thorsten brinkmann

german photographer, throsten brinkmann, yields self-portraits that turn the genre on it's head ...... they are odd and sometimes creepy but i find them to be quite lovely.

$100 chicken @ momofuku noodle bar

today was the long awaited and much acclaimed chicken dinner @ momofuku noodle bar. we actually had it as lunch because this specific dining event requires a reservation, they only do one chicken reservation every few hours and it takes a month or so to even get a reservation. so basically ... we took what we could get.

why all the fuss over fried chicken? the name david chang more-or-less sums it up. he is the chef & owner of Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ko, Momofuku Ssäm Bar aaaand Momofuku Milk Bar .. all restaurants where he makes mesmerizing, strange, delightful food.

the fried chicken dinner includes two whole fried chickens, one southern style & one korean style. the dinner comes with mu shu pancakes, long spicey peppers, baby carrots, red ball radishes, shiso leaves, bibb lettuce, four sacues and an herb basket.

if that doesn't sound like enough, we also relished the epic pork buns as well as ..

-sautéed savoy cabbage with honey crisp apples, pork broth, togarashi-
-nugget potatoes with benton’s bacon, poached egg, scallions-
-pan roasted cauliflower with pesto, boquerones, kochu karu-

lunch was definitely an experience .. once in a lifetime i suppose because it's not really a repeat performance kind of meal. i look forward to returning to the noodle bar next month with some dear friends from out of town .. surely the flavors of david chang will knock their socks off!

team chicken members were allie carson, chris glushko, melissa trosterman, james craemer, and myself

a special thanks to allie & chop, you guys are the best !!!!!!

highline

last sunday ivy and i had a fun day planned in the city and started things off with visiting the highline.

the highline was built in the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the west side improvement. it lifted freight traffic 30 feet in the air. no trains have ran on it since 1980. today the highline has been turned into an elevated park.

after the highline we walked over to union square and had lunch in the park. the picture below is from union square. it was the most perfect day out!!

saturday ... in the park ♪♫

saturday i was treated to seeing miwa and aaron play an accoustic set in one of greenpoint's community gardens. the weather was perfect and the light filtered in through the tree's to create a dream-like scene.

not the best exposure in the world, but it works for me!

a couple of others played a set as well. this guy above was part of a duo that was particularly funny .. one song had something to do with 'lady business' and 'psychic panties' ?!?!

miss megan senior taking in the music

my dorky "i love my new boots so much" picture

after the garden, miwa, megan and i set off for union pool where we munched some tacos, drank margarita's, caught up and took some extremely silly photo booth pictures. i hope to get a copy of those soon!

a little trash + a little class

last weekend was action packed and what better way to start it off than with the rakehells!?! after working a little late i headed over to allie's to meet up with the ladies before departing for williamsburg, brooklyn. we had plans of hitting up diner for dinner and then hopefully catching my friends, the rakehells, play @ trash bar. after have too much fun catching it up, it was almost 9pm .. i rallied the girls to put dinner on hold and head over the see the band.

as always the guys delivered a terrific show, too bad i can never seem to get a great shot at this venue.

miwa was a lean mean & very cute dancing machine!

the super classy lounge by the bathrooms, such atmosphere! trash bar holds true to it's name but it's oh-so-fun .. plus when the band isn't playing they have a kickass jukebox and offer free unlimited tator tots!!

once the show was over we high-tailed it out there as our tummies were rumbling. i hated to offer a rushed goodbye to the band and other friends but hunger called. we walked over to diner and it was a sore sight with tons of people hanging around out front . . that means a long wait, an hour and a half to be exact. upon receiving this news we bailed on that plan and set out for our backup .. rye restaurant.

rye ended up being a savior. we arrived weary and hungry sometime around 10pm or later. en route to the restaurant, worries were expressed if it too would be packed but they had a sweet seat ready for us, YES!!

allie + heather enjoy a delicious pint of six point IPA

this is probably the best food shot i've ever snagged. i hate to take too many pictures in a restaurant .. i find it's disruptive to the atmosphere so this beautiful fig salad stands alone.

rye was a delicious destination without a single disappointment. i shared the fig salad as an appetizer and for an entree australian lambchops with pattypan squash, baby zucchini & lamb jus .. yum!

a night at carnegie hall

above picture from nytimes.com

saturday night we were treated to an evening @ carnegie hall where trey anastasio performed with the philharmonic. we had a wonderful time dressing up with good friends and seeing an amazing performance !!

the show received a great review from the ny times.

brooklyn bowl

last thursday allie rallied a fun group of ladies for an outting to brooklyn bowl, the new bowling alley in williamsburg. i have one word for this place ... impressive!!

a list of what i love about brooklyn bowl:

great decor .. love the comfy leather couches
giant video screens @ the end of each lane .. watching old stones videos yeah!
food by blue ribbon, nom nom nom
impeccable service .. wait service from the seat of your couch
concerts .. on the other side is full stage / venue area

and really it was just alot of fun all around, i can't wait to go back!

i had to find a better picture online to showcase how great this place is ....

bill & christina

a couple of weeks ago i headed up north to waltham, mass for bill & christina's wedding. it was a beautiful event and everyone had a great time ... so much fun that i told the bride and groom they should get married more often so we could all get together on a regular basis.

thanks so much to the bill, christina & their familes for a wonderful weekend!!