Good friends and good food

CH and I had lunch at S'MAC on Saturday. All they do is mac and cheese. And OMG. A cast iron pan of creamy goodness. Fantastic.

I ordered the "major munch" size of the Parisienne. Brie, roasted figs, mushrooms and rosemary. Topped with breadcrumbs and baked until the top got all crusty and brown and the inside bubbled. Very much a "grown up" mac 'n' cheese. Incredibly good. And incredibly rich. I couldn't finish it. I think even if I had gotten the smaller "nosh" size I wouldn't have been able to finish it. It was that rich and creamy. The mushrooms and rosemary were delicious with the brie. And the roasted figs added this amazing sweet surprise. I wondered how the sweet figs would pair with the cheese, but they cut through the creaminess of the brie very nicely.

CH chose the Cheeseburger. Definitely a throwback to childhood comfort food with a nice crunchy top crust. Very tasty, and not quite as rich. I think it was the brie that made the Parisienne so intense.

After stuffing our stomachs, we either needed a nap or a walk. We opted for the walk. As we wandered around, we happened upon a street fair on 2nd Ave. in the East Village. A good 6 or so blocks were filled with people and random tents of food (no thanks...still full) and various crafts, jewelery, music, clothing and pretty much anything else you can think of. I think my favorite tent was the one called "Interesting Things" and had everything from tape measures to tweezers! Definitely and interesting mix of things.

Later that afternoon my friend EH and his fiancee were having a gathering on a bar up in the Murray Hill area. Over dinner last night, CH's friend had mentioned a fabulous international market in the same area. So we hopped on the subway and headed up to Midtown. We found our way to Kalustyan's and wow! The place was packed to the gills with bins, endless varieties of curries, spices, and pretty much anything else you can think of. I had been looking for a spice blend called Ras el Hanout for a Moroccan chicken recipe and had been unable to find it. Kalustyan's had it. In four sizes and two brands. Amazing. It was a bit overwhelming actually, and I was glad I had something specific to find. I think I could have wandered aimlessly for hours otherwise. I did see as I was leaving that they had chocolate covered ginger in a bin...yum. Next time.

We left Kalustyan's and headed for the Rare View bar on the roof of the Shelburne Hotel to meet up with my friend EH and meet his fiancee. I was so fantastic to see EH, as it had been way way too many years. He and K are getting married in October here in the U.S., but since they both work in another country, this was the only opportunity to meet K before the wedding. I'm so glad I did. K is great. And it's wonderful to see my friend EH so happy. He and K are awesome people and they seem to be good for and to each other and balance each other quite well. So congratulations to them and I'm so excited and happy for them!

After all that walking, CH and I opted for some hang out time with the dog (Aussie as always followed CH around endlessly, it's so cute!). Some good Indian naninis and hockey playoffs (go Detroit Red Wings!!) rounded out the day perfectly. It was a much needed weekend full of time with good friends and some really good food and general downtime away from work. I'm ready to face the next week now.

Overheard

Walking through a street fair up and down 2nd Ave. in the East Village:

"Go back to the Midwest where everything is quiet."

Um, yeah, right.

Re-learning a lesson

So I'm up in NYC for the weekend with my dog staying with my friend CH. He's gracious enough to let me crash on his futon. Actually, I think it's all about my dog, and he just puts up with me to see her. Figures. The purpose of this trip is to see my friend EH and meet his fiancee. It's also nice to spend some time and hang out with CH as we're both so busy that it doesn't happen very often.

Anyway, last night we met up with a couple of his friends for dinner at Great Jones Cafe. They have excellent cajun style food like gumbo and jambalaya. Their pulled pork sandwich was fantastic. So were the crayfish we split as an appetizer.

We also had margaritas. Good margaritas. Tequila and I don't generally get long, to the point that I had a no tequila rule for 2007 (the result of a night involving too many tequila shots). But, since they're known for their margaritas, I figured I'd give it a try and just not go overboard. No shots. Just a couple of nice margaritas (stopping at two).

Mistake. Big big mistake.

I have now re-learned my lesson. NO TEQUILA. Ever. It's not about how much tequila I drink. It doesn't matter, it's going to make me sick/nauseous.

I'm not going to forget again. This is not a lesson I particularly want to keep re-learning.

Weekend in NYC, part 3

First, a note about Aussie versus the balcony/porch. If you remember from our last trip, it took Aussie all weekend to work up the courage to go out onto CH's balcony, even if one or both of us was out there. Well, she's still afraid of the edge, but she did voluntarily go out onto balcony, and at least once all by herself. She still won't get close to the edge, always staying about a foot (at least) from the edge and stretching her neck out as far as possible to peer over at the street below. But she made herself right at home, spending much of the weekend lounging on the couch. Not that that's any different than what she does at home on the weekends, mind you.

Sunday we got up after sleeping in a bit and grabbed coffee from Think, but once again couldn't go anywhere until certain key Rugby World Cup games were completed. Sunday morning were the pivotal pool D games (the only pool completely undecided going into the weekend) so I had to find out what happened. Again, there was much cursing, luckily ultimately much cheering (YAY for Argentina!!) and again, CH dished out a fair amount of grief. Fortunately, I had the chance to dish it back this time, as he was setting up his fantasy football team which also involved cursing and madly checking scores and statistics. We did snack on leftovers from the India Bread Company during all of this. All I have to say is their stuff is just as good reheated or cold. Anyplace that has food that's just as good as leftovers as it is fresh deserves a medal of honor in my book.

Once all sports related events were settled, we headed to Borders to take advantage of the Educators Appreciation weekend. They offer 25% off all regularly priced books, CDs and DVDs for educators (including librarians!) as long as you have your valid id with you. This is an excellent deal, especially for things like children's books, which tend to be expensive. And I needed a baby gift for a friend that's due in November. Given that CH has the same book addiction I do, it wasn't hard to convince him to go wander around Borders for a couple of hours so I could pick up a picture book or two.

Our next stop was a bigger meal. I think this would have been called what my family referred to as "lunner" growing up, between lunch and dinner, but too big for a snack. We had both heard about a place called A Salt & Battery via the Food Network. Bobby Flay did a Throwdown episode where he challenged these guys to a "who makes better" fish 'n' chips competition, and these guys beat Bobby Flay. This place does truly authentic fish 'n' chips, complete with British beverages (beer or soda). Inside there's the order counter, a counter around the edge of the front of the shop with 7 stools, and a bench outside reserved for customers. No tables. They offer a delicious dill dip, malt vinegar, ketchup and salt to have with your fish 'n' chips, as well as a variety of British sides including mushy peas and homemade (savory) pies (I must try the steak and mushroom next time). And OMG this is fish 'n' chips to die for! Truly authentically British, crispy, greasy, hot, and delicious. Perfectly cooked fish and chips. They even had Ginger Beer (non-alcoholic "real" ginger flavor) which made my day. And, get this, for dessert they have DEEP FRIED Mars bars!! Of course...we were too full to eat a Mars bar this time after all the deep fried fish and potato goodness. CH got the large cod bites, and I got a piece of cod (the small, which is still 4 oz. of fish!), and we split a large order of chips. Topped it all with salt and malt vinegar, and it was what I'd describe as just about the perfect meal.

Right next door they have a shop with all British products called Tea & Sympathy. Now I know where to go to get my British groceries (like Christmas pud and good chocolate including a selection real Cadbury sweets) and they even have a tea shop that does high tea and traditional British food. Brilliant! I do believe I'll be making trips back there.

Our bellies stuffed full with fish 'n' chips and plans for a return visit (must try that deep fried Mars bar), we headed back to the apartment so I could get on the road at a decent hour. One last trip through the park with the dog, and Aussie and I were off on our way back to Philly. The trip home ironically had more traffic than the trip there, purely because they're doing some construction on the NJ Turnpike.

Sigh...every time I go to New York City, I feel like I've only scratched the surface of all the good food and things to do there. And I always end up adding more to my existing list than I cross off. There's just so much to see and do. And again, thanks to CH for hosting me and my dog and being excellent company on the various food and activity adventures.

Weekend in NYC, part 2

We got a late start on Saturday. I had to check rugby world cup scores before I could go anywhere. A few key games in the pools that determined who moved forward in to the quarterfinals were being played. CH tolerated my obsession fairly well, although dishing out a substantial amount of grief while I cursed at my computer.

For lunch we returned to the Cozy Soup & Burger. Last time I got a good diner breakfast with a huge pile (mountain?) of pancakes. This time I wanted to try their burgers. I chose the blue cheese burger. And it was so good. The blue cheese was very sharp, and the patty was huge. I foolishly thought I'd want fries as well, so I opted to get the "deluxe" platter with fries and a pickle. I finished the burger, but not the fries. I must learn that at the Cozy Soup & Burger to always get about 1/2 of what I think I might eat as everything there is on the very large side. CH got a patty melt with grilled onions and peppers (also "deluxe"), but he did manage to eat his fries (and a few of mine).

Our plan for the afternoon was to head down to the South Street Seaport Historic District. The area was a mercantile and shipping area, and the 19th century buildings have been refurbished and re-purposed into a shopping and restaurant area. Generally more of a "high-end" shopping area, including a Godiva store. They also have a Museum and a fleet of historic ships, including a Coast Guard ship you can tour. There was some kind of event going on down on the pier called an Urbanathon with a band and a half pipe and people everywhere. The funniest thing we saw was the Seattle's Best Coffee shop that also sold beer and cigars!

Our goal was Bodies: the Exhibition at the Exhibition Centre. This exhibit is all over the world, and both CH and I have wanted to see it for awhile. Lucky for us, the New York exhibition was extended, giving us the opportunity to get to it before it left. It was awesome! Since they used actual bodies that had been specially preserved, going in I figured it would be either really cool or it would be creepy, but either way interesting. It was so not creepy, just really fascinating and very cool, and we learned a lot! You get to actually see how the body works. How our bodies function is so incredible as it is (we are an incredibly complicated piece of organic machinery), and this exhibition illustrated that and broke it down into manageable chunks, while still showing how it all fits together. Different rooms focused on different elements, like bones, muscles, digestion, and the nervous system to name just a few. It was really neat to actually be able to see the nerves in my left arm that were injured in the car accident a few years ago, and see how they connected between my shoulder and my hand. I could feel how they connected, but seeing it and being able to see the "path" they take down my arm helped it all make more sense in my head as to how they were injured and why it hurt where it did as they healed. I hadn't visualized my nerves as being so thick...in my mind I saw them as threads, but they are much thicker than that. We were in there for 2 hours, and I think if I went again I'd learn things I didn't absorb the first time. So much information, and so well presented.

After the exhibit, we headed back to apartment for some coffee and to watch the Stargate Atlantis season premiere (which we had recorded on Friday night...we had gone in search of food when it aired). After walking all afternoon, it was nice to just sit on the couch like a lump and be entertained for a bit. And it gave me a chance to check the last rugby scores of the day (yes, I'm a rugby addict, and I am not ashamed).

Before picking up some slices of pizza for dinner, we took the dog to the nearby dog run in the park. Aussie showed a bit more interest this time, and barked at the dogs running around chasing each other in play, but still wasn't all that into getting involved beyond the initial greeting. So we left the park and walked her over to pick up the pizza. Just like the previous night, she attracted a fair amount of attention. The West Village is a bit busy on Saturday nights (that's the understatement of the year), so there were lots of people and Aussie was feeling quite tolerant about people petting her.

As an example of the kind of attention she gets, I offer the following conversation:
Dude w/girlfriend runs up behind us: "Hey! Can we meet your dog?"
Me: "Sure."
[lots of dog petting and the dude cooing over my dog, his girlfriend was much less interested]
As we are walking away, the following comment:
Dude: "She takes up a whole [sidewalk] square!!"

I do like CH's response to the "can I pet your dog" question: "If she lets you." She'll bark at the person if she's not comfortable with them (she's never bitten anyone, she just barks at them to back off). But I was still amazed at just how tolerant Aussie was on this trip...often she can be quite wary when there's lots of people around, especially in an unfamiliar environment. She must be mellowing in her old age.

Weekend in NYC, part 1

This past weekend I went north to New York City with the dog to visit my friend CH again. I needed to escape Philly for a bit.

My trip up Thursday night was fairly uneventful. Not a whole lot of traffic, other than the expected right around the Holland Tunnel (is there ever *not* traffic??). And bonus! I found street parking about 1/2 a block from CH's apartment on my first trip around the block. Now, the reason I had to make this trip was because I missed the entrance to the apartment complex, but when I looped around to try again lo and behold there was parking. Miracles do happen. We attempted to get Indian food from Indian Bread Company, but the place had a "rush" and they were forced to close early! Bummer. No naaninis tonight. Instead we opted for falafel and hummus pitas and split a spinach pie.

On Friday CH had to work in the morning so we knew the day was half gone from the start. We got up and took the dog for a quick walk and got coffee from Think before CH heads into the office. The dog and I hung out at the apartment getting some work done as well (ok, I worked and she slept).

We were both starving by the time we were done with work (for the weekend, mind you). We opted to get sushi for lunch at Marumi (546 LaGuardia Place). OMG so good...good prices, and excellent fresh sushi. They offer lunch plates that come with set sushi and the choice of soup or salad. You can substitute one option for an extra $1. I had 3 rolls (California, salmon and avocado, spicy tuna) and a salad, all for about $12. My spicy tuna roll was a bit loose, but still tasty. It had been far too long since I had sushi. So good.

After lunch we caught the subway uptown to possibly go to a museum. We head for MoMA, only to discover a very long line. Apparently Target was sponsoring a "free Friday" event where admission was, well, free. We asked one of the MoMA people what the latest exhibit was, and he told us they were "in transition." Meaning nothing special going on, just their permanent collection. As much as we both want to see that (it is the MoMA), standing in line for an hour and then fighting massive crowds inside is not something either one of us was particularly interested in. I'd rather spend the money to go sometime when I can actually see the art without peering through and over people and fighting crowds.

So we opted to wander around Central Park instead. The weather was perfect! A beautiful fall day. I have no regrets about deciding to spend it outside rather than inside MoMA. We started at the south end of the park and wandered up to the Bethesda Fountain and Terrace and eventually up to the Great Lawn before looping back around again. It was a great day for people watching. Lots of families out, a couple of groups having wedding photos taken, baseball games on the Great Lawn, all kinds of activities.

On our way back from Central Park, Tonnie's Minis cupcakes just happened to be between the subway stop and CH's apartment, so we just had to stop and pick some up (you all know my love of cupcakes). We chose a selection of 4 varieties to try (yes, we did split each one like good little children). And they were all delicious (lemon, coconut, red-velvet heart, carrot cake). Mom, don't worry, we didn't eat all four of them at once. We spaced it out over the next 2 days, I promise.

For dinner we decided to go for Indian Bread Company again. Yay! Success! We opted for the Vegetable Tandoori naanini, Chicken paneer naanini, and a Lamb paratha. I don't think I can explain just how good the food there is.

We took Aussie with us on the walk to pick up dinner. She'd been napping on the couch all day and needed the exercise. But taking the dog on a walk through a busy are means random people talk to you. I'm used to this, as it's been happening for years. People always want to know what she's mixed with, if they can pet her, where I got her, how old she is, etc. And they'll comment at random about her to whomever they are with, which I hear when walking past. Grown men tend to "coo" at my dog (yes, coo). CH found this an infinite source of amusement, as he had never really experienced it before. While we were waiting for our food (we got it to go as Indian Bread Company has no outdoor tables), the following conversation occurred:
Dude: "What is your dog mixed with?"
Me: "Basset Hound and something." (my usual reply, and it's the truth, I don't know)
Dude: "And AWESOME!"
Me: !!

No joke, people. No joke. This is now my stock reply to the "what is your dog" question. She's Basset Hound and awesome!

Adventures in NYC, part 2

After our late night of dancing, CH and I got a slow start on Saturday morning. Of course, there was coffee and a walk through Washington Park with the dog, and a bit of time at the dog park.

Once the coffee started to hit me, we realized we needed food. And soon. We dropped the dog off and headed out up Broadway in search of a diner. We ended up at the Cozy Soup & Burger (739 Broadway). For you movie buffs out there, Adam Sandler filmed the diner scene in one of his movies there (I think Big Daddy, but I can't remember for sure). I knew I wanted breakfast food, even though it was definitely lunch time. And CH wanted lunch food. So the diner was perfect and satisfied both of us. It's not large, but clean and bright, and we didn't have to wait long for our food. The staff is very good and there was steady traffic of people in and out the entire time we were there. I got pancakes and eggs and CH got a reuben. The reuben was huge. So were my pancakes. They even came with REAL maple syrup, not the fake stuff. And good. Very very good. I definitely recommend the Cozy Soup & Burger. Next time I'm going to have to try a burger...I saw one the table next to us ordered and wow did it look good.

After stuffing ourselves silly, we knew we needed to walk a bit. So we continued up Broadway to Union Square park. They have a big farmers market there every weekend and several days during the week. Lots of local fresh produce, local vendors offering everything from bread to cheese to meats and eggs. Despite how full I was from my pancakes, I found myself drooling as we walked around. One vendor was offering 12 ounce cups of cold fresh apple cider for a dollar a piece. It was so sweet and delicious. And lucky for us, the weather cooperated beautifully. Sunny but without being scorching. After a few hours, we wandered back down Broadway to the apartment for a nap. Between the food and the walking, I needed it. Who knew relaxing could be so tiring?

We had a nice rest, and decided to go see a movie before grabbing some dinner. Neither one of us had seen the Simpsons, and it proved to be an enjoyable few hours. Definitely not serious (come on here, people, it's the Simpsons), but definitely entertaining. I was impressed they managed to continue the same thread for the entire time without losing it. Of course, like any Simpsons episode, it had it's high points and its low points, but it was definitely worth seeing and it made me laugh. What more could I ask for?

We walked back through the insanity that is the Village on a Saturday night. People everywhere. Everywhere. Craziness. At times we just walked in the street because the sidewalk was packed. Instead of joining the insanity, we opted to pick up some beer and take out. Unlike Pennsylvania, you can actually buy beer in the grocery store in New York. What a concept (feel the sarcasm...having to go to a beer store here drives me nuts!)! For food, we decided on Indian. CH loves this place called Indian Bread Company, which puts a new twist on Indian by serving it as Naan sandwiches or wraps. I understand why he loves it. OMG it was delicious. They put your filling (traditional Indian dishes like Saag Paneer) between two pieces of Naan and then grill it up like a panini. We each got a "naanini" and split a stuffed paratha (flat bread). Absolutely fabulous. I had the leftovers for lunch on Monday and they were just as good cold as they were warm. I think I'd eat there all the time if I could (no joke). Dinner was accompanied by more Food Network. TV about food goes well with eating food.

Sunday morning we slept in a bit. I think we were both tired from our late night on Friday and all the walking on Saturday. The coffee and trip to the dog park was now our morning "routine" for the weekend, and I certainly didn't hear the dog complaining.

Since we had walked up Broadway on Saturday, we went the opposite direction and walked down Broadway on Sunday. We took Canal street over to the Hudson River bike path along the Hudson River Park. Gorgeous. What a setting for a nice run or bike ride. We walked along the path down to the edge of Nelson Rockefeller Park where the North Cove Yacht Harbor is. Great views of the Hudson River. Beautiful weather. A nice long rambling walk. I do believe those are the ingredients for a near perfect relaxing day, despite the mild sunburn I ended up with from being in the sun almost the entire time. We cut back through into the city by the site of the World Trade Center, which I hadn't seen in person. Still just as mind-boggling now as it was almost 6 years ago. We took the subway back to Bleeker Street, where CH's "favorite block" in Manhattan is. In one block is a great bakery, a cheese shop to die for (on par with the local DiBruno Bros. here), a butcher, a fish monger and a market. Everything you need. And all walking distance from his apartment. Incredible.

Unfortunately, it was time for me to head home. CH had a soccer game to get to, and I didn't want to get home too late. So back to the apartment to load up the car and get the dog. One last walk around the block for the dog and away we went. As expected, traffic heading into the Holland Tunnel was bumper to bumper. I think my favorite sight while sitting in traffic was the man reading his magazine. And I had to laugh when I saw the signs for "alternate merge" as they brought up all sorts of memories from the weekend I visited EM. Other than the expected Holland Tunnel traffic and some shore traffic heading back into Philly, my drive was uneventful. Amazingly, I didn't get lost on my way there or on my way home. That's new for me. Maybe I'm getting better at not getting lost...nah, who am I kidding, I just got lucky this trip.

It was a wonderful weekend in NYC. Relaxing. Full of good food and friends and lots of fun. Exactly what I needed. So a big thank you to CH.

Adventures in NYC, part 1

So my weekend in NYC was full of food and activity. After arriving on Thursday evening at CH's place (in the Village), we drove in circles to find a place to park. We lucked out and found a spot not far away. By this point, the dog was a bit freaked out with the car ride and being in a new place, so rather than leave her alone, we decided to get take out and just vegetate on the couch to some Food Network (the foodies in us strike again). We ordered from Suzie's on CH's recommendation. Some of the best Chinese take out I've ever had, actually. So good. Always trust a foodie's recommendation. Always. We won't steer you wrong. That's advice to live by.

CH lives in a high rise building, and on the upper floors. This was Aussie's first experience with staying a place that required elevators and was really high up. She did just fine with the elevator. Didn't bother her at all. CH's porch, on the other hand, freaked her out. Now, the porch has a fence all around, and this is not Aussie's first experience with a porch, but it was her first experience being more than 2 stories above ground. I've now learned my dog is afraid of heights. I'm not sure she ever got closer than one foot from the edge. She'd stand there, and extend her neck as far as it would go to kind of peer over the edge. It took her two days to be willing to even do that! The first day, whenever CH and I went out there (great views by the way), she'd stand in the doorway and give us this "you two are absolutely crazy" look. Overall, she was very well behaved, which confirms what I've always believed: my dog would be an excellent big-city-apartment-dweller dog. Coolness.

Friday morning we got up and took the dog for a walk and got coffee (beverage of the gods, by the way, second only to beer). Washington Square park isn't too far from the apartment, so we grabbed coffee at Think Coffee on the way (so good...and the iced coffee is cold brewed!) and headed for the park. Like most parks in NYC, Washington Square has a fenced in designated dog park in the park. Awesome! Figuring Aussie needed to blow off some steam, we decided to make use of the park. I think it freaked her out a bit as it's been quite a while since we've been to an off-leash park. She stuck pretty close to me and CH, and just kind of observed all the activity. I think she was more thrilled with all the attention she got from people than the other dogs. Nonetheless, the trip to the dog area in the park was a regular part of our weekend.

After our walk, we headed back to the apartment. CH generously agreed to watch the dog (he also had work to get done) so I could meet up with a friend I hadn't seen in years. AP and I have been friends since high school, but tend to only see each other infrequently. Now that we are both on the same coast, hopefully that will change. We met up at St. Marks Place, an area near the East Village with lots of good restaurants and little boutique shops. Unfortunately, the weather was less than cooperative, so instead of walking around in the rain, we headed for food first. We ended up at an Afghani restaurant called Khyber Pass (34 St. Mark's Place). Good. Not excellent, but good. We both got kebabs, but different varieties. I tried a lamb one, and she got a combo with steak and seasoned beef. Both came with rice. We also got coconut cream lattes, which is a latte made with coconut milk. The latte was delicious. Slightly sweet without being a dessert and the flavor of the coffee didn't overwhelm the drink. The kebabs were well seasoned, but a bit on the dry side. The rice, on the other hand, was delicious. Brown basmati rice topped with carrots, raisins and almonds and I think a bit of citrus juice. There were plenty of other things on the menu that interested me, so I'd definitely try Khyber Pass again.

After lunch and several hours of talking, we realized the rain had stopped and so we decided to walk around and find dessert. We found our way back over to the West Village via a stop at her apartment and then the subway (thank goodness I kept my Metro card from my last visit to NYC!). AP knows of my love of cupcakes, and wanted to take me to her favorite place, Tonnie's Minis. They are known for their carrot cake cupcakes. YUM. Unfortunately, when we arrived, they didn't have any, so we had to settle for a red velvet heart (yellow cake with a red velvet center and butter cream icing). SO GOOD. I love cupcakes...little single-serve bundles of sweetness all wrapped in a cute package. After demolishing our cupcakes, we sat and talked a bit more. As we were leaving, we ran into a guy standing on the porch eating a carrot cake cupcake! Freshly made!! So we turned around and headed back into the shop to get some to go. I got extra, knowing CH's love of carrot cake and to thank him for being so nice while his guest (me) disappeared on him for the entire afternoon.

AP and I parted ways, she off to meet a friend in Chinatown and me back to CH's apartment. It was so good to catch up and find that even after years of not seeing each other we can still be so connected. Hopefully I'll see her again soon!

The plan for Friday evening was food and dancing. Knowing it would be a late night, I realized that I: A, needed more coffee, and B, needed a nap (not necessarily in that order). After a brief nap, CH and I grabbed more coffee and took the dog for another long walk. She explored a bit more this time, but Aussie was still pretty mellow about being around lots of dogs. Ah well, she is almost 12 years old now (when did that happen??!!).

We headed out for a late dinner, deciding to just walk around and read menus until something struck our fancy. We overheard some hilarious conversations, including one where a young woman was explaining to an owner why he needed to put up with her drunk friend that was making a scene and not kick them out. Her defense: on a "corporate level" they bring lots of business to the bar! OMG that was just too funny. As we walked by one place, one of the owners was out front trying to draw in business. She told us the food is good, not to expensive, no waiting for a table, so come in! There was a couple leaving at the time, and the confirmed everything she said, so we figured we'd give it a try. Ciao Stella (206 Sullivan St.) was pretty good Italian food. Filling, well cooked, decent flavors. Every meal includes a glass of wine. There was enough food that I had to take half of my chicken with artichokes to go! Fortunately, we weren't far away from the apartment, so we dropped off my leftovers, checked on the dog (snoring contentedly on the couch...hello! spoiled!), and headed back out for dancing.

CH had decided to take me to a place that calls itself a Bulgarian bar and is down in the East Village: Mehanata. The DJs spin a blend of world music from Latin to Middle Eastern to East European. Not your usual pop-mix or dance mixes. It was a bit crowded, but apparently they usually have a downstairs that's also open. Unfortunately, it wasn't on Friday, so everyone was crammed upstairs. The people were just as varied as the music, and everyone was having a good time! About the only thing that freaked me out was when people started jumping around I could feel the floor bounce a bit. But so much fun. Great music, and the DJ did an excellent job of blending one style into the other. After several hours of dancing (and I have the blisters to show for it), CH and I walked back and crashed out. What an awesome start to the weekend.

Taking a day off

I'm taking Friday off. It's been a week of questions and more questions and yet still more questions as everyone starts using the "new" software full time. New workflows. New procedures. It's quite the shift at work. Which means I've been very busy answering all those questions. The past month at work has been very very full with training and this migration to the "new" software. I've done a lot of teaching and even more talking.

I need this day off.

CH invited me (and my dog) to visit him in NYC for the weekend. So not only am I taking Friday off, I'm leaving town. I'm so looking forward to this weekend. I know we'll go out at least one night I'm there for some dancing, which I really need to help me de-stress right now. Dancing is my favorite way to relax. The stress just melts away.

And bonus!, on Friday I'm having lunch with a good friend I haven't seen in years. AP happens to be in NYC for the summer so we're taking advantage of the opportunity to reconnect. She and I have known each other since high school. [Hm...August seems to be the month for me to reconnect with "long lost" friends...I wonder who's next.]

I don't anticipate getting a lot of sleep (not that I've gotten a whole lot in the past month anyway), but I do anticipate lots of fun, some excellent food and lots of time with good friends. That's the best recipe in the world for relaxation.

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friend Catachresis today!!!

Nighttime hilarity in NJ

Once B, E, and I made it back to E's apartment in NJ from NYC safely each night (the safely part became debatable a few times), walked the dogs (E and I braved the cold, B is a wimp), and after we thawed out our extremities (my toes are still cold, FYI), the three of us plopped on the couch for some bad TV (never channel surf on a sugar high), some good TV (Sarah Silverman's 'Jesus is Magic'), junk food, computer time, inappropriate text messages (Jeff, we apologize and we love you!) and general hilarity.

You know you're in a room of librarians when the first thing we all do is pull out our laptops, connect via wireless, and proceed to spend the next few hours uploading photos and making comments on each others photos and laughing. Constantly laughing. As if we aren't all sitting less than 5 feet from each other. Priceless. And the reason we don't have a picture of this scene...we were all sitting on the couch together, too busy to attempt taking a photo with making comments and notes on our Flickr photos. The dogs, having been fed and walked, frankly didn't give a damn. I think E's dog Elston went to bed and I know my dog, Aussie, snored rather loudly on several occasions from her dog bed in the corner.

Once the blogging and photo editing and photo commenting was complete, we broke out the junk food and drinks. [Note: this did get the dogs' attention, both sitting and staring and waiting politely for us to drop something.] We had the world's greatest sugar high both nights. Between the treats from Magnolia Bakery (cupcakes on Saturday and ice box cake on Sunday), the soda and vodka drink (now dubbed the Philly classic), chocolate in various forms, and honey bow ties, I think I'm finally losing my sugar high 18 hours later. We did add some salt to the mix, in the form of pizza and Pringles. Oh yeah, we OD'ed on junk food. I'm actually looking forward to my salad for dinner tonight.

With all the sugar in our system, things got goofy really fast. Now, B, E, and I are naturally a little (OK, maybe a lot) on the nutty side, but let's just say I nearly peed my pants more than once and damn if my stomach didn't get a work out from all the laughing. This is when we started channel surfing through really bad TV, sending inappropriate (not nasty or mean, just really really silly) text messages to friends, and taking goofy photos involving finger puppets and fez monkey swizzle sticks. Naturally, these photos were uploaded the next day for another round of commenting and laughing.

If you can't be goofy and off the wall with your friends, then who can you be goofy with? I, for one, am very grateful that I have friends like B and E who won't let me forget the stupid things I say and do, but know that I have just as much crap on them that I won't let them forget, and we all know that we love each other in spite of everything and because of everything. These are good friends. And we had a really good time with lots of good food. Which, I believe, is what we aimed for: comfort and laughter and general good fun and good food with some good friends. We reached our goal and then some. I call the weekend a success!

We're planning another get together sometime in early April. New York City, prepare yourself.

NYC, day 2

Today is Chinese New Year, so B, E, and I decided to head down to Chinatown for the festivities. Today we made a group decision to drive into the city. One, it's friggin' cold. Two, it's Sunday, so street parking (when found) is free. So we get E's car out of the frozen slush it's parked in, pile in, and head for the Holland Tunnel.
Lucky us, we do manage to find street parking, and not too far from Little Italy or Chinatown. We bundle up and start walking.

First stop, we decide we need coffee and treats. So we head for Ferrara, who E swears has the best cannolis on earth. Unfortunately, I can't vouch for them, because there was an hour wait for a table. But I can confirm that they have very nice bathrooms.

On into Chinatown. It was insanity. People everywhere, streamers and confetti in the streets, dragons and drums and cymbals, it's insanity, I tell you. Insanity. We wander for awhile, and then start looking for food. E leads us to a place that has 5 dumplings for a dollar. One dollar. That's it for 5 dumplings from heaven. We got 10 and split them. A nice appetizer.

Next stop, buns. We head to the Mei Lai Wah coffeehouse and bakery. We decide to go for a table, although it's not exactly warm in the shop with people coming in and out for take-away. There's 4 old men behind the counter, and 2 old ladies running around taking orders from people and giving orders to the men. E orders coffee and a plain roll with butter. B orders Horlick's (a hot malt, kind of like Ovaltine) and I order coffee. We also ask for 2 steamed pork buns and coconut buns. We're told they have no coconut buns and it will be a 10 minute wait for the pork buns. OK. We'll wait. In the meantime, let's have 2 orders of those deep-fried wonton bowties with honey. They disappear fast. Fifteen minutes later, we ask about our buns...10 more minutes. OK. We'll wait. 10 minutes later, we're still waiting. The people that come in behind us also ask for coconut buns and steamed pork buns. They are also told a 10 minute wait for the steamed pork buns, but they get coconut buns, and from a different lady than we have. So we wait a bit more. We inquire again, and are told 10 more minutes. OK. We give up. We get two more bowties to go, pay and head out, in search of pork buns and coconut buns.

We stop at every bakery along the way, and everyone is out of coconut buns. We are in Chinatown, searching for a Chinese restaurant that has steamed pork buns and coconut buns. Ironically, we have NO luck. None. The cold rapidly turning our feet into ice, we admit defeat and head for the car to drive to another part of the city for dinner. We end up at a great little Cuban place called Cafe Habana and get some burritos. Our tummies full, we head for Magnolia Bakery again. This time for Ice Box cake. Layers of chocolate wafers and whipped cream. We start drooling before we even leave the Bakery.

Our quarry safely secured in the car, the heat on high to thaw our toes, we find our way back to the Holland Tunnel. This requires several conversations including the following: "NO, not the Lincoln Tunnel!" and "The Lincoln Tunnel signs are green, the Holland Tunnel signs are brown" and "Alternate merge, dammit! Alternate merge! Let me in, motherf**ker!" and finally, "Stop tail gating me, you dirty little b*tch!".

Once we make it safely back to New Jersey, we have to find our way back to the house. This is not simple. From the backseat, I listened to the following:

B: "Uh, E, this is a two way street."
E: "Oh, yeah. Sorry."

Thank God there was no oncoming traffic.

NYC, day 1

So yesterday B, E, and I ventured into the city for burgers and cupcakes.

First priority was some lunch. We found our way through Chelsea, seeing an amazing display of Russian nesting dolls in a storefront window. Our destination was the Half King for some burgers and onion rings. Unfortunately, on Saturday they have a brunch menu until 4pm, which meant no onion rings. But burgers and beer were still available. So we all got the same thing, Boddington's and burger, but we did manage to vary on the cheese selection. Oh, and fries and a giant pickle on the side. I can't speak to the onion rings, but I definitely recommend the burgers.

To avoid the inevitable food coma, we decided to walk down to the Village for cupcakes at Magnolia. We did make a stop for chai lattes from Starbucks. And we saw a store called Shoegasm. My love of shoes is genetic, and they had to stop me from running across 4 lanes of traffic to do some shopping. We reached Magnolia, and queued up for cupcakes. After 15 minutes of waiting in line, with an incredibly annoying group of people behind us (like, OMG, like I totally love him...) that made all three of us want to commit homicide, we eventually reached the nirvana that was the selection of cupcakes available from Magnolia.

The cupcakes in all their glory...look at the sprinkles! And the daisy!

Once we had our quarry, we headed back across the river to walk the dogs and collapse on the couch. We successfully made it back to the car, cupcakes unscathed.

But there was one more event that had to happen to make the day complete. We start to leave the parking lot, pulling out through the line of waiting taxi cabs into traffic when the following exchange occurred:

E: "Look out for that cone!"
B: "What cone? I don't see any cone!"
E/S: "The one RIGHT IN FRONT of the car!!"
B: "Oh, that cone..."

As we pulled into traffic, dragging the yellow traffic cone under the car for about a half a block before it dislodged itself from B's car. Somehow, we managed to get back to the apartment without getting into an accident, despite the hysterical laughter that gave us all stomachaches. It was three hours before we were able to eat the cupcakes.

I wonder what day 2 in NYC will bring...

Fun, food, & comfort

I'm off for the weekend. Specifically, off to visit friends and seek some comfort in the varied restaurants of New York City. I'm sure there will be posts about our gastronomic adventures.

Food is the ultimate in comfort. So much can be tied to smell and taste, that certain foods always, always, make you feel better. After a weeks worth of nasty weather, some really nasty events in personal lives, and general chaos at work, we are all in need of some comfort and laughter and general good fun and good food with some good friends.

On the agenda so far is chocolate, more chocolate, cupcakes, mac 'n' cheese, fries & onion rings done diner style, and (as always) coffee. And, bonus, it's Chinese New Year so we will hopefully be making our way to Chinatown for some of the festivities and food. I'm packing my "jeans with room to spare" in anticipation.

So what's your favorite comfort food?