"Nice web, Mr. Crack spider"

I Want The Top Tea Leaves Too!!

I have a post on my experiences at Cru coming soon... I promise! In the meanwhile, watch this cute Japanese commercial!

Creepy IM

So it's just about the end of the day at work when I receive this really bizarre IM. At first I thought it was a random IM from someone I knew from college, but apparently not. Here's the excerpt from my conversation (I replaced his actual screen name with 'Creepster')... thoughts?

(5:41:47 PM) Creepster: hi
(5:42:40 PM) Me: whos this
(5:42:52 PM) Creepster: mj, i saw u on my buddy list ha weird?
(5:43:16 PM) Me: mj. cmu mj?
(5:43:55 PM) Creepster: cmu?
(5:44:04 PM) Creepster: whast tha tmean
(5:44:07 PM) Me: nm
(5:44:08 PM) Me: do i know you?
(5:44:14 PM) Creepster: uh i dont think so
(5:44:15 PM) Creepster: asl?
(5:45:46 PM) Me: this is not a personal IM
(5:45:53 PM) Creepster: oh it isn't?
(5:46:07 PM) Me: so please don't IM me if it isn't work related. thanks
(5:46:13 PM) Creepster: what kind of work
(5:46:15 PM) Creepster: just curious?
(5:47:10 PM) Me: please don't IM me if it isn't work related. thanks
(5:47:15 PM) Creepster: ok

Casa Mono

We went to go see the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace and then out for a few drinks at Underbar under the W Hotel in Union Square on Friday after work. Did you know a large movie theater popcorn is 900 calories?? Geeeeez.

After leaving the bar, we were headed to Momofuku Ssam for some pork buns but ran across Mario Batali's small plates restaurant Casa Mono. Since I was hungry and am always up for new places we sat down for a quick dinner (it was about 11pm at this point, and the kitchen was going to close within the next 30 minutes). Despite the speedy dinner, it was pretty tasty and definitely hit the spot.

Casa Mono
52 Irving Pl, New York, NY 10003
tel: 212.253.2773

dinner
Pumpkin And Goat Cheese Croquetas
Razor Clams a la Plancha
Bone Marrow with pickled radishes
Skirt Steak with Onion Mermelada
Crispy Pork Belly with Fabada and Horseradish

dessert
Chocolate Cake with Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

wine
La Rioja Alta Viña Ardanza Reserva 2000

Would I go again: Yes, I would like to try this place again so I can take a little more time eating and taking in the atmosphere.

Perry St

I've been dying to go back to Jean-George's Perry St for awhile now, and finally got the chance to do so last week. I really love how simple Jean-George keeps all his dishes, but manages to make them tasty and memorable. I would probably eat the butter poached lobster everyday if I could, but not very realistic...

Perry St
176 Perry St., New York, NY 10014
tel: 212-352-1900

Dinner:

amuse
Sweet Potato Soup with Parmesan

starter
Rice Cracker Crusted Tuna
Sriracha-Citrus Emulsion

main
Butter Poached Lobster
Plum Vinegar and Crystallized Ginger

wine
Chateau la Louvre (this may be a bit off)

dessert
Apple Confit
Creme Fraiche, Granny Smith Apple Sorbet

dessert wine
1996 Sauternes Chateua Guiraud

Would I go back: Given that this is probably one of my favorite places to eat in the city, definitely yes. (This would be a really nice place to take a someone on a romantic date...)



Images Courtesy Of Perry Street

Micro Sculptor

This guy basically creates sculptures that can fit inside the eye of a needle. Ridiculous!

Puppies!

If you need a break from your day. Check out the live Puppy Cam

How Many People Do You See?

I counted 23. How many did you see?

WOAH! WOW! YEA!

This kid is the cutest!!!

Worst Autumn On Record!!

Extreme Weather Alert: Meteorologists Predict Intensely Brisk Autumn

OMG! OMG! OMG!

I can't stop laughing...

<

Creepy!

My water bottle has eyes and keeps looking at me!

California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort

Matt and I ate at one of our favorite restaurants at Disney, California Grill, in the Contemporary Resort. It offers great modern foods and an amazing view of the Magic Kingdom. They also have an accessible balcony you can use to watch the nighttime fireworks show. 

If you're ever at Disney, I recommend getting there 15-30mins before the show, grabbing a drink at the bar, and going out to watch the fireworks.

Food we ate:
Chef's Garden Heirloom Tomato Flatbread with Roasted Garlic, Provolone, and Arugula

Appetizers:
Matt had the lobster special

I had a watermelon salad with market greens, pickled onions, blue cheese, and balsamic and oil

Entrees:
Matt had the Roasted Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant "two-ways", Rosemary Potatoes, Confit Garlic and Currant Tomatoes

I had the Oak-fired Filet of Beef with Boniato Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Haricot Vert and Teriyaki Barbeque Sauce

Dessert:
Peachy Keen Peach Cheesecake, Bellini "Bubble Tea", Spiced Tea Cake with Vanilla Creme Glace
They also included a "Happy Anniversary" chocolate wedge!

Old people

Normally I am really forgiving towards old people. I mean, they're old and supposedly wise... Except when they blatantly cut you in a line you had been waiting in for 30 minutes and take all the remaining wine tasting tickets. Yea, they're lucky I didn't punch them in the face.

Party for the Senses

25 dishes in 2.5 hours = Party for the Senses

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nicky Riemer - Trunk Restaurant (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Pan-Seared Snapper, Baby Artichokes & Wild Mushrooms with Marinated Feta Dressing



Ron Cavileer & Robert Small - The Turf Club Bar and Grill (Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa)
Wild Boar Pot Sticker Over Cucumber Slaw with a Soy-Lime Vinaigrette



Matt Gennuso - Gez Pascal (Providence, RI)
Herb-Roasted Leg of Lamb with a Goat Cheese and Brown Letil Cake, Butternut Squash Aigre-Doux



Norm Curka - Special Events Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
Confit of Open-Range Turkey with Butternut Squash Grain and a Mulled Cranberry Apple Jus



Peng Looi - August Moon Chinese Bistro (Louisville, KY)
Dry-Rubbed Duck, Picked Root Vegetables and Passion Fruit, Thyme Reduction



Celina Tio - JULIA(N) (Charlotte, NC)
Pan-Seared Scallops with Trumpet Royale Mushrooms and Prosciutto Broth


Bruce Bray & Karen Karwowski - Spoodles (Disney's BoardWalk Resort)
Grilled Vegetable Falafel with Labaneh Cheese and Minted Slaw



Robert Laurie & Dylan Schauwecker - Chef Michk's & The Wave Restaurant (Disney's Contemporary Resort)
Braised Beef Short Ribs with Sweet Onion BBQ Sauce, Roasted Garlic & Cheddar Cheese Grits



Gary Miles - Sci-Fi Dine-In Theatre Restaruant (Disney's Hollywood Studios)
Smoked Tenderloin of Pork with Mole and Mango-Blackbean Relish



Marco Chaves - Coral Reef Restaurant (The Seas with Nemo & Friends Epcot)
Grilled Buffalo Tenderloin over Yukon Gold-Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Red Onions and Blue Cheese, Tang Vela Reduction



Andrew Turner - Cinderella's Royal Table (Magic Kingdom Park)
Chicken and Prosciutto with Asapragus Crostini and Fondue



Aeran Yi - The Hollywood Brown Derby (Disney's Hollywood Studios)
Black Cumin-Rubbed Lamb Tenderloin with Galangal Lentils and Asian Pear Sambal



Tory McPhail - Commander's Palace (New Orleans, LA)
Duck Poppers with Five-Pepper Jelly



Rock Harper - Fox's Hell's Kitchen Season 3 (Henderson, NV)
King Crab "Macaroni and Cheese" with Black Truffles

Roland Muller, Joel Schaefer & Jerry Staci - Walt Disney World
Rice and Black Lentil Cake with Cauliflower Pakora and Red Curry Sauce



Jeramy Moore - Special Events (Disney's Contemporary Resort)
Pork Three Ways
Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin
Spicy Sweet Onion Marmalade Topped with Cracklin'



Samad Benzari - Restaruant Marrakesh (Morocco Papillion Epcot)
Cornish Hen with Fresh Ginger and Grapes, Orange-Scented Dried Fruit Cous Cous



Eurene Ralph & Jenny Sly - Boma - Flavors of Africa (Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge)
Charmoula Shrimp with Beluga Lentil Salad



Andy Trousdale - Le Bistro Restaurant (Lighthouse Point, FL)
Roast Veal Loin, Green Tip Asparagus, Smoked Bacon Potato Salad, White Truffle Oil



Kristine Farmer - Bakery (Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa)
Orange Honey Gateau with Pomegranate Foam



Connell Daniel - Bakery (Disney's BoardWalk Resort)
Toasted Almond Mousse with Poached Pears



David Guas - Damgoodsweet Consulting Group (Washington, DC)
Bananas Foster Cheesecake with Rum Caramel and Salted Pecan Brittle



Cathy Haynes - Harrah's Casino (Reno, NV)
Mandarin Tangerine Chocolate Mousse with Blood Orange Coulis



Richard Capizzi - Bouchon Bakery & Per Se (New York, NY)
Declinaision Au Chocolat
Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Custard
Warm Chocolate Mousse and Coffee Ice Cream


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Momofuku Ko - Lunch

By sheer luck, Matt was randomly checking the Ko site yesterday and managed to snag a lunch reservation for today at 12:25pm. 17 courses, with wine/sake pairings took us slightly over 3 hours and I came out a "bit" tipsy. Okay, maybe a little more than that (don't judge).

The courses may be out of order toward the middle/end... we were getting kind of wasty...

Amuse
Pomme souffle with creme fraiche and hackleback caviar
Corn tuile with tomato jam, pork rillette, and grilled corn

Course #1
Oyster with hackleback caviar
*Since I'm allergic, Matt had the oyster and they substituted my dish with 2 peieces of uni instead

Course #2
Raw kampachi with lemon jam and daikon radish sprouts

Course #3
Raw Long Island fluke with Korean fermented chili paste)

Course #4
O-toro tartar with lemon jam topped with hackleback caviar

Course #5
Raw diver scallops, watermelon, radish, and lime zest

Course #6
Lobster salad with mini melon balls, tomato water, basil oil, and pickled cucumbers on top of melon gelee

Course #7
Painted Hills beef carpaccio with grilled baby leek, horseradish creme fraiche, grated horseradish, and baby sorrel
“Butter Bomb” (a mini roll filled with butter topped with black sesame seeds)

Course #8
Fresh yuba with heirloom cherry tomato salad

Course #9
Bacon fat poached shrimp, zebra beans, matsutake mushrooms, tonburi with a pour of bacon dashi

Course #10
Deep fried poached egg with pickled cherries, baby kale, and cherry jam of some sort

Course #11
Steamed striped bass on top of an egg drop soup dumpling, raw lobster mushrooms, bok choy, and toasted kasha

Course #12
Buckwheat tortellini stuffed with eggplant puree, grilled baby eggplant, Korean black garlic, Chinese long beans, house made pork and miso sausage

Course #13
Signature Dish: Shaved foie gras torchon with lychees and riesling gelee

Course #14
Elysian Fields Farm rack of lamb with watermelon, feta cheese puree, and black olives

Course #15
Cheese Course: Two different cheeses (one hard, one soft... I can't remember what kind), pickled red onions, apricot jam?, and a pork fat brioche

Course #16
Peach sorbet with milk crumbs and cinnamon streusel

Course #17
Corn parfait with chocolate sauce, sour cream flavored ice cream on top of corn meal, and dehydrated corn kernels

This meal was followed by a 2.5 hour nap... all in all, I think it was a very productive Sunday...

Can You Feel the Love?

Snippet of a conversation I had over gchat with my boyfriend Matt....

Me: Sweet I bought shoes online
Matt: Lame.
Matt: Lenovo rejected my credit card?

Me: what? how?
Matt: Not sure. Then I couldn't use it to buy train tix. Wtf
Matt: What did you do grace?

Me: nothing! want me to check your acct?
Matt: Like I'm supposed to believe that

Me: what! no trust!
Matt: How are your shoess!??????!!!!!??!??
Me: I PAID FOR THEM WITH MY MC!!!!
Matt: Oh. There goes my theory

Sharpie Art

Apparently Sharpies are more useful that I thought... A Kentucky man decorated his entire basement using just $10 worth of Sharpie.

Pretty cool stuff, huh? 

Josh Groban - Memorable TV Themes Over Time

This was by far the highlight from the 60th Annual Emmy Awards last night... especially after that disaster "Nothing" skit in the beginning.

Mischievous Kangaroo

KANGOUROU (REMI GAILLARD)
by nqtv

Bar Q

This post is a little late, but Matt and I ate at Anita Lo's Bar Q last Friday. She is also known for Annisa and Rickshaw Dumpling Bar.
The atmosphere and the design of the restaurant was simple and clean. There was a giant outdoor space in the back of the restaurant that was in pretty high demand, especially since the weather was really nice.
As for the food... I had the alcoholic bubble tea cocktail which was definitely different. However, I didn't like how I couldn't get any bubbles while I was drinking. They provided a small cocktail straw, but in the end, I asked for a small spoon so I could scoop some of the bubbles out of the glass. The style of the food had a prominent Asian influence and I tasted pretty good. My shortrib were really tender and flavorful. I also thought it was interesting how they presented the soy bean paste and hot sauce separately instead of as a single sauce.
Overall, although I thought everything was really tasty, the food and flavors weren't very exciting.

Bar Q
308-310 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
tel: 212.206.7817

My Dinner:
pre dinner drink
Green Tea Bubble Tea
Green Tea, Vodka, Milk, Amaretto Flavored “Bubbles”

starter
Tea Smoked Salmon and Its Roe with a Quail Tea Egg
Japanese Waygu with 4 dipping sauces

main
Grilled Shortrib, Korean Flavors

dessert
Warm Sesame Mochi with XO Caramel Dipping Sauce

wine
Ati Rangi

Would I go back: maybe... if I did, I would try something different. You can definitely get shortribs that are just as tasty elsewhere in New York.

Photo provided by: Eater

Phelps Schmelps!

Seriously? I read this and I pretty much lost all (not that there was much to begin with) respect for her.... Read on to find out why.

Phelps, schmelps! J.Lo’s also in training
By Courtney Hazlett

Poor Jennifer Lopez. The new mom is training for a triathlon, but everyone is too busy watching the Olympics to notice.

Lopez, who appeared on "Good Morning America" Aug. 18 to discuss her preparations for the Malibu Triathlon, was overheard saying after the segment that she “couldn’t understand why everyone is talking about that swimmer,” according to a GMA source. “She couldn’t come up with (eight-time gold-medal winner Michael) Phelps’ name, and then she yammered on about how she was the one training for a triathlon just six months after giving birth, and how that was the big story right now, not ‘the swimmer.’ ”

Lopez is planning on donating money raised for her race to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. To help drum up attention, she started a blog to share tips on training. “Touch up makeup prior to your run” hasn’t made its way into any posts, despite Lopez being spotted arriving in Central Park with her makeup artist later in the day.

“Apparently, Jenny from the Block requires a lot of powder,” says the source.
Source: MSNBC

Momofuku Ko

We managed to snag a reservation at the infamously inaccessible Momofuku Ko! Two hours, ten courses paired with wine/sake/beer equals a really tasty Wednesday night.

Momofuku Ko
163 First Ave (btwn 10th and 11th), New York, NY 10003
reservations: online only

English Muffin with Whipped Pork Fat, House Made Chicharrón (fried pork skin) with Togarashi, and a Truffle Slice on top of Pomegranate Seeds and Peach Purée

Long Island Fluke Sashimi Sriracha Buttermilk Sauce with Poppy Seeds

Smoked Hen Egg w/ Osetra Caviar, Sous Vie Onions and Fingerling Potato Chips

Chanterelle Mushrooms, Turnips, Lima Beans, and Peas in a Bacon Dashi Broth

Corn Ravioli with Pancetta, Mexican Cheese, Grilled Sweet Corn, Kimchi and Lime Zest

Grilled Caper-Brined Trout with Pickled Radish, Chinese Green Beans, Bacon Purée, and Toasted Almonds

Shaved Foie Gras Torchon with Lychées and Riesling Gelée

Grilled Duck and a Sous Vie Duck Leg in a Cherry Demi Glaze Sauce with Grilled Cherries

Pineapple Sorbet with Dried Pineapples

Yellow Cake Flavored Ice Cream, Strawberries, and Peanut Butter Crumbles


Would I go back: yes, if i can get another reservation, especially considering the menu changes constantly!

Gordon Ramsay at the London

After much anticipation (2 months to be exact) Matt and I finally got to eat at Gordon Ramsay at the London.
The decor was elegant and somewhat formal... I loved the chairs! But it was also comfortable and not stuffy. Our wait staff were not only accommodating but also had low-key humor. One waiter of our was particularly memorable considering at the end of the meal, when he came around to serve us some bon bons from the trolley and after hearing how full I was, he offered to roll me out the door if necessary. He also claimed that it was his job to make our dining experience the best it could be. So despite the formal dining ambiance, it was ultimately an enjoyable experience.

Gordon Ramsay at the London
151 W 54th St, New York, NY 10019
tel: 212.468.8888

My Dinner:
pre-dinner drink
Aubry Rosé, Jouy-lès-Reims, France NV

canapés
flavors: Eggplant, Mushroom, and Anchovy

amuse bouche
Crab Salad Wrapped in Melon with Hazelnut Butter

appetizer
Sautéed Maine Diver Scallops with Mixed Spices, Cauliflower Purée, Beignets and Sherry Caramel

entrée
Fillet of Wisconsin Veal, Tramazzini Bread and Chilled Foie Gras, Summer Truffle Vinaigrette

pre-dessert
Strawberry Sorbet with White Rum Gelée, Coconut Foam, and a Crystallized Mint Leaf

dessert
Peach Custard and Pound Cake with Sliced Peaches, and Strawberry Ball with a Champagne Reduction

post-dessert
Bon Bon Trolley!
various bon bons (lemon marshmallows, caramelized honey comb, etc.)

wine
TBD

Would I go back: yes!