Takeout Tuesday - Call Your Mother Deli in Pike & Rose

Welcome to the neighborhood Call Your Mother deli!  Their newest location is in Pike & Rose, which is very exciting since it'll be much easier to go and grab something delicious for breakfast or lunch.  Their opening day was yesterday with a steady stream of customers when I went mid-morning.  I got the Royal Palm bagel sandwich, and it was packed full of flavor and different textures.  I really enjoyed this one as a smoked salmon fan.  They also threw in a free chocolate chip cookie which is still waiting in the fridge for me to enjoy as a snack today.  

I love how creative their menu is, with lots of sandwich selections that you may not find in a traditional bagel shop.  

During their pre-opening last Saturday when I happened to walk by, I got the Turkey BLTA from their lunch sandwiches section, as well as a plain bagel to freeze and an extra snickerdoodle cookie.  This was free for the pre-opening and I will definitely be getting these again, especially that sandwich with the flavorful herb mayo and plenty of fillings! 

 

Call Your Mother - Pike & Rose

11808 Grand Park Avenue

North Bethesda, MD 20852

Takeout Tuesday - PLNT Burger in Whole Foods Rockville

Welcome to the neighborhood PLNT Burger! PLNT Burger opened inside of the Rockville Pike Whole Foods on August 14th, and I am glad I got a chance to try out their plant based burger.  For their opening day they were giving away 100 PLNT burgers or PLNT cheeseburgers and I got in on the tail end of their giveaway, woohoo!

The employees were very enthusiastic about the grand opening, helpful with answering questions about the menu, and kept things organized and well spaced out for the people waiting.  They are located in the prepared foods area by the pizza station, with a nice clear display so you can check out their menu while you're shopping.  The burger itself was tasty - I've never tried the Impossible brand products before so the texture took some getting used to on my first bite.  However, for something being plant based I was very impressed with how much it seemed like a meat based burger.  This is a great option for lunch if you're in the mood for something while in the area, and I definitely want to try more of their menu items soon.

PLNT Burger 

Whole Foods Market

11355 Woodglen Drive 

Rockville, MD 20852

Sanrio at World Market

I stopped in World Market on Sunday after seeing some posts on Instagram about more Sanrio items being sold in stores.  I was happy to see lots of different items, not just the Hello Kitty items that I had seen previously.  There were plenty of "just for fun" items that I saw and liked, but I decided to get some "useful" items this time - Gudetama pens (Frixion pens have erasable ink so they're great for planners!) and Hello Kitty pasta, haha.

If you're a World Market member, there was a coupon to receive this little Hello Kitty beanie plush with any $25+ Sanrio purchase until today.  Even though it's really tiny (the tag is almost bigger than the plush haha), it's a nice little bonus to go with my purchases!  Be sure to check out the collection online or in stores - there's lots of cute items that would be great for holiday gifts!

Piketoberfest at Pike & Rose

Yesterday was Pike and Rose's annual Piketoberfest, and it was a great day to celebrate fall!  There were lots of people enjoying the festival right when it started, and the crowd kept getting bigger as the afternoon went on.  Of course one of my main objectives was getting some of Sunday Morning Bakehouse's soft pretzels - so soft and delicious! Lots of stores from the area participated with food and giveaways, as well as live music and kids' activities.  I hope they continue to host fun events like this throughout the year!

Sugarfina - Birthday Rewards

Being a Sugarfina rewards member definitely has its perks, like receiving my choice of a 3 piece candy bento box for my birthday! I went to a store to pick them out in person, and decided on some fruit-based gummies to try out:

- Pink Pineapples
- Pink Diamonds
- Blood Orange Fruttini

I can't wait to try these out!

Fogo de Chão Grand Opening Dinner + 10 Year Blogiversary

I just noticed that this past weekend marks 10 years since I started this little blog!  It's been a fun 10 years of a LOT of food and shopping, haha.

While not actually related, I was invited to check out the Fogo de Chão in Pike and Rose for a grand opening dinner before they officially open today, so it was a great way to "celebrate" with a delicious night of food!

The night started off with a lively cocktail hour with passed appetizers.  It was also a good chance for my friend L and I to walk around the space, especially to take in the huge Market Table's offerings.  After the ribbon cutting ceremony, we were seated for a full dinner experience.  While it was very tempting to try everything at the Market Table, I knew I had to save room for ALL the meat that would come around to our table at a seemingly never ending pace, haha.  Everything that we had was delicious, but I have to say that the featured Picanha steak and the lamb chops that came around were my favorites - so tender and flavorful!  But even if you're not a total meat lover, there's plenty at the Market Table to enjoy, and I want to try their lunch/brunch sometime soon so I can have more of their non-meat dishes.  Also, don't forget about dessert - The Tres Leches cake and Chocolate Mousse cake that we had were really good, and I would go to the restaurant just for drinks and that Tres Leches cake any day.  A big thank you and welcome to the neighborhood Fogo de Chão, and I look forward to trying out more of your dishes soon!

 

 

Sparkling wine before dinner

Some meat appetizers before the meat dinner, haha

 

Love this wine wall that separates the large dining areas

 

Just a small segment of the huge Market Table - lots of fresh and tasty dishes 

 

Something I wouldn't have really thought to try until a server recommended it - the Feijoada bar with a great bean stew, rice, and toppings

 

The bartenders were super busy all night with this crowd :)

 

I had some of this bacon during the reception - so good!

Side dishes were brought out first - Caramelized bananas, Polenta, Pão de Queijo (yuca flour and cheese rolls- SO good), and Garlic mashed potatoes

So many yummy cuts of meat! It was hard to keep track of what we were eating after a while because different options kept coming continuously and we didn't want to miss out on anything

Make sure you leave some room for dessert - especially the awesome Tres Leches cake! 

Note: I was invited to the grand opening dinner, but was not paid for this post.

Fogo de Chão - Pike & Rose

11600 Old Georgetown Road

North Bethesda, MD 20852

301.841.9200

The Baked Bear - Strawberry Cheesecake Cookie

This past Saturday, The Baked Bear hosted a Customer Appreciation day with free scoops of ice cream - a delicious way to celebrate! In addition to my free scoop of the delicious Espresso Chip ice cream, I bought this month's cookie - Strawberry Cheesecake. 

The cookie is a bright pink color with matching pink sugar sprinkles on top.  I wasn't really sure what to expect to be honest, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this flavor.  The strawberry flavor is very strong, but there's a nice cream cheese/vanilla flavor throughout as well which was nice to balance things out.  I'm glad I tried this before it goes away at the end of February!

Georgetown Cupcake - Salted Caramel Marshmallow Ganache Cupcake

Soooooo, chocolate ganache isn't exactly the most photogenic in the realm of cupcake toppings, haha.  Despite the less than favorable appearances, this secret flavor at Georgetown Cupcake was delicious! I love the marshmallow core combined with the tasty salted caramel cake, and of course the rich chocolate layer on top.  It might sound like a lot of different flavors mashed together, but I can assure you that in spite of its appearance, it all works out to a great cupcake :o)

Candelles Holiday Swap Candle

At the end of 2018, I signed up to be a part of the Candelles holiday gift swap and wound up exchanging super fun gifts with my friend which was a funny surprise!

As part of the holiday gift swap, Candelles also sent out this Pepperberry Greens candle to everyone that participated.  I love the pink candle wrapping and the festive design!  I love that they add this bonus gift after the gift swap is over - it's a cute little surprise since we don't know what it is until it arrives.  I encourage anyone that likes buying gifts or doing gift exchanges to sign up for their next gift swap!

Georgetown Cupcake - Coffee Toffee + Chocolate Cubed Cupcakes

I recently tried the Coffee Toffee cupcake from Georgetown Cupcake, just before the menu switched over to the holiday flavors.  I also made it in time to get the free flavor as well - the Chocolate Cubed - which was a nice little bonus!

The Coffee Toffee cupcake consists of a "Coffee cupcake infused with crushed toffee and topped with a mocha frosting and crushed toffee".  In other words, if you like either of the main flavors, you will love this cupcake!  I especially loved the mocha frosting - so creamy and really delicious! The toffee bits were in both the cake and the frosting, so it was a great bit of texture in every bite.  I hope they bring this one back, maybe with other crushed candy combinations too.

ZooLights at the Smithsonian's National Zoo

Last night was a great night to check out the Zoolights event at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in DC - it was pretty warm, and more importantly not raining like it had been all Saturday!  As expected it was very crowded with a lot of families, but it's still easy to get around since the path around the zoo is pretty straightforward for the Zoolights nights.  If you're in the DC area be sure to stop by for this free event between 5pm - 9pm until January 1st! 

Bath and Body Works - Fall Finds

Happy Friday everyone!  I purchased these from Bath and Body Works a few weeks ago, but now that we're officially into Fall I wanted to share them.  Of course I love the pumpkin and apple themed items every year when they come out, but I was pleasantly surprised to see such a nice variety of items that they had out this year. 

I normally buy the foaming soap (like the Autumn Pumpkin on the upper right), but I'm glad I tried out the Nourishing hand soaps as well - they're both great! Especially the Marshmallow Pumpkin Latte that I'm currently using - it's a soft pumpkin scent with a strong vanilla/cream accent, which I love.  The pumpkin shaped candle for me is definitely less about the candle inside and more about the soft blush shade- even after I finish the candle I will definitely be keeping the container as decoration.  Finally, I used a free item coupon to try the foaming mousse hand sanitizer.  I like that the mousse doesn't dry your hands out, and it's the perfect size to keep in your purse or car.  I will definitely be back for more of the hand soaps soon!   

Georgetown Cupcake - Cookies & Creme Birthday Fudge Cupcake

The best way to counteract a grey and rainy Sunday is with some cute little treats! I first stopped in Sugarfina to redeem my member reward free candy cube - love the flamingos! - and then over to Georgetown Cupcake to check out some of the new June flavors.

The Cookies & Creme Birthday Fudge Cupcake consists of "Cookies & creme cupcake cored and filled with fudge, topped with a baby blue cookies & creme buttercream, fudge star drizzle, and rainbow jimmies".  There were big chunks of cookie pieces in the cake, and the extra cookies blended into the frosting made it extra delicious! I hope they bring this back again after June because it'd be great any time of the year!

Georgetown Cupcake - Milk Chocolate Rainbow

 

This secret flavor from Georgetown Cupcake contains two of my favorites - the milk chocolate frosting and sprinkle cake! 

The fluffy milk chocolate frosting is one of my favorites at Georgetown Cupcake, and anyone that likes chocolate will like this lighter chocolate version.  The rainbow cake is full of little colorful sprinkles throughout the vanilla cake - so good! I hope they bring this combination back for a secret flavor, or on the regular menu! 

Baby Moke at the Smithsonian's National Zoo

It's sort of easy to forget how nice it is to have a great, free, and easily accessible zoo right here in DC.  But it's always fun to go every once in a while, especially when there's a big event like a baby being born! 

On April 15th, a baby gorilla named Moke was born, and I was very surprised but happy to see that the baby wouldn't be held in a separate room for observation.  My friends and I did not see Baby Moke or the mom Calaya on our first walk through the Ape House, but we got lucky when we came back after seeing some other animals!  It was totally worth the weekend morning trip to see the tiny little baby gorilla being cared for by his mom.  I would highly recommend coming by for a chance to see Baby Moke soon :o)

 

Georgetown Cupcake - Easter Surprise and Purple Tulip Cupcakes

Easter has come and gone, but we can still appreciate these pretty spring-themed cupcakes!  Georgetown Cupcake always does seasonal flavors well, and these are no exception.  The Easter Surprise cupcake was the free secret flavor on Easter, and it was packed full of sprinkles inside the vanilla cake and on top of the pink vanilla frosting.  The Tulip cupcake is a "Classic Madagascar vanilla cupcake decorated with light purple vanilla buttercream frosting 'tulips'", and are a perfect little treat to celebrate spring!  

Georgetown Cupcake - Milk Chocolate Strawberry Cupcake

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE the milk chocolate frosting at Georgetown Cupcake.  It is always fluffy and the perfect milk chocolate flavor, not heavy or cloying at all.  With the fresh strawberry cake as the base, this Milk Chocolate Strawberry cupcake was the perfect balance of both to make a delicious chocolate covered strawberry flavor.  I hope they bring this one back again soon! 

Georgetown Cupcake - Chocolate Ganache Strawberry Surprise Cupcake

This Chocolate Ganache Strawberry Surprise cupcake was the free secret flavor recently, and while it might not be the flashiest cupcake, it was really delicious!  The chocolate cake plus chocolate ganache is always a good combination, and the little "surprise" was a strawberry frosting core.  It actually reminded me a lot of the Chocolate Strawberry Oreos that are out now, even in the appearance haha.  If you don't always like a ton of frosting and love chocolate the chocolate ganache is a perfect choice!

Shake Shack - 2016 Christmas Ornament

It's that time of year again when a new Shake Shack Christmas ornament comes out, yay!  

Once again Shake Shack is offering a free ornament with a $25+ gift card purchase, so it was an easy decision for me haha.  As you can see I also got the Pumpkin Pie holiday shake to make the visit extra festive.  This year's ornament is very cute, with their burger logo wearing a Shake Shack knit hat, haha.  I hope they keep coming out with these ornaments every year, I love collecting them! 

National Coffee Day

Happy National Coffee day! Although I've never really liked straight hot coffee, I love the smell (haha), and of course I love iced coffee and flavored coffees as well.  There are a few companies that are celebrating with deals if you are near one today!

Krispy Kreme: Free small coffee and original glazed doughnut today.
Dunkin' Donuts: $0.66 Medium hot coffee today.
Peet's Coffee and Tea: Free coffee with a breakfast item purchase.