Book Review: The Interestings

Youthful friendships are a tricky thing.  Sometimes the bonds are formed before the personalities fully develop.  But when the friendships are made during the peak of adolescence, they are often nearly impossible to break - these are the only friends who can understand what it's like in those moments when you are just discovering what the world has to offer.  Julie Jacobson was a gawky teen when she entered Spirit-in-the-Woods summer camp, but by the time the summer was over she is the confident, funny Jules thanks to being allowed into the inner circle of campers, The Interestings.

From an outsider's perspective Jules should have grown out of her friendships with Ash and Ethan who are both richer than rich vs. her ramen noodle budget.  And their lives have all taken a different turn from that of Jonah who has come out as a homosexual, joined and then returned from a cult, and now leads a quiet life developing robotics.  But something about that summer sealed these friends together and countless hurdles have done nothing to tear them apart.

I often wonder if I would still click with some of my friends if I had met them now instead of in childhood.  In some cases, the answer is probably no.  But Meg Wolitzer's novel reaffirms that it doesn't really matter why people are friends, only that they tightly guard the friendship once they have it.  If we only kept around the friends we made when we were older, I'm sure we would be far less interesting.

3 out of 5 stars.

  

 

Mayhem and Stout

The name sounds so rock and roll but it's fitting because this sandwich shop serves braised meat with an attitude.  Mayhem and Stout started as a stall at NYC flea markets and just opened their first brick and mortar location on Friday - a convenient one block walk from my apartment.  Since it's so close I had no excuse not to be there on opening night.  I had never sampled their food at the markets, but by the looks of the line, plenty of New Yorkers had.

Without too much time to mull over the options, I ordered two of their popular combinations instead of designing my own sandwich.  The short rib and brisket sandwich with blueberry sriracha and pickled onions was not as crazy as it sounds.  The pickling made the mound of onions less bitter and the meat just melted when it hit my mouth.  I can only imagine how long the meat had to simmer to render chewing unnecessary.  I also tried the braised pork shoulder with black cherry mustard and roasted kale.  The kale and black cherry gave it a bit of a sour/bitter thing - in a good way.  I'm not really explaining that well.  The short rib and brisket was my preferred sandwich, however, just because the meat had so much flavor.  It may seem insignificant, but I must mention the pickles.  Clearly homemade and with just the right amount of garlic and spices.  Nice and crispy.

So many sandwich combos to try - and don't think I'm not going to try them ALL.  Yayyyy for new amazing food in Murray Hill!

Rare Rooftop

Whether you're on the East Side or West Side, Rare has a rooftop for you.  The music may have been a little loud for 5 PM on a Thursday afternoon, but I suppose people are ready to party when the end of the work week is near and the weather is beautiful.  The view at both locations is spectacular, but if you want to see it, you'll need to plan for it a little bit.  It's nice that they don't overpack the roof with people, but with a limited supply of rooftop bars the line forms quickly and can easy reach an hour wait time.  Here's my suggestion: go for dinner.  The fries are great and the burgers are huge - certainly a meal you'll be satisfied with.  Once you're finished, you can usually skip the line to go up to the roof.  You needed to eat anyway and now you get the bonus of following supper with a view of the Manhattan skyline that's better than dessert.

3 on Thursday

I was supposed to go out of town this weekend but my mini trip was cancelled.  Does this change of plans upset me?  Not in the slightest.  After a trip to DC last weekend and visitors the weekend before, I am looking forward to a more relaxing three nights in my apartment.

I am NOT an animal print person.  It's just not my thing.  It feels gaudy to me and just doesn't fit into my typical style.  Every once in a while, however, it's nice to try something new, especially when there is no risk involved.  Since I didn't have to pay, a work event seemed the perfect opportunity to step out of my comfort zone.  Also, I love anything C Wonder blesses with their preppy touch so if I was ever going to introduce animal print into my closet, it would be through them.  Pattern choice aside, I desperately needed to replace my work bag since my old one was literally falling apart and this trendy guy at $78 is huge and cheaper than most bags I found whilst searching the web.  Plus, C Wonder monograms everything (as do I) so I got to give my new bag a personal touch.  I'm not saying I'm going to start walking around like a native of the jungle, but I'm pretty happy with my new tote.  

Even though Murray's Cheese is my favorite place ever, I had not yet tried their Cheese Bar - a restaurant next to their newly expanded West Village shop devoted to foods made with cheese.  While plotting our next move one weekend, we slipped inside for a quick glass of wine.  I should have known a visit to a cheese palace like this wouldn't end with a glass of wine and it took all of two minutes before an order had been placed for a meat and cheese board.  We went with the 5-piece Cheesemonger's Choice.  You can request all meats, all cheeses, or a mixture.  We decided on four cheeses and one meat (prosciutto).  The best part was that the waiter actually talked to us about what we wanted to see on our plate.  Usually a cheese plate is a more generic, pre-selected package with simpler cheeses like a basic brie.  I recalled a specific cheese I had seen in one of my Murray's emails (yes, I receive the emails) and he said there would be no problem putting that on there.  We then requested the spread have a mix of textures ranging from double cream to semi firm and include a stinky blue.  Our waiter was a great listener and produced just that.  Instead of having the accoutrements like jams haphazzardly sprinkled around the plate, each cheese was specifically paired with something.  A double cream from my home state of Georgia went with pickled raisins while a sheeps milk gouda was meant to be eaten with caramel.

It's always great to participate in a happy hour with my alumni group, the NYC Dawgs, but even better when it's tied to a good cause.  Last week we met up at the beautiful Beekman Beer Garden and all attendees brought along items for Operation Backpack, which provides school supplies to New York's homeless children.

Stonestreet

When someone says Stonestreet, I'm sure you immediately think of happy hour swamped by banking guys in suits letting off some steam. On a typical weeknight you would be right, but I think it's worth giving Stonestreet a chance on the weekend, too. Sure, FiDi is significantly quieter when the market is closed and all those banking types flee to their uptown digs, but bottomless brunch is enough to bring me back down to the bottom of the island. The portions will fill you up and this particular spot of the financial district is one of the few places in NYC that still has cobblestones, which makes for a pretty atmosphere when it's warm enough to drink your mimosas outside.

Perry's

After a big night out on Saturday, Liz and I were looking for a quiet brunch on Sunday.  Eggs Florentine were about as crazy as I planned to get.  Perry's looked like a great Sunday spot to get some brunch food and maybe people watch at the tables outside.  But as we started walking up the stairs to see the hostess we began to notice the inside didn't seem as calm as the outside.  The music was pounding.  The girls were cheering.  We had walked into DRAG BRUNCH.  

For $25 you get a full drag show and an all-you-can-eat buffet.  It was such a random mix of food (california rolls, scrambled eggs with bacon, greek salad, and soup), but I was too concerned with the performing transexuals to really notice.  I recommend a few mimosas to ease you into the wackiness that is drag queens lip synching to Lady Gaga but those are $7 each so count for that in your budget.  I would also budget a handful of ones as the ladies performing like to get a little something extra in exchange for their act.  Drag brunch was a wholly unexpected way to spend a Sunday afternoon but it left me in great spirits for my bus ride back to NYC.

The one on the left is Miss Gigi Paris Couture and she has a great set of knockers.

 

Julia's Empanada's

After a long bus ride, I was starving by the time I got to DC.  I needed food and I needed it immediately.  Thankfully, Liz lives in the bustling Adam's Morgan area so even though it was 12:30 AM, there was plenty of drunk food to be eaten.  Even completely sober Julia's Empandas were delicious.  I couldn't decide which to try so I ordered two: the Jamaican (Liz's recommendation) and the chorizo (which became my favorite with its curry seasoning).  You really only need one to fill you up since they are larger than typical empanadas so two put me over the edge but I didn't care.  They weren't too doughy and they were each filled with enough meat that the dough threatened to tear under the pressure.  One could definitely serve as a full meal for $3.59.  I only regret not trying one of the fruit filled ones.  I guess I'll just have to schedule another trip to DC.  Bummer.