Malaysian Feast

Spent the day with the fam - house hunting, crazy Pride parade (awesome...but also more naked old women than I ever wanted to see), and then late night dinner with some family friends at Nyonya where we pigged out on a ridiculous amount of Malaysian food.

Coconut shrimp, salty rice, beef curry, satay, fish, etc etc etc:

Had 11 people, enough food for 20, and wine to share for everyone.

Return to NYC

Got back tonight...and continued the epic eating. Late dinner at Red Rooster Harlem with Angela - great vibe (hahaha), Marcus Samuelsson came out and was saying hi to like, everyone at every table, and pretty solid meal. Started with some cornbread, got collard greens (cooked in a different style than I'm used to, didn't love them), dirty rice with shrimp (a little drier than we expected), and a fried yard bird (mmm):

Followed up with a sampling of desserts: got whiskey fudge (super rich, thankfully didn't really taste like whiskey), and these sweet potato doughnuts that the girls next to us (communal table eating, duh) told us we absolutely had to get - they were filled with coffee creme and came with a heaping of whipped cream, which is always delicious

Yeah. Definitely need to get back to the gym.

Continued sans photos

Definitely pigged out in Chicago...

My days continued with a sushi feast, baking the most amazing Butterfinger cheesecake ever, a super fatty meal at Longman & Eagle - started with roasted bone marrow, then split a tuna (decent) and a wild boar sloppy joe (omg). The sloppy joe apparently got grease all over one of my favorite (and a pretty white) dresses, but it was so delicious it didn't even matter...plus there was OxiClean waiting for it:

Semi-decent photo from a semi-broken iPhone camera =) But stellar meal, definitely felt the fat attaching itself to me in the best way. And then followed that at the apartment actually eating the cheesecake which def turned out amazingly...which I don't normally say.

Next day was a long walk around Lincoln Park, a Chicago style hot dog - yes, with a few giant pickles in there, obv - and then pigging out at Xoco on some delicious Mexican sandwiches (new favorite spot in Chicago for sure).

Stolen Google image:

And then my camera broke...

Sigh. I think some sand got into it during the day trip to the dunes....so no more pictures.

Saturday involved solid road-tripping food on the way to Indiana - lots of Chex Mix going there, then a DQ Blizzard and delicious Wendy's nuggets and fries for the ride back. Sounds super healthy right =) And then like, 3 hours of bowling followed by late night Mexican food. Win.

BIG STAR

So the best fish tacos in the world are in Charlotte, NC, and the best tacos in the world are in Chicago, IL at Big Star, run by these chefs who run a bunch of other delicious places that I've never been to but always want to go to. Since I wasn't working, went and put our names down and then wandered the neighborhood doing some thrift shopping to pass the time until db8 boys arrived and then we passed the time with $5 mojitos under the train.

Finally got the call (after a 2 hour wait!) for great outdoor seating and yumminess - guac and chips and then 3 tacos: al pastor, pork belly, and fish (just to try), a cold beer. Excellence.

Ended up back at the apartment drinking a super strong Manhattan, and then more beer, and then dancing in Boystown until all the different alcohols all crashed together and I needed to go home super early. But whatever...

Fancy Chicago BBQ

Day one in Chicago...started with lots of flight disasters even though I was on a morning flight on a gorgeous day! Apparently the power was out on the plane..."what, did someone leave the lights on all night?" Yeah. And then CTA ticket vendor disaster! Psh.

Got in to the city and went straight to the Brewers Cubs game, which was like, my first full length baseball game ever. Brats and beer and an overly sugary margarita later, I was super black and super hot.

Dinner at this place called Chicago Q and pigged out...started with this phenomenal bowl of pickles. Like. The best pickles I've ever eaten. Then amazing hush puppies stuffed with bacon, and then a feast of cornbread, beef brisket, pulled pork, and fall-off-the-bone ribs.

Mmm. Yes an obscene amount of food, and yes this fed me through two rounds of leftovers...but delicious bbq, very happy meal =)

Social Eatz

Day 3 of unemployment...

Woke up in the morning and headed downtown to meet Christine for a midtown lunch at Social Eatz, some Top Chef associated Korean-meets-American restaurant. I think. Anyway, ordered this bulgogi burger topped in lots of delicious pickles and kimchi and then I doused it with Sriracha sauce, and it was pretty much just perfect.

Excellent lunching, followed by a long walk up 5th ave while reading my super weird book about an overly-sexualized monkey. Yeah...

Delish Dinner at Daniele's

Woo spend this morning checking out apartments (saw a gorgeous place with an amazing view of the Empire State from the couch, and the ROOF yes yes yes), and ate a delicious street gyro from a street fair =)

Then! The excellent Daniele cooked a huge dinner for him and...8 girls? Haha. Got to his place with Maria and some bottles of wine, sat down and started pigging out on fresh bread and olive oil, and then eventually bruschetta. And then, the magic! He made this excellent mussel filled risotto:

And then these prawns (I even ate the HEAD omg) and the most fantastic octopus salad, which is like, the most delicious summery food I've ever encountered and now need to make. Yum yum.

And then wrapped it all up with a pig out on Jen's pies! Strawberry rhubarb and key lime pies! Mmm and of course I ate both of them (duh), so delicious!

So yes. Win for Sunday night dinner, win for being out late on a Sunday b/c I don't have to be at work the next day, etc. etc. etc. Thanks Daniele =)

Jerk Chicken FTW

Hah yes I just used ftw, soooo down with the cool kids. Yesterday was my last day of work! Woo! Went to Prospect Heights to meet up with Jen and pigged out on take out from the local Jamaican place. This jerk chicken literally fell off the bone when you touched it...amazingness.

Seriously this chicken was so delicious, so cheap, so perfect. Pigged out for awhile and gossiped a bunch with Maria and drank beers before heading out to the concert.

Wandered through the park over to a free Andrew Bird concert - SO MANY HIPSTERS. Craziness. He's also so good! It's outstanding - so many songs and they're all so good. Also lots of puppies everywhere =)

Post concert, wandered more and ended up at a sweet backyard style bar with some lemony gingery vodka drink and it turns out I actually like Brooklyn...as long as it's not Williamsburg.

Good random eating day =)

Late start to the day...headed down to Nom Wah for some delicious dim sum feasting - pork buns, shrimp shumai, pork dumplings, sesame rolls, etc. Love dim sum so much, love the bill even more =)

Dim sum kind of threw the meals for the day off...ended up skipping the reservation at L'Ecole and going shopping instead, then found a huge crowd outside a taco truck so had to get one:

Best street taco I've had, for sure. Melty cheese! Mmm it was good. Took the train up, went book wandering at B&N where I discovered this crazy awesome book called My Boyfriend Wrote a Book About Me (hilarious!!!), and then pigged out at Shake Shack - yummy burger, fries, and an outstanding Upper East Side shake - pineapple and shortbread and all sorts of other deliciousness. Best shake experience of my life. This is what happens when it's super hot outside...my meals go wacky.

Spotted Pig, finally!!!

Woo awesome Tuesday =)

Worked a tad (but last week so not that much!), and then headed down to the Gville (haha) area and got to the Spotted Pig a bit after 6, walked right in and we were seated immediately. In an awesome corner boothy area. Awesome.

Ordered the sheep's milk gnudi and the fried pig ear to start...both of which were stellar. If I knew they weren't causing my heart to slow down, I could definitely eat these all the time. The gnudi, oh my gosh, so fantastic and so rich. The pig ear with the super sour salad on the side? Perfect combination!

Then...the burger. Ordered it knowing that it would most likely be overrated but we were like...we're here, we have to. Definitely just ok. Like, a couple bites were amazing, and then it was too rich and just too much and I don't know, neither of us were even near blown away.

However, whatever, because I had to have it once, and the others things were phenom. Gorgeous weather so wandered a bit near the river, and then ended the night with a cupcake from Magnolia's, which certainly tasted better this time around (aw).

Super Healthy...

Totally false.

Met up with Mona after work to use a half-off deal at some place in the Union Square area called Little Town where everything (beer) is from New York somehow.

Pigged out on...beer, a chicken sandwich, fried clams, and toast slathered in truffle & honey & goat cheese. Yeah. Solid start to my last week of work!!!

Apartment Hunt!

Went out today with a real broker and the parents, and saw so many great places on the UWS! Gorgeous studios, a million dollar two bedroom, some fixer uppers, and the best roof decks I've ever seen in my entire life. Oh my. This is why people stay in banking right =)

Grabbed a late lunch at a Frankie, which is like street Indian food that my parents grew up with, and that she recommended, so I think this broker's probably going to be a good fit. Shared mango juice and masala calamari (even better than the buffalo ones!), and a yummy lamb wrap thing:

Another perfect weather day! This will certainly be ending soon...

LandThai

Been looking for some great places to eat in the city recently, and my friend raved about a Thai place called LandThai. I looked it up, and it was on the UES, close enough to my apartment. Looked at their menu, discovered a $9 prix fix lunch menu on the weekends - two courses. Ridiculous, and obviously I had to go...so, after checking out an apartment that ended up a no-go and doing some Zumba, headed over to 2nd ave to meet Mona and Angela for linner. Not a typo, but a 2:30pm lunch has to be called something different. Ordered a spicy green papaya salad (something I hear about all the time but have never had):

And then scarfed down some delicious green curry with chicken.

Didn't match Thai Kitchen, but nothing ever does and this was delicious. Also surprisingly hefty. Got up to leave and suddenly felt stuffed but also ready for ice cream haha, and it was still gorgeous outside, so we wandered over to 1st ave, I got some fantastic Emack & Bolio's ice cream (such good flavors), and then we walked around the East side park, saw some very explicit dog sex (erh), found the most gorgeous townhouse in the entire world, and then stumbled upon a cute street fair. Nice Saturday =) Love this weather so much!

"Last Day" Celebrations

Today's Seth's last day at work, so we went out for last day lunch (for me too...nice haha). Went to Perfect Pint, ordered a massive burger stuffed with super hot peppers. Burger was good, fries were fantastically crispy. I've apparently become a burger and beer person...and I hold Charlotte fully responsible for this super unhealthy development.

Then post work was meeting up with Maria and Jen and Daniele at Dock's for this great happy hour special - half off beer, $1 oysters and 50 cent clams. Ridiculous. Everyone decided to bring co-workers, so I snagged JP and Ivan off the street (literally) and we headed down. Got a nice Goose Island summer ale thing (times a couple), tons of buffalo calamari (best invention ever), and all these oysters and clams.

The clams definitely repulsed me - mine was so salty omg, I almost choked. But the oysters were fantastic! And a dollar! Sheesh. Decided it was too perfect outside to not be outside...so JP, Ivan and I began a long wander up Lexington, stopping in random stores, having a couple servings of ice cream (just one for me, though), and eventually ended up at home for a relatively early and calm night. Love the feel of summer (note: feel does not mean the 90 degree temps.)

The best plans are unplanned

I love those days when things just fall together really nicely and perfectly, and today was definitely one of those. Really restless at work because I was waiting on the ok to send out a report and just desperately wanted to get outside for the gorgeous weather and the free gelato celebrating the opening of Amorino (great place we discovered in Budapest, delicious gelato and they serve it in this cute flower formation). Headed down to Union Square and met up with Shannon and Mona, waited in line, for this magic:

Man. Got four flavors, all massively delicious, and like, the best crunchiest cone ever. Perfect ice cream weather (not too hot so it didn't melt, not too cold so not wildly inappropriate hah). Ate our ice cream and wandered, and then decided we were going to try to make Rye happy hour by 7...totally lucked out with the trains and walked in at 7pm on the dot. Got yummy drinks, and after the bartender ok'd the happy hour specials for us, ordered myself a fantastic $3.50 Scotch egg:

Win for Thursday. That Scotch egg is so frickin good, and I love the gratuitous bed of lettuce so much =)