Kaitlynn planned a Sunday brunch at The Painted Burro, which is an upscale casual Mexican kitchen and tequila bar. We didn't have to wait for seating, but we were relegated to an awkward long, high-top table pressed up against the wall. But we made it work.



Brunch options include huevos rancheros, thick-cut French toast, fish tacos, tortas, and omelettes. First up, we had some chips and salsa, which were pretty standard.

Next, was some pork belly that Kaitlynn and Josh ordered. While the flavor was good, the texture wasn't as crispy as I was hoping. I was assured it's usually a bit more crisp.

Then, our entrees. We had a hard timing narrowing down our options, so we ordered the top three things we wanted: thick-cut French toast (egg-dipped brioche, caramelized plantains, mascarpone whipped, maple syrup), crispy baja-style fish taco plate (two corn tortillas, savoy cabbage and jalapeno slaw, lime-cilantro mayo) and gulf shrimp "diablo rojo" taco plate (2 corn tortillas, guacamole, habanero and mango salsa, home fries).

I had just a bite of the French toast, but it was pretty tasty. Giant, thick slabs of bread sopped up the syrup. Yum.

The fish tacos were probably one of my favorites, I think. I love the crispy fish and the crunchy slaw. It had a good balance of flavors.

The shrimp tacos were tasty, but definitely packed a punch. Granted, I'm a wimp in this arena, but I definitely had a few gulps of water after every bite.

Overall, pretty tasty. A solid brunch option.

Grade: B

In what seemed like an abrupt announcement, New Day Bakery posted a status on Facebook June 8 saying it is closed:

It is with great sadness that I have to announce that New Day is closed. Thank you so much for all your kind words and support through the years. If you need to contact us, please send an email to newdaybakery@gmail.com. And don't despair - the heart of the bakery has always been that great brick oven, and she's not going anywhere - look for a new bakery in that space soon.

The status received more than 100 responses, many lamenting the closure, others feeling encouraged by the nod toward a future bakery and all supportive.



What has risen from the ashes of the former business is Phoenix Bakery. Employees banded together, started a GoFundMe site and raised money to help with its reopening.



I'm still not sure why New Day closed; from what I could tell, it was well-received in the area. I frequently grabbed a stuffed ciabatta at the weekly farmers market, along with a coffee. Sometimes, I would stop in the shop for a loaf of fresh baked bread (when I went out of my way, that is).



Regardless, I was happy to see that this Morgantown neighborhood bakery reopened in September. It is much the same with a front space dedicated to loaves of bread, scones and muffins, and on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays starting around 4 p.m., the shop turns into pizza heaven. The bakery is currently open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.



And the thing I missed most was the daily Facebook posts from Tyler. I do not know Tyler personally, but I truly look forward to these posts each morning. Is that ridiculous? Probably. But there's something to be said for a light-hearted, fun update on delicious offerings each morning. He clearly has fun with it, and it makes me laugh daily. For example:

Happy Sunday Oh Best Beloveds! It may be cold outside but it is warm at the Bakery. This morning we have some scones : Dark Chocolate Cherry, Blueberry Cream Cheese, Rosemary Onion Parmesan, and Apple Pie (When I peeled the fourth apple, it came off all in one piece. So if you eat one, you might dream of your true love.). Muffins today are Lemon Poppyseed, and the biscottti case is full of your favorites. Hot cookies - Chocolate Chip and Molassess - will be coming out of the oven around 9. Breads waiting just for you include Cinnamon Currant, Cranberry Walnut, Olive Rosemary, 100% Whole Wheat, Italian, and many more. See you soon.

I actually made two visits to this bakery. Once in the morning to get some delicious baked goods and once in an evening to get a pizza. (Also, PS how cool are those signs? Awesome). Let's get to it.

I ordered a blueberry raspberry muffin, which was my least favorite of the group. Why? Well, it's probably because it's vegan, and the consistency was just off for me. For vegans, though, I'm sure these are the best - because the flavor is still good here.

The strawberry basil scone, though, was very tasty. The strawberries were perfectly sweet. They don't skimp on the basil here. At one point, I got a solid bite of basil - but it was good! I love a savory scone anyway, and this straddled the line between sweet and savory.

Tony got a blueberry cream cheese scone and was so kind to let me have a nibble. And this was soooo good. I'm a little jealous. I love my savory scones, but seriously. This was tasty. I do wish it was a bit firmer.

And the bread! I got a loaf of the olive rosemary, and, I kid you not, it was gone within a day. I kept tearing off hunks to just eat on its own. As coworkers would walk by my desk, I would tell them "Hey! New Day is back as Phoenix! Try the bread!" Some came by two or three times for another bite of the delicious bread. Huge, abundance olives were woven throughout the airy loaf. Just seriously good.


Tony got the sourdough, which is also quite good. Just not as exciting as my olive rosemary. :)



OK, and on another day I was back in the evening to get a delicious pizza. They usually have a weekend special, which always sounds delicious. But their standards are good too: Margherita, Florentine, Diablo, Greek, Flammkuchen, Ohana, Sonoma, and Pollo Verde. I've heard the Flammkuchen is quite good, so I went for it: white sauce with bacon, caramelized onions, mozzarella and gruyere cheese. I did, however, add pineapple to give it some light and sweetness. I was worried it might be too heavy on its own.

My friend Mariana ordered the Sonoma: sundried tomato pesto with caramelized goat cheese, mozzarella and fresh basil.

We sat outside in one of the two tables available. It was chilly, so keep that in mind if you plan to eat here. There is one bench inside to sit while you wait, and then there are two tables outside. And oftentimes, they're taken up.

The Flammkuchen was quite tasty! It was super cheesy and had a delicious crust. The pineapple was a good call because it gave it some much needed lightness and a texture that had a bit of a bite.

The Sonoma was also good - definitely heavier on the goat cheese, so you have to be in the mood for that. Overall, a lovely local place with both delicious baked goods and tasty pizzas. And it still has the heart of the previous bakery.

Grade: A
 

I had just gotten off the plane in Boston, when Kaitlynn ushered us to Sweet Cheeks - a restaurant I missed out on during my last visit to Boston. The owner of Sweet Cheeks is Tiffani Faison, a finalist on the first season of Bravo's reality show, Top Chef. She was a kickass competitor on the show, so I was excited to eat at her restaurant.



Apparently everyone else was, too, because the wait was well over an hour. BUT, to-go orders were going much quicker, so it was a no-brainer. I ordered a heritage breed pulled pork sandwich, which is served with pickles and onions. But I also added on one cold scoop and one hot scoop - potato salad and mac-n-cheese.



This was a ton of food. I had my whole meal, plus Kaitlynn ordered a bucket of biscuits with honey butter. The biscuits are so good. They're huge, flaky and the honey butter adds a bit of sweetness. They are truly heavenly biscuits.

As for the actual plate of food, it was delicious. The pulled pork sandwich was super tender and flavorful, the cool potato salad was creamy, and the mac-n-cheese was perfectly cheesy with a nice crunchy top.

Three bbq sauces accompanied the meal: a Carolina-style vinegar, a regular sweet/smokey sauce, and a more spicy version. I went mostly for the regular and mixed it up with the spicier version.

This was very, very good. Boston isn't necessarily the place I would think of food BBQ or comfort food, but they sure did it well.

Grade: A

So, I had only been back for about a week from my trip to Milwaukee before I turned around and headed to the Pittsburgh airport once again to begin my next leg of travel. Because I was at the mercy of relying on others (one of my least favorite things to do ever), I ended up arriving at the airport quite early. The solution for that? Find food.

The Pittsburgh airport has a few dining options - for quick service, there are places like Quiznos, McDonalds, Villa Italian Kitchen and Rice N Noodle. For waited service, there are paces like T.G.I.Friday's, Quaker Steak and Lube and Bar Symon. Bar Symon is the outlier here, as it is created by celebrity chef Michael Symon, a James Beard Award winning chef. He also is the mastermind behind B Spot Burgers.

The menu at this location has appetizers, sandwiches, and some pasta dishes. Of course, what caught my eye was the macaroni and cheese. I went for the pulled pork mac.

It was a pretty huge portion with pulled pork spread throughout, cheese baked on top with a drizzle of hot sauce. For airport food, it wasn't bad. I think the macaroni and cheese was actually a bit dry, and the pulled pork could've used some more flavor. But, not bad.



Grade: B
 

On the way back from Milwaukee, we had a layover in Chicago. After New York City (which will be coming up soon!!), my culinary dream place in the U.S. is Chicago. So, even though we only had a little bit of time in Chicago (and it's an airport) and not a full-fledged trip, I wanted to make the most of it.

Tortas Frontera

Rick Bayless is a well-known chef specializing in traditional Mexican food who has a few restaurants in the Chicago area. Tortas Frontera is located in three terminals in the airport, as well as at the University of Pennsylvania. I can only assume the airport quality would differ fairly significantly from his full-service restaurants, but, for now, it'll do! I ordered the Milanesa, which was crispy chicken, artisan Jack cheese, pickled jalapeno, black beans, cilantro crema and tomatillo-avocado salsa. It was good - but actually very spicy. At least for me. Tony got the Chipotle Chicken - artisan Jack cheese, poblano rajas, chipotle, black beans, cilantro crema, avocado and wild arugula. I actually liked his sandwich better and we ended up swapping! Not bad.

Ardent is one of the restaurants I was most looking forward to in Milwaukee. It was named one of the 15 best new restaurants in the Midwest by Conde Nast Traveler, and Justin Carlisle was a James Beard finalist for Best Chef Midwest.



A few things: You have to make a reservation; it's a very small restaurant. And when you make the reservation, you supply a credit card that will be charged $30 per person if you cancel with less than 24 hours notice. There are two seatings: between 6 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., and then between 8 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.



The restaurant itself is adorable. It has this sort of ease of elegance. It's located a little below ground level with little markings beyond the "A" on the door to designate its existence. There are only a handful of tables inside, and neutral toned shawls adorned the backs of chairs if you need some added cozy warmth. There was a sliver of a window open to the kitchen, so you could see the chefs working away.



As soon as you enter the restaurant, you know you're in for an experience. It's not just a meal. It's a memory in the making. The service is impeccable, the little touches do not go unnoticed. For example, they brought me a phone pillow. A PHONE PILLOW, they said, in case there are any spills. It's a plank of wood with some burlap on top.



Tony and I ordered a bunch of different courses to split. You're ordering one-word dishes with little context - just a hint of what that plate is. So, it's a bit of a surprise. You can opt for the eight-course tasting menu, but it's a little pricy, and this way we got to pick and choose. The first amuse bouche from the chef was this little cheese puff that had a creamy cheese inside with shaved cheese on top. It was a nice savory - a bit nutty - bite that really set a great tone for the dinner. For each course, the chef comes out to describe it. The very personal attention makes for a really engaging dinner.




The first plate we dug into was "Milk," which said "Pain Au Lait, Muenster Cheese, Cultured Butter." What it really is is a small roll, a house-made butter from the milk of Edelweiss Townhall Creamery’s grass-fed farms and a house-made fresh Muenster cheese. It all had a very fresh, light air to it, which was very tasty.

The next plate was "Corn," which said "Black Lime, Farm Cheese, Urfa." This actually ended up being a ravioli with a very soft cheese inside that had a sharp flavor. The sweetness of the corn really balanced it out.



Next up was "Game Hen," which was described as "Vegetable Kraut, Schmaltz, Mustard." This, while not initially what I gravitated toward, ended up being my absolute favorite dish. It was super moist and flavorful. The kraut had just a hint of bitterness. A very solid plate of food.

Next was the "Beef," complete with "Panzanella, Tomato, Black Garlic." This was cooked very well, and the salad had a delicious dressing that I couldn't stop myself from sopping up with the beef. Each bite was thoughtfully prepared, and artfully paired to enhance the flavors of each element.

Finally was "Apricot" with "Cream Cheese, Coriander." This was our dessert of sorts. You thought I was going to order the caramel thing, didn't you? I would have, but I had forced Tony to eat about 15,000 caramel things at this point so we went for this lighter option. And it was totally delicious! The meringue blew my mind. I friggin' love meringue. It was simple, refreshingly sweet and a very nice ending.

But, wait, there's more!

These complementary little mini vanilla cream puffs were a great finale. I love the little gifts from the chef, and I love a petit fours.

BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE.

And this is literally the best idea ever. You know how you leave a restaurant, and sometimes (if it's really REALLY good) you can't stop thinking about how amazing it was? Well, Ardent goes one step further and gives you these mini muffins to take home and remember the next morning how great the place is.

Everyone, do this. Best. Ever.

Grade: A