"In life, there are moments when a girl is bound to fall flat on her face. That's when I take a moment, and say to myself - it's okay - get back up sexy." -- Restaurant Baby
My writing partner has been a source of inspiration. She is smart, classy, fun, and a great listener. Our writing workshops segue into discussions about life and are used as a tool for a greater understanding of where we are in our writing. I've always had the phrase in the back of my mind, "Write about what you know."
My blog is about city life, food, events I attend, and more of the like. I try to stay away from diary tell all posts. It's not something I am entirely comfortable with anymore. I wanted a blog with structure and strong bones, not one that told the tales of a woe me whiner. As I go deeper into the blogosphere, I'm beginning to realize that it is necessary for me to open up about my experiences in order for me to become a stronger writer and to connect better with my audience. I will be bold. I will be fearless.
I will be a little bit braver with each word I write.
Restaurant Baby
I'm not talking about Hawaii's pastime, although that is good too. I'm talking about the junk in your email and from the web. Spam sucks.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Le Fooding- Let's do it again.
I attended New York's first Le Fooding d'Amour event in 2009. The party was held in front of MoMA PS1 in Long Island City. Set in the middle of MOS' afterparty, Le Fooding was not only an visual success, but first and foremost tasteful. Graphic images were projected on to the walls and the long lines for the chef's plates were worth the wait. 100% of the $30 admission fee was donated to Action Against Hunger.
Fast forward to Le Fooding's third event in NYC, Campfire Session #01. The number of tasting tables, donation to Action Against Hunger, and tickets available were decreased. The price of the event went up and a concert element was added. I was in. The musical value was enough for me and $15 would be donated to charity. I believe it was a fair price to pay. If anything, it was definitely a bargain. The ticket granted 3 plates (we may or may not have got extra ribs), 3 drinks (we may or may not have got extra drinks), 2 musical acts, ice cream (we may or may not have got extra scoops), and a dj party by DFA all set in the mysterious and romantic Elizabeth Street Garden. I've walked by Elizabeth Street Garden many times at night. Once, I watched through the gates as a wedding reception took place. It felt nice and exclusive to finally be on the other side of the fence.
Overall, I found Le Fooding Campfire Session #01 to be a smashing success. It was a small and intimate event where we were able to mingle with the chefs and have a clear audio of the music. Wylie Dufresne of WD~50 was really friendly and may I just declare that I am smitten with Norwegian crooner Sondre Lerche? He was amazing acoustic and incredibly down to Earth.
Let us relive Le Fooding in pictures.
Notes
-The root beer ribs were fall off the bone good. Marinated in root beer, they reminded me of Filipino family recipes where we put 7-Up on our meat for flavor and tenderization. The cherry kombu relish was a nice addition.
-I am not a big alcoholic drinker but I did enjoy two Irish Bucks. I loved the sharpness of the ginger and the Jameson went down smooth. The Westside was also nice and for the classic cocktail of Jameson and ginger ale or plain on the rocks it was a tad bit too strong for me. Definitely one for the drinkers. They were quite generous on the Jameson.
-The beef and chive salad was my favorite dish of the night. The beef was cooked perfectly, still bloody, just how I like it. The chive salad was a burst of flavor and texture. I really enjoyed the crunchy bits of coriander.
-The fried chicken plate was my southern beauty. The chicken was actually a piece of boneless chicken breast. It was juicy and had a crispy coating. They squeezed spicy apricot sauce over it and served it with cheddar grits and a coconut honey biscuit. The plate also had an endive with black-eyed pea hummus. This dish was the substantial side filler of the night. That was a good thing. After all of this, I would say one would have been full.
-I've always been a fan of Van Leeuwen ice cream. We got to try all four flavors: Roasted Banana, Salted Caramel with Makers Mark, Michel Cluizel Chocolate, and Red Currant.
-DJ Mehdi from Paris was supposed to dj Le Fooding but passed away in a tragic accident a few days prior. At the end of the night, everyone signed a banner in honor of him.
Le Fooding
Action Against Hunger
Elizabeth Street Garden/Gallery
226 Mott Street
New York, NY 10012
Fast forward to Le Fooding's third event in NYC, Campfire Session #01. The number of tasting tables, donation to Action Against Hunger, and tickets available were decreased. The price of the event went up and a concert element was added. I was in. The musical value was enough for me and $15 would be donated to charity. I believe it was a fair price to pay. If anything, it was definitely a bargain. The ticket granted 3 plates (we may or may not have got extra ribs), 3 drinks (we may or may not have got extra drinks), 2 musical acts, ice cream (we may or may not have got extra scoops), and a dj party by DFA all set in the mysterious and romantic Elizabeth Street Garden. I've walked by Elizabeth Street Garden many times at night. Once, I watched through the gates as a wedding reception took place. It felt nice and exclusive to finally be on the other side of the fence.
Overall, I found Le Fooding Campfire Session #01 to be a smashing success. It was a small and intimate event where we were able to mingle with the chefs and have a clear audio of the music. Wylie Dufresne of WD~50 was really friendly and may I just declare that I am smitten with Norwegian crooner Sondre Lerche? He was amazing acoustic and incredibly down to Earth.
Let us relive Le Fooding in pictures.
 |
| Elizabeth Street Garden |
 |
| Root Beer Ribs (AndrewAndrew, Wylie Dufresne WD~50) |
 |
| Sasha Petraske (Milk & Honey) making Irish Bucks |
 |
| Irish Buck and Westside (Richard Boccato Dutch Kills) |
 |
| Square ice cubes and candied ginger for the win! |
 |
| Beef and Chive Salad (James Murphy DFA + Inaki Aizpitarte Le Chateaubriand) |
 |
| Sock-It-To-Fried Chicken (Muhsinah The Golden Girl + Dante Gonzales Dante Fried Chicken) |
 |
| Hanni El Khatib |
 |
| Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Jameson Whiskey break |
 |
| Sondre Lerche |
 |
| DFA DJs |
 |
| In memory of DJ Mehdi |
-The root beer ribs were fall off the bone good. Marinated in root beer, they reminded me of Filipino family recipes where we put 7-Up on our meat for flavor and tenderization. The cherry kombu relish was a nice addition.
-I am not a big alcoholic drinker but I did enjoy two Irish Bucks. I loved the sharpness of the ginger and the Jameson went down smooth. The Westside was also nice and for the classic cocktail of Jameson and ginger ale or plain on the rocks it was a tad bit too strong for me. Definitely one for the drinkers. They were quite generous on the Jameson.
-The beef and chive salad was my favorite dish of the night. The beef was cooked perfectly, still bloody, just how I like it. The chive salad was a burst of flavor and texture. I really enjoyed the crunchy bits of coriander.
-The fried chicken plate was my southern beauty. The chicken was actually a piece of boneless chicken breast. It was juicy and had a crispy coating. They squeezed spicy apricot sauce over it and served it with cheddar grits and a coconut honey biscuit. The plate also had an endive with black-eyed pea hummus. This dish was the substantial side filler of the night. That was a good thing. After all of this, I would say one would have been full.
-I've always been a fan of Van Leeuwen ice cream. We got to try all four flavors: Roasted Banana, Salted Caramel with Makers Mark, Michel Cluizel Chocolate, and Red Currant.
-DJ Mehdi from Paris was supposed to dj Le Fooding but passed away in a tragic accident a few days prior. At the end of the night, everyone signed a banner in honor of him.
Le Fooding
Action Against Hunger
Elizabeth Street Garden/Gallery
226 Mott Street
New York, NY 10012
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Behind the Scenes- A Recap of FirstLive
Did you know that New York City has more than 100 live music venues? Form big to small independent houses, there is a place to suit everyone's musical taste, environment, style, and economic status.
I was invited by FirstLive to help develop a live music guidebook for NYC. It was an honor and experience I always dreamed about. I've always had an appreciation for live music. I started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 but quickly realized I did not have the musical talent from my mother's side of the family. I could play on beat and with feeling but I was not able to play by ear. My mother and grandfather never once had to look at a piece of sheet music to guide them. They would listen once to a tune and be able to replicate it on any instrument whether it be the piano, guitar, or harmonica. I was amazed.
I took music in as a way to connect to my distant and cold mother. I remember her singing and playing the guitar for me as a child. It was one of the few times I saw her happy and felt that she was reaching out to me. I have always equated good feelings with listening to music.
In school, I excelled as a writer and worked on numerous publications. I had aspirations of becoming a rock and roll journalist interviewing musicians and writing album and concert reviews.
FirstLive gave me that opportunity. They gave me the freedom to go to a venue and write about what I observed. I was able to let the night unfold and tell its own story. For weeks, I went to venues and interviewed musicians, managers, and bartenders. I spent the nights drinking and soaking in the sounds. I would write until four in the morning wide awake and excited about the night's festivities.
I focused on a lot of jazz venues in Greenwich Village. I ventured into Harlem and experienced resistance. I explored Williamsburg and witnessed a changed neighborhood. I met many people who shared with me their musical journey, their passions, and who also painted a picture for me of the neighborhood that once was. NYC is a fascinating place and like the founder of FirstLive Danny Garcia, I, too, feel that my work on FirstLive is a contribution to and a commemoration of NYC's music scene.
FirstLive Guide, published by FirstLive, is now available through Amazon and selected music venues throughout the city: Arlene's Grocery, Pine Box Rock Shop, Caffe Vivaldi, Miles Cafe. It boasts 192 pages of color, maps, technical specs, and in depth write ups on NYC's live music hosts. The guide is divided by neighborhoods and spans Manhattan to Brooklyn. In addition, First Live donates a portion of the proceeds of every guide purchased to one of the following charities: Art By The Ferry, The Jazz Foundation, Music Unites, Road Recovery, Sickday House Calls. Interactive multimedia website and mobile app to follow.
Image Credits: FirstLive
FirstLive
I took music in as a way to connect to my distant and cold mother. I remember her singing and playing the guitar for me as a child. It was one of the few times I saw her happy and felt that she was reaching out to me. I have always equated good feelings with listening to music.
In school, I excelled as a writer and worked on numerous publications. I had aspirations of becoming a rock and roll journalist interviewing musicians and writing album and concert reviews.
FirstLive gave me that opportunity. They gave me the freedom to go to a venue and write about what I observed. I was able to let the night unfold and tell its own story. For weeks, I went to venues and interviewed musicians, managers, and bartenders. I spent the nights drinking and soaking in the sounds. I would write until four in the morning wide awake and excited about the night's festivities.
I focused on a lot of jazz venues in Greenwich Village. I ventured into Harlem and experienced resistance. I explored Williamsburg and witnessed a changed neighborhood. I met many people who shared with me their musical journey, their passions, and who also painted a picture for me of the neighborhood that once was. NYC is a fascinating place and like the founder of FirstLive Danny Garcia, I, too, feel that my work on FirstLive is a contribution to and a commemoration of NYC's music scene.
FirstLive Guide, published by FirstLive, is now available through Amazon and selected music venues throughout the city: Arlene's Grocery, Pine Box Rock Shop, Caffe Vivaldi, Miles Cafe. It boasts 192 pages of color, maps, technical specs, and in depth write ups on NYC's live music hosts. The guide is divided by neighborhoods and spans Manhattan to Brooklyn. In addition, First Live donates a portion of the proceeds of every guide purchased to one of the following charities: Art By The Ferry, The Jazz Foundation, Music Unites, Road Recovery, Sickday House Calls. Interactive multimedia website and mobile app to follow.
Image Credits: FirstLive
FirstLive
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Sourdough San Francisco
Sourdough bread is a staple of San Francisco and when I think about sourdough, I think of Boudin.
It would be a crime to visit Boudin and not get the sourdough bread bowl. The sourdough bread roll is carved out into a bowl and clam chowder soup is poured into it. The bread does not get soggy or wilt. It holds up strong and after finishing your soup, you can eat it! It is good! I've had many a lunch breaks in San Francisco when I worked in the Financial District where I took a moment to really enjoy my city and it's uniqueness.
On a recent visit, I bragged about Boudin to my friend. Okay, let's just say I was a tad bit obsessed about seeing and showing off it off. We stopped by the Fisherman's Wharf location where they have the bread bakery and took a gander at all the bread shapes. I have never seen anything cuter. Plus they're all edible. Get in my belly! The Fisherman's Wharf location also has a Boudin Museum and a weekly event on Thursdays called Breakfast with the Bakers. It's seasonal but for $6 you can enjoy some light breakfast treats and learn something about sourdough bread from the head bakers of Boudin.
Photography Credits: Frencel Tingga, Roxwriting
Boudin
160 Jefferson St.
San Francisco, CA 94133
It would be a crime to visit Boudin and not get the sourdough bread bowl. The sourdough bread roll is carved out into a bowl and clam chowder soup is poured into it. The bread does not get soggy or wilt. It holds up strong and after finishing your soup, you can eat it! It is good! I've had many a lunch breaks in San Francisco when I worked in the Financial District where I took a moment to really enjoy my city and it's uniqueness.
On a recent visit, I bragged about Boudin to my friend. Okay, let's just say I was a tad bit obsessed about seeing and showing off it off. We stopped by the Fisherman's Wharf location where they have the bread bakery and took a gander at all the bread shapes. I have never seen anything cuter. Plus they're all edible. Get in my belly! The Fisherman's Wharf location also has a Boudin Museum and a weekly event on Thursdays called Breakfast with the Bakers. It's seasonal but for $6 you can enjoy some light breakfast treats and learn something about sourdough bread from the head bakers of Boudin.
 |
| The Flagship Location |
 |
| All the different kinds of breads. |
 |
| Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl |
 |
| The Boudin Bread Bakery |
 |
| Fish and Lobster |
 |
| Turtle |
 |
| Crab |
 |
| My favorite- the Teddy Bear |
Boudin
160 Jefferson St.
San Francisco, CA 94133
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Philly Naked Bike Ride 2011
How often do I get to see hundreds of naked bikers, joggers, and rollerbladers out on the streets of Philly? It was certainly a first and the event only happens once a year.
The Philly Naked Bike Ride is meant to promote positive messages of body image, awareness of fuel consumption, and advocacy for cycling. I heard many men yell out, "Stop the drilling!" People wore costumes and the bikes pretty much stopped all car traffic for a good 10 minutes or so.
I didn't see any cops, any arrests, or any misconduct. All in all it was a pretty tame event. My friends and I chuckled, "Did we really just see what we just saw?" Ladies and gents, here are the pictures to prove it.
 |
| The beginning of the ride. |
 |
| Red Light |
 |
| Body Paint |
 |
| Kermit |
 |
| Boa |
 |
| Bjork in the Background |
 |
| Live Free or Die |
 |
| Tandem |
 |
| Till next year! Happy Naked Bike Ride! |
Philly Naked Bike Ride
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Ice Cream Transporter
A few months ago, dotmenu hosted a New York Blogger Meet & Greet at the dotmenu headquarters. There was plenty of food to be had (all food from restaurants listed on allmenus and Campusfood) and plenty of bloggers to meet. I noshed on Insomnia Cookies, Monster Pizza, sandwiches, and other typical college fare. dotmenu runs allmenus and Campusfood. The two sites are an online ordering system for restaurants in the area. The difference is that Campusfood is geared towards colleges and incorporates a gaming aspect. Earn badges, dukedoms, and credits for food fame and freebies. Eating is fun! Competitive! Rewarding!
One of the giveaways from the event was an allmenus picnic bag. I was really impressed with it. The bag came complete with drinking glasses, napkins, plates, and silverware.
Of course, like all freebies, the bag sat in my apartment unmoved and unused. One hot Summer day, I realized that my ice cream voucher for Emack & Bolios was about to expire. My friends were busy and there was no way I could eat through $20 worth of ice cream on cones. I decided to buy pints and bring them home but needed a way for the ice cream to not melt. I sold my car when I moved to NYC and Emack & Bolio was at least a 45 minute commute home.
@Stellaaa had the brilliant idea of using the allmenus bag as an insulator. I decided to give it a try and brought it to work. At the end of the day, I took anything frozen from the freezer to use as ice packs to keep my ice cream frozen.
I was able to buy three pints of Emack & Bolio. I walked about 9 avenues and 8 blocks in 92 degree heat and sat on the train for 25 minutes. When I got home, the ice cream was still frozen!
I'm a big fan of ice cream. I assure you. I will be using the allmenus ice cream transporter tactic again soon.
allmenus
Campusfood
Thank you Jeffrey Tastes - Queens Qustodian for passing along the invitation to this event.
@Stellaaa's write up about allmenus
One of the giveaways from the event was an allmenus picnic bag. I was really impressed with it. The bag came complete with drinking glasses, napkins, plates, and silverware.
 |
| Just add wine, cheese, meats, and more. Ready for a picnic! |
@Stellaaa had the brilliant idea of using the allmenus bag as an insulator. I decided to give it a try and brought it to work. At the end of the day, I took anything frozen from the freezer to use as ice packs to keep my ice cream frozen.
 |
| A lined and waterproof picnic bag. |
 |
| An m&m ice pack and frozen Coke to keep the ice cream frozen. |
 |
| Purple Cow, Cake Batter Oreo, Chocolate Mint |
allmenus
Campusfood
Thank you Jeffrey Tastes - Queens Qustodian for passing along the invitation to this event.
@Stellaaa's write up about allmenus
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Summer Streets 2011
This month, NYC DOT produced Summer Streets, an event where Park Avenue was closed down and made available only to pedestrians, cyclists, rollerbladers, and others on all types of wheels whether they be scooters or skateboards. No cars!
2011 was Summer Streets' fourth year of existence. The event happened over a course of three weekends. I was lucky and motivated enough to attend two Saturdays of Summer Streets.
My primary focus of Summer Streets was biking. It can be a struggle at times to bike through the city. There are pockets of NYC, such as Chinatown, where the cars are so dominant that cyclists can be pushed aside, sideswiped, and hit in a matter of seconds. Of course, this can really happen anywhere but biking through some areas of the city are more dangerous than others. To be able to fly up and down Park Avenue all the way from downtown up to Central Park with ease is really a luxury. At times, it even felt exhilarating. We were even allowed to race through the MetLife building, a path normally meant for cars only.
 |
| Summer Streets Access to MetLife |
 |
| Women's Health and Crunch Workout |
 |
| City Picnic Rest Area |
 |
| Ciao Bella Gluten Free Lemon Zest Sorbet |
 |
| Merrill's Human Wheel |
 |
| Sand Masters' Plan |
 |
| Matt Long and Andy Gertler hard at work |
 |
| The Brooklyn Bridge crumbled seconds later. |
 |
| Astor Place |
Summer Streets
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)