SUN day part 1

at one point, i hit an eating wall. my stomach had finally thrown up its hands and surrendered from all the restaurants i'd gone to and all the food i'd supplied it with. it was just too tired and overstimulated.

and i think this wall came around the time i went to brunch at Fat Radish. which, btws, is delicious. on a beautiful saturday morning, i'd made plans to meet with TVDinner to try out brunch at this (not-so-new-anymore) british gastropub.  expecting the worst in terms of a wait, i was pleasantly surprised to find the restaurant moderately full, but not crowded.  BlackSesame and i grabbed a seat at the bar while we waited for TVDinner and Kiddo to arrive.

since i never say no to a bloody mary, and brunch is really the only acceptable time to drink one, both BlackSesame and i ordered a glass. Fat Radish's bloodies are good, but nothing special, although they make use of fresh horseradish and their own pickled garnishes consisting of a tiny string bean, a beet, and (of course) a radish. the garnishes are great, very much like McClure's or Rick's Picks.   be forewarned that their bloodies are not spicy, at all, so make sure to indicate you want yours spicy (which i did with my 2nd glass).

considering that Fat Radish touts itself as farm-to-table fare (a label i find silly since in the grand scheme of things everything is farm to table really), i found it ironic that they were serving Tropicana OJ. they explained that something had happened with their shipment of oranges/OJ and so they had to run out this morning and get a substitute. i'd be pretty pissed if i found out i was paying $6 for Tropicana. just saying.

once TVDinner and Kiddo arrive, we were promptly seated without a problem.  when we finished our meal it looked like there was a decent wait-time, although it didn't look unmanageable.  

the atmosphere and setting at Fat Radish is pretty idyllic with wooden tables and bright lighting (in a natural way, not dentist's chair-style). it was perfectly aligned with the perfect weather we were having. and even though i'd been out drinking the night before, the atmosphere at Fat Radish didn't make me feel like the gross hungover mess i am prone to be at times for saturday or sunday brunch.


TVDinner and i opted for the Cloth-bound cheddar and potato cake ($14) which included sauteed brussels sprouts, bacon, and a poached egg. this was pretty on point with its flavors, although when it first arrived i was slightly disappointed with its size. however, since Kiddo and i shared plates, i got to eat half of his Hake Kedgeree (this was a special on the specials board so i don't remember its price or ingredient list), but this was damn good. and filling without making me feel gross. once again, Kiddo saved my eating escapade by being willing to accommodate me! hooray Kiddo! BlackSesame opted for the Full English Breakfast ($15) which contained the usual stage of characters Meyers of Keswick sausages, bacon, eggs, beans, and roasted tomato. and as is always the case, the beans were the only things leftover on the plate. poor beans. 

one surprising entry onto our table as the Lawnmower ($12), a cocktail consisting of dark rum, green juice, and lime. what is green juice you ask? well it's one of Fat Radish's many homemade juices. this once consisted of kale, spinach, celery and apple. my initial reaction to that mix was "bleh" accompanied by a turtleface a la Nick from New Girl. but Fat Radish schooled me: this drink is heavenly. it's the perfect summer drink without being overly sweet and is light and refreshing in the style of lemonade. and it really does kind of remind me of freshly cut grass. odd, but delicious.

so with our tummies satiated, we left the restaurant (passing a line of waiting hipsters), and discussed our plans for the rest of the day. BlackSesame had picked up a flyer for the Hester Street Fair, which was close to our location, so we had discussed going to check it out. in addition, i had some Ctown grocery shopping to do (i was making braised oxtail), and Kiddo was going to drop in on the parental units, who own a store close by.

before heading over to the street fair, we decided to get a cup of coffee. i noticed that all the patrons entering Fat Radish were holding a particular brand of coffee in a takeaway cup and  wondered if the shop was close by and also if it was really that good. i mean, usually you see people with to-go cups of coffee in only 3 types of cups: (1) dunkin donuts; (2) starbucks; and (3) that generic pattern that every deli in NYC offers. so for all these Fat Radish guests to have gone to the same coffee shop must mean something and it was a mystery i refused to let lie. luckily Kiddo knew exactly which shop it was and pointed us in the right direction.

and that's how we found ourselves at Lost Weekend NYC. and it's only after googling it that i realized how much of a hipster mecca we had stumbled upon. i think i must possess a suppressed hipster somewhere in my psyche because i've also been to Saturdays Surf NYC, and the 2 are comparable hipster coffeeshops. we got ourselves some hipster coffee made the fancy way-no drip coffee machine here-and ogled the Mast chocolate bars before we headed over to the street fair.

i've been to Hester Street Fair back when it began last summer. honestly, i wasn't that impressed. granted i hadn't realized before i went that it was a closed off lot. when i think of "street fair" i tend to think of a closed off street, not a vacant lot filled with vendors. so color me disappointed the first time i went. this second time was better in that i knew what i was getting myself into.


unfortunately, none of us were prepared for how packed the venue was. unbeknownst to us, we had decided to attend the street fair on opening day. so it was almost impossible to move around. so i'll just mention the highlights:
1. Filthy Farm Girl. amazeballs soaps. yes, they're a little hippy in style and smell but they're worth it just for the dirty/naughty descriptions on the soaps. i met be getting a bunch for BBM when i attend her bridal shower and/or bachelorette.

"Your Honor...my client is ready to come clean!"

"I'm not like those other kitties...When i get all wet and soapy i just purr and purr!"

"I'm a busy girl but i've always got time to get sleek and fancy!"

this one was epic, except it's not what you think it means. it's talking about knitting...BOOO.

2. Ample Hills Creamery. four words: ooey gooey butter cake. and done. just go and get it ASAP. you will not regret it. 

don't be deceived by the Clark-Kent look of this ice cream. this is AMAZEBALLS.

3. we headed over to the Pies n' Thighs booth but the only thing left was Banana Bread Pudding, which BlackSesame and i nagged Kiddo to get until he finally broke down ("come on, it's only a dollar! one dollar! really?! it's a dollar!"). poor Kiddo.


overall, i suggest hitting up the Hester Street Fair if you like flea markets and snacks. it should only take you an hour tops to complete the whole circuit, and that's with food lines. 


i was pretty exhausted after all of this (don't ask me why. i understand that all i did was eat and walk a little. don't judge me) and just wanted to go home and veg out for a while, but that wasn't in the stars for me...