What's Up

We're about to have some visitors for the weekend. I love visitors! My mom-in-law and aunt-in-law (Diane) are coming up to see Daryl's show and my friend Katie is in town for business (and play!). Speaking of Daryl's show, I would like to take a second to brag on my super talented hubby; he's phenomenal IMO. He has the opportunity to play 3 different dynamic men and I think he does a beautiful job of bringing their words to life/telling their stories. It's part of the Fringe festival and it's sold out. I saw the opening performance and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. 

Some Favorite Finds

Trader Joes's Enrich face lotion is my favorite product right now. I have been searching for a good face lotion for years. I've probably tried 20-30 different brands at various price points. I need something that will moisturize and protect my skin from the sun without breaking it out or making it greasy. I also prefer that it doesn't cost a fortune (although I've paid a pretty penny for products that promised to do magical things). Enrich delivers all of these things for around 4 dollars a bottle (4 oz). It's fragrance free, oil free, PABA free and is SPF 15. It does leave a slight sheen that can be easily blotted off, and in the summer I always use additional SPF because I don't think 15 is high enough for my face. It has a great consistency and doesn't leave any chalky residue. I also like to mix it in with some liquid foundation for a perfect tinted moisturizer. 

If Trader Joe's ever stops making this, I will be very sad (and I'll stock up, for sure). 

I'm really obsessed with sunblock these days because of my skin cancer concerns and the fact that  I'm not getting any younger and I work in a really vain industry...oh, and people have started calling me ma'am. A lot. At the moment, my favorite sunblock for the face is Neutrogena Ultrasheer liquid in SPF 50 (it also comes in SPF 70). It retails for around 12 bucks at Target, and it can be found at most retail stores. As the name suggests, it is a liquid formula that melts right into your skin upon application. It doesn't leave any residue behind and I like the way it behaves under makeup. It does leave a slight sheen, but it's barely noticeable and it doesn't bother me. Most importantly, it doesn't make my skin freak out. The downside to this product is that it doesn't have great staying power. This is a significant problem when the heat is sweltering you tend to sweat a lot. An SPF of 100 isn't protecting anything if it's dripping down your face. I'll probably use it all year round. 

Fancy Coffee

I never really drank coffee until I moved to New York and had to wake up at ridiculous hours to do ridiculous jobs. To tell you the truth, I usually end up enjoying the experience of ordering, preparing and smelling the coffee more than I actually enjoy drinking it. Does that make sense? Maybe it's because I've had so many bitter cups of bad java. I wonder if some of the people who proclaim to dislike coffee have ever had a decent cup. Even though they are more expensive, I usually end up ordering a latte because at least the espresso is pulled fresh and the milk can act as a disguise if the product is less than ideal.

Today, I had the most amazing cup of coffee at B Koffie, a tiny new spot in my neighborhood. I stumbled upon it the other day on the way to the train and almost overlooked it because there isn't an awning. It's an adorable space, but most importantly, they make a good drink.

Coffee here is served in a french press style to-go container, which is an innovative way to get a fresh cup of coffee on the run. After steaming the milk and stirring it with coffee grinds, the barista puts the plastic lid on your beverage and instructs you to let the coffee brew. After five minutes, you press down on the plastic lever, the filter does its magic and and Voila! Deliciousness.

I thought it actually tasted more similar to a good latte than a regular cup of joe. Unfortunately, it was also priced like one. Otherwise I would wind up here regularly. For now, it will have to be an occasional treat.

Sister Weekend-Part Two

Our Saturday began with a trip to Doughnut Plant. I'm not much of a doughnut gal, but these taste better than your average doughnut. They aren't heavy or greasy and they come in a variety of unique flavors such as carrot cake and lavender flower. Nicole had the tres leches and I tried the creme brulee. We were both pleased with our choices. Larry got to come along in his bag:

He likes riding on the subway.

After taking him to the Madison Square Park dog run, we stood in line for some Shake Shack, home of one of my favorite burgers in the city. It was the only place that Nicole requested that we visit on her trip. I convinced her to order the Shroomburger, a fried portabella mushroom stuffed with cheese (no meat). She also scored a free caramel milkshake. 

He refuses to drink from the public water bowl at parks. I don't know how he became such a diva.

There was long line as usual, but the weather was perfect and we had nowhere to be.

After we dropped Larry off at home, we burned some calories by getting lost downtown. Even though I've lived here for 4 years (!), I still get turned around in lower Manhattan (where the streets aren't on a grid). We eventually made our way to the place I picked out for dinner, only to find this: 

I really wanted some Naples style pizza. I happened to pick a place that caught on fire....

We were sad to discover this sign on the door. Our feet were tired and we were hungry again. Even though we were surrounded by many lovely and delicious looking restaurants in the east village, I had a specific alternative in mind: Kate's Joint. In theory it should have been amazing; vegetarian comfort food...yum! Right? We ordered the southern fried tofu dinner for two. It consisted of: a slab of fried tofu, a few chunks of tofu drizzled with barbecue sauce, three pieces of broccoli, a dish of blackeyed peas (described by Nicole as "sandy tasting"), some bland sweet potatoes, some blander mashed potatoes and gravy, and a huge bowl of mac and cheese. Luckily, the stellar mac and cheese made up for an otherwise disappointing meal. Furthermore, the place was...a joint. It had a dingy bar vibe and a grungy bathroom. Oh well. On the way home, we dropped back by the pizza joint and had a photo shoot: 

On Sunday morning, we brunched at the Popover Cafe (Upper Westside). It's a cozy neighborhood place with a relaxed vibe. Neither of us had ever eaten a popover: 

This came with Nicole's crab omelet. I had a crepe filled with pears, brie cheese and ham.

After checking out Zabars and the giant new Forever 21 in Times Square, we headed to Trader Joes and Stiles (my favorite produce market) to pick up picnic goodies.

Larry got to join us in Central Park.

He's either thinking "I love you mom" or "Let me go so I can eat dead leaves"

On Sunday night, we waited in line to see Asssscat, a free improv show at UCB. While we were waiting, it rained for 2 minutes and then it got really cold. The show was a lot of fun. I highly recommend any of their shows to anyone looking for an entertaining and economical way to spend an evening.

We didn't bring umbrellas; it wasn't supposed to rain! Luckily I had picked up this Rite Aid ad on the way over.

On Monday, we found a fabulous new coffee shop near my apartment, took Larry to the local dog park, and got in on the lunch special at a neighborhood Thai restaurant called Room Service. I learned that she had never experienced a French macaron, so I bought her/us a box from the Macaron Cafe before she headed back to Texas:

She was a fan. 

It was so happy that my sister could come and hang out with me this weekend. I wish she could visit more often. She's a great food exploration partner, and a pretty great gal in general. 

Sister Weekend-Part One

I had so much fun hanging out with my little sis over the past few days (a lot of people ask "how little?" when in fact, she's nearly old enough to rent a car. She's also got 4 or so inches on me). I learned some new things about her this weekend: 

1) She likes tabasco sauce and jalapenos. 

2) She does not like to drink milk by itself. 

3) She eats tilapia many times a week. 

We had conversations that were non food oriented, as well. 

Nicole is looking very tan this summer. Because I use large amounts of sunscreen (and can't tan anyway), we are looking especially unrelated these days:

We do not appear to be of the same ethnicity.

She is also very tall. I am not.

We really do have the same parents. 

This weekend, we ate a lot and hung out will Larry, as planned.  I will fill you in shortly. 

Sounds like a good weekend to me

My sister is in town! She came in last night (well, technically this morning...3 AMish). It worked out because that is about the time I got off work. She is Larry's biggest fan, so we have a food and Larry filled weekend ahead. Daryl went to Ohio with Scott. They went down to attend Emmitt Smith's induction into the football hall of fame...or something like that. They were sooo excited. My sister so happened to book her trip for the same weekend, so we're gonna have some sibling bonding time. First activity of the weekend: www.doughnutplant.com. Yum! I'll report back on Monday.

A Tasty Trip

This weekend we headed to Brooklyn to check out Brooklyn Flea, a flea market held every weekend in the Ft. Greene neighborhood. It was fun to look at all of the vintage clothing and handmade jewelry, but I went there for the food. The Brooklyn Flea supports local artisan food makers by providing a space for them to reach consumers. I was very happy to be one of those consumers. I didn't take any pictures...forgive me- you're just gonna have to take my word for it. Here are the goodies we tasted:

Choncho's Tacos- Delicious fish tacos. I really love fish tacos in general, but my experience eating them is pretty limited. I didn't really grow up eating them-I understand that they're big on the west coast. Hmm...I think there's a fish taco tour in my future.

Kumquat Cupcakery- mini cupcakes in interesting flavors such as maple bacon, chocolate infused with peanutbutter, etc...my favorite happened to be strawberry. Weird, right? I never go for the "regular" flavors. Regular/classic= boring! Not this time. That strawberry cupcake was moist, fruity, and perfectly sweet. You could actually taste the fresh strawberries. This place is wildly popular, and I can see why.

Asia Dog- I'm not a big hot dog fan, but this one was tasty. Asia dog=hotdogs with Asian inspired toppings. We split a Vinh dog, which was dressed like a Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. It tasted...fresh (which is a weird way to describe a hot dog, huh?) I would like to explore some of the other menu options as well. They also offer a veggie and chicken dog in along with beef and an organic beef option.

Pupusas from the Red Hook Food Vendors- This was my first pupusa. It's basically a thick tortilla (made with maize flour) stuffed with cheese and other fillings. We split a spinach one. It was just a few dollars and it was good.

People's Pops- On the way out, we grabbed one of these homemade popsicles. They offered a few innovative pop flavors along with fresh shaved ice. I went with the recommended blueberry-plum pop and was not disappointed. Their products are made with real fruit juices and pieces and you can taste it. It was refreshing and fruity.

All of this came in around 20 bucks. We split everything and walked out of there with full, happy bellies.
I'll definitely come back to try out some other vendors and maybe do some revisiting. I'll take pictures next time.