one month

i can't believe it's been 31 days since i started this adventure in new york. at first, it seemed like time went by so slowly and i didn't believe in the 'new york minute' and in a way, i still don't but i still can't believe i've been here a whole month. now that i look back, it feels like longer only because i'm kinda already comfortable here. i've read that the adjustment period for new york can be anywhere from 3 months to a year. did i skip something? am i doing something wrong? yes, i'm still experiencing something new all the time but i'm also not as scared or apprehensive as i was. i'm only double checking my directions now instead of triple checking. i can adjust to subway changes when i have to. i've gone grocery shopping. i walk everywhere. i'm making new friends. don't get me wrong, i miss my family, friends, and austin dearly but i really haven't felt homesick. i think i've felt more homesickness going on a 10 day vacation than i have with this move. maybe it's just the mindset that this is permanent. i don't know. whatever it is, i already feel like this is my norm. 


i'm super excited because s.c. and n.p. have booked their tickets and will be here in 6.5 weeks! i can't wait. hopefully the time will fly. n.p. used to live here so i'm looking forward to her sharing some of her nyc secrets and tips with me. 


xoxo,
p.


p.s. i get so giddy when i see new people are following me on this experience. you can do so very easily on the left with pretty much any email account!

antipop consortium & rain machine

a.s. had an extra ticket to see antipop consortium and rain machine at the brooklyn academy of music (BAM). BAM is the equivalent to the paramount in austin although BAM is a lot bigger and much more updated.

they have plays, concerts, theaters for new movies, a cafe where they also have rock shows, and i'm sure much, much more. it's pretty close by so i plan to see a lot more events here when i can.

we had amazing tickets. i think we were 5-6 rows back so i was able to see everything which is not the norm being that i'm a hobbit. the first group, apc, were pretty entertaining although after about 3 songs, i was ready to hit the lobby for another glass of wine. there was a hot one, flava flav look alike, a nerd, and the dj.

the headliner, rain machine, is kyp malone's (from tv on the radio) solo project. before a.s. told me about the show, i'd never heard of them and didn't know what to expect. they totally blew me away. the talent, the energy and the music was moving. i was sad to see them end the show but they only have one album so i look forward to seeing what else they're going to dish out. 

xoxo,

p.

sophie's and allegretti

i think it's going to take more than a year to try out all the places around my work where i can eat lunch. a friend has been eating at sophie's every week, and sometimes twice a week, for the last few weeks so i finally went w/ her and another coworker recently. you can either go through a line kinda like luby's, pick what you want, and take it to go. but there is a small area in the back with table service. since i like to take my full hour of lunch, we chose this option. it was crowded but we were seated very quickly. they have lunch specials not on the menu from $6-$8 bucks but their menu is definitely pretty reasonable too. it was SO good! i had the 2 empanada special w/ chicken and potato soup and a soda for only $6.50. my coworker, who is of latin descent, raved about the food and said he was looking for a place to get some home cooking. he and my friend had the seafood in cuban sauce with rice and fried plantains. it has squid, mussels, shrimp and some other seafood. they said it was amazing. my coworker tore it up and finished before either us were half way through we our meals. this is definitely going to be staple because of the quality and price.

it was going to be hard to top lunch but i tried by going to another place for restaurant week. allegretti is a 14 table french restaurant in the flatiron area. it's fancy and nice. a great deal for dinner w/ this special but apparently they have the same stuff all year around on their prix fixe menu. the bartender was pretty hot w/ his french accent and the maitre d', james, was so friendly and warm. we started off w/ some cocktails and then switched to a bottle of cotes du rhone. i had the red cabbage and pomegranate with sheep's milk ricotta cheese to start. the cheese was silky smooth.

then the roasted chicken breast w/ carrots fondant and potato gratin, crispy bacon, and chicken jus. we also added on a side of brussel sprouts. i forgot to take a pic before we dug in. the chicken was cooked perfectly.

b.l. had the pan seared salmon with tomato and zucchini provecale with mariniere sauce. it was lovely. 

we ended with the pear and dark chocolate clafoutis and the flourless chocolate cake.

the clafoutis was served warm so when i cut into it, the chocolate oozed out of the 'cake' and melted in my mouth. the combo of pear and dark chocolate was perfect. i wanted more.

we had a great time in a great restaurant. i will definitely be back! we then rolled ourselves to the train and to williamsburg in the freezing cold to 3rd ward for the opening of an exhibit of photographs by linda gastaldello. we didn't stay long since the exhibit was small and we were too late for the wine.


xoxo,
p.

baoguette and breakfast

apparently, there's no good vietnamese food in nyc. i've been asking anyone that will tolerate me and hardly anyone has any suggestions. food mecca with no viet? this makes me very sad. when i visit austin, i'll have to get my fill of tex-mex and viet??? crazy! well, one of coworkers told me about baoguette, where i could at least get a descent banh mi. 

what's nice is that you can order online (yes, a viet place that not only has a website but also has online ordering) and you can also order it spicy or mild for you spice freaks. i was in an daring mood so i had the spicy classic baoguette. i would go back because it was pretty good and close but i've definitely had better. 


you know how you can get anything on a biscuit in tx? well, here, it's a roll. 

xoxo,
p.

5 ninth

new york restaurant week has begun! i love doing this in austin but, my goodness, there's over 250 restaurants to choose from the nyc list! what is a girl to do?? so i left it to my friend, b.l., to choose and the first one was 5 ninth in the meatpacking district. 

this place is super cute! it's was snug, warm, and inviting. their menu was simple and delicious. i started w/ the arugula salad, pork cheeks, and the crumble. my dining companions, b.l., d.l, and k.l, had the pig tails, haddock, chocolate cake, and coconut panna cotta and of course, we all sampled each other's dishes. i would definitely go back to 5 ninth but probably for happy hour. 

sorry, i forgot to take a picture of the food. the company and the food were that good.

xoxo, 
p

my toothesses

i'm really good about going to the dentist every 6 months for a cleaning so i made an appointment w/ a recommended dentist near my office. he was very nice and totally gay...and so was almost everyone else in the office. his assistant, steven, was totally precious. during my cleaning, they talked about printers (for about 38 mins), nancy kerrigan's father dying (and the brother that may or may not arrested because of it) which led to celebrity boxing (specifically when tonya harding fought paula jones and kicked her ass), and a reality tv show which i can remember off the top of my head right now. does your dentist office look anything like this?

i almost walked out w/ the little paper bib they clasp around your neck. steven came over w/ a little napkin to wipe my mouth of the polish and helped me take it off. he said, "you might start a trend, girl. it's chelsea after all."


xoxo,
p.

pho gone wrong

i had a mad craving for pho before i went to see a play called dark rapture. i went to new saigon since it was near the theater hoping for a nice yummy bowl of noodles. i was wrong but at least now i know. it was funny and full of vegetables.

i also had a chance to have drinks w/ some new friends at still bar, which was a dive-y and had some pretty good grub food. now i know where to get some good spinach artichoke dip.


xoxo,
p.

franklin park

i've met up with most of the friends of friends i got names of in ny. when i told n.p. what area of brooklyn i was living in, she mentioned that she had another friend that lived in the area so she gave me her email and we  met up at franklin park in crown heights. this place is definitely my kind of place. it's dark, kinda dive-y and they have an outside patio which they also call their biergarten. of course, the night r.b. and i met, we did not sit outside but i could see how it's going to be cool to hang out there in the summer.

they had an awesome beer and drink selection with a few specialties too. i tried out the franklin lemonade which had citrus vodka, lime, oj, and campari. it was sweet and delish. next time, i'll have to try a few more.

xoxo,
p.

madison square park

even though the weather hasn't been great, i still like to take some time out of every day (sometimes twice a day) to take a walk in the park. madison square park doesn't take long to get to so this tends to be my destination. plus, there's not much of a risk of spending money like 5th ave. there's a nice dog run where i can get a dose of puppy love since my dogs aren't nearby too.

they also have some art installations and big fat squirrels. a lot of people have lunch in the park too. can't wait til the weather is nicer to spend more time here.

it's makes for a very nice way to spend 15-30 minutes everyday. can't complain.

xoxo,

p.

cheers big ears!

on sunday, my great, old friend, d.r., came to visit. he's got work to do but he came up 2 days early to hang out with me. my first visitor! 

first stop, the farm on adderley, a super cute, quaint cafe in ditmas park. i chose this place because their menu kinda reminded me of east side cafe in austin (was wrong but not disappointed). 

we both started with mimosas then followed up w/ their special bloody mary that has an olive and a pickle instead of celery. the bloody mary was super fresh, definitely not from a mix. it actually tasted like it was good for you.

d.r. and i both have a love for food so we were agreed to share everything before we ordered. following is a before and after photo of each of our dishes.

first, fisherman’s eggs, two poached eggs over smoked trout, mixed greens, potato latke,  and hollandaise:

next, sausage & eggs, housemade breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, home fries, and salad:

and lastly, french toast w/ caramelized apples:

the french toast was our favorite but it was all amazing and a perfect, cozy spot for d.r. after the plane ride.

since d.r. was up since 4am and i didn't go to bed until 3am the night before, we went back to the apt and watched a movie. somehow, d.r. stayed awake but i took a little cat nap. our next stop was basilica restaurant near times square. 

small, cozy restaurants have always been my favorite. although that was not the plan, we seem to end up at them and they were all excellent. we started off with mussels and clams fradiablo, mussels and clams in a spicy tomato sauce. we could not get enough of the sauce in this. d.r. compared it to the mussels' sauce at clay pit in austin. yes, it was that good.

d.r. had the chicken manicotti and i had the baked ziti.

i'm pretty sure that we both agreed that this was one of the best italian meals we've ever had. i liked mine and d.r. liked his but then i mixed them together and um...utter bliss. it was so good, i didn't want to stop eating but alas, we had some swing dancing to do. i got us some tickets to swing 46, jazz and supper club. we had a great time there. there was a whole mix of people, older, younger, and they all were there to have a great time. we even had a kick line when sarah hayes and the prohibition playboys played new york. good times especially since it was cold and raining all day. i was just proud that we made it out. 

on monday, d.r. and i had a bit of a late start but we still found a place to get some breakfast food at noon. tom's restaurant is prospect heights was the place to be. when we walked up, there was already a line around the corner but it moved pretty quickly. 

the service and food was great. we both had the 2, 2, 2 combo but with different options. i had 2 eggs over easy, 2 pork sausages, and 2 lemon ricotta pancakes.

d.r.'s mix was 2 scrambled eggs, bacon, and 2 apple walnut pancakes.

i forgot to take a picture of the lemonade but i highly recommend it. everything was so good. the pancakes were fluffy and the sausage hand made. the bacon was so savory too.

we had to walk off some of this food so we headed to the brooklyn botanical garden which was a beautiful way to waste some time. there wasn't much blooming but it was just what i needed at the moment, quiet and serene.

we then headed to the union square area to do some shopping. after all that walking, and shopping, and more walking, we were hungry. yeah, i don't think we meant for this to be a food visit but that's just how things happen. d.r. was in the mood for thai, so we hit laut, which again, was cute, quaint, and cozy. we started w/ some fried veggie spring rolls. d.r. had the red curry (spicy coconut milk, bamboo, basil and vegetables) and i had their tom yam (straw mushroom, basil, cilantro, mint, pepper, bean sprouts in a spicy lemongrass broth). i choose wonton as my meat and the thin noodles. they called it thai malaysian fusion but whatever it was, it was good!

after a long day of shopping and tons of walking, this place really hit the spot in warmth and yumminess. it was a perfect end to a fun few days with a great friend. 

xoxo,

p.

mercury lounge

last night, i had the opportunity to see a few bands at mercury lounge on the lower east side (les). it's got a really nice feel and the music room is separated by a wall from the main bar so it's pretty nice when you want to have a conversation when the band is playing.


the first band we saw was frances. they reminded me of a mix of death cab for cutie and the arcade fire except they didn't switch instruments. they did have quite a range of them though, especially some bell things that the girl used on one song.


the second band to go on was la strata, my favorite of the night. it didn't hurt that the singer had a brit accent either. i found their music a more moving than the other two and i was much more interested to hear more.


the last and final band of the night was takka takka. they seem to have a pretty big following but i couldn't really see or hear why. don't get me wrong, the musicians were very talented (i could definitely hear that) but i felt that their music has a whole was pretty anti-climatic. i kept waiting for something big to happen and nothing did. they were the 'headliners' of the night but i would have preferred to hear more of la strata. 

soon after takka takka started, we left and i had my first ny street hot dog, which too, was anti-climatic but hey, it was a first! when i told the bouncer at the next bar, 200 orchard, he laughed and said let me know how you feel in the morning.


xoxo,
p.

sirtaj and milk bar

i don't even think there's a cheaper lunch in austin. sirtaj offers a one piece tandoori chicken with spicy rice for....$4.50!!! and since it was SO cheap, i added on a diet coke and one huge piece of naan. yes, my friends, all you see here for $7.32. not too shabby.

schlepping is a way of life in new york and i experienced it today. i guess i experience it anytime i do laundry but i just have to take that downstairs. today, i planned a trip to target and marshall's and schlepped everything i bought to lunch (about a mile away). included in my two massive bags was toilet paper, toothpaste, towels, laundry detergent, and a few other random things that made my bags pretty damn heavy and awkward. this is why planning a few trips during your lunch break during the week is worth it. hopefully i won't be schlepping my things around ny again anytime soon. i think i need a massage!

a huge part of my activity here is trying to make friends through other friends. today, i met up w/ a.s., a friend of k.b.'s, at milk bar in prospect heights. a.s. has been living here a while so i hope to absorb as much info she can dish out. i already want to live in her neighborhood.

she had the very healthy granola w/ a pile of apple slices on top. it was very soft and coconut-y. i really liked it!

i had the not so healthy toastie (ham, gruyere cheese, tomato and avocado (add on)). i don't think there was one spot on that piece of sourdough that wasn't covered in cheese so, of course, i loved it.

after all that, i still made time to take sf for her long walk. what a life.

xoxo,

p.

and this is why hardly anyone owns a car in nyc

jameson, the ginger man, and winter

i'm not a regular whiskey drinker but for whatever reason, when the cold hits, i love me some jameson. and on wednesday, it was a perfect night to partake in some libations at the ginger man. 

i invited a coworker, a.b., and met up w/ t.b. and friends. i stayed w/ t.b. in december when i flew up to look for an apt. her friends were great and i definitely had some interesting conversations. one guy used to live in highland park in dallas and is best friends w/ the daughter of the home depot founder. something like that. he's also a huge ut fan so we had some colt to talk about. another guy was, i think, playing devil's advocate and challenging me on my company's vision. i ended up asking a few people what it's like to have a non-responsive super since mine doesn't seem to be responding to me and basically, i'm kinda s.o.l. i keep telling myself it's less than a year. time flies right?

the ginger man was pretty cool though.  it was warm and cozy and the drinks weren't too expensive. i know there's a ton of little dives and stuff around town but i haven't found them...yet.

btw, many of you have emailed me to let me know you've come across this and i'm so happy to hear from you! it's kinda funny to post things and never know who's checking in. i'm glad you enjoy reading about my little adventure!

xoxo,

p.