The Latest of What I've Been Eating.
No Chris O'Donnell sightings in State College, PA; but these fried green tomatoes were still amazing! I spent a weekend in Huntingdon, PA, visiting my friend, Charlotte, her husband Will and their two kids, Harriet and Alexandria.
After visiting Penn's Cave, we drove to State College to try out the food at Spats Cafe. And while I tried alligator for the first time, I could have eaten another plateful of these guys.
The cornbread crust was perfectly crunchy and topped with green onions and peppers with elote.
Every time I go into the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, I just want to eat all of their chewy, rainbow mochi! I've wanted to try more of their "exotic" flavors, but this time went for the Buko Pandan ice cream - pandan accented with coconut and some rainbow mochi. Bonus! They gave me two sticks of chocolate Pocky!
Yes, I mostly went to Nickel and Diner because of their Instagram page; but also because the building used to be a gross, deteriorating Chinese super buffet, just North of Chinatown.
Now, it's a sleek and modern dining experience! I still have to go back for brunch, but in the meantime, dinner was lovely and I got to catch up with Khadiyjah, while she was back in the city.
I chose the pork belly tortellini - with yam, scallions, green beand, peas and lemongrass in a creamy butter sauce. Yes, I wish there was more, but luckily, Chinatown Ice Cream Factory was a short walk from there.
Post-"dumps of the month," I went with Whitney to the Chef's Club Counter in Soho to try out the new soft serve flavors at Oddfellows Circus.
Only through Labor Day, Oddfellows is offering three different types of soft serve in inventive combinations. I went for the "Concession Stand" - caramel popcorn soft serve, a salted caramel injection topped with salted caramel popcorn and crispy chocolate pearls.
I can't wait to go back and try out the other flavors!
If you're not an 80's kid, you might not know what Wuzzles are, but they were "two kinds of animals, wrapped up in one!" So, in that vein, the "dumps of the month" at Mimi Cheng's are two of my favorite things, wrapped into one!
The July Monthy Special - "Emmy Burger" dumplings, a partnership with Pizza Loves Emily in Brooklyn! Dry-aged beef, Grafton white cheddar, caramelized onions, crushed pretzels, topped with red pepper flakes and a side of Emmy Sauce.
I'm drooling just thinking about them again...
I convinced my friend, Ricky to go out to brunch and then get an ice cream cone with me for #NationalIceCreamDay! Well, since he's vegetarian, we made two stops; first to Davey's Ice Cream for me and then to Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream for him.
While Davey's always has great flavors and I tried the Smore'z; I always go back to my favorite, Speculoos Chocolate Chip! There's something about those spicy cookie pieces that just get me every time!
I haven't been to Ice & Vice on the Lower East Side lately, but I can't resist their evolving and interesting flavors of ice cream. So, after stuffing my face with dumplings, I grabbed a Konery cone from Ice & Vice.
I chose a scoop of "Milk Money" - toasted milk ice cream, sea salt and chocolate ganache in a Froot Loops cone! I had to take my photo quickly, because the heat and humidity was melting the ice cream down my hand super fast!
Another reason that I'm thankful my new office is right by Herald Square: catching the last weekend of Broadway Bites in Greeley Square!
After our weekly uptown visit, I ran through the stands to get a cone of Russian "air-fried" dumplings. I chose two types of dumplings for my cone: beef & pork - organic flour, hormone/antibiotic-free ground beef and pork, organic onions, organic spices, pickle, vegan sour cream and potato & mushrooms - organic flour, organic vegan mashed potatoes, organic mushroom gravy, pickle, vegan sour cream.
Delicious! I would have gotten a larger order, but the Ice & Vice ice cream stand was right across the way...
The pastries that I've had from Maman have ranged from delicious to so-so, but this piece of cherry brioche was everything! Maybe a bit heavy for an afternoon/post-lunch snack, but with those cherry crumbles and cherry pie filling inside the bread; wow!
When you're craving ice cream, but also want a cupcake; why not get the Sprinkles Sundae!?
I chose a scoop of cookie dough ice cream, sandwiched in between a chocolate marshmallow cupcake from Sprinkles! The best of both worlds!
When Christina asked if I wanted to go to the Park Avenue Armory to see the new Ai Wei Wei exhibit, I knew I was in; but then came the challenge of finding a good place for brunch.
I'd never been to Little Collins, so it seemed like a safe bet; if only I'd known how small the actual restaurant was! At least we found three seats by the window and were able to sit for a bit and enjoy our meal.
I got the avocado benedict - salmon, avocado, micro greens, poached eggs, hollandaise with some whole grain toast and a hibiscus iced tea.
After a long week and getting back to NYC life, I met up wih Haske at Midnights in Brooklyn for dinner and drinks. We caught up on life, love and work. The weather was perfect to sit out on the back porch, so we grabbed a few cocktails and perused the menu.
As much as I wanted to get the "Justin Bieber" cocktail, I went with "Carlleta's Pain Meds" - El Dorado white rum, coconut milk, orange, pineapple and an aged Bumbu Pirate rum floater, in a very cool fish glass.
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It was very surreal being back in NYC after the slower pace of life in Lincoln for the last few weeks. Of course, I came back for Pride Weekend in NYC and a little celebration at the office.
There were chicken nuggets from Sticky's Finger Joint with french fries and boozy snowcones from Sweetface Snoballs. I picked out some nuggets sans cheese, fries and the "Nola Voo Doo" snoball, which was blueberry, coconut and vodka. A little booze never hurt to help numb the sadness and pain.
Plus, there was a photo booth with drag queen, Pattaya Hart!
On my way to the airport in Omaha on Monday, I was lamenting that I forgot to get a meal at Bison Witches! Well, wouldn't you know it? Inclement weather in Chicago/NYC forced my flight to be cancelled. I almost got to Chicago and would have been stranded, but luckily, after sitting for 2 hours on the tarmac, our plane turned back to the gate, where I was able to get off and book a flight to NYC for the next day.
I called Dad and he headed up to Omaha to get me, while I contemplated what to do with my extra day in Lincoln. Oh yeah! Get a TON of carbs at Bison Witches! Dad had never been, so I was happy to show him one of my favorite college places.
I got a club sandwich, sans mayo, on wheat with cream of potato bacon soup, tortilla chips and their amazing chili con queso! Seriously. I dream about this queso! Why is it SO good!?
Once of our traditions growing up was going to the Haymarket for the Farmer's Market every Saturday morning with Dad. Since I stayed around for another week, we drove downtown in search of produce, poultry and treats.
Then while Dad was off looking for coffee, I ran into my cousin, Maegan, with her kids, Mikey and Ora. We walked around the market and grabbed some treats. After walking through all the food booths, I was craving some ice cream, so why not go to Ivanna Cone? (Yes, the name is a bit unfortunate due to our current President...but oh well.)
They churn all their own ice cream, so I opted for a scoop of coconut and a scoop of circus animal beach party! I couldn't convince Mikey to get a "fun" flavor and he opted for some vanilla ice cream with Oreo's, when they didn't have cookies 'n cream! Maybe one day I'll help develop his ice cream palate!
During one of my last days back home, I met up with my best friend from elementary school, Erin, and our high school friend, Nikki. We caught up over slices at Yia Yia's Pizza downtown. It was great reminiscing about our friends and catching up on life; it'd been years since any of us had seen each other.
I got two slices of pizza and garlic cheese bread. Too much food? Yes. I would eat this later, and Dad would try to steal it, too. This is a photo of "The Atlantic" - grilled chicken, bacon, potato, broccoli and mozzarella with white sauce. I also got a slice of "The Local" - bacon, hamburger, pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, bell pepper, onion, black olives and mozzarella with marinara, but saved it for later.
I think a cheese frenchee is another Nebraska/Midwest food anamoly, like the Runza. Basically, it's a grilled cheese sandwich that's breaded and fried - artery-clogging? Yes! Delicous? Absolutely.
When my college friend, Neal, wanted to meet up for dinner, I knew I had to go to Don & Millie's with him, since it's one of his favorites and I hadn't been there in years.
That fried, gooey cheese sandwich was perfect and I also got a loaded baked potato - sans sour cream.
We indulged in our greasy, diner food and talked about New Kids on the Block, since we had both went to their concert last night in Omaha, and how disappointed we were that Paula Adbul was injured and couldn't perform. (I still credit Neal with introducing me to One Direction!)
One of my favorite brunch dishes has always been biscuits & gravy. The Green Gateau has been the brunch place of choice for the Gordon family for some time now, as they always go to the same place every Sunday, after Mass. When I was growing up, it was the "fancy" place to eat and where I went for dinner before my Junior Prom, thus being back, felt a little surreal.
We waited a bit for our food, but what followed was the largest plate of biscuits & gravy I had ever seen! Two giant cheddar & chive biscuits smothered in sausage gravy with hashbrowns or a potato pancake. I opted for the potato pancake, as they said their pancake batter was baked into it...what showed up was a giant stack of hashbrowns; crispy on the outside, but a little doughy on the inside - interesting.
My stomach wasn't used to these Midwestern sized portions anymore, so I had to take half of it home...which I would never get around to eating. Oops. I definitely didn't need to "add on" a side of poached eggs!
As more family members came into Lincoln to remember my Mom, I had to take a short break from various family members to meet up with others. I went out with my cousin, Liz, and her husband, Jeff, and my cousin, Matt, to Amu Ramen Bar in downtown Lincoln.
It had been a few years since I had been here with Dad, but the food was just as good as the last time. I got a bao with tofu, kimchi, fried shallots and cilantro, but ate it before my ramen came. For my soup, I chose the Garlic Shoyu - ramen noodles with chicken, mushroom, egg, cabbage, ginger, scallion in a chicken soy broth.
Now, I've lived in NYC for almost 8 years now and I have yet to find Indian food that's as good as that at The Oven in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. You might think that sounds crazy, but my other Nebraskan friends agree; there's something about it that you just can't compare.
My dinner didn't photograph that well, but my sister-in-law, Melanie got the vegetarian Thali and I had to snap a quick photo of all those delicious dishes: Matar paneer, saag, aloo gobi, mixed vegetable curry, maah dal, raita, papadum, rice, naan, kheer and mango chutney. Wow!
Even though sad circumstances brought me home for the summer, it was nice to get to sit and talk with my Dad, brother and sister-in-law over breakfast at Village Inn.
Ever since I was a kid, it was one of my favorite local places for brunch/breakfast and that was mainly because of their skillets. I got the California Skillet this time around - bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and spinach with white cheddar cheese, Hollandaise and avocado over a bed of country potatoes. I went with fried eggs and a short stack of pancakes. Definitely eating my feelings for this meal.
After running some errands in Williamsburg, I had to swing by one of my favorite restaurants, The Meatball Shop for a quick brunch. I usually will get their breakfast sausage balls (a brunch-only specialty) with biscuits & gravy, but this time I opted for the "Balls Benedict."
A thick slice of brioche topped with two breakfast sausage balls, two poached eggs, bacon, Hollandaise and chives. The perfect breakfast, a little sweet and a little savory!
I watched this restaurant get built. For the longest time I never knew what it was, then suddenly Eater and Grub Street were talking about the naturally leavened pizza pies being made at Ops. And, yes, it was less than a block from my apartment.
For my first visit with my roommate, Jordan, I went with a classic margarita pie, but added pepperoni and mushrooms. The crust was nice and chewy on the edges, but the middle was a little soggy. I didn't care by the time it finally arrived, since we'd been waiting so long for the pizzas and it wasn't that busy...will I go back? Yes, but maybe not that soon.
After walking through the Whitney Museum for a few hours, I was ready for a snack. I wandered over to the Gansevoort Market with Ololade and Grant and browsed through the booths. I knew I didn't want anything too heavy, since I might be headed out on a date later, so when I saw a sign for "garlic knot sliders," that seemed like the perfect snack!
I opted for the chicken parm slider and although it was a bit too garlicky, it definitely hit the spot for my afternoon craving.
My fellow boy band-loving friend, Christina's birthday is only a few days after mine, so we celebrated in Brooklyn with some wonderful freshly made pasta at Gersi.
Although almost all the dishes looked amazing, I opted for the special - Kale Gnocchi with cream sauce and a side of roasted cauliflower. I also found a special on Swarm and was able to get us a free order of garlic bread! I mean, who can pass up free bread, right?
Maybe the HR Department at Gap is trying to make us all fat!? For the first "Summer Friday"/Memorial Day Weekend, they provided us with gelato pops from popbar in a variety of flavors.
Since I'm already a devoted popbar fan, I went for a flavor I normally wouldn't get: pistachio with white chocolate and crushed pistachio coating. The perfect summer treat for a short work day!
After taking my birthday off of work, my co-workers surprised me with a dozen cupcakes saying "Happy 35th B-Day" from Sprinkles!
Thankfully, they helped me eat them, but not before I saved some of the little sugar toppings and made this Care Bear-esque design.
Another work perk: checking out venues with Global Events and getting a fun, post-work happy hour! We sampled Gilligan's rose on tap and drank a few watermelon margarita's!
Normally, I'm not a big drinker (especially on a Tuesday night), but knowing I had the next day off for my birthday made it easier to relax and enjoy the night and company.
Between all my panels on Day 2 of Vulture Festival, I ran into Chelsea Market for a quick snack. I'd walked by mokbar numerous times, but as soon as I saw there were "disco fries" on the menu, I knew this was just what I needed.
Thin fries topped with gravy, mozzarella cheese, kimchi, scallions and seaweed; they hit the spot!
The Latest Shows That I've Seen.
The Latest of What I've Been Doing in NYC.
While Dad was watching a video about "The Big Bang," I wandered around the Rose Center for Earth and Space. Even though I had been to the American Museum of Natural History a few times, I had never been in the earth and space wing.
Seeing this structure from the inside was mesmerizing, as I had only seen it in the nighttime from the outside.
After living in the city for almost 7 years, there are onlry a few "touristy" things left that I haven't done. Even though Dad had already been to the Empire State Building, I insisted that we go together.
I got the tickets ahead of time and we had to postpone our trip a few days, after his flight got delayed and he arrived Friday morning vs. Thursday night.
So, on Sunday afternoon, we went to the see the view from the observatory deck. (After dropping off all my Broadway Flea Market wares at home.) It was a gorgeous day and you could really see from all directions of the observation deck. We didn't go up to the 102nd floor observation area, but still had a great experience and even got a cheesy souvenir photo, as I knew Mom would love it. (Even if it wasn't a printed, "real" photo.)
Every year, I try to go early to the Broadway Flea Market. All the proceeds go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) and you can walk away with some great Broadway and theatre memorabilia.
Last year, I had to run up to Times Square on my break, but I got a signed windowcard from the entire Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton! (Needless to say, I'm gonna hang onto that one for awhile.)
This year, the Flea Market happened to coincide with Dad's visit to NYC, so I brought time along with me. He walked around with me through a few booths before he agreed that we should meet up later.
I found some great programs, souvenirs and a photo with Geneva Carr from Hand to God. All in all, a successful trip to the flea!
Dad wanted to see the 9/11 Memorial, so we ventured downtown. I had to bring him through the Oculus structure near WTC One.
After dim sum with my Dad and a few friends, we were walking through Chinatown and Soho, when I spotted this graffiti. My old roommate, Dexter, used to always turn the "Peanut Butter/Jelly Time" song into other things like "Peanut Butter/Shower Time" or "Peanut Butter/Pizza Time!"
I was amused.
The 15th Anniversary of September 11th. Every year, the city light's up the sky with giant blue beams to represent the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.
Leaving work, which was also my 5 year anniversary with Madewell, I had to stop and take this photo from down the block.
One of my other favorite rooms at 29Rooms was this ball pit/interactive room spg onsored by Perrier. You could write down something that makes you unique and toss a ball into the pit. I wrote "being true to myself, no matter what others say/think."
It took me a long time to get to this place, but I still worry about what others think about me from time to time. But after being made fun of for so many years in middle school and high school, I finally learned to own my nerdiness - boy bands, theatre, pop culture; you name it. I wear it as a badge of honor now.
Last year, Refinery29 had setup an interactive art installation called 29Rooms. Apparently, the lines were insane and you had to wait hours to get in. So, this year, I saw that they were being moved to a warehouse space near my apartment and I agreed to meet up with my friend, Ashley, and get in line early.
One of my favorite rooms was the RuPaul "Wig Room," where some of Ru's wigs were setup like salon hair dryers and you could sit underneath them and "try" them on.
Post-Mets game, Emily and I walked through Corona Park, including the US Open, towards the Unisphere. Emily's always been into the World's Fair and wanted to walk by this structure.
We convinced some tourists to take our photo and the rest is history!
Emily FINALLY convinced me to go to a Mets game with her and guess who was throwing the first pitch; Laurie Hernandez!!! This gymnastics-loving girl could not have been happier! (Of course, the game was also featuring a Chinese dance group...it's like they knew I was coming to this game!)
I don't know much about baseball, so Emily had to teach me, but I did enjoy the copious amounts of stadium food; one of my favorite parts of sporting events! First Mets game: mission accomplished!
I was lucky enough to have a Thursday evening off work, so my friend/co-worker, Christopher and I met up at Metropolitan Bar in Brooklyn for the RuPaul's Drag Race: All-Stars 2 viewing party with Thorgy Thor and Ragamuffin.
When Thorgy came out, I was immediately gagging over her birthday cake outfit, complete with a pink feather/frosting plume hat! Thorgy & Ragamuffin provided hilarious commentary during commercials and it was a great way to watch the show, surrounded by fellow allies.
Story (This Is Story) is a super cool concept store in Chelsea. Each month or so, they change the concept of the store and house new product in a single theme. For the late summer, they adopted a 90's theme featuring loads of Nickelodeon and NickToons!
Of course, I tried to not spend all my money there; but I couldn't resist a Spice Girls pouch, boy band book and this photo of the Double Dare podium! If only I could have been Marc Summers!
To celebrate the premiere of RuPaul's Drag Race: All-Stars 2, Logo TV partnered up with Big Gay Ice Cream and was serving up free ice cream near Madison Square Park. Yes, it was hot out, but luckily, I knew the right people in the right places and was able to get near the front of the line, after my physical therapy session.
Only a few of the queens showed up: Phi Phi O'Hara (who was in boy drag/isn't doing drag anymore), Detox and Coco Montrese. I don't know how their faces weren't melting off in the heat, but I appreciated them showing up and for the cup of free ice cream!
I probably picked one of the hottest days this summer to go wandering around downtown. My other mistake: thinking Seamore's opened at 11am for brunch, but they actually didn't open until 11:30am. Those 20 minutes walking around Nolita were pretty damn hot. I was pleasantly sweaty by the time I got to the restaurant.
I had only been to Seamore's one time before and it was for dinner, so it was harder to see the interior of the restaurant. Since I showed up just after opening, it was easy to get a seat and this awesome shot.
I may have lived in this neighborhood for almost 7 years and walked by this school numerous times, but it was only when I took a detour down another street that I saw this map of the United States.
Of course, I had to stop and pay tribute to my home state. You can take the girl out of Nebraska, but you can't take the Nebraska out of the girl!
It was my first time in the new Barneys New York in Chelsea, much prettier than their previous location that was sometimes turned into the space for the Warehouse Sale. The architects, Steven Harris, really took the time to make sure the store was gorgeous.
As I walked up the staircase, I knew I wanted to get a photo from the top floor - easy Instagram fodder. I didn't know that when I got upstairs, I would run into one of my former sales associates from Urban Outfitters, where he was working in Men's Shoes. A pleasant surprise, even if they didn't have the Comme des Garcons Converse sneakers in my size.
Just a cool shot of the Thunderbolt marquee on a really clear day in Brooklyn.
Yup. Two days after my first venture out to Coney Island for Fifth Harmony, I found myself back at the Ford Amphitheater to see New Kids on the Block with Christina! After hearing that NKOTB were only going to do a show at Hershey Park for the Mixtape Festival, I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't get a chance to see the boys this year. However, at the last minute they announced a one night only performance at Coney Island (the sight of the "Please Don't Go Girl" music video) and of course, being the Blockheads that were are, Christina & I HAD to go!
Before the show, we walked around Coney Island and stumbled upon the Art Walls. I took a lot of photos, but this one stuck out to me the most - "Everything is shit, except you love." Seems appropriate for NYC.
When the new Ford Amphitheater reopened at Coney Island, I found that many of the concerts and shows I wanted to see were there. So, I made the long trek from Bushwick to Coney Island to see Fifth Harmony.
Walking down the boardwalk after the show, everything was lit up and I couldn't resist taking a few photos of the rides in Luna Park.
When our SF counterparts were visiting the NY offices, they took us out to dinner. Luckily, one of my favorite restaurants was the place of choice!
We got a plate of Macho Nachos - melted jack cheese, black beans, salsa rachera, sour cream, pickled red onion, jalapeno and chorizo. They were baked on a big pizza pan and crispy, although slightly spicy for my tastebuds!