Frappuccino Happy Hour May 4-13

Frappuccino fans, get excited!

Starting today from 3-5pm and every day until May 13th, Starbucks is having their Frappuccino Happy Hour, meaning 1/2 priced Frappuccinos during those times.

By no means am I suggesting that anyone go EVERY day, haha, but this would be a good time to take a little break in the day, or try out one of their new Frappuccino flavors, like the Cookie Crumble flavor.

Happy Friday everyone!

Lunchtime Links for May 3rd, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: S'mores brownies.
• Serious Eats: Shake Shack's new smoke stack burger.
• Cupcakes for Breakfast: Red velvet mash-up.  
• The Kitchn: Viewing Instagram online. 
• Blondie and Brownie: Baked in Red Hook.

Wheat Thins Zesty Salsa Flavor

I always love trying new products, and Twitter has given me so many more opportunities to do so from lots of fun brands.  There's a different level of brand-to-consumer engagement that I really do love about Twitter, and I think other people that like Twitter would agree. 

So, when I recently was offered a free box of the new Zesty Salsa Wheat Thins, of course I said yes.  I actually wasn't sure if I was getting this flavor or the Spicy Buffalo so it was a nice surprise either way.  I like trying new things, and trying them for free is even better. :o) 

I have to say, these were pretty delicious, and no, not just because they were free.  I brought the box up to NJ with me when I was visiting I and B, and they both said they were good as well.  I wouldn't necessarily be able to discern that it was a "salsa" flavor in a blind taste test, per se, but it had a lot of tasty flavors, including tomato, pepper, a little sweetness and a tiny bit of spice.  Regular Wheat Thins on their own tend to taste a little monotonous to me after a few bites, but these can definitely be eaten on their own for a handful or two.  Would I buy these on my own?  Yes, especially with summer approaching and (hopefully) lots more parties and picnics that I'll be invited to.. hahaha!

Lunchtime Links for May 2nd, 2012

• Kirbie's Cravings: Scarpetta brunch.
• Smitten Kitchen: Ice cream sandwiches. 
• Serious Eats: Per Se's five-course dessert tasting menu. 
• The Pioneer Woman: Shrimp tacos. 
• The Kitchn: 15 birthday cake/cupcake recipes.

Little Serow Dinner

Just about two weeks ago, my friend J and I met up for dinner at Little Serow.  I was super excited to try it out, finally!!!  

The website describes the restaurant as "Little Serow (rhymes with arrow) serves an Isaan-style family meal for $45 per person. Each week’s menu will be posted online at the beginning of the week."  It is a pop-up restaurant created by Chef Johnny Monis of Komi, which is right next door.  Komi is a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous restaurant (I went for my birthday a few years ago) and I was excited to see how a specific type of Thai cuisine is interpreted by Chef Monis.  

Sorry the photos are pretty dark, but it's a tiny, dimly-lit space and no flash photography is permitted.  At the beginning of the meal we were given a cylinder of sticky rice to share, as well as a basket of various greens, herbs, and vegetables to eat with the various courses, or to cool us down from the heat of some of the dishes.

Khaap Muu - Rabbit Liver, Shrimp Paste, Tamarind

What a way to start off the meal! Lots of rich, deep flavors in the paste, like an intense Thai chips and dip, haha.

Ma Hor - Sour Fruit, Dried Shrimp, Palm Sugar

This was definitely one of my favorite courses.  The fruit and the shrimp went really well together, and I loved the sour/sweet flavors. 

Yam Makeua Yao - Eggplant, Salted Duck Egg, Pickled Garlic

I was a little weary of eggplant since I've never liked the texture of it, but all of the other components that came with the eggplant in this dish made it quite enjoyable.  

Laap Meuang - Pork, Shallots, Sawtooth

This pork dish had a slow and steady heat - it was really nice with the cool cucumber slices and cabbage leaves that we were given. 

Khao Tod - Ginger, Mint, Peanuts

My one attempt at using flash to get better photos, and yes, a server immediately informed me that flash photography was not permitted, haha.  Lots of herbs, crunch, and heat in this dish - it was really delicious!

Pak Goot - Fiddlehead Ferns, Catfish, Basil

The catfish was tender and almost seemed like fried tofu to me, very soft on the inside.  Fiddlehead ferns were a nice visual and textural component, especially since I don't really come across them very often in dishes I eat. This dish was much sweeter than I had expected.

Si Krong Muu - Pork Ribs, Mekhong Whisky, Dill

These ribs were SO good! The dill was abundant in this dish, so be aware if you aren't a big dill fan haha.  The ribs were super tender, with a lot of flavor in each bite.  I couldn't have asked for a better finale to this dinner, these were so tasty!

Overall the meal was excellent and I loved how they incorporated SO many ingredients into each dish, adding flavor, texture, contrast, and a delicious meal.  If you're a fan of Thai-style flavors and interesting pop-up concepts, I'd highly recommend checking this place out!

Also, a big Thank You! to J for going with me, especially since she had been to Little Serow before but knew that I really wanted to go :o)

 Little Serow

1511 17th Street NW
Washington DC 20036

Lunchtime Links for May 1st, 2012

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my best friend, who is also getting married in just 11 more days!!!!!!

• Kirbie's Cravings: Nacho pretzel bites.
• Bethenny Ever After: Recap from TVGasm. 
• The Kitchn: English muffin French toast. 
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Rosemary sea salt pretzels with rosemary cheddar cheese sauce. 
• Bakerella: Panda cupcakes.

Georgetown Cupcake - Boston Creme Cupcake

 

It's always exciting to get a brand new cupcake flavor from Georgetown Cupcake!  This April flavor is the Boston Creme cupcake, which consists of "Classic Madagascar Bourbon vanilla cupcake filled with Boston creme pudding, topped with a thin layer of chocolate ganache and a fondant shamrock".

Here we have my attempt at a clean cross-section of the cupcake, so you can see the Boston creme pudding filling, haha.  Seeing as I LOVE Boston Creme Pie in general, it was no surprise that I really liked this cupcake.  I do with there was more of the pudding filling though!!  Unfortunately this is only available in April but hopefully it'll come back later this year as a free secret flavor one day!