Coffees And Cocktails

Important things first – the pink and purple trees in our complex are amazingly gorgeous.

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This is the immediate view out of our front door and it makes me smile every day.

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My purple hair finally got too patchy to be cute, while remaining highly pigmented in a few spots, and my hairdresser had to make me super blonde to get rid of it all.

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I had a fantastic weekend – including a Lower East Side day, a Williamsburg/Bushwick day, and a Long Island day – and we ate all the things!  I love New York, I love New York, I love New York.

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We checked out OddFellows‘ new coffee and ice cream spot and I had an iced latte with toasted marshmallow milk.

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I also had a toasted marshmallow iced latte (good, but not as good, obviously) from Sweetie Pies on Main while we walked around Cold Springs Harbor.

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Japanese shaved ice from The Little One.  Strawberry sauce / sweetened condensed milk / roasted strawberries / coconut whipped cream.

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Arcade games and drinks at Barcade.  <– one of my favorite spots in the city even if I’m not very good at Pac Man or Tapper

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Craft cocktails on tap at Yours Sincerely.  Adam got a tasting flight and I had a Folsom Fizz with bourbon, cola syrup, and almond.

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Snacks at Smorgasburg.  Belgian fries with malt vinegar aioli and chipotle ranch.

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Noodle bowls at Just for Fen.  Can JfF be my new living room?  The space was so cute!

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And the food was wonderful.  I had smashed cucumber salad and spicy chicken rice noodles with housemade chili oil, pickled radish and cabbage, baby bok choy, scallion, cilantro, and peanuts.

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Dinner at Forrest Point.  On the patio!

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I had a fried chicken sandwich with jicima and blue cheese slaw.

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The few things we ate at home were pretty great too.  Trader Joe’s scallion pancakes are the best frozen meal of all time.  Served with baby carrots and bell peppers.

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I made us delicious rice bowls.  Brown rice / red, yellow, and orange bell pepper sauteed with onion and garlic / chicken breast slow-cooked in the crockpot with salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, garlic, lime, and orange juice and then shredded and broiled until crispy / sharp cheddar / TJ’s tomatillo roasted yellow chili salsa.

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Plus mojito milkshakes!  Cruzan rum / homemade mint simple syrup / lime juice / vanilla ice cream / ice.

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Three Day Weekend

My three day weekend is actually a ten day weekend!  I took a week+ off from work because I am going home for Carnival.  By the time you read this post I will (hopefully!) be on a plane to St. Thomas.

Here were the top three from the past three days…

{1}  Coffee (coffee, coffee).

[a]  I am still loving Trader Joe’s shade grown espresso blend.

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[b]  I found my new spot for coffee and cookies – For Five Coffee.

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They served me an perfectly roasty and creamy quad iced latte.

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And they have crispy yet cakey cookies from Duchess Bakeshop, including unicorn cookies stuffed with cheesecake.

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{2}  Fun in packaged foods.

The chile rellano from Trader Joe’s is my all-time favorite frozen meal and the mojito kombucha was even better than expected.

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{3}  Our best meal of this year.

Glasserie in Greenpoint pretty much blew our minds.  Their deal is Middle Eastern flavors mixed with contemporary techniques in a stunningly gorgeous former glass factory.  We swooned over every bite!

Sour from Grimm.

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Griddle bread that was chewy and perfect and sort of reminded me of funnel cake.

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Roasted cauliflower with cured labneh and marjoram.

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An assortment of mushrooms with celeriac puree, hazelnuts, and a soft boiled egg.

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Chicken with roasted sunchokes, fried potato, and sesame.  I almost never order chicken in restaurants but this was one of the best proteins I’ve ever tasted.

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Rose milk custard with candied pistachios for dessert.  This was just a bit tangy and just a bit floral and totally delicious.

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10/10.

Pig Squared

Highlights from the weekend…

We went in to Manhattan early Saturday morning to check out the SNL line.  <– never going to happen, people had been camped out for at least 24 hours  On the plus side, we got to check out the leftover Easter decorations in Rockefeller Plaza.

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We spent the day with a Buffalo friend who is living in the city for a year for fellowship.  We took him to two of our favorite porcine named restaurants and on a long walk from Lower East Side to Tribeca and back.

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Pig Bleeker for lunch.  Smoked fried chicken sandwich with mayo, mustard sauce, hot sauce, and pickles, plus the crispiest fries.

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Pig and Khao for dinner.  I ordered the half hainanese duck, which came with duck fat fried rice which is apparently my favorite thing.

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We had birthday cake croissants at Union Fare.  Can sprinkle dust be a part of my everyday life?

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We had a variety of cinematic favorite tributes this weekend.  90’s throwback snacks while we watched Empire Records on Rex Manning Day!

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And a Thackery Binx inspired Daiquiri Binx cocktail – apple cinnamon infused white rum, simple syrup, fresh lime, egg white.

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Eggcellent dinners using up our Easter leftovers.

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Egg salad – with mayo, dijon, smoked paprika, and red and yellow bell pepper.  Plus roasted broccoli.  We scooped the salad with Trader Joe’s honey butter potato chips which was pretty fantastic.

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Salad salad with a mango kombucha.

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Romaine / cilantro salad dressing / blue cheese / smoked almonds / fried tofu / hard-boiled eggs.

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Have a great week!

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Open Toasted Sesame

Highlights from the week…

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Lemon shortbread Greek yogurt with a Jaffa mandarin and a coconut seltzer.

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Coconut Chobani with Heritage Flakes and a sumo mandarin and a lemon seltzer.

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Cookie butter cotton candy.

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Sandwich night.  Mock beef shaved tofu sauteed with red bell pepper and bbq sauce / served on a brioche bun / with mayo and provolone.  Plus broccoli.

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Barley bowls.  Barley / roasted zucchini / crumbled seaweed snacks / canned mackerel and smoked sardines mashed together with some mayonnaise / Sriracha and gojuchang on top.

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A knock-your-socks-off good dinner date at Gristmill.

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The Ali Baba cocktail = gin, lemon, cream, egg white, and toasted sesame.

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I went with the pre-fix option because I wanted too many things to choose!

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Local greens salad with carrot, watermelon radish, and toasted sesame vinaigrette.  This was delicious af and while we were eating it the owner came by and excitedly told us about sourcing his greens, so that was fun.

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Chicken liver mousse with bread crackers, concord grape jam, and dulce de leche.

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Best plain cheese pizza I’ve ever eaten.  <– Gristmill is famous for their wood-fired oven.

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Plus we had an affogato and that thing lurking in the back is the best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten with caramelized white chocolate ganache and sourdough pretzel crumbs.

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I work the weekend so I’m off today, woo hoo!

Comfy And Cozy

Five best things I ate this weekend…

{1} Mint iced coffee from Project Cozy.

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{2} Pastries at Supermoon.

Chocolate doughnut with salted caramel and a ferrero rocher croissant.  Both with meringue on top!

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{3} Macrons from Laudrée.

Wow, so these were by far the best macarons we’d ever tasted.  We got strawberry candy with marshmallow and chestnut, both of which were fantastic.

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{4} Brunch at Mother’s Ruin.

I got a fantastically spicy Bloody Mary.

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And the best chicken and waffles on Earth.  They have a cholula honey glaze that is everything.

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{5} Crab grilled cheese at home.

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Shredded crab meat, mayonnaise, Old Bay, and extra sharp cheddar, toasted in butter on white whole wheat bread.

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With Trader Joe’s cruciferous veggie blend with kale, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and green and red cabbage sauteed with honey and soy sauce.

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And a really delicious beer – a sour with Italian plum.

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‘Twas a great weekend!

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Well There Goes Your Social Life

Another New York snowstorm?!  Can it be Spring already??!  I shouldn’t complain, Adam and I both were off from work on Wednesday and I already drink enough coffee to power a small city so it’s not like the few minutes I had to wake up earlier on Thursday to deal with the snow were a big deal. <– I should note that I literally mean that I only need a few extra minutes, I don’t have to dig out my own car because I’m married to the kindest man on earth!

Highlight bites this week…

Coffee, coffee!  Cafe Bustelo.

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Cold brew with coconut palm sugar (and skim milk).

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Protein cookie and a sumo.

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Coffee Greek yogurt with coconut butter, red walnuts, and granola, plus a Pink Lady apple on the side.  The coconut/coffee combo is 10/10.

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These 7-11 bites are super cute, and I love anything that tastes like cake batter.

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It seemed like half of Queens had closed up shop on Wednesday but Adam and I still managed to find a good lunch.  Chicken and udon soup.

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With an Oreo milk tea with pudding.

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Plus we went to Coffee Factory for a ridiculously adorned coffee shave ice.

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It’s a testament to how good Stumptown is that I was equally excited about my iced latte.

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Do you remember last year when I declared that the spring holidays deserve theme flavors too?  Easter gets lemon, coconut, and anything in the shape of an egg!

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I snacked on coconut shortbread cookies and candied lemon slices to welcome the first day of Spring.

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The Trader Joe’s eggs were cute, but the chocolate to caramel ratio was too large for my liking.  I much prefer a thinner, softer shell, so the Godiva eggs were absolutely perfect.

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Godiva actually sent me the eggstra special chocolates to review on the blog {I received no additional compensation / all opinions are my own}.  The box includes solid milk chocolate, dark chocolate ganache (3rd favorite), dark chocolate with raspberry, milk chocolate with almond butter (my favorite), and milk chocolate caramel (2nd favorite).  There’s 60 calories per egg, which feels more than fair because these are definitely a two-to-three-bite candy.

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Important note – Godiva also has an assorted gift-box special for Spring that includes both cookie dough truffles and white chocolate pralines – among other flavors – and I’m having a very hard time not buying it immediately.

My dinners were darn impressive this week.  Spicy Cajun shrimp pasta bowls on whole wheat linguine with tons of roasted zucchini and sun-dried tomato.

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Homemade turkey Reuben burgers / roasted green beans / french fries / with ketchup and thousand island.

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Chicken sandwiches.  Boneless skinless breasts marinated in lemon juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, Sriracha, fish sauce, and ginger; breaded in panko; and baked / on brioche buns / with mayo and provolone.

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Plus we had sauteed bok choy and leeks on the side.

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And buttermilk and chive chips while I cooked.

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Last night a girlfriend and I went on a balls tasting tour of the Lower East Side for dinner.  Boba Guys for Hong Kong milk tea with tapioca balls and almond jelly.

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Meatball Shop for chicken meatballs with pesto.  Plus a Dead Flowers & Red Bottoms cocktail – mezcal, tequila, lime, honey, and hibiscus.

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p.s. who is 1990’s enough to get the joke in my title??

Green With Fun

We had a great weekend!  My aunt and uncle came into the city and we had a wonderful time showing them around.  I even caught some of the parade.

Top three best things I ate…

{1} local beers

Greenpoint Brewery.

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Brooklyn Brewery.

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Iconyc‘s saison with soursop!

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{2} homemade turkey reuben cheese fries

Fries / swiss and gouda cheese blend / sliced smoked turkey / sauerkraut / 1000 island dressing / parsely.

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With broccoli on the side for green.

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{3} brunch at Sunday in Brooklyn

How adorable is my aunt’s cocktail?

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And my Care Bear Stare was one of the best drinks I’ve ever had.  With Aperol, cream sherry, redeemed fruit, and cinnamon.

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We shared the pancakes, which are a must-order if you visit SiB, but my flatbread was still my favorite.  Ramp kimchi, mushrooms, fried eggs, and toasted spices on top of the most wonderfully chewy flatbread.

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Have a great week!

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Emily Of Sandwich

This was a short week for me on the work front, I was off Monday from the weekend (with Adam!!) and off Thursday for a doctor’s appointment.  Wear your sunblock, kids – I have to have two moles surgically removed, one on my chest and one on my back, complete with stitches, giant gross scars, and a month straight of no gym and no normal showers.  At least I got a good lunch in Manhattan out of the deal?

Highlights…

We finally made it to Doughnut Project!  The Malter White was great, malted milk chocolate with a malted chocolate chip mini cookie and cookie crumble.

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We got a gift certificate to the Russian Tea Room for Christmas this year and we enjoyed a super fancy lunch.  We had vodka, of course.

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And caviar.

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And I had delicious Kulebiaka for my entree –  salmon with slow cooked onions, mushrooms, and vegetables wrapped in pastry, served with braised caraway cabbage and mustard beurre blanc.

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Yogurt bowl wins.  Greek with fresh strawberries and caramel almond butter.

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Strawberry Icelandic style with a fancy tangerine.

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Chicken quesadilla from La Esquina.

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Best ever ice cream from Ice & Vice.  Malted vanilla with sea salt caramel.

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Dessert at Vanilla Bean.  Banoffee tart for me and a crazy good iced latte.

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Caramelized banana peanut butter cups.

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It was sandwich week for dinners!  Croque Madame – rye bread, smoked turkey, sharp cheddar, strawberry jam, french toasted – with roasted broccoli and shishitos.

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Jalopeño popper turkey burgers with smoked gouda and roasted green beans.  We didn’t have buns but I’m still counting this as a sandwich.

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Asian-style turkey reubens – with gojuchang mayo and kimchi – with roasted shredded brussel sprouts.

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