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Get It Together, Gristedes
My personal blog, Unapologetically Mundane, is basically all about how despite all of the myth surrounding it, New York City is basically super-janky at its core. Or maybe it’s super-extraordinary at its core but has a thick shell of jankiness surrounding it. Either way, I should be used to incompetence and laziness by now, but I was still surprised to notice that almost everything I buy at the grocery store down the street from my boyfriend’s apartment is entirely mislabeled. Yep, dairy soda and frozen condensed milk. Although, the fact that I can buy anything for 99¢ in Manhattan is pretty amazing, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.
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Rub Your Nose on Me and Give Me Your Flu
On one hand, I hope the bacon craze stays alive and kickin’ for years to come. From thick slices in my salads to tiny chunks in my candy bars to the bacon t-shirt, what used to be regarded as fodder for only fatties is now everyone’s favourite food. Thanks to the recent issue of New York magazine with a cover story about the swine flu that contained this photo pigs have been on my mind a lot lately. I was raised on a farm full of them, grew up watching my dad castrate them, and took them to the county fair every year with my 4-H club. My boyfriend argues…
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Restaurant Review: Tom Colicchio’s craftbar
You know you’re living a charmed life when you and your boyfriend read Serious Eats’ Top Five Fancy-Pants Doughnuts in New York City article, decide on a whim that you’re in the mood for some of those fancy-pants donuts, and head out to Tom Colicchio’s craftbar to get your fix. You may remember that Kamran took me to craft for Valentine’s Day this year and that it remains to this day the best meal I’ve ever eaten without question. craftbar being the less formal sister to that restaurant, I was prepared for a difference in quality or service along with the difference in price. But no! We were seated in…
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But All of Those Uncool Websites Still Better Watch Themselves
Hooray! It’s the first (known) case of Internet theft involving one of my blogs! One of my photos is currently on the front page of the website for the magazine mental_floss to illustrate an article about brain freeze. (It was at the top of the page yesterday and this morning but has since been moved down. Hmph.) At first, I was like, “Photo courtesy of donuts4dinner?! It’s not courtesy of if you steal it!” But after considering it for a millisecond, I’ve decided that I’m actually pleased as punch to see my hand featured on such an interesting website. You’re lucky I like you, mental_floss.
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Restaurant Review: Keens Steakhouse
I went into my dinner at Keens Steakhouse with an extremely open mind. I’m a lover of Peter Luger, but I was under the impression that $90 steak is $90 steak wherever you go, and I was excited about the scotch-and-cigars atmosphere of Keens. I hadn’t known to specify in my reservation that my boyfriend and I wanted to sit in the main dining room, so I was worried when all of the people in front of us were sent to different parts of the restaurant, but we were luckily seated downstairs under the ceiling entirely covered in clay tobacco pipes. The atmosphere is much darker and cozier than Luger’s,…
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Max Brenner Does the Ice Cream Sandwich
I know there are a lot of Max Brenner haters out there. I agree that their menu full of quotes from some bald dude likening eating chocolate to lovemaking is pretty laughable (and sorta gross before dinner), and I agree that waiting in line for an hour with all of the tourists sucks when you feel like you should be entitled to special treatment as someone who pays $2,000 in rent to actually live in the city. But I still crave it. My friend Beth and I ate at the one in Union Square a few weeks ago and were full enough from our large dinner portions that we were…
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Kellogg’s NYC in Times Square
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Pretzel + Hot Dog = Pretzel Dog
It’s an Auntie Anne’s pretzel wrapped around a Nathan’s hot dog, and I ate it at the airport, which is really the only place you should be able to find a hot dog wrapped in a pretzel. This one only had 310 calories and 20 grams of fat, so I can’t wait to find a place that sells the JUMBO pretzel dog so I can get the full 600-calorie experience. I will be dipping that one in cheese sauce and wrapping a slice of pizza around each bite, justyouwaitandsee.
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Restaurant Review: Degustation
My boyfriend got a sudden urge for a tasting menu last week, so I posted to Chowhound seeking a menu without much seafood to suit me. Someone suggested Degustation, where we’ve been meaning to go anyway, and even though the restaurant has no website of its own to post a menu on, other people’s reviews seemed to suggest the place was right up my alley. It’s basically located in an alley, so we almost missed it, and then when the friendly hostess came to greet us, it turned out we weren’t on their reservation list. I chalked it up to the unpleasant telephone exchange I’d had with the reservationist the…
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Fishies with Their Skin Still on
I ate sardines prepared three ways tonight. Please don’t let this change the way you feel about me. Even if it changes the way I feel about myself.
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Schooled! on Restaurant Name Pronunciations
Ways in which I have been embarrassed by reservationists when calling restaurants: Daniel Reservationist: Thank you for calling dan-YELL. Me: dan-YELL? That’s hilarious; I’ve been pronouncing it in my head as DAN-yule all this time. Reservationist: [clears throat] Degustation Reservationist: Good afternoon. How may I help you? Me: Do you have any reservations for two for tomorrow evening available? Reservationist: At which restaurant? Me: Day-gus-TAY-shun. Reservationist: All I have is a 6 p.m. tomorrow. Me: I’ll take it. [gives name and telephone number] Reservationist: You’re confirmed for tomorrow night at 6 for two people at day-gus-TAH-see-OWN Me: . . . thanks. GOD. And it’s not like I don’t know that…
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