Posted August 13th, 2011 by Meg
The main reason my parents and I went to NYC was to meet up with my good friend Alex for dinner at Babbo Ristorante.
By this upcoming September, I will have known Alex for 18 years. That means our friendship will legally be an adult, but still will not be able to rent a car. All bad jokes aside, I have known Alex for almost 2/3 of my life! We went through middle school and high school together and stayed friends even after I moved to a different coast. We traveled through Europe together, we drove from California to Pennsylvania together, and we have celebrated many New Years Eves together. Also! In 2008, while perusing the website Passive Aggressive Notes, I encountered this hilarious passive aggressive note, and immediately recognized Alex’s handwriting. I know, I know, I’m being overly sentimental. But, I’m very grateful to have such a good friend. I’m also grateful my parents took us to Babbo because Mario Batali can do no wrong.
Lower Level Dining Area.
Cherry Bellini.
Villa Matilde Aglianico.
Chickpea Bruschetta.
Sweet Onion Crostini, with Babbo Lardo Glistening.
Goat Cheese Tortelloni with Dried Orange and Wild Fennel Pollen.
Black Spaghetti with Rock Shrimp, Spicy Salami Calabrese and Green Chiles.
Mint Love Letters with Spicy Lamb Sausage.
Sunday Special: Braised Short Ribs.
Barbecued Skirt Steak with Asparagus “alla Piastra” and Salsa Verde.
Chocolate Hazelnut Cake.
After dinner we took a stroll through Washington Square Park.
Are you still reading? Unfortunately, the time has come for me to take a break. I have had a lot of fun & I hope all two of my readers enjoyed these past few months. Tschüß!
Posted August 11th, 2011 by Meg
After visiting the MOMA, we headed to Chelsea for coffee at Café Grumpy. I had never been to a Grumpy before, but with a name and logo like that, how could I not? The Chelsea Grumpy is cute and tiny. Parking was not a problem and the location is a few doors down from the NYPD #10th Precinct. Also, it is the first coffee shop that I have ever been in that has a laptop ban.
I ultimately decided on a coffee flight to give three out of the four caffeinated choices a try.
- Top: Nicaragua - Santa Teresa
- Bottom Left: Kenya - Gethumbwini
- Bottom Right: Colombia - Desarrollo Co-op.
Thorough descriptions here. All were pleasant, but I enjoyed the Gethumbwini the most.
After the coffee, I naively decided that I wanted to walk the half mile to Chelsea Market.
I say naively because it was excruciatingly hot outside. I usually do not have a problem with heat and humidity, but I regretted drinking the hot coffee and wearing pants. Inside the Chelsea Market, I immediately wandered into the Chelsea Wine Vault where they were having a free wine tasting. Although I did not care for the free wine offered, I did enjoy the rest of the establishment and purchased some Whistle Pig Rye Whiskey for my brother. Whistle Pig is 100% Rye Whiskey which was released in 2010. Apparently, PA does not sell any brand of 100% rye whiskey. Unfortunately, this is not too surprising considering the existence of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
Posted August 11th, 2011 by Meg
I am currently in PA for a few days to see my family. Aside from my awkward sleep schedule that will not budge (5am-11am), it has been a very pleasant trip. On Sunday my parents and I went up to NYC for the day. We started the morning at MOMA.
A Few of My Favorites:
René Magritte’s “The Palace of Curtains, III” (1928-29). The word ciel is French for sky. In the coffin-like misshaped frame on the left is a representation of a sky. In the frame on the right is the word “ciel.” Get it? Surreally cool.
Roy Lichtenstein’s “Drowning Girl” (1963). She’s right though, if she called Brad, he would never let her forget he saved her from drowning.
Ger van Elk’s “The Co-founder of the Word O.K.” (1971). I had never heard of this Danish photographer before, but loved his clever photos and of course the imagery of Hollywood in the 70’s. If you look closely, Ger van Elk is posed in profile to the right of a framed yellow bubble letter “O” in each picture. He is posing as the letter “K” by raising his arm and leg. As a result, he is “O.K.” on a street, a block from the Hollywood Colonial, and outside a store.
