Oops – sorry for the late post. It was sitting in my drafts folder and I forgot to publish it.
Hope your weekend was as fun as mine!
Yesterday was such a fun day. Lots of fun foods and good times with friends. I started out a little stressed out about everything that needs to be done before the big move (it’s in 2 weeks, yikes!) but slowly loosened up and decided to just go with the flow
The morning started with a blueberry muffin + coffee:

+ very soon after a peach chobani + fresh peach and Kashi Golean cereal was consumed:

For some reason I just had a crazy hunger all morning. What’s up with that?! I had the other half of the Goji Moji bar while waiting for our appointment to see our new condo the last time before closing (we brought the color wheel to finalize paint colors, measured the outdoor space so we can order furniture, etc.). This time I still tasted the orange peel but also the flavor of the figs stood out. K was right that it tasted a bit like the filling of the fig newtons… but more wholesome of course
By the time our condo “inspection” was over, Adam and I were both STARVING (seriously, this should not have been the case. Something was up with my metabolism) so we went to the first place we saw – California Pizza Kitchen. Despite loving the pizza I’ve had lately, I’ve been lately slightly jealous of Adam’s selections, so he agreed upfront that we could swap 1 slice of each other’s. This meant we had to “approve” each others’ toppings and after much consideration chose 1/2 original bbq chicken (bbq sauce, smoked gouda and mozzarella cheeses, bbq chicken, sliced red onion and cilantro) and 1/2 wild mushroom (cremini, shiitake, portobello and white mushrooms, fontina and mozzarella cheeses with a wild mushroom walnut pesto; garnished with chopped Italian parsley). We asked for no onions on anything and requested a thin crust instead of the original (it’s $1.50 extra but saved about a million calories so it’s worth it in my opinion).
Here is the whole pie (about 12″):

My first 2 slices (I had another mushroom one):

This was honestly amazing, and I’m not just saying that because we were really hungry. The thin crust was really thin so I felt like it was a significantly healthier option – and it was really flavorful! The toppings were also quite creative in my opinion – not just your standard mozzarella/red sauce combo. Have you had CPK pizza? What’s your favorite?
We were still a little hungry after this lunch, so dessert was in order!
I knew exactly what I wanted – a nut box from Tatte (if you don’t know what a nut box is – I raved about it and Tatte here). I am absolutely obsessed with this bakery. It’s just the cutest thing and everything is super fancy and amazingly delicious. Just look how adorable the decor is…




As you can see below – what I actually got was not a nut box. The desserts in the back refrigerator started talking to me when I saw them
I got the raspberry cheesecake and a coffee. Doesn’t it look wonderful?


It was light and fluffy and just rocked my world. I was eating it very quietly while enjoying the cute bakery scenery. This dessert was a larger treat that I allow myself on a daily basis but was just an amazing weekend splurge. Good thing I burnt over 1,000 calories on my Sunday run (more details in a separate post). Everything balances out
Adam chose a much healthier dessert – Berryline. I had to get a little tasting of the rose flavor. Yum! I keep forgetting how indulgent these nonfat frozen yogurts taste. Very creamy. I think there is some Berryline in my future over the next 2 weeks (it’s currently located in the building we’re moving out of).

Oh yeah – when I got home I had a package… 6 flavors of the Crazy Camel dessert hummus (thank you, Chuck, for sending me these!). I’ll do a separate post on them but basically they are pretty awesome and healthy. I’m a big fan!

Oh man, this has become a marathon post – sorry to bore you, but I guess this was a happening Saturday
We ended up going to Church for dinner. I knew I’ve been quite indulgent over the course of the day, so I tried to keep it kind of light with my food choices. Not everything was waist friendly, but I tried to keep the portions reasonable.
I started the meal with the shrimp bruschetta (spicy pepper sauce, oven roasted tomatoes, feta cheese) my sister ordered and was kind enough to share with the table. These guys were spicy! Adam and I have actually ordered this exact appetizer before and recommended it to my sister. It was a winner once again

Knowing that I’ll be tasting other people’s food, I got the salad appetizer as my meal. This salad is off Church’s summer menu – tomato salad with mixed greens, kalamata olives, feta & lemon-mint vinaigrette. The dressing had onions in it, so they brought me the balsamic vinaigrette on side + some EVOO and balsamic vinegar as well. I only drizzled a bit of the vinaigrette over the salad greens. Everything was so fresh and flavorful there was no reason to doze it in dressing.

The tomatoes were the coolest! There was a mix of yellow and green tomatoes and they were literally melting in my mouth. Oh and mid-way through the meal I noticed that it was goat cheese, not feta that was in the salad. Works for me since I love goat cheese more than feta

All right on to other things I tried/ate. I had some of the baked mac and cheese (sinfully cheesy, crispy bread crumb crust) my sister and I ordered together. This stuff was rich! We ordered a “small” since I knew it would be one of those things that you can only have a few bites of before getting into a food coma. This was still a very generous portion.

The mac and cheese was on a drier side (i.e. not runny) – just the way my sister and I like it. The topping was especially buttery – we think they used ritz crackers or something. I tried not to eat too much of it, but my fork definitely was reaching for more when I wasn’t paying attention
Good stuff!
I also had 1/2 of my dad’s scallops – isn’t the presentation awesome?

It was perfectly cooked. Unfortunately the risotto had onions in it, so I can’t speak for how that was. I tried 1/2 of my mom’s crab ravioli and wasn’t a big fan. It got cold by the time I was ready for my tasting so that could have something to do with it
After chatting for a bit, I realized I was still hungry, so I had a slice of the white bread with some butter from the bread basket. The butter was very yummy but I’m not sure what was in it – maybe roasted garlic and thyme, but it was also a little sweet. Yum! Btw, I do this often – leave the bread basket to the end of the meal. I’d rather have the bread if I still have stomach room instead of overfilling on it and being unable to eat the actual meal.

Everyone really enjoyed their meal at Church! The restaurant is a block away from our current place – I’m going to miss having such a great venue so close to home!
Finally – seriously I’m going to end it soon – I promise
… we went to a drink-off party. This was part II of the original drink-off (where someone you may know came out victorious
). I’m retired at this point, so this time it was between our friend Tiffany (Tiffany, do you want to say anything for yourself in the comments section? hehe) and Gary. Man, this was a hilarious night! I had 1 Organic Peak pomegranate wheat beer. That’s it for drinks for me. Actually this beer was too hoppy for me, otherwise I would have had another.

At some point during the night, I had a few handfuls of Smart Food. I actually checked the ingredients list before diving in and it wasn’t that bad. Nothing alarmingly scary. I forgot how much I liked this stuff!

And 1/2 of a Hershey’s bar was also consumed.

My friend Jim wanted to be on the blog, I think, so he stole a bite of my chocolate. I had to document it. Ok, maybe he just wanted chocolate.

Mmm, sweet ending to a wonderful day. I’m off to do more packing!


I have eaten at CPK a few times, but I really love chicago-style deep dish better!
My favorite pizza was the pear and gorgonzola. I love fruit/cheese combos!
And the buffalo chicken.
That bakery looks to die for – good thing it isn’t near me LOL!
never tried cpk, Tatte, or church! and i’m so getting berryline this week
i’d wondered about church, walking by it all the time…
glad you were able to enjoy your weekend! hope the run went well
I loooooooooooooooooove Tatte’s, and it is dangerously close to my apartment. Thank goodness it’s on the pricey side!
I do not regret the things I have done. I just slightly resent them the next morning ;P
All that food looks wonderful! Especially the raspberry cheesecake. And the salad. I love the yellow tomatoes.
So much delicious food in one post! That cheesecake looks especially inviting.
It looks like you enjoyed quite a delicious weekend! I haven’t been to Church yet, but considering its proximity to our apartment, we’ll have to go sometime soon.
Oh my gosh, that cheesecake looks so good. AS does that blue berry muffin, brushetta, bread, ALL OF IT. I wish I was there with you!
Tatte’s looks FANTASTIC!
that bakery looks amazing. i want. everything.
There is so much amazing food in this post!!
I’ve never understood why a place would charge more for thinner crust. Semms counter-intuitive to me! But I agree, it is totally worth it
That all looks great. Tatte looks especially cute. My favorite pizzas at CPK are the BLT pizza & the tostada pizza. I’ve made the latter a lot at home before and it’s delicious. I really love the CPK cookbooks. The recipe are involved but taste exactly like the real thing and are easy to lighten up.
Additionally, I cannot remember if I responded to your e-mail, but yes, the meat is frozen. However, my experience is that the meat is still really fresh. The times I have had to wait it was literally because they were waiting for something to be taken to the slaughterhouse. Sorry, I stumbled over how to word that in a less vulgar way for awhile but couldn’t think of any other way.
love your necklace!
Love the idea about switching the bread to the end. Boy that would take will power, but is something I never thought of.
my favorite CPK pizza is the Thai Chicken.
wow you werent kidding about the so much good food! everything looks delicious, especially all those dinner entrees. i love getting to taste everyone else’s meals too
Lori – I LOVE deep dish pizza too, but it’s a rare treat for me. Hehe, yeah – having the bakery so close to our place is definitely dangerous. Good thing I keep forgetting about it
Ttfn – my run went well, and you need to try all those places asap!
Lele – yeah, it’s definitely on the pricey side which makes it a special treat kind of a place. Like I said, I’m slightly obsessed with it
Tiffany – we had a really great time. Good laughs. You definitely held you own, girl!
Haha, Madison. Come to Boston – we’ll go out!
Innz – next time you’re in town – we HAVE to go there! It’s definitely my favorite bakery in Boston. Flour is yum too.
Lara – I made the same comment during lunch. Adam thought that the thin crust pizza was a little larger so maybe that’s why? Definitely strange.
Kelly – I’ll have to check out the CPK books. Thanks for the tip. Good to know about the meat too
Dish Gal – thanks! It’s my new weekend fave
Kelly – I can usually resist the bread basket unless I’m starving and the bread is fresh out of the oven. Definitely something to try out for you next time.
Thai chicken pizza sounds cool.
Thanks for the shout out
I used to like CPK’s BLT pizza. Once I ordered the Hawaiian but they didn’t have ham for it – it through the whole thing off!
What a cute bakery!! Oh that hummus would be bad news in this house!
#18 - Eight no mountain I can’t climb // Aug 10, 2009 at 3:18 pm
[...] So much good food, so little time – CPK, Tatte and Church [...]
Oh my gosh, that cheesecake is so beautiful! YUM! And I am dying to try Berryline! Maybe this week…
SO much good food is right!!
I love CPK’s roasted vegetable salad. It just might be in my top 5 favorite meals
K – I can definitely see how it would be “off” without the ham. Must have been too sweet.
Kitchenbelle – you should definitely check out Berryline. It’s such a great, healthy dessert, and there are so many topping options. Love it!
Healthy Ashley – top 5 meals? I must try it asap! Actually most of their salads looked really great, I was just in the mood for pizza that day.
#22 - Dessert… Hummus? « food for living // Aug 15, 2009 at 6:40 pm
[...] reading Elina’s initial post showcasing the six flavors of this incredibly creative product, I was intrigued enough to contact [...]
I LOVE Tatte!! A friend introduced me to it. Their savory brioche is unbelievable.
Good to know, Pam! I’ve been wanting to try the cheese + spinach brioche… will make sure to make it a priority next time
#25 - Sporatic posting // Aug 18, 2009 at 8:13 am
[...] discovery: a red grape covered in the toasted almond hummus tastes like a maraschino cherry. I’m actually a sour cherry kind of a girl but I thought it [...]
#26 - Nice weather takes priority over packing (La Verdad + Berryline) // Aug 19, 2009 at 12:03 pm
[...] muffin + ezekiel toast with peanut butter hummus (for some reason I was still hungry after the [...]
#27 - It’s happening! // Jan 20, 2010 at 9:26 am
[...] highlight of my eats was this fig pastry I got at Tatte as my treat of the day. SO [...]
#28 - Food photography taught by a pro // Feb 7, 2010 at 3:17 pm
[...] Gary, I see that Tatte is your client. Do you get free nut boxes?? I’m infinitely [...]