Thursday, May 23

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.

Wednesday, May 22

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.

Monday, May 13

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.

Tuesday, May 7

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. 

Wednesday, May 1

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.