MichelleMunches

What a year. It feels very weird as we transition into our new normal. 2021 started off with a lot of home cooked meals still, then slowly I started to do more takeout, and now I am doing a whole lot of foodie events that I rarely even get to cook anymore! Don’t worry, I definitely plan and hope to get back into the kitchen in 2022.
This last year has been really hard on me to lose my best friend and biggest support system and even harder for me to reflect on these meals because most of them I was able to share with him. Though I am sad, I couldn’t be more grateful to Papamunches and his support these last few years because he really kept the dream alive for me. So, if you stuck along for the ride, thank you. Thank you for just being here and supporting my mosh of food photos and posts. I hope to revamp, revitalize, and restart this blog in 2022. Here’s to a new chapter and more amazing food content to come!

January

Second Alarm Brewhouse

Check out my Instagram post here!

This is a local small business that is a non-profit coffee house + pub! It benefits the local fire department next door! Their sole mission is to promote awareness of the local volunteer fire service. This spot is obviously decked out in fire gear/decor which is just super unique. The vibes inside are think cozy lumber cabin; it’s magical during the holidays, for sure. They offer a bunch of coffee options as well as tea which you can enjoy there or take home with you! At night, this spot turns into a pub for even more fun!
Faves:

• ​Coffee – Toasted marshmallow latte
• Tea – Strawberry fields forever

@feelgoodfoodie Honey Walnut Shrimp

​You can find the recipe here!

Y’all. I don’t know about you, but growing up, my dad and I definitely hit up a bunch of buffets and this was always my favorite thing to get as a kid (and lowkey still as an adult). I rarely go to buffets these days, but I still vividly remember this dish. So, when I saw a ~healthy~ version, I obviously had to do it! It’s honestly pretty dang spot on. I will say you can definitely slightly taste that it’s healthier than the OG stuff, but for being 99.% close, I’ll take it. You definitely gotta try this one, it also only takes 20 mins!

February

​@bakedforbub Cookies

​Order from her Instagram!

When I say I’ve never ordered anything faster, I’ve truly never ordered anything faster. I’m a HUGE fan of black sesame anything, so I obviously needed to try these cookies. And if I was already getting some, I might as well a get a dozen right? logic. These cookies are so freaking delicious and definitely baked with so much love.
Faves:

• Black sesame
• Guava white chocolate chip

@spiced.nice Corn Ribs

​Get the recipe here!

We love corn in this household. So, naturally this was definitely something we needed to try! Lemme tell you, she makes cutting the cobs look effortless, but they were SO hard to cut. The end result is SO worth it, but I need to perfect my technique or get a better knife because it was tough both times I tried. Definitely make this one though, the flavors are truly immaculate.

March

Tiger Sugar

Mamamunches is from Taiwan, so you already know she is a tough critic. She has never been a huge fan of any of the boba chains in town already, but when Tiger Sugar came to town. Say less. She was hooked. I’ve never seen her like something as much as she likes Tiger Sugar. At this point, we’ve tried pretty much everything on the menu.
Mamamunches faves:

• [2] brown sugar boba milk with Pearl, tiger jelly, and cream mousse

Faves:

• [T3] vanilla black tea with cheese foam

The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook – Mickey Pretzels

I began cookbook creations this year and made Mickey pretzels from the Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook that quickly became a staple in my house! We ended up making it for weeks after this in large batches! These are so fluffy and soft like pillows. Be careful, you might end up eating the entire tray!

April

Newk’s Eatery

We started moving back towards grab and go events for Yelp. I was able to check out Newk’s Eatery for an event. Not sure why I haven’t been there sooner because I’m definitely their newest fan! Not only was this pizza tasty, but everything on the menu looks fantastic. I tried a slice of their strawberry cake and loved it SO much I wanted a whole one for my birthday cake!

@veggiekins Vegan Scallops with Miso Garlic Butter Pasta

Get the recipe here!

I was still doing a whole lot of cooking and was in the midst of my six month vegetarian diet (for religious reasons). So, I turned to some of my favorite vegetarian/vegan bloggers like @veggiekins. She made this vegan scallops with miso garlic butter that looked so dang good, I knew I had to make it. This dish is not only simple, but tastes freaking phenomenal. If you know me, you know I’m extremely lazy so I love quick, easy meals. This one is just that. I can have it ready in 20 minutes. It was so good, I made it like 5 more times after this and the “scallops” honestly taste better than real scallops to me.

May

Anh-mazing Banh Mi

Another Yelp event in the books, I was finally able to check out Anh-mazing Banh Mi’s which blew my socks away. This is a beyond meat banh mi that lacks nothing. It’s so flavorful that I had to do a double take to check that this wasn’t actually real meat! After eating vegetarian for a few months, I was definitely missing my usuals and this 100% hit the freaking spot. Now, if their vegetarian option tastes this good, can you imagine how good their others one taste?!

Cafe Dear Leon

​Check out my original blog post here!

Ooof, y’all. Cafe Dear Leon is everything your dreams are and more that you didn’t know. First off, I got there and the line was already down the block and that’s how I knew it was good already. After waiting in line, the interior is modern, coffee shop vibes with a sprinkle of Parisian bakery and it smells divine. The offerings were so aesthetic and made me want all of it. Each month they change their menu with different items at each baking time. I tried so many goodies my tummy was so happy.
Faves:

• Heirloom tomato and ricotta cheese on focaccia
• Financier cookies
• Tamago sando

Jackfruit Tacos

I had seen this somewhere on social media a while back – using jackfruit to make “pulled pork” tacos and I knew I needed to try it. Look at this spread, it’s so fresh and tropical vibes. I used Trader Joe’s Sriracha bbq sauce and it gave the jackfruit the perfect smoky, sweet, heat it needed to pair with all the fresh veggies. I really loved this dish and highly recommend y’all try it out!

June

Joss Cafe Sushi

June, we were really in the thick of it with the vegetarian diet and I was missing…a. lot. of things. Especially, sushi. We had ourselves an Annapolis day, so we decided to *finally* try a place we have both been wanting to check out. Why we haven’t been there sooner? I have no idea. They have a really great selection of vegetarian sushi items and I was very impressed. We obviously got our basic avocado and cucumber rolls, but that jalapeno popper roll? FIRE. Literal fire. It was so good that I definitely will be back for just that which what landed Joss Cafe on my 2021 year in review.

Bitmoji Recreations: Veggie Nachos

​In June, I launched Bitmoji Recreations series. I thought this idea was genius because I’ve never seen anyone else do this before and I thought it was so unique. I started with garlic bread, but decided to make the nachos in June. We were also still in the midst of the vegetarian diet, so I made them with MorningStar crumbles! This series was honestly really fun for me and I definitely plan to bring it back in 2022!

July

Tony Boloneys

The first year my boyfriend and I started dating, we went with his family to Atlantic City for our first family vacation during the fourth of July holiday. If COVID had not happened, we would’ve kept up the tradition, however, Ms. COVID had other plans. Thankfully in 2021, we were all vaccinated and felt safe enough to travel. So, Atlantic City we went! We stopped at Tony Baloney’s thanks to one of you for the suggestion! It turned out to be one of the best things of this trip. We had THE best vegetarian pizza. Not just pizza though, this insane taco pizza! I am still dreaming of that pie to this day. It was worth every penny. Highly recommend y’all check them out.

GoodBeet

While on our trip, we made a pit stop in Ocean City, New Jersey to meet up with my college roomie! We ended up meeting at GoodBeet which is a vegan restaurant! I perused their Instagram when she told me about this top and knew that I had to have the vegan cupcakes. They looked phenomenal. I pre-ordered them about a week in advanced and they were everything and more. I’ve never had a vegan cupcake be so moist and not too sweet either. You honestly couldn’t even tell they were vegan. The rest of the food though? Just as good. We had the salt and vinegar potatoes which were little pieces of heaven. So crispy, so good.

August

Blowfish Poke

During August, the events started picking up again with grab n go style events. I was lucky enough to check out Blowfish Poke in Marriottsville, MD and it was amazing. Truly. I was still eating vegetarian and they were able to accommodate me with a vegetarian loco moco. I’ve had a few loco moco’s in my life and this was honestly better than any of the others I’ve had in my life. The meat was so realistic, I had to ask again if they were sure it wasn’t real beef. Low and behold, it was a Beyond Meat patty! I was also pleased to learn that the owners, Jennie and Steve, went all the way to Hawaii to learn how to make the mac salad, broccoli salad, and pretty much everything on the menu.

Big Papi’s

I went to Frederick one weekend to visit a friend for their dogs birthday (yes, you read that right. I did say my friend’s dog’s birthday.) and afterwards, the boyfriend and I decided to try a new spot for lunch. I told him that he could pick the spot and we would go. He asked if we could try Big Papi’s and I have to admit, I was a little skeptical, but we went and I was blown away. It doesn’t look like much from the exterior (I know, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover), but it’s brimming with amazing food. I love that you can order from the kiosks because I always get anxious when I haven’t preplanned my meal. We ordered the vegan birria tacos, churros, vegan chorizo tacos, and fries. Y’all. They make the BEST vegan tacos, I’ve ever had in my life. It was so lifechanging, we ended up driving the 1 hour there another weekend after this with my mom because it was that good.

September

Valenciana Wine Garden

I went to my first in-person event in a while and it did not disappoint. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed I couldn’t try the real paella with seafood since I still couldn’t eat meat, but the staff was kind enough to make me a vegetarian paella that completely filled the void. It was so tasty and flavorful! I also really loved the fried potatoes with brava sauce. I definitely cannot wait to go back now that I can eat meat and try the real paella!

@okonomikitchen Vegan Spicy “Tuna” on Crispy Rice

I am so obsessed with everything that OkonomiKitchen makes. How she turns veggies into such realistic traditional dishes never ceases to amaze me and Asian dishes at that! Growing up, I always thought I’d never be able to be vegan because I love Asian food to much, but she’s changing the game and proving people like me wrong. I tried her vegan spicy “tuna” over crispy rice because it sounded SO good. Y’all. I- am still shocked at how realistic this tasted. I mean texture – spot on. Flavor -spot on. This was so good that I’ve made it two more times since this because that’s just how obsessed I am with it. I don’t even miss tuna when I can have this!

October

​October was a very busy foodie month for me, so you get a triple hitter this month!

For Five Coffee Roasters

First stop, For Five Coffee Roasters. I was invited in to check out their Fall menu. I had never been here before, but I love a good coffee shop, so I was definitely down! This is not your average coffee shop though, this experience was elite. I mean, what coffee shop have you been to that serves ox. tail. panini’s. None that I know of, that’s for sure. I am still dreaming about that panini to this day (and disclaimer: I had never had oxtail before this day).

Dok Khao Thai Eatery

I happened to walk by this place when I was in the Merriweather district and knew I had to stop here eventually. First, being half Thai, I felt obligated to. Second, it’s literally stunning inside (I mean clearly). I stopped in here with a friend to catch up one night. We both ordered some drinks which came out looking beautiful and tasted perfect. I ordered the pad Thai because I judge a place based on how their pad Thai is. I’m pretty picky because papamunches made the best pad Thai and most places just don’t ever compare. However, Dok Khao landed themselves a spot on my 2021 year in review because their pad Thai is the closest to papamunches I’ve found yet. It definitely makes me miss him a lot, but I like to think he brought this spot in my life so I could always remember him.

Rawish

I wish I didn’t live an hour away because I would be here literally every. day. Rawish makes THE best acai bowls I’ve ever had in my life. I know, you’re thinking that there can’t be anything that special about an acai bowl. But, that’s where you’re wrong. This acai bowl tops any bowl I’ve ever had because it’s perfectly sweetened and the texture is thick, but still smooth (how, I don’t know).

November

Chi’Bal Mexican Restaurant

One of my amazing friends was leaving town, so we met at Chi’Bal for a farewell meal. She chose the spot, but it had definitely been on my list for awhile. I’m regretting that this was my first visit because it’s so good! In high school, papamunches and I would go to Ruby Tuesdays for special occasions and I would always order this shrimp fondue that I loved. I have not found anything yet nearly as good as that, but I’ve finally done it! The crab fondue from Chi’Bal is nearly a match. It’s so creamy, flavorful, and paired with the spiced chips – it’s a match made in heaven.

December

Souvlaki

I rarely eat Greek food because there’s honestly just not a lot of it (or any really) near where I live. So, I was extremely excited to check out Souvlaki! I honestly wasn’t super sure what to expect, but I brought my best friend who loves Greek food so she was definitely a big help! Our collective favorite was definitely the chicken souvlaki (chicken skewers) because the chicken was so flavorful, moist, and perfectly grilled. I was also a big fan of the spreads. I’m slowly becoming a dip gal. I surprisingly loved the spicy feta and the taramosalata (Greek caviar).

Tomo Asian Cuisine

The location landing the last spot on my 2021 year in review definitely had to be Tomo Asian Cuisine. Tomo actually took over a location of a previous Asian spot that to be completely honest, I had never been to. But I’m glad Tomo is here now because it is definitely my new go to sushi spot. They also offer Thai and Chinese dishes as well! I love that Tomo is a family owned business as those are often my favorite places to check out. Aside from that, Tomo really knows about presentation. I mean just look at how beautiful these plates are.

The end.

I hope that you enjoyed reading about my 2021 year in review. It definitely has been a crazy year to say the least, but we made it. I am manifesting bigger and better things in 2022 because we are hustling and doing the dang thing! Cheers to another year of great eats with better company!​