Entertaining Life Daily

Over the weekend (including Friday,) hubs celebrated day 3, 4 and 5 of his advent calendar. Here is a recap of his holiday cheer:

Day 3 - Holiday Fondue
Friday meant an evening at the delicious Melting Pot on the northside. In the past, hubs and I would frequent often with our two dear friends, the M's, but haven't been in quite a while. The last time we were there was for my birthday - it was time for some fondue!

This big night out had a French theme, and we took advantage of all the featured courses:

Cheese Fondue - consisting of Brie, Fontina, Gruyere and Raclette, the cheese was the best dish. There was this amazing white-truffle cream that contained Nueske's bacon (go Wisco!) and fresh chives. The cheese was creamy, but had a hint of the Brie's rind to it once in a while. However, it was smooth and delicious.
Salad - I tried the featured Salade Nicoise and was disappointed with it. It had many toppings, including a hard-boiled egg, Nicoise olives, tomatoes and beets - but I just wasn't a fan of all the flavors coming together with the vinaigrette. Hubs did comment that his California salad was improving with each visit, slowly getting back to it's original taste as it had been on the decline.
Main Course - Fondue Fusion, but this time, we didn't substitute the Goat Cheese & Ratatouille ravioli for something different. Why? Because goat cheese was involved! Though they were the best ravioli we've received at MP, I would encourage you to still swap it out for something else. The lobster was the usual, as was the Filet Mignon. The peppercorn crusted NY strip was as expected, very peppery, and the Duck a l'Orange had a bold citrus taste. The roasted garlic shrimp were sweeter and the Chicken Provencal was fantastic with the sweet & sour sauce, a sauce I normally do not enjoy.
Chocolate Course - I was very pleased with the caramelized sugar of the White Chocolate Creme Brulee. Once you broke through it, the unexpected sweet crunch worked very well with all the dessert dippers. It really was quite good - a pleasant surprise as we do not normally order white chocolate.

In addition, MP is having a great promotion right now to benefit St. Jude's Children Hospital. We ended up donating some money and received $20 coupons plus a free dessert fondue that evening. I encourage you to give back while you enjoy some great food if possible!

Day 4, A Change of Plans
The theme was originally a "Museum Date," but because it was snowing, plans changed. As I mentioned, hubs can veto a plan if he likes, and the Ahrens' tradition of a the first snowfall breakfast would definitely trump an Advent plan. Whenever the first overnight snow happens, hubs LOVES to get into the car and drive first thing in the morning. This year, we hit up Bub's for some snowy breakfast. I'm a fan of Bub's breakfast, so no complaints here!

Breaking my number one rule of eating out (which is ordering the same thing,) we both ordered a seafood version of Eggs Benedict. Looking heavy upon receipt (I thought it was white gravy!,) I was pleasantly surprised for a light crab sauce. A few chunks of some delicious crab (hubs thought it tasted like a seafood sauce, not crab specific) gave great flavor to the dish. The eggs were over soft rather than poached - I would have preferred the later but was still happy to see egg yolks pour over the toasted English muffin. Great first snow breakfast!

We spent the remainder of the day running a few errands and prepping for the Movember Gala - which I'll post photos from soon.

Day 5, Cookies
Baking cookies is a tradition! And rather than waking hubs up early to bake, he ended up nibbling on the goods throughout the afternoon while watching football with the pup.

This year, I ended up baking some Caramel Blondies and Red Velvet Cookies. I had found the Red Velvet cookie recipe via twitter by following Taste of Home and I was really anxious to try them. Though good, the winner of the cookie battle were the Blondies. The caramel taste was sweet with the buttery brownie - absolutely delicious both still warm or at room temp. If you want that recipe, just let me know! Nom.

How was your weekend? Were you able to celebrate the holidays?

If you are a fan of Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel, you may have watched Adam Richman visit Indianapolis recently. On the episode, his big challenge was to the eat four Big Uglies at Bub's Burgers in Carmel, which is right around the corner from hubby and I. We've eaten there many times and dolloped in the ice cream selections as well - great food for sure. But, there is another Bub's gem right down the Monon - Bub's Cafe. This weekend, my parents were visiting from Wisconsin and per dad's request - Bub's cafe was our Sunday morning brunch scene.

It is a smaller restaurant, as it was a house at one point converted into the cafe it is now. But don't let a small wait discourage you, there is always coffee waiting for those who have their name on the waiting list. Hubs and I sipped our coffee and waited on this adorable red bench in the parking lot for my parents. And yes, parking is limited in the lot (just like Bub's Burgers,) but there is plenty of road space available. Or, you could just walk on the Monon like we do if you are able - knowing what treats lay ahead, you may want to get that walk in before diving in.

Once inside, we were greeted by our friendly server who warmed up our coffee and delivered ordered juices. I adore sitting outside on the patio with a warm cup of coffee in my hand - and this experience did not disappoint as I sipped and enjoyed the company I was with. We ordered our food and enjoyed the morning while we waited.

I always order the famous "Bub Holes" when I dine here - they are just too good to pass up (thus, the walking...) You can place an order for three or six homemade donut holes (I say go for the six, you can mix the different kinds so why not!) They come as glazed, powdered sugar, chocolate or cinnamon sugar. And if you are there during the fall - sometimes you can get them as pumpkin! Unfortunately, pumpkin wasn't available, so I ordered us six to enjoy: half cinnamon and sugar, half chocolate. When they arrived, they were warm and perfectly fried up to order. All were crisp on the outside, and cakey but light on the inside. The dough they create is perfect in texture and density when fried. Rolled in cinnamon and sugar, you can't beat that combination of sweetness with the fried dough. Unless you are a chocolate lover, because the chocolate donuts are covered with a luscious sauce that is smooth and warm - just delicious. Let's just say I'm happy not all were eaten so I can have a few later on this evening for dessert!

For our meals, hubby ordered one of his faves (and a special of the day) - eggs benedict. Perfectly poached eggs adorned a crisp english muffin and pan fried piece of Canadian bacon. Over these simple yet satisfying elements was their amazing hollandaise sauce. Hollandaise sauce is basically egg yolks and butter cooked (but not scrambled) over a double boiler. From there, you can add a mixture of ingredients, jazzing it to your hearts content. Bub's has a simple flavor of lemon and a hint of mustard, seasoned with salt and pepper. These simple flavors pair perfectly with the open face egg sandwich - always a good choice.

I ordered another special they were offering that day - snow crab stratta. I was extremely excited to see it on the board and yet curious to how they would incorporate the snow crab. Upon receipt, I couldn't help but to be extremely happy with the portions as I knew it would be great leftovers. Strattas are similar to a quiche or frittata, mostly an egg dish that would be filled with flavors and ingredients and then baked into a delicious entree for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In this case, snow crab was incorporated and did not dissapoint as each bite had the rich essence of the shellfish. In addition, spinach and tomatoes were baked on top and their hollandaise was dribbled over. These flavors were fantastic together, and I can't wait to have it again (maybe for dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow, oh the possibilities!) Plus, I was given a generous serving of fruit - watermelon, pineapple, cantalope and grapes. A nice touch with the simple mixed greens that I nibbled through.

My dad enjoyed his omelette with a mixing of great ingredients and thick slices of sourdough toast while my mom ate her eggs (over easy) with sourdough toast, potatoes (though they did look a little dry) and bacon. They always request to visit Bub's, whether it is burgers or breakfast, and the result is always a happy one.

Where is one of your favorite brunch spots on a Sunday morning?

Entertaining Life Daily

Entertaining all aspects of life, one day at a time.

Weekend Advent Recap

Bub's Cafe - Not Just a Place for Burgers