On Vacation!!!!

Rent is on a lay off this week and Ive gone on vacation to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!!!! But LAVBM will be back next week with 2 new LAVBM episodes from Seattle and Portland, and lots of restaurant reviews, so make sure to add us to your favorites and visit us again!

Pike Market Place, Seattle, WA

While in Seattle we loved the Pike Market Place...so much, we are working on a LAVBM episode coming soon! Look who we spotted having lunch there!

The Beautiful Trisha Jeffrey!

The deliciously talented Kerry Butler!

Macrina Bakery and Cafe, Seattle, WA

Walking from Pike Market Place on the way to the Space Needle in Seattle we stopped at Macrina Bakery and Cafe for a quick snack. This is very close to the kind of place I would one day love to open up myself! Yes...I have aspirations of opening up my own place. I always had two goals since I was a kid: 1. Be in a Broadway show..and 2. Open up my own Cuban cafe. What do you think? Is it time!?!?

The Rocket Muffin, as it says on their menu, is "moistened with banana puree and contains carrots, hazelnuts, wheat flour and molasses topped with a dollop of raspberry jam." So delicious and fluffy with just the right amount of dampness that it doesn't crumble apart. The raspberry jam, tart to perfection! I would love the recipe for this...

Bambuza Vietnam Bistro, Seattle, WA

We have been eating so well is Seattle. Between the Pike Market Place and all the amazing restaurants all over the city, Seattle quickly became one of our favorite stops on the tour...I wish we were here longer! Right across the street from the Paramount Theatre where RENT was playing we found Bambuza Vietnam Bistro. We ate there twice and both meals were simple, clean and flavorful as Vietnamese food can be!

I ordered the traditonal Vietnamese noodle soup: Pho. The soup comes with a side plate of garnishes (soybeans, lime, basil leaves) for the soup that you may add on as you wish. So refreshing!

Dim Sum in Chinatown, Chicago.

"The family that eats together, stays together." One of my favorite things from growing up was having dinner with my family. We always had dinner together at the same time every day...my father, mother, grandfather, two sisters and I...oh, and the cat of course underneath the table waiting for whatever might fall off the table. My grandfather was from Spain and did all of the cooking..he would spend the whole day preparing dinner so we had these wonderful elaborate meals.

Yuka led the way and took us out on a day out in Chinatown, Chicago where we had Dim Sum, a Chinese versions of tapas eaten at breakfast or lunch. Its great that Rent has such a cross breed of cultures that we can learn new and different things from. We also got accupuncture and massages...what a great day.

Sesame balls filled with red bean paste.

Sticky rice with minced pork wrapped in Lotus leaf. So delicious.

Lexi and Jed....We love eating together. Its great to be able to share our passions with people who also share them...performing and going out to eat! What's great about touring is that we live as a community so you have instant companions that are usually a "yes" to whatever it is that you want to do. Its so easy to just meet in the lobby of your hotel to begin an adventure out in whatever city you're in, or just finish the show and walk out of the theatre together for a night out on the town. We develop very strong and intimate friendships. A family.

Shaun and I.....I have to say, Shaun is one of the ultimate eating partners! Not only is he so much fun to be around, but he also has the same passion for food as I do! Also, SO much fun to perform with! We miss you Shaun!

Pi, St Louis, MO

On our last evening in St Louis, Anthony Rapp treated us to delicious thin crust and deep dish pizza at his friend's restaurant Pi.

Pi is well known for their deep dish cornmeal crusted pizzas. Also, with their motto being "doing good while doing well", a percentage of their profits go to different environmental, social and humanitarian groups while operating an ecologically sustainable pizza restaurant...meeting the needs of the present without compromising the future generation's needs.

Rent cast members Adam Halpin and Nicolette Hart scarf down the pizza!

East Loop - mozzarella, pesto, roasted chicken, mushrooms, onions.

North Beach Classico - mozzarella, sausage, mushrooms, onions, green bell peppers.

Anthony Rapp with friend and owner of Pi, Chris Sommers. The Pizza at Pi was so good that President Obama invited Chris to the White House to make his signature pizzas. Talk about pizza delivery! Obama met Chris in St Louis while on his campaign tour...He declared Pi the best pizza he's had! Read the story here.

Bucktown - mozzarella, roasted chicken, artichoke hearts, red bell peppers,
green olives, red onions, feta, sun-dried tomato.

Now, I LOVE pizza. Not only did I indulge multiple times at Pizano's in Chicago, but I live right off Bleecker street in the west village of NYC and have some of the countries best pizza right on my block. Pi's pizza definitely leads the competition! Why? First of all, the cornmeal crust gives such a crispness and crunch to the pizza that is unforgettable, while not feeling to heavy as a lot of deep dish pizzas can be. Also, You can tell they use quality ingredients for the toppings. Everything was fresh and perfectly arranged.....burst's of flavor at every bite. mmmmmm......what's your favorite pizza?

Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub, Idaho Springs, Colorado

While playing in Denver, Adam, Jeremy and I went on a hike to St. Mary's Glacier 40 minutes from Denver. On our way back, we stopped in Idaho Springs for a meal and ended up striking GOLD at Tommyknocker Brewery and Pub.

What's a Tommyknocker? Find out here.

Jeremy and Adam on a break at St. Mary's Glacier.

The quaint mountain town mainstreet in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Idaho Springs is a historical mining town where gold was first found in the 1800's.

Brewery side seating right in the middle of all the action!

The menu was not your usual pub fare. With a selection of many different types of burgers, salads and sandwiches that were all very unique, Tommyknockers was the perfect place to end up after a long day in the mountains.

Adam had the Grilled Artichoke that came with a raspberry balsamic reduction drizzled on top with melted garlic butter on the side for dipping.

I had the Mountain Man Chicken Fried Steak with Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and smothered rich homestyle gravy. Delicious. Perfectly seasoned steak with smooth peppery gravy. The mashed potatoes thick and buttery. Hands down the best country fried steak I have ever had.

Jeremy had the Green Mountain Burger that came open faced, smothered in their award winning green chili (below) with melted sharp cheddar cheese.

The Tommyknocker Brewery. I had the Alpine Glacier Lager (pictured above).....so cold and refreshing. Now, im not a big beer drinker, but this beer was so clean and refreshing. Of course I had to be careful, alcohol hits you a lot harder at high altitudes.

"To handcrafted beers made in local breweries!!!!"

Fruit.

So we were having this long discussion backstage...."If you were a fruit what fruit would you be?"...we came up with all sorts of ideas.....What do you think? Which Cast member is which fruit?

Comment below..as yourself or anonymously!

Magnolia Hotel

Here's what I found on my hotel room dining table when I came home from the show this evening! Thanks Magnolia Hotel!

Eating Habits

For a while now I've been concerned that most of the food that I post about is not necessarily the healthiest. Yes!!! cupcakes and southern food are just delicious, however, most of us dont eat that way all the time. And although i love to celebrate the indulgence, I am happy to have added Twitter to the blog to have more frequent updates on the reality of what myself or other cast members are actually eating on a daily basis. So as much as i want you hungry readers to salivate from some of the posts.....make sure you come back for the (more often) Twitter feeds that may inspire you to also have something deliciously healthy or simple, or my daily thoughts realted to food.....or my occasional Taco Bell breakdown! I hope to eat and Twitter responsibly.... Enjoy.

La Vie Boh...mmm Episode 3. Sweet Thang

Keep Austin Wierd

Here are some photos I took in Austin, TX of a bunch of really unique and interesting places to eat along Congress Avenue.

EAT

I eat a lot.... I'm always thinking of food. Especially during the show.... I know, I should be concentrating on what I'm doing, but after 12 yrs of doing this show, on and off, I have figured out a way to have it appear as though I am fully invested, and I am most of the time.... but I have to admit, I spend a lot of the second act thinking about where I'm going to eat after the show.... Sometimes when Michael Mc Elroy is singing the reprise so beautifully, and were all on stage in low lighting looking at him, he just looks like a big, tender and juicy roast chicken holding a coat like in the cartoons.
My second act duty: find a good place to eat in whatever city were in. I don't know what I would do without my iPhone.... It makes my mission so much easier. I'm sure it's pretty evident who my partners in crime are from the photos. I love touring with this cast, there are such foodies in the company! When taking the tour I was so worried about what it would be like touring as an adult. Last time I toured the States with Rent I was 23, single, unbearably skinny and couldn't gain a pound to save my life.... and had other things on my mind... Mischief! Now, touring as an adult is very different, especially when most of the cast are on the older side as well. We find most of our comfort in finding the best places to eat....and if not we've got our hot plates and pots and pans in our trunks to make sure were well fed. I basically tour with a mini kitchen. You open my trunk and it's ALL food and pans. Even my make-up kit has spices stowed away in it! If you ever see me come out the stage door on a Tuesday with bundles, now you know what all of that is.
So, I blog about food and my love for it, and the fun we have finding and eating it. Enjoy.....

Episode 2: Julia's Empanadas

Perla's Austin, TX

While shopping on Congress Ave in Austin, we had lunch at Perla's which specializes in seafood.