A 6-week's sabbatical worth of my favorite finds!
Dear readers,
My poor, neglected, disappointed, bored readers. I cannot tell you how sorry I am for having gone M.I.A. on y'all for the past *gasp* six weeks. I've had - and will continue to have - a lot on my proverbial plate. Aside from my 9-5, I've also began attending part-time graduate school classes at NYU. For my Masters in Food Studies/Culture. And as much as this particular program puts the "cool" in "school," it's a lot of work. And reading. And time. My point is this: Blog posts will not be as frequent as they once were - I'm hoping for a handful/week - but I'm not going anywhere.
In the meantime, I'm going to share some of my favorite finds over the past 6-weeks:
Healing Home Foods' products sold at Hu Kitchen
I am particularly obsessed with this artisan snack company's gluten free/dairy free/vegan Raw Graham Bites and Baked Granola Crumbles.
PB&J Cookies at The Smile to-go
This outpost, located within the Shinola store in Tribeca, is so new that The Smile doesn't even have it listed on their website! Anyhoo, aside from their delicious coffees and other baked goods, this PB&J cookie - composed of peanut butter, jelly, nut flour (to bind everything together), and crack - will change your life. Mark my words. It's *that* good.
Tutto Il Giorno (Italian - Southampton)
Great restaurants in the Hamptons are a dime a dozen. But fabulous restaurants? Now, those are more rare. Tutto Il Giorno, the Southampton outpost of the Sag Harbor original, happens to be one of those prized gems.
Il Pesce at Eataly
I guess I've always been too hurried and frantic (to get the hell out of there) to even look twice at this "restaurant" within Eataly. Big mistake! I had the pleasure of sitting down to my first meal at Il Pesce just weeks ago. It was fantastic! To start, I enjoyed a platter of fresh, briny oysters and for my entree, the seared scallops.
Maison Premier (Brooklyn)
If you love a wide variety of the freshest oysters - delicious handcrafted cocktails - excellent and knowledgeable service - absinthe - a romantic atmosphere that's illuminated by candlelight...then you will LOVE Maison Premier.
Southern hospitality
...As in the way that folks treat one another in Texas. Passersby smile and say hello - men hold doors open for women - people say "please" and "thank you" and "excuse me."
Drybar
OK, so I'm totally late to this whole "blow dry only" concept namely because I find it RIDICULOUS to pay somebody else to dry your damn hair. But a few weeks ago, I was treated to this amazing service in Dallas (for my BFFs wedding) and, quite frankly, I cannot wait to schedule an appointment at one of the locations here in NYC! So, it goes like this: You walk in to Drybar - point to a hair style that you want yours to emulate - get your coiffe washed and conditioned - sip on a fizzy cocktail - skim through an array of magazines or watch a movie - all while letting someone else gussie you up. Magical!
Katy Trail Ice House (Dallas, TX)
Why wasn't this place around when I lived here? I kept thinking to myself, upon my recent visit to Dallas. Located just steps off of the famous Katy Trail, this watering hole/restaurant boasts indoor/outdoor seating, sports on the tube and, most importantly for a Texas expat, frozen margaritas and chile con queso!
Street meat
This semester, I'm taking a super interesting class called "Comparative Cuisine," where we study the history/ingredients/recipes/politics/gender roles surrounding Israel and Palestine. So you can only imagine how often I fantisize about hummus, falafel, freshly-baked pita bread sprinkled with za'atar, lamb, chopped salads, labneh, etc. My Middle Eastern food kick led me to give my local Halal cart, HM Halal, a whirl. For $6, I get a styrofoam container filled to the brim with yellow rice, salad, hummus, a falafel ball, lamb gyro meat, and stewed vegetables. And a soda/bottled water of my choice!
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Until we eat again,
Lindsay, The Lunch Belle