Too Many Olives? Dining at the Crowne Plaza in Mexico City

Tonight I wanted something light for dinner, so I decided to try the Ensalada Griega or Greek Salad. In California I'm used to goat cheese being about a tablespoon of crumbled cheese adorning the top of my salad. But at the Crowne Plaza, they do not skimp on anything! The goat cheese was served in thick slices over the top of the salad. The flavor was mild at first, but grew in robustness with each bite. The cheese was firm yet smooth and creamy in texture.

There were tiny, pungent white onions throughout the salad that added to the audacity of the flavor combinations. And it seemed an olive was hiding under nearly every leaf of lettuce. What a treat! The salad was far richer than I expected and left me very satisfied.

Dessert by the Sea - Marriott's in Miraflores

wI typically enjoy a large, satisfying dessert and never understood the appeal of the tiny little deserts that are served in expensive restaurants. But when you become a business traveler, you begin to understand the appeal of something beautiful but not too filling after eating in restaurants three meals a day for weeks at a time.

Ponderaciones is a typical Peruvian crunchy spiral dough, filled with creamy passion fruit and borgona grape sorbet. It was just enough to round out the dinner, while not so much as to endanger my waistline. A mix of shapes, textures and flavors to delight all the senses. Very satisfying.

Of Glass and Light - Miami

Light is something we rely on in so many ways, but rarely stop to think about. Without it, we would not have the science of astronomy, as one aspiring astrophysicist points out in her lectures under the stars.
In biblical times Noah is said to have seen the first rainbow. As long ago as 300 B.C. Euclid studied light and tried to understand reflections and the
the science of light. During the 1600s the growing Dutch skill in the depiction of light led to world-wide renown of the  Dutch Golden Age paintings.
For Leonardo DaVinci blending the science and art of light were key to development of this Renaissance man's talents.

During my brief walk-through of the Miami airport, the artistic theme seems to be of glass and light. Simple, yet striking.

Vacationing on the Sound in Virginia

 While staying in luxury hotels has its appeal, sometimes the best vacations are spent with friends and family. Imagnine a delightful weekend, sitting on the sound, a little over an hour outside Washington, D.C. enjoying a beautiful view while catching up and getting to know each other again. Savor the cool drink and good conversation.

Blueberry Cheesecake at Max's in Auburn

I called my good friend and invited her to lunch. As always, she found an excuse to treat me. It happened to be my birthday, so I couldn't say no. We went to a nice restaurant in Auburn called Max's. Although I'd seen the restaurant for a few years, I always seemed to wind up at the In and Out Burgers instead. We had a wonderful sandwich but the dessert was superb. The artistry of the arrangement with the chocolate swirl was simple and elegant. The cheesecake was creamy and delicious. And the blueberries were a perfect accent, a sweet contrast to the creamy cheesecake. Cost was in line with the quality of the treat.

However, if chocolate is more your preference, do try the brownie. Have you ever experienced chocolate collapsium? Imagine a brownie with more chocolate than it is possible to squeeze into a square that size. But you don't have to imagine it, you can drop by Max's and enjoy it.

Exotic Dining - Foamed Parmesan in Lima

 After reviewing the menu, my eye was drawn to the ribeye steak. Normally, I don't expect a ribeye to be the most expensive item on the menu. It tends to be a bit tougher than other cuts of beef. I wondered if there was something special in the way a Peruvian prepared the ribeye to justify the extra cost. But this dish had a side with foamed parmesan, and that intrigued me. What would foamed parmesan look like and taste like?
Sadly, this dish was my only disappointment at the Marriott's in Lima. The ribeye was tough and the sauce could not overcome this basic flaw. The foamed parmesan did add a different look to the dish, but overall was not aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and the taste on the palette was practically non-existent. The side salad had delicate and tasty cherry tomatoes, but were served with sprouts that tasted like weeds.
This meal rates as nourishing, but over-priced and not satisfying.

Big Sin or Little Sin - Eating in Peru

Behind my office is a mega grocery store called Metro. I've been slowly exploring the store with the idea of bringing some treats in for my clients and to take home to my family. To my delight, I discovered Dulci Vilma, a lovely little cafe in the back of Metro. As I browsed the glass cases, phrase-book in hand, I saw the Pecado. I wasn't sure what it was, but I recognized pineapple, cheese and chicken in the ingredients and that was good enough for me. The counter person asked the usual whirlwind of questions. I managed to narrow it down to caliente o frio? and let her know I'd like it hot and to add agua sin gas for my drink.


It was wonderful! So wonderful that I showed a picture to mi nuevo amigas at dinner the next night. They giggled in a way that made me ask: What had I done?

I was informed Pecado meant sin, and  that the dish I had enjoyed must have been sinfully rich.
Then I remembered, pecadillo, in English, means doing the wrong things. So a pecadillo in Spanish would be a little sin, and a pecado is a big sin.

For penance, I skipped breakfast the next day to even up the calorie count and atone for my sin.