Drink: Bookmarks

Well. This post has been languishing for months apparently. Oops.

One night back in March-ish when it was unseasonably warm (but still a in-like-a-lion-chill-in-the-air), I met Jared at work and we went to Bookmarks for a drink. You can sit on the roof of the Library Hotel and look out at the sky-high buildings and lights of midtown and have a rather delicious cocktail. Everything tastes better when you eat/drink it outdoors.

How to have a ladies night

1. Husband abandons you for a work function or man time

2. Pour a glass of prosecco

3. Put on some good danceable music

4. Try a new recipe you know he would never consent to eat - not in a million billion years (read: full of mushrooms....and millet... and kale...)

5.  Eat on the couch in your PJs while watching HGTV, followed promptly by Sex and the City

6. Make sure you invite your lady kitten to join you

One of the best meals of my life

For my birthday, I told Jared what I really wanted was to go to a nice dinner. Somewhere out of the neighborhood. Somewhere different. And, the biggest thing:  I didn't want to have anything to do with the choosing/planning. When it comes to food, I'm totally out of control. I'll spend hours reading NY Magazine reviews trying to pick a place to go to dinner, and we've spent more than a few nights wandering for hours - HOURS - around the village while I can't make up my mind about where to dine. It's bad. So the number one thing I wanted for this dinner was to be surprised and have all of those choices out of my control. 

So last night I met Jared at Bryant Park after work and he led me on the subway downtown, across a few blocks, and we ended up in front of Babbo. 

Well done, sir!

Without hesitation I can say it was one of the best meals of my life.

One of those dinners when everything just comes together and it's the perfect ambiance, and the food blows your mind, and the conversation is easy, and you're looking across the table at this great person thinking this is all just perfect.

That was last night.

Here's what we ate:

Pear and ginger bellini for moi

Negroni for him

Neci con funghi misti

Pumpkin lune with sage and amaretti

Pappardelle bolognese

Red snapper with fennel and lemon and cippoline onions

Grilled Pork Chop with Cherry Peppers, Cipolline and Aceto Manodori 

Pistachio and chocolate semifreddo

It was all completely stellar. But the dessert. Oh that dessert. It was of the life-changing variety. No joke. I was virtually making out with my spoon. I asked Jared if I could lick the plate. I talked about it all the way home. And for the rest of the night. And I've been thinking about it all day.

Babbo has a wonderfully mellow vibe, and yet there is such an attention to detail for every dish that you feel quite spoiled. The service, and the whole experience, was impeccable.

The other best meals of my life?

- A 3 1/2 hour long New Years Eve dinner at La Casa Bianca

- Honeymoon dining on the water in Curacao at Bistro le Clochard 

- This past October at FIG in Charleston

Eat: Le Pain Quotidien (throughout NYC)

Unfortunately, during our first week in NYC, we spent most of our time visiting family in the hospital. There was a lot of takeout. A lot of Au Bon Pain from the lobby. So when Jared's aunt and I were beyond starving and had an hour to escape and actually go sit down to a very late lunch....well, it was the best lunch I'd had in a long time.

Le Pain Quotidien has locations around NYC (around the world for that matter), but never feels like a chain. It has a rustic European vibe. Communal tables and simple, well-made food.

On that first visit there, the soup of the day was tomato. And I'm a sucker for tomato soup. It was good. Really really good. Very fresh, not overly acidic, and the smaller cup size could have easily been a meal on it's own (well, for a normal person who isn't always ravenously hungry).  

 

And then. The tartines. The backbone of this establishment is an array of overflowing, open faced sandwiches. I got the Avocado tartine and it was mindblowingly good.  Avocado, chickpeas, tomato, slivers of cucumber, lettuce, scallions, and a drizzle of tahini. One of those meals where you say to yourself "I could totally make this myself" - and yet you know you would never ever be able to recreate how amazing it is. The success of these tartines is largely due to the bread. That is some good freaking bread. A dense hearty wheat bread that supports all those delicious toppings without getting soggy or wilting under the weight.

In fact, the bread was so good that a few days later I took myself down to the Le Pain on W. 72nd street and bought myself a loaf of wheat bread. Little did I know it was going to be HUGE. Beyond huge. Each slice is literally 12 inches long. It took 3 giant containers to fit it all in the freezer. Fortunately it keeps impeccably well in the freezer. There was so much that the single loaf lasted me one month. An entire month! The next time I got it I learned my lesson and only got a half a loaf. Highly recommend. Totally worth the freezer space.

Eat: Levain Bakery (167 W. 74th Street) - A Cookie Revelation

I'd read about Levain all over the place, and it's literally a block away from our apartment. It also happens to be right next to my laundromat so every time I lug that 30 pound bag of laundry down the street I'm taunted with the most obscene chocolate scents you can imagine. But it wasn't until this past Sunday that Jared and I experienced a cookie revelation.  

It's a teeny tiny store, down a flight of narrow steps, and there's always a line out the door. Inside it's bare bones. A counter. Racks and racks of cookies. Ovens. They don't mess around. 

There are only 4 flavors: chocolate walnut. oatmeal raisin. dark chocolate chocolate chip. dark chocolate peanut butter.

We took our bounty to Lincoln Center and sat on the edge of the fountain and it was one of those very perfect New York moments that I doubt I'll forget. 

They are some big-ass cookies. 800 calories each to be exact. And holy hell. They are worth it.

They're on the lumpy side, and look like they'd be hard, but the center is perfectly moist.

I don't normally like nuts in my cookies but the walnuts only make this cookie better. Jared was so engrossed with his peanut butter cookie that at one point he said "Don't talk to me right now." 

Yeah. They're that good.

PS. I have been nibbling at this very same cookie for the past 4 days. Yes. 4. I'm a grazer. And would you believe me if I told you it is JUST as good as it was the very first day? Seriously. It is still completely fresh and amazing.

Eat: Efe's Mediterranean Grill + Reunited with NJ Transit

Every Monday night I reverse commute back to NJ to teach 3 back to back dance/fitness classes. Everyone thought I was totally out of my mind, but I tell you, it's totally worth it. Those classes are so damn awesome that I don't even mind that teaching + commuting = 7 - yes seven - hours. I love it.

The routine is the same every week - on the way back to the train, I stop at Efe's right on Easton Ave in New Brunswick. The initial decision of what to order took a lot of careful thought - it'd have to be something that could travel well and I could eat on the train without making a disastrous mess. 

The answer: Efe's Pita (any of their cold appetizers on a pita with salad). I always do the mixed eggplant - small fried cubes in a flavorful tomato sauce; paired with the lettuce and tomato, it's perfect. When I'm feeling daring I even drizzle each bite with tahini sauce. On the train. WITHOUT MAKING A MESS. If that's not skill I don't know what is.

The pita must be accompanied by a Snapple Green Tea. It's just sweet enough to quench my parched, just-exercised-for-3-hours thirst. 

Efe's is great for a super quick, inexpensive meal. Great Mediterranean food - the falafel is also excellent.

Eat: Cafe Lalo (201 W. 83rd Street)

If you want a super charming spot to really feel New Yorky - the whole tables-jammed-close-together-breathing-down-your-fellow-diners-necks while soaked in an exposed-brick, twinkle-lit ambiance kinda thing - then proceed directly to Cafe Lalo. 

We went for dessert on Friday night after Columbus Tavern, along with what seemed like half of the Upper Westside. It was so freaking cute I didn't even mind that I had to do gymnastics to get to my table. Its claim to fame is being featured in the movie You've Got Mail.

The dessert selection is mind-numbing. The menu is literally 10 pages long. Unfortunately, I wasn't thrilled with my choice. Though featured as one of "Lalo's Suggestions," I just wasn't feeling the Chocolate Raspberry Delight. Anything I'm supposed to be ingesting should not be such an unnatural shade of magenta. Not enough chocolate flavor, too much fake raspberry flavor.

Jared, however, was beyond in love with his Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse cake. So much so that we had to make a return trip a few nights later so he could get a piece to go. This time I tried the Hazelnut Mousse cake and was really pleasantly surprised - tasted just like a Roche chocolate, which can only be a good thing in my book.

The cappuccinos are Jared-approved. The cakes weren't earth shattering, but the ambiance makes up for it.

Eat: Columbus Tavern (269 Columbus Ave)

This weekend was all about eating. 

At the end of our 3rd week here in NYC, we finally - FINALLY! - got a chance to go out to eat and really enjoy our new neighborhood. Friday night we stayed local and ended up at Columbus Tavern. Ironically, this is the only other restaurant we'd already eaten at on the UWS. We went there with our families at the end of a very long move-in day and kind of sat in a stunned, exhausted silence. I remember feeling overwhelmed and looking around going "Did we make a mistake???"  

(Update: we did not!)

Sorry for these dreary-looking photos. It was dim in there, and ye' old iphone couldn't handle the dark apparently. 

So Columbus Tavern: a great low-key neighborhood joint. They also have some killer french fries.

On move-in day I had the Cobb Salad, which was really excellent - a bit different than the standard Cobb - though also on the smaller side.

On Friday I got the veggie burger, which was eh. Could have potentially been a frozen Boca burger grilled and slapped on an English muffin. The cabbage slaw and little side salad were a nice addition though.

I also had a French 72 - a light, fizzy champagne cocktail I'd definitely go back for.

Jared got the lobster grilled cheese, which was really delish. The bread was fluffy and perfectly browned on the outside.

The perfect place to grab a burger and fries and watch the game, or grab a drink when you don't want to get gussied up.

Kryptonite

I cannot begin to describe how completely and utterly obsessed I am with this cereal.

I've always had a little cereal snack before bed. For a while it was Kashi, then there was a meuseli phase, and in college there was a graham cracker cereal spell (seriously - I didn't know that graham crackers were, you know, crackers until college. I had eaten them solely as cereal my whole life. Try it. It's glorious). 

But for the past 8 months or so I have been 110% dedicated to Peace Cereal's Maple Pecan. 

I'm a big fan of the fact that there's no high fructose corn syrup or other preservatives, and yet still has the. most. amazing. taste. ever. Super crunchy corn flakes. Pieces of pecan. Giant hunks of delectably just-sweet-enough maple-flavored oat clusters. 

It's gotten to the point where I can't eat just one bowl. It's 11pm and I finish my cereal - enraptured and making lusty noises the whole time - and then there's a little extra milk in my bowl and after a (very brief) internal debate I surrender and add some more cereal. It's bad. Just last night, as I was gazing longingly at my empty bowl, contemplating pouring a second serving, Jared said "Maybe just don't have the second bowl." My eyebrows shot up. "I mean, it just seems kind of unnecessary to eat that much cereal."

Well!

(But it's true. I go through 2 boxes a week. Sick.)

Buy it. You'll thank me.

When you're under the weather

The Cold Warrior, from Juice Generation.

I read about it online, that it's some Broadway stars' go-to fix when they feel a cold coming on.

Unfortunately, my cold is already quite full-blown, but I figured it was worth a try.

It's a kind of disturbing-sounding hot blend of green tea, fresh orange juice, ginger, echinacea, vitamin C, and zinc. 

But its actually kind of tasty. In an odd way. In a weirdly zesty, almost-spicy kind of way.

And yet....and yet....after having it for the first time yesterday, I found myself wanting more. More! A second one that very day! I exercised some restraint and waited a whole 24 hours before going back for more.

Who knows if it's helping, but it feels like it should be.

I'm feeling better than I was yesterday. I'll take that as a positive effect.

Eat: Land Thai (450 Amsterdam Ave)

It has been a takeout bonanza around here lately. On one of our first nights here last week we walked over to Land Thai, which I kept reading about as being just really stellar. I have to say, I was disappointed (though I'm fully aware that it's not really fair to judge the restaurant on it's starting-to-get-cold-as-we-walked-home-takeout vs. the dining-in experience). Regardless...

My shrimp pad thai (above) was kind of dry, and didn't have a ton of flavor. The four plump shrimp were well-cooked and tasty, but the noodles were kind of bland. It didn't compare to the pad thai at Thai Kitchen in Bridgewater, NJ. 

Jared's Pad See Ew was really tasty though. Thin, completely un-fatty strips of chicken, juicy noodles, crisp veggies and a tasty sauce.Maybe pad thai was too dull a choice. Next time I'd get more adventurous with the vegetable dumplings and shrimp lemongrass soup and one of the Wok dishes.

Eat: 'wichcraft (61 W. 62nd at Columbus Ave)

My first "real day" as a New Yorker was last Tuesday. 

Sunday was a moving frenzy. Monday was more unpacking and settling in and a lot of me and Jared looking at each other and then looking around our new apartment and then looking at all the brownstones on our block going - "This is crazy!" Seriously. You don't even know how many times we said "This is crazy" while walking around our neighborhood.

So on Tuesday Jared headed to work and I headed to my desk to begin my stint working from home (really overrated if you ask me. How is anyone supposed to concentrate when there are dogs barking outside and construction workers yelling and pigeons gurgling and SO MANY CULINARY TREATS CALLING YOUR NAME).

So, after a disturbingly long time googling nearby restaurants to figure out what I wanted for lunch, I ended up back with what I knew I wanted all along - 'wichcraft. I've wanted to try this place for YEARS and just never made it happen. So off I went, on a really gorgeous, unseasonably warm spring-esque day.

I knew exactly what I wanted to try - the chopped chickpea sandwich with roasted red peppers, green olives, arugula and lemon slices. The bread was fresh and all of the textures and flavors worked. It was light and zesty and would be the absolute perfect sandwich to eat by a pool on a sticky, hot day.

I sat on a bench across from Lincoln Center watching turned out dancer-feet bouncing next to me.

The whole thing was perfect. Perfect.

Made only more perfect by capping it off with the first of what I know will be way too many Pinkberry trips. (It's literally at the end of my street. Gulp.)

NYC Eats: Grandaisy Bakery (176 W. 72nd Street)

Every day since the move I've spent a disturbing amount of time doing obsessive amounts of online research figuring out places I want to eat.

After reading numerous positive reviews of Grandaisy Bakery, I took a stroll on this weirdly warm day in search of lunch. 

I already knew I wanted to try the Panino Greco (chickpeas, pickled onions and carrots, arugula, and skordalia - that tasty Greek potato garlic spread). 

The bread was excellent and the veggies tasted fresh and flavorful. 

However, I was sad to learn the sandwiches are all pre-made and they can't do any special orders (aka, no onions). I would have also preferred a more generous portion of the skordalia. By the time I removed all of the offending onions, it was a very meager sandwich indeed, and I'm already trying to figure out where I want to go for 2nd lunch.

All in all, good bread, small portions, limited menu. I'd go back for a loaf of bread, but not for lunch.

To Do before we move: Eat AT our Chinese Restaurant

Before you laugh....

Before you start off thinking this is the lamest To Do list in history...

Let me explain...

For us, and I'd tend to think for a large percentage of the population, Chinese food is strictly a takeout experience.

It's fast, it's easy, it's usually reasonably priced, and you're guaranteed leftovers for at least another meal or two.

I have eaten in a Chinese restaurant literally one time. I was maybe in 2nd grade. I went with my parents and grandparents and lots of aunts and uncles. There was an abundance of greasy noodles and little pots of black tea.

So. My To Do list included: Eat AT our favorite Chinese restaurant. 

I wanted that tea dammit.

When we moved into our new apartment last year, we started our search for really delicious Chinese food. Living in Middlesex County, NJ - with a really ginormous Asian demographic - we knew there had to be some really good-ass Chinese food hiding somewhere. We just had to find it.

And finally, after a couple of really disappointing attempts, we did.

Jade Dynasty, on Amboy Ave in Edison.

Everything we've had there is awesome.

It's super fresh, not greasy, and therefore shockingly does not leave me curled in a ball with an angry stomach wondering why I bothered eating Chinese food again.

No. This stuff is freaking good.

And bonus: the manager is the sweetest, happiest lady, who remembers everyone and always has a smile on her face.

On Monday night we ventured over. The ambience leaves something to be desired with a vague high school cafeteria vibe, but it's amazing how much fresher and crispier and more delicious everything is when you eat it fresh out of the pan instead of post-delivery.

We pretty much always order the same thing.

Me:  Steamed veggie dumplings + Veggie mu shu (with fried tofu)

Jared:  Won ton soup + Chicken with broccoli

It's worth it.

Go.