Archives For food

Top 5 Things To Do in Seattle for PAX West

Ashley Walton —  August 27, 2016 — 1 Comment

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PAX West is just around the corner! My nerdy heart goes pitter-patter just thinking about it. At PAX, I love walking the floor, attending panels, and playing games—but I also love taking advantage of the beautiful host city. Last year, I had so much fun spending a couple of extra days in Seattle, exploring like crazy. Because it’s so massive, the options can be a little overwhelming, so here are my top recommendations for what to do while you’re there.

1. Make Friends with a Bridge Troll

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This friendly troll resides at 4505 North Troll Avenue in Fremont, under the north end of the Aurora bridge. Getting to this troll’s abode means taking a 15-minute Uber from downtown, but it’s worth it. Not only do you get the unique experience of coming face-to-face with this massive monster (which will put a smile on your face), but there are lots of other cool things in the Fremont area—it’s my favorite neighborhood in Seattle.

2. Visit Add-A-Ball in Fremont

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Pinball, arcade cabinets, booze, and an insane Patrick Swayze mural reside in this cozy underground gaming space. Bonus: there’s a nice patio out front with seating if you need to get some air between heated matches of Bubble Bobble. Add-A-Ball is located at 315 N 36th Street, Seattle—just an 8-minute walk from the bridge troll.

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In culture, food, Gaming, Uncategorized , , , , ,
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Pie & Beer Day: A Salt Lake City Tradition

Ashley Walton —  July 26, 2015 — Leave a comment

supernatural pie

On July 24th, Utah celebrates Pioneer Day, commemorating the Mormon Pioneers who traveled 1,300 miles by foot and wagon train and finally settled in Salt Lake Valley in 1847. It’s a big deal in Utah– like a second Independence Day– with fireworks, parades, and festivals. Many local businesses even shut down for the day, including local banks.

For those who feel out-of-place in Utah’s greater culture, and for most residents of Salt Lake City, it’s easy to feel outside of the festivities. Luckily, in the last few years, Salt Lake has embraced Pie & Beer Day to celebrate, maintaining the tongue-in-cheek, counter-culture spirit that makes Salt Lake wonderful. This year, more restaurants and bars than ever hosted Pie & Beer Day events. The most popular was Beer Bar‘s second annual Pie & Beer Day bash, featuring a Pie Pass (for 6 slices of pie!) from several local bakeries.

Jeff and I decided to take a quieter route and go to one of our golden favorites: Avenues Proper, a restaurant and brewery in our neighborhood, walking-distance from our apartment. We devoured apple-blueberry-raspberry crumble pie with stout ice cream from Hatch Family Chocolates. It was everything I’d ever wanted, and the stout ice cream was the surprise star of the dish. (Mind you, good pie and ice cream is my favorite dessert, only possibly rivaled by fruit-stuffed beignets, which are basically little fried pies.)

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Jeff’s Birthday Food Tour in Salt Lake City

Ashley Walton —  July 20, 2015 — Leave a comment

If you haven’t gathered by now, we love food. Cooking, sharing food with friends and family, and experiencing edible art are a few of our favorite things. One of the things I love about food is that it’s ephemeral. You can have the same dish multiple times, but you’re never going to have it in exactly the same way. Ingredients will vary: one tomato is not exactly the same as another tomato, even of the same variety because ripeness, flavor, and aesthetic differs from one to another. Preparation of dishes also varies. A chef may do their best to achieve uniformity, but there’s going to be small differences every time you have the same dish on different occasions. That’s the nature of chopping, cooking, and pouring– there are so many factors that it’s imprecise to some extent, even at its most masterful.

When you eat delicious food, it’s a transitory moment that you can’t experience in the same way ever again– and I love that. I love forcing myself to focus, to be mindful of my senses, and to thoughtfully process what I’m literally taking in as part of myself. This is why– despite the ridicule of being another basic Instagram girl– I love photographing food, as a reminder of an experience, a memory of a feeling.

Because food is the source of so much of our happiness and gratitude, for Jeff’s birthday we decided to do a progressive dinner around Salt Lake City, visiting our favorite haunts and ordering a dish or two per stop. It was unlike anything we’d done before and not for the faint of heart: 10 straight hours of eating and walking around the city with a couple of our closest friends. It was quite the event, and below you’ll find our itinerary and a documentation of our adventures.

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Try Mouth Foods and Change Your Life Forever

Ashley Walton —  March 19, 2014 — Leave a comment

Mouths Package

If you haven’t tried Mouth Foods, you’re missing out on rare, hard-to-find goodies. We’ve mentioned this one-in-a-million gem before, when they were known as New York Mouth. Not much has changed besides the name. The company still ships high-quality, small-batch foods straight to your door. Now, Mouth Foods doesn’t just ship foods from New York but from all over the country, widening the range of crafted food available through their beautiful site. Perusing the Mouth Foods site, you’ll be overwhelmed by all the cool stuff on display. Try to remain calm. If  it helps, we highly recommend the bourbon-smoked sugar, truffle salami, and banana jam, but our favorite things to order are sinful treats.

When we get a package from Mouth Foods, it’s better than Christmas. We’re always blown away by their extraordinary attention to detail. Every piece of food is individually wrapped and carefully cushioned to make sure it survives shipping. If you think the food looks great on the site, it looks even better in person. What’s more, Mouth includes a free canvas tote, a handwritten thank-you note, and a free piece of chocolate to sweeten the deal. Plus, if your total order amounts to $50 or more, shipping is free. In our latest order, we couldn’t help but go all out.

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In culture, food
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Make the Best Margarita Mix, Zombie-style

Ashley Walton —  February 18, 2014 — 3 Comments

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If you’re looking to make the coolest margarita mix of all time, you’ve come to the right place. Jeff’s mom is crazy about all things zombies, so we made some special homemade zombie-style margarita mixes for her birthday. We used fresh raspberries and limes to make two different kinds of mixes, and we added food coloring to maximize creepiness. Because they both turned out jaw-droppingly good, we thought we’d share the recipe, so you can make delicious margaritas (just add tequila) or virgin cocktails (just add soda).

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How to Make the World’s Best Sugar Cookies

Ashley Walton —  December 16, 2013 — 2 Comments

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I’m going to reveal the secret to the world’s best sugar cookies. Forget everything else you’ve been told. Ready? Buy some bourbon smoked sugar. Do it. It will be the best decision you’ve made all year. Mouth Foods offers a nice one that we’ve been using in everything from sweet barbecue sauces to hot drinks, and it also happens to be the key to making the sugar cookie that makes all other sugar cookies ashamed of themselves.

What’s more, the secret to using the bourbon smoked sugar is easy. It may sound like an intimidating ingredient, but all you need to do is sprinkle some of this bad boy on top of your cookies (along with a dash of cinnamon) before popping them in the oven. And your cookies will transcend to a new level of delicious.

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In food, recipe
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Geeky Chocolates from The Truffle Cottage

Ashley Walton —  November 4, 2013 — 4 Comments

At Salt Lake Comic-Con, we had the fortune of finding some of the coolest chocolates ever, made by The Truffle Cottage. We loved them so much, we bought beautifully molded chocolates in the shape of zombie body parts, a companion cube, and a Death Star. And those were so good that when Halloween rolled around, we giddily bought even more unique chocolates from the talented chocolate crafters.

This place is the real deal. Not only are the chocolates lovingly crafted with striking detail, but they are absolutely delicious and come in unique flavors like strawberries and cream and pumpkin pie. As the holidays approach, keep an eye out for gems from The Truffle Cottage. They’re sure to come up with new creations that will make perfect gifts from the holidays. As examples of their awe-inspiring work, here are some of the chocolates they showcased at Salt Lake Comic-Con (now available on their website).

IMG_0888 (1024x687)(Star Wars and Walking Dead goodness)

IMG_0890 (1024x670)(The Falcon and Han in carbonite)

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In Comic-Con, design, food
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Geek Appetite Featured on KSL

Ashley Walton —  August 27, 2013 — Leave a comment

avenues proper

If you follow me on Instagram (@AshleyGeekGirl), you’ll find I un-apologetically snap photos of all the delicious morsels we eat– both that we make ourselves and that we find dining out. Whether I use our fancy camera (bought for the sole purpose of photographing food) or my phone, I love documenting our culinary adventures. Well,  today it has finally paid off. One of my photos is featured on a Utah news site, KSL, along with a shout-out to Geek Appetite and a quote from me, gushing about the perfect happiness that is a steak from Avenues Proper. Check out the article here.

In culture, food, restaurant review , , ,
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Favorite San Diego Comic-Con Food Stops

Ashley Walton —  July 17, 2013 — Leave a comment

Scouting out places to eat while swimming in the hubbub of San Diego Comic-Con can be a challenge. Luckily, I’ve attended the Con with determined foodies every year, and we’ve had the pleasure of finding some of the best food, without wandering far from the convention center. Here’s a list of my top picks:

1. Devilicious Food Truck

lobster grilled cheese

You guys, they have a butter-poached lobster and grilled cheese sandwich. It’s one of the best things you’ll ever have. Plus, this food truck is cheap, quick, and easy to eat on the run. Check out their website to see their schedule: http://deviliciousfoodtruck.com/schedule/

2. Rama

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If you catch your breath long enough for a sit-down meal, Rama has fantastic Thai cuisine in the gas lamp quarter. We loved the crispy calamari (pictured), but we were also all up on their garlic-crusted chicken and duck drunken noodles. For a place with perfect food and awesome atmosphere that won’t break the bank, be sure to check it out. See our full Rama review. Located at 327 4th Ave.

3. Marina Kitchen at the Marriott Marquis

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Conveniently located right next to the convention center, the Marina Kitchen is perfect for a quick bite in the middle of the day when you don’t want to wander too far from the action, but when you can’t eat anymore nachos or hot dogs from Hall H. Marina Kitchen is known for its warm potato chips topped with crispy prosciutto and cheese (pictured), as well as being a hoppin’ place packed with celebrities and industry peeps– check out the bar at night to see what we mean. Read our full review of Marina Kitchen here. Located at 333 W Harbor Dr.

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In Comic-Con, culture, food
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Geeky Kitchen Gear

Ashley Walton —  April 22, 2013 — 1 Comment

If you didn’t know yet, our entire apartment drips with geekery in every room—our bathroom feels like a horror scene, our living room displays action figures and a giant print depicting us as superheroes, and even our kitchen cabinets and drawers house geeky kitchen gear. As equal parts geek and foodie, our pop culture kitchen supplies are some of our most used and most loved possessions. Here’s a list of some of our favorites:

PacMan Oven Glove

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I don’t know about you, but I try to incorporate PacMan into my life any way I can. I’m the weirdo at the arcade who takes a stool and sits at PacMan forever, as if driven by compulsion and a touch of neurosis. So, when I saw PacMan could help me out in the kitchen, I was throwing money at it! If you haven’t used silicone oven mitts, you don’t know what you’re missing. Even though they may look sleek and slippery, they have fantastic grip, so even  the clumsiest of cooks (like me) can navigate the kitchen without getting burned.

Geeky Aprons

Harley Quinn apron

wolverine apron

Bethany Sew & Sew makes some fantastically geeky aprons with inspiration from comics, video games, and movies, along with a bunch of other handmade goodies. For the craftsy-inclined, she also includes sewing tutorials for how to make stuff on your own. Alas, I’m scared I would accidentally sew my fingers together.

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In design, food
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