Lorainne’s 

My boo, Mel suggested we go to her good friend’s new veaux Mexican restaurant.

Barry loves Mexican, but sometimes fancy Mexican can be a little too much.  I tend to like grubby Mexican, you know – where you order from pictures and generally can tell the quality of the burrito by how much it weighs.  The fatter the better.

Howeva, let me tell you.  This place is the real deal.

The Blackened Tuna Tacos were off the hook!

Here’s my favorite part.  The ginger, yogurt dressing on the taco.  I could actually taste the blackening and the ginger – which is impressive.

Real Smoothies in Provincetown!
Strolling along Commercial street after a 5 mile run, I spied a smoothie sign. Yes! I was hungry and needed some real raw food. I had just had a container of blueberries and 2 bananas, but needed more!

I have been learning about hemp lately, with it’s amazing benefits and good protein content, so the 420 ( beevus & butthead laugh) ha ha ha ha ….. Looked really appealing. (don’t worry no thc in the seeds).

This smoothie was delicious, packed with nutrients, protein, fiber and it was a raw vegan treat!

If your in Ptown searching for a real smoothie – check out Sips and Lixs.

Nutty Banana Smoothie

Drink Your Fruit

I’ve become addicted to smoothies.

But as with any good addiction, one must watch for the hidden booby traps.  You know, the yellow teeth and inability to breath that comes with smoking;  the inability to sleep and rapid heart beat that comes from drinking too much coffee; and the general destruction of your life that inevitably comes from a strong cocaine addition.

Well, with smoothies the hidden booby trap is CALORIES!  You willie-nillie pour in the yogurt and the peanut butter and the fruit and the milk, “oh, its all so healthy”!  Yes, it is and it also has calories!!!

Here’s how my Nutty Banana adds up:
2 Small Bananas – 180 calories
1 TBS Almond Butter – 80 Calories
1/2 C Almond Milk – 20 Calories
1/2 C Greek Yogurt – 60 Calories
TOTAL:                          340 Calories   

Make sure you blend in 5 ice cubes while you’re blending!

But do you see how the calories add up so fast!  Now, that 340 calories has about 16 g of protein, which I needed as I just got back from the gym after a really hard leg & tricep work out!  However, I was very careful and measured everything!  Often times people don’t, just dumping in the ingredients.

I also make an almond milk, strawberry, kale, banana smoothie which has half the calories, twice the fiber and so many more vitamins & minerals!

Enjoy.

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Mozzarella Balloon & Tomatoes

 An artistic appetizer

A few weeks ago, I went to a local restaurant for happy hour and found a dish that was like nothing I’d ever seen before!

M Restaurant on 8th Street in Philadelphia serves a Mozzarella and tomato appetizer – but it has a very funky twist!  The mozzarella isn’t a ball – it’s a balloon!  The restaurant literally inflates the mozz with a pea puree’!  My server told me they put a video on YouTube showing the process. I found the video and was amazed at the process.

Not only is it off the charts amazeballz – it’s so freakin’ cool that when you cut into the balloon the pea puree’ runs all over your plate, just like when you cut into the egg on an eggs benny!

Here’s the video – you have to watch this!  It is so cool!  Let me know what you think!

M Restaurant recently launched a new happy hour bar menu and I popped in one day to check out their, “sophisticated, bistro style bar menu”.

The Bacon Brittle & Spiced nuts were amazing.  I must admit even though I’ve been literally vegging out lately, I kicked with some bacon and the nibblies rocked.

Next was Duck Confit with Sous Vide Duck egg …. it’s duck confit, with a kick, pistachios to give it a little texture and crunch ( a great addition).  The Sous Vide (french method of poaching) duck egg added a velvety richness that I loved.  The French theory on cooking, “Want to make it better? Add an Egg!”

I ate in the outdoor garden which was really beautiful!  I have to tell you if I drank wine, this would be the spot to go and have a really fancy schmancy dinner with someone!

Seriously, I’m not a raw foodist, or a vegan or even a vegetarian for that matter.  I just know when something’s stupid good!

When I heard Raw Chocolate Mousse Pie, I did the “smell the fart face”…. You know you made it too….

However, they do something magical at Jar Bar.  Rich and powerful dark chocolate flavor.  You know you’re eating chocolate.

The crust is out of this world, I’d eat just that – dates and coconut!

If you love chocolate – get this dessert!  If you love RAW food – get this dessert!

Dairy Free – Sugar Free – Gluten Free – but not calorie Free…. but with the level of flavor … treat yourself..

As you all know, brunch is my favorite meal of the week!  It’s like my church, coffee = communion wine & eggs = communion wafer!   It’s a religious experience for me.  I especially love trying new joints all over Philly.  I’ll go anywhere that’s rumored to be good.  A good friend of mine – Sharif Tweeted to me about a new spot that just added brunch, and get this….. SOUTHERN STYLE!  Cha-Ching!  I’m from the Kentucky of the north.  That section of PA in between Philly and Pittsburg called, “Pennsyl-Tucky”!  I grew up on some down home cookin’!  Check out the pics, keep scrolling for the blow by blow…

I enlisted the help of my good friend and pr guru, Noel Zayas to check out REX this past Sunday.  I warned him, no eating like a gay man in spring…. FYI, that’s the time of year when the gays go on their ritualistic “shed the winter fat diet”!  They become crazy, no carbs, no sugar, no fat…. they exist on chicken, broccoli and protein shakes, all in preparation for shirtless  summer festivals and Rehomo beach weekends.  Noel just rolled his eyes and said, “Ima eat”, and eat we did!

We didn’t / couldn’t name a favorite item.  Everything rocked!!!  Shrimp with Grits, Cornmeal Waffle, Brioche Bread Pudding (this rivals my all time favorite at North 3rd) and the Sweet Potato Cheesecake (Holy Lawd – sweet Jesus)!  Eyes rolling back in your head good!  Normally, a restaurant gets a rep for being a sweet or savory brunch spot, usually, they can do one better than the other, but REX 1516 – killed it in both categories.  Ima say this once, so listen closely.  RUN ….. DO NOT  WALK!!!

Well, I decided that picture is worth 1,000 words. So here’s a few random Philadelphians showing they love Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews…. all 74 pictures.

Thanks to everyone who joined in the fun! I had a blast, I know you did too! Love our Philly traditions.