Phoenix, Dallas, Atlantic City, Outer Banks Recap

Where do I even begin? Over the last 2 months I've been to 4 different cities for vacation, work, and wedding festivities. Just for fun, I'm recapping my travels and all of the amazing food I've been eating while away from home.

PHOENIX, AZ

Awwww I miss my niece and nephew so much. Too cute.

For some reason we all get Sonic commercials in the DMV and the closest one is like 2 hrs away! So right off the airplane I asked my bro to take me to get some. I love their Strawberry Limeade Chiller.

My sister-in-law is an awesome cook, and she made us breakfast the next morning. They have a guava plant in their backyard, which is such a yummy fruit.

My mom told me to come over and check out her orchid plants since she was so proud of them. The reason I came out to AZ was to celebrate her birthday.

Pebble Creek Golf Resort Clubhouse
3639 Clubhouse Dr
Goodyear, AZ 85395

A small room was rented out for my mom and there was a preset menu for dinner. The food was really good, and the service was very nice. Steak, tomato & mozzarella, crab & avocado salad, cheese balls, eggplant and tomato on bread. The next morning we went back to the same place because they served brunch too. That was really awesome, and I loved all of the options they had. Mmmm...

Home cooked meals are wonderful. At my bro's in-laws house we had ribs, Japanese squash, chicken curry and sweet potato leaves.

Carolina's
9030 W Peoria Ave
Peoria, AZ 85345
(623) 487-1400

Another day for lunch we had Mexican food. This isn't anything fancy, but Carolina's makes AMAZING food for so cheap. I've had their food before at their original location downtown, but this is their new location in West Phoenix. You can't go wrong with their tamales or burritos.

Abuelo's
16092 N. Arrowhead Fountains Center Dr.
Peoria, AZ 85382
(623) 878-8282

The southwest is the place to be for Mexican food, so another day we went to Abuelo's for lunch. My mom loves this place, and it's much fancier inside than Carolina's. Good food as well!

Once again, I LOVE home cooked meals. I guess it's because I don't cook a lot at home. Scallops, meat loaf, corn on the cob (the best I've ever had), veggies, soup, shrimp cocktail and margaritas.

Anthem Outlets
4250 W Anthem Way
Anthem, AZ 85086
(623) 465-9500

We decided to go outlet shopping, and other than buying a few things from the Nike Factory Store, I got a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. It had milk, white and Peanut Butter all over the apple.

DALLAS, TX

This was my 1st time in Texas, and unfortunately it was for work. However, my coworkers and I got to go out to dinner on a few of the nights.

Cool River Cafe
1045 Hidden Ridge
Irving, Texas 75038
Main: 972-871-8881

This place had a crazy 97 inch screen! We watched some Monday night football on it, which was insane. The mussels I ordered were delicious. The blue photo on the right is the lobby of the hotel we stayed at: Omni Hotel at Park West.

Neighborhood Services
5027 W Lovers Ln
Dallas, TX 75209-3141
(214) 350-5027

This place was so hard to find! It was in the middle of nowhere, and there are no windows out front, and hardly any street lights. It was well worth the search since I had the best scallops I've ever had.

Time Out Tavern
5101 W Lovers Ln
Dallas, TX 75209-3331
(214) 956-9552

Right after dinner we went next door to this bar, which made me feel we were in a whole other world. This place also didn't have front windows, so you have no idea what you're getting into until you walk in.

Cosmic Cafe
2912 Oak Lawn Ave
Dallas, TX 75219-4131
(214) 521-6157

The next night I went to dinner with an old friend from middle school who happened to live in Ft Worth now for school. This was a vegetarian restaurant, and it was so good and fresh tasting. I always envisioned myself eating steak if I ever traveled to TX, but instead I had veggies and tofu =)

Always great seeing old friends! The restaurant has really cool decor, and a nice outdoor seating area.

Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood
Dallas TX 75201
214-922-1200

I had a few hours to kill before flying home, so I went to check out some art work. This was the only time I had anything resembling Mexican food. Raspberry lemonade, quesadilla, and rice krispy treat.

NATIONAL HABOR, MD

Rosa Mexicano
53 Waterfront Street
Oxon Hill, MD 20745
301-567-1005

One of my closest friends was getting married, which was part of the reason I was travelling so much. We had her bridal shower at Rosa Mexicano and the food was so good! The place is really pretty, with a nice view of the water.

The pre-fixed menu had guacamole, salmon, enchiladas, kabobs, and cheesecake. They were all so good. I'll definetely come back and write a whole post on it.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
One Borgata Way
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
1.609.317.1000

That same night us ladies drove to AC for her bachelorette party! Beautiful hotel...felt like I was in Las Vegas. Our suite had amazing view, and everything was new. I highly recommend staying there.

We ate dinner and late night breakfast at Metropolitan, which is inside of the Borgata. I loved the oysters, but the sliders were ok. The breakfast food was delicious and their fries were memorable.

NAGS HEAD, NC
Last, but not least congratulations you two! Aren't they a beautiful couple? I sadly don't have that many pics of the weekend since I was in the wedding party, so I wasn't carrying around my camera.

Rehearsal dinner was at:
Miller’s Seafood & Steakhouse
1520 S Virginia Dare Trl
Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948
(252) 441-7674

Reception dinner was at:
Mallard's Marsh
1789 Nc Highway 345
Wanchese, NC 27981-9631
(252) 473-5000

Ok, back to reality for me!