I've got a thing for cheeseburgers and one of my favorites so far is the "Classic Byways Burger" at the Byways Cafe in Portland, Oregon.
This burger is not for those in possession of a petit appetite. It's a 1/3 lb. patty made from Painted Hills organic ground beef served up with lettuce, tomato, onion and your choice of cheese.
They're only open for breakfast and lunch so don't dally.
Ever tasted cioppino? It is divine. What the heck is cioppino you ask? is a fish stew with origins in San Francisco and is traditionally made from the catch of the day, which in San Francisco is typically a combination of clams, dungeness crab, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish. It's similar to bouillabaisse and I was lucky enough to have it not in San Francisco, but in Milwaukee at Roots Restaurant and Cellar. I occasionally travel for editorial stories doing backup photography for fact-checking and I'm a firm believer in eating what you shoot so things don't go to waste.
I get heartsick thinking about food photo shoots where much of the grub goes into the trash. It's a sin in my book so I help out in my small way by shooting fast and making sure someone gets to sample the chef's creations if it's not me.
It's my birthday today and I love chocolate, so today's illustration is a chocolate truffle.
My favorite color is also a chartreuse green which coincides nicely with the fact that the gemstone for August is the peridot. Always confused by the varying pronunciations of this stone (pear-e-dot) or (pear-e-doe). Personally I prefer the second because it sounds rather French.
If only the painting were real I could have a little snack.
I've been inspired lately by several artists who create an amazing array of work on a daily basis. My current favorite is the Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische. Her wonderful sensibility to typography is truly superb. So, I'm carving out time at least three days a week to work on small stil life illustrations.
Here's the first in the series—a little pink cupcake confection with sugar sprinkles on top. It's also employed in my latest birthday invitation in my shoppe. This two-sided invitation is customizable—change the fonts, the message and color. I'm thinking of throwing an adult cupcake party with my girlfriends. Why should our kids have all the fun?
Moon cakes are delicious and the packaging they come in is as just as tasty. This beautiful maiden graced the box and I can’t bear to recycle it. She’s just too lovely.
Moon cakes are traditionally shared during the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival which are linked to the moon goddess of immortality.
If you’re lucky enough to find yourself in downtown Roanoke, Virginia on the weekend you’ll want to have brunch at Trio. It’s actually a three-in-one establishment with a wine bar, market and cafe. We settled in for some delicious comfort food after a few hours of strolling around the Farmer’s Market checking out artisans, produce and enjoying some live musical entertainment. Pictured is the Bloody Mary with peppered rim and festive garnish of olives along with the traditional celery. For the entree I chose the biscuits with gravy because I’m a sucker for gravy. The additional of the freshly chopped green onions gave this southern dish some extra zing. Seriously, if you’ve never tried biscuits slathered in creamy gravy you haven’t lived yet.
