nobody nobody but you

my new favorite outdoor destination for chatting and relaxing is the High Line. i know, i'm a johnny-come-lately to the High Line party, but better late than never, right?

Kiddo and i had dinner plans at Park Avenue Summer and since the weather was hot and sunny, i decided to spend some time with ArrangedMarriage and kill 2 birds with 1 stone by arranging to go to the High Line together. coincidentally, AM's apartment is very close to the High Line so it all worked out well.

the High Line is a great park to walk along with a friend/date and enjoy the tall views and interesting architecture and design of the park itself. there's also various spots to lay down and sunbathe, rest, or grab a seat to talk/eat. the key point is that while the park itself is interesting conversation fodder for about 10-15 mins, you'd best go there with someone you can hold a conversation with.

otherwise it's just........awkward.......silence.......

where you're acutely aware that there's an uncomfortable lull in conversation and now you're just walking with someone beside you looking at stuff and not talking. if i'd wanted to do that i could've just gone to the High Line myself. at least then i could've stopped and sat to observe the views and contemplate lofty thoughts instead of frantically trying to think of something to talk about with AM. he seriously doesn't like to make my life easy.

luckily, at the end of High Line is a new space called the Lot. we purchased some drink tickets and beer at the Lot on Tap and grabbed a seat on the long bench tables placed throughout the outdoor space. and we sat directly in front of the Korilla BBQ truck. it was one of the hardest temptations i've had to endure. i knew i was going to eat a 3-course dinner with Kiddo so i didn't want to spoil my appetite but the truck kept taunting me with yummy deliciousness. one day, Korilla, one day you WILL be mine.

a return trip on the High Line led us to Chelsea Market, which i haven't been to in years since i rarely find myself on the west side anymore.  since i love all things food, it's no surprise i liked Chelsea Market. the trip also yielded gelate from L'Arte del Gelato, which, while pricey, gelato is always a treat.

i booked it uptown to meet Kiddo for our dinner reservation at Park Avenue Summer, which i was totally looking forward to. the last time i ate at Park Avenue was during the winter, and every winter Restaurant Week following that 1 time has had the same menu. come on now, really?! for a restaurant that's supposed to change with the seasons to serve the best food for that season, you'd think they'd also have a more innovative menu with each season. so you can imagine how amped i was to finally get to partake in a completely different tasting menu for the summer season.

i'm glad Kiddo is a seasoned RW eater like me so we know not to order the same foods if at all possible. that way we can get a wider range of options to sample. the meal was off to refreshing start when we were served with an amuse bouche of watermelon topped with goat cheese/creme fraiche foam. while the amuse itself was good, i wasn't overly impressed by the culinary prowess (aside from the foam part-i mean, i can cut watermelon too, but i admittedly cannot make flavored foam). but the presentation was adorable as little watermelon lollipops sprouting from a box of grass. 

we ordered the Salmon Tartar and Potato Gnocchi with Summer Corn and Truffles as appetizers. the tartar was a nice and light option to counteract the creamy potato gnocchi which was laden with butter and cream. i could seriously taste the insane amount of butter that  must've gone into that dish. but in that salty, buttery good way. i'm sure it's completely degenerate and unhealthy of me to say that, but i did it anyway.

as entrees Kiddo chose the Dr. Pepper Baby Back Ribs and i opted for the Scottish Salmon. the ribs were cooked to tender so you didn't really need a knife to eat it. and while it was good, i thought it was a bit sweet, but then again, that's why they're Dr. Pepper right? i was actually a bigger fan of the accompanying peach coleslaw it was served with which seemed a perfect summer side. and i love all things peach right now. the salmon was perfectly cooked so it was crispy on the outside but still moist and tender on the inside. i liked the accompanying cold cucumber side that came with it to help balance out the slight saltiness of the fish.

for dessert Kiddo smartly opted for the selection of sorbets, and there is quite a selection and you get to pick 2! i ordered the Peach Panna Cotta with Basil Foam which was pretty dense for a panna cotta but maybe what i think panna cotta is is not what it actually is. it was good, but Kiddo's dessert was clearly the winner, particularly on such a hot summer night.

afterwards, Kiddo had some time to kill before meeting up with (what would be) a very good date (wink wink, nudge nudge), so we went for drinks at K-town in K-town. this place has a seedy underbelly feel to it because it's downstairs with no natural light. but then you notice the giant projector screens are blasting kpop. i'm actually a big fan of this place because they do amazing soju happy hours everday. twice a day. Kiddo and i killed a bottle of soju and then parted ways.


speaking of kpop, as i was rushing towards my Park Avenue Summer reservation, i passed a slightly surly-looking but cute korean girl and did a double take. who to my surprise did i just walk past? Sohee of Wonder Girls! since she did not look happy and i was running late for my reservation, i didn't stop to gawk (too long), but i was super stoked and immediately had to Facebook the sighting for Stitch and GMW.

Kpop Extravaganzaaaa!

Happy July 4th! er...after the fact.

i haven't had any one-on-one face time with Kpopper in a long time. yes, i saw her for my birthday party (which, as you know, i can only hazily remember) and at Oppa's birthday party, but it's just not the same. so i was super excited to spend some QT with Kpopper on July 3rd.

here's how it went down:

[TEXT MESSAGE FROM KPOPPER] you wanna go to nrb?

[TEXT MESSAGE FROM KPOPPER] we an buy mgl & beer.

[TEXT MESSAGE FROM KPOPPER] and bring it.

if you're wondering what "nrb" and "mgl" mean, you're not alone. i was the recipient of these texts and didn't figure it out right away. in Kpopper text-language, "nrb" means norebang (the korean word for karaoke) and "mgl" means makgeolli (korean rice wine). i figured out the "mgl" right away but it took me a good 15 mins to decipher "nrb." and googling the term didn't help.

we made a whole day out of it, "day" meaning i got to Kpopper's house around 2:30 in the afternoon (i was supremely late. my bad). first off was a round of shopping at Woodbury Commons, which i haven't been to in a year, maybe more. the weather was amazing so it was just nice to be doing something outdoors where i can pretend i'm getting a tan and being active. i'm still regretting not buying these shoes. it's been tormenting me...

Not EXACTLY this pair, but very similar.

after the shopping spree we headed out for my first meal ever in Palisades Park aka Pal Park for koreans and people born in NJ. since we'd eaten a late lunch, we weren't particularly hungry so we opted against korean bbq and instead went for naeng myun, figuring it had been a hot day and cold noodles would be refreshing and light. silly me.

You Chun in Pal Park is pretty famous for its naeng myun. so i wasn't surprised Kpopper brought me here without me even suggesting it. we both decided on the mool naeng myun which is the standard noodles in cold broth. when you sit down at the table, the server brings you a big thermos and 2 cups. however, don't be fooled into thinking there's water or hot tea in there. it's actually filled with a savory hot soup. while it feels weird to drink it when there's no food on the table, it makes perfect sense once the naeng myun appears. alternating between hot and cold is somehow comforting and delicious.

in addition to the noodles, Kpopper suggested bindae duk which are korean mung bean pancakes. i'd never ordered them before, instead sticking to the tried and true haemul pajeon or kimchi pajeon. however, i'd recently watched an episode of Running Man where the mission was to round up the top late night snack foods, and bindae duk ranked within the top 10, so i was definitely intrigued and glad to try it. the bindae duk at You Chun came out piping hot and was crispy on the outside but still very chewy and soft on the inside. so so good.

although the prices at You Chun aren't exactly cheap, $10.95 for the standard sized mool naeng myun, the portions are ginormous. i barely made a dent in my bowl, causing Kpopper to mock me and suggest i order the petite size next time. i brought the leftovers home (which made Kpopper's car super smelly) and ate them the next day. surprisingly, the noodles and broth held up well, remaining chewy and maintaining their texture, which isn't usually the case when noodles have sat soaking in soup.

next on the Pal Park tour was a stop at Coffee Prince. in korean this place is clearly called Coffee Prince, modeled after the korean drama series. but if you look carefully on the wall, you'll see that in english they translate it into Tiramisu Cafe. weird. regardless, the cafe's actually really nice and if i was an unemployed writer/student that lived nearby, i would definitely make it my base camp. plus, the server was a tall, good-looking asian guy (honestly, he was probably korean given where we were, but i don't want to assume. you know what they say when you do that).

we got a prime seat near the giant, floor-to-ceiling glass window overlooking Broad Street, which turned out to be a more entertaining spot than i'd anticipated. across the street, directly at my eye-level was an apartment with it's blinds open and lights on. at first i'd just glanced into the apartment and wondered what those people were up to tonight. they were all sitting around the dining room table, just hanging out. one guy had his foot hanging out the window while he reclined in a chair. nothing too interesting. right when our server dropped off our coffees, i saw the guy and the girl in the apartment start making out. hardcore. pressing her against the wall and everything. WHOA! this just got a little more exciting... and then more and more people just started popping up. i was completely mesmerized by the happenings in this apartment and my brain was frantically trying to figure out what the hell was going on. it was like a car accident i couldn't peel my eyes away from. or a good fight outside of a club in NYC at 3 a.m.

properly energized by our latte and espresso, Kpopper and i headed off to norebang. with just the 2 of us. i've never gone karaoke-ing with 2 people. it seems to go against the very spirit of the activity. but i think it works great for Kpopper because she really just wants to practice all the korean kpop songs she's learned. it was a hilarious and impressive sight to watch Kpopper accurately sing 2PM and SS501, especially considering she's chinese. i mumbled and stumbled along the way with her realizing that although i listen to a buttload of kpop songs and can sing along with them in the car, it's totally different when i don't have someone to sing along to who can mask all my poor pronunciation and made-up words.

however embarassing that was, i still don't think i have the same dedication to kpop that Kpopper does to bother to learn the phonetic pronunciation for a whole song. i'll just continue to belt out made-up similar sounding words in the car.

the Strong Silent Type

ok Won Bin, you got me. i have officially hopped on the Won Bin train.

i took my sweet time getting around to watching Ahjussi 아저씨 aka The Man from Nowhere.  i'd heard it was a good movie, top grossing in Korea and blahbitty blah etc. however, when i heard that my guy cousins were falling all over themselves in love with it, i got slightly turned off about seeing the movie. in the same way that guys are in love with Old Boy 올드보이, their extreme passion about it makes my latent rebellious side refuse to watch it out of some perverse refusal to follow the trend. plus, it's slightly weird how devoted the male species is to that movie. also, since i wasn't a rabid Won Bin fan, i wasn't particularly enthusiastic about watching Ahjussi.

but now that i've watched the film, i've got to admit: it's good. REALLY good. the action scenes were great to watch in that they're the kind that i like. not crazy machine guns and car explosions but more close, hand-to-hand combat in small spaces. one of my favorite fight scenes that i always watch when it's on tv is from The Bourne Identity: when Matt Damon, while suffering from amnesia, all of a sudden discovers he's skilled with hand-to-hand combat by taking out 2 German police officers that stop him in the park. so cool. and that's similar to what the action sequences are like in Ahjussi. Won Bin's character is calm and collected and extremely focused in his single-minded mission throughout the movie. and after he cut his hair in the second half of the movie and flashed some shirtless scenes, i had purchased my ticket aboard the Won Bin express. CHOO-CHOO!

speaking of all things korean, i recently found out from MrsOppa and Kiddo that Pandora's added k-pop to their playlists. say what?! when did k-pop become so mainstream? although, since i'm chinese and avidly listen to k-pop, i guess i really shouldn't say anything...

Kiddo discovered Big Bang's Hands Up through Pandora. of all of Big Bang's songs, Hands Up isn't my favorite but that might just be because the group has SO MANY hit songs to choose from. so, in honor of Kiddo's discovery, i'll share some of my Big Bang recs.

since i don't want to seem like too much  of a teenybopper fan, i'll limit it to these 2: a new album song, Cafe, and a classic, Lies. Enjoy!

i demand a sweater!

hooray for me! i finished all my christmas shopping! the mall during the month of december is a destination i try to avoid at all costs. so i'm extremely happy that i managed to finish off all my christmas shopping last weekend. the only christmas presents left for me to buy are for my co-workers and bosses, which will not require me to go to the mall. hooray!

on my recent trip to the mall, i did notice one thing: there weren't a lot of sweaters for sale. there were loads of tees (long and short-sleeved), fancy dress shirts (for guys and girls), sweatshirts galore (hooded, non-hooded, zip-up, non zip-up), and cardigans aplenty. however, there weren't that many plain old sweaters. each store i went into had only 1-2 sweater options for girls, and maybe 2-3 sweater options for guys. and cardigans do not count as sweaters. apparently the fashion idea this winter is to wear cardigans vs. sweaters, which is a trend i am not on board with. don't get me wrong, i own plenty of cardigans, probably equal to the amount of sweaters i own. but to me, cardigans are a spring and fall option, which occassionally can be worn in winter as well. whereas winter=sweater weather. and, for a fatty like me, i fully embrace the opportunity to wear a sweater over a form-fitting tee or overly revealing tank top. sweaters leave so much more room to hide. me likey. plus, sweaters are infinitely more practical and simple at keeping me warm in the east coast winter.

speaking of consumer spending, as mentioned in my previous post, i recently made a trip to Mitsuwa with my gaggle of female cousins. my cousins were born in Taiwan and only immigrated to the States within the last 6 yrs (2 of them only in the last year), and while i know they like some aspects of the U.S., they seriously pine for their native country. thus, it's no surprise they were completely enamored by Mitsuwa, which is asian trinket and food central. how about a tiny chopstick holder?

for "You're Beautiful" fans: your own pig-rabbit?

if i lived closer to Edgewater, i would probably be spending about 50% of my meals at Mitsuwa. the options in their food court are endless and all of them are tempting, particularly when presented in the japanese-fake-food-art style. seriously, those fake food displays that japanese restaurants show you are better than any advertisement or lunch deal they use to entice you to their premises. even if i wasn't hungry before, one look at the food display instantly makes my tummy rumble. and, i have to admit, usually the real food doesn't look too far off from the fake food. i was going to take copious pictures of all the fake food displays but the there were giant crowds and long lines of ppl at each vendor and nobody else was taking photos, so i didn't take any pictures to avoid looking like a weirdo.

i've been trying to watch what i eat (for the most part) and that's one thing you really can't do at Mitsuwa. every vendor in the food court sells obento-style meals which usually comes as a set including rice and soup. so, instead of looking for the least amount of food, i looked for the cheapest option that wasn't too heavy on rice, gravies, and extras. which resulted in me ordering a zaru soba from Kayaba ($4.50). it's probably the plainest option you can order in the whole food court since it's just cold soba, dipping sauce, and a side of pickles and some wasabi. however, the portion is still HUGE. it's served on a large flat wicker plate and constitutes it's own little hilltop (it's not quite a mountain and more than a plateau). with the wasabi, i thoroughly enjoyed it.

and of course, no trip to Mitsuwa is complete without obanyaki. and these were all custard, my favorite. i really wish more places made them. it's so simple and cheap to do. hmm, maybe i should make a change in profession...

after filling our bellies we perused the adjacent supermarket and the small stores surrounding the Mitsuwa marketplace. The supermarket at Mitsuwa is very extensive and i would venture to guess that any japanese, korean, and chinese ingredient you're looking for can be found there but for a price. unless i'm looking for something so rare and exotic, i won't be buying my groceries at Mitsuwa. but it's still fun to peruse the selection. and the pre-made bentos and sushis are actually decently priced (and tasty).

outside of the supermarket are independent vendors e.g. a bookstore selling extremely overpriced pens and pencils and Japanese magazines and books (all in Japanese). i did make 1 purchase from the bookstore: lo and behold, my new planner for 2011. that's fine for an attorney right?

the store next to the bookshop sold various toys and trinkets which literally caused the cousins' brains to explode from excitement. the best finds? 2NE1 and 2PM socks. after i posted these pictures on Facebook i got a call from Stitch the following weekend. she was at Mitsuwa specifically looking for these socks. but then again, who can argue with the appeal of k-pop?

happy 55th anniversary to Rosa Parks (thanks Google)

the things i learn by opening Google. and i love the little animations.

speaking of vehicles, i have had an uncanny experience with driving lately. a week ago, while driving home from work, i was mesmerized and annoyed by the car in front of me. i kept staring at it and got that frustrating feeling when something is on the tip of your brain but JUST out of grasp. and then it dawned on me: this car had reverse brake lights. meaning, when the car was moving, the red light at the bottom center of the rear windshield (you know, that small rectangular red light) and the rear brake lights would be on and when the car was at a stop, all the lights would be off.

unique? i guess. annoying? hell yes. particularly if you're the vehicle behind it.

1st, it's unsettling. my brain's been programmed to associate brake lights with braking. how simplistic of it. hence, seeing the lights would trigger my mental reflex to be slow and cautious (that IS what red's associated with). no lights=ok to proceed. 2nd, have red lights constantly glowing in front of you as you drive is very headache inducing. it made me understand why our vehicle lights system is the way it is. constant red lights shining in front of you has the equivalent eye pain of the asshole who keeps his brights on while driving behind you. which brings me to another point: are all headlights just standard brights now?

it being winter and all, by the time i drive home from work it's already pretty dark, so headlights while driving are a necessity. i've recently realized though that a lot of cars have EXTREMELY bright headlights. which is not fun when you peer into your rearview mirror while driving. it's completely blinding (exactly akin to those scenes in scary movies like Joy Ride and The Hitcher). it's hard for me to believe so many ppl are just driving around with their brights/high beams on, which makes me wonder: are brights just the standard headlights now?

finally, in the past week, every day except for one, i've been surrounded by a police car whenever i'm driving. if it's not driving in front of me, it's behind me. if it's not behind me, it's driving right next to me. it's really weird. and annoying.

wow. i've clearly been in the car, driving, for a good length of time. i guess the good part about being in the car so long is i've managed to listen to most of the songs on my iPod including new albums that i'd downloaded but hadn't fully listened to yet. in particular, i've been enjoying the recent albums of Nicky Lee, Kenji Wu, and Danson Tang.







yes, i DO listen to songs other than k-pop. i am an equal opportunity teeny bopper.

however, i have to admit, i'm also REALLY enjoying this song:

when worlds collide

it always feels a little weird when someone or something you know in completely different capacities end up coming together, isn't it? like when you introduce your college roommate to your high school friend and find out that they know each other already. there's nothing wrong with it, it just unsettles your understanding of the world for that 1 nano-second.

i experienced that last night when i was watching Playful Kiss. Around 10 mins into episode 8, 2 supporting characters are sitting in a cafe eating food. it's not that exciting a scene so i wasn't really paying attention and was finishing up some work and just listening to it in the background.

i wish you luck
and i wish it true
that's the best
i can do for you

cause you'll probably find love
in someone new
i have to let go
yeah it's hard to do

wait. what? why am i singing David Choi?

so if i ever see you on the street
i'll pretend that i didn't see
and turn my face
no use in small talk anyways

because if i look into your eyes
then i'll have to say goodbye
and that'll break my heart
so i won't even start

is that "Won't Even Start" by David Choi playing in the background of this cafe scene in Playful Kiss? yes folks, it is!

hmmm, i wonder if he's really that popular in Korea. would i get to see him on Music Bank or Inkigayo any time soon?

안녕

to the New Yorker that is diligently checking this blog, i say "hello", although who it could be i have no idea.

btw, just to clarify, i am so not korean. i just happened to date one/two (eons ago) and thoroughly enjoy listening to k-pop and watching dramas (currently enjoying My Girlfriend is a Gumiho and Playful Kiss).

i guess i really should be more careful. because more and more, ppl are starting to get confused.

i recently had relatives visiting, which means a lot of going out to eat (i am back to blueberry form due to all the dining out). amongst the myriad of dining choices was Keo Ku, which was the 1st korean restaurant that i remember opening up around my town (it's technically not in my town but 2 towns over). i remember going there 1-3 times before my family and our friends decided it was too expensive, and i haven't been there since although i've wanted to, since there really are no other korean options around my house unless i trek to 32nd St. or Fort Lee.

so i was pretty psyched when someone suggested we give Keo Ku another try. and i was pleasantly surprised when i saw they had signficantly extended their menu options, and to include a multitude of specials affixed to the walls. i got extra excited when i saw the specials included samgyetang and budejigae. anyone who's been with me to Kunjip knows army stew's my jam. it was a tough decision but i ended up ordering the budejigae.

and they have makgeolli? what?

the food was just "eh" and not at all comparable to others that i've had, but props to them for trying to offer the full array of korean cuisine, even if it perhaps does spread them too thin. however, that wasn't the highlight of the evening.

i always get a little dorky excited when i can practice any of the linguistic vocab i've picked up from friends/television/books/music. this comes out full force when i'm in japanese, korean, and chinese restaurants run by native speakers. i just can't help myself. and this was no exception.

although, i didn't really say anything. i just ordered food. 2 orders of samgyupsal, budaejigae, soondubu, and haemul pajeon. maybe it was the choice of food, or my spot-on pronunciation (insert sarcasm here), but, seeing as i'd only ordered 1 portion of haemul pajeon for our table of 8, the waitress proceeded to explain to me how 1 portion wouldn't be enough for all of us. completely in korean. and when i gave her my "huh?" look, she proceeded to explain again. in korean, but a little slower. and with hand guestures.

so i guess i should stop posing.