i went to see the blonde redhead show the other night. my friend sinead, who had seen them in concert about 3 times already, told me they're great live performers, and she was right. the vocalist and guitarist have an amazingly erotic chemistry. at the show, i bumped into a friend of a friend who had also seen them live before, and i was jealous. why hadn't i found them sooner?
afterwards, a bunch of us went to the russian vodka room. i ordered some pomegranate-infused vodka, and had a sip of someone else's horseradish vodka as well. the pomegranate flavor was subtle and smooth, and i really liked it. the horseradish... well, it's the sort of drink i might enjoy on The Long Walk?
obika is coming!
my discovery of the day, from another early-morning wander:the italian mozzarella bar obika is finally opening in manhattan! it's not my favorite place in italy but i hope this will popularize the real stuff.
here's a picture of a platter some friends and i ordered at its milan outpost. if i can't return to italy this summer, at least i'll have some nice mozzarella di bufala and burrata. now if only someone could persuade anacleto bleve to open a bar in new york.
the night shift
i'm on an overnight shift this month, working alone in the office from 11 pm to 6 am. the schedule is depriving me of sunshine, sleep, and socializing, but after 3 weeks i'm getting used to it. i've even begun taking advantage of the hours to go on long, leisurely breakfasts. balthazar's at around 7:30 am is an entirely different scene to the chaos at dinner time. and for the past week, i've been walking from my office in times square all the way to chinatown for exercise, and congee at century cafe.
speaking of congee, i've been reading "the year of magical thinking" by joan didion. i finally picked it up after my colleague robert promised it wouldn't be too much of a downer. didion writes that after her husband john died, she didn't feel like eating anything except for the congee that her friend brought around. the book was heartbreaking, without being melodramatic. a great writer.
dessert
astoria's a convenient place to live if you're commuting to midtown manhattan. and the mixed immigrant popuation makes eating and shopping a bit more fun. i love the middle eastern, greek and italian delis --where else can you get fresh taramosalata, warm pistachio baklava, pure olive soap and handmade fettucine within the same few blocks?
but i'm particularly grateful for "family market", the japanese convenience store near broadway station. it sells all the basics plus the latest issues of "casa brutus" and "soen" magazines.
i try to buy natto --stinky gooey fermented soybeans-- whenever i go, although i'm not such a big fan, because i know it's the healthiest thing. and i can never resist the desserts. particularly sakuramochi. i love the combination of the sweet red bean filling and the salted cherry leaf. which reminds me, i once saw someone remove the leaf from the mochi, saying it tasted better without. i nearly reconsidered our friendship.
but i'm particularly grateful for "family market", the japanese convenience store near broadway station. it sells all the basics plus the latest issues of "casa brutus" and "soen" magazines.
i try to buy natto --stinky gooey fermented soybeans-- whenever i go, although i'm not such a big fan, because i know it's the healthiest thing. and i can never resist the desserts. particularly sakuramochi. i love the combination of the sweet red bean filling and the salted cherry leaf. which reminds me, i once saw someone remove the leaf from the mochi, saying it tasted better without. i nearly reconsidered our friendship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)