Piola, Cumbayá

This is a short little post to remember when a couple of Fridays ago my dad, mom, sister, sister's boyfriend spontaneously decided to get some pizza. We headed to Piola, a pizza place that is relatively new that serves very very delicious pizza and pasta. 

Started off with a truly refreshing limonata, and some warm bread with olive oil and vinegar.

My dad ordered pasta instead of pizza. I didn't get to taste it but he looked pretty happy with it :)

My mom's pizza had pepperoni, ham & sausage... so delicious! 

My pizza had chicken, ham and rocket. Soooo good! My favorite thing about these pizzas are their thin crust and the amazing tomato sauce used in all of them (except the white pizzas). 

For dessert we shared Profiteroles...

And tiramisu!

We said arrivederci & headed back home full and happy.

Brunch at Zuni

Last Saturday J and I went for brunch at Zuni. I had been there before, and was eager to go back and experience it all again. 

There's J, what a dreamboat!

 Im so glad he appreciates good food the same way I do! 

We ordered an outside booth, decorated with lovely pillows...

When you order the brunch menu, you immediately get an assortment of fruit, ham and cheese, butter and two kinds of marmalade, with a lovely basket of bread. 

I started off with a cappuccino, to help me wake up!

Mr. J started off with the "traditional pancakes", three fluffy pancakes staked on top of each other, with butter and syrup to pour on top. 

I ordered the "Eggs Benedict", my favorite dish on the menu. They're so light and fluffy, yet have so much flavor! 

There's nothing so delicious as dipping the bread in the runny eggs and the hollandaise sauce! 

He continued on with "Huevos Rancheros", which were layered on top of tortilla chips, with pico de gallo, refried beans, a wonderful tomato sauce, and peppers. 

I kept reaching for that delicious orange juice :)…

Next up for me was the "bagel with smoked salmon", that came with cream cheese, capers, and onions. I removed the onions (I think the dish could definitely do without) and enjoyed the taste, enhanced by the roquette. 

Im most happy when I'm eating. A happy, happy girl! 

The boy then opted to order healthy, and asked for the "Muesli Zuni": granola, vanilla yogurt, and fruit. 

We then shared "Chili con carne", which really made the whole brunch worthwhile, but we forgot to snap a picture of the dish :( 

To finish off, I ordered the Nutella crepes, which are just heavenly. 

The waiter then offered us all kinds of infusions and teas, and I couldn't resist getting myself a teapot of Rose Infused Tea.

The perfect end to a perfect Saturday! 

Alla & Vetale's Wedding

A post to remember my beautiful best friend's wedding, that took place November 22, 2013... 

This is the beautiful invitation, which arrived to Ecuador in perfect condition!

I flew to Massachusets and immediately after picking me up from the airport Alla took me to the last fitting of the dress

The gorgeous and oh so joyful bride-to-be!

I got to spend a few days with Alla and the bridesmaids before the wedding, but thats a whole other post!

And then, the big day arrived! 

Here's a picture of all the bridesmaids with the bride, on the wedding day! 

A close up of the precious flower arrangement for us bridesmaids :) 

The gorgeous table decor... 

The garden, with lamps hanging from the trees

Which later lit up, giving everything a warm, cozy, dream-like feel to it

The beautiful bride! 

The lovely couple

And more pictures of this wonderful day, which Im so grateful I got to be a part of :) 

Here are some of the official wedding photos, taken by Alina Tsvor. 

Check out the rest of the breath-taking photos here. 

And her instagram feed...perfection! 

Im so glad I finally uploaded this. Now its "on record" forever. It was such a lovely time and I'll never forget the few days I got to be with Alla before she lived happily ever after! 

La Maison Du Fromage - La Casa del Queso, Quito

Last Saturday Mr. J and I went to "La Maison du Fromage" to a cheese and artisan beer tasting. We weren't sure what to expect. Beer (and not wine) with cheese? We were pleasantly surprised. We tried 6 different kinds of beers, each one with a different plate containing 3 different cheeses, a salty side, and a small dessert. 

Here's the first beer: a Pale Ale. 

This plate had (from left to right) mozzarella, "Cabri"a type of goat cheese, and camembert. The sides were brochettes of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes in a basil sauce & a ricotta cheesecake. 

My favorite was the brochette. It was so fresh and tasty!

The second beer was a Tripel. Im no beer expert so I really don't know if that name is in spanish, english or in some other language. 

It came with what seemed to be a type of cheddar cheese seasoned with parsley and basil (hence its green color), cream goat cheese with 3 different types of pepper, and a goat "tomme". The sides were ravioli in blue cheese sauce and an apple pie and cream cheese strudel. The ravioli were just heavenly! 

Here's a close up:

The third beer was an Abbey Ale. 

The plate they combined it with had a herb cream cheese (rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme), parmesan cheese, and camembert seasoned with sesame. The sides were a salmon and cream cheese pie (fantastic!) and a coffee cake. 

By this point we were getting pretty full, but two plates were yet to come so we made space. 

They gave us no name for the fourth beer, just explained its style comes from English origins. 

The names of these cheeses are hard to translate. One is called "pardo", the second one "andino" and the third is smoked provolone. The salty side was a baguette bread brochette with gouda cheese, dried tomato and artisan mustard. So delicious! The sweet side was a cheesecake with a caramel sauce dripped on top. The cheesecake was J's favorite, because it "tastes like Argentina". 

The fifth beer! Goodness. This one was of belgian origins. 

I was only able to eat bits and pieces of this plate. This one had 'Cabri', a "pardo", and blue cheese. The sides were a quiche and a traditional ecuadorian dessert, figs and cheese. 

The whole time we were there, a piano and violin duet played some of my favorites: 'Fly me to the Moon', and 'Volare'. It was such a lovely afternoon.