Hi, friends! How was your weekend?
Mine was really good. I’ve been running myself pretty hard lately with school and work, and haven’t had a lot of time to spend time with B or see friends. These past couple of days really made up for it. Let’s back up…
I could not read this book fast enough! I’ve had good luck picking great books lately, and this one was perfect. Reading a good book is like sliding into a fluffy bed with crisp, clean sheets. (I read that somewhere….) It’s cozy, comfortable, just like having breakfast with an old friend. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, this book is a coming-of-age story set in 1987 in the suburbs of New York City in the height of the AIDS epidemic. I don’t want to give too much away, but these pages will go right to your heart. I promise. You can read the first chapter here, too!
Anyway, I was telling you about Wolves to begin with because it gave me a great idea! The novel’s heroine, June (I love that name) visits all these amazing New York places like the Bronx Zoo and the Cloisters. Places I always mention to B in passing: “We should go to that dinner theater in Brooklyn” or “We should try that jazz club on West End!” And then… you know how it goes… we forget. Even when we’re having those “Hmm, what should we do tonight?” moments. And so… I devoted a section of our whiteboard to fun date ideas. One by one, we WILL get to them all!
Friday night we tried The Astor Room‘s happy hour. Designed to look like an old-fashioned supper club, it’s housed right in Kaufman Astoria Studios (one of New York’s oldest film studios that still films things like Nurse Jackie, Sesame Street and Men In Black), it’s got an old timey dining room, leather stools, and scenes of Old Hollywood on the walls.
When we were there, Blue Hawaii (starring Elvis!) got in the mood for their amazing happy hour! From 5-7 Tuesday through Sunday, they offer 2-for-1 fancy cocktails, $1 oysters… what’s not to like? We each tried one of the two drink specials: the Mary Pickford: Denizen aged light rum, Luxardo maraschino liquor, house-made grenadine, fresh pineapple juice (left); and the Blood & Sand: Buffalo Trace bourbon, Cherry Heering liquor, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, fresh orange juice (right). Both were delicious! Almost as good as the oysters… we started with four to share… and then ordered six more… and then six more! B wanted to order another six, but I finally cut him off.
On Saturday, we met a bunch of friends to celebrate Shayne and Danny’s joint birthdays! We went to Lavender Lake in Gowanus, Brooklyn. I tried another fancy cocktail there, which I loved, made with jalapeño-infused tequila, carrot juice, and cinnamon syrup. I plan to recreate this with the fancy tequila my mom brought us from her trip to Mexico!
There’s a beer garden out back, but it wasn’t quite warm enough to sit outside. Soon….
After drinks, we took advantage of being in Brooklyn- with the car!- and drove over to The V Spot in Park Slope. The V Spot is a Latin vegan restaurant with some really interesting menu items! (We ended up ordering kind of American-style things, to limit the number of FODMAPS rules I broke.) We ordered three things to share: caesar salad with tempeh bacon, gluten macaroni + cheese (gluten free) with tomatoes, and eggplant parmigiana (gluten free). Everything was good, but not great; the salad, which I ended up making most of my meal out of, was really heavily dressed; the mac + cheese wasn’t creamy, but was just noodles with Daiya melted on it. Still, I’m grateful for vegan food wherever I can find it. They also serve Vegan Treats desserts, which is probably my favorite retailer ever. (My birthday cake came all the way from their Pennsylvania shop!)
The “dessert monster” struck after dinner, and a quick search sent us to Clementine Bakery in Bed-Stuy. (For all non-New Yorkers, we would not have traveled all around if we hadn’t had the car. Brooklyn is huge!) The bakery is 100% vegan, and was appealing for its numerous gluten-free options as well.
I loved this place. You know why? It looked like a regular bakery, and wasn’t flaunting that it didn’t source animal products. Instead, it just stacked piles of cookies, scones, and biscuits (which B, who is from the South, said looked legit) in a glass case; their cake offerings were also gorgeous, from the banana chocolate layer cake to the ginger chocolate. We ended up taking home three (whoops) items: a chocolate blueberry cupcake, a peanut butter blondie + a slice of cookies ‘n cream cake. They were really good, although B and I both agreed they tasted pretty sweet. (We haven’t been eating much sugar lately, though, so that’s probably why.)
This morning, my friend Leslie and I got up bright and early for a working breakfast date at Hu Kitchen. A “paleo” eatery that’s free of gluten and refined sugar, I knew I would be a happy, low-FODMAPS eating camper. We each ordered the 2 egg + 2 side + bread special: mine were scrambled, with sweet potato hash, green veggies and a coconut biscuit. Leslie and I both kept exclaiming that this meal was just what we wanted. And that coconut biscuit! I must make one. Hu Kitchen also makes a great Americano, which I sipped while Leslie and I talked about grad school- not many of my friends are currently in school, and it’s nice to have solidarity. We even got some school work done!
And even more exciting than food and work… Jenny and Aaron just got engaged!!! We can’t stop squealing about it. I’m so excited for them… and to begin my maid of honor duties! (Ladies- or gents- if you have any experience in that department, please send along your tips
Tomorrow will be an early day, so it’s off to bed I go. I hope this finds you happy and healthy.
