I ♥ José Andrés

José Andrés is one of the best chefs in DC and has done a lot to make it a good food city.  I've eaten at all of his restaurants from Minibar to Cafe Atlantico (when it was still open) and returned often to all of them.

Phor and I went out last week to Jaleo.  I remember coming here years ago when there really was no reason to be in downtown DC.  Penn Quarter has exploded with restaurants and bars since then but this place is still one of the best in the area.

I wasn't going to take pictures of the food for this meal but I loved the colors in this salad.  It's a warm Brussels sprouts salad with apricots, apple and Serrano ham.  It tastes like early fall to me.

And this dish looks ridiculous plated but it is delicious.  It's the perfect comfort dish of chorizo with olive oil mashed potatoes and cider sauce.

So the outside and the food are lovely but the interior is a mess and not picture worthy.  It's almost worth a look because it makes no sense.  You'll see when you visit.

My First Ever Whaling Museum

On our almost last day in Nantucket, Mom and I explored pretty much the only thing still open after the season closed - The Whaling Museum.  We sat through an hour documentary made by Ric Burns about Nantucket which was good but it took itself far too seriously. 

I just couldn't stop staring at the 46 foot skeleton of a Sperm Whale.

But I couldn't figure out how to get the entire skeleton in a photo.  It was just so incredible to look at and to imagine all of the flesh and fat that was once on that skeleton.  

I thought it was a lost cause so I focused on the mouth.  Apparently the whale died from an abscessed tooth which is on the upper left side of the mouth.

But they also had scary items in the museum like this doll that was supposed to be in the likeness of the Dauphin of France.

And items made from whale teeth and bones.

And then I found a balcony where I almost got all of the whale in the picture but not really.  It is kind of sad that it's right by all the instruments used to kill and skin a whale.

Another Lighthouse

I rented a bike and rode to the far east side of the island.

I saw this lighthouse on the other side of the golf course.  I think it's my favorite view on the island.  I tried to find a route to take me closer to it but then I decided that this view was enough.

An Old Cemetery

The side view of the Oldest House on Nantucket.

The kitchen garden of the Oldest House with all the plants that could have grown when it was first built.

There were multiple cemeteries near our house but I walked out to one of the older ones.  I could see all of the wear and tear the headstones received from the sea air and winter storms.

My dad was a historian who loved walking through old cemeteries.  I developed this love from walking with him.  He taught me that much can be read by a person's headstone - his wealth, life accomplishments, war record and if or when an epidemic swept through a town.  A cemetery is a town's history.

A Lighthouse

There was something about the light in Nantucket that made all of the colors that much more vivid and alive.  There was so much richness in what I was seeing.  The cooler weather just added more to the dream aspect of the time I was there.  I wanted the Moonrise Kingdom-kind of scenery and I found it.

I was shocked when I realized all of the seagulls on top of the house were real.  I guess it's a nice perch.

I kind of love watching my mom use her iPhone.  She can't figure out how to use the dvd player but she knows how to text.

Nantucket Food

My favorite restaurant in Nantucket closed on the Monday we were there which made me so sad.  Unfortunately, a lot of the restaurants closed and it became more of a chore to find a place with good food to eat.  We ended up eating pizza by the slice and cold cereal for most of our meals.  But if Provisions Sandwiches had been open the entire week we were there, I would have been there everyday.  It's the kind of place that stays open until 5 pm or until all of the bread is gone which can happen in the early afternoon.  It really is just that good.

Mom had the Turkey Terrific which is essentially Thanksgiving between two pieces of Portuguese bread - turkey, stuffing, cranberry and mayo.

I had the Other Turkey with avocado, bacon, pickled shallots, horseradish mayo and arugula on herb bread.  I wish I could have ordered 6 more to last the week.  I did order the almond butter and cherry jam on Portuguese bread to eat that night for dinner.  I have dreams about the turkey sandwich. 

Black-Eyed Susan's was open for the week we were there and it's kind of famous on Yelp at least for good brunch.  It was fine.  I was just really impressed with the breakfast sandwich I ordered.  It looks fine, right?

But then I opened the other side and realized all of the bacon.  It became all that much better.

Moral of the post - visit Nantucket when Provisions is open and bacon makes everything better.

Nantucket

I was on the phone with mom two months ago stressed out and tired with the looming move and changes in my life.  I knew I really needed a vacation but not the kind of vacation that I usually go on.  I wanted one where I could just sit and read and not feel like I was missing out on something if I didn't leave the house.  With the help of some good suggestions from friends, I decided on Nantucket and mom decided she wanted to tag along.  The beach in October is exactly when I want to go to the beach - no crowds and no fears of sunburns.  Mom found a house for us to rent for the week and it was not that expensive precisely because the summer season officially closed on the Monday we were there.

This is the very small plane that mom and I rode over from Boston.  We were very nervous especially when the pilot warned us about the winds that day.  I was counting down the minutes of the 40 minute ride.

Remember the tv show Wings?  This is the actual airport of the one portrayed in that show.

Our house we stayed in for the week.

This is the Oldest House that still exists on the Island and it was right next door to our house.

Nantucket is just a beautiful island full of old buildings.  It's one of the best preserved areas historically because the islanders realized early in the 20th Century that tourism was how Nantucket would survive after the whaling industry failed.

It was a 1/2 mile walk from our house into the city of Nantucket and this was my favorite house that we passed every time.