I’ve been keeping busy — blogging about the Manhattan Cocktail Classic and interviewing Dave Wondrich on Savory Cities, and doing extensive research at Eleven Madison Park and Fatty Crab Uptown for upcoming cocktail columns. Life is rough.
Category: Food and Drink
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Cocktails Anyone?
So in addition to my weekly Meet and Eat post on Serious Eats, I'm now doing a weekly cocktail column. First up, Mayahuel — anyone up for some tequila and/or mezcal? Here's a picture I took that night that didn't make it into the column. Cochinita anyone?
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Dear Internet
Dear Internet,
I'm hoping you can help me. I did something stupid. I was trying to be helpful — really, I was. We had a large group hoping to eat at Momofuku Ssam Bar this week so I jumped online and made a reservation for the bo ssam. I was thrilled to see the green checkmarks and grabbed a 6:30 reservation for our group of 8. Thrilled, that is, until much later last night (after the 24 hour cancellation cutoff) when I realized that I had made the reservation for Wednesday instead of Thursday, once again proving that three years of law school does not make you smart.
Can you help me find someone with a group of friends who wants to gorge on some pork-o-licious bo ssam TONIGHT at 6:30? If so, please email me. Who can resist this? Thanks much.
Love, Laren
PS — UPDATE: Am now just looking for dining companions — keeping the reservation! Let me know! xoxo
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Mismatched
I ran into an ex yesterday morning on the subway. This, of course, meant that I was still slightly foggy, and he had to call my name a few times before I heard him, but we had a nice little chat. Also turns out I had bumped into a good friend of his a few weeks back (thanks, Twitter!). As pleasant as our chat was (and as much as I suddenly realized he looks a bit like Chris O'Donnell, whose face seems to be plastered all over busses lately), it was still crystal clear that we are not meant to be — he was mentioning how his new apartment was right across from the bike path, which made his early morning rides so much easier, and I was reading a book about cheese. Not much has changed.
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Another Thing of Beauty
The oyster sampler platter at Aquagrill. Not a bad way to start a Sunday. (Here's a prior thing of beauty.)
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The Loss of a Neighbor
(one last Mission Bell for the road)
Before you start to panic, nobody died or anything. That said, my neighborhood did suffer a great loss last week. Elettaria opened about a year and a half ago, a rather upscale restaurant for a block filled primarily with shoe stores and rapidly changing storefronts on 8th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues. It turned out to be one of my favorite places, with tasty and inventive food, a welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff, and excellent cocktails. I took my family there, I'd stop in for their fantastic happy hour, enjoyed their brief-lived brunch, and even organized a tweetup there on their tiki night. Then suddenly, just as I was about to write a column about them for Serious Eats, they announced that they would be closing. I wish everyone who worked there the best of luck in whatever comes next for them, and thank them all for creating such a wonderful place. It will be missed.
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The Things I Haul
In today's haul:
– gym clothes, makeup
– shakerato in travel mug
– blackberry, cell phone, camera, mini tripod
– wallet, moleskine, business cards
– egg whites w/cremini mushrooms and extra sharp cheddar and a squirt of sriracha for breakfast
– mixed green salad for lunch
– copy of Liz Thorpe's The Cheese Chronicles, for a future Serious Eats column
– This week's New Yorker
This is why I have a permanent knot in my right shoulder.
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My New Morning Ritual
The daily shakerato. PIctures are weird because I took them before actually drinking any coffee.
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Thoughts This Week
– Five years later and I'm still dealing with this nonsense.
– I'm developing a Fried Chicken to-do list, including Momofuku Noodle Bar, The Redhead, Savoy, Fatty Crab, and Locanda Verde. Must spread it out over several months for fear of calorie overload.
– Speaking of calorie overload, I've got a hot date with a pork butt tonight.
– I've been practicing my newfound cocktail skills by chilling down my iced espresso in a Boston Shaker every morning. Many thanks to The Cocktail Guru for reminding me of the easiest way to open the shaker (hint — it's not upside down, which is how I was doing it this week. Then again, it was pre-coffee).
– As much as I have enjoyed my food writing over the years, I am thrilled that I was never a professional reviewer dealing with picky/high maintenance dining companions.
That is all.
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A Thing of Beauty
Just wanted to share this gorgeous specimen with you — the English Muffin from Momofuku Milk bar: a homemade English Muffin with black pepper butter, a deep-fried soft poached egg, caramelized onions, pork belly, hoisin and pea shoots. Only available on Saturdays.