Attempt 2

Actual success at being productive...I dragged myself to Starbucks and worked on the "perfect cover letter" (which I later sent out with a typo..hah), and went to the gym, and did more job applications. I'm seriously impressed with myself. Reward of the day was dinner with my most elusive friend at the Mexican joint behind my apartment. Couldn't decide and then all of a sudden was overwhelmed with the need to eat fajitas - so much food, so I'm excited for the leftovers later. Also, started my morning with chocolate chip pancakes, which may be my new fav way to start the day =)

Yup all that food was mine...minus the guac but I dug in anyhow obviously...

Productivity begins

Finally decided to get my act together on the job front and stay in this weekend. Woke up early, made myself breakfast: soft fried eggs over fried potatoes with gorgonzola all over the place, yum. Then zumba, then realized it was sunny outside though still freezing so I headed downtown to meet up with people at the tail end of brunch and go wandering around SoHo and avoid being productive...

On my way home, stopped in Union Square to buy food and came across an Air France truck handing out treats...that's some salmon thing, a yummy potato thing, and a little macaron. Perfect mid afternoon snack =)

And then wandered over to Num Pang to buy a sandwich for real dinner. Had tons of plans and ended up getting super lazy and very anti-cold (seriously it's almost April, wtf) and stayed in...but with this fantastic pork belly sandwich it was all better =)

Why I'll Never Tip 20% Again (seriously)

Best lunch break ever.

Work's been kicking my ass but I informed the people I'm working with that I had an unbreakable lunch reservation...haha. Ever since I heard about this Del Posto prix-fix lunch deal (last week), I've been needing to go, and the fates just worked out so well - met up with Jarret (on spring break. damn I miss school) for the most luxurious lunch break I've taken hah.

So. The restaurant is gorgeous. Very mid-town looking, very dark wood polished etc etc. Also lots of servers. Meal started with these three amuse-bouche(s??), starting with an onion soup, then some "cheese and Rice Krispies" and then something hammy. Yeah I'm such a foodie. Regardless, all yummy.

Then on to the appetizer - we both ordered the zampone with lentils (Jarret copied me) which was a huge chunk of very yummy sausage and...lentils. But good. And the bread basket, with all these fresh baked focaccias and butter and lardo to spread on them...yeah. Lardo.

Then entree time! Where I was copied again! Got the duck, on a celeriac puree with an apple thing on the side. Sigh. I love duck. This was delicious. Like, exactly what I wanted it to taste like. Mmm duck, so fatty and fantastic <3

Then DESSERT. Finally we got different things! I got this chocolate ricotta tortino with the famous olive oil gelato which was weird on its own but perfectly matched with the chocolate, and made this awesome rich chocolatey mess in my mouth. Classy.

J got the tartufo (which I had never heard of and then encountered twice in 4 days), which had coffee ice cream and chocolatey goodness as well.

And then. As if that wasn't enough food and sweet...they brought out the cheese grater box filled with even more desserts. Awesome. There were olive oil chocolate lollipops, cream filled doughnuts, this super rich chocolate truffle, and a little fruity tart.

 

Also, great waiter. Best service ever (though semi ridic at points, i.e. the dessert napkin...where we cracked up) which means nothing else really deserves anything near 20%. And a pianist played the whole time! And little stools for your purse so it doesn't touch the ground! All kind of silly, but also like, yeah I could live like this. When we walked out, I was given a box with some more chocolate truffles to go! So. Seriously. Best $29 I've ever spent.

BURGER AND BEER FOR $6

SUCCESS. Met up with Mona and Angela for dinner at Merrion Square. Which, omg, I can't believe we didn't know about before. It's like, a block from my apartment, and has a ridiculously long list of beers and every beer is $6 and every beer comes with a free burger.

Seriously. I may eat here every single night and just cancel that gym membership, because this is way more fun. Delicious Ommegang White and a surprisingly good burger (featuring mustard, which I've oh so recently become a big fan of). Such success. Except for my health as I start eating this all the time...also, free wings with a pitcher! Ah!

Happy Holi!

Woke up super early this morning and didn't want to wake AFC up...so I headed to the office to check on some work, and then went on my macaron mission (free macaron day! omg) - got a pistachio one at Jacques Torres and a hazelnut one at Le Maison, and then met up with Mona and Shannon for a Holi celebration. Unfortunately they were running on IST and we were all starving (well...I was pretending b/c I had scarfed those macarons!) and stumbled upon Manchester Pub, which turned out to be a pub with an awesome menu. Proof:

Yes, that's fried chicken, on a waffle. Yes, I've been craving this for no reason for quite awhile. Deliciousness.

Eventually met up with AFC, headed back to Holi and the party was going! Got paint all over our faces and danced bhangra in public (hah) and was pretty much the most Indian I've ever been in my life. Ended up wandering up to Macaron Cafe for an espresso macaron (and can officially say the pistachio one was the best and I want tons more), then wandering around the East side until we randomly ended up at a restaurant on 2nd ave for early dessert at 5pm. Met up with some others, eventually meandered home for some relaxation on the couch and a slice of Luzzo's gorg&potato, for the win.

Db8 Reunion

AFC got in for spring break (aww miss it), and after a long chatty catch up, we headed across the park to a tried true tapas dinner at Buceo 95 with Galen and Phil (dubious honor of joining a debate dinner) where we pigged out on patatas bravas, octopus, shrimp, and every other delicious thing they sell, plus two pitches of sangria. Excellent.

Followed dinner with a trip down to Gin Mill to meet up with Julia!!! For beers and chatting, and then a late night run to find dancing, which ended in a racist Korean bar in Times Square (booo circles. hate you), and then a random drink on the UES with some bankers. Also...it's frickin freezing in NYC. And it was 70 degrees yesterday. Dubstf.

Dinner - half off style

Disaster day at work (bleh) definitely required a yum yum dinner with Mona and Shannon at East of Eight with a sweet coupon that was half off, max of like, $20, but the guy just took half off the whole entire thing. Awesome. We shared a bottle of Malbec (obviously) and...

I got this delicious and perfect (for how full I was from sad eating like, an entire bag of potato chips, gross) sesame ahi tuna - cold, rare, and served with this yum cucumber/avocado/ginger salad. Followed with drinks at a rando's birthday party where I had the most intellectual conversation I've had with anyone in ages (let alone a male at a bar)....almost made me nostalgic for UChicago =)

Happy St. Paddy's Day

GORGEOUS weather outside. Like. Unbelievable. Met Jen for lunch in the park (OBP style, obviously)...corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, all fantastic as usual. But was starving, so no picture was taken =)

Then at night attempted the burger & beer deal at Merrion Square with Angela, but those jerks don't run the special on St. Patrick's Day! WTF. Super disappointing...went home instead, made a mini sandwich with onion roll, short rib from home and lettuce with a Miller Light to wash it all down.

OBP Lunch!

Yay cheap lunch at the OBP cafe with Mona...lamb meat, great Greek salad, roasted potatoes. I love this March special like whoa.

Happy "Pi" Day

Totally forgot!

Luckily have nerdy friends...John came over and we went on a failed quest for pie but successful at dessert. Went to Sarabeth's which is apparently like, 3 blocks from my apartment, and got this awesome but way too rich for me to finish chocolate souffle (and an apple pie w ice cream)

Mmm dessert. Then Wall E. Super productive Monday (actually was!)

Sunday Brunch-day

Return to brunch...still thinking it's overrated, but whatevs. First went all the way downtown to try Clinton Street, but a 2 hour wait for brunch is N E V E R going to happen =) Stopped by gelato place and then headed to my back up reservation (woot I'm so clever) at The Smith where we still had to wait (lame).

Ordered a Southern inspired disk - eggs Benedict on chicken sausage on cornbread, topped in gravy, with a side of home fries. Yum yum canNOT wait for my return to the South, brief though it'll be.

With some yummy passion punch on the side - all lemonadey and delicious. New brunch drink for sure. Also brilliant call on sharing a half order of the French toast, with not enough caramelized bananas but still good way to end the meal.

 

Stayed full until around 8pm...

JOHN DORY OYSTER BAR

Wooo success. Went to John Dory at the Breslin after reading rave reviews in the Times and being crazily desperate to go...got there, put our names down, heard an hour wait (which was infinitely better than I expected on a Saturday night) and ordered some delicious drinks (started with a Pomegranate Collins which was a GIN drink and I enjoyed it! craziness), and like, 20 minutes later we were seated. Awesomeness.

So - ordered everything that was raved about in reviews. Unfortunately the special mussels stuffed with veal (right???) were all gone by that point in the night...but I think we made out alright. Got:

1. cold poached lobster
2. Nantucket scallops - amazing. Like, right out of the water, and I normally hate scallops.
3. parsley & anchovy toast
4. oyster and scallop pan roast - ahhhh. Butter and awesomeness and Alice definitely drank this like a soup. so good.
5. octopus with potatoes - also delicious! Love octopus.
6-7. chorizo stuffed squid. yes, ordered two of these, definitely worth it.
8. got three orders of the parker house rolls which are just like, potato butter heaven breads. Mmmmmm.

And then drink 2 - decided to stick with gin and got a Star Daisy, also delicious and definitely strong. Obviously girls night out dinner had to end with dessert...chocolate malt ice cream w/honeycomb and a fruity lemony meringue thing.

Awesome dinner. Could definitely live on their drinks, rolls, and scallops/octopus/oyster pan roast thing.

Sweet Saturday

Woke up super duper early craving something delicious for breakfast, so made a platter of chocolate chip pancakes (which I normally don't want, but they were def perfect today). Super unattractive picture:

Hit the gym and then headed out to enjoy the GORGEOUS spring day that was going on...wandered downtown to Chelsea, checked out some costumes at the FIT museum, and met up with Tingah. Headed home and pigged out on some yummy and very pretty cakes she bought before heading to the Guggenheim for "donation" time (paid a dollar haha) and then out for dinner! Which deserves its own post b/c it was just so fantastic.

Arepas

Continuing this new goal to eat as much as possible at as many places as possible (best goal I've ever had)...John and I went out for dinner after work for arepas (Venezuelan sandwich things similar to everything else produced by Mexico and similar countries, very non-pc statement, but you know...chorizo, avocado, whatever).

Ordering was fun, decided to share three different arepas (something with chorizo, something with pork shoulder, and something with avocado hahaha), a platter of yo-yos (sweet plantains stuffed with this delicious white cheese) and when John heard they had a coconut milkshake and his eyes like, popped out of his head.

Yum yum. I think not as delicious as I remember from the first time around, but still satisfying Thursday night dinner.

Mardi Gras!

Had plans to celebrate Mardi Gras with big drinks, but started talking to Seth around 6pm and he made me so so so hungry with talk of the best burger ever. So yeah, I had to go. Got Christine and Greg to come with, and we split the Bash burger (featuring bacon jam mmm) and the mushroom&gruyere, both medium rare and stellar. This is what they looked like when it got to the table:

Seriously. Best. Burger. Ever. So juicy and perfect and delicious tasting and omg screw the gym I just want to eat these every day. Shortly after....

Mmmmmmmmmmm. So much food happiness from this. And yah duh I finished everything on the plate 2 minutes after this photo.

Another $2.50 meal

Thank you OBP cafe. Today was just like a no work day...could not concentrate and apparently neither could anyone else. Christine came over for lunch in the caf, I got this delish sole stuffed with cheddar and spinach, along with "Spanish" rice and some salad and the fish was so gooood.

As if my hour long lunch break wasn't enough, went on an hour fro-yo trip with JP later on (which I justify b/c...it was sunny outside and I wasn't going to do any work anyway b/c I just could not do anything today) so yummy coconut at the Red Mango self-serve which is my new favorite place ever.

I Am Love

Phil's been begging to watch I Am Love for a ridiculously long period of time so finally hosted at my place. I was truly frightened that the rain would screw up the internet or something and Netflix would fail and he'd kill me...fortunately it all worked out. I made homemade brownies and whipped cream (which I could live on if I didn't know how turrible it was for me), and a salad with lettuce, gorgonzola, and Granny Smith apples tossed in some balsamic.

Deepa brought this awesome potato and gorg and other cheese dish that was so pretty and delicious, and Phil stepped up his game (apparently cooking for the first time ever?) making a yummy chicken Milanese in honor of the movie.

Lots of pigging out during lots of food porn (and real porn, ugh Tilda full frontal) while it rained outside...my kind of Sunday night. Def need to bring back potluck Sundays.

DIP PARTY

Hoboken celebrates St. Patty's Day 3 weeks before the real one with this huge police parade. Wasn't intending on going but turned out to be a GORGEOUS day so I dragged myself over. Watched the parade and then settled in at Justine's sweet apartment for hours and hours of dip (not the Southern boy version haha) and day drinking.

In addition to the delicious artichoke dip, also gorged myself on guac and bean dip...awesome and disgusting all at the same time. Lots of funny random people throughout the day, and by the time I got home at 10:30 all the beer etc hit, and it was off to bed. Lovely unproductive day!

Awesome Friday Fooding

March in OBP is half off in the cafeteria, so I've become a caf-eater for the month...it's ridiculously cheap. I got a couple drumsticks, some cornbread, and all this salad (following that 50% rule!) for maybe $2. Craziness.

Then after work came home, showered, and headed to Brooklyn Brewery to meet up w Deepa, Anne, Phil, Zhen, and Shannon for a hot second...drank a solid amount of delicious beer then traipsed off to some place called Union or something like that for awesome $3 tacos at this random taco truck in the backyard....excellent =)

Szechuan pig out =)

Dad was in town randomly for some India related business, so after letting him hang in the cafeteria (but with a ban from napping!), we went out for lunch at Szechuan Gourmet, my favorite Chinese place ever.

Got the standard awesome baby eggplant in garlic sauce, some spicy fish in chili, and a shrimp lo-mein. And some fantastic hot and sour soup filled like crazy with mushrooms. And I got the leftovers! Man, I love this place so so much, it's like, the best food ever...and it's cheap and it feeds me for days and it's like the closest thing to China ever. Awesome =)

InBundles Food

I love these coupon things for food - for $8 I got mee goreng, 3 satay sticks, shrimp chips and a cassava/coconut dessert. Awesome.

Unfortunately the food wasn't amazing and I'm pretty sure made me sick...but in theory, good job Satay Junction!