Life lately...

Snippets and bits that have fallen through the cracks in the last several weeks...

dining al fresco on roasted chicken with homemade basil pesto and heirloom tomatoes (and wine, duh, always wine)

getting ready for the next in my series of "Lizzie's Bedroom Gallery Walls"

dying over the gorgeous organ in Stanford Memorial Church on a private tour

taking advantage of workplace flexibility to park at a café table in Stanford's Rodin Sculpture Garden

spoiling Fiona rotten

trying new breweries with Dave

capturing Dave's extreme Californianess (it's a word, obviously) post-beers

falling in love with our sunsets on a daily basis

seeing old movies at Palo Alto's adorable downtown theater

finding hidden corners all over campus

screen-shotting Snapchats of Zach and Colleen's cutest little droid (in the onesie I bought him for his gender reveal! Thank goodness he was a boy - although I guess they could've just glued a bow on for a little girl!)

spoiling Fiona rotten

brunching in Berkeley at Five

having fun with Snapchat filters and an oblivious roommate

practicing calligraphy on a variety of pretty mail

cleaning my Backer flats on a day when I unfortunately accidentally wore them to work

watching sunsets on campus during class breaks

hanging out with these goons (more to come soon on the best weekend!)

...and did I mention spoiling Fiona rotten? 

101 in 1001 #51: Throw a dinner (BRUNCH) party.

Doesn't throwing a dinner party sound all grown-up and lovely? I thought so, so I added it to the brunch list. Then I realized that I'm not a stellar cook, at least not of the traditional "meat and potatoes and a side dish" variety. Then I further realized that most of my friends aren't, either...we're much more along the lines of a "takeout and Bitesquad and quick-and-easy meals for one" type crowd. 

Then...I realized that I am EXCELLENT at brunch. (See: Eva's bridal shower, this summer) And my friends? They looooove brunch. So when Notre Dame played Syracuse with an 11am kickoff on October 1st, I decided, along with Hal, that we should turn that oh-so-grown-up dinner party into a good old-fashioned gamebrunch rager. 

And we did! Starting with the bar: 

Iced coffee, plus major champagne with three different mixers for mimosas (pomegranate, blood orange, and peach Bellini)...or harder options in the back for those who preferred it. Please note the stylish presentation in Hal's beverage bucket along with the football napkins and fall-appropriate pumpkins and mums, because we believe in aesthetics at the House of Hal and Lizzie. 

I went a little nuts at Party City on blue, green, and gold serveware...although with a crew of 17 coming, we couldn't really class it up beyond paper plates and napkins and plastic utensils. We just don't have enough dishes! Something to aspire to, I suppose. 

On the menu, clockwise from top left: 

-Hillary, a friend of Hal's and a new friend of mine, brought absolutely precious "breakfast pigs in a blanket" and they were as delicious as they were adorable. 

-spinach-and-artichoke egg bake, as served at Eva's shower, recipe here. 

-Gruyere-and-sausage egg bake, also as served at Eva's shower, recipe here. I stuck with tried-and-true crowd pleasers for the main dishes...nothing like playing it safe with a crew this size!

-pumpkin coffee cake with brown sugar glaze, recipe here. You guys. THIS WAS SO GOOD. It was gone before the party was over, and I made it again for a brunch at work where it similarly vanished insanely fast. It is absolutely decadent. Make it. Everyone will be impressed and you won't be sorry. 

I'm still impressed we managed to cram the crew we did into our space. The couch and every chair in our apartment (including Hal's piano bench!) ended up doing duty during the game. I'm not sorry. 

Creeper shots abounded. 

My favorite bros in action discussing Iowa losses and Notre Dame victories! 

And finally, most of the crew assembled! (There are a few more miscreants off to the side that I couldn't fit in the frame!) Hal and I had so much fun hosting...and, if the 12+ bottles of champagne we went through are any indication, hopefully our guests had fun too. 

Here's to being better at hosting brunches than we are at looking normal in photos! 

For more 101 in 1001, head here. And if you want to come over for brunch, let me know! I'll baaaaake! 

Sunday Brunch: Moose & Sadie's

Once upon a time, the ladies formerly of Book Club (where we never actually read the book, we just drank wine and talked about boys, BASIC) decided to go to sunrise yoga at Lake Harriet on a Saturday morning. It happened to epically thunderstorm that morning, so we naturally couldn't go to sunrise yoga and hot-routed to the next best option: BRUNCH, DUH. 

Anna and Caroline had church in the North Loop, so Hannah and I met them and we checked out Moose & Sadie's, a spot that's been on my list for actual years. 

Location/Ambiance: 

Popped in the North Loop right next to Martin Patrick 3, Moose & Sadie's has all the charm and trendiness one would expect from the neighborhood. Exposed brick, giant windows and pretty outdoor seating set the vibe for a great casual girls' brunch. 

Score: 7/10

Beverage: 

Ginger mint limeade. I repeat, ginger. mint. limeade. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin at the mere memory. It was so fresh and SO refreshing. Very different, very flavorful, very intense...Anna and Hannah ended up cutting it with a little water, but I, being a champ, chugged it. 

Score: 10/10

Food: 

Enjoy that close-up of the banana chocolate chip muffin that I shamelessly housed. (Hannah and I split one, to be fair.) It was dense and rich in ways I didn't know a muffin could be those things...I feel like I'm not even making sense in describing it because it was just that good. 

I ate about 3/4 of this giant omelet with caramelized swiss chard, goat cheese and pancetta before I had to call it quits. I get really weird about omelets...sometimes they're disappointingly sparse on the filling, which is the whole point of an omelet anyway...the egg is legit just there to wrap it all up. This omelet totally satisfied in that regard, and left me a very happy camper as a result. Totally recommend the feature omelet, for those picky people with really high brunch standards like me. 

Score: 9/10

Check out Moose & Sadie's for yourself here...it's a great spot to start a day of North Loop exploring! All the rest of the brunch dish here, as usual, obviously. Happy dining!

Sunday Brunch: The Bachelor Farmer Café and Amsterdam Bar

Did you think brunch and I had broken up? I wouldn't blame you...I haven't chronicled a date with my favorite mid-day meal for almost three months at this point! Although I'm making a point to try to eat at home more often, I've still explored plenty of the Twin Cities' best brunch destinations, and am simply shamefully behind in actually ranking them and adding them to my list. 

Case in point: when Laura came to town and we went to Crashed Ice and the symphony way way back when Minnesota was covered in snow, we brunched TWICE and I have totally failed to even mention it, almost six months later. FAILSAUCE. What better excuse to eat out than a foodie, coffee-loving friend visiting?! 

On Friday of her visit, we had a lazy morning of catching up at the Chateau de Liz and headed to the (then) brand-new Bachelor Farmer Café! 

Location/Ambiance:

Don't go in these doors. 

No, seriously, don't. These are the doors to the real Bachelor Farmer, and I only took photos because I just love that brick and those awnings and that door. Generally aesthetically perfect. 

Instead, go around the corner and go in HERE! 

Just as playful and bright and airy as the regular restaurant, with bright tile, ample seating and high ceilings. I fell for it right away...it's definitely one of the more Instagrammable brunch places I've eaten at lately, if that's your thing. (It's kiiiiind of mine. Oops.)

Score: 9/10

Beverage: 

As mentioned, Laura is a HUGE coffee addict/snob, so we were delighted when these beauties came off the coffee bar to us! 

Hi, be prettier, lattés. They were delectable, and we spent way too much time oohing and ahhing over how lovely they were while waiting for them to cool down from tongue-scalding to just-right piping hot. See below for the face of a coffee-lover in bliss. 

Score: 10/10

Food: 

The café had just rolled out their "closed" sandwiches, as opposed to "open-faced" which, to my understanding, are just toasts. We tried two...a goat cheese-and-roast beef with perfectly spicy horseradish and mustard, and a pickled-coleslaw and cider-braised pork shoulder. Both were incredible. Had I written this up closer to when we actually dined, I might remember what that tempting cookie was, but I've forgotten everything except that it was really good. 

Based on skimming Yelp reviews, it sounds like the full sandwiches, coffee, and pastries are the way to go, and the toasts are underwhelming. I would have to say I thought everything we ordered was lovely, and would urge any future visitors to follow our lead in ordering. Note that the menu IS seasonal, and what we ate in February is almost for-sure not an option in July. 

Score: 9/10

The score for a precious Lizzie-Laura selfie, below? 10/10 of course, who wouldn't give us a perfect ranking? 

On Sunday, we headed over to St. Paul in an icy sleet storm for a totally different experience! Amsterdam Bar is the polar opposite of the Bachelor Farmer Café. It is not Instagrammable or light or airy. It IS, however, host to Sunday Brunch Trivia, and we could NOT pass that opportunity up. 

Location/Ambiance: 

Pro: It's near my office, I guess. Not that I'm ever in the office on a Sunday morning...this ain't EY, campers. 

Con: pretty much everything. This is not the place to go if you want a stereotypically Millennial, pretty brunch experience. It's quite apparently a bar and music venue that also happens to serve brunch on Sundays. 

Score: 2/10 (it was clean and perfectly presentable!!) 

Beverage: 

While we both had mimosas, the real write-home-to-Mama drink was the perfect French press coffee. Laura was pleased. I was pleased. We had a second press's worth. Entirely lovely. 

Score: 8/10

Food: 

We started with a Dutch baby, which was practically perfect in every way. For those unfamiliar, a Dutch baby is a hybrid of a pancake and a really puffy crepe that one consumes topped with powdered sugar and lemon juice. We were impressed...it was REALLY good and the perfect little munchie to get us through the first rounds of trivia. 

Amsterdam Bar is known for their breakfast hashes, a concoction of potatoes and a ton of toppings all blanketed with a fried egg and served with a ton of side sauces and toast for sopping it all up. I had the "Himalayan Cream," which featured goat cheese, sausage and onion, and Laura went with the vegetarian "Lebanese Red," which was spicy and looked amazing. We both practically mopped the paper-boat containers clean. The food, despite the weird ambiance, was AMAZING. 

Score: 10/10 - don't judge this book by its cover. 

Trivia was a hilarious fail, in which we got our butts totally kicked. While I knew all the state capitols and we dominated that round, certain other answers got us legitimately laughed at - Desert Fox, for example, and not actually knowing where the Golden State Warriors played. A lot of our answers ended up being total shots in the dark that ended up being unintentionally hilarious. And that in and of itself made that brunch a total, unmitigated win. 

To visit the Bachelor Farmer Café, head here, for Amsterdam Bar, here, and for a plethora of other brunch places and/or to organize and plan our next outing, head here, naturally - who's up for bottomless mimosas asap?! 

Sunday Brunch: 4 Bells

My parents and I celebrated Mother’s Day yesterday with my favorite thing ever…brunch! Especially necessary after hardcore Derby debauchery on Saturday, our trip to 4 Bells in Loring Park officially added a new destination to my list every time someone I love comes to visit.

4 Bells is the sister restaurant of my beloved Butcher and the Boar, and the similarities between the two spots became apparent the moment our server mentioned that fact. With a focus on Southern/Lowcountry seafood, however, 4 Bells takes quality dining in a totally different direction than B&TB. Without further ado:

Location/Ambiance:

Tucked away off Loring Park in the old Joe’s Garage space, 4 Bells captured my heart immediately with their sunny yellow patio chairs:

And further cemented its place there with a sexy, Edison-bulb-laden bar, high ceilings, cushy booths and sleek, stripped-down décor.

Their roof is apparently amazing as well, and I can’t wait to go back with friends and sip cocktails overlooking the park as soon as possible.

Score: 10/10

Beverage:

Like I mentioned, I Derby’d way too hard on Saturday…and found myself unable to handle alcohol at all on Sunday…not even Café Lurcat’s delicious pink champagne, which I valiantly tried to conquer before Mass with Jodes and Dick. Given that embarrassing fact, I stuck to bottomless coffee, served with real sugar cubes and a tiny pot de crème, and left the boozing to the experts.

Dad went with a Bloody, which was served in a Mason jar and left my basic-girl self all happy and pleased with the presentation, and Jodester toasted Mother’s Day with a Bellini Crush, a lemon-and-peach concoction that looked like the most heavenly adult slushie. I’ve never regretted too many mint juleps more.

Score: 8/10 (based on parental feedback)

Food:

Well, we were a bit embarrassed when, after ordering, our spread ended up looking like this:

Actually, no shame. It was 100% so worth it. Jodester and I both went with the chicken and waffles, which were served with two kinds of syrup and a generous smear of honey lavender butter. HONEY LAVENDER BUTTER. Excuse me while I go wipe the drool off my chin. No exaggeration: if I could, I would smear the honey lavender butter all over everything I ever eat again in my entire life. The chicken itself was just the right amount of crispy and salty, and the waffle was an herb-laden, light and fluffy dream. I could practically feel each bite soaking up the residual bourbon residue coating my insides.

Sides of note were a serving of deliciously sweet-and-spicy Butcher and the Boar sausage served with pickled onions…

..green chili-potato “hash” that wasn’t actually hashed but was delicious anyway…

…and feather-light, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits with a side of fruit compote and MORE HONEY LAVENDER BUTTER. We cleaned our plates with embarrassing speed and unabashed delight in the process.

Score: 10/10

A further note: our server, Erin, was an absolute delight. It’s always a joy when we dine somewhere and the server makes honest and candid recommendations, plays along with my dad’s somewhat ridiculous sense of humor, and takes the time to really go above and beyond. Erin and the 4 Bells team did that, and it was a pleasure to dine there, even in the midst of an utterly punishing hangover.

To check out 4 Bells for yourself, head here, but only if you’re going to call me and invite me along. I promise I won’t eat all the honey lavender butter myself! Otherwise, let’s check another spot off the list together. Happy patio brunch season, campers!