new york

happy pizza night from grimaldi's!

in , , ,

i know, i know,
it's a sin that i've lived in new york this long and haven't been to 
grimaldi's
so sue me. 


i actually just happened upon it when the pops and i attended a concert down the street from grimaldi's at bargemusic
{it's a chamber music venue and it's a boat. isn't that super silly?}

hello, pops!

so after a lovely evening of brahms and mozart,
we piggied out on pizza,
that is definitely up there with kesté and di fara.
i'm a total fan of the slightly burnt bottom.
i think i should have ordered extra basil though.
next time :-)


have a lovely weekend, pretty people!
pops is here all weekend! yay yipee! 


xoxo


yeh



grimaldi's is located in brooklyn, just below the brooklyn bridge.





my room.

in , ,


sometimes
when all of my practicing is finished for the day
and all of the dishes are clean,


i lie in my bed,
close my eyes,
and imagine that my little room
isn't in new york city anymore,
but that instead, it's part of a little house,
on a farm,
in the middle of nowhere.


i imagine that if i were to open my window,
i wouldn't see all of the yellow taxis
or my corner bodega...
rather i would see an endless field,
and the sun setting.


 if i were to open my door,
i'd find mum, fixing dinner
{in a beautiful kitchen}
for all of our most favorite people.


...it would smell of rosemary


and all of our most favorite people would be scattered about,
sitting on the porch,
playing with the puppies,
sipping wine,
discussing,
smiling,
laughing...






but then i really do hear laughing
{and it is roomies}


and i'm reminded that reality is sweet, too.




xoxo




yeh


week 3: minetta tavern

in ,

i'm going to make this plain and simple: 

there's life before
black label burger
and
there's life after 
the minetta tavern 
black label burger


and in between that,
there's this little slice of heaven
where you don't exactly know how it's possible that a burger can taste this good,
but you know that it does,
and you know that it is the best burger you've ever had,
and you somehow know that it is the best burger you ever will have,
and you are very ok with that.


{you are also very ok with the $26 that you are dropping on it}


i've never decided that about a food before...
that not only is this the best thing i've ever had,
but it is also the best thing i ever will have.
...and here i am at the ripe old age of 20,
 at the climax of my burger eating career.


now, i've never been married before,
but i imagine that this is what finding "the right one" is like.
you know,
sure there are a zillion other men (or burgers)
out there that have yet to be dated (or tasted)
but if this was the last man (burger)
i ever dated (tasted)
i'd be fully satisfied with that.


and here's why i'm allowed to claim this as 
the best burger EVER:


1. he agrees,
he agrees, 
most of them agree,
my teacher agrees
 frank would agree if it weren't $26 (pshhh..),
and someone named the beef aficionado agrees.


2. the shell.
the best things have little shells...
-bagels
-macarons
-french fries
-turtles
but have you ever met a burger with a shell??
with every little bite, 
there was a crunch!
not a burnt type of crunch,
but a completely satisfying and tasty crunch that added a whole new element!


3. the bun did exactly what a bun should do
it was a vehicle for the meat.
it complimented.
it absorbed.
it provided a little pillow. 
it did not try to steal the show.


in essence, 
the bun was the elenor roosevelt to the meat.


4. the burger did not need a single accouterment.
(by default, 
it is topped with grilled onions, but that's part of the package)
it's served with a tomato and lettuce slice,
but i'd argue that's just a formality.
no cheese.
and condiments?
nuh uh.


there are foods that are made to be friends with condiments
(pommes frites, 5napkin, heck- everything could use some mustard)
but even i felt uneasy about even so much as a spec of dijon!
normally for me it's like,
do you want some burger with your mustard?
there is just SO MUCH taste in this burger,
that it need not be covered up with
condiment shenanigans. 


5. the taste
i mean DUH.
but seriously.
you don't even know
you don't even know.


and the added bonuses:


the fries!
no fry has ever been crispy enough
or salty enough for me
{hence the usual mustard slatherage}
but these,
like the burger,
were perfect sans condiment.


the hefeweizen that washed it down


my waitress
a place with food as good as this can afford to have a-hole wait people
cause, i mean, i'd go back either way.
but miss wait was so very nice!


my walk home
approximately a hundred blocks (approximately five miles)
it made me feel fine about eating cows and fries for dinner
and i discovered,
that if you walk up town via the east side,
you completely bypass the sex shops.
...


now people, you hear me:
if you're ever in new york,
if you're not a vegetarian,
{even if you are*}
splurge,
and get a black label burger.


oh how i want another one RIGHT NOW!! but ladies and gents, i've got 49 more restaurants to go!
{still... i'll probably go here again soon}




xoxo




yeh




*"awesome. i'm saving this week's meat day for when i visit you. "
~pescetarian friend rob




minetta tavern is located on macdougal street in the west village