Woo Lae Oak

Before Woo Lae Oak officially closed, I brought my mom there for a Korean dinner. I love all of the restaurants in K-town but was very disappointed with the meal at Woo Lae Oak. The restaurant is very trendy and has a lot of interesting cocktails, but the restaurant definitely didn’t have anything good to eat.

We started off with some ban chan – small portions of kimchi, broccoli, and radishes:

We also received a small romain lettuce salad with a sweet dressing:

The kimchi and the broccoli were very good (the kimchi was actually comparable to the kimchi taste at Gahm Mi Oak) but the radishes were too sweet. The romaine lettuce salad had a salad dressing that was way too sweet and not very enjoyable.

For our appetizer, I ordered a pajeon seafood pancake:

Way too thick, not enough seafood, and the sauces that accompanied the pajeon were way too salty! I couldn’t finish because it was way too salty and heavy for me.

For my entree, I ordered the kimchi chigae:

The portions were really large (which is expected considering it’s twice as expensive as any other restaurant in K-town) but it just tasted like a salt lick. There wasn’t any real kimchi in the soup and the only pork that was in the soup was too fatty to eat.

My mom ordered chilean sea bass:

The sea bass tasted like it was bathed in soy sauce and not much else – there was very little flavor, it was slightly overcooked, and neither of us could finish it because the fish was completely ruined by the overdose of salt.

I’d never visited Woo Lae Oak before the visit with my mom and I will probably never visit another Korean restaurant outside K-town.

Clary + Sandman Wedding

My favorite photos from the wedding:

Jordy, Julie, me and Ken at the reception:

The groomsmen changed into their custom Converse sneakers after the ceremony (for the wedding photos!):

Jordy and Julie giving the camera some attitude:

Ken hanging out on the patio during the cocktail reception:

Ken dancing with one of the guests:

Drew and his beautiful bride, Kristen, enjoying their first dance:

And my favorite photo from the weekend – me and Ken at the Clabber Girl museum:

Grand Traverse Pie Company

On Saturday before the wedding, Ken, Jordy and I wanted to grab some breakfast/brunch. I did a quick google search and the results only had Denny’s but luckily, Kristen gave us a one-sheeter of places to eat and Grand Traverse Pie Company was on the list for breakfast. I looked online and the restaurant looked amazing (I just needed to know there were pies and I was ready to go). We headed to the restaurant and were greeted with lots of pies:

They had a lot of variety and it was really difficult to pick only one slice – you couldn’t buy all of the pies by the slice (some were only sold whole):

They also have other baked goods, including some heavy pastries:

I was interested in the pecan pie, cherry pie and blueberry pie:

But I ultimately decided to go with a slice of rhubarb pie and pecan pie:

We also ordered entrees – Ken ordered the croissant with egg, cheese, ham and mayo pesto:

I ordered the turkey sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato with a side of blueberry applesauce:

And we also ordered a large cinnamon roll to share:

Jordy ordered a cinnamon roll, sandwich, oatmeal and fruit cup (the only disappointment was the oatmeal). I loved both pies, especially the tart rhubarb pie (usually, rhubarb and strawberry pie is too sweet for me). The pecan pie was also really custard-like and delicious and the pecans were perfectly toasted and crunchy. The crusts were also very flaky and delicious (both of them) – I’m not sure if they were homemade or pre-made, but the pies were definitely the highlight.

I wanted to return to the restaurant before we headed back to the city but we didn’t have time – next time I’m in Terre Haute or Michigan, I’m definitely going back to try more pies!

Clabber Girl Bakeshop Museum and Country Store

On Friday, Kristen and the bridal party and friends went to a nail salon to do our nails, had lunch at Panera (yum…I hadn’t visited in such a long time!) and went to Zumba while the boys played a round of golf. It was my first time doing Zumba and Kristen’s mom planned a special class for us – so much fun with a great playlist! After Zumba, we got ready for their rehearsal dinner at Clabber Girl (the company that makes the baking powder I use when I bake!) The museum and bakeshop was closed for their dinner but we were allowed to walk around the exhibits. Some pictures from the event:

Me and Ken:

Kristen and Drew have traveled a lot and our dinner was a sampling of some of the international cuisine they’ve had while going to places like India, Hong Kong, Thailand, Brazil, and even Chicago (Chicago-dogs were just one of the fun apps we had!). I got the pecan-crusted chicken with veggies and potatoes:

Ken ordered the filet wrapped in bacon (luckily, he is nice enough to share with his girlfriend):

Both of the families spoke and had very heart-warming speeches and we had a great time watching lots of video montages of their childhood and courtship. After dinner, we headed to another part of the museum where we had amazing brownies, fruit tarts, chocolates and eclairs. We also took lots of photographs, including this one of me, Ken and his friends and their wives:

Ken and his three friends have all been really close since high school and remain close even though we’re in New York. They have a really special bond – look how cute they are showing off their groomsmen gifts (customized Converse sneakers):

And the guys being silly:

7th and Elm Bar & Grill

We arrived in Indianapolis early Thursday night, picked up our rental car (a surprisingly nice Kia Optima) and headed to Terre Haute for the Thursday night dinner. Ken and the groom, Drew, have been friends since they were kids and have remained really close even though Ken’s in New York and Drew’s in Chicago. Drew met his bride, Kristen, in college and I met her on my last trip to Chicago. We were really excited about going to their wedding; taking a break from the skyscrapers in New York was a nice treat (and driving, too!)

On Thursday, most of the out-of-town visitors arrived so Kristen and Drew’s family hosted a dinner for us at 7th and Elm. Surprisingly, Terre Haute reminded me of Champaign; small, quaint, and very quiet. The town has a college campus (Indiana State University) but was surprisingly quiet even with summer school. 7th and Elm opened not too long ago and serves bar food, strong drinks (including fish bowls) and has a pool table and outdoor seating. I stuck to the semi-healthy meal – salmon, veggies, and gumbo:

Ken went with the quarter pound burger:

The waitress said she could easily handle the half pound burger but Ken wasn’t that hungry because we had a snack before we left New York. We played pool, met the entire wedding party, and hung out. After dinner, I went back to the hotel to pass out because I was so tired while Ken and the other groomsmen went to the bar we ended up visiting every single night.