more...

more vt pics courtesy of the [bathroom] attendant aka pollack

and then...

and then...

from bk to vt

i spent the new years "holiday" with an amazing group of people! we rented a cozy house (with a non working hot tub) :( at stratton mtn in vermont. we left on tuesday evening (the 30th) and returned last night on jan 4th. below are some of the things (and some pics) i learned about a ski/snowboarding getaway!

1- the number of 130 lb german shepherds that can share the back seat of a VW wagon comfortably with me

2- the number of times you can fart while suited up in layers of ski/snowboard gear with no one noticing

3- the number of bottles of alcohol (on avg) that each person will bring on a 5 day ski excursion

4- the number of housemates that slept in a room of 2 bunk beds (built to hold 4 year olds)  that will keep you up at night laughing hysterically

5- the number of times you will wash dishes a day in house of 12 people

6- the number of people it takes to push a vehicle out of a snowy driveway

7- the number of times you'll fall while learning to snowboard over 2 days

8- the number of rolls of toilet paper you'll need for a 2 bath house of 12 people

9- the number of times i will eat during the day when on vaca

10- the number of cups used for one side of beer pong

11- the number of times george will make me laugh in 11 minutes

12- the number of strange sayings that ski/board folk use and you will have NO idea what they mean

outbreak monkey

i deem m. roth the outbreak monkey! you will see below in one of my posts that i brag about taking care of his sickly self. i thought i got away with that but NO his "bug" manifested itself (back to me) about 5 days later! sunday evening all into monday i was iller than a pregnant penguin that ate taco bell in vast amounts! NOT FUN! its going around so beware! i promise you're not going to die-- only you will feel like you wish you were dead for about 12 + hours straight! enjoy!

best burger in tha burg

williamsburger! 342 wythe ave 718.486.6969 at the corner of south 2nd wow! on the burger and perfectly crisp fries as well as the best shake i've had! i have been meaning to try this spot and finally did on friday night w liz. she watched me down a dopey burger, fries, and a hot dog topped w chili (in all fairness i left the bun from both half eaten:) this place doesn't disappoint! and their motto: "beefing up hipsters" is quite amusing to say the least! thumbs up! go eat it!

i like this pic

perhaps bc its so dark and mysterious!? perhaps bc i look like i have some nice cleave goin' on?

what do jews do on x mas?

go out for chinese food! duh! last night i joined a few folks at joe's shanghai (9 Pell Street New York, New York 10013  212.233.8888)  yum! after an hour wait (and trust me i never would have waited but i saw all the dishes coming out of the kitchen and so...) we gorged ourselves on everything chinese! oh holy night indeed! wowzer. we ordered: moo shu chicken (the yummy dish that comes with "pancakes" (these are really tortilla-like flour wrap thingy's) to wrap your lovely contents in, beef and broc, 2 orders of scallion pancakes, 2 orders of soup dumplings (stuffed w pork *these are their speciality and are YUM), chicken pan fried noodles, and an order of eggplant. i think that's all? did i mention there were only 4 of us? we cleaned up pretty well-- of course i was with 3 other dudes and out ate all of them; could have kept going but didn't wanna push it. Oh, and i insisted on stopping at juniors (386 Flatbush Avenue Extension at Dekalb Avenue Brooklyn, New York 11201 718.852.5257) for some cheescake! then got snarked at for getting one piece of cheesecake and one piece of red velvet cake (yes i am a glut). and you were right ok! the red velvet was not good! you happy!? 

hmmm wonder why i feel like garbage today!?? but well worth it! yum

pic courtesy of shavonne reel

the last 2 days...

a bit to report.... first i found my new favorite restaurant! its called PEACHES 393 lewis ave brooklyn ny 11233 718.942.4162. this spot is next to my homie shavonne's house! (not fair) it is amazing! comfort food out the wazoo. i had a pulled pork sandwch with slaw on the side, the crispiest fries and a side of brussels sprouts smothered in butter with delectable pieces of bacon! yum. shav had shrimp and cheese grits! no me gusta shrimp and i still wanted to try hers! they also have delicious desserts. i took home pound cake with fresh whipped cream and berries. they also had a brownie with ice cream (i will have that next time).

next i took care of a sickly sick head all day on x mas eve. i dunno what happened to m. roth but he was in a bad state! i'll spare the details as i just wrote about good food above... but i have never seen a man so sick! :( poor fella! and who manages to still look handsome when they are having hot/cold sweats and barfing for 12 hours straight??

on x mas day i saw the curious case of benjamin button. i can't tell you how impressive this film is. it was so well done! amazing cast (the well known and the not so well known) and beautifully shot! i am now a brad pitt fan. i figured him for an annoying pretty boy prior to this film but new respect! kate blanchett was amazing as well. the makeup in this movie will surely win multiple awards as well as the actors. beautiful film...what else can i say...go see it!

necklace tree!

i got me a necklace tree at urban outfitters yesterday! just made my life easier! i needed a way to hang and store my jewels! i have about 20 or so and they were just getting all tangled and ANNOYING! this little tree is a good solve! it was kinda steep if you ask me ($28 in store; its also available on the web) but worth it to not have anxiety attacks every-time i go to grab an accessory :)

soupy bunz and 16 handles

last nite i ventured to shanghai cafe (100 mott street btwn canal and hester 212.966.3988) for soupy bunz!! if you have not had them get SOME! they are small dumplings filled with pork (or crab and pork) with soup inside!! yum! i also had scallion pancakes (on of my fav things in the world) and a chicken dish with bean curd and preserved cabbage!

after that liz and i trucked over to 16 handles/urban outfitters!! (153 2nd ave betwn 9th and 10th street) for frozen yog! tis place has 16 flavors of yogurt at all times with a GIANT topping bar. you grab a cup and fill your flavor(s) and then proceed to the UNLIMITED topping bar. i know i have shared this lovely secret with you all before, but its always worth mentioning! last nite i had: cookies and cream and vanilla (and a dab of cheesecake) with the following on top: crushed oreo, crushed graham crackers, m&m's, sprinkles (rainbow), reese's cups, and marsh mallows :)

have you ever...

seen a lovelier avocado!??!! yum.

grimaldis pizza under the brooklyn bridge

yum! grimaldis is some of the most famous and best zza in ny! 19 Old Fulton St. under the Brooklyn Bridge 718.858.4300 last night i had a decent pie (with pepperoni, ricotta and basil) and an antipasto plate. i have a feeling it was a bit of an off night bc the big boss man that runs shit wasn't there so the employees were... having the night off. i've been to grimaldis about a dozen times so i know the drill.... its worth a go! trust me! last night was the least busy i've ever seen it. possibly due to a sunday night at 7:30 after a winter storm fri-sat?

also saw 'MILK' this weekend feat. sean penn! sean can do no wrong! i love him (as a man and as an actor) his performance was stellar and the movie was great! the only side note i have is that his character in this movie slightly resembled his character in 'i am sam'. if you have not seen 'i am sam' RENT IT!!! 'milk' is a great learning experience and an uplifting film. we all need to realize as americans we should stand up for what we believe! wow how preachy for a monday morning! 

cheers!

best hanukkah present ever!

as i am in the midst of posting the below bacon entry my vitamin carpool homie conor walked by and was like "oh, bacon post huh?" i was all..."duh" and he was all "hold on a sec, i have something for you". (*note-- i was being funny per the above "he was all/i was all") anyhoo what he brought me next astonished me! bc conor is prob one of the nicest most appreciative dudes EVER (also bc he endures all my rants on the way to and fro vitaworld, including but not limited to: boy issues, food discussion, RBE's (random bitching episodes), issues with my car, and the fact that i constantly whine about all NY streets being in sheer disrepair and therefore not safe to drive on) as well as the fact that he has to deal w my driving period! he brought me a hanukkah present!! in thanks of the rides that tinker bell (my car) and i provide. he obv pays attention to my love of bacon! i was so tickled i had to photograph the goods and post them! yes kids; thats a bacon wallet, floss, band-aid's, and an air freshener! not to mention the bacon n' egg bag that will now become my overnight bag when staying at my man's house :) thanks c. !!!!

the following things i need in my life...

the cartoon bacon dude image is from:

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/object/5323233-bacon.php?id=5323233

really cool place you can buy and download photos fer various stuff. its very cheap-o as well. the link above is to a "food series" of CARTOON FOOD! yum!

sounds yummy!

below article from grub street...sounds enticing! i shall report on its worthiness asap.

Good News for Dumpling, Ravioli, and Empanada Lovers!

Marco Polo's buns.Photo: Eating in Translation

We recently discovered an East Village eatery, open for a few months now but surprisingly unnoticed aside from an Eating in Translation stop-in, that traffics not only in Shanghai-style steamed buns, but also “dumplavoli” specials. So what’s a “dumplavoli”?

Stefano Magaddino, an Italian-American who runs the tiny takeout joint (previously located in Long Island City) with his Chinese-American wife, tells us that combos include four or five ravioli along with five or six dumplings. Depending on whether you’re ordering lunch or dinner, the ravioli are filled with spinach and cheese, ground beef, portobello mushrooms, Italian sausage, vegetables, shrimp, or lobster, and the dumplings are filled with chicken or spicy pork. That’s great, but what about a dumpla-voli-samo-panad-arepa combo?

Empanada Joe’s, 668 Sixth Ave., nr. 21st St.; 917-338-4780
Marco Polo Fusion Café, 102 St. Marks Pl., nr. Ave. A; 212-228-8456

CUTE of the day (or century)!

um, could there be a cuter baby!!?? at least 29 or so years ago he was cute... ;) BUT at least he still has the same cheeks!!! (and yes, is still quite cute) i adore him!

EEK!

so all i am going to think about today is how guilty i feel that i closed my bedroom door before leaving for work today! why you ask? because my cat (eek) loves my room and ferociously guards it whilst i am away. he loves my bed and is always perched at the foot of it. this makes for a need to wash all sheets, pillow cases, duvets... (way more often than i do) which i finally did last night. now everything is super clean, bleached, and downey fresh! needless to say i'd rather eek chill in the living-room for a while. 

we'll see how long it takes me to break down and give him his room back. as you can see from the pic, he loves to lounge! poor little fella :( i feel sooooo bad. *LIZ- this does not mean you can open my door! 

who doesn't like the muppets?

last night i watched the newest muppets x mas. uma thurman (!!!!??) made an appearance and so did some other lady from various tv movies that i can't place. it was cute- as i always love the muppets and their voices! there's some sot of prawn character that i don't remember from the past(?) since when do they chill with fishy creatures that are on dinner menus? anyhoo the prawn guy is now one of my favorites (he's pictured at bottom right) he has a hilarious accent somewhere between french and spanish sounding. and of course the rats are my all time fav. they are the best! and always so down to help out!

$1 cupcakes

i don't have much to report this am so i am sharing a fact from grub street (ny mags foodie blog). i am told (by them) that BILLY's (bakery)184 Ninth Ave., New York, NY 10011  nr. 21st St 212-647-9956 is celebrating its 5 year anniversary and has $1 cupcake specials. i say go for it! i love cupcakes!! i actually like the way they look sometimes better than i do eating them...frosting is yum but i don't always like the cake(y) parts. anyhoo, in these tough times, if a fancy chelsea bakery is offering $1 cakes go get some! take em' to the annoying holiday party you have to go to for work or take some to your man or lady friend! speak of... hey single ladies from wht i see the men manning these treats look like they may be a treat themselves!! yum yum.

silk nog...mmmm

yummy- try it! 

*disclaimer- this line was not stolen in any way shape or form from vitaminwater's line "try it...." its just how i felt at the moment of posting!

it's lower cal than normal nog and not as intense! nice, lite, and creamy.  

yummy (but $$$) of the day

i finally tried papa lima in my hood last night-362 bedford ave brooklyn 718.218.7720 i have been meaning to check it out. my friend told me it was good but $$ WOW she wasn't kidding! 

i ordered 2 sandwiches, a chili (DUH), 2 bags of chips and 2 gus' pickles (FYI the best pickles ANYWHERE! half sour perfection pickles) the grand total was $31 and change!!!! daaaaaamn! i had the 'evil reuben' (how could i not w a name like that?) which consisted of turkey, provolone, cole slaw (good home made stuff) russian dressing on perfectly toasted marble rye and the 'pablo honey' (turkey , american cheese, shredded lett, CHIPS, and mayo, on whole wheat with a side of GRAVY for dipping!)

now, mind you this stop wasn't as i would have liked to have done things; i was in a bit of a dash to get to my destination and called ahead so my stuff would be ready. so i had the guy on the phone tell me some sandwch options bc i had no menu :( if i did i prob would have ordered one (or all) of the following: 

'sir beefy' (another great name!)- roast beef, cheddar, tom, shredded lett and horseradish sauce (mmmmmm), 'pete's secret egg salad' or the 'ss minnow' - fresh tuna salad, arugula, tom, and lemon vinagrette.

i will say, the 2 guys runnin the joint were extra nice and they had just made the chili fresh. when i was checking out one of the dudes pulled fresh baked cookies out of the oven. these were YUM. they were ginger orange cookies with some kind of nuts. mind you i don't even like orange or nuts (esp in my cookies) but these were tasty and it was nice to know these people actually bake on premises. 

all in all i say check it!