Ok the only reason I’m even bothering to back up to last week is because I had a foodie dinner date with some peeps and I have to share the pics.
I kinda knew two of the girls peripherally – through either MOPS or stroller strides – but the dinner actually came about really because we all know one of the girls. And she knows each of us as some one who likes dining at amazing restaurants. So a month ago she assembled this all star foodie crew and scheduled a date for us to go to Kru. I was in Hawaii at the time and Kyle barely knew his work schedule, but I was sooooo excited. I said, yes, I’m in, tell me when and I’ll be there.
It was SO MUCH FUN.
We all carpooled together and wound up talking forever and ever and next thing I know it’s 11:30 pm! Who am I!?! Well, a foodie, that’s who, obviously. These are my people. 🙂
We all have kids in the same age range so of course we talked about that plenty, but I was really proud of how much of the conversation was actually NON-CHILD related. We learned all about each other and our former lives and careers. We talked food, spinning, Housewives, politics (just a bit), travel, and I don’t even know what else…but we basically covered everything. And the FOOD!!! OMG. I want nothing more than to go to Kru for every date night out for the rest of my life. Guys, the food just blew me away.
I’ve only been once before, but Amanda is such a regular that the whole staff knows her. The owner is her buddy and there are things she gets off the menu that I feel like I’m in the know about now.
We all just let her take the reigns with ordering (I was down with whatever!) and she did us proud. Not that you could go wrong with anything at Kru because I’m convinced the whole menu is mind blowingly good.
I’m going to try to remember everything, but like I said, some of the dishes weren’t on the menu, so I am just doing my best.
We started with cocktails – I got the East Side Mule which you can see below.
It was super refreshing (and I love anything with ginger).
Hamachi crudo
White tuna belly with shave foie gras (HOLY &^%$). This was insane. It melted in my mouth and was literally like no fish I’d ever ever tasted. Amazing.
My first oyster!!! It was love. LOVE I tell you. I could eat a hundred.
Tuna tartar tower with a quail egg yolk on top and chips for scooping. Another stellar dish!!
Pork gyoza with dipping sauce (I didn’t know how to make gyozas so it was cool seeing them come out stuck together in a pie shape like this before cracking them free).
Pork belly and uni (the only repeat dish I got the previous time I went also). It was just as good as last time and since my girl Hong loves uni we basically gave it all to her.
Torched wagyu (!!!!). WOW. I’ll be getting this every time I come back.
Nigiri sashimi presented in the most glamorous way ever. It was all so soft and tender. The butter fish was surprisingly one of my favorites, but of course it was all fantastic.
I only managed to capture the last two bites of this Sunshine Roll with Shrimp Tempura, Spicy Tuna, Green Apple, Lemon, Topped With Avocado, Escolar, Arare, Micro Cilantro, Fried Leeks, Spicy Garlic Sauce, and Sweet Chili.
I mean, are you crazy?!? Foodie dreams realized right there.
This is what we were drinking after cocktail hour was done.
Amanda and her husband own Bailarin Cellars. Their 2015 Pinot Noir from Manchester Ridge was just rated 94 by Wine Enthusiast and it’s basically my new favorite wine. I have already ordered two bottles that she’s bringing me on Monday. I don’t think I’ve talked about it on HHH before, but I don’t drink much anymore (basically 1-2 times a year max) because in the past few years I’ve noticed I get headaches INSTANTLY whenever I have wine. I haven’t done too much research with sulfites and histamine reactions, but it happened enough times in a row that I just stopped drinking altogether because it wasn’t worth it. It’s not like it was a delayed effect. It would happen right away. But guess what!? It didn’t happen with BC’s pinot!!! Weird, but awesome. Hence me ordering some bottles stat.
Closing out with dessert.
They brought me a cup of sorbet because they heard I didn’t do dairy (how sweet is that!), but then this guy arrived…
I think it was a chocolate mochi brownie or something, so I had to try a bite. Aaaaand it was great. Of course.
I really had such a fun time and now I feel like I have a whole new foodie crew. We bonded over our love for yummy eats and now we are going to take on all of the Sac area with date nights as often as we can get our husbands to agree to. 🙂
Don’t worry – I didn’t leave the fam high and dry for dinner though.
This turkey bolognese with spiral noodles was a HUGE hit. The kids said it was one of their favorite things and asked when I could make it next. The answer was music to their ears, too, since I made enough for multiple servings (thinking Kyle could have a bunch for lunches throughout the week).
I actually made it that “magic one-pot” way that was all the rage a few years ago when it broke the internet. It’s pretty easy actually.
First, I sautéed ground turkey in olive oil with garlic, then I added the pasta and just enough water to cover it.
After a while it simmered down to the point where there wasn’t much water left and the noodles were cooked. So I added marinara sauce and let it cook a but more until the sauce was thick and stuck to the perfectly cooked noodles.
Beautiful!
The rest of the day was great too! V and I went to Stroller Strides in the am and then played at the park until it was time to pick up Mr. P.
I had this vegan beauty for lunch.
And then Pattycakes perfected his two wheeler skills that afternoon.
Pretty awesome for a Tuesday 🙂
What an epic meal!! That sounds like it was a great evening all around :)) how had you not eaten an oyster before?? I was vegetarian plus fish about twice a year for a while (i’m totally fishless mostly vegan now) and oysters and sashimi were what i would get.
That’s great news the wine didn’t bother you! I’ve read that biodynamic natural wines are fine for people with sulfite issues but of course that’s very individual and they’re more expensive and difficult to source
Maybe you could help me. I am having a horrible flair up and breakfast is a huge problem for me. I have a quick question, why do you not eat oatmeal? I know you cook it for your family? Does it not agree with you or do you not like it? I ask because I keep trying with it, but find it bloating and don’t love it to start the morning. I am a awesome homemade grainy muffin with nut butter lover or a tasty bowl girl neither of those do I find heavy like oatmeal. The problem is a lot of the muffins have grains and seeds but also a lot of sugar. Any thoughts?
I used to eat it all the time and just kinda of fell out of love with it. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just haven’t felt like it in a while. I get in these maaaajor ruts and eat the same thing over and over and over and the suddenly I move on. When P was first born I ate oats a lot and I always topped them with trail mix. But then when he was diagnosed with all his allergies I stopped eating trail mix and I guess the oatmeal kind of went with it?! I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to bother my gut.
I’m sorry you are having a flair. Incidentally I’m at the end of one too. I had something this weekend (maybe that breakfast out or maybe something else) that has destroyed me. I was barely able to get through Sunday, but now I think it’s getting better. I skipped dinner last night and had kombucha instead actually and I think that was the right move as annoying as it was. Sometimes kombucha is the best thing to let my gut rest and reset.
As far as other breakfast ideas go…how do you do with sweet potatoes?? You could put nut butter on a baked sweet potato. Or a smoothie with things you tolerate – bananas and plant milk and whatever other add ins? Oats definitely “stick to my ribs” in a way that other breakfasts don’t. It’s a fullness that goes away though, for me, so I don’t mind that. Bloating is not fun, though, so perhaps you should try baking quickbreads? Maybe using date puree or bananas as the sweetener?
I guess I missed the boat in the that between time in your 20s that you have enough money and palate to try fancy things like oysters because by then I was already veg. Either way I am a big fan now!
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