Big Apple Bites

No trip to New York City would be complete without a thorough partaking of local eateries. Its the only other city that could rival the Foodie Paradise that is San Francisco.

Here now some highlights (in no particular order):
Lever House. Located on the ground floor of the mid-century jewel of the same name. I was excited enough to just walk by and marvel at the architecture of the building; so eating there too was a real treat. From the NY Times, "In a reckless gamble, Marc Newson, the designer, more or less thumbs his nose at the severely elegant architecture around him, leading diners down a glowing enclosed walkway into a tubelike dining room decorated with a hexagon pattern on the floor and walls, like an Op Art painting." With the repeated hexagon motif, I felt like a bee cocooned in the hive; but in a good way. For lunch, the place filled up mainly with Power Players in Suits; I decided to forgoe the Power Martini and opted for the fresh lime soda($8). My seared arctic char came with a riesling foam, which I found really intriguing. (That damn Top Chef piqued my curiosity.) This place was uber pricey and at $100 a person(lunch!), it certainly is not a place I could ever afford without an expense account. But the ingredients were fresh and the flavors subtle, if not necessarily memorable.

Perilla. Yes. Cheesy. But I decided to throw caution to the wind and try Harold Dieterle's restaurant in the Village. (I always had a soft spot for the no-nonsense approach that led to his ultimate win on the first season of Top Chef. I know, 2nd reference.) Turns out his place carries out his no-nonsense approach. Small, unassuming, and reasonably priced, I had a great dinner. The highlight here was his signature appetizer, the duck meatballs. OMG. I could've eaten a whole BOWL of this! Spicy duck meatballs on a small bed of spinach and cavatelli pasta(infused with mint!); topped with a quail egg that you break open and mix in. Truly, this dish is a standout that I will remember for a long time.


Rare Bar and Grill. New York is a great city for burgers. I have already been to hall of famer Burger Joint(at the Parker Meridian hotel) and so decided to try something new at R.A.R.E Bar & Gril's 2nd location in Greenwich Village. I had the M&M Burger which was flambeed in whiskey. Nice. I thought it was delicious and juicy and flavorful. But the real deal of the night was the $10 trough of fried goodies: shoestring fries, waffle fries, and sweet potato fries. Said trough was also accompanied by 5 dippings sauces: basic BBQ , chile ketchup(bland), garlic mayo, chipotle aioli, and a honey maple syrup mayo dippy thing. To my surprise, and chagrin, I could not stop eating the sweet potato fries with the maple syrup dip. It was just so weird that my taste buds couldn't get enough. Try at your own risk.

Gizmodo sighting

In other news, I guess my bro is on gizmodo via valleywag. And no, his job did not actually make Tech's 10 worst. Although it just looks like it.

Onward New York

Being a cosmetics buyer is not all fun and glamour. But so far on this market trip to NYC, it has been at the very least, Fun. A definite respite from the daily grind that occurs while stuck in the Office. One of the highlights today was meeting with this guy. I've been using his products for years and to actually sit in a room and discuss retail strategies with him, wow. Its sort of mind boggling..

He's one of those ADD geniuses at work. A wonderful spokesperson for his company and absolutely passionate about his business. While I discussed some details with the VP of sales, he kept saying, "is it ok if I interrupt for a second?". No Peter. You can't. Its only your name on all the product. "I'm making this up here, but..." No problem. Always happy to hear a genius at work. All in all, quite a character. Can't wait to make his business a success for us all.... Bonus baby.. bonus.

After two days of meetings, the pile of goodies to take home is building up. I convinced these people to just ship their generous samples to the office because I can't deal with 70lbs to lug to/from airport. Ladies, go check out the Quinc3 Body Butt3r. YUMMALICIOUS. I usually don't like to request anything specific from my vendors.. but I had to get my hands on this!

Today I have to say, my Product Whoriness served me well...
Onward....

West 55th, Midtown

NYC.
"Business" Hotel. Free Wifi! w00t! A coffeemaker, microwave, and room in mini-fridge for leftovers! Double w00t!

Fat mirror in the bathroom. This place sucks.

Four Barrels, One Dog

After months of seeming hibernation, I got the chance recently to step out and explore my neighborhood again. And My Beloved City did not disappoint.

Down a quiet little alley in the Mission there was rumored to be an amazing cup of joe to be had. So the intrepid Sake and I ventured forth to find the mythical Four Barrel Coffee.

Background: The cofounders of Ritual Coffee Roasters are trying a new concept with Four Barrel. Its more coffee bar than café, with some seating, but it will mainly be a space to showcase their coffee to wholesale clients. So no syrups, no nonfat milk, no chai. (They WILL have soymilk, however. *whew*) There will be two La Marzocco Mistral machines and they will be sourcing single origin coffees(bye bye brokers), and doing their own espresso blend. Such dedication!

Could it be? Are we at the right place?

Maybe that guy can tell us something...
And lo,
here we are! Two guys, a dog, and a soy latte!
Seems until their front coffee bar is completed, the Four Barrel guys are serving steaming cups of coffee love out the back door.
I love My City....

They're Bringing Sex Back

Ever since the Puppy Mill episode I've been avoiding Oprah the past week or so. Too traumatic. But imagine my absolute DELIGHT to find today's episode featured the Sex and the City Reunion! I literally cheered and my heart swelled when I saw the 4 ladies strut across the stage and sit on the couch together. (And lets not forget Mr. Big!)

Its been 4 years and 8 months.. and oh how I have missed them so!
Silly, right? They're actors. Its just a tv show.

But ask any devotee of the show out there. These ladies are our friends. Our fabulous, Christian Louboutin'd friends. I've cried with them, I've nodded along in agreement with them, gotten angry with them, felt their pain, and their joy(Elisabeth Taylor GoldenBlatt!). I reckon its a testament to the superb writing and production; but above all else, its a testament to the sublime acting and chemistry of SJP, Kim, Cynthia, and Kristen (and their lovable men! Let's not forget the men!). Sure the gossip mags have had their say about behind-the-scene tensions, but the electricity is there. Sitting there on the couch, I see the love between them and I know thats what the rest of the world has fallen in love with too. They are beautiful, strong, feminine, smart, sassy, (seemingly) sincere women that I have welcomed into my home for almost 10 years(syndication...).

*sigh* And it floods my heart and mind with all the memories of my girls. The sex talks over brunch. The Friday Champagne toasts. The heart to hearts while painting toe nails. Freeflowing tears. Perfectly chilled cocktails. Ridiculous laughter. REVERTIGO! Shopping excursions. Dessert breaks. Road trips. With all of us spread throughout the far-reaches of the United States(the world1), I've missed them dearly and think of them often. It makes me appreciate the girls I have around me in the Bay Area right now.

And in 29 days, 4 of my best friends will be back in town. I can't wait to grab a Mandarin Cosmo with all the girls and have the most fabulous reunion EVER. (Barring any last minute trips to the Far East.. gulp)