And, by the way, did you know that Jesus Saves? Spotted in the East Village.
v. 2.0
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Testing Mobile Posting
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Chicago!
With apologies for the delay, here's a brief recap of my Chicago trip (which I am now re-writing, since I managed to accidentally erase the entire post I wrote. Grr.)
First of all, a huge thanks to @Daisy17, who did an amazing job planning our trip, even when I wasn't focused on it, and who was able to turn my attention to it with a beautiful balance of determination and gentleness at just the right times. Second, a big thank you to @TroySidle, who reached out to many of his Chi-town friends on our behalf; we were treated like rock stars.
Our home base for the weekend was the Palomar, home to Sable, which would become our "local" for the weekend. Once we were settled in, we headed over to the Purple Pig for lunch (my favorites were the fried manchego with membrillo and the asparagus & hazelnuts salad with arugula & treviso), then walked around for a bit. Later we headed for an early cocktail at the Violet Hour, then a Mexican nibble or two at Big Star across the street. We were slated for a 10pm dinner at the Girl and the Goat, but arrived around 9 and luckily scored seats at the bar (where we prefer to eat anyway). We ate some of their lighter dishes, having been nibbling the past few hours, and quickly befriended the bartender, Nate, as we arrived amidst Friday night douchebag central — many dudes in their 20's ordering Stoli O and soda. He was thrilled to have two customers who showed genuine interest in the food and proper cocktails. He even made us a delicious digestif cocktail after our dinner.
Saturday morning I headed to the gym (balance!), then met Karen and her friend for (healthy) brunch at Sable. Surprisingly, we spent a good chunk of our day NOT eating or drinking, but on a boat, getting an architechtural tour of Chicago — a great way to see the city. After a brief rest and an outfit change, we were off to the main event, courtesy of Grant Achatz: avant garde and innovative cocktails and bites at The Aviary followed by dinner featuring recipes from Escoffier (circa 1906 Paris) at Next. Bottom line — really interesting cocktails happening at Aviary and certainly worth a visit, and Next was fabulous, but incredibly rich and decadent. They certainly don't make sauces now like they did in Escoffier's day. Have been repenting ever since. We ambled back to Sable for a digestif, but were pretty much toast at that point. Weak showing.
We made a quick pre-brunch pit stop at Star Lounge for coffee, and then headed over to the Publican for our last meal in Chicago. I've been thinking about their pork rinds ever since I went there in 2008! A soft-shell crab sandwich (and pork rinds) kept me happy throughout the entire flight home. Looking forward to my next trip to catch all that we missed this time around, and perhaps to do some cycling around the city!
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The Man Speaks the Truth
"No mean woman can cook well. It calls for a generous spirit, a light hand, and a large heart." - Paul Gauguin -
Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue
(guess what I made today?) Happy birthday to my brother and sister, too! -
Asymmetry
"A common observation, about both the Internet dating world and the world at large, is that there is an apparent surplus of available women, especially in their thirties and beyond, and a shortage of recommendable men. The explanation for this asymmetry, which isn’t exactly news, is that men can and usually do pursue younger women, and that often the men who are single are exactly the ones who prefer them. For women surveying a landscape of banished husbands or perpetual boys, the biological rationale offers little solace. Neither does the Internet." – from Looking for Someone, an article about online dating in this week's New Yorker
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Settling Down
I had an interesting conversation with a guy friend last night about how he's been thinking lately about settling down. One interesting point he raised was that he's thinking about moving to San Francisco, because NYC isn't conducive to settling down. I've pondered this very issue myself. I think this is why I'm leaning towards moving to Brooklyn (at some point) and getting a dog — to force a little settling down on my end — but I agree with him that it's pretty damn hard to settle down here. What do you think?
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Pride
Proud to be a New Yorker tonight — it's going to be one hell of a Pride weekend!! -
Karma Chameleon
Ah Karma. I firmly believe that what goes around comes around, so I try to send out good karma. When I worked at a nonprofit, I had friends (one in particular) who shared wine with me and often bought me drinks, and now, when I encounter a friend who is unemployed, or perhaps just because, I'll repay the favor.
Yesterday, I ran into a public interest colleague who I hadn't seen in some time. As we were catching up, she told me that she had been diagnosed with lymphoma and had been quite sick, although she has now been in remission for six months. I told her that I am raising money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society through Team in Training for the New York City Triathlon and she was thrilled and thanked me profusely. She also talked about potentially doing the tri next year as part of a relay team so that she can do her part to help others.
Want some good karma to come your way? Donate to my efforts. And buy someone a drink.
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Booze You Can Use: Tiki x 2 and Summer of Riesling
Sorry about the delay on the Chi-town recap, but hopefully this'll tide you over.
First — CitySip (for which I've recently been doing some writing) is hosting not one, but TWO tiki events next week! On Monday, June 27th, head to Lani Kai from 6-8 for Appleton Rum and Leblon Cachaca micro-cocktails created by Julie Reiner and Tobin Ellis of BarMagic of Las Vegas, and delicious snacks from Lani Kai's island-inspired menu. On Thursday, June 30th, from 6-10, we've got a #TikiSocial at The Pierre Hotel’s Two E Bar/Lounge. For the 2nd annual Social Media Day meet up, bloggers, tweeters and viral media will enjoy a tropically delicious Tiki themed party with expertly mixed Hawaiian cocktails, gourmet pupu platters and more Exotica beats by DJ Jack Fetterman & Gina of the Jungle. The best part: If you blog, tweet or post about the event on Facebook, you can print it out and present it to your server for a complimentary Tiki cocktail. We are also drawing give-aways for free pupu platters every half hour! Throughout this week and next CitySip will be hosting give-aways on Twitter and Facebook for fun spirited packages for 2! Follow @citYsip or our Facebook page for updates! RSVP for both events at mailto: [email protected].
Next — the Summer of Riesling has begun!! The wine gurus at Hearth and Terroir have taken their love of reisling and spread it across the US, with bars/restaurants all across the country participating in the festivities. Check out the list of events/specials and general riesling goodness and hop to it.
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Home Sweet Home
Back from an epic weekend in Chicago with @daisy17. Full report, with many food/drink pics, to come later tonight. And now, it's all about the fruit/veg.