Sweet Blog O'Mine

Author: Laren

  • The Great GoogaMooga Was Actually Great. For Me, At Least.

    GoogaMooga
    I got tickets for the Great GoogaMooga right away when I heard about it. A festival of some of the city's best food AND music? Free? Why not? Well, after a day of hearing nothing but horror stories from friends on Twitter and Facebook, and talking to some folks who actually worked the event on Saturday, I was quite wary of going on Sunday. I decided to re-strategize and completely changed my plan of attack. I got there at noon primarily to make sure I could eat without dealing with ridiculous lines. My plan worked. Before I left for a break at about 2:30, my friends and I had tasted a soft-shell crab sandwich from Vinegar Hill House, the crack-like wings from Kasadela, Crawfish Monica, a foie gras donut from Do or Dine, a pork belly taco from Colicchio and Sons, sipped some sparkling Spanish rosé and shared a bacon tasting. I took a break to head home, walk Moxie, and regroup, then returned around 5:15 for more food/drink: pops from La NewYorkina, a red velvet ice cream sandwich from Melt Bakery, a Dirty Duck Dog from Craft, and a few more glasses of wine. All in all, the longest line I waited in was the very first line, and it couldn't have taken more than about 7-10 minutes — about what I'd expect for a festival, and probably shorter than any line I have been on at JazzFest.

    The kicker was Hall & Oates, who started promptly at 6 and who were just fantastic. At one point, when they played "You Make My Dreams Come True," I stopped to look at the crowd. Everyone looked incredibly happy — singing and dancing — and I was too. What a perfect kickoff to the summer with Carrie, Brian, Jenn D., Katie, Kim, Jenn, Emilia, Jim and everyone else I bumped into: Katie N., Matt, Stephanie, Ethan & Morgan, plus the Maharlika crew. I hope that the organizers learn from the problems they had Saturday, and make even more improvements than they did on Sunday so that everyone can enjoy it like I did. A few more pics can be found here.

  • Whirling Dervish

    Bottled Negroni

    I'm about to hop on a plane to Jacksonville for this year's Equal Justice Conference. Given the frantic pace of this week and last week, I'm looking forward to what will hopefully be my first decent night's sleep in over a week. That said, the crazy has been worth it so far — I got to spend time with some of my favorite cocktail friends from near and far, watched my father graduate and hung with the family a bit, and had some wonderful food and drink. This carbonated negroni, pictured above, was a highlight. I now have two cases of them in my apartment, so there may be an impromptu get-together at my apartment when I return . . .

  • Booze you Can Use: Have a Spritz

    Aperol-spritz
    Last night at Speed Rack we were serving two types of punch, one made with Aperol, which I like quite a bit. It's an italian aperitif with similar flavor notes to Campari, but much sweeter. I like to say that it's like Campari's baby sister. My first introduction to Aperol was in the iconic Italian Aperol Spritz (for some reason, I pronounce it more like shpritz, which may be wrong, but who cares?). This is a wonderful spring and summer drink — light, refreshing, bubbly, and much lower in alcohol than many traditional cocktails. That said, they go down quickly, so be careful! Perfect for a summer afternoon or brunch. Or anytime, really.

    Aperol Spritz
    3 parts prosecco
    2 parts Aperol
    1 part club soda
    Pour over ice in a glass of your choosing (I prefer a large wine glass), give it a quick stir, and garnish with a slice of orange.

  • No Sleep Till . . . *

    After a fun weekend (with not nearly enough down time, but fun nonetheless), I've continued right into a week full of work, writing, and training, then Speed Rack, Maine, MCC, Jacksonville for the Equal Justice Conference, then GoogaMooga. When that's all done, I can breathe. And, of course, ramp up the triathlon training even more. I'll sleep after July 8th, apparently.

    * RIP MCA. And Maurice Sendak. Rough week.

  • Keith!

    Haring-12-hp
    It made me so happy to see this on Google today in honor of what would have been Keith Haring's 54th birthday (I'm quite a fan, as you may know). I have to make sure I get to see the Brooklyn Museum exhibit soon!

  • Ennui

    NevilleNot sure why Edward Gorey's Gashlycrumb Tinies popped into my head today. Must be the gloomy weather. Perfect weather for working at home in sweatpants on a couch with a puppy. Alas, I am at my office working in clothes that are completely inappropriate for the weather with a shawl wrapped around my legs.

  • The Graduate

    Graduate
    I know I've already posted this on Facebook, but I'm so proud that I couldn't resist! Miss Moxie is now an obedience school graduate. We attended a six-week Basic Obedience class through Kate Perry Dog Training, and I can't recommend it enough. Kate and her team were wonderful and gave me useful tools to continue working with Moxie going forward. We worked on "look," "sit," "stay," "down," "leave it," and "come," all of which we practice every day on walks and at home (she's better at some than others, but there's been a great deal of improvement overall).  Kate offers a 10% discount to rescue dogs and runs classes at various locations throughout the city. We even had a little graduation ceremony and I swear I almost cried. God help me if I ever have kids . . .

  • Booze You Can Use: Speed Rack Finals!!

    Speedrack
    Sorry kids, no cocktail recipe today, because I want to make sure you get your tickets to the upcoming Speed Rack Finals! What is Speed Rack, you may ask? Well, it's a national competition created by and for female bartenders to promote female bartenders and to raise money for breast cancer research. The first round was held in New York (here's my recap), and subsequent rounds were held in nine other cities. The ten regional winners will compete along with six wildcard competitors on May 10th at 5 pm at the Prince George Ballroom. Tickets are $40 and include cocktails, punch, beer, and snacks, and best of all, proceeds benefit breast cancer research. I guarantee it'll be a raucous and fun evening, as bartenders from across the country will be in town for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic and they'll be cheering for their local favorites. Plus, @daisy17 and I are bartending again.

  • TV or Not TV?

    Last night I connected two friends, one who creates documentaries about food and the people who make it, and another who is interested in pitching a video or TV series in the culinary realm (I don't want to give away any secrets!). We discussed his idea, tips to focus a pitch, and more, and I think it was a productive and fun evening all around (and, of course, it was all over delicious food and wine at Corkbuzz, so that didn't hurt). It got me thinking of how many times friends have told me that I should have my own show — they seem to think it should be a reality show of some sort — showcasing my life with all of its food and beverage adventures. I suppose some of it could be very interesting, but that's where the heavy editing would have to come in. There would be quite a bit of not-so-exciting footage, for sure. My working title is Eat, Drink, Dog. :)  I don't think I'd really be interested, but it's amusing to think about at the very least.

  • Loop de Loop

    I finally got my ass on my bike this weekend. As I did my six (yes, six!) Harlem Hill repeat loops (in addition to one big loop), I wondered to myself how many times I've lapped Central Park, either on a bike or running, since I started cycling in 1999. I'd be fascinated to know my total distance . . .

    And since I finally got on my bike as part of my triathlon training, you may want to reward me by making a donation!