Fun on the Fourth

Since I had never been in NYC for the Fourth of July, I didn't know what to expect.  I assumed everyone went home like I usually did and was worried that I wouldn't have anyone to play with.  Turns out, there was a nice crew left in the city and I was invited to not one but two parties on Monday.

Stop number one was at Matt and Jen's for a party on the roof.  I offered to bring some apps so I made a hot almond swiss dip that was easy to make and highly addictive.  Since it was so hot outside, I thought it would be nice to make something chilled, so I threw together watermelon, mint, feta, pine nuts, olive oil, salt and pepper.  It was a five minute salad, but it was refreshing.  We also had guacamole, burgers, grilled Mexican corn, and a slaw with soy honey dressing.  

Even though Greg, Susan, and I stuffed our faces at Matt and Jen's, we had another stop to make and more food to eat.  We took a car from Williamsburg to Queens and made our way to Matt and Karina's apartment where they were throwing a party with Karina's mom.  We were treated to a latin buffet of chorizo, steak, salad, potato salad, yuca, and sangria.  Meal number two was made even better by the background music.  I'm not sure how they came to be at this party, but at some point a Chilean band just showed up and started playing traditional music.  Next thing you know, Matt and Karina are doing this mating dance:

Unfortunately, I missed the fireworks now that they are set off in a less convenient Westside location, but I was in such a food coma by that point that fireworks were the last thing on my mind.

Book Review: Dreams of Joy

I’m sure you gathered from all the book reviews that I’m a pretty big reader.  Well, that love of the written word didn’t just pop outta nowhere, more like it’s stitched into my DNA.  I share this affection for books with my mother, who read to me each and every night growing up.  In fact, most arguments between us stem from the fact that she will only let me pick out two books at a time at the book store.  I also like to think of my fondness for literature as a link to my Grandpa Bert, who was known to devour books – my Mommy had to get it from somewhere, too, I suppose.

Anyway, since my Mom and I have similar taste in books, we often recommend and trade with each other – it’s our own little book club for two.  One book I found and loved was Shanghai Girls by Lisa See, which I picked up after reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, also by her.  I passed both books along to my Mom and she was equally enamored.  When Lisa See announced that Dreams of Joy, the sequel to Shanghai Girls was going to be released, my smart Mommy went online and pre-ordered two copies so we could read and discuss this much-anticipated book together.  She’s nearing the end, but I just finished so Mommy, if you’re reading this post, stop right now.  Come back when you finish your homework.

While the first book was all about Pearl, this one jumps back and forth between her point of view and that of her daughter, Joy, who seems to have inherited her mother’s lack of understanding.  The book picks up right where the other leaves off, with Joy running away when her father commits suicide and she discovers he was not really her father after all and her mother was really her aunt and her aunt was really her mother.  Yes, that’s confusing, which is probably why she decides to run away.  While Communist China would not be my first choice of havens, I might make the same rash decision if I just found out my biological father lived there.

As much as I liked seeing the Communist regime “in action”, I appreciated the insight into the poor Countryside during this time (late 50s) more.  I may have heard about the famine in school (truth be told, I don’t remember), but this put the lack of food into perspective.  Lisa See has a way of bringing the Chinese lifestyle to life that makes you feel like you could understand what it could have been like to be there – and I never thought I’d relate to Communism.  I will admit, I did not love this particular book quite as much as her others until I got to the last 70 pages, when I became just as invested as ever. 

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Bourgeois Pig Out

This is the first 4th of July I have spent away from home.  True, there are tourists in their usual touristy spots (my trip to the Apple Store kinda made me want to poke my eyes out), but all the locals have vacated to the Hamptons.  Since I'm not as posh as all that, I stayed in the city to experience what I have only heard about.  With the majority of the locals gone, the city became my playground and the restaurants became much more accessible.

Finally, all those places I can never get into were just waiting for me to walk in - no reservation needed.  Lindsay and I decided to hit up Bourgeois Pig, precisely because they don't take reservations.  Usually this means taking a chance, strategically picking your time slot, and possibly settling in for a wait to get into the small place.  Coming from 60 blocks uptown, that's just too many variables for me on a normal Saturday night.  But like I said, this weekend is different.

Lets start with the drinks.  I spied some interesting champagne cocktails, Belgian beer cocktails, sangria, champagne punches, and wine.  A drink is a must when you're at Bourgeois Pig because it just adds to the decadence of the meal.  The apps all looked good, but I did not feel like a cheese board was necessary when the main course is cheese fondue.  Lindsay and I split the lobster bisque fondue because the seafood stock looked like it was going to take this fondue to new heights, and it did.  The fondue came with so many different things for dipping that you still feel like you're getting a full meal.  Ours came with toasted French bread, rosemary potatoes, roasted vegetables (cauliflower, carrots, brussels sprouts), artichoke hearts, olives, and cournichons.  Everything was sumptuous - how can it not be when you're enjoying fondue and wine on soft, velvet couches?  I felt like a queen.  Let them eat cake fondue! 

Ramen and Radishes

I'm kinda into ramen lately, much like the general NYC population.  When I heard there is a place that can stand up to Ippudo or Totto Ramen, I made a point to seek it out on my day off.  I admit, choosing Thursday, the hottest day of the week, to eat piping hot soup in a non-air conditioned room was not the best idea.  I say room because the restaurant only seats about 10 people with the kitchen in the center.

It may not sound like a good idea, but the food made up for it.  The menu is small.  You basically choose between ramen A, B, or C - the difference being the broth.  I added a radish salad because I love radishes and don't see them on a menu all that often.  It wasn't so much a salad as it was an overwhelmingly large stack of chopped radishes with a sesame dressing.  It was good, but I had to leave room for the main event.  I didn't understand why there was no section on the menu for add-ins, but once I saw my bowl arrive, I got it.  It had everything I could have wanted, including half an egg and bamboo shoots.  The pork was super tender and the broth had an incredibly intense flavor.  For $10.50 a bowl, this may not only be some of the best ramen, it's also some of the cheapest.

Bite Me

I was taking Thursday off work before the long 4th of July weekend so I convinced Sasha to get a mani/pedi with me.  Since we were getting our nails done in her 'hood, I put Sasha in charge of picking a casual eatery.  As we entered Bite, I realized I had walked by this hole in the wall plenty of times but thought nothing of it.  It doesn't look like much, and I never would have guessed these soups, salads, and sandwiches incorporate some of the freshest ingredients around.

Sasha got a gazpacho that looked wonderful and came with a huge hunk of Balthazar bread.  I couldn't decide what I wanted so I did a half-and-half soup/sandwich combo.  The spicy black bean soup was good, though I usually like my black bean soup thicker, more like a stew.  The sandwich was wonderful.  I plan to go back to Bite and get the full version.  The Middle Eastern Mushroom sandwich was filled with mushrooms, hummus, goat cheese, and veggies falling out of crusty bread.  Don't be fooled by the Shake Shack style logo that identifies this as a plain coke and sandwich place.  Everything on the menu has a bit of a Middle Eastern flair, making it anything but plain.  Even the breakfast sandwiches are special.

Bars and Bridesmaids

Steph is a busy girl, planning all sorts or weekend trips so we had to carve out some post-work time to see each other and catch up.  We decided on Bar Veloce so we could get some good Italian apps and, most importantly, a good bottle of wine.  We decided to split a cheese plate, the grape tomato, olive, and ricotta salata bruschette, and the prosciutto, truffle oil, mushroom, and fontina panini.  The panini was probably my favorite and pressed just enough to get the cheese nice and melty.  The food selection is like the Italian version of bar snacks and there was a strong enough wine list to satisfy any post-work palate.

The best bottle of wine, however, was not on the menu.  While I thought we were just getting in some much needed Tess + Steph time, my fellow diner had other plans.  While we were waiting for the food to arrive, Steph pulled out a bottle of wine on which she had affixed her own label asking me to be one of her bridesmaids.  Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?  So yea, Bar Veloce is good and I recommend it, but I think my bridesmaid news better than whatever news you were planning to share with the group.

A Great New View

Kimberly is such an 80s/90s Valley Girl name.  Can’t you just hear it?  “Hi, I’m Kimberly.  Teehee.  Like totally!”  Alas, this post is not about a Saved by the Bell character (oh, how I wish it was!); it’s actually about a hot new [as of this Summer] rooftop in Midtown East: Upstairs at the Kimberly.

You can never go wrong with an open view of the Chrysler Building.  You really can’t go wrong when that view is from a garden escape with ivy on the walls and light bulbs strung overhead.  It’s the swankiest garden party I’ve ever seen.  It’s not the biggest rooftop in the city and it is sectioned off nicely so it still manages to feel intimate while providing a magnificent view of the NYC skyline.

I enjoyed my bourbon/muddled raspberry concoction (drinks run around $16), and I particularly liked that the waitresses were far less stand-offish than at most NYC rooftops.  Perhaps they were feeling a tad spunkier due to the fact that it was a Monday night and our group was a nice departure from the rest of the crowd, which seemed to be mostly hotel guests.  From what I’ve heard, come Thursday, it’s all trendy New Yorkers, and I wonder if the waitresses’ demeanor shifts with the crowd.