Happy weekend, y'all! 

Well, if I've done anything right this week, it was playing the role of "fat girl."  Instead of waking up each morning at 5am for my routine 6am workouts, I decided to set my alarm for 6:30am.  I've been feeling guilty about not being able to walk my pup, Lucy, as often as I'd like, so I figured that I'd take the week to treat her to some pre-breakfast strolls.  After all, with school two nights/week, and most of the other evenings dedicated to catching up with friends, Lucy and I haven't had as much 1x1 time.  That's a good justification for not exercising, right?  Add to that a couple of emotional eating binges, and here I sit about to burst out of my pants.  Sigh...   

What's on deck for your weekend?  As for me, I'm headed to San Francisco - like, as we speak (greetings from 30,000 feet above you, thanks to my new favorite way to fly, Virgin America) - to visit one of my besties.  I haven't been since I was a naive, uncultured 18 year old, so I'm really looking forward to my vacay.  And, tomorrow, we're heading to wine country!  But, before I land in California, I wanted to leave you with some of my favorite finds and revelations from this past week.   

Enjoy! 

Giovanni Rana's Artichoke Ravioli and Basil Pesto

Last weekend, we threw a belated Halloween bash at Jeremy's new apartment.  I arrived at his place on the early side to help decorate and make sure that we had our playlist in check.  Because he was generous enough to host our buddies at his new abode, I cooked him dinner as a "thank you."   

The name Giovanni Rana was already familiar to me since I had seen his restaurant, Giovanni Rana Pastificio & Cucina, multiple times on Opentable searches.  So, while shopping at my local grocer, I did a double take when I spotted an assortment of his namesake pasta and sauces.  Feeling hurried and spontaneous, I decided to grab a bag of Artichoke Ravioli and a container of Basil Pesto.  

I'm not going to lie, I was completely floored upon opening the incredibly aromatic, bright green pesto... 

After boiling for 3-minutes, the ravioli was ready to be plated.  In following the instructions, there was no need to pre-heat the sauce since the just-cooked pasta was so hot.  Seriously, could this entree be any easier to prepare? 

Looks pretty mouth-watering, doesn't it?  After each taking our first bite, Jeremy and I just looked at each other, mouths agape.  "Damn, this is really good," he exclaimed.  "And I don't even like pesto sauce!"  He was right.  The ravioli pillows, stuffed with *real* chunks of artichoke, were perfectly al-dente.  Salty and robust with fragrant basil, the pesto was, quite possibly, the best I've ever tasted.  Seriously, there is no way in hell that anyone, save for the cook, would have an inkling that this pasta/sauce was store bought.  

What a winning combo! 

Jello shot-mold

One of our guests brought a ginormous, brain-shaped, vodka-infused, lime flavored-Jello mold for last weekend's Halloween party.  Cute, right?  I'm telling you, it must have been five - possibly ten - years since I'd slurped down a Jello shot.  I almost forgot how delicious and horrifyingly *easy* it was to get bombed!  Good, albeit foggy, times...

Brunch at Park Avenue Autumn

This is home to one of my favorite - albeit expensive - prix-fixe brunches in the city.  Aside from the lovely and sophisticated atmosphere, the service is always on point.  And the food/beverage?  Dynamite. 

Rachel Ray

My friend, Nicole, and I bought tickets from the Hudson Union Socieity to hear Rachel speak at The Cornell Club.  To be frank, I was pretty ambivalent about the event.  On one hand, my culinary/journalist hero, Anthony Bourdain, hates and pokes fun at her.  And I worship everything he says.  So much so, that I take his every word and opinion at face value and could care less about the "other side of the story."  On the other hand, however, Rachel is an accomplished star in the realm in which I live and breathe:  The world of food.  

From the moment the q&a session began, I found myself really taken by Rachel.  She is the product of working her ass off and falling in to fame by accident.  She's held every position from dishwasher to gourmet store manager to Food Network star.  And then some.  No, she's not a French-trained chef, but who cares?  Seriously, how many Americans legitimately eat - or prepare - fancy, French cuisine on a regular basis?  Most of us are home cooks who follow relatively uncomplicated, time-conscious recipes.  If that!  And Rachel represents the modern, everyday American.  That is why people take to her.  There is a commonality.  Plus, she's not intimidating.  And neither are her recipes.  Call me crazy, but isn't that a breath of fresh air?  

The bottom line is this:  I respect people who have had to pull themselves up by their own "boot straps" (as my Southern mother would say).  You know, those of us who have had to experience some good old fashioned character-building at the hands of suffering and penny-pinching.  Not Daddy's little princes/princesses who get "bailed out" each time they get canned/laid off/land on their asses.   

Tres Leches donut, Doughnut Plant

If you didn't know, tres leches cake is one of my top three favorite desserts of all time.  There's just something so deliriously sexy about iced white cake that becomes moist from soaking in three different *sweetened* varieties of milk.

Now, imagine all of that formed into the shape of a traditional cake donut - enveloped in a simple, powdered sugar-based icing.  First bite reveals a delicate, cakey interior that's dotted with globs of, what tasted like, condensed milk pudding.  Yes, really.

This, my friends, is worth fcuking up your diet for.

Alta

Aside from our shady ass waiter, Jeremy, who demanded more than an $18 tip - and lied about the location of the cash register (he claimed that he had to "walk down three flights of stairs to run the credit cards") - our experience at Alta was fantastic.  

Looking for a charming, romantic spot for date night?  Check.  Do you expect more, in terms of caliber and quality, from your tapas joint?  Check.  Craving something other than sangria - hello cocktails! - to whet your appetite?  Check.  

From the food menu, might I recommend:

• Fried Goat Cheese with lavender-infused honey

• Lamb Meatballscharred red pepper sauce, soft cooked egg yolk, toasted sesame seeds, lebne

• Crispy Brussels Sprouts fuji apples, creme fraiche, pistachio nuts

• Pulled Pork Empanadas sweet & spicy cilantro dipping sauce

• ...and one more thing: Make sure to ask for a side of bread. It's really delish and *necessary* for sopping up all of the yummy sauce from the lamb meatballs!

Hot guys at work

...because God knows I need a reason to put on makeup - and do my hair - in the mornings.  And cut back on my afternoon candy/sugar binges.  And apply lip gloss throughout the day.  

It's because of you, my dear man stallions, that I look forward to going in to the office each and every day.  Thank you!

…

Until we eat again, 

Lindsay, The Lunch Belle