Sending a shout out to everyone celebrating a birthday today on 11-11-11! This year, I spent my birthday in Bruges (or Brugge), Belgium. Adam and I bought a small package of candles at HEMA, one of those stores where you end up buying things you never knew you needed.
We ate our way through Bruges, and almost everywhere we stopped, Adam stuck a candle in whatever we were sampling and lit it. I got to make lots of wishes that day! Here we are at da Vinci Gelateria.
Next stop was for …

One of the categories of the Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin reader’s poll last month was Austin’s Best-Kept Secret. My vote? Connie’s Beer Garden on Friday and Saturday nights.
I happened to drive by Joe’s Place and Connie’s Beer Garden one day, and noticed their sign boasting about their great reviews on Yelp and Urban Spoon. By the way, the name is kind of confusing, but I believe the business is called Joe’s Place, and Connie’s Beer Garden is how the husband-and-wife owners refer to the outdoor space.

There are a lot …

According to my web research, Passover officially ended last night. I must admit that I didn’t keep Passover after the first night Seder since we were traveling and I didn’t want to miss out on any culinary delights. However, I thought I’d share a bit about how we did celebrate.
Last Sunday, I spent the day with my mom and cousin Jami in Berkeley preparing for the next night’s dinner. Obviously, my contribution was the Matzoh Crack. When I found a six pack of HE’BREW, The Chosen Beer, at a nearby …

This Saturday, I was one of about 50 lucky people who attended a beer and cheese class taught by Amy Cartwright, co-owner of Independence Brewing Co., and John and Kendall Antonelli, owners of the soon-to-be-open Antonelli’s Cheese shop in Hyde Park.
Full disclosure, I helped plan the event along with Amy and John but since I paid for my own ticket and all, I’m allowed to blog about it, right?!
Below is a photo that Adam took of the setup — five large picnic tables seated ten people at each. It was …

I hope you can join us this Saturday, Dec. 19 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. for a special cheese and beer class, tasting, and brewery tour at Independence Brewing Company in Austin.

We’ll enjoy samples and learn about four different local brews and four cheeses carefully selected to pair with these beers. Cheese will be served with slices of Bona Dea bread. There will be time for additional beer sampling and brewery tours after the class.
Cost: $17
For planning purposes, all tickets must be ordered by Wed., Dec. 16: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/92159.
NOTE: No …