Following her “pinning we had a dinner at Kincaid’s in Jack London Square – their crab and artichoke dip is our FAV!! Check out this photo of Alison giving a speech..she gets “emotional! hehe

Here she is with her crew..they’ve been her close friends since she her age was a single digit!

What’s a celebration without some sweets? Ordered these “nurse” themed cupcakes from Marley’s Treats…

Alison’s proud fan club – Ade, me, T and my Dad!

Saturday was the “We Believe vs. Dubs” charity reunion game (aka GS Warriors game) at SJSU…

Look out for EXCLUSIVE footage On The Flipside…coming soon…

Then after the game, it was a trip to V Bar at Santana Row to hang out with the homies!!

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

This is the “prom couples” picture! haha

Then Sunday…a day at the Coliseum!!! Viva Los Raiders – was not happy about the L! grrr

We had about a 4-5 hour layover, but let me tell you, the time flew by hanging out inside the very chic Clubhouse while waiting for the flight…the best part, the food! Uh, I sampled just about everything on the menu…Chicken Corn Chowder, Shrimp Cocktail, Italian Sausage Pasta, Berries and Cream dessert and a Lemon one as well… 0_O

Soon enough, our “ride” arrived…

Once on flight we relaxed and even had a drink at “the bar!”

It was a quick flight into London, and we hit the ground running, coming off of a red-eye flight from IAD to LHR! Now, for many people, a “red eye” isn’t the most ideal, but actually, flying on Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy was super comfortable and upon arrival at Heathrow, I was able to utilize their (VIP) Revivals Lounge, which is where I was able to shower and freshen up with all the amenities of a luxe hotel!

Our first stop of the day was Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice at the Pennyhill Park Hotel (and Spa) and after practice I had the opportunity to interview a few of the players.

I have fresh footage that I will be editing On The Flipside, but for now here’s the clip of me and the most veteran Buc, Ronde Barber, talking about the experience of being in London to play American Football!!

After hanging out with the Bucs, we headed over to “The Oval” aka the Surrey County Cricket Club where the Chicago Bears would be practicing. This venue is considered the Yankee Stadium of cricket, and as luck would have it, a few cricket players were on hand to demo the game, so a few of the Bears tried it out before their practice!

Below a picture of Chicago Bears – Lance Briggs, Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher and Matt Forte taking in the sights.

Lance Briggs takes a swing at cricket…

I also snapped a photo with Coach Lovie Smith

And — I talked one on one with Charles Tillman! Here’s a snippet, more to come OTF.

After we wrapped at Bears practice we checked into the St. Martins Lane Hotel in central London! I can’t tell you how exciting it was to take a “breather,” as the 2 days of travel and attending events, actually felt like one LONG day, running on pure adrenaline, fighting the time change, etc..! BUT — did I mention the in-room cupcakes!?!?

We had a free evening Friday, so T and I met up with my friend Christian (an Australian living in London), he took up to the Skylon restaurant for dinner overlooking the Thames, then we did a quick walking tour to see Big Ben and Parliament as well as Westminster Abbey and the London Eye, etc…

Tomorrow I will post my Day 2 RECAP…and stay tuned for NEW footage which will be On The Flipside soon!!

Then surprisingly my cousin Marie just happened to be on layover in the Magic City, so I got to see her on my way to my first pre-bday dinner.

And then, me & my “favorite” headed to Makoto in Bal Harbour to meet up with my Deco Peeps!

Here I am with the Deco crew – Eli, Odette and Samantha.

This is where I also got to make my first birthday wish…blowing out the candle on a decadent chocolate lava, fudge cake dessert..YUM!!

The following afternoon I had my pre-bday lunch #2 with my 305 girls…
(l-r) Constance, Rene, Dara (with baby D), Neki and me!

We feasted on a slice of Red Velvet Cheesecake courtesy of Cherisse…so GOOD it’s BAD! ha

On my actually birthDAY I was in LA LA land…and I started my day with yummy banana pancakes at Vivian’s in Studio City…

Then for dinner I feasted on delicious crab and garlic noodles at Crustacean’s…this picture is actually of Tiffany’s Lobster and garlic noodles, it was more “visual” than my dish…but it was ALL delicious!!

And here I am with Tiffany and Abe who joined me for dinner… my bro the “Sneaker Sensei” gets the photo credit.

When I got back to the Bay…the now (post) bday party continued with my 408 girls in downtown San Jose at the newly opened San Pedro Square Market…we had a nice pizza brunch on the patio at Pizza Bocca Lupo!

GOOD FRIENDS, GOOD FOOD, GOOD TIMES..what more could a girl ask for on her birthday!?!?

I’m so THANKFUL to be blessed with another year…surrounded by my loved ones!!

Next year, I will start my birthday on an empty stomach…did you see all the food I just talked about!?!? lol

]]> http://aubreyaquino.com/2011/10/best-birthday-week-2011/feed/ 1 http://aubreyaquino.com/2011/09/the-boiling-crab/ http://aubreyaquino.com/2011/09/the-boiling-crab/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 02:28:18 +0000 Aubrey http://aubreyaquino.com/?p=2962 I’ve been hearing so much about “The Boiling Crab,” so it was nice to finally be able to experience it! All I had heard is it’s a bit messy and basically they put wax paper down on the table and serve you your food in plastic bags…no utensils! lol

And — so true…I def got down and dirty!! I opted for the Snow Crab Legs at the “mild” level…uh, well mild is pretty darn spicy! Then, my baby sis, Bologna, came up with this thing that she is allergic to the shells of shellfish, not eating the meat. So basically, that meant I had to crack all the crab for her! LOL I totally didn’t mind, but I couldn’t crack the crab fast enough..haha We also chowed down on a bucket of deep fried shrimp, corn on the cob and cajun fries — ALL GOOD!!

As you can see…I went INNNN! This is not the place to be all dainty and proper…they throw it down on the table, the you throw it down on the table!

Alison stayed pretty “clean” because I was doing all the crackin’ for her…and my Mom managed to not get too dirty herself, going through her bag of clams – she said the “MED” spice was a bit much for her…haha We had lots of water.

If you go, don’t forget the wet naps!

Here’s one of my newest and latest installments featuring The WOW Truck!

So, the two teams were the All Starbursts (above) and The Fooders (below)…the challenge was for them to create a 3 course meal, plus a beverage using a secret ingredient, which in this case was SHRIMP!

The All-Starbursts created a menu of Coconut Shrimp, Shrimp Jumbalaya and Funnel Cake with fresh fruit & chocolate syrup for dessert! They also concocted a refreshing fresh watermelon with mint drink!!

Now The Fooders whipped up a feast with a Thai theme. They served me fresh Shrimp Spring Rolls with a 2 dipping sauces (fish and hoisin), Shrimp Pad Thai and a scrumptous banana ice cream dessert..along with a homemade Thai Ice Tea to wash it all down!!

Each team took turns presenting each item to the panel of judges, explaining each dish and putting lots of effort into the presentation…while I just sat, ate and listened! I as just so impressed with not only the dishes they had cooked, but all the careful thought planning and creativity they showed. I don’t recall being so “skilled” in cooking at their age…PB&J suit me just fine! haha But really, such a wonderful program teaching them team work, following directions, budgeting and more… I particularly liked the Coconut Shrimp and Pad Thai…the funnel cake, and bananas with ice cream & cinnamon laced whip cream wasn’t bad either!

However, at the end of the day there could only be 1 winner…and bragging rights went to the All Star Bursts! They edged the other team ever so slightly with a bit more “flare” in their clarity, presentation and organization. They also were overall the most consistent… The prize they were awarded was $70 to spend on groceries for their next assignment. The runner-up got $30…BUT the “judges’ pitched in an extra $40, so they too would have the same amount of money to shop for the next meal. Good job to all involved!

PPQ for roasted crab and garlic noodles

SF Giants game

Claire’s baby shower

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge

Apple Crostini and Berry Tiramisu at Maggiano’s

House of Prime Rib

My friend Anny managed to escape the cold of DC to come hang with me in paradise and it was very relaxing…

We stayed at the Sandals resort which was great because we were among a handful of “non-couples!” LOL It was nice though, no one was hitting on us or disturbing our peace, other than the staff… And – being an all-inclusive resort, we could eat and drink at will!! So, I spent the majority of my time, sleeping, eating and taking in the sun…

We did venture out…just a little, stopping at a roadside fruit stand to check out the local offerings. Here I am sampling a fresh coconut…

…while Anny ate the fruit!

We also went horseback riding (courtesy Hooves) in the ocean which was VERY cool…

…sans the “sea biscuits” …. NO BUENO!!

The name of my horse was Mr. Meticulous. All the horses they use are former race horses…kinda cool to play “jockey!” ha

One night…I was even put on the spot during the beach party where the “fire-man” picked me out of the crowd to stand in this ring of fire and stare at with his intense facials! lol

It was actually kinda cool to get picked, since I’ve never been chosen at the luau’s in Hawaii – I think I look too much like a local girl! Anyway, he left a bunch of grease or something on my arm after touching me with fire…

So, prefect weather, low humidity and loved the soft-serve ice cream machine… All in all, nice trip with the right amount of R&R!

First off, it’s located at Midtown Miami, a place I frequent often to go to Target..but I had yet to notice this new spot. Second, beyond the idea of tapas…they are the cutest (and tastiest) “Montaditos” or tiny sandwiches. The restaurant itself is very appealing, cute modern style, with festive decor…that new but authentic look and feel. Last, it’s simple, the people are nice and it’s clean. P.S. They stay open late too!

Apparently the Miami location is the first in America, but there are some 200 locations worldwide – in France, Mexico, Portugal, and, mostly, in its hometown Spain. I think it’s an excellent concept…not sure why it’s just hit the States now, but I’m confident it’ll be coming to a neighborhood near you very soon! Actually, I should buy a franchise!!! Seriously, it doesn’t get much better than this…they have $1 Wednesdays when all the Montaditos are $1 and they have beer bucket deals on Friday…buy one get one. Even if it’s not a “deal” day, it’s super low cost. They’ve got screens in there too, so you can hang out and watch games.

Okay, so other than its smart (affordable) concept…it really is GOOD. I mean, usually we’ll compromise taste & quality when it’s “cheap” …but you can go in there and get 3 of these baby sandwiches for a buck each and be full AND feel like you truly got your money’s worth…you’d probably have even been willing to pay more for these tasty treats! Another reason I like it is because I can order varied flavors of montaditos, each for just one dollar!! You know when you look at a menu and you want multiple things but you can’t decide?? Now you can order to your heart’s content… and pick more than one thing and not waste the food or money! Gosh, I don’t know, you just have to experience it. There was seriously a “party in my mouth”…yum, yum, YUM!

So, in the platter pictures above (about $12)…I had #1 -Serrano Ham and Olive Oil, #2- Chorizo, #9 -Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam (gotta satisfy the sweet tooth), #69 – Pulled BBQ Pork with Iberic Cheese and Brava Sauce, #70 – Pulled BBQ Pork with Bacon, Guacamole and Green Pepper and #77 – Shrimp with Ali Oli! I know it’s A LOT..but I had to sample everything!! Each item was unique and very tasty…I felt like a happy “montadito” when I walked out! Apparently they have really good ice cream too…I’ll have to dig into that item next visit. http://www.100montaditos.com/miami/



Rose aka Mom jumped in for this iphone4 photo…

You know, I didn’t get around to eating any of Alison’s official birthday cake, but I did consume 6 too many of these Red Velvet BDay cookies I ordered for her from Chef Court…

Nowadays, it seems like every trip home I’m meeting at least one new baby!! This time around it was baby Miles, my good friend Reina’s new son, who’s just 3 months old..such a cutie!! He’s already bff with his Auntie Aubrey.

I also visited with baby Naomi…who turned 7 months..time is flying!!

And, Naomi’s (busy) Mom Arlyn, played such the hostess cooking me BBQ, lumpia and more for dinner while I visited with her and the girls…but she certainly impressed me with the Monkey Bread!! I felt SO special…

I even got to visit with one of my oldest friend’s from elementary school, Kim, and her 2 boys, Matteo…

….and baby Jake!

Another highlight of my visit was attending the bridal shower for the one and only Anjelah Johnson! I couldn’t be happier for her and her fiance…and it all became so real when I saw her glowing with excitement of her upcoming wedding!! <3

(P.S. If you haven’t seen her live show, please do yourself a favor and go – She’s uber funny and on tour!! She’s in San Jose later this month and in South Florida in April!) http://anjelah.com

I almost forgot to mention the “Ramen Girls Dinner” in Japantown with my Sister Ade, Godsis Kim….

and (Santa Clara) friend Norma…. It was ‘One Kine Day” *inside joke!

Finally, on the morning of the baby sis’ actual birthday we went to breakfast in SF and I discovered Alison is in love with the same Chai Tea as me (Oregon Chai). She’s so sweet, the moment I got home and text that I made it back safe, she already said, “Come Back Soon!”

Here we all are…Daddy’s little girls!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (again) to my bologna aka “Mac Mami!!”