New York Adventures

Bye- Bye Brooklyn

2011-06-07T15:30:00.004-04:00

I recall that my last post in Berlin was pretty easy to write. The year had far exceeded all of my expect- ations. I met some incredible people and was immensely grateful for all of the opportunities provided to me. I wanted to stay but was looking forward to seeing family and friends and starting a new job.

The exact same can be said about this New York Adventure. That said, this, my final New York Adventures blog post, seems more complicated. I arrived in New York not sure that I wanted to be there. Somewhat as I thought, New York proved to be noisy, smelly, driven by ridiculous wealth, packed with people (with an attitude) and teaming with skyscrapers.

But more accurately, New York is a city of extremes because it is also filled with quite spots (Governors Island), phenomenally smelling and tasting food (see most previous posts:-)), sparked by creativity and passion, loaded with genuinely kind people and full of small little brownstone apartments and hidden gems. As the end drew near, I didn't actually want to leave. As my fantastically NY neighbor said, "New York is like an old whore, she draws you in and you keep coming back for more." Oh my!

The last weekend was perfect. I couldn't resist one more visit to the Union Square Market on Saturday, where I enjoyed a chai latte from MUD and bought a Bucks County heirloom tomato. Why would I leave?? I met my dad for lunch and a sandwich in Times Square cost $20! Why would I stay? I couldn't resist planting one last round of impatiens in my flower boxes and that evening we ate dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Am I nuts to go?

On Sunday, Matt and I went to my beloved Iris Cafe and visited Governor's Island, where we spent the afternoon under the shade of a tree looking out on the Statue of Liberty. What could be better?

On Monday, we met in Washington Square Park for another chai and a strung out druggie asked if he could give me a hug. Time to head for the hills? I met Daniel and Sabrina at a fab French bistro on Atlantic Ave that I had never tried before (stay) and then saw a kid peeing on the street (go).

On Tuesday, after the move, it was bittersweet to see my oldest friend Drew for lunch at Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches and Christina and Heather for dinner (stay). But was woken that night by unruly college students and no fewer than five garbage trucks throughout the night (buh-bye). Please pardon the ramble, like I said, it's complicated.

So in closing, I feel blessed to have spent as much time as I did in the city. I am better for it and hope I left just a little midwest friendly for NY to enjoy:-) The results of 4.5 years-- a super boyfriend, more notable sightings/meetings than I could have ever imagined (still can't name drop), helping in Haiti and Japan, a few extra pounds, and a perspective that will forever be enhanced.

Adventures will continue! Check out Capital City Adventures as I reconnect with all my old friends, embark on lots of new adventures, try some new restaurants and see if I can cause just a few international incidents.

And until we meet again...

Hip in the Heights

2011-05-28T14:32:00.009-04:00

Men in Black 3 is filming in the Heights and Cobble Hill today, but the real star was on Clark Street. This hip hound would pop out of the sun roof every few minutes this afternoon creating minor paparazzi frenzies.

The End is Near but not before some food

2011-05-25T15:47:00.004-04:00

Well the world didn't end last week but the end of another kind is getting near.

I have accepted a new job in DC, finished my truly wonderful and memorable job here in New York City and today's the move to our nation's capital.

Unsurprisingly, my last weeks in the city have mostly involved food.

Colleagues took me to Maze by Gordon Ramsey, Cafe D'Alsace for delightful Alsatian and Maz Mexcal Mexican to say goodbye.

Then Jennie and Anuradha came to town for one last blow out NY weekend, which included DInosaur BBQ, MUD coffee/chai, Indian wraps at the Kati Roll Company (impressed), and Japanese Okonomiyaki at Yakitori Taisho (less impressed) and the Tea Spot/Wine Spot in the West Village all in one day. (Thankfully Anuradha gave up on her idea of dim sum for breakfast the next day!)

Matt and I have also had "last" visits to DiFara pizza (first tried in Dec 2007), Graziella's Italian and Dumont for the city's BEST mac and cheese and burgers (first tried in Sept. 2009.)

Over the weekend, after not being able to get into Studio Square Beer Garden for some awesome Sangria (boooo!), Matt took me to Court Pastry Shop for some water ice. WOW! Matt's lemon was delish and my big discovery was custard flavored water ice, which tasted a bit like cake batter, with nutmeg and pieces of nuts in it. Men in Black 3 was filming nearby so the streets were lined with 1950's and 60's cars and the street signs had been changed. Don't know that I'd normally go see pt 3 of a movie but it will be fun to see the old neighborhood.

One more post before I head off...

Springtime here and there

2011-04-10T17:14:00.005-04:00

Spring in DC means Cherry Blossom Festival time! I ran the festival's 10-miler race a number of years ago and did not enjoy it because it poured rain, was cold, windy and long. Fast forward to last fall, Katie, Noelle, Katy and I "won" the lottery to participate in the this year's race. Noelle was very dedicated to the training schedule, Katie Squared did their share of training too and I was doing okay until I missed 2 weeks of training because of Japan. The added pressure of this race is that you really can't walk because the roads have to reopen asap-- anyone not maintaining a 14 minute mile pace is picked up by the sweep bus. But come heck or high water, I was going to give it a try.

Here's the pre-race photo. Katie Squared ran together and Noelle and I brought up the rear. This year's race was infinitely better than the first time I ran it. We maintained our estimated pace and finished strong!

Spring has also sprung in Brooklyn. Flower Box Challenge 2011 has begun! I was not the first out of the gate but I've got corkscrew willow and ranuncula in my boxes! Take that neighbors!

And then there are those times...

2011-04-01T20:15:00.000-04:00

The Tokyo subway was clean, quiet, heck there was even a women only car that is used during rush hour.

Frankly I was horrified to return to the stinky, dirty, packed NYC subway and some of its riders with questionable manners. I even returned to a debate about whether food should be banned from the subway after 2 riders got into a fight over one eating spaghetti on board.

But just about the time I get ready to swear off the subway forever, I have cool subway moments.

Last night, the steal drum guy was at Fulton Street playing "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", while one person sold churros nearby and another sold light-up balls.

Last week, I heard the best subway performer ever! Violinist David Jonathan and his partner on a guitar played an acoustic version of the Train song "Hey Soul Sister." I bet that would be awesome as background music at a party or to dance to! Best of luck David!!

Tokyo pt. 3

2011-03-24T07:00:00.001-04:00

In the latest edition of "The World According to Erin," here are my top cultural observations from Tokyo...

Cultural experience #1- toilets. Not 10 minutes off the plane and I had my first cultural experience. There were two choices in the airport restrooms-- a hole or a toilet with buttons on it. My favorite was the music note button, which played the sound of a flushing toilet in case you didn't want others to hear you while you were doing your business. Fast forward to the hotel, my toilet had a heated seat and every time you sat down, the standby button lit up. Still unclear to me what I was "standing by" for but it made me nervous. On the way home, I read that these toilet seats are celebrating their 30th anniversary this month!

Cultural experience #2- runners. I stayed across the street from the Imperial Palace and Garden. The 5k loop around the moat was loaded with runners at all hours.

I was super jealous that I could not join them, especially considering that the loop is lined with cherry trees and I will soon (hopefully) be running the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in DC where the trees were donated by the people of Japan. I also loved Japanese running gear, which was much more colorful than you find here.

Cultural experience #3- cafes. Yes there was Starbucks and a chain called Excelsior Cafe, but there were also lots of cafes tucked into multi-story buildings, each with unique decor and menus. The great one near my hotel was Kojimachi cafe, whose food was international with a Japanese flare. Importantly, vegetarian options were noted on the menu! My sense (Japan experts correct me if I'm wrong) was that many meals in Japan were multi-course. I managed to order my rice with black-eye peas and salad but was pleasantly surprised when a root vegetable soup and bagel shaped sesame roll arrived before my meal and a little pumpkin cake arrived for dessert. I went into a bookstore and even found a book all about cafes in the Shibuya. Too bad I saw that 30 minutes before I had to leave.

Cultural experience #4-- masks. All over Tokyo I was struck by people wearing masks. You see this on tv, but it was surprising to see so many people using them-- 50% I would guess. What did they know that I don't!? I noticed lots of young couples where only one person was wearing a mask. Not the most romantic of looks! I was also surprised that no one was wearing designer masks. If this has become part of the culture, I would think that you could add a bit of style to the look. Matt was disappointed I didn't bring him one back as a souvenir.

Lots of vending machines... everywhere

Also orange cones everywhere... but these 5-footers were blog-worthy. What on earth!?

Breakfast during one of my 6am, 12-hour shifts. Japanese buns taste like sugary hamburger buns. Add to that a cup of green tea and you have a lovely Japanese breakfast

No idea what the story is here but I thought this was a sweet little statue. Seems like he is dressed in different attire depending on the week/month. I wonder if this is in tribute to the rescue workers in Sendai.

I guess this is a good note to end the Tokyo posts on. I really do keep all those effected by the disaster in my thoughts and prayers.

Tokyo pt.2

2011-03-23T07:00:00.015-04:00

A few good friends have lived in Japan but frankly I had never given much thought to visiting and Lost in Translation was, well completely lost on me.

But simply put, I am now a convert. I LOVE Tokyo!

There is nowhere I've been that has felt more foreign (mostly bec. of an inability to read signs) and yet safe, interesting and comfortable at the same time. And I was fascinated by many parts of the culture.

From a touristy point of view, I got to see the Yasukuni Shrine and the Shibuya part of town.

I was fascinated by the shrine because I've just never seen something like that before. (Okay, well maybe it reminded me of Japan at Epcot Center but I knew this was the real deal;-)) As I think about it, I am more used to touring churches and I guess this is the first country I've been to that isn't predominantly Christian.

The Shinto shrine is dedicated to the spirits of soldiers who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. I visited because I happened upon it while on a walk. But visits by others have been much more controversial. I later read that there are war criminals enshrined there and "many in the international and Asian community see visits by politicians as support for or complicity with Japanese nationalism, and denial of the events of World War II."

Statue of Ōmura Masujirō, which is Japan's first Western-style bronze statue. It honors Ōmura Masujirō, the "Father of the Modern Japanese Army."

Mr. Fish's GIANT Japanese cousin

The Shibuya crossing area is sometimes called Times Square Tokyo because of all of the lights, but only about 1/2 of them were on to conserve power as a result of the disaster.

The crossing is famous because vehicles stop in all directions, which means that pedestrians can cross in all directions. Ready, Set...

GO!!!! I walked diagonally across the inter- section just because I could.

I was psyched to be more adventurous with sushi but decided against it after convincing myself that while winds carrying anything from the Fukashima nuclear reactor out to sea was good news for people, it probably wasn't so great for the fish (my unscientific but firmly held belief:-)) I did, however, get adventuresome when I stopped for lunch at a little noodle shop and the waitress took me outside and had me point to the very realistic plastic model of which dish I wanted. (The only other thing she was able to communicate was her happiness when she saw the Yasukuni shrine brochure.) And did I go a whole week without pizza? OF COURSE NOT! We went to Pizza Mia and it was a very decent wood fired, Italian style pizza. Just what I needed!

In many ways this trip reminded me of going to Ulm, Germany for the first time-- quite an adventure but I realize that I've just scratched the surface... and I can't wait to go back!

Super Moon as seen from Tokyo. Do you see the Tokyo TV Tower in the background?

Important cultural observations tomorrow...

Tokyo

2011-03-21T18:08:00.009-04:00

We all woke up two Fridays ago to the devastating news of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The images were horrific.

I found out about it when I got a 6am call that my rapid deployment team was on standby. Wave of unknown size to hit Hawaii in one hour. Time to get the Haiti gear out of the loft. But the deployment call didn't come on Friday. So did that mean we were stood down? No. By the time I returned from a lovely run on Saturday morning, ready to enjoy a muffin and the NY Times, the call came... JAPAN!

WOW! Thankfully more than 1/2 of the Haiti team would be there too and we were departing on Sunday afternoon so we'd have to gather what we needed. This was going to be more of a cool weather operation and the weather said possible snow.

Once in Tokyo, we had a rough start when it took 30 minutes to find our other team members and an hour to get a cab because public transportation was not running (probably not many potential Amazing Race competitors among us!) First thing Tuesday morning, we reported to the embassy to get our assignment... and hard hats. Three of the consular members of our team were going to Sendai, where other RDTs had already deployed. The rest of us would work at the embassy or airport.

I determined that this was the duck and cover spot in the hotel room because there was already a flashlight attached to the leg of the desk.

I spent the next week at the embassy, in the ops center, liaising with teams in the field and embassy staff to help with "assisted departures" (not evacuation!) by bus and plane-- out of Sendai and then Japan. Much like the training in Nicaragua, every time we thought the situation was leveling off, we were thrown another curve ball and I imagine the Japanese people feel the same way. Earthquake... tsumani... aftershock... 20km exclusion zone around the nuclear reactor... 30km... aftershock... "assisted departure" by bus... bus trip lengthens to 10+ hrs when the exclusion zone increases to 50 miles... aftershock... charter planes...offering iodine tablets... water dumped on Fukashima reactors... By Wednesday, it was a strange feeling to realize that aftershocks were becoming the least of your worries.

In truth, I was disappointed not to go to the effected area myself. Colleagues who did described unimaginable destruction. But every deployment is different and I guess I was meant to stay in Tokyo this time.

Overall, we assisted around 200 Brits in the area of the earthquake/ tsumani. And there are no British casualties to date. I leave knowing we helped and hoping that we all continue to help the Japanese people. I was thoroughly impressed by the people. They have a long road ahead.

We worked very long shifts, so there was little time to see Tokyo. But I did manage to snap a few photos that I'll post tomorrow...

From Snow Storm to Tropical Paradise

2011-03-04T20:43:00.011-05:00

Again, blogging is suffering. But a visit to Naples to see Granny and Grandpa is definitely blog worthy!!

After a fantastic brunch on Sunday, we went on an alligator hunt and Grandpa found one almost immediately!

We thought he was heading to the shore to sunbathe but before we knew it, he was swimming threw the drainage pipe.

Kappy the Croc Hunter went after him! Somewhat frighteningly, the alligator never popped threw into the adjoining pond. Ala chipmunk on Cobb Creek, I was nervous that the gator was going to wind up in the toilet in the condo!

On Monday, we enjoyed a stroll on the pier before a sunset dinner on the beach. The pier was packed with fishermen (and poor recently caught fish gasping for oxygen:-( )

The birds were smart. They hung out directly below where the fish were being gutted. They had a feast...

...but so did we as we watched the Florida sun set. BEAUTIFUL!

Sunset Smiles

What would be a trip without pizza!? We tried Naples Pizza and I was very impressed. The Very Veggie pie was delish-- quality cheese, tasty crust and tangy sauce AND green olives. OH YEAH!

Dinner on Monday night found us at Bleu Provence, a phenomenal French restaurant in downtown Naples. The exceptional company definitely added to the experience, but this was also one of the best meals I think I've EVER had! Homemade smoked salmon with sweet potato blinis as an appetizer. Then, sea bass in a chablis beurre blanc sauce with velvety mashed potatoes and asparagus as the main course. THEN, molten chocolate cake with coffee ice cream and raspberry coulis for dessert. A lovely glass of pinot grigio complemented the whole meal. After dinner, I announced my retirement and decided to stay in Naples... but alas I think I might have to work for a couple more years. Thank you G&G for a MARVELOUS weekend!

Prospect Park Creations

2011-01-29T21:21:00.002-05:00

Prospect Park was a sea of sledders, a dog sled and dozens of snow creations. What's better than snow!? A bit tricky to get the contrast right in these photos, but you can see most of them.

Don't even think about it:-)

A man and his best friend

I am always amazed at the number of adults sledding right along with the kids!

Snowman in a go-cart!

Dog sled!!!! I think Kayla needs to do this with Quinn and Maisie:-)

Is it safe to go back in the snow?

Sun bathing

A chick that a bit too early for Easter

Lovely hair-do

Mr. Bear

A dragon in the background and a GIANT squid in the foreground.

Ski Lady in the Gray Lady

2011-01-28T23:10:00.003-05:00

This proves that it was TOTALLY UNSAFE to go to work on Thursday!

Here's a closer up ">slide show

Snow in the Heights

2011-01-27T08:55:00.005-05:00

Whistling in the New Year

2011-01-01T17:44:00.012-05:00

After a lovely fondue dinner, Matt and I decided to celebrate the New Year at Pratt University. Why? Pratt boasts the oldest continuously-operating, privately owned steam-powered electrical generating plant in the United States. The chief engineer also collects steam whistles, which he sets off every year on New Years Eve.

From blocks away, the whistling cut through the heavy, slight foggy air and quiet of the night.

We found a use for the large snow piles;-)

People played the set of whistles starting at around 11pm. (Video tomorrow). But once the clock stuck midnight, giant whistles were set off and sounded like the Titanic was sailing through Clinton Hill.

The lighting from the street lamps was the perfect backdrop for the steam.

Happy 2011!!!

If you have never visited Pratt, I recommend coming to see its sculptures, which cover the grounds. The steam was an erie and amazing backdrop.

Abelskivers

2010-12-28T14:42:00.005-05:00

My dad and grandparents first had abelskivers, which are Danish pancake balls, on a ski trip in Colorado. Ever since, they have been a Taylor family favorite... though only an occasional treat because they are a bit tricky to make.

My dad whipped out the special pan yesterday morning and tested his skills. Just like riding a bike... might be a bit rusty at first but you never really forget how to do it...

Delish!!

First, fill the 7 dimples of the pan with 2TBS of batter each

The batter will start to bubble on the sides of the pan

Then give the abelskivers a 1/4 turn

Add a blueberry (or any other treat) to the center of abelskiver before turning all the way over

Allow the ball to fully form and cook for another few seconds before removing from the pan

YUM!!

What I did on Christmas vacation, by Erin

2010-12-27T10:58:00.004-05:00

Matt and I pimped out a gingerbread house we bought at Target (okay actually that was a couple weeks ago)

On the real first day of vacation, Matt and I headed to Philly to spend the afternoon with Katy, Noelle and their new hubbies. After a Pat's cheesesteak, outside, in 30 degree weather (I'm told they really are THAT good), we enjoyed perusing the Reading Terminal Market and Christmas Village. Props to the Christmas Village, which really does look and most importantly smell like a German Christmas market. I even sniffed out some gluhwein from the Chaddsford Winery! We were very glad though to get back to the warmth of Katy's new apartment. It's lovely and Katy was the hostess with the mostest!

We had a wonderful Christmas morning (even though I didn't follow through on my threat to purchase my parents a new dog.) For dinner, we swapped our traditional Greek themed dinner for Italian, complete with Eggplant Rolantini Marinara from Christopher's Deli, which I have previously rated as one of my favorite eggplant dishes in the country.

Santa brought me one more present-- a Boxing Day Blizzard! I'd say Newtown received about 9 inches. I'm a bit bummed to be away from my XC skis and 17 inches of snow, both of which are in Brooklyn this morning. But being with family is just as nice... plus my dad made abelskivers! More on that tomorrow...

Fulton Street Subway Jam

2010-12-12T07:58:00.000-05:00

This guy is Matt and my favorite subway musician!

Birdie Bonanza

2010-12-11T08:49:00.007-05:00

Remember those berries from my last post that just made my window boxes pop?

Seems that they are a birdie favorite too (the blue juniper berries too)

Gosh darn it! I wonder if Michael's sells fake red berries...

Merry Christmas in Brooklyn Heights

2010-12-06T07:43:00.004-05:00

Vermont Pizza

2010-11-29T10:07:00.000-05:00

For anyone concerned that I might have been forced to forgo my 6th food group while on vacation, have no fear. Stowe has at least two pizzerias that I got to try.

Pizza #1- Pie in the Sky
Katie and I tried a red onion, feta and spinach pie. Good combo of toppings, although we get credit for that. The highlight of this pie is it's sauce. It's a bold and sweet flavor. The mozz also seemed very creamy and complimented the sauce nicely, however it was hard to give it a total yea or nay because the pizza had cooled down a bit between the village and the lodge.

Pizza #2- Piecasso
On Monday night we enjoyed a ricotta and broccoli pie. Again, props to Katie for a good topping combination. The highlight of a Piecasso pie is the crust. It was a wonderfully airy and chewy crust with a freshly baked flavor.

Pie in the Sky edges Piecasso by a nose. But all skiers should go to bed safe in the knowledge that any apres ski pizza hankerings would be completely fulfilled at either spot.

Vermont in pictures

2010-11-28T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Lodge. Employees were stringing lights in all of the bushes and on trees that line the second floor balcony. I can only imagine how beautiful it will look between now and Christmas.

Downtown Stowe. One of the cheese shops we patronized even had an owner who looked like Bob Newhart.

View of the village from the north.

Katie believes Erdine is an age progression of what she'll look like in 50 years. Oh Katie!

I found a friend too:-)

Cows

2010-11-27T17:30:00.000-05:00

While Katie was jogging one day, (read: getting very lost and trying to convince a USPS employee to give her a ride back to the lodge) she found the Van Trapp cows. I drove down the mountain with her to have a look.

Katie just knew this cow wanted to be friends with her.

But I convinced her that she should avoid kissing the cow.

But she still got a hand kiss:-)

The hills are alive with the sound of music

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T21:44:00.003-05:00

More on Vermont tomorrow.

But for now, the Taylors wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday!

(29 days until Christmas:-o)

Peppermint Schtick

2010-11-22T19:17:00.003-05:00

Katie and I visited Ben & Jerry's today and are pleased to recommend their new holiday flavor-- Peppermint Schtick, which is peppermint ice cream with chocolate covered peppermint pieces!

We took the tour and also got to sample Triple Carmel Chunk. I would have never selected that at the store but it was super too!

More tomorrow!

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Exhaustion...

2010-11-20T19:03:00.005-05:00

... Go on a vacation to the Van Trapp Lodge!! Oh yeah!!

Katie visited Stowe, Vermont for cross country camp during high school. But we have always wanted to visit the Van Trapp Family Lodge. When we didn't end up going to Italy, Vermont seemed like a great alternative.

The mountains don't open until next week but we've enjoyed some great sightseeing, food, yoga and winery.

For Katie's birthday dinner, we tried the Green Mountain Inn. I loved my mushroom and chevre raviolis with butternut squash sauce. Katie enjoyed her apple, Cabot cheddar chicken with an apple cider reduction.

Yesterday, after a run on the trail that Katie remembered from high school, we enjoyed a bit of breakfast at the cafe on the Van Trapp property.

As THE SNOW STARTED FALLING, we warmed up by the fire and enjoyed a cinnamon scone (they must have known I was coming;-))

We headed towards the Boyden Valley Winery via the Smugglers Notch Pass. Unfortunately we failed to realize that the road is closed in the winter. But on the upside, we got to watch some diehard skiers walking up the mountain with skis and snowboards on their backs and then skiing down. I can only imagine how the town and mountains crank during the weekend.

Also on the upside, we drove to the winery via Morrisville and found lunch that was The Bees Knees. Literally. The Bees Knees cafe served mean mac & cheese with caramelized onions and a quiche with Vermont cheddar, sun dried tomato, green beans and kale. The atmosphere was quintessentially relaxed, crunchy, friendly Vermont.

We were glad we pushed on to the winery for a tasting of everything from rhubarb wine, ice cider and ice red wine, and glogg. How cool (and hot)... not your average winery.

More adventures tomorrow!

Out and About at Borough Hall

2010-11-13T10:57:00.002-05:00

Sad news at the farmers market today... the grape ladies from Buzzard Crest Vineyards are gone! They are the highlight of my early to mid fall. I knew their season was coming to an end but hoped they'd still have a few more Mars grapes for me today. Oh well, something to look forward to next year.

Fun news is that Too Big to Fail, a movie about Andrew Ross Sorkin's book about the financial meltdown, is filming around borough hall today. The dressing room doors said "Pelosi," "Grasley," and "Durbin" on them. Let's just hope the real Nancy stays in DC!

Marathon Sunday

2010-11-07T17:47:00.004-05:00

How can one not be inspired by a day like today-- NYC Marathon Sunday!

I watched in Brooklyn, in hopes of seeing the men's and women's lead pack, members of the Achilles Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans, a colleague and Richard Whitehead who is the world fastest double amputee marathon runner (and a Brit.) Missed my colleague but saw everyone else, PLUS Edison Pena, one of the rescued Chilean miners, Jared from Subway and guy dressed in orange body suit (among other characters:-))

Well done everyone!!

Totonnos

2010-10-31T21:22:00.004-04:00

Just as Matt and my pizza tour was kicking into high gear a couple years ago, a pizza tragedy struck. Totonno's pizza in Coney Island, one of the grand dames of pizza places, was hit by a fire. It was closed for quite a while but reopened about 10 months ago.

Last month, Matt and I finally made it down to Neptune Ave to see how Totonnos stacked up. We expected a super long line, but thankfully we were one of only 4 couples in the restaurant. We made a rookie move and asked for a menu-- the menu is above the front counter. But we recovered. We ordered a 1/2 plain, 1/2 garlic from Louise, the owner, who wasn't midwest friendly but seemed happy enough to have us there.

Check out Small Bites blog for another interesting review and photos.

Wow, do we love Totonnos. Mike (who I think looks like you know who from You Can't Do That on Television) makes a mean pie. The bottom of the pie was nicely charred by the coal oven, but not too charred. The crust was soft and chewy. The cheese was enough for me but not too much for Matt. The sauce was nice and tangy. I preferred the plain but the garlic was good too.

How would it fit in my top 10 list? Definitely top 5! It compares most closely to Lombardis and Grimaldis, but it is probably my favorite of those three by a slice.

Month in Review

2010-10-24T21:36:00.004-04:00

A one month blog hiatus... Wonder if I should stop until the new year... or maybe 5 years of blogging needs to be enough. I don't know.

But I've done some fun things in the last month, here's an update:

Heather and I continued our city walks with a stroll across the Manhattan Bridge. I've now walked BMW-- the Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg Bridges!

And Mom and I took a road trip with Katie to Scranton, PA, where she ran the Steamtown Marathon. Well Done Kater!

While in Scranton, we began to hear that Old Forge, PA was the "pizza capital of the world." Of course I could not leave town without testing that title. Not every restaurant is open on Sunday, but we were glad that Revellos was! As the photo shows, Old Forge pizza is square. The crust is light, almost like foccacia or those prebaked rolls you buy frozen at the store and heat at home. The sauce is tangy, a good tomato flavor, with even a little bit of spice. I read that the cheese is brick American cheese. Frankly, after 26 miles, Katie would have eaten anything. And I am always up for a new kind of pizza. That said, I will not be racing back to Old Forge for pizza any time soon. The cheese melted to the point that it was gummy and stuck to the roof of your mouth. Definitely not full milk moz or grated grana padano. Seems that the title of pizza capital of the world has more to do with the pizza shop per citizen ratio-- I forget what the number is but puts NYs ratio to shame. I don't like to give bad reviews, but the pizza capital of the world title seems to do more with quantity than quality in this humble blogger's opinion.

Tunnel to Towers

2010-09-29T08:03:00.005-04:00

It was wonderful to have my cousins Nathaniel and Jon in town to run the Tunnel to Towers Race. Nathaniel and his buddies are Fire Fighters in Rochester Hills Michigan so they ran the race in some of their gear. The bummer was that we did not see them in the race (bummer, don't think that's ever happened to me in a race) but it was fun nevertheless and the guys are already planning for next year.

No recent posts

2010-09-25T09:17:00.002-04:00

Because I still can't figure out what is cooler than a clandestine grilled cheese. Hmmm, what about a clandestine coal oven to make pizza?

BUT, the next cool adventure is just around the corner. Nathaniel, Jonathan and two of their firefighter buddies arrive in NYC today to run the Tunnel to Towers run tomorrow morning. The race honors Steven Stiller, a firefighter who ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in all of his gear to help at the Twin Towers on 9/11. Nathaniel recently became a fire fighter and plans to run the race in some of his gear in honor of Steven.

Photos on Monday, promise!!

Do you tip a drug dealer?

2010-09-05T20:20:00.000-04:00

I have no idea... but I did tip my grilled cheese sandwich dealer who showed up on a random street corner with a perfectly cooked grilled cheese sandwich in his man bag. Really! Okay, here's the story...

A few weeks ago, the New York Post ran a story about Mr. Bread Butter Cheese, who has started a mini grilled cheese empire by making sandwiches in his apartment for people who text him orders. His business has grow from a few friends to a following so large that he had to take his number off of his Facebook page. I was lucky enough to get a hold of the number, and took it for a spin on Monday.

I texted at noon to ask if I could get a sandwich at 6pm. Sure thing, he texted right back. "I'm making pepper jack and bacon today. Sound good?" Since text is no place to explain my complicated relationship with bacon, I decided to ask for a veggie option-- cheddar and jalapeno it was! He told me which corner to be at and the deal was in the works.

He texted again at 10 minutes to six to make sure I was going to show up. OF COURSE! "But how will I know you," he asked. I texted a brief description of myself and the deal was set. The appointed street corner has a gas station on it. Not exactly the dark alley I was envisioning but whatever. I saw a guy on a skateboard approaching. Was this him? My grilled cheese delivered on a skateboard? Rad! No, the skateboard scooted by. But before too long, a guy in sunglasses carrying a black messenger bag approached and asked if I wanted a sandwich. Um, YEA!

Mr. BBC was incredibly nice and seemed quite excited about his growing empire. He promised to remember that I am veg and I promised to text again soon. He said the sandwich would reheat nicely in about 5 minutes in the oven. But there was no way I was going to wait that long. I high tailed it to a park and unwrapped the cheesy goodness! As the "low bluesy tone of a saxophone" played nearby and skateboarders took a break on the step next to me, I dug in! A true New York adventure!

The sandwich was wonderful! The bread is white and slightly thicker than your average store bought slice. It is nicely buttered and browned. The cheese was a flavorful white cheddar that had melted lovingly around the peppers, which had a kick but weren't spicy.

And of course, in a city of over 8 million people, who walked by as I was stuffing my face... an intern from work. What was I doing? Where do I begin?

If food trucks were 2010, home cooked specialties must be 2011. A guy was doing the same thing with lobster rolls...until the DOH shut him down. Bummer! Unfortunately Mr. BBC is running the same risk. I hope the city doesn't catch up with him anytime soon. With grilled cheese that good, he's got to be running a safe operation, right!? Got to be cleaner than those yucky restaurant basements, whose open door you're liable to fall down as you walk on any sidewalk in the city!

The OC...

2010-09-02T22:00:00.005-04:00

The PA Taylors headed to Ocean City New Jersey over the weekend to enjoy one last summer weekend. Perfection!!

The weather was awesome and this year, for the first time in 18 years, we exchanged the 14th street bath house for a 1 bedroom suite at the Flanders Hotel. What an improvement!

Our old tradition was to drive to OC, spend the day on the beach, boogie board our hearts out, clean up at the bath house, have an early dinner at the Beach Club and then brave a 2 hour ride home... at least we were able to shower off the yucky salt water and sand but it made for a very long day.

Instead, this year we enjoyed a flounder dinner on the boardwalk, at the Beach Club, and then headed for Johnson's Carmel Corn (another tradition) and were able to leisurely stroll on the boardwalk and then retire to our lovely room.

Saturday, my mom felt that part of the experience was getting up at 6am to watch the sun rise over the boardwalk. I did not agree, but I caught a beautiful glimpse as I rolled over in bed!

After a boardwalk breakfast at Clancy's, it was time to hit the beach. I'm happy to report that 4 Taylors went in the water, 3 Taylors walked the beach, 2 Taylors went in twice and we only saw 1 jelly fish!! Between swimming, snoozing, reading and people watching, we could have stayed on the beach all day. The waves were big because of Danielle a couple hundred miles off shore. Amazing!

For lunch, my dad heard that Mack and Manco was THE place for pizza. Others obviously heard that too because the line was crazy...not DiFara crazy but longer than we wanted to wait for a slice. Thankfully, the line wasn't long at DeFuscos (think that's what it was called.) It was a classic, solid NY slice. I would definitely be a repeat customer if I was a local!

We headed a bit inland to the Crab Shack for dinner. Another recommendation, it did not disappoint. The jumbo lump crab cakes were top 2 or 3 in my book and they were served with a baked potato, which I haven't had in ages and apple sauce that tasted like Christmas!

The evening went up and down from there. Dad, Katie and I decided a ferris wheel ride would be a fun way to see the boardwalk. Unfortunately Katie and I are big sissies and slightly freaked when the wheel started to move. But we enjoyed it in the end and even suggested a spin on the Tilt-o-whirl, because "they were so fun growing up." Or were they?

This is the pre-tilt-o-whirl photo. I planned to take photos during the ride but since I screamed and closed my eyes approximately 3 seconds after the ride started that was not possible. And one of the three of us spent the rest of the night feeling a bit under the weather:-o

Breakfast the next morning at Chat and Chew and then we headed home. Thanks mom and dad for a fun end to the summer:-)

Wedding Bells

2010-08-30T19:29:00.009-04:00

August has been a joyous month...The Month Of The WeddingS!

It started with Katy's bachelorette party in New York.
From a sail around New York harbor aboard the old Shearwater sailboat, to dinner at Jane, karaoke at Pulse and a bedroom themed bachelorette brunch in Brooklyn Bridge Park, it was an action-packed (yet tasteful;-)) weekend. I highly recommend the Shearwater! This was the second time I've been on it, and have been amazed both times at how professional the staff is and how much fun I have.

Karaoke at Pulse was also a ball. I know, I know, you're saying, "but Erin you hate karaoke." So I thought!! But I picked Pulse because you can also play Rock Bank, which I became addicted to at Noelle's last year. Minus points to Pulse because they couldn't get Rock Band to work properly. And message to them, offering people a shot every time something goes wrong does NOT fix the problem. However, I had rented a private karaoke room so we switched to that and had a riot singing our (off key) hearts out.

August continued in Rochester, New York, at the wedding of Matt and Tricia, on a hill overlooking Lake Ontario. Matt was a fellow fellow in Germany. Their ceremony reminded me of what it must be like to get married at Jolli Lodge, overlooking Lake Michigan, except for the missing Manitou Islands:-) It was a lovely service, where Matt and Tricia wrote their own vows and had friends read poems and excerpts from the stories that were significant to them. They fulfilled every guy's dream and served Dinosaur BBQ for dinner. And they topped the evening with a cupcake wedding "cake"-- hundreds of mini cupcakes in flavors like PB&J (my fav!) and strawberries and champagne. The evening concluded at a local bowling alley, which was also a blast. Who knew New York State was so vast, but we had a nice drive up to Rochester and really though Webster was a nice area!

And last but certainly not least, Katy's wedding to Tyler on August 21, 2010. I feel blessed that I could be part of such a special day for one of my oldest and dearest friends.

The weekend started with a bridesmaid lunch at Katy's parent's house. Tea sandwiches were just what the bridesmaids (all 11 of them, plus 3 junior bridesmaids and a flower girl!!) needed to get ready for the rehearsal. [Cooks note: check out these cucumber tea sandwiches...pretty and tasty... though we used chive cream cheese instead of Tofutti.] The rehearsal dinner at The Black Bass Inn along the Delaware River was picturesque. And everyone was in bed early (well at least I was!) to get ready for the big day.

Katy looked beautiful in a Vera Wang gown and chandelier earrings. Tyler was styling in the suit Katy made him wear;-) The reception at Font Hill castle in Doylestown almost matched the elegance of the bride...almost. Congratulations Katy and Tyler!

Arthur Avenue

2010-08-19T08:12:00.005-04:00

I've tried to get Matt to come with me to the San Gennaro festival (mid-September!) in Little Italy for 3 years without success... "Little Italy is so touristy. The real Italians are up on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx." I still want to go to the festival (Matthew, take note;-)) But Matt's argument got major support when Bobby Flay did his eggplant parmigiana Throwdown at Mike's Deli in the Bronx.

So to the Bronx we went.

Oh my gosh it was so good. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Let me have a moment...

Okay, so back to the eggplant parm. The success of the dish lies in the thinly sliced eggplant, very light breading and quality sauce and mozzarella cheese. I really enjoyed the basil on top too! The grilled Italian bread was the perfect sauce soper-upper.

I can't make eggplant parm to save my life but I do consider myself to be quite the connoisseur. So whose the best? For years, the honor has gone to Salvatore Scallopini in the Detroit area (with Granny holding the record for the best baked version, Ted's Deli in Burlington, NJ for the best rollanti and a new Italian place in Newtown having the best roasted eggplant roll.) Am I prepared to declare a new winner? As much as I don't want to dethrone anything in Detroit, Mike's Deli takes the top spot by a thin slice of eggplant.

Mike's also had great sandwiches. Matt enjoyed his Raging Bull, which is supposed to have hot sopressata and sharp provolone. Not sure that it had the cheese on it, but he liked it whatever it was.

On my next journey to the Bronx I will definitely be placing a catering order for a whole tray of eggplant goodness!

King of Corona

2010-08-16T19:48:00.004-04:00

Paul Simon sings about Rosie, the Queen of Corona. But I recently visited the King of Corona...the Lemon Ice King of Corona to be exact!

Matt and I took a drive to Corona Queens to try some of the King's famous Italian ice. We both got lemon, which I can report was very good! It's better than the Italian ice you get in paper cups at the grocery store because it was soft enough to eat like ice cream and had a natural lemon flavor. But it's different (and not as good as) Rita's Water Ice, which I like because it's slushier and has bits of lemon in it.

The Lemon Ice King has over 3 dozen flavors. Now that tops Rita's! But my other slight beef is that you aren't allowed to mix flavors in one cup. But have no fear, I'll go back to try the others...well most of the others-- not so sure about licorice flavor:-P

Adding to the adventure, the nearby park has a bocce ball court, where some old Italian guys were involved in a serious competition!

With a hat like this, I think we might have found The Queen!

Minetta Tavern

2010-08-12T18:02:00.002-04:00

It is only right that Captain Carnivore should provide a guest post about Minetta Tavern...

My birthday was in February, but its stunning conclusion did not occur until mid July. Why? Because Erin and I are simply not cool enough to get a reservation at Minetta Tavern. Recently taken over by new owners and chefs, people such as Madonna and Gwenth Paltrow have taken to it like a fish to water. As a result we had to make a reservation 30 days in advance and could only get a weekday at 6pm.

I would have waited a year. The star attraction at Minetta Tavern is the Black Label Burger. Sourced from meat king Pat LaFrieda, who has created custom blends for many New York restaurants, this piece of meat was unlike any I have ever had. It has no peers. This burger continues the 80/20 ratio of meat to fat that is considered the standard for top burgers-- anything more is too much fat and creates flare up and anything less is too lean to have good flavor. This is not grass fed beef either, which, while humane simply does not have the flavor of corn fed beef. Anyway, this burger is an 8oz blend of dry aged rib eye (the same rib eye steak on the menu for $90), skirt steak, and brisket. They literally grind dry aged rib eye steak for the blend. If you want to know why the burger costs $26, this is why. Dry aged prime beef is very expensive. Now, it’s rare that something, anything, that receives this much hype actually lives up to the fanfare…but this burger does! I ordered mine medium. While not on the menu, they say you can get cheese, but really shouldn’t, so I didn’t. It also comes with caramelized onions which I usually don’t like, but this is how the chef prepares it so this is how I wanted it!

My burger arrived exactly as it was in the picture/card Erin gave to me on my birthday telling me she would take me here for dinner (quick side bar..isnt Erin the best!). [ET: I really didn't add this!] I did take a french fry first, which was fried and salted very nicely, then grabbed for the Black Label Burger. Taking a moment to let the anticipation subside, I took a bite of the beef that must be served in Heaven. It is so hard to put into words because it is unlike any burger you have ever had. [ET: don't think Matt's ever smiled so big in his life. Don Mattingly could have sat next to us and Matt would not have noticed!] The onions are just sweet enough to provide a light and crunchy flavor, while still letting the beef take center stage. If you don’t cook the beef right than nothing is going to work, and this was cooked more than perfect, just slightly pink in the middle. A very nice salty crust formed on the top of the burger, and you bite through that and the onions into a blend of beef that tastes like eating a steak. The burger is loosely packed yet stays in form and molds itself to the bun. I didn’t want to finish it; I let the last bite sit on the plate for a few minutes. When I was done, I wanted another.

I think Erin had a salad and a crab cake special, but I was so immersed in beefy glory she could have been eating crown rack of lamb and I might not have known. [ET: yes, I had a crab cake and a salad with warm goat cheese spread on baguette toasts. Not willing to declare a new crab cake champ, but I give Minetta props for a solid crab cake, with very little filler and a fresh, buttery crab flavor.]

[ET: you can also tell how much Matt loved his burger because he didn't mention our drinks, which I also enjoyed. I had a Stormy Cider, with fresh apple cider, rum, spices and lemon. Matt had a Blood and Sand with whiskey, cherries, oranges and vermouth. Both yummy...but mine was better!]

The Latest Pizza List

2010-08-04T08:42:00.002-04:00

10. Krunch grandma slice
9. Lucali
8. Fascati and Joes
7. Keste
6. Grimaldis
5. Motorino
4. Lombardis
3. Johns
2. Artichoke (though if I was awarding a posthumous award, it would still go to Anselmos)
1. DIFARA...really, who could knock the king from his pedestal. But what is all of this talk about his son franchising!?

Pizza review

2010-08-04T07:41:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted about pizza in a while. Of course this is not because I haven't been eating anything from my 5th food group! So here's where I've been.

Motorino (Williamsburg)- After a mixed experience at Motorino in the East Village, Matt and I wanted to give the original Motorino a try. The original is definitely better than the sequel!! I enjoyed a margherita DOC with buffalo mozzarella and Matt loved the pizza with soppressata. The buffalo mozz made an important difference in the overall flavor of the pie. The sauce had a good tomato flavor and the crust was nicely charred, soft and light.

Keste Pizza and Vino (Village)- Keste has entered the packed pizza scene in a packed pizza area (Joes and Johns nearby) but has made its mark in my pizza book:-) Keste is tiny but we were there early enough that getting a table wasn't a problem. I ordered the Ortolana-- artichokes, mushrooms, fresh moz and tomatoes. Minus points for not removing the mushrooms that I asked them to. But otherwise, this was a good pie! Flavorful cheese and high marks for the sauce and crust. Matt got the Regina Margherita with grape tomatoes and loved it!.

Paulie Gee's in Greenpoint-- Another Matt pick. I absolutely love their decor!! Tables and lights are made from reclaimed items and the bar has a built in booth. Mixed review on the pizza. Matt loved it and ranks it as his top pick (after DiFara of course!) He had the King Harry, with Fior di Latte, Italian Tomatoes, Prosciutto di Parma, Pecorino Romano, Olive Oil and Fresh Basil. I liked the crust-- piping hot, soft and light. But I didn't feel there was enough cheese or that the sauce had enough kick to it. Even Matt said he wanted more Prosciutto on his. I did think he did a good job with the amount of basil. And additional points to Paulie Gee himself, for working the dining room and making sure customers were happy. Location seems to be a bit tough but then again so is Midwood. Good luck Mr Gee!! (P.S. Captain Carnivore is now addicted to the Mexican Coke that you offer!)

So where do these reviews leave my top 10 list? List tomorrow.

Day 2 in the City That Never...Cools Down

2010-07-27T08:39:00.007-04:00

Stop #1 on Saturday was the Highline park.

Looks like Katie is ready to free fall.

View of the park looking south.

We came across a fun photo shoot.

Lovely stained glass.

Friends apartment. Katie and Ellie pondering how it was that Monica, Chandler, Joey and Rachel could actually afford such a nice spot on Bedford and Grove:-)

Whatcha doing? Eattin Ethiopian with my hands in Park Slope.

Falafel sandwiches in the West Village and shopping on Broadway also found there way into the day but we were too focused on both of those activities to take photos;-)

Taylor Triad Day One

2010-07-26T07:36:00.006-04:00

Temps were going to be steamy but nothing was going to stop me and Katie from having an awesome time with Ellie who came to visit us over the weekend.

Stop one: Cheeky Sandwiches on the Lower East Side.

Upside- roasted beet, butternut squash and goat cheese sandwich!! Major YUM!

Downside--getting hit with some kind of stinky city ooze on our way from the subway. It was like we were slimed al a You Can't Do That on Television. Okay, maybe not that bad, but how did it hit all of our heads, both of my shoulders, one of Katie's and Ellie's forehead? We were still talking about it after lunch, which then caused us to accidentally leave the store without paying. We ran back as soon as I remembered. Our honesty was rewarded with some beignets. WE LOVE CHEEKY!

The Pickle Guys and Economy Candy were the next stops on our stroll. After picking up some half and full sours and Teaberry gum, we were heading north to be Dashing Divas.

I could say that we were all in need of a mid-summer pedicure, but really, do you need a reason to get a pedicure?! It was just good cool relaxing fun:-)

In the evening, we heading back into the city to watch Goonies, which was being shown on the flight deck of Intrepid. With pizza in hand, we climbed the 7 flights of stairs to the flight deck and got a great spot. We had a fun dinner--Hell's Kitchen Pizza makes a great Grandma slice! But unfortunately mother nature had a different idea for the movie. Dark clouds and lightning were on the march from the north. The MC was optimistic but Ellie declared that the storm was heading our way. She was correct! Once a tornado warning was issued, it was time to get off of the giant metal ship! Oh well, reason #1 that Ellie has to come back next summer:-)

The rain had stopped by the time we got back to Brooklyn. So the evening ended with some fudgesicles on the Promenade to see the city skyline.

What a fun day! On to Saturday...

I hope no one was in there

2010-07-23T21:22:00.003-04:00

spotted on Hicks Street on Thursday afternoon.

????????

Up North 2

2010-07-16T07:25:00.002-04:00

thanks to Katie for her photos.

Should have mentioned before, to see a slideshow, click the play button at the bottom of the images. To see larger images, click the big play button.

Up North

2010-07-12T23:02:00.001-04:00

Here's the first batch of photos from my camera. Heaven!!

The Stuff That Sustains Me

2010-07-12T16:25:00.002-04:00

It's been a historic and fun but stressful few weeks. What have I been up to? Bummer, can't really say.

BUT, what I can say is that Iris Cafe in Brooklyn Heights is responsible, in great part, for keeping me going since the beginning of June. Whether I had a rare day off and was trying to chill or was heading to work on the weekend, Iris Cafe was always the first stop! The new cafe on Columbia Place is a cool, original, friendly, tasty, most welcome addition to the Heights. My favorite item on the menu is the gingerbread muffin. Yes, I have been known to get two, they are just that good. They are super moist, just ginger enough flavored but not too spicy.

Today I had a biscuit with homemade raspberry jam, which was also enjoyable. Heartier breakfasts include yogurt with granola and hard and soft boiled eggs served a variety of ways. Fresh baguettes (French and Italian) with jam or ham and cheese also look delish! And all of that is just for breakfast. Lunch options look fantastic too.

My only slight criticism (and with all due respect to my cousins who have adorable children) is that on the weekends there are so many kids and strollers that I wondered whether I had mistakenly walked into a Gymboree class or a Park Slope bar. I know, I know, give me a few years and I'll be in the exact same boat...why can't I have my kids and eat my gingerbread muffin too? I'm just saying...

Related, most people know that Lake Michigan runs through my veins. And I am thrilled to say that I am just wrapping up the annual recharge of my batteries in Northern Michigan. Some years there's something new in the cottage. Some years, there is a new restaurant in town. This year, the new addition to Leland was Captain Carnivore. While it was not possible to pack 30 years of fun into Matt's first 5 day trip Up North, I think he got enough taste (he really did taste the lake) that we might get him to go back next year:-)

Up North photos tomorrow.

GOOALLLLL

2010-06-12T15:21:00.007-04:00

World Cup day, USA vs England! How exciting!

I mean not as exciting as being in Germany four years ago, but still exciting!

In Brooklyn, it looked like things were starting early at The Chip Shop and Flyods.

Happy South Korean fans were cheering outside at 10am this morning. My tailor and his wife are South Korean. There is a language barrier between us but they were thrilled to try to tell me about the game.

I saw a guy walking towards Floyds with an American flag shirt on, ala country western singer from 1992, but today it worked:-)

I will avoid trash talk for obvious reasons :-) But go USA!

Here's my only editorial comment...enough with the vuvuzela already!! How annoying was that in the background for 90 minutes.

The Celebration

2010-06-07T19:50:00.003-04:00

Last year I celebrated my birthday with this fantastic cake.

And so this year, to mark a special birthday, I had another special and timely cake!

Couldn't ask for more!!! Thanks family!

One of those days

2010-06-01T21:15:00.003-04:00

Have you ever have one of those...

did I even eat lunch,

the girl next to me on the subway smells like a dog fart,

why is New York's finest searching my building when I got home,

...kind of days?

The solution could only be my last piece of imported Buddy's pizza. And now all is right with the world:-)

Pride and Pause

2010-05-31T16:42:00.005-04:00

On this Memorial Day, I thought I'd share the unforgettable evening I had on Thursday. I attended the Salute to Freedom dinner aboard the USS Intrepid (Sea Air and Space Museum). This year's honoree was Gen. Patraeus, Commanding General of US Central Command. I was very excited at the thought of getting to hear the General speak and to attend a black tie dinner aboard such a famous ship (where I could actually wear a bridesmaid dress again!)

Cocktail hour inside the museum, where you could enjoy the various exhibits, was enjoyable. But little did I know that the most remarkable part of the evening would not occur until I sat down at my table.

While exchanging pleasantries with the couple to my left, I asked what brought them to the dinner. The woman started to tell their story but stopped as she got choked up. Her husband went on to explain that their son was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan in January. Their sadness was so great, but they seemed amazingly resilient and were doing their best to remember their son by helping other soldiers through Operation Goodybag. As I sat there listening to their story, what should I say? I spoke from the heart and held back tears as I said, "thank you for your son's service."

I had said hello to the family to my right but they didn't seem especially talkative before dinner. But chit chat about why I would be eating a plate of tofu and grains, while everyone else was enjoying a nice steak, cracked the ice. When I asked the father what brought them to the dinner, he immediately shared his son's story. His son was severely wounded in Afghanistan when his humvee drove over an IED. He lost both legs and sustained a brain injury among other very serious injuries. He was visited by General Patraeus at Walter Reed Hospital in 2008. When the General entered his room and yelled the nickname of the Lieutenant's regiment, he woke up out of the coma he had been in for 22 days. The father agreed when I said that was nothing short of a miracle. The General has kept in touch and the Lieutenant is doing much better and is still in the Army. And on Thursday night, he and his parents were special guests of General Patraeus. Amazing! General Patraeus describes 1st Lt. Brian Brennan as a living hero and I definitely agree!!

I left the ship, extremely proud to be an American, profoundly grateful for the service of our men and women in uniform and with a heightened sense that we much not forget their service.

Happy Memorial Day!

Old Timey New York

2010-05-20T08:12:00.000-04:00

Covert Gardening Season II

2010-05-17T19:01:00.000-04:00

Last year's rooftop tomato plant was a success! Great tomatoes, my neighbors didn't rat me out and even helped me take care of the plants.

So this year, I decided to expand my operation. San Marzano and Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes. PLUS, parsley, chives, dill, pineapple mint and basil.

The Union Square market was filled with more plants and varieties of tomatoes than I knew what to do with.

I didn't take any tomato plant photos but check out this one... If only my flower boxes got sun, I would bring "Geranium Court" to BH!

I also tried out a chai on the impostor MUD truck parked at Union Square because the MUD truck was missing from Astor Place on Saturday morning. (Come on MUD get it together!) The impostor truck still offers two ice chai latte sizes and tastes just as good, with the exception of a sprinkle of nutmeg that Mud adds to the top of its drinks.

Cheeky

2010-05-16T15:26:00.003-04:00

Alrighty, so again blogging has fallen by the way side. A volcanic ash crisis, interviewing for (and not getting) 2 promotions and some other stuff has left me pooped. So let's try this blog thing again.

A few weeks ago, I got in touch with my inner hipster on the Lower East Side. The first stop was the inaugural weekend of the Hester Street Fair. The cool part about it was that people seemed enthused to shop for everything from old bikes, pottery and jewelry to lobster rolls and gourmet shaved ice. The not cool part was how crowded it was. It reminded me of the Brooklyn flea but crammed into a space 1/3 the size with just as many people. TOO MUCH! I'll go back, but not at noon on a Saturday.

Thankfully, around the corner is Cheeky Sandwiches, aka Erin's new favorite sandwich shop in the city! Cheeky serves "N'awlins" style sandwiches, as well as beignets and Cafe DuMond coffee. Matt got an oyster poboy and I had a "grass" sandwich with roasted beets & butternut squash with crispy goat cheese on flautta bread. The other veggie option is a "Veggie muffalata" with pickled vegetables with melted swiss cheese on an olive loaf. Pineapple Big-Shot soda and Zapps Cajun dill potato chips finished off the meal quite nicely. Sandwiches aren't Super sized and were so good I wish I had ordered 2 but it was definitely enough for a fun lunch with really high quality ingredients.

Not only is the food great, but the atmosphere is fun too. The little hole in the wall entrance makes you feel like you've found a hidden gem. Inside, white washed tables, a tin ceiling and mural on the wall transports you south-- a little bit backwater bayou... a little LES hipster. The bow tie, dark rimmed glasses wearing owner is a reason to visit in and of himself. He had a wonderful attitude and you could tell that he is pouring his all into the shop.

Cheeky Sandwiches on Orchard between Canal (yuck) and Hester. Try it, you won't be disappointed!!

A Tree Falls in Brooklyn

2010-05-11T07:16:00.002-04:00

The wind over the weekend did quite a number on one of the trees just down from my building. And unfortunately a neighbor told me yesterday that the beautiful tree in front of my building has to come down too. What's going to block my view of the college kids now?!

Henry Street Strawberries and Cream

2010-04-25T17:13:00.000-04:00

Mc Walk Through

2010-04-19T20:48:00.003-04:00

Only in New York...

Micro Neighborhood

2010-04-17T14:48:00.002-04:00

Matt read recently about Pomander Walk, a tiny street on the Upper West Side that was modeled after a street in London. We went for a stroll last weekend and found it. A gate would not have deterred me for walking in but this gated community was actually locked. I was however able to snap this photo through the gate:-)

Wikipedia explains more..."Pomander Walk is a micro-neighborhood in the Manhattan section of New York City. The Walk runs between 94th Street and 95th Street, with gates at each end. It is located on the Upper West Side between Broadway (New York) and West End Avenue.

Pomander Walk was built in 1921 by nightclub impresario Thomas J. Healy who planned to build a major hotel on the site. The neighborhood is named for Pomander Walk—a romantic comedy by Louis N. Parker set on a small imaginary street in Georgian London—that opened in New York in 1910. The unusual Tudor Revival architecture of the houses was based on the stage set. The stage set was itself designed to resemble a street in Chiswick, London.

Although designed to look like single-family homes, each house in fact originally contained two small apartments, one upstairs and one on the ground floor. In recent years some of the buildings have been converted to single-family homes.
Pomander Walk was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982."

Yoga #2 and 3

2010-04-15T12:00:00.002-04:00

No those aren't positions, they are additional times I've tried yoga in the last couple weeks.

Last week, we had a new instructor. I could tell she was incredibly knowledgeable but Christina is referring to her as drill sargent yoga teacher. I think it she was just a funny contrast to the first week's instructor who I might call nursery school yoga teacher...which really is the course she normally teaches. There was less chanting and more attempts to do handstands!!!!!!! This was awesome with the exception of the fact that I pulled my butt. Really. I was also impressed that when I mentioned that I had pulled my hamstring the week before, the instructor was immediately able to suggest a fix (I hyper-extend my knees!?) So now I've spent the last week try to "micro-bend" my knees when I'm on the subway and use my shoulder muscles to stand up straighter.

This week's fun was foot work-- something about your inner heel connecting with the outer part of your foot by your pinky toe and the outer heel connecting with the inner part of your foot by your big toe. Not too sore this morning so that is a good thing. I don't get (technically or spiritually) some of the things we are doing, but I leave happy and the 90 minutes fly by so that's all that matters to me:-) My research for the week... the teacher referred to "The yoga" like "The French" or "The George Washington University." Guess I actually have no idea what yoga really means. Time to Google.

Christina is away for the next few week's so I've lost my cohort in crime. But I WILL motivate myself to go alone (perhaps by investing in a multi-class card.) By the time Christina returns, I will be a yoga fool!

As seen in Park Slope

2010-04-14T07:07:00.001-04:00

Don't know the story. Don't even remember what street this was on. But as Matt and I were stopped in traffic, we happened upon this quartet jamming on the sidewalk in Park Slope. Very cool!

Brooklyn Brewery

2010-04-13T06:53:00.004-04:00

When Erica visited a few weeks back, we met up with Christina and Heather for a tour of the Brooklyn Brewery in Williamsburg. My review is simple... if you like beer, you'll like the brewery. If beer is not your thing, you should either skip it or do what I did and stop at the nearby Bedford Cheese shop beforehand and bring some fantastic cheese and baguette to snack on:-) The brewery is neat in that they allow you to bring in food to enjoy while you sample the beer. In fact were enjoying our cheese and beer so much that we didn't even make it on the tour:-o Wheat beer, IPA, dark beer, I don't know. They have lots of it.

Yoga

2010-04-01T07:26:00.003-04:00

Down dogs and warriors (1&2) and plank position oh my!

Christina convinced me to try yoga last night.

Q1: where to go? There seem to be about 100 yoga studios between BH and Ft. Greene. Where's the best? Who knows, but we selected Mala Yoga in Cobble Hill.
Q2: what to wear? I decided that if I stick with this I will get myself something from Lulu Lemon! But in the meantime, a pair of running tights and a t-shirt seemed sensible.

As the class started, the instructor encouraged us to think about what we were feeling (um, I'm feeling I want to giggle). "Think about someone you're going to do this class for" (um, my mom, who giggled the time she did a meditation class). "Now let's do three chants of Ohm" (um, okay, now I really want to giggle!)

But my the third Ohhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, I was getting into it.

The stretching was great and as a beginner I think I did pretty well.

At the end of the class, as we laid on the floor, covering our third eye with our index and middle finger, while switching between covering my right and left nostril with my thumb and ring finger as I exhaled. (Yes, another giggle moment, but I kept it together as I thought it would be frowned upon:-))

Yoga next Wednesday? Since I am not too sore today I think I'll definitely go back for round two!

St. Joseph and Pizza

2010-03-27T10:37:00.003-04:00

Who's the patron saint of pizza? I want to know!

It's not St. Joseph but it was St. Joseph's cakes and pizza from Delfinos that took us to Hoboken last weekend.

Let's keep the St. Joseph's part of this story short. It was a bust. Matt wanted to get St. Joseph's cakes from City Hall Bakery, aka The Cake Boss Bakery. St. Joseph's Day had been on Friday. What we didn't realize was what a scene the bakery has become because of the TLC show. When Matt lived in Hoboken it was just the neighborhood bakery. The line to even get in the front door stretched down the block and was moving slower than a multi-tiered wedding cake being transfered from the bakery to the reception hall. We tried to wait but when we realized that the free Rita's Water Ice line was actually moving, we ditched Carlo for Rita.

Thankfully our latest food mission had two parts, the second of which was a visit to Delfino's pizza for what I was promised would be some of the best Sicilian pizza ev-ah! I'm partial to round pies (unless it Buddy's) but Delfino's does do a mean Sicilian slice. What makes it do good? The crust is super light...almost like foccacia. The owner brought over our slices (complete with a sprinkling of Italian seasoning and garlic powder) as soon as they came out of the oven, which really helped with the overall flavor too. The restaurant itself is a riot. It's deep in the heart of Italian Hoboken. The Italian-American club is just down the street, as is St. Ann's church where we went for zeppole last summer. And Frank Sinatra and gangster movie pictures cover the walls.

p.s. Matt was still determined to have his St. Joseph's cakes and found them at Court Pastry Shop. OMG so good-- a piped puff pastry with custard inside. WOW!

St. Patty's Day Bagel

2010-03-23T22:42:00.002-04:00

Okay, almost a week late, but here's how I celebrated St. Patrick's Day in New York. Oh yeah!! Erin Go Bragh!

Fabulous Women and Wine

2010-03-19T17:46:00.000-04:00

So I refuse to walk about work on my blog (too bad I know) but I will say that I went to an AWESOME networking and social event this week, hosted by a great gal I met through work. Each month 10-15 "fabulous women" get together at a wine bar. Tuesday night the topic dejour was Rielle Hunter. What was she thinking taking those photos? Some gave her props that at least she seems to be happy and owns her delusion.

This is the second time I've been able to attend and the April gathering is already on my calendar. I left both nights with the same feeling-- this is why I love New York and would be sad to leave. Fun successful women having a great night in an exciting city.

My only complaint...Tuesday night isn't super because Lost is on (I am COMPLETELY addicted. I'm like Rainman, I have to be home to watch LOST.) But since everyone else in the entire city has DVR, I guess I'm the only one with an issue;-)

Motorino and Previti

2010-03-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

So much talk about Motorino pizza lately. The NYT reviewed it as the best pizza in the city and gave it one star. Earlier this year, Rachel Ray published Adam Kuban (Slice Blog) and Ed Levine's pizza chart that lists Motorino as the best in the country. She said she visits the Lower East Side location "more often than I should."

Of course Matt and I were there before the NYT and Rachel Ray article. What did we think?

I think pizza rating needs to become more refined. Because is Motorino generally better than DiFara? No.

But is Motorino one of the more high quality wood-fired, artisinal pizza I've had in the city? Absolutely! Matt loved the crust, which was just charred enough and thin on the bottom and slightly puffy on the edges. If you savored each bit, you realized the cheese had a complex, almost nutty flavor. If you just downed the slice I felt the slice fell a bit flat.

Matt and I both agreed that the pizzas with toppings looked better. We'll be trying those this weekend at the Williamsburg locale.

To continue proving my point that pizza ratings need to be more nuanced, we also loved the Previti Pizza artichoke slice. A white slice with a creamy artichoke and spinach mixture on top, it is rich but not overly heavy and greasy. The artichoke pieces are substantial and delic! Frankly, I also liked that the owner was working at the counter and was super friendly. If you are midtown, near Grand Central, DEFINITELY give it a try.

Balthazar Breakfast

2010-03-06T08:48:00.007-05:00

I've had some awesome dinners in the last three years. But to mark year #3 of dating, Matt surprised me with breakfast at Balthazar last Monday. (One of us is not a morning person, which made this an even more notable treat;-))

Located in SOHO, Balthazar is known for excellent French bistro food all times of the day. But breakfast was something especially special!

Shortly before 8am, there was hardly anyone else there other than a staff of friendly and attentive servers. But within 15 minutes, the parade had begun. It started with a middle-aged woman wearing a Davy Crockett hat. She sat in the corner, ordered an espresso and dove into a number of newspapers. She was clearly a regular.

The food was phenomenal! I had a Gruyere, herb and tomato omlette. It was fluffy and one of the most flavorful dishes I've ever had. The fresh herbs made it. And as if it couldn't get any better, potatoes and caramelized onion loaded with butter (ala Julia Child, not greasy) accompanied the meal. WOW! Matt had eggs benedict, with some of the richest and creamiest hollandaise sauce, with just the right amount of tang I've ever tried.

Another fun touch were the playing cards stuck to the ceiling. I asked the waiter about this and he said that a magician was hired to perform at the opening of the restaurant many years ago. Stars who attended the opening signed their names to different cards, which then found their way to the ceiling as part of the trick.

I went to work a very happy camper:-)

A Pizza Snowstorm Miracle

2010-02-26T07:05:00.003-05:00

2:30pm, I call Maggie at DiFara pizza to see whether she and her dad plan to close early because of the snow. "We'll be open unless something major changes. 7pm, 8pm, we'll be open," she says.

Game on! The subways are messed up but Matt and I will not be defeated.

The question of the night, how crowded will DiFara be?

7:45pm, the Q train pulls in to Avenue J in Midwood.

As we wait to cross the street, we see no line and few people inside. I can tell that Matt is about to break into a full run to get in there.

We open the door and... VICTORY IS OURS! 2 girls are seated enjoying a pie, a couple has just finished and ONE GUY is waiting for a pie.

Mark the date--On February 25, 2010, we were enjoying the best pizza in the city just 10 minutes after we placed an order!

It was almost like we were at Bizarro DiFara, something felt off without hoards of people. We were probably looking back in time to DiFara 1999, before it registered on the Zagat radar.

So how was the pizza? Marvelous as usual! The perfect balance of cheese, sauce, basil and grana padano. The crust was perhaps a bit thicker than normal, which was enjoyable and the charing was perfect.

Dom even gave me a little laugh and flashed a smile when I told him that I'm going to pray for a snow storm every time I come to visit him.

Remarkable storm, remarkable pie, remarkable night. Oh DiFara, we love u!!

Martha Show

2010-02-17T21:50:00.006-05:00

Matt's mom and sister got tickets to attend a taping of the Martha Stewart show today and were nice enough to invite me to come along. As a girl who has been an avid Martha fan since childhood this was a major "good thing."

Craft area. Today Martha was felting soap with Gary Marshall who was on to talk about his latest movie Valentine's Day.

Garden segment-- how to prep your garden for spring and how to construct a hoop house.

Prep kitchen. Martha made an awesome looking chocolate triffle. Unfortunately no samples:-(

Preparing to make breaded pork chops.

The Martha Groupies

This was amazing. 2 minutes before the show went live, a producer comes out and sat in one of the chairs. She seemed like something was off. Before you know it, she's got a measuring tape out checking the table height. It obviously wasn't going to be to Martha's liking so there was a team effort to change the height of the chairs.

Taking a couple questions at the end of the show. I love her!!

Vinegar Hill

2010-02-15T12:38:00.003-05:00

During a less snowy time, Matt and I headed northeast from Brooklyn Heights, past the Manhattan Bridge, to visit the little neighborhood of Vinegar Hill. The area gets its name from the 19th Century Irish immigrants who named it after the Battle of Vinegar Hill in Ireland (against those pesky British!)

It sits next to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, so one of the most notable fixtures of the neighborhood is the old commandant's house, which looks like White House North and still has an old 1950s (I'm guessing) car parked in the driveway.

Now it's a "we're cool because we're just slightly off the beaten path" neighborhood that counts a ConEd substation, restaurant of the moment Vinegar Hill House, a Japanese antique importer, a new condo development and a pita bread bakery among its neighbors.

Grab a tea in Dumbo and head for Vinegar Hill some day. Definitely worth the walk!

Snow Day

2010-02-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

LOVE IT!

The Men of Brooklyn Heights

2010-02-10T17:07:00.004-05:00

Me and My Snow Angel

2010-02-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

PA Snow Storm!!

2010-02-08T22:10:00.002-05:00

Storm #2 this year. I'm a happy camper!

Cambodian sandwich

2010-01-29T07:18:00.004-05:00

Nicky's is still my favorite for Vietnamese sandwiches. But what about a Cambodian sandwich? 6 days ago, I could not have even imagined what Cambodian food might be like. But now I know...or at least I've tasted (a probably yuppie, NY style) Cambodian sandwich from Num Pang.

I tried Roasted Cauliflower with Thai and Chinese eggplant spread and soy milk chili mayo. Similar to a Vietnamese sandwich, this one came topped with julienned pickled carrots, a thin mandolin sliced cucumber and cilantro. YUM-O. I ate it so quickly, I didn't even have time to take a photo. Rachel enjoyed pulled pork with spiced honey. I think Christina dug into the grilled skirt steak with crushed coriander and peppercorn. I completed my lunch with a blood orange lemonade. Tart and delicious!

Num Pang is just south of Union Square, which makes it all the more appealing for a quick pop in. Stop by, you won't be disappointed.

The Deployment

2010-01-24T12:12:00.008-05:00

Okay, so Dominican Republic and Haiti-- I was there and have returned safely. Here's the story.

Two Wednesdays ago and with about 7 hours notice, I was on my way to the airport. I was a part of an 8 person team sent to look for citizens who may need help leaving the country. What do I need to bring, will my Cipro prescription work even though it has expired, I've trained for this but what am I getting into?

Thursday was spent in Santo Domingo. We began the process of contacting those who had been reported as missing. This proved difficult because phone lines were down, but it was amazing how much we were able to do through email and text messages. Simultaneously, we were working our contacts to get the team and all of our gear onto a plane heading for Port-au-Prince.

We were told that we should prepare to be completely self sufficient. This was no joke! We had to bring shelter, food, water (for drinking, cooking and maybe bathing in 95 degree heat), communications gear, clothes, medicine, and, and, and... There was no power or bathroom facilities (the ditch and plastic chair with a hole don't really count!)

The ride in was amazing. Lovely mountains separate Dominican Republic and Haiti.

It wasn't until we got much closer in that you could start to see the people in the streets and the devastation.

Media from around the world had set up just outside the airport building, which had been damaged by the quake. I was amazed to see the fire extinguisher in the foreground of this photo. This used to be a pretty sleepy airport.

The sun set soon after our arrival so the decision was made to camp in the field next to the runway. We set up tents in the dark and were surprised to meet our neighbor first thing the next day.

Between arriving aid workers and departing refugees, the tarmack was always busy and surprisingly open. It was surreal to be walking past giant military planes.

Having never felt an earthquake before, feeling 5 after shocks on Saturday was quite something. The first was a surprise, I was actually getting used to the small ones by numbers 3 and 4. But #5 woke up everyone in the tent. I can only imagine how scary the main quake must have been.

Rescuers and aid workers from all over the world camped near us. These photos are of Brits and Germans. It was joyous when they returned with stories of successful rescues. And you could see the toll that unsuccessful rescue attempts took. But they persevered--through the heat, security concerns and lack of ideal equipment. They efforts were amazing!!

I only left the airport once and the devastation I saw is hard to describe. We've all seen the images on CNN, but to see it in person is something I will never forget. I was particularly struck by a 4 or 5 year old girl I saw sitting on the sidewalk with her younger sister. The older girl was reading a comic book as the little one huddled next to her. Where were their parents? What had they lived through in the previous 5 days?

You could tell the aid effort has been overwhelming. The biggest issues now seem to be how to effectively and quickly distribute the aid and how to rotate aid and medical workers so they can continue to address the huge need that exists. It is my most sincere hope that the international effort remains strong not just through the initial phases of the disaster but also long enough to help the Haitains rebuild and become self sufficient. We must not forget.

Back in Brooklyn

2010-01-22T14:24:00.002-05:00

Another quick update to let you know that I am back in Brooklyn. It's strange and wonderful to be back. I'm tired and it seems that I've been taking my malaria medicine all wrong, but other than that I'm well:-D

Photos tomorrow.

Haiti Update

2010-01-18T15:55:00.002-05:00

Quick update to let you know that I arrived safely in Santo Domingo, then safely in Haiti and am now back in Santo Domingo. Will likely be home by the end of the week.

I can't even put my Haiti experience into words as I sit here. Talking about the conditions just seems like whining compared to what the victims of the quake went and continue to go through. For now I think a photo would be best. See I smiled about as much as was smileable--an amazingly good and amazingly bad experience that I will always remember...and blog about more once I've had a chance to get home and regroup.

Thanks to all for the nice messages. Talk to you all soon.

earthquake

2010-01-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

I am off to Dominican Republic and likely Haiti for the next few days. Please keep the victims of the quake (and me) in your thoughts. Lots of stories and photos next week.

Only in New York #467

2010-01-11T21:55:00.003-05:00

The Brooklyn Flea(market) has moved inside over the winter to the old Williamsburg Savings Bank building. Dozens of vendors were set up on the main floor underneath a two or three story ornate ceiling. More vendors were set up where the tellers would have worked. Others were set up upstairs.

Of course the most valuable vendors were downstairs...in the vault! As you walk down the stairs and hang a left you see a 3-4 foot deep door. Inside, was dozen or so of the wonderful Flea food vendors. I bought a papusa and grabbed a spot on the floor.

So there I sat, inside the vault of the Williamsburg Savings Bank, eating the national dish of El Salvador. Only in New York:-) (I'll have to go back in a couple weekends and take a photo.)

Training

2010-01-09T07:35:00.003-05:00

I'm going skiing next weekend and I need to train a bit. The solution? Subway surfing.

Think about it, with skiing you need to bend your knees, keep yours legs about shoulder width a part, have a strong core and react to unexpected bumps and turns.

On the subway, if you're not holding a pole, you need to bend your knees, keep your legs about shoulder width a part, have a strong core and react to unexpected bumps and turns.

Plus the winter coat of choice for subway riders seems to be this jacket that makes one look like you are ready for a blizzard.

See the NYC city subway just like skiing in the mountains. Um, well, maybe:-)

NYC According to Me

2010-01-08T08:08:00.005-05:00

Back in NYC after the holidays I've made the following (completely pointless) important observations:

1. Leg warmers are still going strong in the city. They seem to have grown with the cold weather. But I feel like if you need to wear thigh-high leg warmers you should probably just consider PANTS (trousers for my UK audience:-))

2. I saw a runner wearing a hand knit turtle/cowl neck. Do you know what I'm talking about? They are all the rage in knitting right now. I do not think that is proper running attire...the lady is probably related to the girl I saw jogging in a puffy vest. Really?!

3. Ladies of New York, listen up. Uggs are not snow boots. There I said it. It's not a commentary, it's fact.

Happy New Year from Savannah Georgia

2010-01-01T18:57:00.003-05:00

The List

2009-12-28T14:10:00.000-05:00

As we approach 2010, some people will make lists of accomplishments. Others will make lists of places they plan to travel or of things they want to be different in the new year. I might make those lists too, but I thought it was also important to make a New York pizza list-- my favorites and my plan of attack for the second decade of the new millennium.

Erin's Top 10 Pizza List

1. DiFara-- for Dominic DiMarco, his buffalo moz, snipped basil, full bodied sauce and grana padano

2. Anselmos-- for a flavor similar to DiFara, plus salad on the menu and plenty of seating

3. Artichoke-- good slices from their square and round pies, bold flavor and a mean artichoke slice!

4. Johns- for complex, sweet-ish sauce and a great atmosphere

5. Lombardis- for serving free raw garlic with their pies (and for not allowing the guido behind me in line to bribe his way to the front)

6. Grimaldis- good dough; some consistency problems but who can beat the coal fired oven and atmosphere that reminds you of an Italian pizzeria from the movies

7. Arturos- solid pies with a good selection of toppings and fairly easy to get into with a group

8. Bens- for the tomato slice

9. Lucalis- great space and good technique; needs some spunkier spices in the sauce (or salt in the cheese) to stand up to the charred crust

10. Fascati and Joes (tie)-- great slice places, not fancy but solid and consistent. So glad that Fascati is in my neighborhood and Joes has a top West Village location.

In the coming year, I will visit:
1. Totonnos in Coney Island...as soon as it reopens
2. Lucalis and L&B Spumoni Gardens again-- Matt says Lucali should be higher on my list; We both think we need to give L&B another try when we can order a slice and eat outside.
3. Motorino-- We hear good things
4. Co-- Expensive, are pizzas for one or two people? But some of the reviews make it seem like it's a top choice

Merry Christmas

2009-12-27T09:53:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderfully relaxing Christmas.

Dinner was lovely as always

With gingerbread votives on the table

After dinner, we went for a walk in Newtown. Sorry Katie, the Gap isn't open today

Merry Christmas from my family to yours

Final Snow Storm Photos

2009-12-26T16:46:00.002-05:00

Snow tube from DC works just as well in NYC!

Prospect Park was packed with snow revelers

Demonstrating how to make Italian rice balls...

...or getting ready to hit me with a snow ball? Both actually:-)

big smiles for the snowy day!

Pre Christmas Snow Storm '09

2009-12-20T10:41:00.003-05:00

Mother Nature and Santa teamed up in a fine way last night. 10-12 inches of snow were waiting for me when I woke up.

From XC skiing to an urban snow angel, I was having lots of fun by 7:30am this morning. As I laid in the snow at the end of the Promenade, enjoying that I had just made a snow angel, I noticed that a woman and her cocker spaniel were looking at me. When I sat up the dog ran over and sat on my lap. The woman expressed relief that I wasn't dead. (Guess that's the risk of an urban snow angel;-))

Off to Prospect Park for more skiing this afternoon.

I'm trying a photo slide show through Picasa for the first time. Let me know what you think. You can pause the slide show or click on any of the pictures to see them enlarged.

WAHOO

2009-12-19T22:13:00.005-05:00

Santa brought me my early Christmas present, SNOW!!!

Things were a bit dicey earlier tonight as Matt and I drove home from visiting his parents. North of the city, the snow didn't start until about 7pm so I was getting nervous. Was the storm a bust? But by the time we headed south after dinner, the snow had begun in earnest. We didn't see a plow for 25 miles, saw 3 spin outs, 1 accident and we might have done a bit of fish tailing ourselves. But Matt did a great job and I am back home getting my XC skis ready for tomorrow morning. Oh yeah!!!

Snow Baby Snow

2009-12-18T20:54:00.001-05:00

The weatherman is predicting 6-10 inches of snow for NYC Saturday into Sunday. Snow baby snow! I've been a good girl this year so I really feel that Santa should help bring me an early Christmas gift;-)

I am jealous of Katie who will get 1-2 feet in DC, but I'll take my 6 inches. Definitely enough for some XC skiing on the Promenade or Prospect Park!!

Stay tuned...

DEE-TROIT

2009-12-16T23:23:00.006-05:00

I had a marvelous visit to Michigan last week to see Granny and Grandpa and meet my new cousin Katherine Grace. Family, snow and wonderful food, what more could a girl want:-)

OPA!! We went straight from the airport to Greektown for some awesome Greek food. Why Greek food in NYC is so different than Detroit, I have no idea!

Santa was selling pointsettias at Eastern Market!

Katherine Grace, 3 months (with red hair that would make Grandma Trisha proud)

Katherine Grace

The cousins

Granny and I made gingerbread votives (complete with stained glass windows made from melting Brachs' butterscotch candies.) They smell great and look lovely with glowing candles in them.

Santa Con

2009-12-13T07:30:00.004-05:00

Matt and I headed out yesterday afternoon for a bit of pre-holiday fun. We felt very hip checking out a gallery in Chelsea. German artist Christopher Thomas had his black and white New York photos on display. We were very impressed! (Unfortunately the works of art were just a few thousands of dollars above our gift limit for each other for Christmas;-))

Next we were off to the Union Square Christmas market. This is always a holiday favorite of mine and the market was packed! I'll be back some day after work for a mug of gluwein (albeit nonalcoholic).

The day was to conclude with a chai from the MUD Truck. But Matt convinced me to walk through Washington Square Park on the way to the subway. Good decision...

Throughout the day I/we had been seeing Santas-- a dozen in the subway (where I really thought they were sharing a 2 liter bottle of cranberry ginger ale just because the find it tasty like me...until I thought about it).

And here...

And here...

And here...

On the subway, I had asked Santa where he and his other Santas were going. He said Saturday was Santa Con(vention), a charity pub crawl that has taken place for a number of years. Early on, people would gather on the steps of the main post office. But as it has grown and grown, people start from all of the boroughs and work their way into the city.

No sooner was I commenting that we had seen at least 75 Santas, then we came to the park that was filled with HUNDREDS of Santas! Yes, alcohol was definitely involved and the police were starting to arrive. But it was awesome nonetheless. Only in New York!

Happy Birthday

2009-12-12T22:51:00.003-05:00

It only seems right that my first post in a long time should be to celebrate a new little life.

Welcome to the Taylor Family Peter James, born December 12, 2009. What a blessing! Congrats Niki, Corey and Charlotte!!

Leland

2009-11-07T13:55:00.006-05:00

Leland Taylor 1992-2009

He is the love and light of our lives. He will be terribly missed.

Halloween

2009-10-30T07:11:00.007-04:00

The Brooklyn Heights flower boxes needed some Jack o lanterns this year. Click on the photos. Can you guess who carved which pumpkin? (hint I probably should have carved a big P;-)) Don't worry, I used fake candles so I don't burn the building down.

In other scary news, candy canes and menorah candles have already mixes with plastic pumpkins and witch hats at CVS. I saw Christmas trees at Kmart. Even the Broadway-Nassau church lady was singing Christmas hymns. Oh my goodness!

Martha

2009-10-26T13:33:00.004-04:00

Be still my heart, Martha Stewart was at the Brooklyn Flea(market) this weekend!

Brokelyn blog has a big story

If only I had known she was in the neighborhood I would have loaned her my kitchen;-)

Commuters

2009-10-21T21:07:00.003-04:00

A man in dress, a smoker with cigarette hanging out of his mouth and a giraffe walk into the subway...

No, that's not the start of a joke, it's who I rode to 14th street with tonight.

It was a riot to watch people's reaction to the giraffe as the doors opened at each stop. Made everyone smile. Geoffrey had a lovely bow around his neck and was going to be a gift for someone. Lucky someone!

Of course I took a "pretend to be stretching and take a photo" shot.

Luke's Lobster

2009-10-16T18:50:00.000-04:00

Squished between another favorite restaurant of mine, Caracas Arepas Bar, is Luke's Lobster, maker of the $14 all meat lobster roll. I paid a visit recently and was quite impressed. The roll was buttery, the meat was amazing, tender and very sweet. The mayo wasn't mixed with the meat but rather spread on the inside of the roll. Wasn't sure how I'd feel about that but it was fine. Best of all, NO CELERY!!! Yes, they do give a sprinkle of celery salt, which was an awesome addition, but you don't have to worry about any crunch ruining a bite.

Luke's also has a neat start-up story. Luke grew up in Maine and his dad owns a seafood processing plant. When Luke moved to NYC for a job in finance, he was faced with the standard $25+ lobster roll in the city. Knowing that he could do better, he has teamed up with his dad to open Luke's Lobster

So how does it compare? Ed's Lobster Bar is double the cost. In Ed's favor though, their pickles and fries really combine with the roll for a whole meal. You can get chips and Maine sodas at Luke's but I felt like something was missing when I finished my roll. But come on, for a $14 all meat lobster roll you can't go wrong with Luke's. A great edition to the Lower East Side!!

South Side!

2009-10-11T11:16:00.014-04:00

I've waited three years to take a tour of the south side/not renovated part of Ellis Island. AND YESTERDAY IT HAPPENED!

Matt and his sister Sue joined me for the tour organized as part of the Open House New York weekend.

The closed part of the island (technically called islands 2 and 3) contains the hospital, power plant and staff buildings. We weren't able to go into the main part of the hospital, which is the building you can see from the museum. But we were able to see the newly renovated ferry terminal, and unrenovated staff building and isolation wards. Very cool! It was amazing and heartbreaking to think about the immigrants who sailed for weeks and were then unable, at least temporarily, to continue their journey.

Staff house

long breezeways and later enclosed hallways connected isolation wards. But in the next photo you can also see that the hallways curved in parts because of the belief that it was harder for germs to travel around corners.

the view of hope from one of the isolation wards

I just liked that this said 'rubbish'

notice the tiled walls and floor. Initially rooms didn't have tile but one of the medical advancements of the time was the discovery that it was easier to sanitize rooms if they used tile

the hood of the oven in the kitchen. There were multiple kitchens on the various islands again in an effort to prevent the spread of disease.

Farmers Market in Fall

2009-10-10T09:51:00.003-04:00

Sigh, if I could spent every day at the Union Square farmers market I think I would live in NYC forever!

I headed into Manhattan earlier this morning and fell in love with the market all over again. Heirloom tomatoes are still bountiful and rainbows of chard and carrots are plentiful. Marvelously, pumpkins, apples, gourds and grapes and have also arrived.

I got a great deal on some mums ("Brunette Barbies") for the flower boxes, Mars and Marquis grapes and Macoun and Honey Crisp apples. YUM!

One of the coolest sights was a Grammercy Tavern employee pushing a giant wheel barrel filled with goodies for the restaurant. Too bad I didn't hop in!

Exciting day today...Matt, his sister and I are off to take a tour of the closed/not renovated part of Ellis Island. The tour is part of Open House NYC, a weekend of free tours in the city.

Brooklyn Reunion

2009-09-30T07:32:00.004-04:00

Katie and her 3 college roommates came to Brooklyn this weekend to enjoy the city and run the Tunnel to Towers charity run. It poured rain on Sunday so no photos of the Tunnel to Towers run. But here are some from Saturday.

Waiting for falafel and fries!

Taim falafel, YUM!

visiting Highline Park. Katie was bummed she didn't see any naked people at the Standard Hotel;-)

Arial view from Highline

Double Dutch? Have another look! Yes, that's right, those ladies are jumping rope WITH THEIR HAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Birthday dinner

Dumont

2009-09-28T18:53:00.002-04:00

The blog hiatus is over. And I think it is only right that this first post begin where so many have...at a restaurant.

To celebrate Captain Carnivore's first week of work, we headed to Dumont in Williamsburg for a burger and mac and cheese. Oh my goodness we were not disappointed.

Matt: The Dumont burger is the top burger in Brooklyn. Using an 80/20 mix of at least sirloin and chuck, this burger lives up to the hype it has received from 'A Hamburger Today' and Mr. Cutlets to name a few. This burger was cooked perfectly. I put it at about 6-8 oz and served with lettuce and pickled onions (which were pink). But the real deal are the pickles. House made pickle chips have a slight spice of freshness to them, and are complimented by a pickle spear as well. This is rare, chips AND a spear! At $14.00 ($12.50 plus $1.50 for cheese) the burger is not cheap, though the quality of the meat and enjoyable outside garden surely will make me a repeat customer.

Erin: Equally, I was not disappointed by the mac and cheese. In fact, I am prepared to rate it as the best mac and cheese in the city. Definitely better than the mac and cheese restaurant (though that is enjoyable too). It is made with radiatore pasta, which held the cheddar, gruyere and parm cheeses quite nicely. The browned parm on the top meant a perfect balance between crunchy and smooth cheesy goodness. Adding to the wonderfulness, I ordered a side of pickles. A whole plate of Dumont's aforementioned onions, sweet pickle chips and dill pickle spears arrived. All pared really well with the mac!

I ran into a colleague who also recommends the spare ribs.

Whether enjoying the outside patio seating or the inside hipster paradise with comfy booths and candle light, the ambiance is great too. Check out their website for some cool photos.

3 Years On

2009-09-16T07:36:00.002-04:00

What kind of NY Adventures have I been having lately? Just the regular day to day adventures really, nothing really blog worthy. Seems I've either been working or spending time out of NYC. That pattern will continue for a while longer. But by the end of the month, NY Adventures should be back.

BUT, I can say that I have now worked in New York for more than three years. My anniversary was last Friday. Can you believe it? I can't!! Three years ago, I was wondering how on earth I'd find an apartment. Indeed that took me two months so my 3 year anniversary of living in the city is still a few months away.

So, have I become more of a New Yorker? I don't know. I certainly appreciate the city more and more every day. I was thrilled to take a friend who just moved to the city for coal oven pizza and then take a walk to Washington Square Park. "Oh my gosh, I've seen this in the movies! I'm living in New York," she said. Cool, a New York moment for her. I love those too. The city can wear on you but as long as I am still having New York moments the city is will still be a good place to be.

Atlanta

2009-09-07T18:07:00.007-04:00

Girl's weekend in Atlanta over the Labor Day holiday. Katy, Noelle and I had a great time. Noelle's new house is wonderful! Are we actually old enough to own houses, be concerned about molding, mulching and buying mowers?

Downtown Atlanta was hopping this weekend. Univ of Alabama and Virgina Tech football fans were in town for a big game, as were thousands of Science Fiction fans who were in town for some kind of big conference. It was a crazy mix. Lessons learned: 1. don't mess with southerners when it comes to college football. 2. different strokes for different folks--why on earth would someone dress up like a warrior or Luigi from Mario Brothers??

We visited Centennial Plaza, where the Olympic medal ceremonies took place, as well as the Coke Museum store (didn't want to pay the $25 or wait in a HUGE line to visit the museum.) Instead, we took a tour of CNN, which was fun for people who know a lot about tv and those who don't:-)

Cooking was also on the schedule. Watch out Paula, there is a new cook in the south! Here Noelle shows Katy how to make mouth watering chicken.

On Sunday evening, we challenged Noelle's boyfriend and his buddies to Rock Star, a video game where you sing and play the guitar and drums to various well known songs. I had never played before. It was SO cool! Maybe Santa will bring me a Play Station so I can be a Rock Star in Brooklyn. I am obviously a guitar star in the making.