Japanese for Jews

so the title of this post is a little racist. i'm not actually sure that Kotobuki is Japanese cuisine for Jews. however, when i googled the restaurant, that's what practically every review and Yelp entry referenced. 

the food at Kotobuki doesn't indicate any Jewish heritage. instead, it's more like Asian fusion cuisine. at a very reasonable price. the only reason the restaurant doesn't "speak" to me is because i'm not a big sushi roll person. i usually go for the basic and plain options (yellowtail, Boston, Alaska, etc.) or else i go straight for sashimi. but if you're a big fan of crazy and inventive sushi roll combinations, then Kotobuki may be just the place for you.

i was at the restaurant at the suggestion of a date. i'd mentioned in conversation that i like Japanese food, so it was a good first step that he remembered my comment and chose Kotobuki for our first date. but he got a slight minus point for not liking salmon, which i am a big fan of. so in that spirit, i tried to order foods we could share that didn't have salmon in it.

i'd heard great reviews about their sushi and sashimi platters, which are served in portions for 2, 3, or 4. the price on these platters is more than reasonable when shared and, based on the pictures on-line, can usually feed more than the allotted people.

first off, i like the little yam noodle side dish they serve at the beginning of the meal. it's a little spicy, but in a good way.

My date chose:
1. Age Tofu ($5): this was actually very good. the sauce was light but flavorful, as it should be.  and the outside was crispy but the inside was still tender. i don't order this dish often, but if it's always served this way, i would order it more often.

2. American Dream ($9.50) (tuna, yellowtail, salmon, shrimp tempura, eel, avocado, cucumber, tobiko, and spicy mayo in a blended roll topped with sweet sauce): this was good, although it's really just a mishmash of fish and acceptable western sauces. 

I chose:
1. Hamachi Kama ($9.50): Kotobuki is the first restaurant i've come across that offers this in 3 ways (fried/broiled/marinated). usually, this dish is served broiled. the portion of this dish is huge but it was drier than usual. it also wasn't the most attractive dish to pick at while on a date...

2. Yellowtail Jalapeno ($14): a generous serving with delicate and tangy sauce.

(photo courtesy of Chopstick NY)

I also choice something that i can't currently find on the menu. The Viaduct is black pepper seared tuna thinly sliced and wrapped around lobster salad served on top of a cucumber slice. while the flavor was ok, the texture of this dish was way too mushy. maybe that's why i can't find it on the menu anymore...

i would give Kotobuki another try, if only to share a sushi and sashimi platter with friends. seriously, according to the pictures, the serving is very generous. otherwise, i'd rather stick to the less fancy but tried and true favorites on St. Marks. 

Youngins

last night i went on a second date with a nice, adorable guy. 

who is 5 years younger than me. 

seriously, he's like a baby compared to me.

admittedly, when i went on my first date with him, i was more enticed by the restaurant he had picked vs. him. i had been reading a restaurant review for Psari and happened to get a text from the Youngin asking me to go to dinner at the same restaurant. and that's how i found myself on our first date. 

side note: Psari is off the hook good. if you like seafood, then absolutely run there. it's affordable and the food is very well cooked. the service is also affable and homey. we had the most adorable woman as our waitress. she was like my cool aunt giving us winks and nudges since we were obviously on a date. 

Seafood Combo ($30)

Grilled Octopus ($15): this was so good.

the date went well: he was easy to talk to and kind of adorable. 

which brought us to our second date. this time he came to my neighborhood (i won the coin toss) and we went to Brooklyn Buschenschank for some pizza (yes, it's a German bar. but it has a wood-fired oven and makes incredible pizza).

The Villager ($13)

Pretzel with Bier Cheese ($8): epic bier cheese, a little spicy, but the pretzel can get a little salty.

i forgot how perfect this bar is for a date. during the daytime/afternoon it's not bad either, but is suitable for both friend outings and dates. at night time, the place is dimly lit with only the candles on the tables providing the ambient light. très romantic. 

it was a pleasant date with nothing to really complain about. and i haven't really thought too much about where this whole thing is headed, since part of me considers him too young to be thinking about anything seriously. hence, we haven't had the "expectations" conversation yet.

what i did find interesting was the obvious "boldness of youth" that he had. most dates i go on, who happen to be closer to my age or older, tend to be reserved in the initial few dates, and that's fair, because so am i. 

so i was little surprised when, after we exited the bar, Youngin reached out to hold my hand for the walk back.it's a bold move for a second date. but also kind of sweet. people don't go for the simple hand-hold anymore during the casual dating phase of getting to know each other. it's usually one extreme or the other e.g. no physical contact at all or too much too soon.

but then again, Youngin is young enough that he still sees everything with rose-colored glasses. he hasn't experienced too much rejection and can still shake off bad experiences because they're few and far between. and that allows him to be bold and act without fear. it's adorable but also a stark reminder of just how far apart we are in age and our experiences.

but for now, i'm just gonna enjoy the ride and let myself get swept up a little in the capriciousness and straightforwardness of youth.

J.Rabbit

i recently stumbled upon the korean indie group, J Rabbitt, and immediately became enamored with their songs and style. definitely out of the realm of the usual kpop i listen to.

the fact that they're not a manufactured, over-produced group makes them more endearing. plus they're a women duo (don't see many of those) who write and compose their own songs. one girl plays all the instruments and the other one sings. and they're only 26-years old. PLUS, although they have officially debuted and released 2 albums, they're pretty much part the amateur-youtube-movement, which, Bieber aside, i like because acts that come from that medium without all that corporate backing usually truly represent what the people like/want. they're actually part of a collaborative project with other indie artists called friendz.net

even i wanted to be a hipster

i always have a comrade to explore Williamsburg now that Bubby has moved into her new residence in the midpoint between Williamsburg and Bushwick (which we have affectionately named "Bushburg"). 

and so it was that this past sunny Sunday, i hopped on the B62 which dropped me off right in front of Supercore for brunch with Bubby. even though it was 1 pm when i met her, the place wasn't very full. i guess hipsters wake up late, because the place got packed right in the middle of our brunch.

Supercore has a clearly Japanese influence and food style, although it also caters to the less adventurous by offering American brunch and entree options as well. the indoor space is small but there is an adorable backyard in the back, with plenty of shade to avoid the sun but still enjoy the warm weather.

Bubby and i were immediately enticed by the $20 unlimited brunch option, which allowed you to pick any entree from the menu and have unlimited brunch drinks: sake bloody mary; beer with lemon, ginger, and honey; sake mimosa; and 1 other option which escapes me. if you plan on drinking more than 2 drinks (each drink costs $6), then i recommend going with the brunch deal.  since Bubby and i were both recovering from our prior night out, we skipped the option since we only had 1 drink each. i highly recommend the beer which is super light and refreshing with fresh ginger and lemon slices added directly in the drink. like a beer lemonade. 

we were both looking for stick-to-your-ribs hearty food, so it's no surprise that i ordered the Beef Curry (stewed for 4 days served with brown rice and roasted potatoes) ($9.50) and Bubby ordered the Meatballs (with homemade tomato sauce served with brown rice and roasted potatoes) ($9.50).  both of us housed our dishes as soon as they came out and it was the perfect remedy for our minor hangover discomfort. 

Photo courtesy of Stella Im Hultberg

afterwards, we walked off our meals with a trip to Brooklyn Flea for all the unique but ridiculously-priced wares where we ran into Bubby's friend. she directed us to Fabbrica for some coffee in a cool setting. although we didn't sit down, the place looked good and was full but not packed, which is a good sign. 

i also realized how "liberal" Bubby and i are: 2 men got in line in front of us to purchase coffee. 1 of them was holding the most adorable half asian/half white baby bay. being in Williamsburg, i made the assumption that the baby belonged to the 2 men, e.g. the 2 men were a gay couple. when i commented about how adorable "their" baby was, Bubby also made the same assumption and agreed. as soon as i said it, i realized that the baby didn't have to belong to the 2 guys, it could just as easily be that the father was in a heterosexual relationship/marriage with an asian woman who just happened not to be there with the 2 men.

about 5 seconds later, an asian walked in and approached the father and baby. 

just goes to prove, you should never jump to assumptions. 

Hypocritic Oath

nobody likes being lied to. However, although we know this, that doesn't mean we don't lie to others.

nowadays, i don't find myself having to lie very often. i also tend not to put myself in situations where i do have to lie. the biggest fibs i usually tell people now is when someone asks me to go out and i don't feel  like it and i use the "i have work/errands/stuff to do" excuse.  The older you get, the better you get at lying. It's because you learn that you should lie sparsely and, if you do, use it judiciously. Spur of the moment, panic lies are often the ones that get you in trouble. Meticulously thought out and judiciously used lies can usually pass undetected.

most importantly: you should never ever get caught. because, and bringing the argument full circle, nobody likes being lied to. and when they discover that you have lied to them, no matter how big or small, the trust between the 2 of you has been broken.

i recently, inadvertently, caught my friend in a lie. i'd point-blank asked him something that morning which he denied. later on that afternoon, i found out, through someone else, that my friend had lied to me. it wasn't something big that he'd lied about and it certainly doesn't significantly impact my life(ok, well that's debatable, but it doesn't affect me immediately), but it still bothers me. and to pinpoint it down to 1 thing: the act of lying to me is what bothers me. nothing else, just that action. the act itself speaks volumes more than what he lied about.

sometimes a seemingly innocuous act is what creates the small crack in the ice that can break the whole the pond. 

Lunch Special

i don't often get to partake in amazing lunch specials because i work in the land of lunch-suck aka FiDi. 

but every once in a while, i'll take a secret staycation day off and during those days, i can go to Soba-Ya to partake of their lunch special.  lunch is only served from 12 pm-3:30 pm and there is always a wait.  on the day i went, Puppy and i were lucky to have gotten seated before they stopped seating people. which they do even if there is a giant crowd of diners waiting.

i'm never fortunate enough to get there in time to get the Lunch Box Set ($17) of which there are only 25 servings prepared each day. it's my elusive Holy Grail along with the cronut. so instead i ordered the Salmon Sashimi Don Lunch Set ($14.50) which is a small bowl of rice topped with salmon sashimi, a small cold soba with dipping sauce, a trio of oshinko, and a miso soup. 

i love their lunch sets. they bring out the tray laden with all my food and it makes me so happy. and it's pretty filling but without that afternoon food coma feeling. 

The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;	5
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,	10
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.	15
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

                                                             

      -Robert Frost. "The Road Not Taken" from Mountain Interval

although i live in the beautiful and bustling city of New York, as a resident, i often take it for granted. until recently, although it was only 4 blocks away, i had never walked to the piers at Brooklyn Bridge Park. in fact, unless it was for something specific i.e. Smorgasburg or Photoville, i wouldn't travel to BBP much at all. 

so imagine my surprise when i found out how close Pier 6 and Pier 5 were to my apartment and how much i'd been missing out.  so what else was i missing out on? 

luckily, more and more of my friends have begun moving into the neighborhood, which means more people to explore with. which is exactly what Goldilocks and i did on a random evening after work. 

we started at Piers 5 & 6, observing the newly turfed soccer fields and the amazing view across the East River/Hudson (i don't know which one it is. i'm geographically challenged). did you know there is a whole barbecue area with accompanying picnic tables available? who needs a backyard space when i can just go grill in the park?

from there Goldilocks and began walking up towards Pier 1. there's been so many changes to the park that i never knew about. there now exists a suspension bridge to connect the Promenade to the park. 

but the most interesting finds were the secluded pathways within the shrubbery that take you from the inner walking path to the outer walking path near the water. usually i wouldn't take this kind of route because (as is probably obvious) i'm not really an outdoors girl. and dark pathways where i can't see the end don't entice me very much. but thanks to Goldilocks, i did that particular evening and learned something more to love about my park.

since then, i've been heading over to the park at least twice a week. who knows what else i'll uncover?

pasta for breakfast

Groupons will probably be the bankruptcy of me. 

even though i've curbed my addiction, i still have a giant pile to get through (which is probably why i related so well to the episode of Happy Endings where Alex attempted to use up all her expiring vouchers. and if you've never watched Happy Endings, you should get on that).

and so i found myself at Spina during one of the nicer Saturday mornings to meet Pal for brunch. it's a small restaurant in Alphabet City that is easily overlooked due to it's proximity to some other more hyped restaurants, but it has a nice neighborhood/comfort feel to it. it also never seems to be packed (when Pal and i arrived, we were the only people who chose to sit inside the restaurant). i could imagine that on a summer evening this place could be a nice romantic spot.

part of the offer allowed each of us to order a brunch cocktail, although the $10 bottle of Prosecco offered regularly on their brunch menu was tempting. however, Pal, recently discovering she's allergic to gluten and recovering from a minor surgical procedure, smartly opted not to drink alcohol so i drank both her drinks.

we ordered the PEI Mussels (white wine, black pepper, cherry tomatoes, and chive oil) to start. holy these were good. the sauce packed a peppery punch while still remaining light and the portion was a good size for sharing. if only they served bread with the appetizer...

for entrees, Pal decided to "man up" and try Steak and Eggs for the first time. it was kind of adorable how she thought a 6 oz steak, eggs and potatoes was a "manly" breakfast meal. i didn't try it but it looked good and was a sensible portion for brunch e.g. enough to feel satisfying but not make you want to go home and go to sleep right afterwards.

i was waffling between ordering a breakfast item or a pasta. in the end, on the waitress's recommendation, i ordered the Malloreddus (saffron gnochetti with veal and pork tomato ragu). best decision ever. tiny little gnocchi pieces topped with a rich and flavorful meat sauce. i was in breakfast pasta heaven. and again, sensible portions so that i felt satiated at the end of the meal, but not like i had eaten a ginormous bowl of carbohydrates.

the Groupon deal was $29 for an appetizer, 2 entrees, and 2 drinks which made our meal a good deal but even without it, i would probably go back. the prices are reasonable and the food is good. plus, with so many other restaurants in the area touting 1+ hour waits, it could be a good place to go in a pinch.

eye rolls

i work for a law firm downtown. not a large firm but not a small firm either. lots of people like to qualify my firm as "mid-size," which really covers quite a large spectrum.

my firm's relatively young and most of the individuals i work with are close to my age, which makes for a relatively collegiate work environment. but a young firm, while great for happy hours and discourse, can also be a reminder of how douche-y my generation can be.

our offices have thin walls, so i tend to hear my neighbor's conversations. and, good or bad, my neighbor tends to take care of a lot of personal business in his office. i often hear him making/confirming dinner reservations, chatting with friends or family, and other daily activities. 

at this very moment, he and another of my co-workers are "shooting the shit" in his office. the 2 "bros" are rehashing their weekend and whatnot. i can't help but overhear some of their conversation and the sheer amount of eye-rolling i'm doing would probably freak somebody out if they happened to peek into my office because they'd probably think my eyes consist only of the white parts.

here's the general topic of conversation:

1. their weekend
2. the trendy/hipster restaurants they ate at this weekend
3. the food at these restaurants
4. restaurants they want to eat at
5. how to get reservations at these restaurants
6. how they got the hookup/know somebody at certain restaurants
7. the recent Mad Men episode
8. how amazing Mad Men is
9. how it's "kind of like our lives"
10. how they worship those guys on Mad Men

it's not just the topics that they're talking about (although how can anyone talk this long about all of that to another person?) but also the tone that they're talking in. it's so smarmy and pretentious. i feel like i'm listening to frat boys who think they've got class (hmm, too harsh?). at this point my eyes started hurting so i decided to write this post instead of inflicting potentially serious physical harm on my body from eye-rolls.

lots of pig, maybe some khao?

in a change up from my usual friday night routine, BlackSesame, Kiddo and i decided to go to Pig & Khao for dinner (primarily due to a Google Offer). there's been a lot of buzz about this place, and since i rarely go to buzzworthy spots, it seemed like  a good change of pace.

i arrived late (don't you hate it when someone calls you at work right as you're about to leave?) and put our names on the list. although the line looked reasonable, i quickly found out why: the wait was approximately 2 hours. so of course no one was hanging around outside the restaurant. after all, it's the lower east side. bars aplenty to while away the time while you wait for your reservation. Pig & Khao does take your number down so that they can text you when your table's ready. why can't more restaurants do that?

i joined BS and Kiddo at Verlaine where they had already been camped out for the past 30 mins while waiting for me. still one of the best happy hours in NYC, simply because they allow it run much longer than the usual 2 hour window. and those lychee martinis really are delicious. i always want extra lychee to eat when i'm done with my drink. yum yum.

approximately 1.5 hours later, we got the text from the restaurant and headed over. cute setting, very small neighborhood restaurant with a nice backyard outdoor seating area. low lighting gives it the potential for a reasonable date setting or just cool hipsters talking about fusion foods. 

overall i found the food very good. i liked everything we ordered and was satisfied with the flavors and presentation. that being said, the prices are a little steep for the amount of food you receive. and Kiddo and i, both being asian, find it a little ridiculous the prices vs. portions being served in comparison to the more authentic (albeit less trendy) filipino restaurants in the outer boroughs. 

we started with an order of the Grilled Pork Jowl (watermelon, chicharron, toasted rice, lime-chili fish sauce, herbs)($13). the watermelon was sweet and refreshing which contrasted with the salty-tangy fish sauce. the crispy chicharron also added a great texture to the dish. both Kiddo and BS were disappointed with the portion and the price in terms of the ingredients used.

we also ordered the Quail Adobo (soy sauce, vinegar, szechuan peppercorns, crispy garlic) ($15). this dish i could've done without. the quail was crispy and the flavor was good, but nothing stood out. and, as is the case with quail, the pieces were tiny.

See i wasn't lying about the tiny portion right?

our final small plate was the Sizzling Sisig (pork head, chili, whole egg) ($14). if you read Yelp, everybody talks about this dish as it's a standard/staple of filipino cuisine. this dish does look pretty impressive when it arrives at your table. and it is pretty good. but is it blow me away good? not particularly. the pork is well cooked and there is a distinct flavor and seasoning to it, but, as i write this 2 weeks after-the-fact, i'm having a hard time remembering the exact flavor. however, portion-wise, i think this dish left even BS and Kiddo with little to gripe about. or perhaps it's because they'd become desensitized at this point in the meal.

since we were eating family-style, we also ordered one large plate to share: Whole Fried Fish (hot and sour broth, lemongrass, kaffir, tomato, oyster mushroom, cilantro, thai basil) ($29). this was probably my favorite dish of the night. and while i agree that the price is a little more than what i would pay at a chinese restaurant for a much larger steamed whole fish, the flavors in the broth were so poignant that i forgave Pig & Khao for their smaller portion. i highly recommend ordering this dish if you like the sweet and sour flavor that is often associated with southeast asian foods. 

Photo courtesy of Can I Try?

additionally, you must make sure to order a bowl of their Coconut Rice ($3).  BS, Kiddo and i had been discussing whether their coconut rice was made with coconut milk and after having tasted it, i can say with 85% certainty that it is. and it is delicious. eaten on its own you can really taste the sweetness that coconut milk adds to the rice. when paired with the other dishes, which all tend to lean towards the sour/salty flavor spectrum, it is a perfect complement.

although BS and Kiddo would disagree, i would come back to Pig & Khao. the food was good and the atmosphere was friendly (as opposed to frenetic-which can happen at a lot of hyped-up small trendy restaurants). yes, it's a little pricier than what i would usually pay for similar food. but when it's good, it's good. and to be smack-dab in the center of the LES isn't a bad place to be after a great meal or, in reverse order, after a bunch of drinks and on the hunt for food.

let's be friends

i just read a very interesting article about being single in your 30s. feel free to give it a read (it's pretty short).

http://www.thebolditalic.com/CalebGarling/stories/3010-dating-in-your-30s

i am single, in my 30s, and living in NY. which movies and television tell you is the mecca of being single. and that's true, to some degree. in a city housing 8 million+ people, some of them are definitely single. maybe most of them.

but when i walk the sidewalks in my Brooklyn neighborhood or idle through Union Square, all i see are couples. sure, they could just be friends. but in my single mindset, they are individuals who have successfully paired off and are riding into their sunset, wherever that may be.

which inevitably leads to the question: why didn't that work out for me? even if i know the answer and (with the healthy support of my friends) come to understand that my last relationship may not have been the sunset i was looking to ride off into, the question still lingers. even bad relationships had their silver lining.

i've come to learn that when it comes to break-ups, people divide into 2 camps. there are those who believe in the clean break, an all-or-nothing mentality. even if the break-up is amicable, these people do not want any baggage to linger (at least the physical baggage anyways, let's not get into the emotional baggage everyone carries). these are the you-can't-be-friends-with-exes camp.

the other camp (naturally) believes the opposite. they believe that if someone was so important and significant to you for such a long period of time, there is no way you could just cut them out of your life. these people get especially hurt after a break-up with people who belong to the philosophy of the former camp.

i was always a staunch believer in the let's-be-friends mentality. it was too hard to go cold-turkey from someone that i spent approximately 3 days (or more) with and talked to on a regular basis (more than my comms with family/friends).

but it's also burned me a few times to think this way. one of my prior exes and i maintained good communication for a few months until he all of a sudden stopped answering my calls or responded to messages. i was definitely upset about it and didn't know why things had suddenly changed. the final axe was when my father had collapsed (he's ok now-knock on wood) and i left my ex a tearful message and he never responded with anything. i later found out that he had returned to dating his ex (who was not fond of me) which resulted in our communications embargo.

now it's my turn to make a decision. my recent ex and i broke up in an amicable manner. hardly any tears were shed, it was more matter-of-fact. in truth, while i would have been fine continuing the relationship, i was also fine when he decided not to. which probably speaks volumes about how invested either of us were in the relationship itself. 

and i do miss him to some degree. i probably miss "us" more than "him."  like the article above talked about, i miss having someone who knows my ins and outs already. who i feel comfortable with spending an entire day at home together. as a side note, the thing i always miss the most about my relationships is sleeping together. not in a dirty way (you pervert). there's an intimacy that can't be duplicated/replicated about lying in the arms of your partner when you fall asleep or waking up in the middle of the night or morning and seeing them there. it's like a living, breathing security blanket. 

and so my ex and i have been communicating (mostly initiated by me). just to say "hi" or to address practical matters from our time together (shit still accumulates over 10 months, even if you don't live together). but in our last conversation, my ex dropped this statement:

"um, so i just wanted to let you know, i've found somebody i like."

stunned does not begin to describe how i felt about that comment.

i responded appropriately with a congratulations. and then i poked the bear. i asked how they met. which is how i found out that he had only been on 1 date with his newfound love interest. the conversation ended soon afterwards.

and once i was off the phone, i really cried for the first time since we broke up.  not a stately, demure cry, but bawling, uncontrollable torrent of tears. mixed together were feelings of anger and hurt. because he told me. because he had found someone else. because he had found her so quickly after our breakup. because he found someone first.

after the tears, came the questions: why did he tell me? what did he hope to achieve by telling me? all my friends had theories: he was letting me know he had moved on. he was bragging. he was trying to hurt me. he was clueless and inconsiderate. he didn't know better. he was letting me know not to talk to him ever again. he was really in love and felt he had to tell me out of respect.  at this point, why do i care about his reason?

he may be the person that finally pushes me over to the other break-up camp. 

Bombs Away!

going on dates can be fun. but they can also be a lot of work. always trying to keep the conversation balanced and flowing. watching what you eat (i almost never eat enough when i'm out on a date. i swear it's not intentional, it just happens). smiling all the time. so tiring.

my favorite eating and drinking excursions are with friends. so i was pretty happy that BlackSesame agreed to go to Momo Sushi Shack with me for dinner on Monday. i'm literally swimming in Groupons and Googleoffers that i don't know what to do with now that Sully and i are no longer together. BlackSesame has graciously agreed to help me use them.

the offer allowed me to order $60 worth of food (i only paid $30). even without the offer, Momo Sushi Shack offers a great price for fusion/modern japanese food. while perusing the menu, we quickly realized that we had a lot of food options. 

the setting is very Williamsburg/Bushwick hipster. communal tables in a industrially-designed space. be aware that you will be sitting veryclose to your neighbors (and sometimes eavesdropping on their conversation). the food also comes out in no particular order, so there's no structure of appetizers vs. entrees. it wasn't so bad for BS and i, since we were eating family-style anyway. 

so in no particular order, we had the following:
1. Yellowtail Bomb (hamachi, daikon, ponzu) ($6): the "bombs" are a unique aspect to Momo Sushi Shack.  they don't serve nigiri sushi in the traditional oblong shape, but instead mold the rice into small balls topped with a fish of your choice. i always want to order yellowtail and uni at japanese restaurants (they were out of uni that night).  this was good, but nothing memorable.

2. Party Bomb ($19): this is without a doubt the best deal on the menu. it's 12 bombs, serving a mix of 4 types of bombs (3 bombs per choice. it automatically comes with the Spicy McBomb (tuna, cucumber, spicy mayo, katafi), McLow Bomb (tuna, avocado, wasabi cream), and Pink Bomb (salmon, scallion). you can choose the 4th type of bomb: we chose the Spicy Una Bomb (bbq eel, wasabi cream, shiso).  

i thought i would be "meh" about the whole selection, but each one had a slightly different flavor profile or accent that set them apart from your traditional sushi rolls.  the Spicy McBomb had crunch from the katafi which a great texture enhancement to the bomb.  the McLow Bomb's wasabi cream was a flavor shot of horseradish that cut into the typical combination.  the Pink Bomb seemed to have a hint of sesame oil in it which made it seem reminiscent to certain salmon tartars i've experienced. no comment on the Spicy Una Bomb, which was good, but i'm not a big fan of eel on my sushi.

3. Heritage Pork Betty (sake, soy sauce, cilantro, wasabi cream) ($10): i've had many versions of pork betty at japanese izakayas and it's a hard dish to get wrong (in my opinion. i've also made this at home a few times). however, Momo Sushi Shack's pork betty is the most tender version i have ever consumed. it's simmered and stewed just to the point where the fat and skin hang onto the leaner meat, but only long enough for you to pick it up and put it in your mouth. after that, the meat simply dissolves in your mouth. 

4. Lamb Offal Gyoza (special menu) ($11): i am so blessed that BS is just as  adventurous a food eater as i am and willing to eat things off the trodden path. this was good, but very gamey from the lamb. the flavor aside, the texture never hinted that you were eating anything except ground meat. but if you're not a fan of the strong flavor of lamb, you should probably stay away from this.

5. Tofu Salad (avocado, tomato, basil) ($8): i didn't order this item because i was trying to be healthy. after all, i've already conned myself into believing that japanese food is healthy. but there were so many rave reviews for this item on Yelp, i figured i had to order it. and it did not disappoint. i suspect that certain portions of this salad are pre-made (or maybe the whole thing is) because it came out suspiciously ice cold. but everything tasted as it should: what was supposed to be crisp was crisp and nothing was wilted. no lie, this salad was damn good. and i rarely say that about salad. btws, there's also yellow squash and watercress/mizuna in this salad. i have no idea why they don't mention that on the menu.

for the price and the good/unique food, even without the Googleoffer,  i would definitely come back. now i just have to hip myself up a little more so i can fit in.

Subway Creepers

new york subways is a cultural subset of New York that can, at times, be treacherous to navigate. the rules i think people should abide by:

1. take up only 1 seat per person. especially on the 4/5 trains, which uses bench-style seating, i really don't understand people who use their bags or spread their legs so wide that they take up 2 seats. 

2. allow others to exit the train before you attempt to enter it. 

3. give up your seat for the elderly, pregnant, physically challenged or little kids.

these are the basics. there's more nuanced items e.g. moving further into the train when the train's crowded so others can get on, but the above 3 are the basic tenets.

but there's a whole list of bad behavior that is just wrong and disgusting. whether it's engaging in sexual conduct (uh, you are in public. with other people. and that is inappropriate and disrespectful behavior. save it for your bedroom because i'd rather not see it) or groping other passengers (you are a disgusting criminal and should be locked up), there are a litany of activities that you should not do on the subway, let alone in public (and in the case of molestation, never).

this morning i witnessed something really uncomfortable on the way into work. i entered the train in my usual spot, which is near the end of a specific car, close to the conductor's window. near me were the retractable priority seats, each one occupied by one person. in 1 seat sat a larger man. in the other, a smartly dressed blond woman with a large shoulder bag.

as the train took off from my station, i saw the man sharing the center pole with me eyeball the blonde woman. he then proceeded to tap her on the should and ask her to move her bag so he could share the priority seating with her. which is really weird. those seats, appear to be made for 1 person to sit in. while you may occasionally run into the situation where 2 people are sitting, those people are: (a) squished together, with the outer person's butt usually hanging off the seat; and (b)  friends. the situation i saw this morning was neither.

and then, out of the corner of my eye, i saw something even creepier: the guy just kept staring at her. eyeing her up and down, looking at what she was doing on her phone. just blatant staring. and it was so creepy. 

if i'd been her, i would've gotten up right away (well actually, i would never have let him share the seat in the first place). she got off at the next stop, and when she did, the guy actually reached out and tried to touch/grab her as she exited the train. i don't think she felt it, but i was completely repulsed and infuriated. i wanted to step between them when i saw his arm reach out. i wanted to give him the hairy eyeball as he continued to stare after her with his lewd smile. 

but i didn't do either (well no hairy eyeball at least. just side-wise glances of revulsion). if he had actually done something maybe i would've, who knows. but even the almost-somethings he did were so creepy and degrading.

on a more inspiring note:

Me and Bridget Jones

it's a little unsettling, but me and Bridget Jones seem fated whenever i go through a break-up. 


during my last 2 recent break-ups, Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason were airing on television. it's kind of weird. 

this time, as i was going through my post-break up period and wallowing in my bedroom while watching television, i couldn't understand why i was having such a sense of deja vu. was it because i was dealing with a break-up, which is always a sad, familiarly empty feeling? no that wasn't it.

and then it struck me. it was because i was watching Bridget Jones's Diary right after a break-up. which is exactly what happened after my previous break-up. which is a little uncanny, because both times, the movie just happened to be airing on tv. it's not like i intentionally sought out the movie or was watching it on DVD.

i don't know what karma or life is trying to tell me. it is that i'll end up an old spinster like Bridget Jones would be in the real world and not in the make-believe movie/novel world? or that i should hold onto unrealistic idealistic fantasies that there may even be a Mark Darcy out there for me?

because truth be told, post-break up, no one would have the heart to believe the latter.

St. Patty's Day

i've never been a big St. Patty's Day fan. i just don't get what the hallubaloo's all about. as far as i can tell, it's a day to wear green and drink a lot. 

but i can do that any day of the weekend (or the week, to be honest).

so i don't get it.

i didn't even realize it was St. Patty's day until Sully and i went out for dinner. we used a Groupon to go to Masak, which i've been wanting to try based on on good reviews of their burger and oxtail noodles. on our walk over to the restaurant, we were bombarded with NYU-ers wearing a multitude of green. 

Masak is a cute little restaurant that serves Singaporean fusion cuisine. it's got a great casual vibe to it and upon entering, it felt like i had walked into my local neighborhood restaurant, even though i don't live remotely close to it.

it's a small restaurant, so be ready to be within eavesdropping and voyeuristic distance of your neighbor, which isn't a bad thing because they have some very unique dish presentations which makes it fun to see what others ordered.

the Groupon allowed us to each get an appetizer and entree so we started with the Chili Crab Dip and Mantou ($12) and the Black Pepper Manila Clams ($12).  as Yelp will tell you, the crab dip is the way to go. i wasn't a big fan of the dip, it was a little too sweet and the sweetness didn't really mix well with the strong seafood flavor. however, the fried mantou that accompanies the dish are perfect. freshly fried and scalding hot when served to you, the outside is crisp and crunchy while the inside stay soft and fluffy with just a hint of sweetness-the kind that comes from frying bread. the amount of mantous they give you will not even make a dent in the dip, so make sure to get another order for an additional $2.  the clams were essentially clams with black bean sauce and a better version can be found in Chinatown.

for entrees, i opted for the Rendang Burger w/fried egg, bacon, and fries ($19). this is a monster behemoth of a burger. the brioche bun provides a subtle sweetness to the burger which is juicy and full of south asian flavor. i couldn't tell you what spices are in it, but it has a cumin, turmeric kind of flavor that isn't overpowering but is definitely original. if you order this, keep in mind that your hands and mouth will be a sloppy mess. but in a good way.

Sully ordered the Babi Assam (tamarind braised pork belly, fried black rice, sweet potato) ($21). the pork belly was tender and i liked the tamarind flavor which packed a nice punch. the black rice was less a fried texture and more of a risotto consistency, but it was a good counterbalance to the strong flavor of the pork. 

overall, it was a good meal, although i'm not sure i would come back if it weren't for the Groupon. 

now, she was REALLY pretty

on Friday night i found Sully and i arrived at Malatesta for a surprise birthday dinner for She. which was a little ironic since that was where i had had my own surprise birthday dinner a year ago. 

as always, the food was amazing (the Spinach Gnocchi made more than 1 appearance at our table. aah, the power of Yelp) and i won't bore you by discussing it again (read my former post).

instead, some other interesting events happened, that made me think:

1. upon entering the restaurant, the first person i ran into wasn't a guest for the party, but instead a friend i'd known from middle school/high school (so over a decade ago). i hadn't spoken to her since high school, but we occasionally play random games of Scramble with Friends against each other.

of course it was great to see her and we did a brief catch-up with all the usual suspects.  there was 1 part of the whole situation that caused a little discussion between Sully and myself later which was that i never introduced her to my friends for the party. which may have been a little awkward since we were all squeezed into the waiting vestibule while we waited for our reservation to be completed. 

my thought process had simply been that this individual was not a close friend of mine, nor was it likely that i would ever see her again (at least not intentionally). so i saw very little point to introduce her to the people i was with.  in addition, i was with at least 4 other people, while also waiting for 2 more. it just seemed slightly cumbersome to make such a lengthy introduction for somebody that i would never see again. 

apparently, other people were more curious.  Sully assumed she was a family friend that would go back to my family and inform them that i was dating someone (which was not the case). others were simply just curious about the random stranger i had run into. 

in retrospect, should i have introduced her to everyone? did she expect me to? would i have expected to be introduced if i had been in her position?

2. the second experience is less of an etiquette question and more me unburdening what i recall as an unpleasant experience.  boyfriends pay attention.

right when people were winding down from their entrees, Sully received a phone call from his brother and stepped away from the table. he didn't come back to dinner until after dessert was completed. already, i was a little annoyed by this, but decided not to press the issue since my friends and i were having a good time anyway. 

it turned out that Sully's brother had gotten a blue screen on his laptop and needed help fixing it,  i used the opportunity to tell Egg, She, and Dr.Dre a story about Sully's brother.

I have yet to meet Sully's brother. on a recent trip to Flushing, Sully called his brother for a nearby restaurant recommendation.  when SB found out Sully was with me, he immediately started harassing Sully via text to send him a picture of me. in a million years, i would never want SB to see a picture of me without meeting me in person and here's why: in the past,  Sully had been dating a girl and when Sully showed SB the picture, SB's immediate response was to call the girl "atrocious." yea, he sounds like a real peach right? while i think i'm fine (as in not hideous), there's no way in hell i'm going to subject myself to that kind of no-holds-barred judgment.

so i was in the midst of relaying this story to my friends and had just gotten to the part where SB had criticized Sully's ex, when Sully interjected:

"and this ex, she was really pretty, if you know what i mean."

::awkward looks all around the table, including me::

"i mean, really pretty"

Egg: "uh....Sully? you might want to rethink your last phrase..."

"no, i mean, she was pretty. you know, pretty."

::sigh:: i chuckled the comment off and rolled my eyes at my friends and barreled on with the story although it obviously came to a lackluster finish. the climax should've been the insensitivity of SB, but instead, Sully managed to steal the thunder with his "she was REALLY pretty" comment. 

now, i've let Sully's comment slide. i mean, i've given him a little ribbing about it, and brought it up a few times since, but never in a "we need to have a serious talk about this" manner. it's sort of like a rock and a hard place for a girlfriend: i have no problem admitting that i may not be the prettiest or most beautiful girl my significant other has ever dated. but Sully's comment hits me the wrong way for the following:

A. it's the unspoken and inferred that's the worst about his comment. that if she was really pretty and his brother found her "atrocious" then who's to say what he would say about me? and in that implication is the obvious unspoken statement: that i am less pretty (or perhaps closer to atrocious) than his ex-girlfriend and his brother would rip me apart.

B. actually Sully had already made this comment to me before. obviously that's how i knew about the whole anecdote. and i'd pointed out the same thing as stated in above "A." but a private conversation that reveals a subconscious thought has a very different feeling than a public comment made in front of close friends.

it was definitely embarrassing to haveSully reveal that he thought i was less attractive than another girl in front of my friends. my friends who knew we were dating. i actually felt my face get red after he made the comment. and even as i tried to laugh it off, it felt humiliating to have to act that way in front of my friends e.g. it doesn't bother me that my boyfriend thinks i'm less/not attractive.

i guess it was a blessing that Malatesta is poorly lit so nobody noticed and that we left the restaurant shortly after that.

and while it's great to unburden this to the amorphous ether that is the internet, rehashing it also reminds me again of how it bugged me.

My Little Muensters

every year i find myself at the Union Square Holiday Market. i just can't resist outdoor markets, and thanks to global warming, i can survive an outdoor market even in December.  

i'm not going to go too much into about the market. if you've been there, you know, and if you haven't, you're missing out. it's just a bunch of unique and interesting items that are worth going to look, even if you don't purchase.

i will mention 1 item though: LED light-up t-shirts. the concept was intriguing and cute, but even better was the vendor's set-up.  in a darkly lit (oxymoron there) booth, they blasted Gangnam Style and other fun dance tunes to best demonstrate the t-shirt's reactivity to sound. if the music didn't catch your attention, then the shirts did.



although i was supposed to meet Sully for dinner after the market, i was temporarily delayed when Egg and She decided to stop at the Wafels and Dinges stand for a delicious waffle. their choice of fresh strawberries and chocolate sauce as toppings was a little too sweet for me. when i later (weeks later, not later that night) introduced the wafel to Sully, i liked his topping combination of spekuloos and fresh strawberries better. 

after sufficiently satisfying myself with a few bites of wafel, i booked it over to meet Sully for dinner. for the life of me i can't remember the name of the place, except it was a japanese lounge that we went to because of a Groupon.  afterwards, Sully was still hungry, so we yelped for other food options nearby and found ourselves at Little Muenster. 

this adorable little shop was relatively empty when we passed by, and due to the cold weather, the idea of a warm and toasty grilled cheese and tomato soup sounded like a perfect after-dinner snack to fill our tummies. 

i admit that i've seen this vendor at many a street/food fair and have opted to stay away, mainly because, it's just grilled cheese. and no doubt it's delicious, but why would i pay $7+ for something i can make at home? i mean seriously.

but here we were, and with the $10 special of any sandwich + tomato soup, we found ourselves settling down to a tray of hot and creamy tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich containing chipotle chicken, jarlsberg, cotija, and cilantro crema.

both were freshly made (ok the soup might have already been pre-made, but you know what i mean). the soup was rich and creamy providing a touch of acid to the crispy cheese sandwich with a slight kick from the chicken.  as i ate it, it reminded me of how this combination, although simple, is a true classic and complement each other perfectly.

so, after tasting the food, i have to admit, given the right circumstances and the right temperature, i probably would pay more than $5 for their sandwich. as long as it was paired with the tomato soup as well.