5.20.2011

Friday Favorites

Ok, you may have noticed that my blog posts have been a bit more sporadic lately. Lots of travelling, work and general life upheavals have been getting in the way. Plus, my computer is 7 years old and every day becomes more of a struggle with it. So I'm changing things up a bit around here. The Wednesday Wishlist will be gone (or at least less frequent), and the Weekly Roundup is being renamed Friday Favorites. In general, I'm going to focus more on sharing my own photography (like the photo my fiance took of 5th Ave, above) and original ideas (clothing design, travel experiences, recipes, etc.) and less on things I find on the internet. Why? Because I started this blog in part as a creative outlet, and its time to focus on creating. 

So here is my Friday Favorites post, 2 days behind schedule (better late than never). This Friday Favorites is something of a travel guide to New York City--we discovered so many great things there that I want to share.
  1. Blossom Vegan Restaurant. This place has a steak-house attitude with earth-friendly, vegan execution. The seitan scallopini with lemon caper sauce, mashed potatoes, and sauteed kale was amazing. And the porcini cigars--sauteed mushrooms rolled inside crispy phyllo dough and served with cashew basil pesto--were one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten in my life. We'll definitely try to recreate them!
  2. Dirt Candy. This vegetarian restaurant in the East Village takes a quirky approach to vegetables that I really appreciated. Dishes are titled by their star vegetable (celery, carrot, etc), and rather than work the meat-substitute angle, chef Amanda Cohen simply lets the veggies shine. Plus, she has an absolutely hilarious blog.
  3. Hotel Delmano. This little bar in Williamsburg has a totally speakeasy vibe and the best cocktails I've ever had in my life. The Devil's Garden was my personal favorite, and as it turns out this drink has a burgeoning cult following on the intertubes. The bartenders take their cocktails seriously, and you can taste it.
  4. Mast Brother's Chocolate. Absolutely, without a doubt, the best chocolate I've ever had in my life. (I feel like I'm saying "best I've ever had in my life" a lot. But NYC is a seriously tasty place!) Surprisingly, it wasn't the usual fleur de sel or espresso varieties that stole my heart, but the Brooklyn Blend--an unadulterated blend of cocoa beans from around the world with a slightly citrusy, slightly roasty flavor unlike anything I've ever had before. Buy some chocolate and take a tour....or at the very least, check out some nice photos on The Makers.
  5. Brooklyn Brewery. Its a brewery, they serve good beer, they're in Williamsburg, and they have a resident brewery cat. Need I say more?

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