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.