tasting Table came out on Friday, February 19. And this week, the write-up was featured in the online magazine's roundup for favorite February finds (or stories). It was fun to see my Word doc transformed into the online layout. Now, back to pitching more ideas to keep the fun going.

Cheers,

~JF