Jingle Jangle

One of my favorite jingles has been the Starburst Berries and Cream .  Now there's a newbie in the mix.  I can not stop singing the words to McDonald's' "Gimme that filet o'fish" song.  It has the makings of a great jingle in that it is extremely catchy.  I can't get it out of my head.  While I think this is some great marketing - bringing a less sought after menu option to the forefront - I still don't think I'll be ordering it anytime soon.  I will, however, probably be singing this song in the Mickey D's line as I order my double cheeseburger.

A New Contender in the Burger Ring

I entered this weekend with one goal: cross at least one restaurant of my "To Try" list.  My friend from college, Carlen, came to visit for the weekend, thus carrying out this mission seemed that much more important.  Turns out I didn't need the whole weekend - we fulfilled this mission within 20 minutes of Carlen's arrival.  I've heard about The Smith for a while - its burger in particular - so I was very happy Carlen's friends chose it.

We shared the hot potato chips with blue cheese fondue and crawfish hush puppies.  Both were very yummy but could have been a little warmer.  The chips were good, but I have tried the hot chips with blue cheese dip at Bar Americain, and I must admit Bobby Flay made the chips better than The Smith.  The crawfish hush puppies were very good.  They were full of crawfish and almost like a bread-ier crawfish cake.  Of course after all that talk I had to try the burger...it was great!  It was huge, so I needed to cut it in half to give myself a fighting chance at getting it in my mouth.  The second I pressed down with my knife, burger juice flowed all over the plate and continued to drip down my arm as I ate, which I happily licked clean.  The juice mixed with the cheese and special sauce for extra deliciousness.  The ciabatta bun was the perfect choice for sandwiching the burger.  Oh and don't forget the thick, crisp bacon and mountain of thin-cut fries.  Unfortunately, I neglected to take a picture of the burger - I was too busy getting it into my belly.  I did, however, snap some pics of the apps.

The prices are definitely reasonable, so if you're looking for a casual place to grab a bite before heading out for the night, check out The Smith.  Feel free to thank me after eating the burger.

Hot Chips with Blue Cheese Fondue

Crawfish Hushpuppies with Old Bay Aioli

My Lord! The Lords of Discipline was Great

The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy was an amazing novel.  Conroy is a gifted writer and one of my favorite authors.  His flowery writing style could make a dreadfully banal topic seem like the most beautiful things you have ever read.  Combine that with the fact that his literary focus is the South, and I am in bookworm heaven.

I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this book last night, but it was well worth the extra cup of coffee I needed to get going this morning.  The Lords of Discipline follows Will McLean through his years at The Carolina Military Institute in Charleston (based on Conroy's alma mater, The Citadel).  As he navigates his way through an intense hazing process, a brief love affair, and a treacherous secret society, he learns what it takes to make the transition from a boy to manhood and the meaning of true friendships. 

I was gripped by the characters' deception and yes, I cried at a point.  Don't worry, things turn out ok, but true to life, not everything works out perfectly.  Sad, but this makes the novel believable.  This book made me nostaligic for my beloved lowcountry and I am pleased to say that Conroy writes it to seem as beautiful as I know it to be.

Erin Go Bare

Happy St. Patty's Day, blogosphere!  As a proud Savannah native, I have been bred to consider this one of the greatest holidays ever, which is why I am a tad gloomy today.  New York doesn't recognize the importance of this holiday the way Savannah does.  The streets of NYC will not be swarmed by girls flashing for beads (hence the "Erin Go Bare" post title/Savannah St. Patty's slogan vs. the usual "Erin Go Braugh").  I mean, I am actually sitting at my desk at work right now.  What?!  If I were back in the Hostess City of the South, there would be no work.  There is also no school as all educational facilities strategically time their Spring Break to coincide with St. Patrick's Day.  Why am I staring at a computer screen when, considering it's already 10 AM, I should be 1/2 through drink #2 at this point.

On the upside, I am wearing a skirt today with NO tights.  That's right, it is warm enough to go bare-legged today.  FINALLY!  Can it be?!  Has Spring finally sprung?!

Now the biggest question...do I say "screw it" to being hungover at work tomorrow and go out and celebrate the holiday tonight?  The work hangover is an awful thing, but can I really pass up green beer?

Unanswered Questions: Gossip Girl Recap - 3/15 Episode

This week something amazing and perplexing occurred on GG: Chuck chuckled.  I reached deep into the Gossip Girl archive that is my mind and came to the conclusion that this has never happened before.  Chuck has never genuinely laughed or smiled in the history of this show.  Smirked? Of course, but this is all new territory for Chuck Bass.  That wasn't the only weird bit of the episode - read on...

• Vanessa has now hooked up with every one of the boys.  A tree grows in Brooklyn?  More like a slut grows in Brooklyn.  That got me thinking about how everyone has basically hooked up with everyone else at this point.  Dan with Serena, Chuck with Blair, almost Chuck with Serena (near kitchen date rape in 1st or 2nd episode), Nate with Blair, Nate with Jenny, Nate with Serena, Nate with Vanessa, almost Jenny with Chuck (near rooftop date rape in 2nd episode...I'm noticing a pattern).  All that's left is Dan and Blair.  Ew.  Would writers test the incest category with Dan and Jenny?  Or maybe throw Rufus into the mix?
• Who keeps that kind of stuff in their fridge?  A giant bowl of whipped cream?  And what was that brown creamy stuff they passed between their mouths?  Caramel?  Vegemite?  Poop?
• Damien reveals that his father really is a druggie and he hates it...so he decides to break the cycle by selling drugs?  Regardless, I think he's still lying because his father is a Belgian embassador.  That kind of job doesn't lend itself to serious drug use.
• What's up with Paul's pastel scarf?  I didn't know the Fred from Scooby Doo look was in.  why do they try to pass someone who is clearly gay off as a viable love interest for Vanessa?  Get a clue, Vanessa, that boy is about 2 Barbara Streisand albums away from being the Grand Marshall of the gay pride parade.
• I just realized...is it weird to have Gossip Girl narrating when no one gets texts/looks at the Gossip Girl website anymore?
• Dan and Vanessa, you are 2 college freshmen who just hooked up for the first time and you brought up marriage.  It didn't cross your mind that was weird?  Even if you just mentioned marriage to say you don't have to be thinking about it, it means you're actually thinking about it.  Future stalker alert.
• Who serves mojitos at a college party?  And who goes all out with a mock-photo booth at a college party?  If this was in a real dorm the most you'd see for decorations and drinks are Christmas lights and hunch punch.  ::sigh:: hunch punch... 

In The Bag[atelle]

I played every moment of this weekend as "full speed ahead," and it felt great.  After a sushi dinner on Friday night with Dave and Dana, the three of us headed to Kings Head for the Vandy/Georgia b-ball game.  UGA lost.  It's basketball - not our strong suit - but don't get used to the feel of victory, Vandy.  Then it was back uptown on our quest for darts.  After our go-to dart spot proved disappointing (they didn't have the actual darts, and staring at a dart board with nothing to throw is decidedly less fun), we went to check out the new Johnny Rockets.  This is nowhere near my first choice for a burger, but when they opened two months ago, they made the top floor a bar, and we figured it was worth a look-see.  $30 of erotic photo hunt, one great mullet, and a grilled cheese later, we were satisfied and headed home.

Saturday I lazied around until about 7 PM, when we headed to Tyler's apartment for some pre-gaming.  A couple hours later, we laughed in the face of the disgusting weather (that lasted 3 straight days) and headed to Meatpacking for a late dinner at Bagatelle.  The food was tasty, my salad in particular.  The endive, jicama, candied walnuts, and cheese was refreshing.  I must admit, it was better than Dave's salad, which was a tad too peppery and slightly overdressed.  I think he liked mine better, too, because his fork kept detouring onto my plate on the way to his mouth.  Dave loved his steak and my gnocci were good, though maybe a little too garlic-y.  In full disclosure, I must admit that my level of intoxication may have altered my perception of the food, so I may have to go back and evaluate without the shots of Patron.  Then again, the best part of the restaurant was the atmosphere.  Bagatelle is a SCENE.  Food tastes much better when you're sitting in the Riviera-esque atmosphere and eating in the company of the Beautiful People.  By the end of dinner we (along with half the people in the restaurant) were dancing on the banquettes.  For as crazy as it got in there, the wait staff was friendly and attentive.  I had a great time and a great meal at Bagatelle, but if you plan on visiting, make sure you know what you are getting into.  It is pricey and loud, which proved to be a great start to my Saturday evening, but not ideal if you're looking for a low-key night.  After dinner we headed to Marquee for a little club action and then it was time for beddy-bye.

And don't just think we spent Sunday just sitting on our laurels.  Well, I did for a little while as I nursed my hangover, but that didn't last all day.  After a little brunch at the French restaurant next door and some McDonalds later in the afternoon (as I said, I was nursing a hangover), Dave, Dana, Simon, and Mrs. Smiles attended a wine and cheese pairing class at a cute cheese shop in CT.  I'd say that capped the full weekend.  Take that, rain.  

Flea Fi Fo Fum

Apparently, Manhattan is about to get a big, new flea market that will rival the Brooklyn Flea, a place I am ashamed to admit I have not yet visited.  Now I won't have to. 

Suchin Pak (of MTV veejay fame) is one of the brains behind the operation, which comforts me because she is from the Glory Days of MTV, back when they actually played music.  Seriously, who's in charge of their programming schedule?  Whenever I scroll through the listings, it seems like Teen Mom 24/7, but I digress...

A flea of this size (60 vendors) would be great to have in my neighborhood.  Well, Hester and Essex isn't exactly my neighborhood, but it's my borough, which is a huge improvement.  Flea markets combine two of my faves: street food and fun, cheap, rando, antique-y finds.  I am now counting down the days til it opens on 4/26 (and will be open 10 AM-6PM, Saturdays and Sundays, April-Dec) - a date that will hopefully provide the nice springtime weather I have been craving, the kind of weather that is perfect for an LES, flea market stroll.