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.

A freak of paprika

Yesterday I took a nice evening jaunt over to Lathams farm stand after smelling the fresh cut basil from a mile away. It's not only the most beautiful view in Long Island but it has the freshest assortment of beautiful fruits, vegetables and herbs that I've ever laid eyes on. The price is great and the farmer gave me samples of different types of heirloom tomatoes which are only around in August!

Bon voyage NYC!

I am traveling out to the village of Orient for the week. I currently have a man snoring on my lap and a lady eating a banana next to me (fyi I hate bananas).
I am trying to mind my own business and not make a fuss so THIS does not happen to me!

Gusto prices

Gusto is a new all organic joint on 14th and 6th ave.  Going along with the theme of it being the summer of empanadas and all, I heard that they make good ones so I trekked over to find one.  I was also looking for some AC with it being hotter than Haitis out.   The restaurant was huge and empty and now I know why.  Organic shmorganic. If you are going to cut down an entire rain forest to build your over sized uncomfortable chairs then isn't that defeating the whole point of saving ourselves by eating healthy?  I ordered a carne empanada that was good but it was no Venezuelan empanada.  It was also two bites and five dollars!!!!!!   Gusto- if you are going to charge these prices you will need a money tree growing out of your "organic" wooden patio in the front.  That's all.

Monkeying around

Monkey Town! That's right folks...I said Monkey Town.  The garage warehouse-esque restaurant/theater has reopened after a month of renovations.  The mole enchiladas were delicious but a HUGE portion.  I could have split it with my table and still been full.  Our service was great and the manager was super excited to make sure we got back to see the movie even though it was sold out.  

The movie room made me feel like I was in a surreal dream like fort that I relentlessly tried to build as a kid. 

Daft Punk's mystic road trip (showing in the dreamy fort) was less than desirable.   I was so bored after 5 minutes I'm not even sure if hallucinogenics could have helped the situation.  Clearly, the ladies and I don't take ourselves serious enough because we had more fun taking pictures with the make believe lady in the bathroom and putting the table adornments in our hair.

When the world is puddle wonderful...

My favorite description in any poem. I know I'm supposed to be reviewing customer service and food but I came upon this pretty little poem and had to post it. Have a nice weekend! Chansons Innocentes: I
by E. E. Cummings
in Just- spring when the world is mud- luscious the little lame balloonman whistles far and wee and eddieandbill come running from marbles and piracies and it's spring when the world is puddle-wonderful the queerold balloonman whistles far and wee and bettyandisbel come dancing from hop-scotch and jump-rope and it's spring and the goat-footed balloonMan whistles far and wee

She is better than the Iron Chef.

She is my Mom.
Here is a special recipe called: Want to try something really refreshing? Chilled Cucumber Soup!

Peel and seed 3-4 cucumbers chopped into 1”chunks

½ of a large sweet onion in chunks

2 cloves garlic

10-12 oz buttermilk

1 cup plain yogurt

1 T red wine vinegar

2-3 T seasoned rice vinegar

1 t dried dill or 1 T fresh

Fresh ground pepper to taste and salt if you like

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth

Refrigerate (or put in the freezer briefly) to make really cold

It's the summer of empanadas!

Yesterday was another fantastic day for the ladies of leisure. We decided to venture out of our comfort zone to the Cloisters. On our way up we decided to take a brief (but not so brief) stop at El Cocotero, a haven for empanadas, arepas and tostones maracuchos. Marisol, the friendly waitress, gave us some suggestions which we appreciated greatly. We ordered a crispy green plantain crostini with chicken and avocado, a ham empanada and a Pebellon arepa. It was so scrumptious but I didn't feel grossly pukey full. We were definitely in Venezuelan Heaven. Jenn really liked how it wasn't greasy but next time she would order the Carne because the chicken was a little too mild tasting.
Marisol, just moved here from Caracas and is taking us Brazillian dancing on Sunday. I am giving this place a 10 out of 10 and I can not wait to go back. Thanks Marisol for giving us an excellent dining experience and wanting to be my friend :)