Wednesday, June 4, 2008
top chef chicago goes to puerto rico
all i can say right now is: WTF?! lisa gets to stay?! UGH!! oh how i want steph & richard to be the last two standing....
sex and the city - the movie!!
ummm.... what can i say? i was at the midnight show. i paid to see it a second time. i cried over and over. and it was set in my hometown. who CARES what the reviewers think?! i loved it! who couldn't use a little bit of fairy tale romance? *sigh*
thanksgiving in june & taste of the nation
i'll be quick b/c i wanted to make sure to plug these two things before i totally and completely forgot about them! FYI that this was THE most amazing weekend of eating possible. i had my (now) annual thanksgiving in june party (which was almost in june but had to get pushed up b/c of scheduling issues). once again, it was AMAZING. yet another perfectly brined bird (c/o MOI) and lots of deliciousness all around. highlights included: yummy yams c/o jenn, amazing butternut squash soup c/o dani, and a perfectly light cucumber & tomato salad c/o kim. the rest of the food? FABULOUS. *sigh* and a happy half birthday to me!
i rounded out the weekend w/taste of the nation in culver city. i'd been waiting MONTHS for this event (especially after last year when i was full before i got there and dealing w/heatstroke), but i got caught up w/maria at corner bakery for brunch, which put me at the event later than i expected. and considering that i'd forgotten it ended at 4 (and not 5!), a bunch of restaurants were already packing up their stalls by the time i did my second loop! sadness. thankfully, i'd gotten some SERIOUSLY delicious bites in my first loop -- OMG. and honestly, i could barely fit any more food in my tummy, so what the heck am i complaining about? i guess i'd preferred to have had ALL the options available to me, but other than that, i had an amazing time. aside from touching base w/dani & mark really quickly, i saw kirk cameron MC'ing, antonia (c/o top chef) competing, and cat cora (c/o iron chef america) judging! talk about being slightly starstruck!
http://taste.strength.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TOTN_homepage
i rounded out the weekend w/taste of the nation in culver city. i'd been waiting MONTHS for this event (especially after last year when i was full before i got there and dealing w/heatstroke), but i got caught up w/maria at corner bakery for brunch, which put me at the event later than i expected. and considering that i'd forgotten it ended at 4 (and not 5!), a bunch of restaurants were already packing up their stalls by the time i did my second loop! sadness. thankfully, i'd gotten some SERIOUSLY delicious bites in my first loop -- OMG. and honestly, i could barely fit any more food in my tummy, so what the heck am i complaining about? i guess i'd preferred to have had ALL the options available to me, but other than that, i had an amazing time. aside from touching base w/dani & mark really quickly, i saw kirk cameron MC'ing, antonia (c/o top chef) competing, and cat cora (c/o iron chef america) judging! talk about being slightly starstruck!
http://taste.strength.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TOTN_homepage
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
a long time coming -- from NY to LA to DC then back
to all my beloved fans, i've missed you all terribly! life's been a blur ever since i got back to NY, had a week at home in LA to catch up, and then raced out to DC again to visit neena and matt in their new townhouse (which is actually located in VA). even though i loved visiting with friends in new york, i definitely wasn't on vacation. i had to type out notes from my proposal defense (which of course gave me tremendous amounts of anxiety) and i had to steel myself against sylvia's comment that she'd expected my notes right after my defense rather than two weeks afterwards. i'm sure it's just my own insecurities veering their ugly heads, but needless to say, i can't ever seem to relax. (and as we all know, that totally sucks.)
thankfully, DC was a much more relaxing trip (even though i'd had to bring my RAND coding assignment with me). this was probably due to the fact that i decided NOT to lug my laptop with me across the country. (it's always such a pain taking it out for the stupid TSA screening. and speaking of which, i was on some sort of TSA hit list. which meant i couldn't print out my boarding pass the night before my return flight and that i was anxiety-ridden about needing to get to the airport earlier than usual. WTF?!) of course, neena was THE best hostess ever. and in addition to providing me with my own room AND bathroom, she even set up her extra laptop for me! it was absolutely perfect. i really couldn't have asked for anything more. i mean, there are really so so SO few people in the world that i can be totally and completely comfortable with. (especially when being comfortable means letting my inner brat out and being miss crabby pants whenever i feel like it.) and she's definitely one of them. THANK GOD for BFF's.
considering that i'm slowly beginning to forget the details of my travels, let's pick through some of the highlights, shall we?
1) neena schlepping ALL the way out to BWI to pick me up, especially when she's not used to driving that far in unknown territory. (babe, you're an absolute STAR.) us picking up and munching on supermarket goodies. (who ever said great meals HAD to happen in restaurants?!) us catching up on her luxurious couch while initiating her into the cult of food network. this night was pretty much meant to be, especially when she realized that she knew the challenger on her first episode EVER of iron chef america. it was even better when i realized that she'd mentioned taking me out to one of jose andres' many joints in DC while i was in town. AAAHHH!!! plus, she's now hooked on food network. woohoo! TIVO, here she comes!
thankfully, DC was a much more relaxing trip (even though i'd had to bring my RAND coding assignment with me). this was probably due to the fact that i decided NOT to lug my laptop with me across the country. (it's always such a pain taking it out for the stupid TSA screening. and speaking of which, i was on some sort of TSA hit list. which meant i couldn't print out my boarding pass the night before my return flight and that i was anxiety-ridden about needing to get to the airport earlier than usual. WTF?!) of course, neena was THE best hostess ever. and in addition to providing me with my own room AND bathroom, she even set up her extra laptop for me! it was absolutely perfect. i really couldn't have asked for anything more. i mean, there are really so so SO few people in the world that i can be totally and completely comfortable with. (especially when being comfortable means letting my inner brat out and being miss crabby pants whenever i feel like it.) and she's definitely one of them. THANK GOD for BFF's.
considering that i'm slowly beginning to forget the details of my travels, let's pick through some of the highlights, shall we?
1) neena schlepping ALL the way out to BWI to pick me up, especially when she's not used to driving that far in unknown territory. (babe, you're an absolute STAR.) us picking up and munching on supermarket goodies. (who ever said great meals HAD to happen in restaurants?!) us catching up on her luxurious couch while initiating her into the cult of food network. this night was pretty much meant to be, especially when she realized that she knew the challenger on her first episode EVER of iron chef america. it was even better when i realized that she'd mentioned taking me out to one of jose andres' many joints in DC while i was in town. AAAHHH!!! plus, she's now hooked on food network. woohoo! TIVO, here she comes!
2) neena, ale, and i munching on some OH SO DELISH cupcakes in georgetown. i chose the chocolate hazelnut since it came with the chocolate ganache AND the hazelnuts. mmm.... these little yummy bites of goodness were definitely worth waiting in line for. i'm just not sure they were worth getting wet for! especially when the rain started coming down hard several hours later. needless to say, it was memorable walking across the bridge back to roslyn as we braced ourselves against the raindrops and the winds. don't we sound heroic?!
georgetown cupcake
http://www.georgetowncupcake.com/
3) dining out with jeremy and brown at brasserie beck. totally delicious and definitely work schlepping all the way out to DC for. i've always felt horribly guilty (and sad) for not being able to make it to their wedding, so as soon as i bought my ticket to DC, i knew i had to make plans with pretty much the most adorable couple i know. i swear their love story is almost as romantic as the notebook. (and god knows how much i love cheese!) before i forget, the atmosphere at this place was FABULOUS, as was my grilled trout and gratin of brussel sprouts. we ended the night with the yummy pear tarte tatin, some luscious whipped cream, and the most adorable pic! (bronwen, i'm still waiting for our fab shot!)
brasserie beck
http://www.beckdc.com/
4) catching up with ann chang -- one of THE most delightful and impressive people in the world -- over lunch at coastal flats in the tyson's corner mall. she's graduated from le cordon bleu in paris. she's worked at the ritz carlton in DC. she's had a baby girl. and now she's on her way to a phd in public policy. i mean, how much more rock star can you get?! (this doesn't include myself and neena, of course.) talk about trying to keep up with unbridled enthusiasm. whew! i'm exhausted.
coastal flats
http://www.greatamericanrestaurants.com/coastaltysons/
5) doing the touristy thing all day with neena! the last time i'd been to DC, i was a little girl with motion sickness stuck on a tour bus with lots of annoying asian people. needless to say, that was THE single reason i hadn't been back to DC in so many years. thankfully, neena helped me clear out some of the cobwebs by showing me around town. even though it was a bit hot out for me (considering that it'd been freezing and raining for several days), i loved all the walking.
as a side bar, i must say that the metro in DC completely FREAKED ME OUT. i couldn't remember the last time i felt so congested and TRAPPED. i swear neena thought i was going to hyperventilate or something. ugh! you'd have to experience it to know what i'm talking about. and i really wouldn't wish it on anyone for very long. eek!
aside from the walking, my favorite parts of the day were: eating at the native american museum (OMG!), going on the carousel ride (GIDDY UP!), and schmoozing it up with lincoln (at the memorial, silly!). neena had heard that the mitsitam cafe at the native american museum was supposedly AMAZING, so that was our first stop in the city. and we were NOT disappointed. the selection was endless, and with our eyes bigger than our tummies, we tried a ridiculous number of dishes, which were all FABULOUS. our huge meal definitely left us prepared to walk off the calories.
mitsitam cafe
http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=dc&second=visitor&third=inside#museumcafe
as we trekked through the national mall, we found a random carousel and we HAD to go on it. let's just say we were adorable, ok? ok. and even though the gems at the natural history museum and the height of the washington monument were all quite impressive, i must admit that i still preferred cozying up to lincoln. there's just something about him that speaks to me. *sigh*
after our visit with him, we raced off to jaleo to meet joe and abe, both of whom were unreasonably late. thankfully, neena and i were totally ready to munch at the bar while we waited. we actually ended up trying quite a few things, including a glass of sherry that neena had to sneak ice into (who serves sherry lukewarm?!) and an absolutely amazing dish of watermelon and tomato (mmm...). most of the other dishes were yummy as well, though it's been too long now and i can't seem to remember what else was noteworthy. oh well. i guess you'll just have to check it out yourselves!
jaleo
http://www.jaleo.com/
6) chomping on some healthy veggies w/neena for our last meal together! sadness. after making several U-turns, we finally found our way to sunflower cafe. we'd seen it in the night, so we had trouble locating it in the day. FYI that we were still SO full from the day before that we weren't sure we could get any more food into our tummies. shockingly (or not so shockingly), we somehow managed. honestly, i found the dishes a bit too saucy for me, but perhaps i just picked the wrong thing. like a tomato dish when i hate tomato dishes. i mean, seriously? seriously. i fear that i must've been suffering from leftover food coma. at the end of lunch, neena mentioned frozen custard. and i almost puked at the thought of eating anything more. this just means i'll be back for more delicious eats, right?
sunflower cafe
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
santa monica classic
even though i've been uber excited for weeks about running my first 10K, i almost forgot to blog about it! (BLASPHEMY!) thankfully, i remembered as i was writing it in my INDD apple in the lobby of wooden yesterday. and i must say that i did quite well -- based on MY standards at least. my final time was 1:03:03 and my overall pace was 10:10, both of which i'm really proud of, especially since i used to (and still sometimes) say i hate running. the weather was a bit nippy, but it was quite nice once i started running. i must admit that i was a bit overwhelmed by all the elbows at the beginning, but i was OK once everyone spread out. the race passed by so quickly that i really don't have too much to say. except that i LOVED the shirt! i got one earlier in the mail and it looked great over my long-sleeved grey tee with my grey lululemon pants. so i was uber excited when i got a SECOND one at the end of the race! (for those of you who haven't seen me in it yet, i'll be sure to show it off again in upcoming weeks.) needless to say, i'm pumped for my second 10K in brentwood over memorial day weekend. i'm just praying and praying and praying that it's not too hot! eek! keep your fingers crossed, folks!
http://www.santamonicaclassic.com/
http://www.santamonicaclassic.com/
Monday, April 28, 2008
new york nibbles - week 2
after running myself ragged during week 1 of this new york vacation, i decided to drop everything (well, almost everything) and give myself a break during week 2. i mean, i pretty much rolled off the plane and started volunteering at the TFF the very next morning! even though i was assigned to a prime location, i wasn't doing all that much. after a while, i'm sure that wore down on kate (who felt bad that she didn't have anything for me to do but sit and answer the occasional question about where the bathrooms were) and on me (who felt bad about reading or stepping away from the desk, just in case there wasn't anyone answering the occasional question about where the bathrooms were). and after trekking down to second avenue in both sun and rain, i decided i didn't very much enjoy being assigned to that schlep either. plus i really didn't want to spend the rest of my vacation getting worn out and possibly sick, so i requested to be dismissed from my 3 remaining volunteer shifts. and was let go, thanks to a really nice supervisor and a really slow desk (at least in the morning when i was assigned). whew! all in all, it was a really great experience, that i definitely didn't mind coming back for.
in addition to volunteering too much, i've also been working out too much (at NYHRC's all over the city), eating out too much (at some tres yummy places), socializing too much (w/friends i don't get to see for months/years at a time), and ultimately not resting enough. even now, i'm up uber late trying to get caught up on this blog. and all i can think about for tomorrow is how i need to get back to work on editing my proposal and studying for my NSCA exam. plus i need to start researching my research topic for the costa rica trip. and i need to find out what happened to the budget report i have to review before friday's meeting. geezus christ. i'm a train wreck waiting to happen. can you see the headlines now? grad student CRUSHED by responsibilities.
to be honest, i feel like one of the mathematicians trapped in 'fermat's room' -- an AMAZING movie lily and i watched tonight as part of the TFF. not only was the acting superb, but the plotline was just convoluted enough to keep your neurons firing w/o going on overload. (i also watched boy A last week, which was impressive in terms of the acting, but totally unoriginal in terms of the plotline.) i'm hoping to get a few more films in before i head back, including 'let the right one in' (a coming-of-age vampire story -- which i'm watching in honor of eri and her buffy obsession) and 'the caller' (for which i waited in the rush ticket line for over an hour, only to not be able to get in (!!) -- let's hope for better luck the second time around). i'm thinking it might've been nice to just sit around and watch movies the whole 2 weeks, but then again, i might've ended up totally bored out of my mind from sitting for so many hours at a time! i guess the grass is always greener on the other side. *sigh*
monday:
before i forget, i must say that i had absolutely the most delicious dish -- unagi fried rice -- at (of all places) go sushi. granted, if the food's good, the food's good, but i would've never thought i'd find one of the yummiest dishes ever at a fast food sushi joint. needless to say, i was SHOCKED. i mean, unagi is already one of my favorite foods EVER. but to have the unagi and the sauce mixed in with brown rice, egg, and lettuce was AMAZING. i don't even have the words to express my enjoyment and satisfaction. this dish made the rest of my meal (a seaweed salad and a roll of shrimp, mango, and cucumber) pale in comparison. if you find this dish, you must order it ASAP.
go sushi
1649 second avenue
new york, ny 10028
212.570.1222
http://www.gosushi.net/
with the rain coming down like cats and dogs, i was quite depressed for most of monday (especially the morning). thankfully, i got to spend some time back at soon's apt before heading back downtown. after spending hours out in the rain, the apt was oh so relaxing -- and WARM. i must admit that it took a lot to get my butt of the apt, but i'm glad i did b/c it was really great catching up w/lily (who i hadn't seen in what seemed like FOREVER). we both really enjoyed fermat's room (yay for volunteer vouchers!) and we were both psyched for dinner. so it was really too bad that we had to deal w/an annoying cab driver who barked at us for not letting him know that we were planning to pay by credit card. (FYI that lily's promised to report his ass for being a jerk-off -- you suck, TF13!)
thankfully, the rest of the evening was filled with delicious eats and fun convo. i picked out merkato 55 (after much press on daily candy and thrilllist) and we were NOT disappointed. lily had read the restaurant review in the new york times and recalled some of the highlights. we decided on the african breads (w/3 kinds of bread), the cucumber sabal (a bit pickled), the soft-shelled crab (which, as i've mentioned, is my current favorite food) w/tapioca, and the frisee salad w/eggplant (for some veggies). the breads were delicious, particularly the sesame naan-of-sorts and the mildly spiced cornbread. the cucumber sabal had a nice tang. the crab was, by far, my favorite dish of the night. totally crispy and delicious. it would've been nice to have more of the sauce available for dipping though, especially since the crispy layer made the dish slightly dry. i'm not sure how much the tapioca added to the dish, but the pearls in and of themselves were yummy. the salad was OK but needed a LOT more eggplant to be satisfying.
even though we were both just full enough, i needed to end on a sweet tooth (as always), so i picked out the sorbets for a light dessert. now, most chefs say that they put ice creams and sorbets on the menu to satisfy the non-adventurous dessert eaters out there. as w/my argument for non-steak dishes in steakhouses, i believe that if you're going to put anything on a menu, it better be worthy of being put on that menu. as such, i must say that we were NOT disappointed by our dessert option. the waiter brought us a plate of 2 sorbets and 1 ice cream (whether inadvertently or deliberately, we weren't sure): pineapple sorbet, avocado-kalamansi sorbet, and rosehip ice cream. the pineapple was a bit sweet for me, but lily thought it was quite delicious. the avocado-kalamansi (which i just wikipedia'ed and found out is a lime-like fruit) was provocative and intriguing, balancing ever so precariously b/w mellow and tangy. the rosehip was the favorite for us both, with its mild sweetness and floral scent.
sitting in such an amazing space and dining on such a delicious menu, we both avidly agreed that we'd be coming back AND bringing friends. samuelsson has certainly done an amazing job. this is yet another eatery to add to the growing list of meatpacking favorites (which include florent and pastis)!
merkato 55
55 gansevoort street
new york, ny 10014
212.255.8555
http://merkato55.com/
tuesday:
FYI that i used to love love love cosi for its smores platter. OMG. to be able to toast little marshmallows on metal skewers over a little fire at the table w/o the nuisance of nature, dirt, and bugs. what a godsend! later on, i discovered their frappuccino-like arctics -- DELISH. but b/c i've never been a big sandwich eater, i've never tried their flatbread sandwiches. well, at least not until today. as a quick sidebar, the first and best thing i noticed about the menu was that it listed ALL of the calories for each item (by size even, when applicable). considering how people tend to underestimate or overestimate their caloric intake, these numbers are really helpful. and it shows that the company's thinking! i know some folks might think it's TMI, but i totally disagree. i think it's better that people know than guess. and given that, i decided to order the lightest thing on the sandwich menu -- a veggie sandwich w/hummus. i was delighted to get it home and find out how thin (and just crispy enough) the flatbread was (which was perfect since i'm generally bothered by bread). seeing as how i suck at portioning, the sandwich was pretty much the perfect size and just filling enough to satisfy me until dinner.
cosi
2186 broadway
new york, ny 10024
212.595.5616
http://www.getcosi.com/
while i was really sad that nicole was stuck at work tonight, i couldn't make dinner later so i decided to check out bar q on my own. considering that i'd been waiting forever to try it, i was SO NOT DISAPPOINTED. first of all, my waiter brian sat me at this lovely corner table, which as a single diner, i absolutely love. you have the space all to yourself, and you don't have to worry about bumping elbows in both directions. next, the menu was absolutely divine. i'd passed by this amazing oyster bar on my way in, and i decided that i'd set aside my food poisoning fears (at least for the night) and start off w/oysters. i asked for one at first, just to have one for the sake of having one. brian brought it over w/a little bit of lemon and asked whether i wanted to try any of the dipping sauces. i asked him to pick the one he liked best and he brought over a mildly spicy red sauce. the combination of the tres fresh oyster and the sauce was DIVINE. and the oyster (except for 2 tiny bits of sand) went down super smoothly. so i asked for a second oyster, and of course, it was divine as well. i really do hope that my tummy stays OK these next few days b/c my oyster experience was pretty near perfect this time around.
next, i moved onto the unagi and scallion fritters. (i swear i must have a theme going on this trip b/c i've had both soft shell crab and unagi a billion times already!) these came perfectly golden and tasted absolutely delicious. upon chewing slowly and cutting though the fritters, it was apparent that they were only lightly battered and contained mostly unagi. mmm.... scrumptious.... i'd asked brian about the stuffed spare rib and he'd pretty much gasped in ecstasy, so i decided to go w/that. as derek's mentioned in his blog, it's rarely a bad idea to take recommendations from the waitstaff. and again, i was thrilled at what was set before me. even though i've been eating out for DAYS now, i must say that this dish was BY FAR the BEST dish i've had on this ENTIRE trip. brian had described the dish as a de-boned spare rib set on top of chunky peanut butter. and he was SPOT ON. the meat was cooked and stuffed perfectly -- oh so tender. even though the sauce was a bit salty, it wasn't unlike any other BBQ sauce. well, except that it was BETTER. plus, mixed w/the chunky peanut sauce, let's just say, i was pretty much in heaven. i'm just glad i'd paced myself so that i could get it all into my tummy!
to top off the night, i decided on the lightest dessert on the menu (next to the sorbets that i'd just had the night before), which was the coconut soup w/fresh fruit. again, brian gave me the two thumbs up. and again, i wasn't the faintest bit displeased. the coconut soup was totally light and refreshing, nothing like the heavy and thick coconut milk that you find in most coconut dishes. and with the tiny cubes of jicama, kumquat, and mango, there was a lovely contrast of textures in the bowl. needless to say, i had the BEST meal. and kudos to brian for some great recs!
bar q
308 bleecker street
new york, ny 10014
212.206.7817
wednesday:
after getting some work done over yet another delicious cosi sandwich (i seriously am a creature of habit -- at least in weekly bursts), i decided to venture outside for some lovely new york sunshine. while the temperature had dropped steeply from last week, i still prefer cold SUNNY new york days to cold RAINY new york days. as i was trekking downtown on the upper west, i passed by one of the cutest tea places in the city -- alice's tea cup. when i saw that pumpkin scones were on the menu, i really couldn't resist going inside. based on alice's adventures in wonderland, this place is simply adorable. w/the yummiest looking AND tasting treats imaginable. (i also passed by magnolia bakery afterwards and their desserts looked equally delectable.)
seeing that i'm the biggest pumpkin fan, i decided to grab a pumpkin scone (theoretically to save for breakfast the next day). and seeing that i wouldn't let myself nibble on the scone, i decided to grab an iced tea as well, to accompany me on my walk through the park. the peach iced tea that the cashier recommended was delicious. unfortunately, it was drank/drunk (which is it?!) way too quickly by a person w/a tiny bladder, so i'm really glad i made it all the way down to the ladies room at grand central w/o too much angst. (FYI that i made sure to pass through the grand central market twice, just to soak up all the gourmet goodness. *sigh*)
way before reaching grand central, however, i entered a lululemon store near lincoln center, only to find out that all of the sales staff loved alice's tea cup. when i mentioned my pumpkin scone, their eyes grew wide and they went on about how DELICIOUS it was. (apparently the same holds true for the banana chocolate chip cake as well.) needless to say, i couldn't help but try a small bite of my scone -- AND THEN PROCEED TO EAT THE WHOLE THING. forget breakfast. i didn't even last an hour. isn't that pathetic?! nevertheless, i'm not ashamed. especially when that was THE best scone i'd EVER eaten. b/c you know how scones are normally dry and crumbly? well, this was nothing like that. my scone was perfectly moist w/o tasting like a muffin or a cake. it was more worthy of the scone title than any other scone i've had in my short lifetime. and with a bit of glaze on top, it was absolutely the most perfect scone specimen. need i say more?
alice's tea cup
102 west 73rd street
new york, ny 10023
212.799.3006
http://www.alicesteacup.com/
additional references:
magnolia bakery - http://www.magnoliabakery.com/
grand central market - http://www.grandcentralsquare.com/
lululemon - http://www.lululemon.com/
to close out a lovely day of yummy eats, i met up w/ivana, ben, rob, mike, and jacob (thanks for showing up, jacob!) at rosa mexicano down near union square. it'd been forever since i'd caught up w/any of these folks (except for ben who'd partaken/partook in the strip house festivities), so i was excited for the DCS reunion. too bad that every single person (other than me) was LATE. i mean, is it a new york thing? is it an urban thing? it is a cell phone thing? is it a CRACKBERRY thing? i haven't the faintest, but let's just say i was a bit dismayed when i was sitting/standing for close to 10 minutes before rob showed up as the first of the group. it's not that i was crazy mad or anything. i just never understand lateness/ which is probably why i'm always left waiting 20 minutes since i show up 10 minutes early and everyone else shows up 10 minutes late. *sigh* at any rate, the rest of the group showed up in short order (including jacob who'd just gotten the call from mike -- thank goodness for cabs).
as soon as our entire party had arrived, the hostess seated us at a lovely booth for 6. our waiter was fabulous the whole night -- even dealing w/our more-often-than-not crazy antics. (that man SERIOUSLY deserved the good tip we left him.) as we were perusing the menu, we decided to kickstart the night w/drinks, chips, and made-to-order guac tableside. except for ivana and i, the entire table ordered the pomegranate margarita, which was apparently DELISH. i was kind of leaning towards a virgin one, but really, what's the point? as for the guac, we ordered it spicy, but we must've looked weak (or the guy must've heard wrong) b/c there was absolutely no kick to the guac at all. not that it didn't taste yummy, it just wasn't what we ordered. sadness.
for our main entrees, we decided to order for ourselves and then share w/those who wanted to taste. a strategy that works well in that it allows everyone to get something they want and also try other dishes at the table. i decided to keep it light w/the salad and i managed to divvy up most of the seared tuna that i didn't want anyways. (FYI that this tuna looked almost like sashimi -- i barely saw the sear! not that it matters though, since i really don't like tuna.) i pretty much ordered the salad for the greens and the mango, which totally lived up to expectations. jacob ordered the ceviche to start (which was AMAZING) and the short rib to follow (which was LUSCIOUS). ivana chose the the red snapper, which came with a tableside preparation of a garlic sauce. it was also quite good, though i really wasn't feeling fish that night. rob ordered the short rib as well, but ben & mike both went w/multiple appetizers. the zarape w/pulled duck was my favorite of the three, though the empanadas w/lump crab and the enchiladas w/pulled chicken weren't too shabby either (though a little bit more carb-ey than meat-ey in my opinion).
needless to say, most of the crew was way full after the inhalation of chips, warm tortillas (that came w/the guac), and guac at the start of the meal. thankfully, ivana & i had both saved room for dessert! and we decided on the flan, which was INCREDIBLE. the mole ice cream certainly looked interesting, but when you're in a mexican restaurant, flan should be the dessert of choice. it was just sweet enough and not too heavy. and it was placed on top of a thin layer of burnt sugar at the bottom of the plate, which made for a visually appealing presentation and provided a nice textural contrast to the smooth and creamy flan.
all in all, we had a GREAT time. while the hostess was a bit blah, our waiter was really very sweet. (i mean, anyone who can put up w/us really deserves a medal.) but FYI to all those who want to eat here, make sure you make a reservation WAY ahead of time. otherwise, you're left w/at least an hour wait. this place is hopping at dinner time, so don't wait to the last-minute.
rosa mexicano
9 east 18th street
new york, ny, 10003
212.533.3350
http://www.rosamexicano.info/
thursday:
a quick note to say that i ended up at alice's tea cup again after 4 loops around the reservoir (5.2 miles, baby!). this time, i had to order the ham & cheddar scone (savory), the chocolate chip scone (sweet), and the vegetarian zucchini soup (liquid). even though i had homemade chicken soup from mom waiting for me and thoughts of another cosi flatbread sandwich floating in my head, i really couldn't resist more super moist scones. and i wasn't disappointed! yet again, they were the perfect consistency. i decided to hold back on eating the whole savory scone, but i couldn't help myself from ingesting the entire sweet one. at least i waited an hour in between halves. (that's something, right? small steps, people, small steps.) when dipped in clotted cream and strawberry jam (which the cafe provides in little to-go containers), the sweet scone was that much more delicious (i'm not sure how well they'd go w/the savory one). the soup was good, though i'm not sure it was really worth $6, especially for such a small container. stick w/the pastries if you come here. oh, and the iced tea too. mmm....
http://www.alicesteacup.com/
after much back and forth over email and text, evette and i decided to meet up at sip, a coffeebar halfway between ruby's apt on the upper west (where i was staying) and her digs in harlem. considering that scheduling's always been a bit of a nightmare for me (wherever i am), i'm just glad we were able to find a time that worked. and thank god for citysearch, which could find me a place to eat/drink/snack just about anywhere. (as for whether it's good or not, well, that's kind of a toss-up. i mean, you never know w/customer reviews, right?) after a quick search, i picked out sip. my attitude is: if you have a website, you must be halfway decent. and thankfully, i wasn't mistaken. (and yes, i love the double negatives.) even though (or maybe b/c) it was raining, the place was quite packed at 9:30 at night, so we decided to grab the high table closest to the door.
even though i'd already eaten a yummy homecooked korean meal at jenny & jimmy's new townhouse up in westchester, i couldn't resist ordering the delicious-looking poached pear. (i mean, it's fruit, so it's healthy, right?) i also decided on some lavender mint tea, which was so a propros considering that it was rainy & nippy outside. evette chose a nice salad and a chamomille tea, and we both ooh'ed when the waiter (who looked a little like that dude w/the long hair from almost famous & saved) brought us our own tea pots and dwarf-sized tea mugs. as for my pear, it was pretty much, a pear. it wasn't marinated in anything. it wasn't doused in heavy sauce. and considering that i was fairly full, it was nice to dip a few pieces of fresh pear into just a little bit of ice cream. on the other hand, the caramel brittle it came with was, well, disgusting. i'm not sure what they put in it (raisins? figs? nuts?), but the little pieces that came off tasted, well, gross. really bitter and just yucky. i'm sure the caramel part had to have been better, but i wasn't in the right frame of mind (or tummy) to try it. in terms of space, the place was really small and quite loud, so be prepared when you walk in the door. also, the bathroom was tiny and there was no coathook, which is a bit tacky, even if the place is a bit of a dive.
sip
998 amsterdam avenue
new york, ny 10025
212.316.2747
http://www.sipbar.com/
friday:
after waking up at 6:30 in the morning and deciding that i didn't REALLY want to trek downtown for pilates, i decided to get some emailing in before heading uptown to see harold & kumar escape from guatanamo bay. i know i know. totally random, but honestly, i really liked the first one! and knowing that kal penn was mel's RA really makes me feel that much more connected to the film. =S at any rate, i'd passed by the theater on my way back from sip the night before, and i'd noticed the $6 matinee price (which i never thought existed in new york), so i knew i had to come back. i mean, paying $6 for a movie in manhattan is just, well, unbelievable. and who doesn't love being one of FOUR people in a movie theater? at any rate, the movie was quite hilarious. a bit much w/the nudity, if you ask me, but otherwise pretty hilarious. this film is definitely a no-brainer in that absolutely NO brain cells are required. unless you've been in a hole since before 2001, the cultural and political references are pretty blatant. on the one hand, it's sad that the world still suffers from these notions. on the other hand, the characters use them quite well comedically. ultimately, this movie serves as a much less annoying version of borat (who i hate), but still makes a good point regarding the continued existence of annoying stereotypes. the escape plot and the cheesy subplot keep the fim moving forward; the characters and the subcharacters offer some hilarious caricatures; and the pot is (from my perspective) surprisingly successful as a theme.
http://www.haroldandkumar.com/
in addition to volunteering too much, i've also been working out too much (at NYHRC's all over the city), eating out too much (at some tres yummy places), socializing too much (w/friends i don't get to see for months/years at a time), and ultimately not resting enough. even now, i'm up uber late trying to get caught up on this blog. and all i can think about for tomorrow is how i need to get back to work on editing my proposal and studying for my NSCA exam. plus i need to start researching my research topic for the costa rica trip. and i need to find out what happened to the budget report i have to review before friday's meeting. geezus christ. i'm a train wreck waiting to happen. can you see the headlines now? grad student CRUSHED by responsibilities.
to be honest, i feel like one of the mathematicians trapped in 'fermat's room' -- an AMAZING movie lily and i watched tonight as part of the TFF. not only was the acting superb, but the plotline was just convoluted enough to keep your neurons firing w/o going on overload. (i also watched boy A last week, which was impressive in terms of the acting, but totally unoriginal in terms of the plotline.) i'm hoping to get a few more films in before i head back, including 'let the right one in' (a coming-of-age vampire story -- which i'm watching in honor of eri and her buffy obsession) and 'the caller' (for which i waited in the rush ticket line for over an hour, only to not be able to get in (!!) -- let's hope for better luck the second time around). i'm thinking it might've been nice to just sit around and watch movies the whole 2 weeks, but then again, i might've ended up totally bored out of my mind from sitting for so many hours at a time! i guess the grass is always greener on the other side. *sigh*
monday:
before i forget, i must say that i had absolutely the most delicious dish -- unagi fried rice -- at (of all places) go sushi. granted, if the food's good, the food's good, but i would've never thought i'd find one of the yummiest dishes ever at a fast food sushi joint. needless to say, i was SHOCKED. i mean, unagi is already one of my favorite foods EVER. but to have the unagi and the sauce mixed in with brown rice, egg, and lettuce was AMAZING. i don't even have the words to express my enjoyment and satisfaction. this dish made the rest of my meal (a seaweed salad and a roll of shrimp, mango, and cucumber) pale in comparison. if you find this dish, you must order it ASAP.
go sushi
1649 second avenue
new york, ny 10028
212.570.1222
http://www.gosushi.net/
with the rain coming down like cats and dogs, i was quite depressed for most of monday (especially the morning). thankfully, i got to spend some time back at soon's apt before heading back downtown. after spending hours out in the rain, the apt was oh so relaxing -- and WARM. i must admit that it took a lot to get my butt of the apt, but i'm glad i did b/c it was really great catching up w/lily (who i hadn't seen in what seemed like FOREVER). we both really enjoyed fermat's room (yay for volunteer vouchers!) and we were both psyched for dinner. so it was really too bad that we had to deal w/an annoying cab driver who barked at us for not letting him know that we were planning to pay by credit card. (FYI that lily's promised to report his ass for being a jerk-off -- you suck, TF13!)
thankfully, the rest of the evening was filled with delicious eats and fun convo. i picked out merkato 55 (after much press on daily candy and thrilllist) and we were NOT disappointed. lily had read the restaurant review in the new york times and recalled some of the highlights. we decided on the african breads (w/3 kinds of bread), the cucumber sabal (a bit pickled), the soft-shelled crab (which, as i've mentioned, is my current favorite food) w/tapioca, and the frisee salad w/eggplant (for some veggies). the breads were delicious, particularly the sesame naan-of-sorts and the mildly spiced cornbread. the cucumber sabal had a nice tang. the crab was, by far, my favorite dish of the night. totally crispy and delicious. it would've been nice to have more of the sauce available for dipping though, especially since the crispy layer made the dish slightly dry. i'm not sure how much the tapioca added to the dish, but the pearls in and of themselves were yummy. the salad was OK but needed a LOT more eggplant to be satisfying.
even though we were both just full enough, i needed to end on a sweet tooth (as always), so i picked out the sorbets for a light dessert. now, most chefs say that they put ice creams and sorbets on the menu to satisfy the non-adventurous dessert eaters out there. as w/my argument for non-steak dishes in steakhouses, i believe that if you're going to put anything on a menu, it better be worthy of being put on that menu. as such, i must say that we were NOT disappointed by our dessert option. the waiter brought us a plate of 2 sorbets and 1 ice cream (whether inadvertently or deliberately, we weren't sure): pineapple sorbet, avocado-kalamansi sorbet, and rosehip ice cream. the pineapple was a bit sweet for me, but lily thought it was quite delicious. the avocado-kalamansi (which i just wikipedia'ed and found out is a lime-like fruit) was provocative and intriguing, balancing ever so precariously b/w mellow and tangy. the rosehip was the favorite for us both, with its mild sweetness and floral scent.
sitting in such an amazing space and dining on such a delicious menu, we both avidly agreed that we'd be coming back AND bringing friends. samuelsson has certainly done an amazing job. this is yet another eatery to add to the growing list of meatpacking favorites (which include florent and pastis)!
merkato 55
55 gansevoort street
new york, ny 10014
212.255.8555
http://merkato55.com/
tuesday:
FYI that i used to love love love cosi for its smores platter. OMG. to be able to toast little marshmallows on metal skewers over a little fire at the table w/o the nuisance of nature, dirt, and bugs. what a godsend! later on, i discovered their frappuccino-like arctics -- DELISH. but b/c i've never been a big sandwich eater, i've never tried their flatbread sandwiches. well, at least not until today. as a quick sidebar, the first and best thing i noticed about the menu was that it listed ALL of the calories for each item (by size even, when applicable). considering how people tend to underestimate or overestimate their caloric intake, these numbers are really helpful. and it shows that the company's thinking! i know some folks might think it's TMI, but i totally disagree. i think it's better that people know than guess. and given that, i decided to order the lightest thing on the sandwich menu -- a veggie sandwich w/hummus. i was delighted to get it home and find out how thin (and just crispy enough) the flatbread was (which was perfect since i'm generally bothered by bread). seeing as how i suck at portioning, the sandwich was pretty much the perfect size and just filling enough to satisfy me until dinner.
cosi
2186 broadway
new york, ny 10024
212.595.5616
http://www.getcosi.com/
while i was really sad that nicole was stuck at work tonight, i couldn't make dinner later so i decided to check out bar q on my own. considering that i'd been waiting forever to try it, i was SO NOT DISAPPOINTED. first of all, my waiter brian sat me at this lovely corner table, which as a single diner, i absolutely love. you have the space all to yourself, and you don't have to worry about bumping elbows in both directions. next, the menu was absolutely divine. i'd passed by this amazing oyster bar on my way in, and i decided that i'd set aside my food poisoning fears (at least for the night) and start off w/oysters. i asked for one at first, just to have one for the sake of having one. brian brought it over w/a little bit of lemon and asked whether i wanted to try any of the dipping sauces. i asked him to pick the one he liked best and he brought over a mildly spicy red sauce. the combination of the tres fresh oyster and the sauce was DIVINE. and the oyster (except for 2 tiny bits of sand) went down super smoothly. so i asked for a second oyster, and of course, it was divine as well. i really do hope that my tummy stays OK these next few days b/c my oyster experience was pretty near perfect this time around.
next, i moved onto the unagi and scallion fritters. (i swear i must have a theme going on this trip b/c i've had both soft shell crab and unagi a billion times already!) these came perfectly golden and tasted absolutely delicious. upon chewing slowly and cutting though the fritters, it was apparent that they were only lightly battered and contained mostly unagi. mmm.... scrumptious.... i'd asked brian about the stuffed spare rib and he'd pretty much gasped in ecstasy, so i decided to go w/that. as derek's mentioned in his blog, it's rarely a bad idea to take recommendations from the waitstaff. and again, i was thrilled at what was set before me. even though i've been eating out for DAYS now, i must say that this dish was BY FAR the BEST dish i've had on this ENTIRE trip. brian had described the dish as a de-boned spare rib set on top of chunky peanut butter. and he was SPOT ON. the meat was cooked and stuffed perfectly -- oh so tender. even though the sauce was a bit salty, it wasn't unlike any other BBQ sauce. well, except that it was BETTER. plus, mixed w/the chunky peanut sauce, let's just say, i was pretty much in heaven. i'm just glad i'd paced myself so that i could get it all into my tummy!
to top off the night, i decided on the lightest dessert on the menu (next to the sorbets that i'd just had the night before), which was the coconut soup w/fresh fruit. again, brian gave me the two thumbs up. and again, i wasn't the faintest bit displeased. the coconut soup was totally light and refreshing, nothing like the heavy and thick coconut milk that you find in most coconut dishes. and with the tiny cubes of jicama, kumquat, and mango, there was a lovely contrast of textures in the bowl. needless to say, i had the BEST meal. and kudos to brian for some great recs!
bar q
308 bleecker street
new york, ny 10014
212.206.7817
wednesday:
after getting some work done over yet another delicious cosi sandwich (i seriously am a creature of habit -- at least in weekly bursts), i decided to venture outside for some lovely new york sunshine. while the temperature had dropped steeply from last week, i still prefer cold SUNNY new york days to cold RAINY new york days. as i was trekking downtown on the upper west, i passed by one of the cutest tea places in the city -- alice's tea cup. when i saw that pumpkin scones were on the menu, i really couldn't resist going inside. based on alice's adventures in wonderland, this place is simply adorable. w/the yummiest looking AND tasting treats imaginable. (i also passed by magnolia bakery afterwards and their desserts looked equally delectable.)
seeing that i'm the biggest pumpkin fan, i decided to grab a pumpkin scone (theoretically to save for breakfast the next day). and seeing that i wouldn't let myself nibble on the scone, i decided to grab an iced tea as well, to accompany me on my walk through the park. the peach iced tea that the cashier recommended was delicious. unfortunately, it was drank/drunk (which is it?!) way too quickly by a person w/a tiny bladder, so i'm really glad i made it all the way down to the ladies room at grand central w/o too much angst. (FYI that i made sure to pass through the grand central market twice, just to soak up all the gourmet goodness. *sigh*)
way before reaching grand central, however, i entered a lululemon store near lincoln center, only to find out that all of the sales staff loved alice's tea cup. when i mentioned my pumpkin scone, their eyes grew wide and they went on about how DELICIOUS it was. (apparently the same holds true for the banana chocolate chip cake as well.) needless to say, i couldn't help but try a small bite of my scone -- AND THEN PROCEED TO EAT THE WHOLE THING. forget breakfast. i didn't even last an hour. isn't that pathetic?! nevertheless, i'm not ashamed. especially when that was THE best scone i'd EVER eaten. b/c you know how scones are normally dry and crumbly? well, this was nothing like that. my scone was perfectly moist w/o tasting like a muffin or a cake. it was more worthy of the scone title than any other scone i've had in my short lifetime. and with a bit of glaze on top, it was absolutely the most perfect scone specimen. need i say more?
alice's tea cup
102 west 73rd street
new york, ny 10023
212.799.3006
http://www.alicesteacup.com/
additional references:
magnolia bakery - http://www.magnoliabakery.com/
grand central market - http://www.grandcentralsquare.com/
lululemon - http://www.lululemon.com/
to close out a lovely day of yummy eats, i met up w/ivana, ben, rob, mike, and jacob (thanks for showing up, jacob!) at rosa mexicano down near union square. it'd been forever since i'd caught up w/any of these folks (except for ben who'd partaken/partook in the strip house festivities), so i was excited for the DCS reunion. too bad that every single person (other than me) was LATE. i mean, is it a new york thing? is it an urban thing? it is a cell phone thing? is it a CRACKBERRY thing? i haven't the faintest, but let's just say i was a bit dismayed when i was sitting/standing for close to 10 minutes before rob showed up as the first of the group. it's not that i was crazy mad or anything. i just never understand lateness/ which is probably why i'm always left waiting 20 minutes since i show up 10 minutes early and everyone else shows up 10 minutes late. *sigh* at any rate, the rest of the group showed up in short order (including jacob who'd just gotten the call from mike -- thank goodness for cabs).
as soon as our entire party had arrived, the hostess seated us at a lovely booth for 6. our waiter was fabulous the whole night -- even dealing w/our more-often-than-not crazy antics. (that man SERIOUSLY deserved the good tip we left him.) as we were perusing the menu, we decided to kickstart the night w/drinks, chips, and made-to-order guac tableside. except for ivana and i, the entire table ordered the pomegranate margarita, which was apparently DELISH. i was kind of leaning towards a virgin one, but really, what's the point? as for the guac, we ordered it spicy, but we must've looked weak (or the guy must've heard wrong) b/c there was absolutely no kick to the guac at all. not that it didn't taste yummy, it just wasn't what we ordered. sadness.
for our main entrees, we decided to order for ourselves and then share w/those who wanted to taste. a strategy that works well in that it allows everyone to get something they want and also try other dishes at the table. i decided to keep it light w/the salad and i managed to divvy up most of the seared tuna that i didn't want anyways. (FYI that this tuna looked almost like sashimi -- i barely saw the sear! not that it matters though, since i really don't like tuna.) i pretty much ordered the salad for the greens and the mango, which totally lived up to expectations. jacob ordered the ceviche to start (which was AMAZING) and the short rib to follow (which was LUSCIOUS). ivana chose the the red snapper, which came with a tableside preparation of a garlic sauce. it was also quite good, though i really wasn't feeling fish that night. rob ordered the short rib as well, but ben & mike both went w/multiple appetizers. the zarape w/pulled duck was my favorite of the three, though the empanadas w/lump crab and the enchiladas w/pulled chicken weren't too shabby either (though a little bit more carb-ey than meat-ey in my opinion).
needless to say, most of the crew was way full after the inhalation of chips, warm tortillas (that came w/the guac), and guac at the start of the meal. thankfully, ivana & i had both saved room for dessert! and we decided on the flan, which was INCREDIBLE. the mole ice cream certainly looked interesting, but when you're in a mexican restaurant, flan should be the dessert of choice. it was just sweet enough and not too heavy. and it was placed on top of a thin layer of burnt sugar at the bottom of the plate, which made for a visually appealing presentation and provided a nice textural contrast to the smooth and creamy flan.
all in all, we had a GREAT time. while the hostess was a bit blah, our waiter was really very sweet. (i mean, anyone who can put up w/us really deserves a medal.) but FYI to all those who want to eat here, make sure you make a reservation WAY ahead of time. otherwise, you're left w/at least an hour wait. this place is hopping at dinner time, so don't wait to the last-minute.
rosa mexicano
9 east 18th street
new york, ny, 10003
212.533.3350
http://www.rosamexicano.info/
thursday:
a quick note to say that i ended up at alice's tea cup again after 4 loops around the reservoir (5.2 miles, baby!). this time, i had to order the ham & cheddar scone (savory), the chocolate chip scone (sweet), and the vegetarian zucchini soup (liquid). even though i had homemade chicken soup from mom waiting for me and thoughts of another cosi flatbread sandwich floating in my head, i really couldn't resist more super moist scones. and i wasn't disappointed! yet again, they were the perfect consistency. i decided to hold back on eating the whole savory scone, but i couldn't help myself from ingesting the entire sweet one. at least i waited an hour in between halves. (that's something, right? small steps, people, small steps.) when dipped in clotted cream and strawberry jam (which the cafe provides in little to-go containers), the sweet scone was that much more delicious (i'm not sure how well they'd go w/the savory one). the soup was good, though i'm not sure it was really worth $6, especially for such a small container. stick w/the pastries if you come here. oh, and the iced tea too. mmm....
http://www.alicesteacup.com/
after much back and forth over email and text, evette and i decided to meet up at sip, a coffeebar halfway between ruby's apt on the upper west (where i was staying) and her digs in harlem. considering that scheduling's always been a bit of a nightmare for me (wherever i am), i'm just glad we were able to find a time that worked. and thank god for citysearch, which could find me a place to eat/drink/snack just about anywhere. (as for whether it's good or not, well, that's kind of a toss-up. i mean, you never know w/customer reviews, right?) after a quick search, i picked out sip. my attitude is: if you have a website, you must be halfway decent. and thankfully, i wasn't mistaken. (and yes, i love the double negatives.) even though (or maybe b/c) it was raining, the place was quite packed at 9:30 at night, so we decided to grab the high table closest to the door.
even though i'd already eaten a yummy homecooked korean meal at jenny & jimmy's new townhouse up in westchester, i couldn't resist ordering the delicious-looking poached pear. (i mean, it's fruit, so it's healthy, right?) i also decided on some lavender mint tea, which was so a propros considering that it was rainy & nippy outside. evette chose a nice salad and a chamomille tea, and we both ooh'ed when the waiter (who looked a little like that dude w/the long hair from almost famous & saved) brought us our own tea pots and dwarf-sized tea mugs. as for my pear, it was pretty much, a pear. it wasn't marinated in anything. it wasn't doused in heavy sauce. and considering that i was fairly full, it was nice to dip a few pieces of fresh pear into just a little bit of ice cream. on the other hand, the caramel brittle it came with was, well, disgusting. i'm not sure what they put in it (raisins? figs? nuts?), but the little pieces that came off tasted, well, gross. really bitter and just yucky. i'm sure the caramel part had to have been better, but i wasn't in the right frame of mind (or tummy) to try it. in terms of space, the place was really small and quite loud, so be prepared when you walk in the door. also, the bathroom was tiny and there was no coathook, which is a bit tacky, even if the place is a bit of a dive.
sip
998 amsterdam avenue
new york, ny 10025
212.316.2747
http://www.sipbar.com/
friday:
after waking up at 6:30 in the morning and deciding that i didn't REALLY want to trek downtown for pilates, i decided to get some emailing in before heading uptown to see harold & kumar escape from guatanamo bay. i know i know. totally random, but honestly, i really liked the first one! and knowing that kal penn was mel's RA really makes me feel that much more connected to the film. =S at any rate, i'd passed by the theater on my way back from sip the night before, and i'd noticed the $6 matinee price (which i never thought existed in new york), so i knew i had to come back. i mean, paying $6 for a movie in manhattan is just, well, unbelievable. and who doesn't love being one of FOUR people in a movie theater? at any rate, the movie was quite hilarious. a bit much w/the nudity, if you ask me, but otherwise pretty hilarious. this film is definitely a no-brainer in that absolutely NO brain cells are required. unless you've been in a hole since before 2001, the cultural and political references are pretty blatant. on the one hand, it's sad that the world still suffers from these notions. on the other hand, the characters use them quite well comedically. ultimately, this movie serves as a much less annoying version of borat (who i hate), but still makes a good point regarding the continued existence of annoying stereotypes. the escape plot and the cheesy subplot keep the fim moving forward; the characters and the subcharacters offer some hilarious caricatures; and the pot is (from my perspective) surprisingly successful as a theme.
http://www.haroldandkumar.com/
Saturday, April 26, 2008
new york nibbles - week 1
i know everyone's expecting some news from my mid-term vacation in new york. so i thought i'd indulge you all by telling you how much fun i'm having just eating my way through this city. i suppose this post will be similar to my boston musings, especially since there's just so much to eat that there's not enough time to process it all. needless to say, some adventures have been more delightful than others, but all in all, it's been a total dream to be munching my days away. (FYI that i went back to a couple of my favorite places, so i'll skip those for fear of creating a snoozefest.)
wednesday:
when i saw s'mac in the TFF guide, i knew i had to go. after what seemed like a long trek east, i found it! and after perusing through all the delicious options (and skipping over the light option -- i mean, it's mac 'n cheese, for pete's sake), i decided on the parisienne w/gruyere, figs, and shitake mushrooms. (seriously? seriously.) while the mac was certainly good, i must admit that, even after walking for what seemed like a billion avenues, the dish was still way too heavy for me. i suppose i didn't need to eat it all (especially since i'd ordered it to go and i'd only wanted a quick taste), but god knows i suck at portioning. (*sigh*) at any rate, i dedicate this meal to nida -- who absolutely LOOOOOOOVES mac 'n cheese. to you, nida -- CHEERS!
s'mac - sarita's macaroni & cheese
345 east 12th street
new york, ny 10003
212.358.7912
http://smacnyc.com/home.html
as soon as i found out that harold's restaurant was open, i knew i had to try it. i'd been waiting to get to perilla for months, so i was thrilled when silvia and joanne were up for yet another FDE. after going through the amazing menu (both online and in person), i decided on the flax seed crusted soft shell crab and the sauteed chinese broccoli & spinach. the crab was perfectly crispy and the veggies were totally yummilicious (especially w/chinese sausage tossed in -- YUM!). and to top off the meal, i picked out the vanilla scented doughnuts for dessert. even though i'm not the biggest fan of donuts generally, these were super light and uber delectable, especially when dipped in lemon curd or dark chocolate mousse (provided on the side). with the amazing ambiance and the fabulous food, the only thing missing was harold himself! mmm....
perilla restaurant
9 jones street
new york, ny 100014
212.929.6868
http://www.perillanyc.com/
thursday:
even though lunch was quick, it was great to touch base w/tara (and check out her amazing ring) and ev (who needs to check her dartmouth account more often -- HA!). to make it more convenient for ev, we decided on a thai place two steps from her office. the food was typical, but my duck was delicious. i think every neighborhood needs some local joints, and this place certainly fits the bill.
song kran
330 8th avenue
new york, ny 10001
212.239.8792
i'm one of those people that likes to make plans way ahead of time. which means i really appreciate it when other people want to make plans too! so i was delighted when deb wanted to make sure we met up before she headed out of town for her upcoming nuptials. as we conversed over wedding and post-wedding plans, we dined on some delicious sushi. while deb couldn't have any rice for passover, i decided to indulge in a spicy spider roll. and even though the waitstaff couldn't seem to agree on whether iced green tea was available (go figure!), the roll was yummy. plus our table by the window made for a nice and relaxing dining experience.
ko sushi
1329 2nd avenue
new york, ny 10021
212.439.1678
http://newkosushi.com/index.html
friday:
i'm so glad i got the chance to take a relaxing stroll through the union square greenmarket b/c it's one of my favorite places in the whole city. it's a foodie paradise, and top chefs go there, bright and early, several days a week. it's great to watch the vendors sell their wares and it's even better when they share them! as i walked through, i got to try samples of free-range meat (cooked, of course) and homemade jams (i chose apple butter over garlic jelly -- who wanted to walk away w/garlic on the tongue?). i even purchased some delicious iced mint green tea, which was totally refreshing, despite the nippy temperatures. i also passed by some delicious-looking cheese biscuits, but i decided to hold back. (it's so difficult sometimes. *sigh*) thank goodness i kept myself under control b/c i would've never been able to fit in lunch!
union square greenmarket
union square (duh, silly)
http://www.cenyc.org/
considering that i'd been munching the morning away, i didn't have much of an appetite for lunch. but seeing as how i really couldn't sit there and not eat (god forbid), i decided on an eel tempura roll. thankfully, it was light AND delicious. alex was also generous enough to share some of her sashimi lunch special, so i had a few yummilicious mackerel pieces as well. i wish i'd had enough room in my tummy to order the sukiyaki (which i'd loved when ev took me to this place many years ago, though she couldn't even remember the name when i asked her about it), but there was just no way. of course, this means i'll be back, right?
kodama sushi
301 west 45th street
new york, ny 10036
212.582.8065
saturday:
before i headed downtown to meet derek, i decided that i HAD to try josie's kitchen. i've always loved josie's west, so as soon as i saw josie's kitchen on soon's block (and josie's take-out menu in soon's kitchen drawer), i knew i was meant to try it. after scanning the menu quickly, i decided on some shi-shi iced tea ($5!! can you believe it??) and a dish of brown rice, egg whites, spinach, and chunks of (what i think was) ham. everything was quite delicious (AND healthy) and i had to keep from eating it all (or else risk not getting through my steak later in the night!).
josie's kitchen
1614 second avenue
new york, ny 10028
212.734.6644
http://www.josiesnyc.com/josie_kitchen/jk.html
seeing as how derek doesn't eat much red meat down in atlanta, he pretty much decided that we had to have it in new york. and seeing as how i'd really wanted him to visit this weekend, i pretty much had to concede. (though i suppose eating a big slab of juicy steak wouldn't necessarily be considered the biggest concession.) as a surprise, i invited soon, who brought along michelle, marissa, and ben. needless to say, i was more than a little concerned when derek promptly informed me (after the hostess confirmed my reservation for 6) that he doesn't like surprises. (eek!!!) and needless to say, i heaved a big sigh of relief when he actually enjoyed the company -- YAY! (some people are soooooo hard to please! =S)
more importantly though, we all REALLY enjoyed the food. derek and i shared the special 2-person rib eye, which came out perfectly done at medium rare -- a nice crispy sear with a just slightly warm pink interior. the rest of the table ordered the 1-person ribeye, the filet mignon, the new york strip, and the snapper. the red meat turned out to everyone's liking, but the snapper didn't fare well at all. derek and i have argued many a time over the nature and quality of non-steak dishes at steakhouses. his side: why would you ever order a non-steak dish at a a steakhouse? my side: if you're going to have a dish on the menu, it shouldn't taste like shit, steak or not. and that's that.
we decided to share sides at the table, so we ordered the crisp goose fat potatoes (which i wasn't going to touch w/a 10-foot pole), the black truffle creamed spinach (which i could smell as soon as the server set it down on the table -- mmm....), the sauteed wild mushrooms (which complete any meal), and the creamed corn w/pancetta (which was THAT much more delish w/a thin layer of breadcrumbs on top). we decided against appetizers what w/all the other food we ordered, but we were SOMEHOW able to fit in some sweets at the end. soon picked out some ice creams and marissa chose the apple dessert for the table to share. it was a perfect way to end off a really fun night! (let's not focus on the waiter who was having a totally off day and was unable to process our credit cards correctly -- even though we wrote out EVERY single transaction. he was nice so i won't call him incompetent, but GOOD GRIEF!)
strip house
13 east 12th street
new york, ny 10003
212.328.0000
http://www.theglaziergroup.com/restaurants/striphouse/
wednesday:
when i saw s'mac in the TFF guide, i knew i had to go. after what seemed like a long trek east, i found it! and after perusing through all the delicious options (and skipping over the light option -- i mean, it's mac 'n cheese, for pete's sake), i decided on the parisienne w/gruyere, figs, and shitake mushrooms. (seriously? seriously.) while the mac was certainly good, i must admit that, even after walking for what seemed like a billion avenues, the dish was still way too heavy for me. i suppose i didn't need to eat it all (especially since i'd ordered it to go and i'd only wanted a quick taste), but god knows i suck at portioning. (*sigh*) at any rate, i dedicate this meal to nida -- who absolutely LOOOOOOOVES mac 'n cheese. to you, nida -- CHEERS!
s'mac - sarita's macaroni & cheese
345 east 12th street
new york, ny 10003
212.358.7912
http://smacnyc.com/home.html
as soon as i found out that harold's restaurant was open, i knew i had to try it. i'd been waiting to get to perilla for months, so i was thrilled when silvia and joanne were up for yet another FDE. after going through the amazing menu (both online and in person), i decided on the flax seed crusted soft shell crab and the sauteed chinese broccoli & spinach. the crab was perfectly crispy and the veggies were totally yummilicious (especially w/chinese sausage tossed in -- YUM!). and to top off the meal, i picked out the vanilla scented doughnuts for dessert. even though i'm not the biggest fan of donuts generally, these were super light and uber delectable, especially when dipped in lemon curd or dark chocolate mousse (provided on the side). with the amazing ambiance and the fabulous food, the only thing missing was harold himself! mmm....
perilla restaurant
9 jones street
new york, ny 100014
212.929.6868
http://www.perillanyc.com/
thursday:
even though lunch was quick, it was great to touch base w/tara (and check out her amazing ring) and ev (who needs to check her dartmouth account more often -- HA!). to make it more convenient for ev, we decided on a thai place two steps from her office. the food was typical, but my duck was delicious. i think every neighborhood needs some local joints, and this place certainly fits the bill.
song kran
330 8th avenue
new york, ny 10001
212.239.8792
i'm one of those people that likes to make plans way ahead of time. which means i really appreciate it when other people want to make plans too! so i was delighted when deb wanted to make sure we met up before she headed out of town for her upcoming nuptials. as we conversed over wedding and post-wedding plans, we dined on some delicious sushi. while deb couldn't have any rice for passover, i decided to indulge in a spicy spider roll. and even though the waitstaff couldn't seem to agree on whether iced green tea was available (go figure!), the roll was yummy. plus our table by the window made for a nice and relaxing dining experience.
ko sushi
1329 2nd avenue
new york, ny 10021
212.439.1678
http://newkosushi.com/index.html
friday:
i'm so glad i got the chance to take a relaxing stroll through the union square greenmarket b/c it's one of my favorite places in the whole city. it's a foodie paradise, and top chefs go there, bright and early, several days a week. it's great to watch the vendors sell their wares and it's even better when they share them! as i walked through, i got to try samples of free-range meat (cooked, of course) and homemade jams (i chose apple butter over garlic jelly -- who wanted to walk away w/garlic on the tongue?). i even purchased some delicious iced mint green tea, which was totally refreshing, despite the nippy temperatures. i also passed by some delicious-looking cheese biscuits, but i decided to hold back. (it's so difficult sometimes. *sigh*) thank goodness i kept myself under control b/c i would've never been able to fit in lunch!
union square greenmarket
union square (duh, silly)
http://www.cenyc.org/
considering that i'd been munching the morning away, i didn't have much of an appetite for lunch. but seeing as how i really couldn't sit there and not eat (god forbid), i decided on an eel tempura roll. thankfully, it was light AND delicious. alex was also generous enough to share some of her sashimi lunch special, so i had a few yummilicious mackerel pieces as well. i wish i'd had enough room in my tummy to order the sukiyaki (which i'd loved when ev took me to this place many years ago, though she couldn't even remember the name when i asked her about it), but there was just no way. of course, this means i'll be back, right?
kodama sushi
301 west 45th street
new york, ny 10036
212.582.8065
saturday:
before i headed downtown to meet derek, i decided that i HAD to try josie's kitchen. i've always loved josie's west, so as soon as i saw josie's kitchen on soon's block (and josie's take-out menu in soon's kitchen drawer), i knew i was meant to try it. after scanning the menu quickly, i decided on some shi-shi iced tea ($5!! can you believe it??) and a dish of brown rice, egg whites, spinach, and chunks of (what i think was) ham. everything was quite delicious (AND healthy) and i had to keep from eating it all (or else risk not getting through my steak later in the night!).
josie's kitchen
1614 second avenue
new york, ny 10028
212.734.6644
http://www.josiesnyc.com/josie_kitchen/jk.html
seeing as how derek doesn't eat much red meat down in atlanta, he pretty much decided that we had to have it in new york. and seeing as how i'd really wanted him to visit this weekend, i pretty much had to concede. (though i suppose eating a big slab of juicy steak wouldn't necessarily be considered the biggest concession.) as a surprise, i invited soon, who brought along michelle, marissa, and ben. needless to say, i was more than a little concerned when derek promptly informed me (after the hostess confirmed my reservation for 6) that he doesn't like surprises. (eek!!!) and needless to say, i heaved a big sigh of relief when he actually enjoyed the company -- YAY! (some people are soooooo hard to please! =S)
more importantly though, we all REALLY enjoyed the food. derek and i shared the special 2-person rib eye, which came out perfectly done at medium rare -- a nice crispy sear with a just slightly warm pink interior. the rest of the table ordered the 1-person ribeye, the filet mignon, the new york strip, and the snapper. the red meat turned out to everyone's liking, but the snapper didn't fare well at all. derek and i have argued many a time over the nature and quality of non-steak dishes at steakhouses. his side: why would you ever order a non-steak dish at a a steakhouse? my side: if you're going to have a dish on the menu, it shouldn't taste like shit, steak or not. and that's that.
we decided to share sides at the table, so we ordered the crisp goose fat potatoes (which i wasn't going to touch w/a 10-foot pole), the black truffle creamed spinach (which i could smell as soon as the server set it down on the table -- mmm....), the sauteed wild mushrooms (which complete any meal), and the creamed corn w/pancetta (which was THAT much more delish w/a thin layer of breadcrumbs on top). we decided against appetizers what w/all the other food we ordered, but we were SOMEHOW able to fit in some sweets at the end. soon picked out some ice creams and marissa chose the apple dessert for the table to share. it was a perfect way to end off a really fun night! (let's not focus on the waiter who was having a totally off day and was unable to process our credit cards correctly -- even though we wrote out EVERY single transaction. he was nice so i won't call him incompetent, but GOOD GRIEF!)
strip house
13 east 12th street
new york, ny 10003
212.328.0000
http://www.theglaziergroup.com/restaurants/striphouse/
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
ford's filling station
today was my big day. my very big day. my i-can't-believe-it's-finally-over very big day. today i passed my orals, advanced to candidacy, and joined the ranks of the ABD. WOOHOO! many thanks to sylvia, mitch, pat, and belinda, who all signed my paperwork. to eri who has kept (and continues to keep) me sane by dealing w/all the nonsense in the world. to jarrett, lindsay, marina, and linda, for their ongoing support outside the HEOC fray. and to all those w/in HEOC who continue to support me even though i like to work under the radar.
to celebrate, i decided to splurge on a special dinner event at one of my favorite places in LA: ford's filling station. i thought it was quite cosmic that i found out about the event just days beforehand -- and even more cosmic that it was happening right after my defense! i was thrilled when i called and found out that i could still get a seat at the bar. of course, i would've loved to have gone out w/another foodie, but it was quite last-minute. plus, dani's not the biggest fan of ford's and mel's pockets were emptied recently by a lost wallet in DC. plus, most grad students just aren't willing to spend $75 on a meal. even if it IS celebratory.
at any rate, i decided that it was all a sign from above, and that i had to go and enjoy myself after many weeks/months of proposal angst. unfortunately, it didn't help that i was stuck on a super 12 bus that was moving as slow as molasses through afternoon traffic. thankfully, the bus driver graciously dropped me off at the corner of venice & bagley (which apparently was NOT a regular super 12 bus stop) and i was able to make it there just in time. not that it mattered, of course, b/c i wasn't seated for at least 10-15 minutes. *sigh* i suppose they could've moved faster in terms of seating everyon, but i think they might've been waiting for early dinner patrons to clear out on their own time. again, not that that it mattered, b/c i was too busy texting my good news to every other person in my phone. and, of course, people-watching.
as i walked in the door, i noticed this tall blonde woman who was dressed a tad skimpily for a dinner event. while she had a nice tattoo on her arm, the rest of her outfit was a bit much. when i looked again, i realized that it was the slightly less crazy aunt from sabrina the teenage witch! she was mingling with what seemed like a more modest bunch (compared to her at least), and they actually ended up sitting outside for a while (probably to avoid the slowly building crowd waiting to be seated). within 15 minutes or so, who walks in but mary sue milliken?! she walks up to the hostess (who recognizes her right away), and she (and her hubby) are promptly seated (of course) at the table closest to the kitchen. (cue seething jealousy music.)
at some point, the event started and i'd yet to be seated. thankfully, i was still texting like crazy, though it would've been nice to have been settled in before ben (ford) started speaking. at any rate, i had a nice view when he made his opening remarks. i loved the fact that he emphasized the importance of utilizing the whole animal and not letting anything go to waste. i also loved the fact that he said that he (and other chefs) like to go to local growers and ask what they need to get rid of. b/c ben (and chefs like him) could put crap on the table and people would dive right into it -- and be willing to pay $50/plate (if not more). i'm ecstatic when celebrities using their powers for good and not evil.
ben then introduced neal (fraser) whose grace dani and i both love. (jerry and teresa thought the food was slightly overpriced, but i'd vehemently argue otherwise.) apparently, ben and neal have known each other for YEARS. which i think is SO cool. i think it says a lot when people can maintain friendships for that long. and inspire each other to reach even greater heights, especially when they're in the same industry. neal also made some remarks about the role of chefs in supporting local growers and sustainable practices. again, totally admirable AND profitable. ben also introduced this other chef from a restaurant in SF that i've never heard of. considering that ben probably doesn't cavort with plebeians, i'm sure the guy's great. though he's no thomas keller, or else i'd have heard of him (and his restaurant) by now.
as a sidebar, i think it's interesting that my receipt indicated the *lecture* costing $75. i'm sure they just wanted to separate the special event profits from everything else. but considering that there was no more than 15 minutes of talk time, i found the *lecture* label amusing. i think it would've been nice to have more discussion of the food and the cooking techniques, but then again, i'm a nerd. i mean, wouldn't it be cool to hear a top chef share his culinary expertise? when would you get that up close and personal? isn't that what you're paying for? then again, we're in LA, so maybe the idea is just to see and be seen. bleh. no wonder i wanna get out of this city. (ok ok, must stop negativity.)
while it would've been nice to be at mary sue milliken's table (eating w/her and being oh-so-close to ben and neal), i must admit to really enjoying my seat at the bar. i'm not the biggest fan of bar stools, but other than that, the bartender (whose dinner recommendations i took wholeheartedly) was really attentive all night, and my random dinner friend (who turned out to be one of netta's professors) at the corner of the bar was totally fascinating. it's really nice to meet strangers who aren't totally bizarre. i mean, i'm a new yorker, so i'm wary about everyone and everything. which means it's that much cooler when i'm blown away by some random person being NOT skeevy or NOT insane. better yet, not both! needless to say, it was a good sign when he knew what advancing to candidacy meant. plus, when your random dinner friend talks about how his wife is hanging out with the "roman ladies" from her fulbright days, how his daughter writes with aimee bender (OMG!!), and how he started tap dancing at age 65, you know you're having great dinner conversation. (thanks john!)
while it's always hard to fully engage with your food when you're chatting up at a storm, i was keenly aware of why i was there in the first place. so i made sure to take good notes during the meal and to really savor every single bite -- or at least the ones i could get in before i was completely stuffed. i suppose it wasn't that good of an idea to set a full plate (that was normally shared by multiple people eating together) of baked flat bread in front of me. b/c even though i'm not the biggest fan of bread, i AM a big fan of the stuff you put on it. and this full plate included lardo (which is essentially a nice piece of FAT) and rillettes (which ultimately resembled pulled pork in terms of taste and consistency). don't get me wrong. it was DAMN GOOD. but of course, i ate the whole plate!! i know i know, i could've held back. but come ON. shi shi pulled pork? who could resist? (if you think otherwise, you're lying to yourself. even if you're jewish.)
i was mid-bite when john made some remark about how i was probably used to all this food what with my people eating it all the time. of course, that was the first remark he made (even though i noticed him staring at me eating for a while, which i thought was weird, but which i found out later was due to the fact that he was shocked at how i was inhaling the full plate of bread and FAT), so i took a bit of offense right away. thankfully, i was calm enough to inquire what he meant by his remark, and he was quick enough to indicate that his asian friends tended to be more carefree and relaxed about eating offal than his non-asian friends. whew! thank goodness he was quick, b/c who wants to start a race conversation at the dinner table? i mean, seriously.
the rest of the meal was quite delicious as well, though i could feel my tummy getting fuller and fuller with each plate. after i polished off the flat bread, i moved onto the lamb's tongue, which came w/fava beans grilled in their shells. the slight chewiness of the tongue was a good textural contrast to the mild graininess of the beans. and the spicy citrus flavor of the sauce (i sensed a drizzle of something) was an interesting flavor contrast to the saltiness of the dish. the bacon wrapped saddle of rabbit smelled like an indian or morroccan dish and came w/perfectly cooked polenta. the rabbit itself was a bit salty, but it could've been the meat or the sauce. by the time i got to the ragu napoletana, i was pretty much stuffed. (damn that bread! ARGH!) so while the plate was gorgeous in all its meaty glory (with meatballs, ribs, and short ribs), i didn't do too much besides push the meat back and forth on the plate. plus, i'm not the biggest fan of any sauce with a tomato base, so that was a further deterrent. i must admit that the few bites i had were pretty darn good, so perhaps i could've gotten over the sauce if my stomach had been more empty. there's no telling at this point.
of course, the night had to end w/dessert. and thankfully, it was something light. i finished off my absolutely fabulous meal w/a buttermilk panna cotta. i think i found the buttermilk a bit too sour for my liking, but i did appreciate that the sourness cut through the heaviness of all the meat i'd ingested in the preceding hours. and w/the biscotti, it was quite a nice ending. what made it even better was when ben came over to check on us (as he did w/all the patrons) and ask us how we enjoyed the meal. (OMG. he was so cute up close! i know, i'm such a girl.) at one point, john mentioned something about eating offal and ben realized he'd forgotten to cook up these chicken hearts. i immediately perked up and said 'i love chicken hearts!' (even though i think i might've only had chicken livers before). ben even said he could throw some on if we wanted, and of course i said 'YES!' unfortunately, he never came back. or if he did, we'd already left b/c he toook too long. i suppose it's the thought that counts. but how romantic would that have been for ben to cook up some chicken hearts JUST FOR ME?! (shut up. i'm telling you. it's romantic.)
let me end there b/c i'm getting all dreamy just thinking about me and ben. *sigh*
ford's filling station
9531 culver boulevard
culver city, ca 90232
310.202.1470
http://http://www.fordsfillingstation.net//
to celebrate, i decided to splurge on a special dinner event at one of my favorite places in LA: ford's filling station. i thought it was quite cosmic that i found out about the event just days beforehand -- and even more cosmic that it was happening right after my defense! i was thrilled when i called and found out that i could still get a seat at the bar. of course, i would've loved to have gone out w/another foodie, but it was quite last-minute. plus, dani's not the biggest fan of ford's and mel's pockets were emptied recently by a lost wallet in DC. plus, most grad students just aren't willing to spend $75 on a meal. even if it IS celebratory.
at any rate, i decided that it was all a sign from above, and that i had to go and enjoy myself after many weeks/months of proposal angst. unfortunately, it didn't help that i was stuck on a super 12 bus that was moving as slow as molasses through afternoon traffic. thankfully, the bus driver graciously dropped me off at the corner of venice & bagley (which apparently was NOT a regular super 12 bus stop) and i was able to make it there just in time. not that it mattered, of course, b/c i wasn't seated for at least 10-15 minutes. *sigh* i suppose they could've moved faster in terms of seating everyon, but i think they might've been waiting for early dinner patrons to clear out on their own time. again, not that that it mattered, b/c i was too busy texting my good news to every other person in my phone. and, of course, people-watching.
as i walked in the door, i noticed this tall blonde woman who was dressed a tad skimpily for a dinner event. while she had a nice tattoo on her arm, the rest of her outfit was a bit much. when i looked again, i realized that it was the slightly less crazy aunt from sabrina the teenage witch! she was mingling with what seemed like a more modest bunch (compared to her at least), and they actually ended up sitting outside for a while (probably to avoid the slowly building crowd waiting to be seated). within 15 minutes or so, who walks in but mary sue milliken?! she walks up to the hostess (who recognizes her right away), and she (and her hubby) are promptly seated (of course) at the table closest to the kitchen. (cue seething jealousy music.)
at some point, the event started and i'd yet to be seated. thankfully, i was still texting like crazy, though it would've been nice to have been settled in before ben (ford) started speaking. at any rate, i had a nice view when he made his opening remarks. i loved the fact that he emphasized the importance of utilizing the whole animal and not letting anything go to waste. i also loved the fact that he said that he (and other chefs) like to go to local growers and ask what they need to get rid of. b/c ben (and chefs like him) could put crap on the table and people would dive right into it -- and be willing to pay $50/plate (if not more). i'm ecstatic when celebrities using their powers for good and not evil.
ben then introduced neal (fraser) whose grace dani and i both love. (jerry and teresa thought the food was slightly overpriced, but i'd vehemently argue otherwise.) apparently, ben and neal have known each other for YEARS. which i think is SO cool. i think it says a lot when people can maintain friendships for that long. and inspire each other to reach even greater heights, especially when they're in the same industry. neal also made some remarks about the role of chefs in supporting local growers and sustainable practices. again, totally admirable AND profitable. ben also introduced this other chef from a restaurant in SF that i've never heard of. considering that ben probably doesn't cavort with plebeians, i'm sure the guy's great. though he's no thomas keller, or else i'd have heard of him (and his restaurant) by now.
as a sidebar, i think it's interesting that my receipt indicated the *lecture* costing $75. i'm sure they just wanted to separate the special event profits from everything else. but considering that there was no more than 15 minutes of talk time, i found the *lecture* label amusing. i think it would've been nice to have more discussion of the food and the cooking techniques, but then again, i'm a nerd. i mean, wouldn't it be cool to hear a top chef share his culinary expertise? when would you get that up close and personal? isn't that what you're paying for? then again, we're in LA, so maybe the idea is just to see and be seen. bleh. no wonder i wanna get out of this city. (ok ok, must stop negativity.)
while it would've been nice to be at mary sue milliken's table (eating w/her and being oh-so-close to ben and neal), i must admit to really enjoying my seat at the bar. i'm not the biggest fan of bar stools, but other than that, the bartender (whose dinner recommendations i took wholeheartedly) was really attentive all night, and my random dinner friend (who turned out to be one of netta's professors) at the corner of the bar was totally fascinating. it's really nice to meet strangers who aren't totally bizarre. i mean, i'm a new yorker, so i'm wary about everyone and everything. which means it's that much cooler when i'm blown away by some random person being NOT skeevy or NOT insane. better yet, not both! needless to say, it was a good sign when he knew what advancing to candidacy meant. plus, when your random dinner friend talks about how his wife is hanging out with the "roman ladies" from her fulbright days, how his daughter writes with aimee bender (OMG!!), and how he started tap dancing at age 65, you know you're having great dinner conversation. (thanks john!)
while it's always hard to fully engage with your food when you're chatting up at a storm, i was keenly aware of why i was there in the first place. so i made sure to take good notes during the meal and to really savor every single bite -- or at least the ones i could get in before i was completely stuffed. i suppose it wasn't that good of an idea to set a full plate (that was normally shared by multiple people eating together) of baked flat bread in front of me. b/c even though i'm not the biggest fan of bread, i AM a big fan of the stuff you put on it. and this full plate included lardo (which is essentially a nice piece of FAT) and rillettes (which ultimately resembled pulled pork in terms of taste and consistency). don't get me wrong. it was DAMN GOOD. but of course, i ate the whole plate!! i know i know, i could've held back. but come ON. shi shi pulled pork? who could resist? (if you think otherwise, you're lying to yourself. even if you're jewish.)
i was mid-bite when john made some remark about how i was probably used to all this food what with my people eating it all the time. of course, that was the first remark he made (even though i noticed him staring at me eating for a while, which i thought was weird, but which i found out later was due to the fact that he was shocked at how i was inhaling the full plate of bread and FAT), so i took a bit of offense right away. thankfully, i was calm enough to inquire what he meant by his remark, and he was quick enough to indicate that his asian friends tended to be more carefree and relaxed about eating offal than his non-asian friends. whew! thank goodness he was quick, b/c who wants to start a race conversation at the dinner table? i mean, seriously.
the rest of the meal was quite delicious as well, though i could feel my tummy getting fuller and fuller with each plate. after i polished off the flat bread, i moved onto the lamb's tongue, which came w/fava beans grilled in their shells. the slight chewiness of the tongue was a good textural contrast to the mild graininess of the beans. and the spicy citrus flavor of the sauce (i sensed a drizzle of something) was an interesting flavor contrast to the saltiness of the dish. the bacon wrapped saddle of rabbit smelled like an indian or morroccan dish and came w/perfectly cooked polenta. the rabbit itself was a bit salty, but it could've been the meat or the sauce. by the time i got to the ragu napoletana, i was pretty much stuffed. (damn that bread! ARGH!) so while the plate was gorgeous in all its meaty glory (with meatballs, ribs, and short ribs), i didn't do too much besides push the meat back and forth on the plate. plus, i'm not the biggest fan of any sauce with a tomato base, so that was a further deterrent. i must admit that the few bites i had were pretty darn good, so perhaps i could've gotten over the sauce if my stomach had been more empty. there's no telling at this point.
of course, the night had to end w/dessert. and thankfully, it was something light. i finished off my absolutely fabulous meal w/a buttermilk panna cotta. i think i found the buttermilk a bit too sour for my liking, but i did appreciate that the sourness cut through the heaviness of all the meat i'd ingested in the preceding hours. and w/the biscotti, it was quite a nice ending. what made it even better was when ben came over to check on us (as he did w/all the patrons) and ask us how we enjoyed the meal. (OMG. he was so cute up close! i know, i'm such a girl.) at one point, john mentioned something about eating offal and ben realized he'd forgotten to cook up these chicken hearts. i immediately perked up and said 'i love chicken hearts!' (even though i think i might've only had chicken livers before). ben even said he could throw some on if we wanted, and of course i said 'YES!' unfortunately, he never came back. or if he did, we'd already left b/c he toook too long. i suppose it's the thought that counts. but how romantic would that have been for ben to cook up some chicken hearts JUST FOR ME?! (shut up. i'm telling you. it's romantic.)
let me end there b/c i'm getting all dreamy just thinking about me and ben. *sigh*
ford's filling station
9531 culver boulevard
culver city, ca 90232
310.202.1470
http://http://www.fordsfillingstation.net//
Saturday, April 12, 2008
pampas grill
as part of a lovely study day w/marina, we got to take a delicious dinner break at pampas grill, located in the heart of the culver center. (granted, i had no idea what and where the culver center was until tonight, but now i know.)
seeing as how i have to wake up at 6:45AM for my 5K run tomorrow, all i really have to say is that the meal was quick and fabulous. you pick up a tray, you pick up a plate, you pick through the salad bar, you pick through the meat, you pick up a drink, you pick up a chocolate, and you pay. BAM! there's your meal.
my favorites: the caesar salad (basic), the eggplant salad (yummy), the yucca flour w/bacon bits (delish), the collard greens (fresh), the cheese bread (marina's fave), the chicken stew (saucy), the eggplant lasagna (tasty considering that it was pasta), and the grilled lamb (which was the only thing i got off the skewers and which was perfectly cooked -- crispy outside, moist inside). i skipped the soda for the chocolate, which was totally the right decision. and i made it out of there w/o feeling completely stuffed and/or sick. HURRAH!
i just checked the business card and it's apparently the same place that i love at the farmer's market! i could've sworn there were more varied cuts at the farmer's market, but it's been so long that i can't say for sure. i suppose i'll just have to go back and check it out. oh, the things i must do for the integrity of this blog....
pampas grill
3857 overland avenue
culver city, ca 90232
310.836.0080
http://www.pampas-grill.com/
seeing as how i have to wake up at 6:45AM for my 5K run tomorrow, all i really have to say is that the meal was quick and fabulous. you pick up a tray, you pick up a plate, you pick through the salad bar, you pick through the meat, you pick up a drink, you pick up a chocolate, and you pay. BAM! there's your meal.
my favorites: the caesar salad (basic), the eggplant salad (yummy), the yucca flour w/bacon bits (delish), the collard greens (fresh), the cheese bread (marina's fave), the chicken stew (saucy), the eggplant lasagna (tasty considering that it was pasta), and the grilled lamb (which was the only thing i got off the skewers and which was perfectly cooked -- crispy outside, moist inside). i skipped the soda for the chocolate, which was totally the right decision. and i made it out of there w/o feeling completely stuffed and/or sick. HURRAH!
i just checked the business card and it's apparently the same place that i love at the farmer's market! i could've sworn there were more varied cuts at the farmer's market, but it's been so long that i can't say for sure. i suppose i'll just have to go back and check it out. oh, the things i must do for the integrity of this blog....
pampas grill
3857 overland avenue
culver city, ca 90232
310.836.0080
http://www.pampas-grill.com/
venice grind
although there's no AC (!!) at this cute little coffee shop in mar vista, there IS (thankfully) free wireless, a lot of perfectly-sized, single-occupancy square tables, a cute back patio, and a delicious selection of eats & drinks (including this yummilicious quiche that i keep eyeing but have no tummy room for at the moment -- *sigh*).
marina and i are currently sitting here with our lovely laptops (w/their lovely HUGE screens -- i can't stand tiny screens. i mean, way to go BLIND.) and it's a great way to spend a day with a friend while simultaneously getting work done. granted, it's not a great way to get HARDCORE work done, but if you're just going through your emails and lots of little tasks, isn't it more fun to be doing that stuff w/someone else around? plus, you get to get out of the house. (which is always a good thing. unless it's raining, i suppose....)
i've been sitting here for the last few hours, just working on the final details of my big presentation. and it's surprising how time flies even when you're staring at the same slides over and over. but i suppose there's no way to achieve perfection, no matter how much effort you put into something. (even if you're type A! which, um, i'm not saying i am or anything....)
i love lazy weekend days. when i'm not really stressed or worried about anything. these kinds of days are rare. which is why i'm so intent on not letting them get ruined.
for example, i'm sitting here while this random, sketchy-looking dude is babbling on to this girl that i don't even think knows him. b/c she keeps staring at her computer screen, pretending not to notice him babbling on incessantly. and all i wanna do is get up and choke this dude, who obviously has a mental condition and doesn't realize he's being a complete nuisance. but i won't. b/c she obviously has enough patience to deal w/him. and i don't really want a murder charge on my record. though i really really REALLY want to stab him in the jugular right now. is that bad?
i can see it now....
ASIAN GIRL UNLEASES FURY AT NEIGHBORHOOD COFFEE SHOP
venice grind
12224 venice boulevard
mar vista, ca 90066
310.397.2227
http://www.venicegrind.com/
marina and i are currently sitting here with our lovely laptops (w/their lovely HUGE screens -- i can't stand tiny screens. i mean, way to go BLIND.) and it's a great way to spend a day with a friend while simultaneously getting work done. granted, it's not a great way to get HARDCORE work done, but if you're just going through your emails and lots of little tasks, isn't it more fun to be doing that stuff w/someone else around? plus, you get to get out of the house. (which is always a good thing. unless it's raining, i suppose....)
i've been sitting here for the last few hours, just working on the final details of my big presentation. and it's surprising how time flies even when you're staring at the same slides over and over. but i suppose there's no way to achieve perfection, no matter how much effort you put into something. (even if you're type A! which, um, i'm not saying i am or anything....)
i love lazy weekend days. when i'm not really stressed or worried about anything. these kinds of days are rare. which is why i'm so intent on not letting them get ruined.
for example, i'm sitting here while this random, sketchy-looking dude is babbling on to this girl that i don't even think knows him. b/c she keeps staring at her computer screen, pretending not to notice him babbling on incessantly. and all i wanna do is get up and choke this dude, who obviously has a mental condition and doesn't realize he's being a complete nuisance. but i won't. b/c she obviously has enough patience to deal w/him. and i don't really want a murder charge on my record. though i really really REALLY want to stab him in the jugular right now. is that bad?
i can see it now....
ASIAN GIRL UNLEASES FURY AT NEIGHBORHOOD COFFEE SHOP
venice grind
12224 venice boulevard
mar vista, ca 90066
310.397.2227
http://www.venicegrind.com/
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