Semi-Charmed Kind of Life

I didn't get a chance to post about last weekend and I've been dying to get it all out.  It was a doozy, so if you can't handle reading through my novel {I won't take offense}, check out the pics and links for highlights!

All my faves from around the country came to the Big Apple for a fun-filled time.  Lyss and Shmey made an appearance representing my ATL besties, and Brodsky for the IU-ers.  I couldn't have been more happy.  The weekend jump started with a romantic dinner at Balaboosta with Kurbs and Lyss in the L.E.S.  I had been for brunch with Hill a few years ago, and its still one of my favorites of all time.  I was anxious to try dinner and, boy, it did not disappoint.  From the hummus, to the burratta, to the eggplant crostini, one thing was better than the next.  Even though we were stuffed, we made a trip around the corner to Rice to Riches.  The one stop shop has tons of different flavors of rice pudding + toppings.  Baby Gitter loved it, as did the three adults.  After divulging in the delicious sweetness, we headed over to Canal Room to check out "Saved By the 90s: A Party with the Bayside Tigers" to celebrate Meryl's birthday.  They didn't have the vocal dazzlings of Zack Attack or Jesse Spano {"I'm so excited...I'm so excited...I'm so....scared"}, but who wouldn't love a show where you can dance to the tunes of No Doubt, Third Eye Blind {hence the blog title}, and Backstreet Boys.  I had flashbacks of our days at Holcomb Bridge, in this version though I was not taller than all the boys or sporting braces.  If you are ever looking for something to do, I suggest you check out the Tigers or their 80s counter parts, Rubix Cubes.

Saturday we did what any crazy New Yorker would do in the middle of a heatwave...walked around the steamy sidewalks and blistering sun.  Luckily, we found solace in a few stops along the way.  First, we headed to Fatty Cue in the West Village for some soulful southern/asian cooking and watermelon mimosas.  LW, Jenny and I all got egg dishes and the muesli, while Lyss and Brodsky got the brisket hash.  The restaurant is better know for its dinner, but I thought the brunch was also noteworthy.  We followed brunch up with a street fair, a visit to the Chelsea Markets pop up designer shops, and a picnic on the West Side highway for some much needed relaxation.  After we cooled down, I took Lyss on the usual Saturday 5th Avenue shopping run, with a final stop at Angels for some amazing foot massages.

Not skipping a beat, Lyss and I then headed to the West Village to meet Meryl and her sister for her birthday dinner at The Place in the West Village.  I hadn't heard anything about it before going, but had walked by it on my several recent trips to Lovely Bridal Boutique.  The restaurant offered an intimate setting, with a cave-like design, dim lighting and romantic tunes {some of the time, at others they played bar mitzvah music}.  We all split the gruyere and green onion risotto, chicory and frisee salads, and me and Lyss got the vegetable filo pie for our main.  It was all fantastic, topped off with some of the most delicious pistachio ice cream I've ever had.  After dinner we headed over to The Park for some cocktails and beautiful scenery.

Sunday was a big day of birthday celebrations for Meryl.  We started the day off with brunch at Locanda Verde in TriBeCa.  Next to Balaboosta, this is another favorite brunch spot that I've ventured to in the past.  This time we tried things I hadn't had before and it has officially moved to the top spot as favorite brunch.  The meal started out with fresh made foccacia bread and sheep's milk ricotta with honey.  For our main Shoney and I split the fritatta, Lyss got "Manhattan's best" pancakes {said the waiter; but he might be right, they were incredible}, and Meryl got the egg crostinis with the most delicious side salad.  If you haven't gone there yet, you should make your reservation immediately.  Act fast since the reservation line opens one month-to-the-day before and book up immediately.  I'm still hoping to get my foot in the door for dinner.

I'm always looking for unique ways to experience New York, and I especially wanted to do something special for my visitors.  So for Meryl's birthday, Lyss and I got her tickets to The Accomplice.  We had absolutely no idea of what to expect.  Even now it's hard to explain the experience without ruining the fun of it.  In short, it's an interactive scavenger hunt around lower Manhattan {they also have a Village tour}, where you encounter various actors who help you with your assigned mission.  We were taken from the South Street Seaport, to the Brooklyn Bridge, through Chinatown and Little Italy, and finally the L.E.S.  Our group was never quite sure what to expect, who was an actor or who was real {this is New York after all, where several men with squirt guns could just be a normal people}, the detective in all of us were as happy as could be.  The entire thing took about two and a half hours, with wine, beer, and snacks provided throughout the journey.  The show/game/tour would be a great team building activity for any corporate event or a fun way to celebrate a birthday.  A definite must see/do!

After we said our good-byes to Meryl, Lyss and I headed uptown to Rosie Pope.  For those of you who aren't avid Bravo watchers, she has a show called Pregnant in Heels, and, after Lyss, is one of the most adorable mommys.  Naturally, we had to make sure my favorite mama-to-be got to see Rosie's store and all the adorable clothes, most of which I wanted to buy myself.  After we got our fix of fashion and Jelly Bellys, we met LW, Bri and Jared at Cafe Mogador in the East Village for some of my favorite cous-cous and greek salad in the city.  If you are in the need for some European ambiance and amazing, no-fuss Mediterranean food, make your way here.  Of course no Sunday night, or trip to New York, could be complete without a trip to 16 Handles, the Kardashians, and some late night Artichoke Pizza noshing.

It was an amazing weekend filled with all my favorites: my best friends, yummy food, and good ole NYC.  Life is bueno!

Weekend Update

This weekend was packed with music, food, and running around.  Friday was a long day to say the least.  I was extremely swamped at work and only functioning on four hours of sleep after the debacle of which was our holiday party Thursday night (that will be a separate post later this week).  Having a lapse in judgment a few months ago, I decided to get tickets to a concert, not taking into account the 8 hours of straight dancing I was going to do the night before.  I begrudgingly dragged myself to the Upper West Side, but I am BEYOND glad that I did.  We went to see Ghostland Observatory at Terminal 5, which was an electro funk dance party extravaganza.  Lauren's friend Dan had gone to see the band in DC and so we decided to tag along and check it out. The. concert. was. amazing.  The Austin, Texas based band is comprised of two guys, a guitar, a synthesizer, and a trippy light show.  The intimate venue was perfect for the crowd, with two levels of standing/dancing room.  If I were you I would try and find the closest Ghostland Observatory concert, as well as checking out Terminal 5 - I'll be there in February for Girl Talk!!

Saturday morning I started the day out with a group brunch at Jane in the West Village.  Jane is owned by the same group as one of my favorites, The Smith, so I've been wanting to try it for a while.  Over the last couple of years my food buds have changed a good bit, and one of the things I have learned to love are mushrooms.  Thus, I got the mushroom omelet and it was everything that I had hoped for.  This, coupled with the good company and bloody mary's, was a perfect start to a beautiful winter day.  After brunch we headed into SoHo.  One of my favorite places to get jewelry is at the Young Designers Market on Mulberry Street.  It is an old gym that is filled with 20-30 vendors who are contemporary designers throughout the city selling their items at wholesale prices.  For the past six months I've been looking for a designer who I love, Elma Blint, and she was finally there!  Unlike me, she comes out of hibernation for the winter and cut me a deal on some goodies since I had been so anxiously awaiting her return.

Saturday night I headed uptown for dinner at Sojourn in the UES with Weiss, Mel, Shay and Katie Kitchen who was visiting from DC. The restaurant has on old wine cellar feel with current hits playing in the background, its the place to be on Saturday night above 60th street.  The tapas style menu makes it perfect for a group.  We shared a bunch of appetizers and I partook in the artichokes and baby bok choy, which were both great.  For dinner I got the roasted butternut squash salad which was perfect for a cold winter night.  After dinner we went to Loreley to celebrate Kara's boyfriend Brett's birthday and then headed over to the West Village Gallaway Hooker, which has less of an offensive odor than its sister bar in Midtown.  All in all, a perfect day!!

Today I went to brunch with Hillya at Balaboosta in Soho.  It had a homey decor with tile flooring, black and white family portraits, and dark wood bookcases filled with cookbooks. Surprisingly, there was no wait when we got there, most likely due to many people's fear of the cold that has swept the East Coast.  We were torn by two dishes on the menu so we opted to share both, the poached egg on grilled challah and green eggs scramble.  The poached eggs were perfectly paired with mushrooms and butternut squash (you can tell I don't veer far when I find something I like).  The scramble were equally delicious, though I was a little hesitant to eat green eggs, despite Dr. Seuss.  The best part of the meal was the quinoa hash that accompanied the green eggs.  I absolutely love quinoa because its healthy, filling, and easy to cook up with any ingredients.  Balaboosta took it to another level with the way they prepared this healthy grain, think of a McDonald's hashbrown and then take away the cup of grease.












After lunch we walked around Soho and I again fed my shopping addiction, but it was worth it.  We stumbled upon a store called Brandy & Melville on Spring between Broadway and Mulberry. It got its start across the pond in Europe with over 50 stores, and has since had a strong hold in the LA market.  The style of the clothing is extremely west coast-esque with cropped sweaters and cinched sleeves.  Thankfully the prices were also west coast-esque, they were giving away clothes by New York shopping standards.  Following this great find, we went to check out the Kardashian's new venture DASH NYC, which was less than thrilling and more than tacky. 

    I winded down the day with attempting to make some holiday treats for the office.  My co-worker brought me peppermint Hershey kisses last week, and I got to thinking that it would taste great melted over rice krispie treats.  And it would, had I not burned the chocolate.  Lessons learned: a) don't turn away from the stove, and b) don't mess with a classic.  Luckily I hadn't used the entire bag when I first prepared my topping, so I was able to scrounge enough for half the batch.

That was my weekend in a nutshell.  I hope you all had a great one as well!!  And I will leave you with this image of the adorable Sophia who I watched last week while Lanie was out of town.