tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-255065652024-03-14T03:47:02.704-04:00on a whim...Running commentary on the things I've seen, the places I've been and what I've done in my measly years. It might help some, entertain others or bore everyone (including me). Regardless, let's get this started...tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.comBlogger391125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-2625671024073071492016-03-02T14:40:00.003-05:002016-03-02T14:40:41.291-05:00sheep dip<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">met up with Goldilocks for an impromptu dinner last night. she had initially suggested meeting in her neighborhood, Chinatown, but since i'm attempting to low-carb diet, i suggested <i>Egg Shop</i> in Little Italy instead.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">i arrived early, and although the shop is small, there was plenty of space. the uber-chic waitress with hot pink hair was very friendly and inviting. it's definitely a trendy/hipster spot attempting to be casual. for instance, sit-where-you-like=casual. no jameson or average liquor choices behind the bar=hipster. you don't have jameson or dewars or any run-of-the-mill choices, but you have a Knob Creek maple bacon bourbon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">however, this snafu aside, the service and food was pretty great. looking for a reasonable alternative for whisky on the rocks, the waitress suggested Sheep Dip. it was a reasonable alternative,but only because my drink of choice wasn't available.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Goldilocks and i split the <i>Poached Burrata </i>($14) as an appetizer. <b>holy shit. </b> runny egg yolk encased in a ball of burrata to create the illusion of a poached egg, but SO much more delicious. the saltiness of the cheese was perfectly balanced by the tomato agrodolce, which are sweetly braised/stewed grape tomatoes. the chickpeas could have been crispier, but were by no means mushy. <b>and that truffle toast. </b>i permitted myself to have a small piece of the crispy, garlicky bread and it took all my resolve not to gobble up the rest.</span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ng7SGwoy20c/VtdBRssZKII/AAAAAAAAJ9M/2grfPqe0HPw/s1600/20160301_192855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ng7SGwoy20c/VtdBRssZKII/AAAAAAAAJ9M/2grfPqe0HPw/s320/20160301_192855.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">resolving to stay strong, i ordered the <i>Prefab Sprouts</i> ($15) which was a flavor packed bowl of healthy, low carb items. the best part was the pool of creamy tahini at the bottom of the bowl. there was ample sauce to coat and dip every item in the bowl.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Goldilocks, influenced by my healthy decision and thinking about her impending nuptials in May, opted for the <i>Spandexxx</i> ($15). unfortunately, the dish looked a little dry and the abundance of miso quinoa proved overwhelming for her. she struggled to eat the bowl and left a pretty sizeable amount of quinoa at the bottom of it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">can't wait to go back when i'm not on a restricted diet. it is a little pricey for what you get but the flavor is spot on. note that alcohol can really rack up the bill and it seems that the best option is to order wine if you're looking to keep things under budget.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-20331768085114098392016-02-25T13:35:00.003-05:002016-03-02T14:22:17.364-05:00ummmmmami<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">i've always been a big fan of Japanese food. it's probably one of my favorite cuisines. whether it's sushi, sashimi, or izakaya-style, i want to eat it all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bubby and i decided on a girls only dinner last night at <i>Izakaya</i>. the choice of restaurant was perfect in light of my upcoming trip to Japan. it's a small eatery, but when we arrived at 7 pm there was plenty of room and we were seated easily. the place filled up an hour later, but was never packed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">the simple wooden fixtures and design fits perfectly with its simple and homey menu. and they have the most kawaii (adorable) hipster waiters! they make helpful food suggestions without being pushy and describe the ingredients of each dish when it is served. it's a great place for casual dinner with friends and <b>almost</b> a good date location except for its poor acoustics. when the place began getting filled, the conversational noises become deafening and Bubby and i were pretty much shouting to each other at one point during the meal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">that aside, the food here is <b>impeccable. </b>it's tapas style eating so be prepared to share dishes. we started with a special from their specials board: <i>tofu and mushrooms</i> ($11). the dish is a block of soft tofu with enoki mushrooms in a thick dashi gravy. it was the perfect gentle note to start the meal. this was Bubby's and my favorite dish of the night. it was just... umami.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">foods are served whenever they're ready, so halfway through our first dish, the <i>grilled mackerel </i>($12), another special of the night, arrived. crispy and salty grilled skin containing tender flesh inside, Bubby and i pretty much ravaged the dish. it's served with a side of grated daikon and lemon wedge which help round out the savory salt.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">next up was the <i>addictive cabbage </i>($6), a simple raw cabbage dish dressed with salt and pepper and a very light dressing (perhaps of sesame oil and something else i can't place). you may want to dismiss this dish, but, aside from providing a nutritional balance to the meal, it's just damn good and just the kind of dish you want to munch on while drinking sake.</span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWcA0wZoCfM/Vs9JP_LoCBI/AAAAAAAAJ7s/91mwoa1fbEo/s1600/20160224_194434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWcA0wZoCfM/Vs9JP_LoCBI/AAAAAAAAJ7s/91mwoa1fbEo/s320/20160224_194434.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">the <i>scallop carpaccio </i>($12), another dish from the specials board, was the prettiest dish of the night. meaty slices of raw carpaccio were simply seasoned with just a little tang, and garnished with ikura. the ikura were perfect little bursts of flavor to accompany the scallop.</span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7WycOXo7yfI/Vs9JYJgkxVI/AAAAAAAAJ70/r8GmNbSZjKk/s1600/20160224_194957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7WycOXo7yfI/Vs9JYJgkxVI/AAAAAAAAJ70/r8GmNbSZjKk/s320/20160224_194957.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">before we could start on the scallop, the famous <i>chicken nanban</i> ($15) was delivered to the table. juicy pieces of boneless fried chicken dressed in a tangy sauce and generously topped with homemade tartar sauce.<i> </i>although the dish could have been crispier, the flavor was spot-on. a little sweet, a little tangy, with wedge of lemon for some nice acidity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">lastly, we were served a scallop, avocado, and pork roll ($12), a special of the night, and a last minute substitute for the <i>miso grilled beef tongue </i>we had initially wanted to order. it was a recommendation of the adorably hipster waiter (he was japanese, with bleached blonde hair and thick-framed glasses. total hipster). the scallop and avocado are rolled up in the pork, breaded and fried. then sliced like a sushi roll. while the insides get a little mushy since it's heated avocado, the pork remains juicy and it creates an interesting flavor compilation. this is probably the only dish that i wouldn't have ordered again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Bubby and i slowly worked our way through the food, oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the simple yet complicated flavors of each dish. although the noise level of the restaurant was sometimes overbearing, the food was always gentle and comforting. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">the food prices are very reasonable considering we were the perfect amount of full and the quality. be aware that the sake prices are pretty steep, with glasses averaging $11-14 and bottles starting at $65. </span></div>
tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-54387510039329671412016-01-05T11:57:00.000-05:002016-01-05T11:57:11.038-05:00BRRRR it's finally winter<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">for Christmas, my sister gave me the Flexitarian diet book in an attempt to help me lose weight and facilitate my conversion to vegetarianism. in the spirit of the new year, i decided to go for its 5-week diet menu with as much gusto as i can physically and monetarily accomplish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">which is how i found myself at Rego Park Center on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. <b>worst mistake ever. </b>no surprise that the place was <b>completely packed</b>, as most people would think to go grocery shopping on Sunday, before the week starts. but when you team a <a href="http://www.costco.com/">Costco</a> and an <a href="https://www.aldi.us/">Aldi's</a> in the same shopping complex, expect chaos to reign. Aldi's is on the 1st floor and Costco is on the basement level. if you make the unfortunate decision to park in the basement level and would like a shopping cart for your Aldi's shopping needs, be prepared to wait for an elevator. there was actually a ridiculous line for the <b>1 working elevator</b>. and of course, as happens all the time, there will always be assholes who attempt to cut the line, as if the rules of society and civilization don't apply to them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">after surviving the hell and nightmare of that ordeal, we headed over to Trader Joe's in Forest Hills. <b>because i like to make myself suffer. </b>our entire trip was probably 35 minutes. 20 minutes to get there. 15 minutes inside the poorly laid out store, where the lines are outrageous, and because of the exorbitantly long lines, it's impossible to shop for anything in the aisles. i grabbed a free turkey chili sample and bolted out of there. it made me deeply appreciate the Trader Joe's on Atlantic near my apartment for the efficiency of their layout.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">since we were in Forest Hills, Sandlot was clamoring for a stop at <i>Eddie's Sweet Shop</i>, the oldest ice cream shop in New York. however, since Sandlot's lactose intolerant, he needed to fortify his stomach before he filled it with lactose. luckily, there was a pizzeria just down the block so we stopped in for lunner/dinch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.dantespizzaforesthills.com/"><i>Dante's Pizza</i></a> is clearly a local pizzeria. sparse decoration, the old school orange plastic booths and tables. clearly most of their business is delivery and take-out. the regular cheese slice had a layer of glistening grease on top, so i opted for the spinach mushroom slice instead, extra crispy. the mushrooms were canned (which i secretly like more than fresh) and the toppings were abundant, covering every inch of the slice. aside from a wish for more sauce, i was pretty satisfied with it overall. and they did the extra crispy request perfectly.</span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5KythU59AI/Vov1YJDqL_I/AAAAAAAAJM8/4cfw_ENMwAM/s1600/20160103_161957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j5KythU59AI/Vov1YJDqL_I/AAAAAAAAJM8/4cfw_ENMwAM/s320/20160103_161957.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sandlot got a meatball hero (no cheese), which was good if not generic. he also felt they were a little stingy with the sauce. but otherwise, no complaints about the food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">my only really complaint is that our entire meal was $14. the hero was $7 and my bottle of diet dr. pepper was $2. which made my slice $4-5. <b>yikes.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">next we walked over to a completely empty Eddie's Sweet Shop. the decor borders between nostalgic and old-like-it-needs-to-be-renovated. 3 teenage kids were hanging out behind the counter. friendly and attentive enough, although their presence seems contrary to the nostalgia of the place. especially as they played songs from their iPod over the speakers i.e. hotline bling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">full from our prior meal, we each ordered a single scoop sundae: strawberry with hot fudge and vanilla with hot fudge and walnuts. the strawberry ice cream was average, without the frozen strawberries or homemade taste i tend to like. the color was that processed bright pink that blares unnatural. the vanilla on the other hand was pretty good, as was the hot fudge, although based on the yelp pictures i had expected some more of it. the walnuts were finely chopped, which was a nice touch. and the whip cream was definitely abundant. although by the end i was feeling a little whip-creamed out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">$13.75 for 2 scoops and 3 toppings is a little steep, but i guess it's worth it to sit in a part of history. once.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-42039542993418696432015-11-05T13:03:00.002-05:002015-11-05T13:03:53.701-05:00getting vegucated about the cowspiracy<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i recently watched 2 documentaries on Netflix: <a href="http://www.getvegucated.com/"><i>Vegucated</i>,</a> about 3 New Yorkers attempting a vegan diet for 6 weeks and the education provided by the documentarian about the environmental and humanity reasons for the lifestyle; and <i><a href="http://www.cowspiracy.com/">Cowspiracy</a></i>, an environmentalist documentary about the huge detrimental impact animal husbandry and fishing has on our environment.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">both documentaries shed a lot of light on how much of a detrimental impact humans make to sustain an omnivorous diet. ultimately, both documentaries conclude that a vegan lifestyle, wherein animals are not raised in mass quantities for human consumption, including milk and eggs, is the best solution.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">like the participants in Vegucated, i've never been able to understand vegans. vegetarians, i get (a little) but veganism seemed so extreme. however, these documentaries point out how little we, at the top of the food chain, have to do in order to help the environment by embracing a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle. our only sacrifice is what we ingest. <b>it's really not that hard </b>when you weight the benefit to the environment vs. my sacrifice to not eat delicious yummy proteins.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so, beginning November, Sandlot and i decided to give vegetarianism a try. it's week one, but we've already gone all-in with commitment. the only animal items we're allowed to eat are eggs and dairy and we went on a massive grocery shop in order to feed our new diet and avoid temptations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sandlot likes <a href="https://www.aldi.us/"><i>Aldi's</i></a> vs. <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/"><i>Trader Joe's</i></a>, and since they're technically related companies (owned by brothers, each running one entity), i decided to give it a shot. Trader Joe's has an abundance of vegetarian and vegan options, primarily in the frozen foods section, but still a very varied selection. alternatively, Aldi's doesn't really have a lot of vegetarian/vegan meat alternatives, although their gluten-free options are very abundant. we left with lots of beans varieties and cheeses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to supplement our choices, we stopped into <a href="http://www.costco.com/">Costco</a>, located in the same shopping complex. although i was expecting more options, Costco's choices weren't disappointing. in terms of ethnic vegetarian food e.g. hummus, stuffed grape leaves, cheeses, tofu, there's definitely a lot of choice. in the frozen foods section, there were some choices e.g. vegetarian quiches, edamame, vegetable ravioli, but the big ticket items i was hoping for like tempeh and soy hot dogs were sorely missed. we did pick up some <a href="https://www.morningstarfarms.com/products/details/morningstar-farms-spicy-black-bean-veggie-burgers-product.html">Morningstar Chipotle Black Bean Burgers</a>, which i have yet to try but which Sandlot says is surprisingly tasty. still tastes like a veggie burger, but the chipotle aspect helps to add some nice smoky flavor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so far, we've been making most of our meals and lunches at home and have been doing well with options and variety. but then again, it's been less than a week so far....</span></div>
tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-22173915435754496802015-09-01T16:57:00.000-04:002015-09-01T16:57:38.748-04:00東北 cuisine<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">before Sandlot and i started dating, i didn't spend a lot of time in Flushing. the most exposure i would get would be when my parents went to visit our relatives in Fresh Meadows. and when we went out to restaurants with them, i never really paid attention to the restaurant we went to/the food that we ate because i was in perpetual "little kid" mode, where you just tag along to wherever your parents take you and eat whatever they order for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">now that i'm older, i'm appreciating the restaurants and cuisines my elders are taking me to, like <i>Golden Palace</i>. Golden Palace serves northern Chinese cuisine, which i have no knowledge about, except to say, after tasting it, that it varies in its use of vegetables and the way it prepares its dishes and meats. well, that and <b>it's delicious.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">if you're looking for savory, full flavored punch in your food, then </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">東北 cuisine is definitely the way to go. they have a <i>Spiced Beef Shank </i>($10.99) which is a specialty of the house and is only available for a limited number of servings a day. it's available warmed or cold. although usually i would opt for the warm version, the cold version is just as good. although the meat's been cooked, cooled, and then sliced, it retains a moist texture. with the accompanying garlic soy sauce, it's hearty and delicious.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">similarly, the </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">大拉皮 </a><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Green Bean Sheet Jelly</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> ($9.99) is a tart and cooling dish with cucumbers and carrots, like a cold salad. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">尖椒肥腸 </a><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Intestines in Fresh Hot Pepper </i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">($8.99) packs a punch of spice and is a great accompaniment with rice. fair warning, the green peppers are very spicy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">One of our favorite dishes was </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">酸菜粉絲</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bolder;"> </a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Sour Cabbage with Vermicelli</i> ($7.99). the stir fried sour cabbage provides instant umami inside your mouth, and the vermicelli adds heft and contrasting texture to the crunchiness of the cabbage.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">an interesting dish is the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.9999408721924px;">血肠 </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Blood Sausage</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">. i've never encountered it before, although Uncle informed me it is a very authentic dish that has died out in most restaurants. it's essentially a sausage casing filled with pigs' blood that is steamed and then sliced. it's served with a garlic soy dipping sauce. i love eating offal, but i found the texture of the dish... unpleasant. the inside is just too mushy and off-putting for me to enjoy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">there are also some dishes that, unfortunately, i can't recall the name of but are a house specialty. a vegetarian stir fry consisting of wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts, and carrots is served with handmade pancakes, raw sliced scallions, and the brown sauce usually served with Peking duck to be wrapped like a tiny burrito. every table orders this dish so i recommend giving it a shot. if anything, you'll feel healthier for having done so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Dishes we could have done without: </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">焦溜茄子 </a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Eggplant with Brown Sauce </i>($7.99). i'm a huge fan of eggplant, and while the eggplant was properly tender, the dish felt overly greasy and lacked the flair of the other dishes. a similar problem occurred with the </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">回鍋肉<span style="font-size: 15px;"> </span><i>Sautéed Sliced Pork w. Pepper & Chili</i></span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"> </a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">$8.99).</span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"> </a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">the </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">蒜蓉空心菜</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-weight: bold;"> </a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i>Sauteed Chinese Watercress with Garlic </i>($9.99) lacked any uniqueness of flavor, but then again, it was mainly ordered to provide some much needed green vegetables to our growing table of dishes. Uncle was a big fan of the </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">肉絲炒乾豆角 <i>Sautéed Sliced Pork w. Tofu </i>($12.99) but i found it a bit salty. according to him, the dish was extremely authentic and i did like the dried tofu sheets, which i rarely see used in the Chinese cuisine served at restaurants. </span></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">another warning: the portions at this restaurant are pretty <b>epic. </b>my mother's side of the family tends to over-order when they go out, but our table was pretty daunting and the servers kept running out of room to put each new dish that arrived. which reminds me: the service is friendly but not the best. it seems to be 1 waiter and 1 busser for the entire restaurant, and neither can keep up with the speed in which the dishes come out of the kitchen. so be prepared to have empty dirty plates on your table for the duration of your meal or to have clean plates stacked upon old empty dirty plates.</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">as if we hadn't stuffed ourselves enough, after finding out that they make their dumplings fresh on the premises, Uncle ordered a plate of </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #333333; font-size: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">三鮮水餃(蒸)</span></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold;"> </a><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Seafood Dumplings with Pork </i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">($8.99). as with all dumplings that are freshly made, the filling was succulent and juicy, and the skin retained the fresh dough snap, although a little on the thicker side.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-60380021482906548252015-08-19T11:55:00.000-04:002015-09-02T11:55:42.262-04:00One of my favorite videos.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i saved this link as an, "i'll come back to this and share it" sort of thing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">which i did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but, i could never get myself to delete the link from my Favorites. and i always watch it every time i stumble upon it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it makes me happy.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PnDgZuGIhHs" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-58587604920380763982015-07-16T11:18:00.000-04:002015-08-19T11:19:39.723-04:00mixing business and pleasure<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i freely admit that i'm weird. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i have a weird stance/posture about certain things that others take for granted. for instance, i am not the most comfortable about mixing business matters and personal matters. i mean, i'm fine with the occasional happy hour, a co-worker's birthday, but it takes a special person/connection for me to discuss my personal life or invite them to a personal event.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">usually i don't have to worry much about it and i'm more than capable of navigating a work happy hour. but every once in a while, the 2 spheres cross paths. like when my boss tells my group he has extra tickets to a client's son's concert and asks us to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">what're you gonna do? say no to your boss? <b>i don't think so.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the concert starts at 8 pm. which turns into dinner beforehand. where we invite our significant others and family members.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">huh?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and then the jackass you work with suggests eating at <a href="http://sammysromanian.com/">Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse</a> because it's right next to the concert venue. and your boss LOVES the idea. and so now you are roped into going to an overpriced kitschy steakhouse that will not be expensed which means you'll have to pay. and to top it all off, the jackass that suggested the restaurant tells everyone he can't go. <b>jackass.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and now you have to invite Sandlot to the work event because your other co-worker, the one who you have a social connection with outside of work, has told your boss about him. and you start getting a small bout of anxiety akin to introducing your significant other to your parents for the first time but on a much smaller scale because you CARE what your boss and co-workers think about your relationship, but not THAT much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>of course, as i'm sure you know, everything worked out fine. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">in general, it was a good time. overpriced, but good. sometimes awkward, but good. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">as for Sammy's, it's an event to get tucked under your belt if you like meats, have a nostalgia for staple Jewish cuisine, and are a New Yorker. definitely not a romantic dinner option. and lots of birthdays, engagements, bachelor/bachelorette parties. so get ready for some drunk screaming and yelling. drinks are ridiculously pricey so get ready to just give in and get wasted, because if you're already spending that much, why not?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">you start with a bowl of bread, pickles, tomatoes, and roasted green peppers. basically, a pickled assortment. which is delicious. my boss wanted full sour pickles, which Sammy's gladly provided.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we ordered a round of appetizers to share, including the <i>Chopped Liver (Sammy's Style) </i>and <i>Romanian Karnatzlack, </i>which appears to be garlicky sausages. <b>the liver was to die for. </b>so creamy, with that unctuous liver flavor that is so satisfying. and yes, there's a table show since it's mixed by hand table side. the karnatzlack was also very good, with a distinct garlic and ground meat flavor. there's quite a few in a single serving, so have more than 1 at your own risk. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">my boss also ordered his own serving of <i>Kishka</i>, which according to Wikipedia is a "types of sausage or stuffed intestine with a filling made from a combination of meat and meal, often grain." yuuuuu, (insert sarcastic tone here). i had a bite, and it was ok. definitely very dense and grainy/mealy, but very bland. the taste was more texture than taste.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">for entrees, Sandlot ordered the <i>Double Romanian Tenderloin</i>, which is big, but not HUGE. or maybe that's just me being a typical american with ridiculous serving size expectations. it is big enough to share between 2 people, with no leftovers. the steak was pretty good, and a novelty of sorts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i ordered the B<i>roiled Veal Chop</i>, which was just meh. the veal chop was crispy on the outside, which resulted in a slightly dry inside. plus, the portion was really 60-70% giant bone vs. meat. my boss had the <i>Jewish Veal Chop, </i>again because he was hankering for some good ol' Jewish specialty/home cooking. this turned out to be a GIANT serving of breaded and fried veal chop. if ordering, don't make his mistake. make sure to get some sauteed onions and schmaltz on top to give it some more flavor.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to complete the meal, we ordered a side of <i>Latkes</i> and <i>Mashed Potatoes.</i> The latkes was very good, particularly heaped with the accompanying applesauce. The mashed potatoes were, for lack of a better word, meh. pretty bland and requiring a lot of schmaltz and salt and pepper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">basically, go once to say you've done it and then go somewhere else.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-55702103068863176152015-06-08T14:52:00.000-04:002015-06-11T14:53:30.638-04:00<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dim sum is <b>my jam. </b>i have <b>never ever never ever ever </b>said no to eating dim sum.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">so when BB's family offered to take us out to dim sum for lunch, i was delighted! at their suggestion, we went to <i>The Grand </i>at the <i>New World Mall. </i>i never even knew there was a restaurant located there, aside from the extensive food court in the basement!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">luckily BB's cousin goes to The Grand frequently and gets the VIP treatment, so we didn't have to wait to be seated. the line looked moderate when we arrived around 12:30 p.m., but it blew up when we left about 45 mins-1 hour later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">overall, the food was good at The Grand, and everything was served fresh and hot. however, the ladies pushing the carts seem to hate doing their job and never want to stop at your table. when you do get their attention, they want to drop their item and leave ASAP. we had to stop more than 1 cart lady from leaving before we could ask for additional items from her cart.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">now that i think about, it seems that <b>none </b>of their employees seem to want to do their jobs. BB's parents wanted to order a crispy noodle dish, so we flagged one of the waiters near us to order. she asked if we wanted to settle our check and i advised her that we wanted to order a dish instead. to which she responded that she couldn't do that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ok, i can accept that. it's a very large banquet hall with a large and quick turnover for dim sum. perhaps her sole purpose is to quickly settle up checks for tables so new customers can be seated. so imagine my surprise when she made the biggest stinkface and exasperated sigh when we asked her to settle our check and gave her our credit card.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">lastly, i was surprised with the lack of options being carted around. i'm not sure if it's because the hall is too big, but there were some main/usual dim sum characters that never made it to our table e.g. shrimp balls, shrimp crepes, turnip cake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">however, the service issues aside, the food wasn't bad, and there were some interesting options. not sure if i'll make it back, especially with that food court located right below it.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-9076641784596761042015-05-07T11:07:00.000-04:002015-06-10T11:08:50.414-04:00a trendier Mission Chinese<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">i've been horribly remiss in updating this blog. and i don't really have a good excuse for it except to say <b>i am extremely lazy.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">i'd been to Mission Chinese when it was located at its former LES location on Rivington (i think that's where it was?) but hadn't been back since they moved. so when a date suggested going there, i was more than happy to give it another shot. i had vague memories of the food being good, if a little salty, and Bubby's lips being burned off her face (figuratively, not literally of course).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">perhaps because it was a weekday, and relatively early (6:30ish), we had no problem getting a table although the place was packed and got more so as the night wore on. although there were pockets of couples out for dinner, it seemed like the place was more popular as a foursome or a large group. a smart move because that offers you the option to order more items from the menu.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">i let my date do most of the ordering. as i found out through subsequent dates, he has a big hankering for asian fusion food. he ordered the 2 main staples at Mission: (1) <i>Kung Pao Pastrami (home fries, tianjin chili, celery and peanuts) </i>($14); and (2) <i>Chongqing Chicken Wings (crispy beef tripe, explosive chili, xinjiang spices</i>) ($13). the wings arrived first, and while yes, they are crispy and yes, the spice is that numbing szechuan spice which can be fun at times, i was reminded of my last visit to the restaurant: <b>SALTY</b>. which was further emphasized with the arrival of the pastrami dish. <b>MORE SALT. </b> the pastrami had a great chew to it and the potatoes add a balancing starch, but both dishes uses some powdery spice substance that appears to make them <b>super salty.</b> no wonder i drank 4 jamesons before the last 2 dishes arrived.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">we also had to wait an inordinate amount of time before we were served the complimentary scrambled eggs gyoza/fried dumplings. an innovative twist, Mission doesn't provide anything as traditional as a bread or crudite service. instead it offers starchy pan-fried goodness in the form of dumplings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">what i did insist on was a vegetable dish. i'm a big proponent of ordering a balanced meal, which tends to get overlooked when you order the most eye-candy menu items. in order to appease me, we ended up with an order of <i>Black Kale and Pea Greens (bone marrow broth and healthy grains)</i> ($14). ultimately, this was the perfect complement to the rest of the spicy and salty dishes my date ordered. it has a very mild but substantive flavor (is that contradictory? well bully to you, because that's what it tasted like). although i didn't get an overwhelming bone marrow flavor, the broth was a soothing and gentle accompaniment to the greens. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">i can never resist a <i>Salt Cod Fried Rice (chinese sausage, lettuce, egg) </i>($14), so i was really looking forward to this dish, but Mission's was a <b>huge disappointment. </b>the rice was extremely undercooked which made the whole dish pretty much inedible. furthermore, it didn't have the nice salt cod kick that makes the dish so unique. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">there are so many other dishes on the menu that i'd like to try, so i'm not completely writing Mission off, but i also wonder if it's worth it to go <b>a third time</b> and spend money at a restaurant that, if <b>salty again</b>, i wouldn't be surprised isn't as good as the hype.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">fool me once, shame on you. fool me twice...</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-38594809292431825022015-03-09T13:47:00.003-04:002015-03-09T13:48:57.890-04:00an italian feast at home<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this weekend could be called a splurge weekend-at least when it came to food. and to end it all, V and i started Sunday with brunch at <i>Cafe Luluc. </i>i'd always heard great things about their brunch, especially their pancakes, and since V usually has a sweet tooth for breakfast, i figured it'd be a good suggestion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">lo and behold, the one day where V <b>doesn't </b>want to eat too much. turns out he'd had a fast food junket the day before and he wanted to try and eat healthier, a la yogurt and fruit for breakfast. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">however, undeterred, i forged ahead with our walk over to Cafe Luluc. arriving around 11:15 a.m., the wait was a reasonable 10-15 minutes. shortly before 11:30 a.m., we were seated at the counter and ready to order. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">a sucker for savory breakfasts, especially eggs benedict, it's no surprise i ordered the <i>eggs benedict with smoked salmon</i> ($10). it's served with french fries (hooray! i'm actually not a big fan of homefries-i always prefer french fries) and a small salad. overall, i wasn't that impressed with their dish. the eggs were overcooked and the salmon portion was meager. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blissfuleats.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Homemade-Quiche-with-spinach-and-goat-cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.blissfuleats.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Homemade-Quiche-with-spinach-and-goat-cheese.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>courtesy of <a href="http://blissfuleats.com/">blissfuleats.com</a></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">V on the other hand ordered the </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">goat cheese and spinach quiche</i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">, which was a special for the day. the spinach was well seasoned and was perfectly paired with the creamy saltiness of the goat cheese. also served with french fries and a small salad. this was clearly the winner amongst our 2 dishes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">their service was impeccable and friendly, even though the restaurant was overwhelminingly full with diners. i also noticed that they have dinner specials Monday-Thursday and Sunday which were interesting, especially the drinks specials (all $5). definitely worth looking into.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">you would think that after such a bountiful brunch, V and i would've relegated ourselves to a light dinner. but V, who clearly possesses the metabolism of a teenage boy, was already planning our dinner before we'd even left Cafe Luluc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">his interest had been piqued for <i><a href="http://dursos.com/">Durso's Pasta & Ravioli Company</a> </i>after seeing it featured on <i><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/throwdown-with-bobby-flay.html">Throwdown! with Bobby Flay</a>. </i>and so a few hours later, we found ourselves at the quaint italian shop purchasing the featured osso bucco ravioli and accompanying osso bucco sauce. to add carb on top of carb, V purchased half a dozen garlic knots ("to soak up the sauce" he said). in an attempt to balance out our carb feast, i got a half pound of broccoli rabe sauteed with garlic and some hot peppers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">in total, we spent about $50 for dinner for the both of us, which included all of the above and a box of lobster ravioli and spicy fra diavolo sauce. the osso bucco with the accompanying sauce was pretty epic. the sauce isn't a traditional red sauce, but instead more of a gravy which accents the taste of the ravioli perfectly. plus those garlic knots were heavenly with a strong garlic scent but not an overpowering garlic flavor. and it really was the perfect vehicle to sop up that amazing sauce.</span><br />
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<br />tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-70634160395423702762015-03-08T15:12:00.000-04:002015-03-12T11:51:40.425-04:00#idfwu<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">i've recently been seeing V, and the more time we spend with each other, the more our relationship is beginning to traverse the line between "casual" and "committed." but anyone who knows me knows i am not a person who jumps into relationships lightly. it takes me a long time to decide whether i am ready to <b>fully commit </b>to a person i.e. forego all others and risk the possibility that this relationship (and my time) will crash and burn like my past attempts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">the whole point of that spiel being that, yes, i go on dates with other people as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">which is how i found myself at a dinner date with Awkward Guy at <i>Dieci</i> on Saturday night. ever since i found out about this place, i've been <b>dying </b>to go. about 1/3 of the menu items contain uni, one of my favorite food items.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">upon arrival, the first thing you'll notice is how <span style="font-size: xx-small;">tiny</span> the restaurant is. a long communal table sits on the right of the entrance adjacent to the half-open kitchen, and a few small individual tables sits on the left. late-reservers and those who don't specifically request it, will find themselves seated at the communal table, and it is a very tight squeeze. the girl sitting next to kept brushing my bare shoulders with her very voluminously curly hair every time she turned to face the companion sitting to her right or to address the waiter. <b>uncomfortable. </b></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the service is also very attentive, and slightly formal, which would be great except for how intrusive the changing of the silverware for each course can be in such a tight space.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">but all is forgiven once your food arrives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">AG usually lets me order our appetizers, although i usually do defer to him to see if there's anything he specifically wants to eat (he is footing the bill after all). perhaps sensing how excited i was to eat at this restaurant, AG deferred to me completely. which is how we ended up with the <i>Uni Scrambled Egg with sturgeon caviar </i>($18) and the <i>Miso Seared Foie Gras (duck miso; simmered daikon)</i> ($15). both of these dishes were heaven on earth. the egg was softly scrambled with a hint of dashi broth to keep it most. paired with the richness of the caviar and the uni, the flavors were delicate and creamy. the foie gras was nicely seared, maintaining the rich soft center and counterbalanced with the well simmered daikon, which maintained it's firmness but was permeated with the light flavor of the simmering broth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">for entrees, i ordered the <i>Fettucine (creamy sea urchin, sauce and calamari) </i>($24) and AG ordered the <i>Japanese Red Snapper Chazuke </i>(<i>grilled rice ball and hoji tea soup) </i>($22). the pasta was perfectly cooked al dente, with a little toothsome feel to hold onto the light and creamy uni sauce. i could've done without the calamari, but it was cooked well and remained tender so it didn't distract from the overall dish. the chazuke was also very good, the rice swimming inside the broth was a good melding of subtle flavors and the snapper was well cooked. when AG went to the bathroom, i kept sneaking bites of his dish.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">although i was eyeing the <i>Earl Grey Creme Brulee </i>for dessert, i let AG pick and he went with the <i>Molten Chocolate Cake with Bourbon Ice Cream</i>. great combination and well executed, it will satisfy any sweet tooth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">the night was young and AG hoped to continue our date. which was slightly problematic for me. AG is a great guy, but i just don't think we click overall, including our sense of humor and our conversation flow. he's a great listener and remembers just about everything i tell him, but it actually overwhelms me when that happens vs. impresses me. he often talks about our future vacation trips and getaways together and when i'll meet his best friends and family. <b>#overwhelmed.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">so i plopped us down at <i>Bar Veloce</i> (the scene of a <a href="http://tmaonawhim.blogspot.com/2012/02/ya.html">previous crime</a>) to have the dreaded "talk". but how to do that? which method to employ so that i could let AG down gently, especially after he took me to one of the best meals i've had this year?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">i decided to disclose that i was also seeing V, and that we had been seeing each other for the past few months-beginning with the time that AG decided to "drop" me per the sage advice of his sister. i figured, with the time, money, and investment that AG was putting into me, and the fact that he isn't seeing anyone else, he would've decided to cut his losses and move on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>of course that didn't exactly happen</b>. instead, AG took it as a gauntlet being thrown and a healthy competition. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>::shake my head:: </b>but we'll see, he might be blustering about wanting to step up to the challenge.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-62372321015154883132015-02-23T11:40:00.000-05:002015-03-09T14:07:12.460-04:00Omma's Year<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">happy Chinese New Year! it's the year of the goat/ram. which happens to be the year my mom was born in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i have to say, my lunar new year isn't getting off to the best start vs. my western calendar new year. hope it's not a sign of things to come...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">since the new year fell on a Thursday this year, my parents decided to hold the family dinner on Saturday to accommodate theirs and our working/school schedules.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.pfmarket.net/">P.F. Market</a></i> opened up in my hometown a few years ago, on a strip of the main street surrounded by car dealerships and Wendy's, Taco Bell, and Burger King. not a very promising opening. but over the years, i've heard very good things about the mildly upscale seafood restaurant. plus it's BYOB. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the menu is clearly seafood-centric, with little to no other options. so diners with seafood allergies beware. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">we started with a <i>Seafood Tower </i>($34) consisting of <i>3 little neck, 3 cherry stone, 3 east coast, 3 west coast, 3 shrimp, and colossal crabmeat. </i>it was very difficult to be judicious in picking and choosing which pieces to eat in our family of 11. as is tradition and culture, the adults got first and multiple pick, with the kids, receiving it last, pouncing on the platter like hyenas at a feeding frenzy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">we also ordered 2 versions of calamari. the traditional <i>Fried Calamari</i> ($12) was nice and crisp and i actually preferred it over the special calamari that was offered that night, which was a twist on the traditional with an inclusion of honey and chili to the fried version. others also ordered bowls of <i>Lobster Bisque </i>($8) and <i>New England Clam Chowder</i> ($5.50). The lobster bisque was the clear winner that night, with a great creamy texture and light lobster accent. unfortunately, the chowder that night was <b>very salty</b>, nearing on almost inedible.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">for entrees, the <i>Seafood Fra Diavolo </i>(<i>shrimp, scallops, calamari, PEI mussels, & lobster tail in spicy marinara over linguini) </i></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">($29) </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">was a huge hit. </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and the portion was ginormous</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. it had the right bite of spice without being overpowering, and the sauce had a clear seafood flavor and was sufficient to properly coat the pasta so every bite was balanced with the dish's components.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as is expected, my mother ordered the <i>P.F. Paella (fresh octopus, calamari, shrimp, scallops, PEI mussels, clams & chorizo, over rice)</i> ($28). you know that 1 dish that you can never resist when you see it on the menu? that's paella for my mother. my dad ordered the <i>Broiled Branzino</i>, which is technically a special but appears to be on offer at all times.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">unfortunately, the remainder of the entrees ordered were all from the specials menu. there was a very light and refreshing lobster risotto, a squid ink pasta that was a tad salty, and my entree, an <i>arctic char served in arrabbiata sauce.</i> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">just about everybody took leftovers home (excluding my dad and BoyCousin#1). but, proving the resiliency of the young, WongSquared ordered dessert. and as typical of young taste buds, she ordered <i>Chocolate Lava Cake </i>($8). knowing that people might want something sweet, but not <b>that sweet</b>, i ordered the <i>Pistachio Gelato</i> ($8), which was happily well received.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-46899516907042550222015-02-19T10:57:00.000-05:002015-02-19T10:58:56.723-05:00Trendy Soup Dumplings<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bubby and i are attempting to make a standing monthly dinner date to catch up with each other AND eat at a restaurant either of us has had a hankering to go to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">which is how we found ourselves outside of <i><a href="http://azasunyc.com/">Azasu</a></i> last night in the LES. <b>except Azasu was closed</b>. <b>inexplicably.</b> there was no posting on their website. nothing on the storefront window. i even called them and there was nothing on the outgoing voice message. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>that is seriously annoying. </b>especially since Bubby and i had been looking forward to the dinner all day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">so, forced to come up with a quick Plan B alternative, we hopped on the M15 and headed over to St. Marks to eat at <i>Bao. </i>the cold weather had given me a hankering for soup dumplings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">we walked in around 8:00 p.m and the place was <b>packed. </b>it's not a large restaurant and is typical of most of the eateries on St. Marks in that it had an NYU-college-frenzied-atmosphere. we put our name on the list and were told there would be a 30 minute wait so we headed over to <i><a href="http://barcadestmarks.com/">Barcade</a> </i>for a drink (plus Bubby <b>really </b>had to pee).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">exactly 1 drink later, we were promptly seated at Bao. by this point, we were <b>hungry</b>, so it's no surprise we <b>slightly </b>over-ordered. Bao's menu has the plethora of selection, and it hits all the right notes between authentic Chinese options and dishes catering to the whities (ok, that's a little racist. Bubby's white and she would <b>never </b>order General Tso's Chicken). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">we started with <i>XO Sauce Fried Rice, </i>which was ordered partly because Bubby and i had chosen mainly spicy dishes from the menu and i didn't want our mouths to be on fire and because i've gotten an affinity for XO sauce ever since my visit to Vancouver. the rice is good and flavorful, with bits of pork belly mixed within, but nothing special. perhaps a noodle dish next time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">we also ordered the <i>Radish Turnip Puffs</i>, which were actually very well done. the puff pastry on the outside was the perfect crumbly and crunch consistency without being greasy. the slight saltiness of the outside pastry was balanced out by the sweetness of the sauteed daikon radish on the inside. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">next, the main attraction, the soup dumplings arrived. we had ordered the <i>Super Spicy Steamed Buns</i>, mainly because i was intrigued at their use of the word "super." how spicy <b>is </b>super? apparently, very spicy. they use a ma-la flavored soup for the inside, which creates that super spicy flavor and saltiness. while it was a good dish, i think i'd order something else for next time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">we also ordered the </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Sauteed Black Goat</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> and </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Stir Fried Lotus Root</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">. the goat dish was cooked well, keeping the meat still tender. it was sauteed with chinese water spinach, which also added to the overall texture (and convinced you that you were eating healthy). the lotus root was also cooked well, maintaining a general crispy texture, although a little softer than i usually like it. it was the only non-spicy dish we ordered, aside from the fried rice (which should've been spicy but wasn't), which helped to balance out our overall meal. but i think that if you don't order such heavily spiced dishes, the lotus root could be a little bland.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">i liked all the dishes we ordered at Bao and there were plenty more on the menu that i would've liked to try out. it's the type of menu that you want to eat with a bunch of friends, so you can try a little of everything, exactly the way chinese food is meant to be eaten (<b>family style</b>). BUT, i think the price point is too high for most of the food that Bao is serving. for 5 dishes and 2 glasses of wine, Bubby and i spent just under $100, including tax and tip. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">i'd probably go back to Bao, but just for their dim sum and cold appetizers portion of the menu, which is more reasonably priced for the items. although it'll be very hard to refrain from ordering other items when the rest of the restaurant is...</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-63243616883576052092015-02-16T15:34:00.000-05:002015-02-18T15:35:16.533-05:00Ruined!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on perhaps one of the coldest weekends in NY, Spoon and i had made plans to meet up for brunch in Manhattan. this meant me travelling from my outer borough and her travelling from Jersey City. <b>we are clearly not levelheaded people.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">but we persevered and ended up at <i><a href="http://www.mothersruinnyc.com/">Mother's Ruin</a></i>. the space is not that big and happened to be <b>packed </b>at the time we arrived. it's a rustic space with hardwood floors and furniture. a mirror display behind the bar has amusingly named cocktails and a live acoustic duo was performing at the front/center of the space. so essentially, <b>hipster. </b>(flannels and beanies abounded).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i started to get a foreboding feeling when the hostess sat a group that had arrived <b>after </b>we had arrived and given our name <b>before </b>us. maybe it was because they were all metrosexual/gay men who were a more attractive crowd to put at the coveted window bay table. after all, they need to keep up appearances for the crowds that walked by the restaurant. when i pointed out her faux pas, she shrugged her shoulders and told me she had their name down before mine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>i do not like it when people lie. </b>(see previous post). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">let me correct that: she may not have been lying. she probably <b>really did </b>put their name down before ours. <b>but that doesn't make her correct. </b>maybe that's why you shouldn't use a stupid chalkboard system to write down the names of people who are waiting. maybe, when you see a crowd of diners waiting to be seated, you shouldn't just walk through the crowd and ask everyone's name and then willy-nilly write down them down in whatever order <b>you choose to remember.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>but that's just me.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we got a comfortable table in the back, which started to thaw my prickly demeanor. and for me, the subsequent experience was pleasant. i got my brunch beverage-a bloody mary. it was meh, but not unpleasant. i prefer mine spicier and it barely had a kick. more salt vs. kick. but who can complain about a bloody mary? (or so i thought. the story continues later). i ordered <i>Mother's Biscuits and Gravy </i>($13) (<i>buttermilk biscuits, spicy sausage gravy, poached eggs & pickled cherry peppers</i>) which is definitely one of the heartier savory menu items. again, the dish was overall salty vs. spicy but it was enjoyable. the poached eggs were done well. but it's sad that the only thing i can really say about a dish that contains BISCUITS! GRAVY! SAUSAGE! is that the poached eggs were done well...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">NewGuy ordered the Mother's 75 (their version of a mimosa, with grapefruit instead of orange juice) and the <i>'Real Deal' Maryland Crab Cake Benedict </i>($16) (<i>lump crabmeat, poached eggs, old bay remoulade, home fries</i>). i had a few bites of his entree and it was ok. he seemed happy with the flavor, although he lamented the small portion.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spoon ordered the <i>Frenchie</i> ($11) (<i>challah french toast, fresh poached pears, chai whipped cream, maple syrup</i>)-the only person to order a sweet vs. savory entree. unfortunately, the toasts were skinny limp pieces of bread that were slightly charred from overcooking. the saving grace were the pears, whipped cream (the small amount given to her), and the maple syrup. Spoon'sHubby ordered a glass of white wine and the <i>Tri Tip Hash </i>($16) (<i>worcestershire marinated steak bites, poached eggs, red bliss potato hash)</i> which he liked, but, he also lamented the tiny portion. on this point, i can concur. of all our entrees, his was the smallest.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">interesting point about the drinks. when you sit down at the table, they bring you a glass bottle of water and glasses to fill with it. when they brought our alcoholic beverages, all of them cocktails except for SH's, the cocktails were served in distinctive glasses. however, SH's white wine, which was a <b>very light, almost clear </b>color, was served in the same exact glass as our water glass. so imagine us chagrined when we asked our waitress where SH's wine was, and she pointed to the full glass of what appeared to be water on the table. we were feeling a little embarrassed about it until, about 20 minutes later, the waitress came over to refill our waters <b>and filled up SH's wine glass with water.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">again, Mother's Ruin, don't you think it would be smart to have water glasses be one shape and drink glasses to be another? perhaps to avoid that exact situation?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">everyone seemed less than satisfied with their Mother's Ruin meal, so we made a quick exit and decided to head out for another drink to shake off the experience. first, we made a quick sweets stop at <i><a href="http://www.thecitybakery.com/birdbath">Birdbath Bakery,</a> </i>which just opened a new location at 45 Spring Street. a tiny offshoot of <i>City Bakery, </i>but it was my first time sampling their chew chocolate chip cookie, which i loved. just the right amount of crisp at the edges while still maintaining a chewy, but not completely soft center.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">we took our sweet treats and headed over to <i><a href="http://thespringlounge.com/">Spring Lounge</a></i>, one of my favorite low key bars in the area. <b>or so i thought</b>. the place ended up being packed. apparently there was a chili cook-off, allowing everybody to sample a bunch of free chili and voting for their favorite. Spoon and i took one look at the crowd and decided we should probably change locations. that idea was immediately curtailed once we saw the look on SH's and NG's faces. <b>they looked like they were in pure heaven.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">as they sampled each chili, moaning about it being so tasty, they each commented, "why didn't we come here first?!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-25866846229474522302015-02-08T14:34:00.000-05:002015-02-18T14:35:10.919-05:00Bella Lush<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">everyone always talks about opening a restaurant, creating an iPhone app, designing their own clothing line, opening a shop to sell some item. the great thing about human nature is that you're usually looking for something else, always searching for something better and contemplating self-improvement and ambition.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">of course, the other thing about human nature is that we tend to be all talk, and very little action. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">more often than not, the realities of stepping out on your own, or even with partners or friends, is too daunting to actually implement in real life. </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQO2zrLYQQo/VOToZWgfBRI/AAAAAAAADyE/f5L55PDmG2A/s1600/20150207_202255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GQO2zrLYQQo/VOToZWgfBRI/AAAAAAAADyE/f5L55PDmG2A/s1600/20150207_202255.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">which is why i give FashionDiva great kudos for going through with her idea to start a lingerie line. <i><a href="http://www.bellalush.com/">Bella Lush </a></i>is a site for "lush women", riding that recent train of thought about <b>real women </b>with <b>real bodies </b>instead of Victoria Secret models. i met FD because we attended the same law school. post-law school, she did what most of us did, which was to enter the legal profession. she could've been content to stay the course, which most of us do, but she had other ambitions and interests and thus Bella Lush was born.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i recently attended the launch party for Bella Lush at <i>Tenpenny </i>located at the <i>Gotham Hotel. </i>it's a cute venue, and definitely conveniently located near Grand Central Terminal. however, it IS a small space, so i would recommend it more for an intimate date (perhaps before slipping up to one of the hotel rooms above?).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">this was my first time getting a full look at the Bella Lush line, which, i heard from others, was curated specifically by FD. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i checked out the website and the sets are adorable, but seems to be for more "lush" women. i might pass as a "lush" woman on the bottom, but i doubt i could ever pass for "lush" at my top... regardless though, great applause for FD for stepping outside of the box and pursuing her interests and ambitions! and thanks for including me at the launch of this promising new adventure.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-20450170153911222332015-01-22T12:17:00.000-05:002015-02-09T12:27:40.503-05:00Everyone Deserves a Second Chance?<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">a few months back, i had been casually dating AwkwardGuy. AG is a <b>really nice</b> guy, with a great job and a great future. basically all the attributes that my mother keeps trying to pound into my head as the makings of a great husband. we'd been seeing each other for about 2 months, but when the holidays came up, our schedules got extremely busy and, after a few missed connections, AG dropped off the face of the earth. i didn't really pursue it because my interest was lukewarm. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">until about 3 weeks ago, when i got a text from AG out of the blue. i thought about just ignoring it, but, in the spirit of attempting to be more practical about my dating choices, i decided to give AG a second chance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">here's the thing about AG: he is a <b>super awkward </b>conversationalist. in this day and age, being a self-touted "dork" isn't necessarily a bad thing. in NY, it's almost a badge of honor. <b>unless of course, you really are a dork. </b>and not in the ironic sense. AG isn't a lovable, endearing dork who might like some trivia and video games. AG actually wouldn't be classified as a dork for all intents and purposes. in fact, AG is actually a frat boy, through and through. likes to get wasted with his buddies at the Red Lion and hails from Villanova, one of the epicenters of the quintessential frat brother.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">but AG is <b>awkward</b>. maybe it was our first date, when he started talking about us planning a weekend getaway together. or on our first and second date when he talked about introducing me to his family. or maybe it's his awkward laugh: the kind that starts as a guffaw and then dies down to a whisper because you're laughing at your own joke. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">gentlemen, a word of caution: some self-deprecation can be endearing. it 's a sign of humbleness, a lack of arrogance, and a great way to put your date at ease. however, too much of it, and it becomes a red flag. your partner will start wondering whether you're not just being ironic, but are just attempting to put all your negative points on immediate display so you can say that you came with a disclaimer and that your partner had already been warned of all your faults before they began a relationship.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">so then why would i give AG a second chance?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">simple: <b>AG always picks amazing places to meet for dinner and drinks. and he pays.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">yes, it's completely shallow and horrible but it's the truth. <b>or at least my truth. </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">and that's how i found myself at <i><a href="http://www.theshakespearenyc.com/">The Shakespeare</a></i> meeting AG after work on Friday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">i'd never been to the Shakespeare, although it's relatively close to my office. but having spent a year studying abroad in the UK, i'd been planning on going at some point. the place was crowded at 6:30 p.m., and if you listened closely, approximately 50% of the people there were definitely from across the sea. so if you have a hankering for the lilting tones of a British accent, get yourself to the Shakespeare.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">the place is cozy, hovering between a local bar a</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">nd a British bar (it really is a fine line, anyway). we ended up at a table on the first floor, tucked into a corner. the food is very traditional pub fare, but classier. AG ordered the </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Roasted Bone Marrow ($15)</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> to start, which was salty decadence, in a good way. the accompanying lemon zest and sweet and sour shallots were a nice balance to the richness of the marrow. In an attempt to lighten up our meal, i ordered the </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Woodland Mushroom Salad ($8). </i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">the mushrooms were nicely sauteed/roasted and the rocket lettuce and shaved parmesan were a hearty pairing to add some depth and lightness to the appetizer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">as mains, AG ordered the <i>Fish and Chips ($23). </i>i ordered the <i>House Blend Burger ($19), </i>which consisted of aged NY strip, skirt, short rib and chuck topped with cheddar/stilton, smoked bacon, Brooklyn brine pickles and served with a small side of triple cooked thick cut chips. overall the burger was very good, although a little salty. i personally wasn't a fan of the fries. they have the 2 things that i'm not particularly fond of : triple fried (which is why i'm also not a fan of burger king and checkers fries) and thick cut (i'm a shoe string girl all the way). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">if you're an expat looking for a taste of home, or an American looking to pull a Brit, this is probably the place for you. otherwise, i'm not sure i'll be headed back any time soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">as for AG and myself, the inevitable topic of conversation was why he had stopped contacting me. it turns out, one of his sisters (he comes from a family of 9 by the way), had told him that i didn't seem interested in him and that he should stop wasting his time on me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">so it seems that women really do have a good intuition when it comes to other women. AG probably should've listened to her. </span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-62495059999550533922015-01-07T15:24:00.000-05:002015-02-03T16:27:29.558-05:00t-something<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">at this point, Williamsburg, or the 'burg as i affectionately/lazily call it, is old news as a bastion of up and coming restaurants and bars. i started travelling out there in order to attend Smorgasburg and then slowly traveled over more often to eat at the various bars and restaurants. but even so, i don't go as often as i would like. most likely because my home base is Brooklyn Heights, so in order to get to the 'burg i have to go into Manhattan to take the L train, or else take the G train, which runs less frequently at night, or a bus. these act as deterrents to any casual outing to the 'burg.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">which is why i love it when others <b>give me a reason</b> to go out there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">PerfectHusband decided to celebrate his t-something birthday (at a certain point i think we should stop specifying what age we're turning) in the 'burg. and he decided to go old-school: the multi-location birthday party.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the first stop:<a href="http://wythehotel.com/the-ides"> <i>The Ides Bar</i></a>. Located at the rooftop of the Wythe Hotel, the bar undoubtedly has a great view. best for night times and sunsets. unfortunately, the place <b>oozes pretension. </b>i arrived on a saturday night around 9 pm and was immediately turned off by the small line forming around the corner of the hotel. because it was PH's birthday, i braved the line and waited to get in. between the asinine conversations taking place around me and the ridiculous procedure to get in, my patience was slowly being worn thin.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ides Bar has a dual check system before you can enter the bar. first there's the hostess on the 1st floor. who is preceded by a <b>red carpet</b>. yes, they are pretentious enough to have a red carpet-like the ones you see celebrity step onto when entering awards shows. if you are able to make it to the hostess and are permitted entry to the bar, you are directed to an elevator. where another bouncer waits to check your ID. hmm, think they should've checked that at the first checkpoint? you are then squished into the elevator and arrive at the top floor, where you are <b>finally </b>let into the bar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">which is only 1/3 full. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and that is the ultimate douchey thing to do. the bar was not full <b>at all</b>, yet they were "creating" a sense of occupancy with the false line outside and making constant announcements that the line was "closing" and anyone not inside would not make it in for the night. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">booooooo.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the only thing that saved this place was the view and the company. and 1 of those things i can have any time i want, without the douchery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">luckily, we moved onto the 2nd venue:<a href="http://berryparkbk.com/"> <i>Berry Park.</i></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">much more my speed. no lines, no pretensions (although still half hipster-packed, but i can forgive that). although much more packed than Ides Bar, the place is large enough, with an upstairs and downstairs, to accommodate large crowds. plus it played my favorite type of music: old school hip hop and top 40. drinks are well-priced and the crowd is definitely out to have fun. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i mean, look at how much fun we're having.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-87759375199687090262014-11-30T10:20:00.000-05:002014-12-03T10:21:05.031-05:00Date Option: Union Square<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">dating in NY is a tricky activity. on-line and app dating even more so. if you make it over the initial hurdles of initiating conversations and maintaining a level of interest in someone that you have yet to meet (and i am a lazy texter and e-mailer. i text and e-mail the bare minimum to <b>my friends, </b>let alone a complete stranger), the next obstacle is the first in-person meeting. you negotiate about activity (drinks, dinner, coffee, museum, park, movie), then the location (public of course, but where? east side, west side, uptown, downtown. we all inevitably want something convenient to us). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">more often than not, i tend to pick Union Square as a primary option, due to its key access to numerous subways and close train ride to my apartment. but there's only so many dates you can have at <i><a href="http://thecoffeeshopnyc.com/" target="_blank">Coffeeshop</a></i> or <i><a href="http://www.lilliesnyc.com/" target="_blank">Lillie's</a></i> or <i><a href="http://ryehousenyc.com/" target="_blank">Rye House</a></i>. so i'll throw a new option into the mix: <i><a href="http://www.linenhallnyc.com/" target="_blank">Linen Hall</a>.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">to give you a little more background, my date was on a saturday night at 8 p.m. Linen Hall is on located on the stretch of 3rd Avenue that it littered with bar and restaurant options. but if you're looking for something in a more general, all-American theme, then look no further. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">the place has the old-fashioned wood bar with dark ambient lighting, so a great set-up for a date. not too crowded in the early stages of a saturday night. my date and i both got good seats at the bar, and comfortably enjoyed them for about 3 hours before the place started to get into full-swing saturday night in the east village. attentive bartenders and not too loud. just loud enough for you and your date to lean in and talk to each other, without having to shout.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">and if it's food you're looking for, the menu has a nice variety to satisfy any food craving (assuming you're not looking for fancy crudos or upscale dining). my date and i only snacked, but the <i>Disco Fries ($7) </i>we ordered were the perfect bar fodder: crispy waffle fries topped with melted cheddar cheese with a hot side of gravy for dipping. i may not know what the future holds for me and my date, but i know he will always remember those fries. he actually told me so 2 days after our date.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-67118289757984929652014-11-14T12:31:00.001-05:002014-11-14T12:31:52.188-05:00feeling French<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BlackSesame and I always try and find interesting and good meal deals so we can try out restaurants that we may not usually go to. this time, i had purchased a <a href="http://www.travelzoo.com/" target="_blank">Travelzoo</a> voucher for <a href="http://www.monpetitcafe.com/" target="_blank">Mon Petit Cafe</a>, which is a small french bistro. i mistakenly thought it was located downtown (as so many small french bistros are), but turns out it was located in midtown east, which was super convenient for me to get to after work.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">when i arrived, there were mylar balloons decorating the restaurant. apparently they were celebrating their 30th anniversary and was serving their original 1984 menu, along with their regular menu. due to the voucher, i didn't get to see their original menu, but it was a great concept.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the restaurant is <b><span style="font-size: xx-small;">tiny</span> </b>and can get cramped very quickly, but that can sometimes be the charm of a bistro. the service was generally good, although there was a significant lag time in the arrival of our appetizers, although we had ordered before other tables that had received theirs. this hiccup aside, the service had a very homey, neighborhood feel to it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BS and i shared appetizers of the <i>Tartar de Thon (tuna tartar)(</i>$16) and the <i>Escargots Maison (unshelled snails in garlic butter and Pernod) </i>($13). the tuna tartar was light and refreshing, with a sweet balsamic undertone. the 3 ridge chips served with it were soft and stale, so i recommend skipping those. the escargot was served piping hot, as BS quickly found out, and was very rich and savory from the garlic butter. both were good, but not particularly memorable.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">for entrees, BS ordered the <i>Hachis Parmentier de Canard (pulled duck confit with two root mashed potatoes) (</i>$27). BS was pleasantly surprised when he found out that the 2 root mashed potatoes were regular white potatoes and a sweet potato mash. the duck is served in 2 ways, one with the regular mash and cheese on top and the other with the duck atop the mashed sweet potato. it offers a nice contrast of flavor, and, if you didn't know the dish was to be served that way, a very nice palate surprise. the duck was also very tender and aptly described as pulled duck confit. the only thing i would note is that as an entree, this could be considered a little heavy, and the sweetness of the duck's flavor may become overwhelming over time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">i ordered the <i>Steak Frites</i> <i>(grilled NY Strip Steak with a choice of sauce and fries)</i>($30) and opted for the bearnaise sauce (go big=go fat for me). this ended up being very very good. the steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and was the right amount of tenderness. the bearnaise sauce was served on the side, which allowed me to choose exactly how much, or how little, i wanted with my steak and fries. the fries came unsalted, but that was easily remedied by the small salt shaker available on the table. overall, this was the surprising hit of the night for me. usually, Steak Frites can be throw-away french bistro fare, done acceptably, but not well. Mon Petit Cafe did this dish very well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">all in all, including the bottle of wine, this was a very good deal for the meal we received. we both left with a fully satisfied, which doesn't always happen, unfortunately. and if ever in the neighborhood, and feeling a little french, i would consider dropping in for meal. </span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-48776870763439994752014-08-05T11:26:00.003-04:002014-08-05T11:26:47.789-04:00something sweet and salty<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i'm supposed to be watching what i eat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and for the most part, i have. but on a recent lazy weekend, i found myself craving something sweet. <b>like pastry sweet. </b>and i realized how long it's been since i indulged in a true dessert.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">considering the abundance of italian bakeries in my neighborhood, i figured i'd take a leisurely stroll down court street and peek my head into the shops and see if anything hit my fancy. around 11:30 a.m. (and it took all my willpower to wait that long), i rolled out onto the sidewalk on my mission for dessert.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">first i rolled past <a href="http://unionmarket.com/" target="_blank">Union Market</a>. apparently 12 pm is too early for the market to be set up. none of the free samples had been set out (i love trying out their cheeses) and the displays for each food section hadn't been set up yet. it was a little like peeking behind the curtain while a performer's getting ready.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">so i moved on to <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/court-pastry-shop-brooklyn" target="_blank">Court Pastry Shop</a>. <b>except 12 pm is too early for this bakery as well. </b>i always thought bakeries were open at ungodly hours of the day, but it turns out i was wrong. when i walked into this small bakery, only 2 trays of pastries were displayed, and a bunch of cookies. the pastries didn't appear very enticing, and cookies, while delicious, is no pastry substitute. so i politely smiled and meandered on my way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">almost directly across the street was <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/caputos-bake-shop-brooklyn" target="_blank">Caputo's Bake Shop. </a><b>would they answer my pastry prayer? </b>alas, not. they too suffered from the late-bakery-riser-symptom. i had just exited the shop to return home, a failure when i noticed a constant and fast-moving line of people purchasing bread. so i consulted with my trusty yelp app and discovered that Caputo's is well known for their <i>lard bread </i>and decided to take a leap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>and what a leap it was.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">although i grew up in an italian suburb of New Jersey (<i>Sopranos</i> was filled 1 town over from me-that's how italian it was), i'd never heard of lard bread. <b>clearly i was missing out.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">the loaf given me was still warm and slightly crispy on the outside but soft and doughy on the inside. the pieces of ham (?), bacon (?), whatever it was, gave it a perfectly salty seasoned taste to it making it great to eat on its own, or with the burrata and tomatoes i later ate it with. the whole loaf cost $4.75 and lasted me the entire weekend (well, Saturday afternoon and Sunday brunch at least).</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-90466852626230734172014-05-08T11:50:00.002-04:002014-05-08T11:50:47.770-04:00Subway Shamed<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">i am by no means a skinny girl. and i blame no one except myself. i don't have any reason for not being skinny except for my love of food and loathe of exercise.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">but am i fat?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">sometimes yes, sometimes no. (i think) every woman, at least once a week (and that's being generous), feels fat at some point. whether it's because a shirt/pant/skirt/dress is a little too tight that day, or after eating a ginormous meal, or just catching an unflattering angle in the mirror, but everyone feels a little unfabulous sometimes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>and then, other times, you just feel like a big fat heffer.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">which is what happened to me this morning on the subway. there were no seats when i got on the train, so i shifted into the middle of the train and stood in front of the bench on the 4/5. within 10 seconds, a woman at the end of the bench waved at me and offered me her seat. i shook it off as someone being polite. "<i>perhaps she's getting off at the next stop," </i>i thought. then the gentleman next to her also offered me his seat. again, i politely rejected it, but i started to get that sinking feeling... then the skinny, 23+ year old woman sitting directly in front of me looked at me and said, "<i>oh, here, have my seat. i'm sorry, i didn't see you."</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">and that's when i knew. <b>all these people thought i was pregnant (which i am most definitely not).</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">by the third offer, too much attention had been drawn to me and i was too ashamed not to accept it.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-12310832950892702692013-12-03T16:26:00.000-05:002013-12-03T16:26:03.269-05:00Japanese for Jews<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">so the title of this post is a little racist. i'm not actually sure that <i><a href="http://www.kotobukinewyork.com/" target="_blank">Kotobuki</a></i> is Japanese cuisine for Jews. however, when i googled the restaurant, that's what practically every review and Yelp entry referenced. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My date chose:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. <i>Age Tofu</i> ($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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. <i>American Dream </i>($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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I chose:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1. <i>Hamachi Kama</i> ($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 <b>huge</b> but it was drier than usual. it also wasn't the most attractive dish to pick at while on a date...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. <i>Yellowtail Jalapeno </i>($14): a generous serving with delicate and tangy sauce.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chopsticksny.com/contents/wp-content/uploads/0812_Kotobuki_sub2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://www.chopsticksny.com/contents/wp-content/uploads/0812_Kotobuki_sub2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(photo courtesy of <a href="http://www.chopsticksny.com/contents/restaurant-review/2012/08/9384" target="_blank">Chopstick NY</a>)</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also choice something that i can't currently find on the menu. </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Viaduct </i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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 </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">way too mushy</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. maybe that's why i can't find it on the menu anymore...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">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 <b>very generous.</b> otherwise, i'd rather stick to the less fancy but tried and true favorites on St. Marks. </span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-60000958580616637722013-09-05T12:47:00.001-04:002013-09-05T12:47:19.739-04:00Youngins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">last night i went on a second date with a nice, adorable guy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">who is 5 years younger than me.<b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>seriously, he's like a baby compared to me.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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<a href="http://www.psari-restaurant.com/%E2%80%8E"> <i>Psari</i></a> 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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Seafood Combo ($30)<br /></span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Grilled Octopus ($15): this was <b>so </b>good.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">the date went well: he was easy to talk to and kind of adorable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">which brought us to our second date. this time he came to my neighborhood (i won the coin toss) and we went to Brooklyn <a href="http://www.brooklynbuschenschank.com/%E2%80%8E">Buschenschank</a> for some pizza (yes, it's a German bar. but it has a wood-fired oven and makes incredible pizza).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/XKGZYlfzKI7ZfM7dI0pPfw/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/XKGZYlfzKI7ZfM7dI0pPfw/l.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Villager ($13)</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/sewGzmsJG10tEhv9LHjg-w/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://s3-media4.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/sewGzmsJG10tEhv9LHjg-w/l.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pretzel with Bier Cheese ($8): epic bier cheese, a little spicy, but the pretzel can get a little salty.</i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">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. </span><b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">très romantic. </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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. <b>and that allows him to be bold and act without fear</b>. it's adorable but also a stark reminder of just how far apart we are in age and our experiences.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">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.</span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-26885758240386418142013-08-29T11:03:00.000-04:002013-09-03T11:03:53.878-04:00J.Rabbit<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">i recently stumbled upon the korean indie group, <a href="http://www.generasia.com/wiki/J_Rabbit">J Rabbit</a></span><a href="http://www.generasia.com/wiki/J_Rabbit">t</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, and immediately became enamored with their songs and style. definitely out of the realm of the usual kpop i listen to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">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 <a href="http://friendz.net/">friendz.net</a></span><br />
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tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25506565.post-55099594100952457882013-08-26T11:59:00.005-04:002013-08-26T11:59:57.077-04:00even i wanted to be a hipster<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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"). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and so it was that this past sunny Sunday, i hopped on the B62 which dropped me off right in front of<a href="http://www.supercore.tv/nyc01.html" target="_blank"> <i>Supercore</i> </a>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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/NX2k11l0wAlpE0kqnITGAQ/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://s3-media3.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/NX2k11l0wAlpE0kqnITGAQ/l.jpg" width="300" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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: <i>sake bloody mary;</i> <i>beer with lemon, ginger, and honey; sake mimosa; </i>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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">we were both looking for stick-to-your-ribs hearty food, so it's no surprise that i ordered the <i>Beef Curry (stewed for 4 days served with brown rice and roasted potatoes) </i>($9.50) and Bubby ordered the <i>Meatballs</i> <i>(with homemade tomato sauce served with brown rice and roasted potatoes) </i>($9.50). both of us <b>housed</b> our dishes as soon as they came out and it was the perfect remedy for our minor hangover discomfort. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://s3-media2.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/J9eMfPpg_mVW7ZctLVJz-g/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://s3-media2.ak.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/J9eMfPpg_mVW7ZctLVJz-g/l.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yUVk52PT8bk/TosnvxbkIzI/AAAAAAAAGqI/ioYqbVGqk80/s400/IMG_4078.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yUVk52PT8bk/TosnvxbkIzI/AAAAAAAAGqI/ioYqbVGqk80/s400/IMG_4078.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Photo courtesy of <a href="http://stellalivestoeat.blogspot.com/2011_09_01_archive.html" target="_blank">Stella Im Hultberg</a></span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">afterwards, we walked off our meals with a trip to <i>Brooklyn Flea </i>for all the unique but ridiculously-priced wares where we ran into Bubby's friend. she directed us to <a href="http://www.fabbricanyc.com/" target="_blank"><i>Fabbrica</i> </a>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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">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.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">about 5 seconds later, an asian walked in and approached the father and baby. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">just goes to prove, you should never jump to assumptions. </span>tmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17157531742240629838noreply@blogger.com0