3 on Thursday

Tomorrow I'm headed to Baton Rouge for Patricia's wedding.  Knowing Patricia, this will be an extravaganza and I can't wait!

I finally saw what all the fuss was about at Beekman Beer Garden.  All the way down at the South Street Seaport is an outdoor space that's fun in the daytime (ping pong) and breathtaking at night (amazing view of the Brooklyn Bridge).  Great spot for summer socializing. 

A good cocktail on top of a whimsical, illustrated menu is a great mid-week treat.

I'm always in the Thomkins Square Park area at night on my way to Alphabet City bars, when it's a little to sketchy to walk around in the park.  Last weekend I happened to be in the area in the daytime and simply strolled.  They've got some amazing flora in there that served as the perfect backdrop for my dog park and street hocky creeping.

Book Review: When She Woke

In this re-imagining of "The Scarlet Letter," Hester Prynne becomes Hannah Payne and instead of a simple letter sewn onto her clothes her public shame takes the form of chroming, where a criminal's skin is altered to match the color of their crime and then they are released into the world.  Needless to say, this is a futuristic adaptation of the novel, but the themes are as relevant as ever.

We have moved West, leaving the puritanical Boston of the original behind for a modern, evangelical Texas. When Hannah is released from prison, her red skin (for murder) is a target for harassment.  She must navigate a world where it is impossible to fade into a crowd and dueling organizations (one reminiscent of the KKK, the other of the underground railroad) let her know just how prevalent racial tensions are.  Between the existence of crazy date rape drugs and a raging war on abortion, the theme of women's rights is at the forefront of this novel.

Adaptations of such lauded works often turn cheesy, but I found Hillary Jordan's novel to be an inspired take on a classic.  Though set in the future, it still manages to feel very realistic and would certainly inspire conversation.

4 out of 5 stars.

Danji

What?  Huh? *Nervous Giggle* *Nervous Giggle*.  That was my response when I walked into my birthday dinner with Albert to discover that the whole time I thought he had planned nothing beyond the idea of us doing dinner together on my bday, he was really plotting to arrange something with a group of my closest friends.  Not only did he want me to be surrounded by my besties as I turned 28, he wanted me to be able to hit up a blog-worthy restaurant since those are pretty much the two things that make me the happiest.  Check and check.

I had been to Danji once before for lunch, but they have a very different menu for dinner, and I have been dying to try it after hearing rave reviews.  Unfortunately, it has been tough convincing a group to go there for a fun weekend dinner since it's not in the area of town we either live or go out in and would therefore requires a little extra planning.  We usually don't have time or patience for extra planning.  I guess my Grandma's right: we are a lazy generation.

The dinner menu lived up to my expectations.  We started with a kim chi trio and kept ordering from there.  Dinner is served tapas style and we steadily worked our way through both the traditional and modern sides of the Korean menu.  We ordered the scallion and pepper pancake (tons of filling - not all egg), vermicielli noodles (sweet and delicate), crispy tofu (far more satisfying than I could have imagined), spicy honey chicken wings, bulgogi beef sliders, rice cakes, and short ribs.  All the dishes were good but there was no debate about the best dish of the night: bossam.  This crispy yet tender pork belly was served with dehydrated daikon kim chi and paper thin cabbage for wrapping.  There was one extra left on the plate and I didn't even bother going through the "no, you take it" routine.  I just grabbed it.

I'm a big fan of K-Town, but it's nice to see Korean food go beyond they speedy KBBQ setup.  This was sophisticated without abandoning traditional Korean flavors.  Birthday success!

Asparagus with Avocado and Feta

I recently found a recipe for a veggie sauté that was served as part of a breakfast dish underneath egg in a hole.  However, if you take away the egg and toast component, this is just as well suited for a veggie side dish at suppertime.  The first step is to sauté shallots and asparagus with crushed red pepper.  I had no idea how important this red pepper would be, but it pretty much made the dish.  Once the veggies were ready, I tossed them with avocado, feta, and a little dill.  And then I ate it fast.  Really fast.  Because it was really good.

Book Review: Where'd You Go, Bernadette

"Where'd You Go, Bernadette" is Gone Girl Lite.  All the twists and turns but done in a humorous way.  Someone goes missing and information as to what exactly went down is exposed in a backwards manner.  Bernadette Fox was a high powered architect until she had somewhat of a breakdown, at which point she and her husband move to Seattle where he becomes a demigod at Microsoft.

Bernadette does not suffer fools and in her mind, everyone in Seattle is foolish.  Her one spot of happiness is her daughter, Bee, an extremely gifted student who doesn't mind her mother's eccentricities.  Bernadette has alienated the other mothers at Bee's hoity toity prep school and has outsourced a friendship with a virtual assistant who does all her bidding.  Tension between Bernadette and just about everyone is high when she suddenly disappears, leaving everyone wondering if she is a criminal, crazy, or framed.

By writing the novel entirely as a compilation of emails, letters, and article excerpts, author Maria Semple reveals all the details in a unique and tantalizing way.  You feel like you are living the story as it happens, thanks to Semple's topical references.  Because the book jumps around as characters correspond with each other, reading it felt like I was catching up on an email chain at work where the next note could very well be from me.

4 out of 5 stars.

3 on Thursday

I am still reeling from my fabulous birthday weekend.  I was surrounded by my favorite people throughout the weekend - it was more than I could have ever hoped for.  If the birthday is any indication of how the year will go, 28 will be wonderful.

When I was home I got to stop by Back in the Day, my favorite Savannah bakery.  The shabby chic decor is adorable and the desserts (especially the bourbon bread pudding and star brownie) are great.

It's always a good feeling when your friends "get" you.  Ashley clearly gets my style and got me an incredibly thoughtful birthday gift.  The fact that she thought of me while planning her wedding was pretty unbelievable but I was floored when I saw that she picked something out in my favorite colors of navy and green and incorporated the kind of personalization I love (monogramming, anchors) along with a message embroidered inside the clutch. 

All I can say about this birthday is WOW.  I was completely blown away.  These flowers are two (of several) surprises from the weekend.  The tulips were a gift from Lindsay because she thought she would be out of town for my party but wanted to be there in spirit.  Turns out the trip was canceled so we were still able to celebrate together (even better) but the flowers are such a nice reminder of what a thoughtful friend I have.  The roses are from Albert and are my first ever gift of flowers from a boy.  Cue the "aww"s. 

Zunzi's

After appearing on a Travel Channel show naming it one of the best sandwiches in America, there is always a line at Zunzi's in Savannah for The Conquistador.  The description may not wow you (baked chicken with lettuce, tomato, and sauce on French bread) but there's something magical that happens when the white and pink sauce comes together over the tender tender chicken.  It looks too big to bite but just try it because then the sauce will drip out and when you put the sandwich back down the bottom of the bread will soak it up.  It's a massive sandwich for just under $10 and well worth the wait.