3 on Thursday

I had such a great time while my Mom was here - we just walked and walked for three days.  Exploring quaint West Village streets and uncovering restaurants in my own neighborhood.  It's easy to feel sad once she's gone, but thankfully my life has been so busy I almost don't notice.

I used to live one short block away from JG Melon's which could explain why it's my favorite burger in New York.  When you find your first love, you fall and you fall hard.  That's what happened to me with Melon's.  Because I lived so close, I discovered it on day one in the city and then made a habit of going about twice a month for their bacon cheeseburger and cottage fries.  When I went to JG Melon's for supper last week I surveyed the scene and realized I don't just love it because it was my first New York burger that happened to be super convenient.  I love it because it's goooood.  The bun soaks up the juice and squishes down as I go in for a bite.  The pickles' brine is well suited for the burger and the...well, it all just makes for a good, meaty bite.  I also love the atmosphere.  It's a tiny place and everyone has been working there for about 30 years.  Dark wood and hunter green abound with some form of melon artwork in every nook and cranny.  All the preppy folks of the UES - my people - congregate here in their button down, khaki, and docksider glory.  If you know me and you know my own outfit choices, this alone is heaven.

Although I left work after 8:30 last week, I was still able to get to the park to catch the Philharmonic as the soothing sounds played through the Great Lawn.  We were a little too far away to hear every note played but it was just loud enough to provide beautiful background music for our picnic.  It's free - definitely something everyone should check out!

Albert came through with another great cookbook - this one even better than the last!  I fell in love with Deb Perelman's blog, Smitten Kitchen after falling down an internet recipe rabbit hole.  The photography is gorgeous and the recipes inventive.  But it's her story that truly resonates with me.  There's no hook to her cooking, such as "five ingredients or less" or "4 meals in 40 minutes".  Like me, she cooks just because it's something she likes to do when she comes home each night.  Also just like me, she cooks in a tiny Manhattan kitchen.  Can I be her when I grow up?