Two nights ago, I headed to Nolita with my co-workers for an Italian feast. From the moment we walked inside Il Buco, we were transported to a small home in the Italian countryside. This place has charm. Each corner is its own nook. No two lighting fixtures are the same and instead of paintings, the walls are covered with collections of plates and cutting boards. So authentic was the decor, that by the end of dinner I was convinced the owners had actually gone to Italy, saw a quaint home they liked, picked it up in one piece, and flew it to New York City. Since that idea seemed a tad far fetched, I headed to the website to uncover the true story behind the decor. There I learned that when owner and independent filmmaker Donna Lennard opened the restaurant in 1994 with her Italian boy toy, it was actually a modern day trading post - a craft/antique exchange. The store had a tiny kitchen in the back and patrons were often treated to a snackypoo. The kitchen soon took over, which suits me perfectly because I have no antiques to trade.
The chef prepared a menu for us and the sommelier paired each course with wine. We started with a slew of appetizers including skate, cured meats, prawns, and grapefruit with nuts. The star of this course was easily the polenta. Those Italians know what they're doing because that was the best bowl of cheese grits I've ever eaten. We had a choice for each of the next two courses, but I loved my picks so much that I can't even remember the other options. For the pasta course I ate the pillow-y soft gnocci with pork sausage and kale and for my entrée I devoured the wreckfish with faro, pickled onions, and golden beets. The dessert plate featured biscotti, an apple quince tart, flourless chocolate cake, panna cotta topped with aged balsamic (the house specialty), and chocolate chip ice cream. Normally I would say to leave out the ice cream, but there was a surprising hint of salt that woke up my taste buds.
The restaurant was a hit with everyone at the table, but then again I think wine pairing is always successful. If I was impossibly rich, I would have someone pair wine with my dinner every night. I would also hire a personal back scratcher to go everwhere with me, but that's probably beside the point.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Taco Bell Update
Per my previous post, I am a lover of all things Taco Bell, which makes today a sad day. I just learned that Taco Bell founder, Mr. Glen W. Bell, Jr. died Sunday in his California home at the age of 86. This man has done so much for me and my waistline. He will be missed, but I'm sure he's enjoying that big drive thru in the sky. I hope this wasn't a result of adhering to The Taco Bell diet. That would be really bad press.
Tooms vs. Food
While most of my friends decided to jet away to warm weather and all inclusive resorts over the Xmas break, my friend Tooms decided to stay in his native, cold Brooklyn. Not content to simply relax at home, enjoying his Italian mama's pampering, Toom Raider decided to make a Man vs. Food challenge his own. John Toomey tried his luck at Buffalo Cantina's hot wings challenge. Stupid? Immensely. That's why it's awesome.
The challenge was originally called the Suicide 6 Wings (which is what Adam Richman does on Man vs. Food), but too many people were completing the challenge, so they created a hotter sauce, "seppuku", aptly named for the ceremony in which the Japanese samurai would kill themselves because they had committed a dishonorable deed. Interesting fact. I didn't expect to learn anything new when writing this post, but what do ya know, I did - bonus.
The rules:
Tooms, I'm proud of you. Even more so because you didn't ralph afterward.
Readers, for your enjoyment, please view the below videos of Tooms accomplishing this feat:
A video of Tooms eating the wings Please note the surgical gloves worn to protect his hands from extreme spice.
A video of Tooms suffering afterwards
The challenge was originally called the Suicide 6 Wings (which is what Adam Richman does on Man vs. Food), but too many people were completing the challenge, so they created a hotter sauce, "seppuku", aptly named for the ceremony in which the Japanese samurai would kill themselves because they had committed a dishonorable deed. Interesting fact. I didn't expect to learn anything new when writing this post, but what do ya know, I did - bonus.
The rules:
- 12 Suppuku wings in 3 minutes
- No drinks
- No napkins
- Must sign a waiver
- Must be 18 or older
- Must be sober
Tooms, I'm proud of you. Even more so because you didn't ralph afterward.
Readers, for your enjoyment, please view the below videos of Tooms accomplishing this feat:
A video of Tooms eating the wings Please note the surgical gloves worn to protect his hands from extreme spice.
A video of Tooms suffering afterwards
Monday, January 18, 2010
Globe-worthy
I've been wanting to see The Blind Side for a while but never got around to it. However, after watching Sandra Bullock accept a Golden Globe for her performance in a beautiful amethyst frock (seriously, if I can look like her when I'm 45 I would be beyond happy), I knew it was time to buy a ticket. I'm certainly glad I did because it was a wonderful feel-good film and Bullock's performance was wonderful. She nailed the behavior, mannerisms, and speech of the feisty Southern mothers who have surrounded me my entire life. Tim McGraw deserves a pat on the back too for being much more than the guy who fills half my iPod. Good job.
My one complaint is that UGA was not prominently featured throughout the film. During Oher's recruitment, they paraded SEC coaches across the screen. My heart leaped at the brief glimpse of the Georgia G on a no-named assistant coach. Perhaps it's true that Oher was not really considering The University of Georgia, but how 'bout a little of that creative license I've heard so much about? Just about every major SEC coach was featured with the exception of Mark Richt. As well as this movie has done at the box office, I can only imagine ticket purchases and reviews would soar if Coach Richt was included. Sandra Bullock's character, Leigh Anne Tuohy, calls Nick Saban "a very attractive man". Clearly, she never met Mark Richt. And on another note, I didn't know it was possible for Lou Holtz to appear on tv without throwing his clipboard and/or hat on the ground. UGA was featured in the background on tv in the scene where Tim McGraw's character is explaining a poem to the Oher character. Unfortunately, they showed a Georgia/Georgia Tech basketball game. Basketball is not our sport.
My one complaint is that UGA was not prominently featured throughout the film. During Oher's recruitment, they paraded SEC coaches across the screen. My heart leaped at the brief glimpse of the Georgia G on a no-named assistant coach. Perhaps it's true that Oher was not really considering The University of Georgia, but how 'bout a little of that creative license I've heard so much about? Just about every major SEC coach was featured with the exception of Mark Richt. As well as this movie has done at the box office, I can only imagine ticket purchases and reviews would soar if Coach Richt was included. Sandra Bullock's character, Leigh Anne Tuohy, calls Nick Saban "a very attractive man". Clearly, she never met Mark Richt. And on another note, I didn't know it was possible for Lou Holtz to appear on tv without throwing his clipboard and/or hat on the ground. UGA was featured in the background on tv in the scene where Tim McGraw's character is explaining a poem to the Oher character. Unfortunately, they showed a Georgia/Georgia Tech basketball game. Basketball is not our sport.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
After a long work week, Friday night was time for the gals to let loose, so Steph, Nicole, and I met up for a little girls' night. Steph picked the place, and I must give her props for her great restaurant choice, Akane.
Akane is a cute little sushi joint located on 39th between 2nd and 3rd. Is it anything special? Yes. Akane doesn't stand out because the sushi is far superior (though it is very very tasty). What makes Akane a great way to start any evening is the fact that it's BYO. Combine that with the reasonable prices and you've got a place that screams to the ladies. In fact, an approximate 75% of the restaurant patrons was comprised of groups of girls. We each came armed with our own bottle of wine and then attacked the menu. We were surprised to discover a list of inventive special rolls all $13 and under and happy to report that all apps and rolls were yummy.
It can be difficult to find BYO restaurants outside of the LES and even harder to unearth one that doesn't charge a corkage fee. Akane solves both problems and does so with a very friendly wait staff. Another great deal: during happy hour (which lasts until 10:30 PM), Akane offers free sake with a $15 food purchase.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hanging out with my girls at fun restaurants, but I really love being able to do so without emptying my wallet. Akane was a pleasant surprise and a return trip with my best gal pals is already on my To Do list.
Akane is a cute little sushi joint located on 39th between 2nd and 3rd. Is it anything special? Yes. Akane doesn't stand out because the sushi is far superior (though it is very very tasty). What makes Akane a great way to start any evening is the fact that it's BYO. Combine that with the reasonable prices and you've got a place that screams to the ladies. In fact, an approximate 75% of the restaurant patrons was comprised of groups of girls. We each came armed with our own bottle of wine and then attacked the menu. We were surprised to discover a list of inventive special rolls all $13 and under and happy to report that all apps and rolls were yummy.
It can be difficult to find BYO restaurants outside of the LES and even harder to unearth one that doesn't charge a corkage fee. Akane solves both problems and does so with a very friendly wait staff. Another great deal: during happy hour (which lasts until 10:30 PM), Akane offers free sake with a $15 food purchase.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy hanging out with my girls at fun restaurants, but I really love being able to do so without emptying my wallet. Akane was a pleasant surprise and a return trip with my best gal pals is already on my To Do list.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Stumble In
I have a new favorite website.
I debated long and hard over whether or not I should encourage navigation away from my own blog (please don't leave me!), but eventually I decided the public must know about this. In all likelihood, the public already knows, but I didn't, so tough noogies if you're reading old news.
In an attempt to expand our horizons, my office wisely organized "Digital Illumination Week" to get us traditional media planners into the digital mindset. My head is now crammed with information concerning the world wide web and how to best use it to market our clients. While I found the sessions involving online capabilities and metrics informative, the biggest takeaway was a brief mention at the end of yesterday's session. Our instructor charged us to check out one new website a day. This seems like a daunting task. Where do I start?! Our instructor then provided us with a helpful hint: http://www.stumbleupon.com/.
Intrigued? You should be. Bored at work? Say hello to your savior.
When you enter the site, you provide your interests, click "start stumbling", and wait to get lucky as it sends you to a random site. My first "stumble" was a usage chart on Spice Advice. What do ya know?! I love to cook but never know what to do with the spices in my cabinet. How handy! Thanks, Stumble Upon!
Once a day? I think I'll be checking out new sites once a minute, thanks to this nifty tool.
And no, when providing your interests there is no checkbox for porn, so don't think you're gonna get lucky like that...and get your mind out of the gutter!
I debated long and hard over whether or not I should encourage navigation away from my own blog (please don't leave me!), but eventually I decided the public must know about this. In all likelihood, the public already knows, but I didn't, so tough noogies if you're reading old news.
In an attempt to expand our horizons, my office wisely organized "Digital Illumination Week" to get us traditional media planners into the digital mindset. My head is now crammed with information concerning the world wide web and how to best use it to market our clients. While I found the sessions involving online capabilities and metrics informative, the biggest takeaway was a brief mention at the end of yesterday's session. Our instructor charged us to check out one new website a day. This seems like a daunting task. Where do I start?! Our instructor then provided us with a helpful hint: http://www.stumbleupon.com/.
Intrigued? You should be. Bored at work? Say hello to your savior.
When you enter the site, you provide your interests, click "start stumbling", and wait to get lucky as it sends you to a random site. My first "stumble" was a usage chart on Spice Advice. What do ya know?! I love to cook but never know what to do with the spices in my cabinet. How handy! Thanks, Stumble Upon!
Once a day? I think I'll be checking out new sites once a minute, thanks to this nifty tool.
And no, when providing your interests there is no checkbox for porn, so don't think you're gonna get lucky like that...and get your mind out of the gutter!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Yo Mama
I have recently begun watching How I Met Your Mother via Netflix after hearing everyone in my pod (we don't say cubicles at my office - we're such trendsetters) sing its praises. I was sick of feeling excluded from the inside joke as they laughed at specific scenes, so I decided it was time to jump on the bandwagon. Given there are 5 seasons and I am only half-way through with Season 2, I have a long way to go, but here are my thoughts thus far:
- I believe this 30 minute sitcom is far funnier without the commercials. I'm not sure if the time-space continuum has anything to do with this phenomenon, but the one-liners become funnier when the show is crunched into a 22 minute format.
- Alyson Hannigan is more than the naughty band geek from American Pie. There was a time when I thought I'd never hear the end of "this one time at band camp", but she has managed to escape that role (surprising, considering the majority of her career is comprised of American Pie sequels). However, the real star of the show is NPH.
- Doogie Howser, MD is awesome. Since the character basically says different variations of the same joke throughout every episode, one would think it would get old, but it doesn't. As much as the mature 24 year-old in me hates to admit it, 14 year-old teenage boy humor is hilarious.
- If, like me, you put off watching the show, I encourage you to give it a test drive.
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