taste of 7th st

Over the weekend, Scoop St. had a really great idea group deal called Taste of 7th St. Promoting the idea of "collective commerce"," this deal was a ticket pass to try the foods of some great eateries on 7th Street in the East Village. Below are bad blackberry photos {in the order of my attendance} of the locations: Caracas Arepas Bar, Luke's Lobster, Porchetta and Butter Lane Cupcakes. For $18, I got to fill up on an arepa, mini lobster roll, snack porchetta sandwich and 2 cupcakes. I will definitely be frequenting Butter Lane for their really cute cupcakes where you can choose your bottom cake {vanilla, chocolate or banana brea} and icing {list of 12+ icing flavors including caramel, french vanilla, mint chocolate, etc.} Mmmm....great idea Scoop!

more feasting {adour}

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and so my family and I celebrated her special day at a special restaurant here in NYC - Adour Alain Ducasse at the St. Regis Hotel. The concept of the restaurant is to create a classic-turned-modern menu that pairs well with wine - so the decor {interior by the Rockwell Group} of the space complimented that idea with a few largely prominent wine vaults as well as glass walls with grape + vine etchings. The food was phenomenal - everything cooked to perfection and the presentation being small works of art. And speaking of art, there is a beautiful large installation mural by Nancy Lorenz {top middle photo} that caught my mother's and my attention. With thick organically flowing gold gesso and mother of pearl inlays, the relief piece creates the mood of the dining room. Adour is definitely a special occasions kind of place and if you have the chance...bon apetit to you~

Main Dining Room

Poached Lobster Entree, Chocolate Leaf Dessert & Birthday Hazelnut Souffle

Beautiful Decor of the St. Regis Hotel

new years feasting

Happy New Year!!! How did your 2010 begin? Thanks to my dear mom, my day 1 of this decade began with a traditional Japanese new years feast full of symbolic foods. My favorite is ozoni {toasted mochi rice cake in a clear soup}, but we all also enjoyed black beans {mame = which also means "health"}, chestnuts, seaweed {konbu = associated with the word yorokobu, meaning "joy"} lotus root {renkon = when sliced it lookes like a wheel with spokes and gaps, and wishes for a "clear, good future"} and nishiki tamago {an egg dish that separates the yolk and the whites, where yellow symbolizes "gold" and white symbolizes" silver"}. All Japanese families gather together {New Years is the biggest traditional holiday - almost the equivalent of Thanksgiving here in the US} for a meal heavy on symbolism to wish for a joyous, healthy and prosperous year. So I share some photos from our table and wish you all a super year {of the tiger!} with amazing experiences, joy, laughter and happiness in all ways~...cheers!

sushi in japan

Visiting Tokyo right now, I had to make a visit to my parents' regular sushi place, Senpachi. They serve fish that I sometimes can't even translate into English - and it's all delicious. Pictured above is o-toro {extra fatty tuna}, uni with lemon and salt, one of the fish I don't know how to name and aji with yuzu. Below is the entrance of the sushi place - right now is the season of chrysanthemums, and they have an arrangement shaped like a tree -, scallop with uni sauce, grilled tuna + scallions and anago {fresh water eel}. There are no added decorations - you eat everything that you see and get served. Beauty in simple presentation is what I get to experience here...and is one of the things I love to appreciate of Japan.

food trucks {red hook ball fields}

Finally! I tried them - the infamous food truck vendors in Red Hook! At the intersection of Clinton and Bay in Red Hook, Latin American food vendors offer their foods on weekends during warm months. I had always heard about the top notch food - including ceviches, pupusas, enchiladas, tacos, empanadas and more - and I was not disappointed. Even at an off-peak late afternoon time, the wait for food was nearly 30 minutes - and one can tell from the overall vibe that it is all worth the wait. Not only that, the vendors were so friendly. As we ate our arepas and empanadas at the Columbian food truck, the woman offered us a bowl of her seafood soup: "Try my seafood cream and tell me what you think of it..." And it was really tasty. Apparently next weekend is their last one for this year - so if you haven't already, perhaps you give it a go~

colors of pais vasco

I've been out of touch for a few weeks {sorry!}...but I have a lovely excuse of a wonderful trip. I saw my best friend get married to a wonderful man in Guethary, France - and with that came lots of traveling around Spain and France's Basque Country {Pais Vasco}. What better way but to SHOW you what I got to see. And I'm back to regular blogging routine now so I'll be in touch~ Have a wonderful weekend...

I present to you the color spectrum {there are so many!} of the Basque Country...above are reds. {1. Door detail of the Parador castle in Hondarribia, Spain - 2. a charcuterie plate featuring chorizo, jamon iberico + lomo - 3. a wall of postcards at a bar in Logrono, Spain that was celebrating the San Mateo festival - 4. pinxtos in Logrono}

Here are yellows...
{1. iron and rock in Biarritz, France - 2. figs + foie gras at the renowned Arzak restaurant in San Sebastian, Spain - 3. empty street of the medieval town of Laguardia, Spain }

and greens...
{1. view from a window in Guethary, France - 2. the beautiful countryside hills of Bidarray, France - 3. flowers + champagne at the wedding - 4. images of surfers on a cafe wall, by FAR the sport of the region}

and blues...
{1. Hotel Le Madrid in Guethary, France, the host of us and the wedding reception - 2. rocks protruding from the sea in Biarritz, France - 3. I heart the Basque Country - 4. church top in a small village we passed through in Spain}

and purples...
{1. Frank Gehry's design at the winery of Marquis de Riscal in La Rioja region in Spain - 2. moon starting to show in St. Jean de Luz, France - 3. grapes of Rioja wines - 4. sunset view from boardwalk in St. Jean de Luz, France}

and blacks {with accents}...
{1. San Sebastan, Spain hosted their annual film festival and I saw a wonderful Argentinian film called "El Secreto de los Ojos/The Secret of the Eyes - 2. delicious oysters on a plate at the wedding ceremony}

Thank you Pais Vasco for the wonderful trip memories~

the french chef

With the new movie, Julie & Julia, in theaters soon, I feel like there's been quite a Julia Child phenomenon going on. In this past weekend's NY Times magazine, the table of contents page had this photo {above} on it - and I LOVED it. How funny is this? This photo is taken by Paul Child {Julia's husband} and is on the set of "The French Chef" in 1963, the year it was first broadcast on American television. The mysteries of all television solved right here.

With this photo came a really interesting article, Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch by Michael Pollan. He writes how the popularity of recent food-related TV shows, like Iron Chef + Top Chef {both shows that I like, for the record}, make people more interested in food, talking about it and watching it on their TV, but don't bring them into their kitchen. The article also describes how Julia Child's show inspired so many people to try to cook things that seemed so daunting and foreign - and it resulted in an upgrade of food culture in America. Current cultural and social situations are different and it has led to people spending lots of money towards good food - just not for them to prepare themselves.

It's a good read, if you get a chance...{and just LOVE that photo!}
Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch by Michael Pollan

{Images courtesy of NY Times}

anyway cafe

East 2nd Street between Bowery and 2nd Avenue is a tiny block but has some really cute stores. There is the John Derian store with its $$$ decoupage goodies. There are some crazy sneaker stores - you know, where the bright sneakers look like museum pieces in the store. And photographed here is the store signage for Anyway Cafe - a French-Russian spot. I love the random items {typewriter, silverware, wine bottle, teacup/saucer, etc.} that are a relief from the store facade. It creates this vintage antique-y feel. I've never eaten here, but the look of the place is cute...

scanwiches

This is pretty funny. This individual {aka, owner of blog Scanwiches} posts cross-sections of the many sandwiches that s/he consumes "for education and delight." Above includes a hefty BLT, a smoke salmon sandwich, and a Vietnamese sandwich...and how do I know this? Because scanwich-er tells us in detail right under each posting. There should be takeout menus like this...
{I wonder what the lifespan for scanwich-er's scanner is...?}

{Image from Scanwiches blog}

mets game! {at citi field}

I may not be the *most* seasoned baseball fan {not at all}...but I got to enjoy a beautiful day outdoors at Citi Field - the new home for the NY Mets. There's no more Shea Stadium, but instead in its place is a big, brand new, CLEAN stadium full of Mets fans. As they beat the Pirates, I got a chance to walk around most of the facility. I found the circulation ofthe venue really well-planned - I didn't get lost and was able to efficiently get from one place to another. In terms of food, on top of the classics of hot dogs, fries, sausages, etc, there are new additions like Blue Smoke and Shake Shack...yum. Here are some pics I took...loved the big retro Pepsi sign replica {original is in LIC} photographed on the bottom, but wasn't into the blatant corporate endorsements all over - but I guess someone has to pay the bills. Next up to check out is the new Yankees Stadium, I suppose...

joshua bell concert {ny phil}

I waited almost 8 months for this...and I *finally* got to see Joshua Bell live at Lincoln Center perform with the NY Philharmonic. And the notable violinist didn't disappoint - as he played a beautiful Violin Concerto by Saint-Saëns. I had heard about Bell's animated style of playing - but it was so wonderful to see this artist perform with the music using his entire body. From the highest to the lowest note possible on the instrument, from energetic to mellow movements of the piece, it was all perfect. Another bonus was getting to see the new maestro of the NY Phil, Alan Gilbert, as the conductor of the concert. {Above is Joshua Bell on stage next to Alan Gilbert - below is the beautiful suspended ceiling sculpture in Avery Fischer Hall.} Topped off the weekend night with a late dinner/wine-ing at Bar Boulud across the street - was a wonderful night~

mini bites {baked by melissa}

The weather is completely spring/summer 09 now here in NYC. One fun way to celebrate the welcoming outdoors is making a visit to Soho where they have miniature bite-size cupcakes for passer-bys to pick up. Baked By Melissa located on Spring St. between Broadway and Mercer {much closer to B'way} is a tiny store window that sells one-bite cupcakes for those on the go. I got a dozen there of the following flavors {from left to right}: Red Velvet, Cookies & Cream, Cookie Dough + S'mores. Perfect size and really tasty~ We grabbed these and sampled them on the benches in front of Balthazar right in the area...Have fun strolling around!

queens museum of art

To take advantage of the sneek peak of spring weather this weekend, I went to the Queens Museum of Art in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Currently they have an exhibit called Queens International 4 that features artists from all over the world who live/work in Queens. With bikes mounted on a large wall to soda cans lit with neon lights, it was in interesting look at some emerging artists {not sure if I fully "understood" it all}. But I was pleasantly surprised by an ongoing piece the museum houses called the The Panorama of the City of New York {middle photo}. This is a 9,335 square foot architectural model - built by NYC builder Robert Moses for the 1964 World’s Fair - that includes every single building constructed before 1992 in all five boroughs. Between the scale of the model and the level of detail, you can't help but be awed by the scope of NYC {and to try to find your apartment building =) }. It's a go-see item for New Yorkers, I think.
The museum trip was followed by a hearty meal in Jackson Heights with some amazing Indian food!...just a few stops away on the 7 train coming back into the city. Good stuff...

new years 2009

NYC's New Year's Eve was marked with chilling temperatures {as always} and snow. But hundreds of thousands of people {not me...} still showed up in Times Square to see the famous ball drop and I saw plenty of people sporting the good old 2009 glasses out and about. I went to the Jazz Standard at Blue Smoke to see the Mingus Big Band perform their showcase of Charles Mingus's music. With the tasty BBQ of the Blue Smoke kitchens and the great sound and energy of live jazz, I had a fun closing of the year.

New Years is probably the biggest holiday for Japanese families. Traditions include the first visit of the year to the local shrine to wish for health and happiness, otoshidama {giving money to children}, and sharing the first meal together. Just as Americans have turkey + stuffing for Thanksgiving, there are staple new years' foods, such as ozouni soup {clear broth soup with veggies and chicken and a big piece of mochi!} and osechi-ryori {various foods that mark the new year}. My mother keeps the tradition going {thanks mom!} and above is a photo of part of our new years' table setting. On a placemat that has the character for longevity/long healthy life {kotobuki in Japanese} in gold - we wish for exactly that for the year. Our chopsticks are in a festive paper case with golden decorations. In the upper left, we have a small glass of sake and in the the center is the ozouni soup. Personally, the big hot chewy mochi is my favorite!

Get ready....set....go for 2009~

astier de villatte {paris}

I went to a wonderful French-ized Thanksgiving dinner party at my friend's home in Paris. She created a feast of rotisserie turkey (<-- not dry and really tasty!), butternut squash soup, garlic mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing, pureed pumpkin, brussel sprouts, and more! During the heavy consumption of food, I could not help but notice her super charming dishes - handmade terracotta tableware glazed in a milky white porcelain finish, seemingly inspired by 18th/19th century designs but modern in good taste. The dishes are really light to the feel and helps to create a unique ambiance on the tabletop. The dishes are from the collections of Astier de Villatte, a French boutique that sells their designs of various tableware. {Above are screenshots from their funny little website} My friend mixed and matched their various patterns {such as the above} to create a naturally eclectic but very put-together look - like true Parisian flair and style~

my paris

There is something extraordinary about Paris. It rained for many of the days I was there but it didn't matter. I got to see friends, travel out to Bordeaux and St. Emillion to visit wine producing chateaus, eat amazingly well, be inspired by the natural sense of style that the city has - quite a special week. Above are some photos from the trip! Thank you Paris and look forward to seeing you again soon.

pile of sweets {justin richel}

I think artist, Justin Richel, was able to capture a dream that I probably often have. Going on with the theme of tasty food, above is his letterpress print of sugary sweets. Below is the artist in action for his larger collection of gouache paintings. The letterpress print and other prints of his paintings {like the bottom image, Precarious Print} are available at Little Paper Planes.

Reminds me, I should go run out to Momofuku Milk Bar and Bakery {that just opened} to grab some of their snickerdoodle cookies...mmm.

dogmatic dogs

Due to my recent projects, I find myself oftentimes in the 18th-22th St blocks on 5th Ave. Jumping between meetings I "need" to find quick grab-a-bite places and one of those moments brought me to Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System. Apparently they were a street-food cart in the West Village...and due to their popularity, they opened up a mini-flagship location.
The food = a choice of a beef, pork, turkey, lamb sausages or asparagus + one sauce + a hollowed out toasted baguette = a nice little gourmet hot dog package {I had pork + truffle gruyere cheese = mmm}.
The space = approximately 500 sq ft (???...not very big} with a massive communal butcher block counter in the middle with ingeniously space-saving stools that pull out of the counter piece at an as-needed-basis.
The decor = fun illustrations of NYC drawn on subway tiles {same artist as their website} and hot dog "sculptures" set into the wall.
You can sense that the entire experience of the store was thoroughly designed - from the architecture/interior design down to the packaging/presentation of the hot dogs - which is something that I love to appreciate as a designer. And the food was great too, as it was made-to-order and had just as much of a thoughtful feeling to it. Thumbs up from me.

Dogmatic Gourmet Sausage System: E 17th St bet 5th & Union Sq West

fall harvest menu

With our bodies still adjusting to daylights savings {it gets so dark by 5pm!!!}, one way to embrace the coming of winter is FOOD. This weekend, I took a cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education called Fall Harvest Feast taught by Chef Melanie Underwood. The amazing full menu consisted of: Butternut Squash Risotto; Roasted Garlic Soup {roasted garlics in the upper right}; Root Vegetable Soup; Mushroom-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin; Seared Duck Breast With Honey and Ginger Glaze {searing in action in lower left}; Beet Chutney; Brussels Sprouts With Bacon; Pumpkin Puree {fresh-out-of-the-oven roasted sugar pumpkins in upper left}; Cranberry Upside-Down Cake {sugar glaze and cranberries in lower right}; Roasted Spiced Pears; and Caramel Ice Cream. In a huge kitchen facility, we learned knife skills, prep tips, how we shouldn't measure or use a thermometer, and more...and resulted in a sit-down dinner together with our classmates. Between the pumpkin orange to the fuchsia beets to the golden garlics to the soft orange butternut squash to the red-brown meats - it was not only a feast to our bellies but the fall color palette was also a feast to the eye. I had true food coma at the end...but it was oh, so worth it.

papabubble

Found this cute, charming, welcoming candyshop called papabubble on the brink of Chinatown and Little Italy where sugar, water and glucose come together to form the most amazing little candy pieces of art. Based in Barcelona, Spain and spreading its sugary wings to NYC, papabubble whips up mounds of colorful AND flavorful treats daily. This artisinal shop creates candy of all colors of the rainbow, then twists and shapes them together to create patterns and motifs {fruits, words, bicycles, hearts, you name it...}, and then stretches it into a 1/2 inch-ish diameter rod, and then snip snip snips them into bite-size candies! Even the packaging is so perfect...what a great little gift. My favorite was an assorted mix of candies with the names of all 5 boroughs of NYC...oh my, papabubble, you have a new #1 fan.

delicious photos {hey cupcake}

Big photos of cupcakes - yum! These are the creations of Hey Cupcake Bakery and what a beautiful job of capturing the essence of their business by these styled shots. The power of the visual is something that I always try to convey to my clients. It's worth it to pay that professional (even semi-pro) photographer in the beginning to get the right images to represent your business or services. Beautiful (or in this case deliciously cute) imagery is priceless over wordy words, especially on the web where we are all victims of short attention spans. Don't these photos make you want to go to this *particular* bakery and get a dozen just for yourself? So for you business starters, it's not a bad idea to budget this as an expense - it will be worth it, for sure.
With more photos of yum cupcakes, have a wonderful weekend~

gather around the table

Last night I had dinner at Oriental Garden in Chinatown and had an absolute feast. I went with some regulars of this establishment, who have created their own custom menu of their favorite dishes. The double-digit course menu included the above pictured scallop with garlic, chicken feet and conch, massive oyster in the shell, and abalone + fish soup. As we sat around the large round table with a varying age group of people present, one older gentleman had interesting words to share: "I have one mouth and it is meant to talk and eat!" And that's just what we did. Sharing stories of travel, family, work, health, and more - we savored one of the best meals that our Chinatown has to offer. Cheers to enjoying good food with good people~

for those with a sweet tooth

Having a strong sweet tooth, I seem to have an inner radar that goes off when there is sugar nearby. And that radar is going strong lately, as I seem to stumble upon mobile trucks that offer sugary treats everywhere I walk. And these trucks are not about mass-produced black and white cookies, but rather, each truck has a little specialty market. First off (top row of photos) is Wafels & Dinges, that makes warm original Belgium waffles to order - I regularly find them in front of Trader Joe's on 14th St. Second (middle row) is The Treats Truck, where a Brooklyn baker/driver makes cookies, brownies, squares, etc and throw them onto her truck, named "Sugar" and "Dot," to sell to people like me. I've spotted them on 6th ave and 20th but here is their posted schedule. Third up (bottom row) is Dessert Truck, that has more "fancy"-esque desserts - such as molten chocolate cake, goat cheese cake, creme brulee (one of the owners was a sous-chef at Le Cirque...ooh lala) - for spontaneous pick-me-up consumption. Their regular spot is in Cooper Square on 4th Ave and 8th St/St Marks right outside of the Astor subway stop.
Each truck has a unique and distinguishable look to them that fits the products they sell. With NY real estate being so $$, I love the idea of these mobile trucks bringing their specialties to different neighborhoods. And nothing beats the feeling of destined "oh, look what I happened to find" when strolling around. Happy eating NYers~!

matilda & alphabet city

This weekend I had a re-discovery of alphabet city! Firstly, I went to a cute Italian/Mexican restaurant called Matilda on E 11th St. between Ave B and C. The owners are a couple (wife is Tuscan and husband is Mexican) and they named their restaurant after their half and half daughter. The food is an interesting mix of both cuisines - quesadilla with prosciutto and mozarella...guacamole with chips and focaccia...mojito of prosecco and tequila and fresh fruits...and such. And the decor is this spunky little space with Italian and Spanish words written across the space in tiles. A definite recommendation.
As I walked to and from the restaurant, all I can notice are these adorable brownstones mixed with new modern buildings. And the ground level is filled with little bars and shops and boutiques that each have their own unique look - that creates a great neighborhood feel all together. As someone who misses living in Brooklyn (but still visits!), the revamped and developing alphabet city is a a great sister neighborhood. So take that L train or F train and walk your way around and discover some new favorites for yourself =)....

tokyo bar {by kashiwa sato}

I tried out Tokyo Bar, a little restaurant that specializes in Japanese-style Western food (which means, having things like omu-rice, karaage, taroko pasta, etc on their menu). I went because I am a big fan of Kashiwa Sato - the man who led the concept design of UNIQLO Soho, among other things. This guy has unstoppable vision in creating a look for a brand. [ Check out his website and you'll see what I mean... ] As if a groupie, I went to Tokyo Bar, where he was responsible with the identity. An actual visit led to discovering that this shop is an entire collaboration of various artists, including Sato, and is quite interesting. As you walk in, the walls and ceiling are covered in manga illustrations magnified in scale. Add a little neon lights, a DJ with disco ball, art installations, bedazzled bathroom signs, a full bar, a~nd we have Tokyo Bar. If you're in the Tribeca area, it's a fun visit.