Honest Abe [and Arthur's]

Last night was another great dining experience with coworkers.  It was a Thursday night, and we were 4 hot mamas, so the only logical dinner location was Meatpacking.  Didn't you know?  I'm one of the beautiful people.  We went wild on the menu:

• Appetizers:
• Tuna Tartar Tacos
• Hamachi Sashimi (Pictured below, top row, far right): The best of the 4 apps
• Sliders
• Meatballs (pictured below, top row, middle)
• Entrées: Steak, steak, and more steak (it's the restaurant's specialty, so we felt like sinners ordering anything else...minus Jill, the pescatarian of the group).  I believe I have previously mentioned my extreme affinity with dipping sauces, so I ordered my steak with not one but two of them.  I chose the bernaise and the truffle butter.  The bernaise was good, but don't even bother because the truffle butter is incredible.  At only $3 for this addition, do yourself a favor and splurge.  The steak is very tasty on its own, but this is a decadent supplement that should not be overlooked.
• Sides:
• Sweet potato fries with a sweet syrupy dip (did I mention my love of dip?) - almost like dessert and soooo good
• Creamed spinach (pretty much a must with a steak dinner in my book)
• Polenta: nice and creamy, a good and unexpected side
• Desserts:
• Carnival (Pictured below, bottom row, middle): a ferris wheel of doughnut holes with a chocolate dipping sauce and caramel and raspberry sauces that you could inject into the holes.  There was also a mini funnel cake on the side.  Basically, the plate looked adorable, but it was more of a novelty.  The taste was nothing so phenomenal, but the waiter brought it as a freebie, so you won't hear any complaints from me. 
• French Toast Bread Pudding (Pictured below, top row, far left): Came highly recommended for good reason.  It was delicious.
• Cookies and Cream Soufflée (Pictured below, bottom row, far left): Great.  It was nice to see a take on soufflée that wasn't the typical chocolate or cheese.  The crème anglaise poured into the center tableside made the dish.  The housemade ice cream sandwiches and oreos were nothing to scoff at either.  I love Bouchon Bakery, but I think this "oreo" was even better than the TKO (Thomas Keller Oreo) served there.

Dinner was long (in a good way), full of gossip, and wine-filled (3 bottles for the 4 of us, to be exact).  I must admit, a meal like this is an anomaly.  We went pretty crazy and ordered up a storm; but in all fairness, I must warn that the bill was waaaay up there.  Everything I had heard about this restaurant previously was along the lines of "the food is good, but comes with a hefty price tag," "loved what I got but thought I should have gotten a little more for what I paid," etc.  This made me leery of going, but I'm glad I was persuaded because I ate famously (though the comments were true). 

We left around 10:30, just when the real party was gearing up (alas, we did have work today).  Like I said, it was Thursday night in Meatpacking and cougars and daddies were out in full force.  But don't worry if you're not in the market for a sugar daddy/mama; there was someone for everyone.  The party gals were there in droves in their high high heels and short short skirts.  I was no shlub, but I must have missed the micro-mini memo.  I'm pretty sure I saw a girl's Cha Cha Slide.  The picture on the far right of the bottom row had to be included due to this Euro's fab shirt and hairdo.  There was a whole table of this awesomeness.

Overall: If you have a lot of money to burn, Abe and Arthur's serves up good food and A+ people watching.  If you don't have an overweight wallet, eat and drink before you go and get an app and drinks there.  It's a good way to experience the scene at this hot new restaurant without spending a bajill.

Unanswered Questions: Gossip Girl Recap - 4/26 Episode

As mentioned last week, the title of Best Show Ever has been usurped by Glee, but I still have not given up on my Gossip buddies.  With a case of the Mondays, they are like my security blanket.  This week Billy Baldwin came to shake things up with a mysterious unnamed disease (::shhh:: I think it's cancer) and Jenny decided to slut it up.  Biggest questions of the week are as follows:

• Jenny, why are you such a hooker?  At least put some boxers with your sleepover seduction outfit...which didn't work by the way because you're barking up the wrong tree and need to go find someone your own age slash not dating your stepsister.  Someone needs to hand that girl a hairbrush and take her out of the Pretty Woman costume closet.
• Is it just me, or does Billy Baldwin's voice sound exactly like brother Alec's?
• That whole don't tell anyone you're sick or you'll actually get sick theory is BUNK.  Who wouldn't, at the very least, tell their husband?  (Ex husband doesn't count, Lil.)
• What's wrong with Blair spilling on Vanessa's pleather leggings?  I think ruining pleather leggings would make the outfit better.  Pleather should never be worn in mass quantities.

Looks like there's madness to come, so stay tuned...

Mezcal at Mayahuel

I am happy to say that I crossed another restaurant off my list on Saturday night!  I am always intrigued by a restaurant that specializes in something.  I think it is because I like the idea that they are throwing themselves into something 100%, nothing half-assed about it.  The latest restaurant to catch my eye due to this focused menu approach is Mayahuel and they're alllll about the mezcal.

Mezcal is a distilled drink produced from the maguey plant grown primarily in Oaxaca, Mexico. Maguey is a form of agave, making the drink similar to tequila, though a tad smokier.  Mayahuel has a looooong list of drinks made from mezcal and tequila, so I had some tough decisions to make.  After requesting a recommendation between two drinks from the waiter, he asked me if I had a sweet or spicy personality.  I answered spicy (duh, we all know I'm a little spitfire), and he pointed me in the direction of the Spicy Paloma, which was jalapeno tequila with grapefruit, lime, soda, and a salted rim.  Very tasty - I'm really diggin this jalapeno tequila lately.  After that, I was ready for something sweeter, so I tried the Blackfriar Cobbler.  I think this one was made with mezcal, muddled blackberries, soda, sugar and spice, and everything nice.  It went down veeery easily.

Don't think I went there just for the drinks!  There was much food and socializing to be had.  I was long overdue for a date night with Steph, and we figured the boys could tag along as well.  Thankfully, they're fun diners and were up for sharing a couple apps.  We ordered chips and guac, the chorizo with shrimp and scallops, and the chorizo and cheese croquetas.  All very yummy, though the chorizo with shrimp and scallops was a little small for 4 people (but perfect for one or 2) and the guac was nothing special.  For the entrées, Gav and I were on the same page and ordered the pork belly and Steph and Dave were apparently sharing a brain when they both ordered the fish taco special.  Maybe we should switch boyfriends.  The pork belly came with 3 mini tortillas so I could make my own little taco.  The belly was crispy and delish with a sweet mango/tomato relish to balance the spiciness.  Of course my fork wandered over to Dave's plate for the fish tacos, which were light with a corn salsa that had a definite kick to it.

The bill was high due to the amount of $13-$14 drinks we consumed, but the food itself was very reasonably priced.  Much like Death and Co. (they're owned by the same people), there's no such thing as a reservation, and they call your cell phone when your table is ready.  If you're smart like us, you'll get there by 8 PM to beat the crowds (our wait was not even long enough to finish a glass of wine at The Mermaid Inn around the corner)...or you'll try to pay the door guy.  The place is tiny but has charisma with the old world tiles and new world bright red lighting fixtures.  Thumbs up.

Food at the Flea

After over a month of waiting, the Hester Flea finally opened yesterday!  Raychel and I headed to Hester and Essex to check it out since the weather was so beautiful.  Raychel walked away with tons of loot (necklace, vase, earrings, ring), and I found some unique pottery.  Of course, I was primarily concerned with scoping out the food, and the vendors did not disappoint.

I love scoring a deal and finding my own personal treasure amidst piles of random artifacts (my 3 small clay bowls were only $15!).  I tend to take the same approach to food.  While I did not enjoy pushing my way through the [seemingly] millions of people and booths stuffed into a much-too-small area of a park, the food I consumed made up for it.  The food vendors were local and upscale.  I went intent on trying the lobster rolls from Luke's Lobster since they seem to have become practically world famous.  However, after seeing the line, I decided I could always go to their brick and mortar outpost at a later date and set my sights elsewhere.  It didn't take long to find the new object of my affection, an omelet station.  I never would have expected to find hipsters serving up made-to-order gourmet omelets at a flea market; but there they were, crammed between racks of vintage dresses and tables of costume jewelry.  There were 4 veggie-packed options (to which your choice of 3 cheeses is added), but for only $2 more (total: $10), I decided to go for The Full Monty with goat cheese, which included everything (kale, wild mushrooms, asparagus, tomatoes, and spiced cauliflower).  It was huge and more than satisfying.

I had to finish the meal with something sweet, so I grabbed a popsicle from the La Newyorkina stand.  They were all out of the Raspberry Hibiscus I wanted to try, and I wasn't feeling adventurous enough for the Avocado, so I went with Coconut.  It was so refreshing and clearly made with high quality ingredients.  The only part I didn't like was the chunks of coconut meat at the bottom - I'd rather slurp, not chew when I eat a popsicle, but to each his own.

I'll definitely head back to the Hester flea soon so I can give the other food vendors a chance and hopefully get lucky in the jewelry/housewares department.  My words of advice to future Hester Flea Marketers: go early.  It opens at noon, but by the time we left at 2:30, much of the vendors' stock had been depleted.  Good news for them, not so much for the shoppers.

Giving Friday Another Chance

I don't go out on Friday nights.  I'm too old for that.  After a long work week, all I want to do on Friday night is go home, slap on some pajama pants, and pass out while watching my DVRd episode of Real Housewives of New York.  However, due to the fact that this Friday was Rocio's birthday, I made an exception.

The birthday festivities were set to kick off at 10 at Los Feliz, so Matt, Jen, Richard, and I went to one of my top picks, Kuma Inn, for dinner beforehand since it happens to be right next door.  Kuma Inn serves Asian tapas for a very reasonable price with - wait for it - BYOB.  BYOBs are the jewels of Manhattan.  They help keep spending in check and usually come complete with a ready-to-have-fun type of crowd.  Kuma Inn is located in a Lower East Side tenement (there is no sign for the restaurant other than the name lightly spray painted on the doorpost).  It seems a little sketchy to walk up the grimy stairs, but once at the top, you will be pleased to find a very cute little restaurant.  We came hungry, so we got 2 orders of the pork buns (a must at Kuma Inn), Chinese sausage, coconut rice, grilled octupus (crispy on the outside, tender inside), tuna tartar, pork belly, and the steamed and fried rice crepes with kuma bolognese (a new fav).  After all that and the corkage fees for 3 bottles of wine, our bill only came to $30 a person with tip.  Diners, take note: it's cash only.

We were full and tipsy; in other words, we were ready to party.  Los Feliz was solid, but we didn't want the evening to stop there so after a few drinks, we headed to The Back Room for some speakeasy action.  Speakeasys are all the rage in NYC right now.  Everyone wants to feel like they're a cut above the riff-raff, and what better way than by securing access to a secret bar?  Walk through what seems to be an abandoned building that opens into a large, velvet wallpapered, mirrored room.  To provide the full Prohibition experience, beer is served in brown paper bags and all other drinks are in tea cups.  The vibe was nice, and it's always fun to go somewhere a little different...though I don't know that I would want to balance a saucer every single weekend.  There is a second, "secret", and highly exclusive bar within The Back Room and my goal is to one day hob-knob there.  Wish me luck.

So I guess going out on Friday night isn't so bad.  I may have to re-evaluate my mandatory Friday night chill policy...

Drinking from a tea cup.  Don't worry, it's still a Jack and Diet, duh.

Mac Daddy

One of my favorite ingredients is chorizo.  I can figure out a way to work it into almost any meal and dinner this week was no exception.  After a nice run on the tread, I came home ready to carbo-load, so I boiled up some pasta and started prepping the other fixins.  The chorizo went into a saucepan along with some shrimp (forgot I bought them the day before - bonus).  I wanted to make a cheese sauce so I faced a fear: the dreaded roux.  I know how to make a roux...I've just never done it, and the idea of the flour/butter/cream mixture turning lumpy if you look away for a mere moment frightened me.  I'm glad I tried, because it worked and made the mac and cheese creamy and delicious.  Bread crumbs added a nice crunchy contrast.

Mac and cheese is basically my favorite food (and it has to be said, no one's is better than my Mommy's).  With a little tweaking, mine may actually be as good as S'mac (and with a lot of practice, as good as Mommy Konter's).  S'mac is one of my favorite restaurants in the city.  The menu is made up of only mac and cheese dishes - each one better than the last.  The best part (well 2nd best because the taste is clearly the best) is the price.  The nosh (aka: small) is more food than you actually need and is only about $7.  My favorites are the La Mancha and the Cajun.  If you can't make it to my kitchen for mac and cheese, head to S'mac to satisfy your macaroni cravings.

My S'mac Substitute

Love is a Battlefield

Rant of the day: the dating world is scary.  Trust me; I know from personal experience.  I once went on a blind date with a boy who wore no undershirt under his white button-down in hot GA June weather.  I saw way more nipple than I wanted.  If I wanted a wet t-shirt contest, I would have gone to Spring Break in Cabo.  Don't worry, it's not all bad - Dave and I met on a blind date, and a year and a half later, I'm still not sick of him.  But after hearing the following 2 horror stories from the girl who sits next to me at work, I'm wondering if I am the exception rather than the rule...

1. My podmate, Zaneta, met her blind date for a trip on the Staten Island Ferry.  When they got to the wasteland that awaited them on the other side, he suggested that they take a 20 minute bus ride to a random mall and walk around like they were 14 (even though they were in their mid 20s).  After trekking to the middle of nowhere and boring my friend with stories of how he attends Anime conventions in costume, he had the nerve to tell her he "didn't think it's working out."  Oh, and he called her materialistic because she wore a little bit of make-up on the date.
2. Zaneta's buddy had it even worse this week. 

• Her date requested to meet at a very dive-y bar - an odd choice for a first date.  I love a good dive, but it's weird on a blind date when the bar is sticky and there are zero other patrons.  One seedy bar wasn't enough, so he decided to take her to 3. 
• They met at 6:30 - clearly too early for her to have eaten between work and the date - yet after about 2 hours she still had to suggest grabbing a bite.  McDonalds must have been all out of reservations because he decided to take her to Crocodile Lounge so he could buy a beer for himself and receive a free personal pizza for her, thereby freeing himself of the obligation to buy food.  Great place for trivia night...but they didn't go for trivia and he looked cheap.
• He was wearing a denim shirt with jeans.  Head to toe denim.  I may not be a fashion guru, but ew.
• He asked her if she was a good cleaner.  Why didn't he just ask how many goats she was worth or check if she had child-bearing hips?
• He is a graphic designer, but had never heard of graphic design software (she happens to be in the field and attempted to ask questions).  Do your homework before telling career lies.
• He had never heard of The Killers or the song "Mr. Brightside".  I'm no music buff, but even I know that song, so it struck me as slightly bizarre.

Men, let this be a lesson.  I'm not trying to be high-maintenance, but some behavior is unacceptable on a first date (or ever - that whole denim on denim thing is never ok).