To Travel is To Live

What better way to spend the evening?  Okay, so I didn't just go dancing and have some wine - I found a lovely South American restaurant a couple of blocks from my hotel here in Houston, Texas.  Located in the Uptown area by the Galleria, within walking distance (if you dare) of the DoubleTree Hilton, the Marriot, Aloft and other hotels, is this fantastic restaurant called Tango and Malbec .  Urbanspoon rated this restaurant as one of the best in the area, and it's noted to serve authentic Uruguayan dishes. The menu is rich in veal, beef and seafood options and boasts some mouthwatering pasta dishes as well.  Every Friday and Saturday evenings, Tango and Malbec showcases some form of entertainment, from South American bands to tango dancers.  Unfortunately, I was unable to take either of these shows in on my visit, so I imagine this entertainment begins around 8:00 pm or later.  As a single diner, I was seated in the bar area, but at least I was able to s...

Along Stephen Avenue in downtown Calgary, the magic of Christmas is brought to life by the magnificent lights strung up between lamp posts and the various window displays that take you back to a time reminiscent of department store shopping and hot chocolate with friends as the snowflakes fell lightly around you.  When we decided to see A Christmas Carol for a pre-Christmas treat at theater, it only seemed fitting that dinner should preclude this event at one of the many delightful Stephen Avenue restaurants.  I've been to Catch once before and only to try oysters for the first time with a friend, years ago.  I remember a cozy atmosphere in a dark, back corner, along with some delectable oyster-sauce pairings (I still recall how yummy a raspberry flavored sauce was).  And, since then, I've only heard great reviews about the rest of the food at Catch, so we decided to spend our Christmas celebration dinner there before the play.  Catch is situated on two leve...

Bryan and I didn't make any formal plans for New Year's Eve but I thought it would still be nice to at least get out of the house for a good meal.  We haven't been for Indian food in ages, it seems, so when I found Royal Ganesha on Open Table, I thought it might be a nice place to try.  The reviews for this restaurant are all great, so I figured it seemed like a great opportunity to get back into my exploration of Calgary restaurants.  Plus, I LOVE Indian food so I was really excited to try this! Located in the west end of downtown Calgary, amid the never-ending quantity of high-rise, overpriced condo buildings, Royal Ganesha is situated within an old (presumably) home that has managed to survive fate of the bulldozer like most other buildings in the area.  Parking was very easy for us, as there was a spot on the street out front, but I am not sure whether there is other parking nearby with the lot across the street stating it's being designed into (you guessed it...

Inglewood holds a special place in my heart and I truly want each and every business that operates there to thrive.  I also hope for a different take on the traditional when I explore what this beautiful community has to offer.  Without Papers , a delightful pizza joint in the old Nectar Desserts (another past gem of this neighborhood) location, combines the area's sense of history with their unique, hand-tossed, authentic Italian-style pizzas.  The stairs creak from age and use as you climb the narrow entryway into the restaurant, where, at the top, the room opens up into one expansive, modern area.  Complete with an open kitchen and a small bar where you can watch the chef making the tasty crusts, the room exudes an airy, comforting atmosphere that makes you just want to sit back and relax while enjoying amazing food with friends and family.  Added to this ambiance is the constant showing of various films on opposing walls.  Our December evening in With...

When I left Extreme Swing after dancing my butt of for almost 4 straight hours last June, I was so giddy with happiness and excitement that I decided I couldn't wait until the Dance Stampede to attend another west coast swing event.  I began looking up future dance events to see what might work with my schedule and budget and settled on testing out the Seattle Sea to Sky weekend that occurred earlier this month.  The format of the event was very similar to that of the Dance Stampede so it was super easy for me to figure out which workshops I wanted to attend and determine how to schedule my days.  Since Bryan had come with me (and he doesn't dance) and I had never been to Seattle, I wanted to ensure some of my time was spent exploring with him while also getting my money's worth from the dance event.  My overall impression of this event was that it was pretty well organized but of a much smaller scale than Dance Stampede.  It fell on par with Extreme Swin...

For two years I have seen the signs indicating a haunted house within the community of Douglas Glen yet have never managed to check it out.  This year, I began walking by the house which hosts the attraction, watching the owners building and setting up their garage and converting it into something that was proving to be very intriguing.  Sitting outside their house throughout the year are often two older-style hearses, which, honestly, are something I would absolutely love to own!  These people are truly Halloween fanatics and I was eager to support their efforts this year. After running out of candy (yes, we suck) and turning off our lights, Bryan and I ventured out on the lovely Halloween night to visit the haunted house.  I was expecting it to be fairly busy but as we rounded the curve in the street, the sounds of excitement and Halloween ghouls floated towards us, enticing us and drawing us near.  The cars were lined up for blocks on either side of the str...

Stories have been circulating about the wonder of NOtaBLE , a popular restaurant in the heart of Bowness, so obviously I have been interested in dining at the establishment.  When our friends chose NOtaBLE for our October dinner club installment, I was excited, yet a little worried, because the common refrain for this restaurant, the pun off its name, is that seats are hard to come by ("NOtaBLE = No Table").  I was quite impressed to see that they do take reservations, though, so my hopes were not completely dashed at this point. Well, I have to say, from the moment I called to inquire about our larger group until the last email I received from their customer service manager (more on that later), NOtaBLE has exceeded every expectation I had. Of course, the initial 'plus' for this restaurant was that, while they could only manage a group of 12 people, no more, they did not force upon us a set menu - yay!  They did, however, request a $100 deposit from me to be re...