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 July 7th, 2009 by Meg
With no better day to celebrate than Friday, I met up with my roommate and my boyfriend at Riva for happy hour.
With my subjective well being high, I ordered the only glass of red available at the happy hour price of four dollars: Sangiovese Vignedileo from the Marche region of Italy.
The attentive waitress brought the bottle to the table and filled my glass in front of me. Delicious.
For food, we ordered the House Made Meatballs ($6) and the Margherita Pizza ($8). So yummy. I especially enjoyed the pizza’s thin sourdough crust.
You can find happiness at Riva on weekdays from 5:00-6:30pm. However, I must recommend that it is a great restaurant to eat at any hour.
Riva
312 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.451.7474 (RIVA)
Posted June 26th, 2009 by Meg
Brentwood is not the same as it was when I first moved here. And that is a good thing. For quite a number of months, I have watched the slow transformation of a Hamburger Hamlet (a restaurant I have never been) turn into a beautiful hot spot, Tavern (a restaurant I want to go to everyday). Tavern (and Larder) is the product of renowned restaurateurs Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne. Their other amazing restaurants include A.O.C. and Lucques. Also, Suzanne Goin and her husband, David Lentz, own the delicious Hungry Cat.
A few weekends ago, my roommate and I decided we would go for drinks and appetizers at the bar. We went around six, which was early enough to avoid the dinner crowd. The stools at the bar counter were full, but the chairs and tables surrounding the bar were still available. The bar is beautiful. The design of the bar (and everywhere else) is well thought out; fluidly chic from the lighting to the upholstery on the chairs. The service was also excellent and consistent even as the place progressively became more crowded.
First drink: I had a glass of Cabernet. Instead of writing down the exact wine or trying to memorize what I ordered, I thought I could just go online and check their wine menu. Sadly, they don’t have it up. So I don’t know exactly which one I ordered.
Second Drink: Lucques Gimlet - Hangar One Vodka, fresh lime juice, and mint. Delicious. In my humble opinion, I prefer the cocktails to the wine. And in no way is that a criticism to the wine list, but instead a compliment to the cocktail menu. All their cocktails are creative and delicious. I would order any of them and be satisfied.
While I was there to just have a few drinks, my roommate ordered some bar food which I was fortunately able to sample:
Steak tartare with quail egg - It is hard to believe that I was a vegetarian for eight years, because I could eat this perfectly seasoned tartare with quail egg everyday. And part of me wants to only to catch up on the lost carnivorous years.
Gougères with french radishes - A gougères is a choux pastry (light pastry dough made from butter, water, fllour and eggs) filled with cheese. I think Tavern follows tradition and makes their gougères with gruyere cheese, but I could be wrong and plan to return soon to taste again. A French radish, also known as French Breakfast Radish, is an elongated red-skinned and white root base. I only had one, but that is all I needed to fall in love. It’s a cheese pastry in a ball form that you can pop into your mouth. What’s not to like about it?
The Tavern and the Larder (marketplace/café) are wonderful additions to my neighborhood. I love that in a short walk I can be consuming tasty drinks and amazing dishes. I plan to go back in the future, repeatedly.
Posted June 18th, 2009 by Meg
I haven’t posted in forever. I have a really bad cold right now. It sucks. This week has been very hard for me to get through. But, in more interesting news:
1. I went to Intelligentsia Venice. I love the way it looks. I enjoy the personalities found behind the counter and in fellow patrons. However, I think I prefer the Silver Lake Intelligentsia more simply because I find their assembly line of baristas (one to take your order, one to make your order, one to ring you up) works smoother and faster than Venice’s one stop barista (one person takes your order, makes your drink, and then finally rings you up). Maybe this is just a sign from above for me to put down my to do list, take a deep breath, and enjoy the processes of life.
1½. Speaking of Intelligentsia, I currently am sipping on the in season, direct trade, single origin, El Machete, Panama. Yum. Not the best part of waking up, but really the only reason I wake up.
2. I went to the Tavern with my roommate for drinks and bar snacks. I loved everything about this restaurant. I hope to write more about it soon. I know I have started the post, but have not gotten around to finishing it.
3. I just bought my first loaf of Woman’s Bread. I really like it. If you’re not a woman, there is also Men’s Bread. If you are not a woman, nor a man, there is gender unbiased / androgynous bread. French Meadow Bakery is healthy, organic, and tasty. I’ve used it for mainly turkey sandwich purposes.
4. I wish I could take some HiberNol.
5. Hope to update more this weekend. Have a happy Friday!
Posted December 14th, 2008 by Meg
Father’s Office II.
Melville Syrah Wine (one of my favorite vineyards).
Beet Salad - with blue cheese and walnuts (and some lettuce hidden underneath it all)
Scaldís Noel Beer - A Winter Ale
Strangely, FO wouldn’t let me have the Scaldís bottle. Apparently there is a rule that they can’t let the bottle cross over the bar counter. Weird, huh? They did let me take a picture. This beer is a seasonal and delicious. It is thick, creamy, and had a hint of cherry and clove to it. It’s one of those beers you can’t drink too many of because it’s so filling and rich, but it was nice to sip on and perfect for the winter.
Posted December 9th, 2008 by Meg
I truly want to like Bottle Rock. I have given it many many chances, but in the end I always leave feeling ripped off and in a bad mood. Don’t get me wrong, they have a good selection of wine. But, if you want to order more 2 glasses and some food, expect a bill well over 30 dollars. Thirty plus dollars just for wine and tapas. Not the best deal in my book. Although they have “fixed” the uncomfortable seating in the main room (sadly, by moving the old metal seats to the patio), they have not fixed their lighting problem. It is too bright. The room is not comfortable. Their service is borderline terrible. My roommate and I have been harassed by an older woman who was convinced we were underage. In general, the servers are not the friendliest. Right now, I am sick of bad and rude service (like Gingergrass in Silverlake). I used to say “I don’t want to write bad reviews on my blog,” but now I feel like I have to.
I am sure some day I will return, but not anytime soon. Although, they do have a happy hour - I am not willing to fight traffic to get there. There are better, inexpensive and tastier options to choose than Bottle Rock. Sorry.
Bottle Rock
3847 Main St
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 836-9463
