spring, finally.

And just in time for another sister in town. This time it was the little - and we celebrated the new season with lunch outside, crisp white wine, dinner at a new place, a broadway show and Mister Softee.

Friday evening in Brooklyn.

Lunch at Tartine

Pre-theater dinner at Le Philosphe - order the mussels. 

Sights and sweets on the UES

Can't wait for you to come back, Lucy!

lately: mid-march.

Some recent snaps from around town:

PIZZA is my favorite food. Truly. It had been a while since I had a good slice and Paulie Gee’s was a good pick. If only it didn’t take 3 trains to get to Greenpoint.

St. Patricks day! I wasn’t getting hammered like everyone else, but it was fun to see everyone and everything decked out around the neighborhood. We have a ton of pubs on our street so there was lots of festivity going on.

A cheeky reminder.

The best ice cream I have ever tasted. Found at Treehaus – which is a cool place in midtown. Would be a perfect place for lunch with the sandwiches, a hot bar of healthy food choices, cold pressed juices and an entire section of locally produced items from NYC and Brooklyn. Since they are based out of New York, I can't wait to track down some more Phin and Phebes flavors. Also – the latest Kinfolk ice-cream-themed issue has a story on the duo behind the ice cream – you can check that out here.

Browsing antique stores in the East Village for a little side project. The Upper Rust has some great stuff while the block it's located on is loaded with cute shops.

A perfect New York moment – this man was playing “somewhere over the rainbow” under a bridge in Central Park. I tried to record a little bit from a park bench nearby without being creepy. The sun was out, and all felt nice and quiet for a small amount of time while he played.

weekend in march.

View from the Upper West Side

This week is flying by so fast, last weekend seems miles away. I got to play house in a different part of town, spend time with my oldest friends and a new furry one, ate well and ran all over Central Park. Fast, fun weekend. Also, a double feature of weightless snow and blazing sun. Thank you, New York.

My roommate for the weekend.

Amazing dinner in Brooklyn.

Home.

Snowball fight.

Walks in the park with sticks. 

Sunshine on CPW

Brunching in the West Village and Golfing in Chelsea.

sister in the city.

My older sister was in New York this past weekend and despite the cloudy & wet weather, we had a blast.  She's good about visiting often and we always have a great time together. Weekends with big sis always involve lots of good food, long walks and trips to Russ & Daughters...

Essex Street Market

STS in a cool girl headband from Anthropologie at ABC Kitchen

Church at St. Ignatius

We went to an awesome brunch in Williamsburg on Sunday after church. Le Barricou is only a short L train ride away and serves some of the most insane pancakes I have ever had. While I usually go for eggs at brunch, I felt there was no option but to splurge on these pancakes. So worth it.

Bloody at Le Barricou

Indian food on Oscar night: Naan was my favorite

Thanks for a great weekend ST!

holiday feast with Sunday Suppers.

Have you paged through the beautiful photography on Sunday Suppers? That's what got me hooked. The photographs and all the food. Oh man, the food. Colorful, fresh, lovely.

Last Sunday I went over to Williamsburg to learn how to make a Holiday Feast with Karen of Sunday Suppers and Top Chef alum Camille Becerra. Both women were so nice and welcoming. Great company for a Sunday afternoon.

Camille is an exceptional teacher and chef. It's been a while since I took any kind of cooking class, and I was surprised at how excited and refreshed I felt to learn a few new things, like:
-How to smoke things at home. In this case, almonds.
-When seasoning meat for cooking: Pepper first. Salt last.
-Marinated cheese is a brilliant thing.

I highly recommend subscribing to SS, and attending a class if you are in the area. The space, for starters, is gorgeous. White, clean, rustic. It is an ideal environment for cooking and photography. In a small class of about 20 people or less, it's a great way to hang out with and meet new people. Most importantly, you get to EAT.

Right as we walked in, we were greeted with hot, spiced apple cider and some fresh bread with ricotta in a dish with olive oil and pepper. My heart started to flutter after I downed my first glass of cider and saw all of the fresh, local produce. I love cooking with fresh ingredients, especially ones I am not familiar with (persimmon? sign me up). I was all over the place chopping, taking pictures, observing, and listening that I almost forgot the whole idea was to enjoy the meal at the end.

The Menu:

Kombucha Squash Soup with cumin crème and  smoked almonds

Fall Fruits Salad with persimmon, pear, radish, arugula, and marinated ricotta-salata
Stuffed Turkey Breast with chestnut, currant and sage

Bone Marrow-Swiss Chard Gratin

Cranberry Quince Chutney

Pumpkin Creme Brulee

Chef Camille Becerra smoking almonds