Christmas Wish List

!!!!
Hint hint...ahem.

Sublet!

It's winter and I have a new playlist.

It's about time I switched from summer music into winter music mode. Please don't hesitate to indulge and be practiced up for sing alongs :) Mesorimer even has a Christmas tree!



1) The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down: The Band
2) In the Light of the Moon: Big Blood
3) Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: Bob Dylan
4) Flume: Bon Iver
5) Hologram Buffalo: Brightblack Morning Light
6) Bruises: Chairlift
7) Wild Tigers I Have Known: Emily Jane White
8) Sunshine City: Forest Fire
9) Lollipop: Lil Wayne
10) Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet): Lucinda Williams
11) Breaking It Up: Lykke Li
12) Paper Planes: M.I.A.
13) How Soon Is Now: Morrissey
14) Not Right, You Know: Phosphorescent
15) Fake Plastic Trees: Radiohead
16) Whatever You Like: T.I.
17) Lord: Sleepy Sun
18) Taking The Farm: War On Drugs
19) I Shall Be Released: Wilco w/Fleet Foxes

Rabbit Hole

The Rabbit Hole is a delicious and cozy watering hole on Bedford with great natural light (often a factor overlooked in many of my reviews). The vibe and scene is for sure Williamsburg but it doesn't have the same overcrowded uber trendy vibe that many Bedford spots have. I ordered the Thai Chicken soup with buckwheat noodles and a vanilla green tea which were both excellent. HOWEVER, the baked eggs were completely bland and undesirable. Plus they weren't even baked, they were poached with hardened yolks (blah) atop a piece of toast with flavorless chard and soggy onions. The waitress was far too cute and nice to cause any sort of commotion with. It mine as well be called an eggs benedict...Thank god for the soup. I'm going again but waiting until it's warm enough to sit in the fabulous looking back patio but skipping the baked eggs.

Hotel Delmano

13 bucks for a drink??? Once in a while it's worth it to throw down a few extra dollars for drinks made with fresh ingredients such as egg white, ginger and elderberry water BUT the bill adds up FAST so drink slow. The place has the potential of turning into a pretentious malaisey (is that a word?) lounge but for now it's perfect and addictive. Oh yeah, the nuts=spectacular. Make sure to ask for the spicy deep fried nuts mmmmm. Keep in mind we are in rough times with the economy and all so it may be wiser to stick to the pbr at your local dive.

Broadway East

It's taken me a little while to write about Saturday night at Broadway East. It was kind of a whirlwind of flavors and entertainment but in a really good way. We devoured everything vegetarian in all its glory: samosas, a salmon burger, and croquettes in this great metropolisy bar in the back of the restaurant before heading up stairs to see Oh Land. The artist of the exhibition has the most breathtakingly beautiful girlfriend who performed in back of a booth filled room. All of her Swedish minions tagged along and were equally as beautifully. I'm so fascinated with Stockholm and want to find a way to go- who is in?

Boulder or bust

I'm back in Boulder for the week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

TGI- Twilight

That's right folks...I'm 12 for today. I scrambled to buy Twilight tickets for tonight's show and I just wish this day would hurry up and be 10:20 already.

I know it's a busy time of year but the series of 4 books around 600 pages each is totally worth being a winter hermit. Dooooo it.

It's so Lady and the Tramp...but not

There's no spaghetti or meatballs but the single pizzas and lasagna are always to my liking in this little Greenwich village caffe. The best part is, is that you can enjoy the great outdoors by not being outdoors, if you catch my drift... It's great for any occasion and the service is usually exceptional except for the cranky manager who was screaming at the bartender in training right in front of us. This happened a long time ago and I had almost blocked it out of my memory until it percolated into my psyche just this moment! All in all, I like eating there but I don't think I'd ever accept a job with this business.

Miller's Long Island Ale House

We took Lex to Ale House for a belated birthday party after the Liberty Science Center. I'm not a sports bar kinda gal but this is the BEST wing spot I've ever encountered. Even though Ale House resides in Weirdville we had the friendliest most efficient waitress who genuinely liked us...for us. Not an ounce of NYC pretentious. If I had a car I'd go back often with no hesitation and make sure to wear my Elway jersey. The bottomless fountain soda, wings, cheese fries, nachos, and captain jack ice cream cake will keep me happily full for a week.

Liberty Science Center

If you can get your hands on any sort of car and want to transport back to 5th grade go here. We took Lex on a birthday rendez-vous to Ale House (her favorite wing spot ever) and had the most fun filled 3 hours of our lives at the Liberty Science Center. We watched "Prehistoric Sea Monsters" in the IMAX dome (the largest IMAX in the world) and meandered through different interactive exhibits. One employee asked us if we were in Highschool due to my stellar spelling capabilities. Ha! We were having so much fun that Kim felt a little overwhelmed at one point and needed time to regroup.

Homemade Gnocci with brown butter sage sauce

Yesterday was an indoor movie watching don't-go-outside kinda day. I had a wild ambitious hair to make homemade gnocchi. It was much easier than I thought and turned out pretty darn delicious.

Recipe for gnocchi:
2 Ibs. russet potatoes boiled for 45 minutes then peel
1/4 cup beaten egg
3/4 cup flour

knead it all together and roll out into long doughy snakes. Divide into 1 inch pieces and press with a fork. Ready to boil. Once they float to the top they're done unless you take the next step and quickly sear them (I did and worth it).

Sage Sauce:

3 Tablespoons Earth Balance olive oil spread
1 garlic clove chopped up
1/2 onion
as much fresh sage as you desire...I added 10-15 leaves
7 sliced shitake mushrooms
cherry tomatoes sliced in half
saute and simmer 15 minutes

Quote of the day

I'm reading Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast and came across this great quote I'd like to share:
"They say the seeds of what we will do are in all of us, but it always seemed to me that in those who make jokes in life the seeds are covered with better soil and with a higher grade of manure."

Abistro- Supper for Jenn

We swept Jenn off of her feet to Fort Greene for her birthday dinner at Abistro. The wait was long for my grumbling stomach but it did not matter because we were served wine outside to hush our impatience. I have never been anywhere in NYC that allows this, I hope the restaurant does not put an to it if it becomes some sort of moral conundrum because it's FANTASTIC. Because there were seven of us we ordered every single appetizer: the plantain fried gnocchi, araka (fish fritters), macaroni and cheese (better than smack), grilled calamari and coconut plantains in coconut oil with maple syrup. Our waitress B was sweet, sharp, articulate and one of the best waitresses I've ever had. For my main course I had a heaping bowl of spicy sweet potato soup and empanadas. I love Fort Greene and I love Abistro. We laughed, we sang, we stuffed ourselves and made some friends along the way.

Fiore

1) Homemade pasta mmmm.

2) Huge servings easy to share.

3) Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!

4) Friendly and knowledgeable bartender Lilly gave us the perfect recommendation of wine for the meal.

Cons:

1) Waitress kept filling our wine each time it was half empty and our bottle was gone before our meal came (I'm a big girl I can fill my own glass thanks).

2) Waitress kept coming over and interrupting our conversation when we obviously were not ready to order nor had questions.

3) Waitress made us feel rushed.

4) I think Fiore should dump the waitress.

Puppy in the house

I'm a born again American with new hope. On November 5, the day after the election, bitter, jaded New Yorkers walked on clouds clicking their heels and high-fiving throughout the trains.

A new chapter has begun and I feel a huge sense of accomplishment, we all deserve a pat on the back!

I voted!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/04/us/politics/04guide.html?hp

VOTE!

Lucky #7

In between Bat Mitzvah planing, I took a pit stop at Zabars coffee next to the the infamous Zabars market. It is the quintessential hub for many residents of New York. While peacefully reading my book I could not help but eaves drop on a conversation next to me between two men in their seventies. The volume of their voices kept raising so everybody was obviously eavesdropping. Man #1 was insisting and quite flummoxed that EVERYBODY'S lucky number is 7, duh! The other guy was insisting that he was wrong because his was 89 (he's lived on 89th street for 30 years and "you can always find what you need on 89th street.") The conversation heated up until everybody at the long communal table said their lucky numbers aloud. Mine happens to be 7 and another girls happened to be 7! Man #1 left with a happy content smile on his face. I left with a happy smile on my face and rejuvenated for the second half of my day. Go to Zabars.

A constructive yet not so advantageous day.

Happy Day Light Savings! Today was a delicious Autumn Day and perfect for roaming the streets of New York. Lex and I, bright eyed and bushy tailed, headed up to Central Park to check out the new Chanel monument. Sadly we could not get in because it is sold out FOREVER (no joke). The polite security guard confided that we weren't really missing out on the art on the inside that the building itself is the most intriguing aspect. After traipsing around the monument we wandered over to the finish line of the NYC Marathon. Hooray!
Lex being a designer and all wanted to checkout the Museum of Arts and Design so we eagerly walked over not realizing that we would hit some major foot traffic on the way there. By the time we arrived the stairs were closed and the polite attendant told us people were "angry" because of the lines for the elevator so she did not suggest paying for admission. Thanks I appreciate it and I will definitely be back. I'm no architect so I would love an explanation about the architectural significance of the structure. Of course we had to take a trip through the gift shop and I give it two thumbs up and I left with this orange monster place mat!

The Republic of Kalen

Back in the day I lived in the republic of Chinatown NYC on Grand and Forsyth. I rented a cozy not so cozy tenement apartment overlooking a park filled with Tae Chi-ers and Chinese men clustered together smoking, snorting, spitting and possibly talking about the days "fresh" fish. Coming home from a long days work uptown, I retreated into my own republic of Kalen. I did not have to worry about construction workers cat calling "Mami, heyyy Mami, I love you" or having to look presentable in the least. Instead, I appreciated the comforts of the best but probably most unhealthy food that NYC has to offer. My two favorite restaurants reside in this area. One of which New Green Bo but changed to Nice Green Boe after I left has the best scallion pancakes, sesame cold noodle, Sesame Chicken (white meat!) and soup dumplings. You must go, it drives any tastebuds into toothsome heaven. I hear it's not as good if you're vegetarian so I would drop the schtick for one day and try it. It's BYOB and most of the time you get this waitress who looks like she's landed from Mars.

I probably should have done two posts because it's far too lengthy and you've given up reading this by now. BUT my other favorite restaurant is Pho Grand on Grand and Forsyth. I feel amazing, sheltered, cozy, and safe when in the presence of Pho Grand. The lemongrass tofu (#94) is the bomb even if you aren't a tofu lover. This is what I miss most about my Chinatown digs. Not the mouse ridden apartment but the superfluous flow of greasy laden food filled with cats and MSG and everything in between.

Sammy's Roumanian Steak House

It's windy and spitting rain out but slightly enjoyable. I'm inside, full as can be after cooking heuvos tostadas but I can't stop thinking of this, but why? I don't recall enjoying the meal in the least but the Bar Mitzvah vibe throughout is priceless (especially the entertainer who plays endless Fidler on the Roof tunes). I think it's just nostalgia, it ain't what it used to be, thinking of one of the few times I've felt like myself. Don't go for the food whatever you do (it's salty, overcooked and tres cher) but the atmosphere is unbeatable.

More Lykke Li

My dear friend Annie introduced me to LaBlogotheque and I am forever grateful for this find!

A sad day...

I foolishly stumbled up the subway steps last night causing a pile up on my poor foot and yes I was stone cold sober. It is now swollen, bruised and mangled and I have to wear a ski boot type device for four weeks!! I'm in need of a cheer up.

I want

to eat these all day and night!

http://burprecipes.blogspot.com/2008/10/whole-grain-pumpkin-pancakes.html

Autumn Appreciation Awareness Day

I had a happy dose of Autumn Appreciation day with some buds at Storm King Art Center. Well worth the hour and a half drive to observe the leaves turn with modern sculptures speckled throughout the 500 acre landscape. Thanks Jeff via Daniel via Brandon for the best Autumn tunes I've heard in a long while: Download Forest Fires- Survive!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jnt/

Maiden Hong Kong

I got these high wasted Hampton's shorts here. It's a few blocks south of Metropolitan filled with vintage items for young ladies and gents. The dressing room is a must see as far as ambiance and decor go (I'm being honest, I usually don't think twice about how a dressing room is going to look). The owner always gives off a relaxed quiet vibe in comparison to an employee at the Bodyshop or Gap only hungry for a sale.

Calling all burroughs!!!

It's time...no matter where you live to take the L train out to the Jefferson stop to North East Kingdom. You can make a night of having cheap delicious beers (the Hop-Obama) or a long five course meal at a very decent price (entrees average around $18). It entertains the carnivores and the vegans with dabbling in between. Jeff and I sat at the bar and received wonderful customer service by the staff. After having a meal there it becomes clear that not only do the clientele want to wine and dine in a laid back sophisticated atmosphere but the staff are equally as excited to be apart of this. Their menu changes with season because they receive all of their produce from a farm up the Hudson. One of my top favorite places in NY...go go go.

Who rocked the party?

We rocked the party...in VIP.

http://perezhilton.com/2008-10-14-what-are-they-smoking

Delicatessen

Booooo for the it new comfort food of soho. My halibut tacos with kimchi sour cream in a wonton wrapper sounded delightful on the menu but tasted like an old tuna fish sammy in my mouth. The cheeseburger spring rolls should be called meatloaf springrolls (barf) and the chicken in a bucket was eh. We thought we could redeem wing night with the black and white cookie sundae dessert but it made matters worse. Overall, I'm lying in bed with a belly ache vowing not to go back to this way too trendy spot. To make matters worse at the end of the meal I went downstairs to the toilet which had leftovers overflowing from the toilet. That's all.

Stitch up my hole please.

Stitch boutique is a fantastic Chicago boutique run by my friend Maggie. Even though I have not been in the actual store itself, I love love love their Fall bag collection. Maggie provided me with stellar customer service via phone and I could not be more excited to shop there again. They have an unusual eclectic mix of accessories, jewelry and housewares. I'm happy it's far away because my wallet would be forever empty.

Wombat

I'm not sure why I've been avoiding this spot but last night Jeff and I took the plunge down under and boy oh boy were we pleased with the results. Our waitress was the friendliest midwesterner there ever was who kept calling me "me lady" and informed us that Stella Artois is from Medieval times! We started with mussels (always good) and an arugula, goatcheese, pistachio and pomegranite salad. The fish and chips was a great entree but my heart was with the goat cheese salad. We were immediately seated on a Friday night at 8pm and we enjoyed free dessert on the house for just being us.

Off the hook...

and totally off topic but if somebody buys this for me I will give foot massages for life...

http://www.oaknyc.com/women/shop-by-brand/lindsey-thornburg/lindsey-thornburg-mid-red

5 Friends Uncensored

Moto Mama

It's good, simple, cheap and there are no snears if a glass breaks. The unmarked restaurant hangs out under the JMZ with a bicycle hanging below the front door and inside is a European apothecary feel. Moto seems like a great retreat in the winter days even if it's two hours of coffee binging and soup slurping. Although I have never been in the winter I like to plan ahead.

Manamanamanamana

Dear Mana,
I enjoy your friendly Turkish girls who welcome me early in the morning with an iced coffee just the way they like it. At first I didn't want to trust her taste but she assured me HER way was the best. I agree. You've also improved your falafels. I like when I get all the veggies. However, it's wayyyy tooooo Hhhhhooottt in there. I think it's becoming a problem. Good thing winter's on its way.
Sincerely,
Kiki Colore

No slurping necessary

This is not a typical restaurant that I would go to on a random Wednesday night for dinner. However, when Abi Kaplan's in town we have exceptions. My second visit to Stanton Social was just as fantastic if even better than the first time. This trendy, pricey, lower eastside restaurant stands up to all the hub-bub despite the bridge and tunnel crowd it attracts.

The drinks are delicious and the best part is that the French Onion soup is presented in dumpling form!!! The other food was delicious but I was totally sold and blinded by the light of the beauty of the soup dumpling. I would go if you have a parent or a friends parent who wants to take friends who like to share to a memorable dinner.

Monday monday...

I was having a case of the Mondays and decided that the only sufficient pick me up was to eat at Lil Frankies for dinner. I'm more than satisfied except once for brunch because my friend drank coffee and almost had a heart attack in his seat but otherwise it's always SPLENDID. Sometimes the staff are questionable. For instance, last night the hostess acted as tho she had a large pitchfork stuck up her bum when I politely asked her how long the wait was. She didn't even find us when our table was ready! On the other hand, the bartender was wonderful and my kind of friendly. We even had matching name plate necklaces except mine was cooler because it says my horses name from when I was a wee cowgirl and hers was just an astrological sign.

Back to the meal...it was absolutely delicious. The rigatoni had delectable baby meatballs in ragu. We entered food coma within 15 minutes but never slowed. The Prosciutto di Parma Pizza was also delicious but there was a mountain of arugula and my mouth can't even open up wide enough for it to possibly fit. Go Mondays to avoid a long wait but don't wander too far because the hostess may skip you.

The hood

Woah...Happy September!

Watching...Waiting...commiserating.

It's the friendliest customer service making me want to go back but I'm going to skip the arepas next time. I feel bad saying this because the ambiance and staff were so hospitable (they turned on Blink 182 suspecting it was our favorite band) I couldn't release my wrath but the arepas were absolutely flavorless and too doughy.  I have an inkling that the brunch is much more worthwhile.

Best bagel of the millenium!

This was a tough one for me only because I have been an H & H lover since I moved here but I had to give the best bagel of the millenium award to Tal bagels. It really came down to the customer service. The guys there are so damn friendly and always say "you come back now, ya here?" Or something along those lines. Go go go- even if you're on a low carb diet. They've got something for everyone.

Happy birthday Kikillah!

Yep...good food, good company and it's Christmas x 1000! What more could a girl ask for on her birthday? Birthday or no birthday this place is cheap, byob, casual, and hella entertaining. The vegetable samosas are good and fried, just how I like em while my Chicken Tikka Makni was delicious, spicy and creamy. I'm always very satisfied with my dishes no matter how divergent the tastes may be. Jay ordered the best dish but it was called dildar something something but we kept calling it dildo...hehe. It was actually my 15th birthday not 24th. Some describe this place as being slightly on the "tacky" side but it's important to let loose and get into the holiday spirit! I will go back a thousand more times.

Yay!

This song makes me excited and sad at the same time. It makes me happy because Lykke Li is the bomb but it makes me sad because her show on the 28th is sold out :( Does anybody have a ticket for Jenn and I?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUC0ezAlHwE

A flaming ball of heirloom

Not! Vine restaurant on the wee tip of the Northfork has some commendable dishes (crab cake w/mango salsa and macaroni and cheese with truffle oil and mushrooms) however the Heirloom tomato situation made me sad :( The heirloom mozzarella salad ($13) contained not even a hardy piece of heirloom! In fact the salad consisted of ALL cherry tomatoes with a small piece of a brandywine. I asked the waitress just to make sure she was aware of the issue and I concluded that she had no idea of what an heirloom could be. Us ladies did not let the issue at hand get us down...We topped our night off with some ice cream at the infamous Nina's and had a very memorable experience star gazing in the grass. I have posted some pictures so everybody can familiarize themselves with these beautiful and precious fruits!

Sunset playground

I LOVE Sunset Beach! Sunset Beach is a fantastic getaway from the crazy no-good-hassle of the Hamptons. It is located on the beautiful Shelter Island located smack dab between the North and South Fork. The quaint uncharted territory emulates the south of France and is full of expats from Europe who either work or loiter on the premises. I have only been early in the night but I hear it turns into a name dropping staring contest. eeek! (come early and hangout on the beach the rest of the day).
I started with a delicious Calamari Salad drizzled with a carrot ginger dressing and Mussels in a buttery, white wine garlic sauce... The broth was the best part of the meal and I slurped it up in the most polite pinkies-up-ladies-who-lunch kind of way. Donna spilled her $15 Bellini all over herself and the waitress even brought her a free one without us having to ask. Phew! Our service was good except for the food taking a tad too long and I noticed a waitress (thankfully not ours) who had a big stick up her you know what.

Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

It's all small stuff. Isn't that genius?
Spending August in "the country" takes more energy to amuse one self especially when you are friendless in these parts. Well not anymore. I have found my new favorite bible located in the pool house bathroom but I managed to sneak it out. It's called "Don't Sweat The Small Stuff..." by Richard Carlson Phd.
There's even a whole chapter dedicated to patience which, if you know me, I have a difficult time with. Here are a few of Richard's ideas:
1) Make peace with imperfection.
2) Let go of the idea that gentle, relaxed people can't be super achievers.
3) Don't interrupt others or finish their last sentence (ahem).
4) Do something nice for someone else and don't tell ANYONE about it.
5) If someone throws you the ball, you don't have to catch it.