Weekend in Bar Harbor

Christopher and I decided to spend this Valentine's weekend in Bar Harbor! It was fantastic and a much needed rest from all the crazy things that have happened in the last month or so.

We stayed at the Acadia Hotel which is an adorable little inn right in downtown Bar Harbor. Everything you would want to visit is in walking distance. They are open all year long and have a pretty awesome winter rate.

Courtesy of http://acadiahotel.com/

Much of Acadia National Park was closed, however we had a blast walking along the water front. It was freezing, but definitely worth a whiff of salt air and peek at the Atlantic.

We grabbed a beer at Leary's Landing Irish Pub and had a delicious dinner at McKay's Public House. Our host could tell that we were on a romantic date and put us at little table away from the crowds. The food was good but I would have to stay the best parts were our appetizer and desserts- duck spring rolls and Guinness cheesecake. I will definitely be browsing the Internet for those recipes.

I am so glad that we took this little weekend escape! It was very romantic and a nice refresher before starting a long week. I hope everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day!

At Home Beer Tasting Date

As I have mentioned previously Christopher and I have been making a real effort this year to have one date night at least once a week, and one super fancy date at least once a month. Last week we went to 11 Central which meant this week our date needed to be a little more casual.

Our local grocery store has this great deal where you can fill your own six pack with six different beers. Christopher and I love sampling new beers and testing whether we want to buy a certain beer in the future. This past weekend we decided to do a beer sampling with five (we had already drank one of the beers) different appetizers and a Benedict Cumberbatch marathon (we are both pretty much in love with him). Here are the appetizers and beers we chose. I will link the recipes to their original website unless they are my own:

1.  Sam Adams Gold Snap with a Spicy Spinach and Artichoke Dip: This was a fantastic combination. The citrus notes of the Gold Snap paired perfectly with the spiciness and earthiness of the dip. Christopher ate at least half the dip right then and there.

Photo courtesy of http://abeautifulmess.com/

2. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA with PF Chang's Lettuce Wraps (but originally from culinarylife.com): This was another fantastic combination. This particular beer is a great IPA for the person who is not necessarily an IPA fan. It is incredibly drinkable and paired well with the lettuce wraps. On a side note, the recipe above requires water chestnuts which can be difficult to find. My local grocery store did not carry them, but I found the lettuce wraps to be perfectly fine without them.

Photo courtesy of http://pinterest-pins.com/

3. Geary's London Porter with BBQ Cranberry Meatballs: This recipe has been in my family for ages and is something I will definitely post in the future. While the meatballs were great, the beer was not. Christopher and I were not huge fans of this particular porter. It was rather bitter and did not have much flavor.

4. Shipyard Black IPA with Mini Man Burgers: Who doesn't love sliders? Once again, this is a great IPA for people who usually steer clear of them. We both really enjoyed this particular combo.

Photo courtesy of Food Network

5. Red Hook Mudslider Brown Ale with Brown Sugar Baked Fries: I love french fries and brown sugar. To me this was a natural and awesome combination. This beer was a hearty, classic brown ale. It actually tasted very similar to Newcastle which I happen to be a huge fan of.

Photo courtesy of http://abeautifulmess.com/

Date Night at 11 Central

Christopher surprised me the other day with a date night at 11 Central, a restaurant in Downtown Bangor next to Bagel Central and Friar's Bake Shop.

 This is a perfect date restaurant. The atmosphere  is modern but classy. We started off our evening at the bar where we had mixed drinks (I tried a peach cosmo!) and bruschetta for an appetizer. The bartenders were super friendly and knowledgeable.

For dinner I had a BBQ chicken pizza and Christopher had a Lobster Artichoke Alfredo pizza. Ever since we left California, I have been searching for another place that serves awesome pizza like California Pizza Kitchen. This one is definitely a contender. They also had a lot of dessert options, but we were too stuffed to partake in any.

11 Central features different local artists on their walls.  They also host winter wine dinners that they pair with provincial cuisine.

My one teeny complaint about this restaurant, is that the wait is long. As I said before, it is a great date restaurant, but not so fantastic if you are in a rush.

If you are looking for somewhere special in Downtown Bangor, give 11 Central a try.

(A Very Belated) Winter Break Post

This post probably should have been published weeks ago, but January was one chaotic month. Anyway....

Christopher and I spent Christmas vacation with our families in Southern California. We had a lovely time celebrating the holidays, relaxing with our families and enjoying the warm and sunny weather.

My family and I visited Lake Arrowhead for my baby brother's birthday.

Christopher and I perused through Downtown Disney twice! I bought my favorite caramel apple, Apple Pie Apple, both times.

My siblings and I hit up our favorite hiking spot, Santa Rosa Plateau and Ecological Reserve.

We also went to the movies, went shopping and spent our time relaxing.