Posts Tagged: Restaurants

Photo

December 5, 2009

Last night, Mom took Kendrick and I out for dinner after her weekly piano lesson (my dad is out of town, so it was just the three of us). We went to L’Allegria, on 9th Avenue, which is a place we used to frequent when I was in elementary school. It’s where I first tasted caprese - one of my favorite dishes in the world - and I distinctly remember that experience, because I felt very posh and grown-up eating it, and it sort of marked the first stirrings of my interest in being (relatively) adventurous when it comes to food (not that eating mozzarella, tomatoes and basil constitutes being adventurous…it just is when you’re nine and have never heard of the stuff).

L’Allegria has undergone a dramatic renovation since we last went - it used to be kind of cheesy and boisterous, and now looks like a Crate & Barrel showroom - but the food (I had squid ink pasta with salmon, and Mom tried the meat lasagna) is well-priced and reliable. No surprises, but sometimes a heaping portion of tomato sauce-drenched pasta is what I’m looking for in an Italian restaurant.

(By the way, I arrived at my parents’ place looking much cuter than this, in a sparkly top and leopard cardigan, but I was cold and grumpy from my epic shopping excursion and stole Kendrick’s ancient, coziest-thing-ever sweater.)

Photo

November 9, 2009

Peanut Butter & Co., on Sullivan Street, is one of my absolute favorite spots in the city. I first discovered it in junior high, when my best friend Arielle and I would head down to the Village on Saturdays in search of the perfect costume jewelry from Ziggy’s (which has since closed), loose tea from Aphrodisia, and sparkly eye makeup from Ricky’s, and would inevitably end up at Peanut Butter & Co. eating Elvis sandwiches (served alongside tall glasses of cold milk and carrot sticks).

Photo

Casellula With Dad

November 6, 2009

My father’s favorite Christmas gifts are always “activity gifts” - things we can do to spend time together. A couple of Christmases ago I bought us two tickets to a “Stinky Cheeses” class at Casellula, and we had so much fun that Casellula has been our go-to bonding place ever since (although they no longer offer classes, alas).

There’s a regular menu (with dishes including Peppadew Peppers stuffed with Buffalo Mozzarella & Speck and a “Pig’s Ass Sandwich” with Chipotle Aioli), but what Dad and I always do is order a dish of olives, a plate of Bresaola and Salami, and then a selection of cheeses. The fromager stops by each table to ask about any particular likes or dislikes - don’t be shy, they’re totally not-snobby and very interested in making sure you have a great experience - and Dad and I usually request at least one goat cheese (for me) and one mouth-numbing blue cheese (for him), letting them go to town on the rest.

Photo

October 14, 2009

At Madangsui, Kendrick and I first enjoyed a plate of steamed meat dumplings (which I determined are a mix of beef and pork, and are absolutely incredible), and then split the Bulgogi (thinly sliced ribeye marinated in a soy-based sauce). I was slightly disappointed to learn that if you only order one BBQ entree they cook it in the kitchen rather than at the table (and one entree plus an appetizer is certainly enough for two people unless you’re both starving), but that’s OK - we’re talking about sacrificing about five minutes of entertainment for budget-friendly deliciousness.

I love how you can tailor the meal to suit your tastes - I prepared my Bulgogi pretty simply, wrapped up in lettuce leaves with a little rice and grilled onion, while Kendrick piled on everything in sight (pictured above). We have pretty different palates - he likes his food extremely spicy, while I…don’t - and it was really nice to be able to eat the same meal, but just adjust it based on what each of us likes.

Photo

October 14, 2009

Kendrick was unable to attend Morgan and Tyler’s engagement dinner, but the food at Madangsui was so good that I simply had to bring him back. The billions of tiny plates of delicious things made him (and me) nothing short of ecstatic.

Mossimo Supply Co. cardigan ($17.99) and leggings ($14.99), Bakers boots, Chanel bag, vintage and Cartier necklaces.

Photo

October 7, 2009

The Little Pie Company is on 43rd between 9th and 10th, but don’t worry about the exact address…because you’ll smell the place from blocks and blocks away. Megan and I stopped in because I was craving cherry pie and she was craving cherry pie, apple pie, and pumpkin pie (yes, she bought all three…but she swears she’s sharing). It’s only a couple of blocks from where I grew up, so I’ve been going there for years, and I’ve found that it’s the perfect throwing-a-dinner-party-and-forgot-to-make-dessert place, as well as the perfect on-the-way-to-Penn-Station-to-stay-with-friends-in-Jersey-and-forgot-to-buy-a-hostess-gift place.

Photo

October 6, 2009

A shot from Sunday night’s dinner at Madangsui. I’ve eaten at Korean BBQ places before, but this place was AMAZING. I am definitely, definitely going back.

I split a plate of steamed “meat” (the waiter declined to specify what kind(s) of meat, exactly) dumplings with Tyler and Vanessa, and then the three of us attacked the combination meat platter (above, it’s being cooked before our eyes). The beef and the pork, which we wrapped in lettuce leaves with rice, soy sauce, and grilled onions, were the best. Also, I love the billions of tiny plates with delicious little things piled on them that they set all over the table. The pickles just about made me faint with joy.

Photo

October 5, 2009

With the bride-to-be.

Photo

October 5, 2009

A perfect October Sunday morning in the Meatpacking District, on my way to meet Melissa, Kim and Emma for brunch at Pastis.

Photo

October 3, 2009

With my sleepy husband at Aja Bistro & Lounge, where we ate dinner with the (relatively) newly affianced couple (Parisa & Tim) and the (very) newly wed couple (Mikha & Edwin).

I would like to take a moment here to comment on the unbelievable transition that my hair has undergone since I was fortunate enough to sample Doug Macintosh’s Keratin Treatment at the John Sahag Workshop. Seriously, I have never in my life had hair like this. I have crappy hair: it breaks, it frizzes…it does everything that I don’t want it to do. But in the week or so since I had the treatment, my hair is perfection. Here’s how it behaves:

Air-drying: I used to have a bit of a lioness poof whenever I air-dried my hair. My mom loved it; no one else did. Now, if I let my hair air dry, it forms into perfect, smooth waves with textured ends that falsely speak of generous product application.

Blow-drying: It takes about half the time now, and instead of ending up with poofy, frizzed-out hair that requires a go-over with the flat iron, I have smooth, healthy-looking tresses that not only don’t require an iron…but require nothing at all. My Frizz-Ease has gone on hiatus.

« Previous 1 … 10 11 12 13 14 Next »