Friday's five things.

Did I mention how busy I've been lately?

I just started my summer class, Advanced Book Editing, which involves 6 weeks of intensive reading and editing of manuscripts... and a lot of work. So far, so good. My family was here last weekend. It was a lot of fun, but I've been exhausted all week now. And now I'm so ready for summer! I can't believe it's June already!

I'm looking forward to a weekend of relaxing and doing homework. It should be pretty quiet. I have no real plans except tonight.

1. Tonight, I'm trying Hospoda, a new Eastern European craft beer joint on 73rd Street. I just happened to walk by it the other day, and I'm really excited! It's only been open a week now, so it will be interesting to see how people like it. They boast craft European beer and wine and a modern European menu. I'm not too sure about the food, but the beer looks great! I'm meeting Nat there tonight after work!

2. I've been craving a seersucker blazer. There was an adorable one in the window at Barney's last week. I don't know who the designer was, but I'm sure it's out of my price range. They styled it with a nautical, horizontal-striped navy and white tee, white cropped skinnies, and navy wedges. Adorable for summer! Here's a similar blazer from L.L. Bean for $139.

3. I went to the gym last night (when I was exhausted and didn't want to go! But I'm happy I did) and picked up sushi from Bamboo sushi on the way home. I overestimated my hunger and ended up with a leftover roll for lunch today at the office. Score!

4. I ordered these for myself yesterday. I've been ogling them for a while and couldn't stop thinking about them. I even went and tried them on at Macy's last weekend, but held off because I didn't want to pay full price. Then by the luck of the draw (or email alert...), I saw them for 33% off from Nordstrom.com yesterday and couldn't resist any longer! So excited to get them in the mail!

5. I plan on walking home through Central Park this afternoon. This is the official start of getting out of work a little early on Fridays and strolling through the beautiful park on the way home season!

Have a great weekend everyone! I swear, I should be back to regular posts at SOME point this summer...

Friday's five things.

This week has been exhausting. The semester and work are both just catching up to me, and I think this is maybe the more tired I've been while working full-time and going to school. Only four more weeks, though! Here's what's getting me through to summer:

1. I just ordered these adorable bobby pins from Kate Spade for $31. I saw them on someone else's blog, and I feel terrible, but I can't find the original post! (Maybe Cupcakes and Cashmere? Maybe The Budget Babe? IDK.) Anyway. I'm super stoked to get these cuties in 4-6 business days.

2. I'm finally trying Peels on Sunday with the girls. I love brunch. I can't wait for their highly-recommended buttermilk biscuits.

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3. I'm still reading Jane Eyre... and it's finally starting to get good. Although I totally missed the Goodreads Jane Eyre Challenge... Seriously, though, I hope to finish it this weekend.

4. While it's not quite warm enough, IMHO, it's already Sperry's season. I got these pink ones last spring at Macy's for like $45. It was fantastic. They should be going on sale again just about any minute now.

5. The warm weather has also brought out the Mr. Softee trucks in NYC. I haven't had my first cone of the summer yet, but oh, I have my plans.

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TGIF, friends. Stay tuned for the next Single in the City story: the Most Boring Man in the World. Seriously.

Friday's five things.

So, I ended up returning those boots. They were close, but they weren't perfect. I don't want to settle for something that I don't love. I've had a couple crazy weeks at work, and now I'm also trying to write a massive paper and get everything done before I leave for Europe on Thursday!!! I'm definitely looking forward to being productive this weekend.

1. I'm meeting Nat & G for dinner tonight at Go Burger on 2nd Ave. They have rum-spiked milkshakes and custom burgers that sounds delicious! We've never been there, but they got a great review from UrbanDaddy.

2. When I left this morning, the kitties' ducky was here:

When I came home, ducky was here:

They do this about twice a week, and it always makes me smile when I walk into the bedroom at the end of the day! I love when they "share" their toys with me!

3. This shirt, which I love, is on-sale at J.Crew for $49.99:

4. Did I mention alcoholic milkshakes?

5. I actually bought it last week... but... I bought a new camera! Because I dropped the old one... I got the Canon PowerShot 12.1 Megapixel SD1300 for $107 from Best Buy. It's pretty neat so far. I don't know exactly how everything works, but it's light and shiny and has great zoom!

TGIF, everyone!

Countdown to Thanksgiving.

My family is coming for Thanksgiving in 36 hours, and I have the flu.

I have all the shopping done except for a few things I need to pick up Wednesday, and I didn't pick up the wine/beer yet because, let's face it, that stuff is heavy, so I was going to wait until my brother's here to help me carry everything. I have a cooking agenda which is supposed to kick off tomorrow night after work, but now that also includes all the cleaning I didn't get done over the weekend because I was laying in bed.

On the other hand, I'm super excited for the parade and cooking with the fam on Thursday, dinner at Peasant on Friday night, brunch at Bar Boulud and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular on Saturday. It should be a fantastic weekend with my family if I can rally from this little flu I have going on!

Shake Shack.

I experienced Shake Shack last night, and it was pretty damn good. I'd say it was definitely one of the best burgers I've ever had before. Maybe it's not worth all the hype (it's been featured on several FoodTV best-of shows), but it was definitely good.

But the whole experience is really what makes it. The Shack is located in Madison Square Park, and only has outdoor seating at the picnic and bistro tables in the park.. It really is just a shack that turns out burgers and fries. The line is always at least 20 people deep, if not an entire block.

The burger itself was smaller than I expected, not the monster burgers you see at some places these days. It was slightly greasy, in a good way, with gooey cheese and perfectly tangy dill pickles on top of a buttery bun, perfectly sized for the burger. And the cheese fries were pretty good too.. But mainly because of the cheese sauce. The fries themselves were a little well done for my tastes.

I didn't try the custard, but I've heard it's amazing. Instead, I opted for a $4 beer, a rare find in Manhattan.

Overall, I thought this was better than 5 Guys, but I don't think I'll feel the need to run back down there all the time.

Brunch @ Poco.

A few weeks ago I went to brunch with the ladies at this little place called Poco at Ave B and 3rd street. It was the absolutely best brunch I think I've ever experienced in the city so far. Poco is normally a Spanish-inspired tapas restaurant, but Saturday and Sunday morning, it serves a pretty American Nouveau brunch menu complete with lobster benedict, lobster mac&cheese, and different varieties of pancakes and French toast.

From the 6 different brunch entrées enjoyed by my friends and me, I can say that at least 6 of entrées on the brunch menu are absolutely amazing. I personally enjoyed the lobster mac&cheese. It was light, creamy, and filling, without being completely overwhelming like the rich awesomeness at S'Mac. And it boasted finger-sized pieces of fresh lobster, at least 2 large claws plus some more lump meat. My friends all thoroughly enjoyed their choices as well, but the traditional eggs Benedict and the lobster Benedict seemed to be the two other winners of the day.

The atmosphere was super friendly, with an upstairs bar-type area filled with hightop tables and stools, and a separate, almost gothic-feeling basement that was more lounge-y, full of heavy red drapes and low couches, complete with throw pillows.

Best of all, with any $22 brunch entrée, you get all-you-can-drink mimosas, bloody Marys, or Sangria - and you can switch between the three! All the drinks are pre-made in pitchers, and the waitresses just come around and top everyone off. The bloodys were a bit too spicy for me, and contained something that tasted almost like pickle relish. It was interesting, but it didn't mix well with my first couple mimosas. Also, the waitstaff was really cool and didn't rush us out after we finished eating. They kept refilling our drinks for as long as we felt like sitting there.

I feel a little nervous sharing my favorite new brunch place with the world - I sort of want to keep this secret between me and my girls. But, alas, Poco is too good to not share with the world.

Flex Mussels.

This might be saying a lot, but I think Flex Mussels is my favorite restaurant in New York so far. It's the only restaurant I've actually gone back to already in my four short months here. Not only do I appreciate the witty name, but I love basically the entire menu at this place. On 82nd street between 3rd and Lexington, Flex Mussels is like a hip take on an old seaport staple. The décor is all crude wood, simple cape-reminiscent paintings, and blue and white accents. The atmosphere is very homey and welcoming, a nice change from some of the get-in-get-out NY places.

The menu is comprised of a few simple appetizers like salmon tartare or homemade clam chowder and a few salads, a few fresh fish dishes served grilled, charred, or fried, a solitary beef option, and... drum roll... an entire page of mussels options. There are 22 different styles of mussels, and a daily 23rd special preparation. These mussels, paired with thin, crispy, handcut french fries, are amazing! A few winners so far are the Dubliner, the Spaniard, and the Bisque. Flex Mussels also serves a daily variety of about 8 top-notch raw oysters on their raw bar menu. Their commitment to finding the best, freshest mussels and oysters is evident not only by their policies laid out on the menu, but in the actual quality of their shellfish. Amazing, basically.

Oh, and then there's dessert. The dessert creations include homemade, freshly deep-fried donuts and a homemade Whoopie Pie, along with a variety of other fun takes on classic dishes.

Flex Mussels also features a pretty good wine list, all bottles specifically chosen to complement the shellfish.

Go there.

Pulino's in SoHo.

Last Saturday night, my friend Lizzie and I tried Pulino's in SoHo for
dinner, and it was definitely a worthy find. It was written up by
UrbanDaddy about a month ago, so it was on my radar and sounded
interesting.. And oh, it was.

It was crazy busy on Saturday right at prime time. The bistro-like restaurant is impossible to miss with its big neon red sign right on the corner of Houston & Bowery. The restaurant itself had some really cool architectural features, like it's either an older space that's been redone, or they just created it to look that way. Oh, and all the decoration on the walls is rows and rows of various types of whiskey. It was pretty cool. My only complaint was that it's a small-ish space, and the noise just bounced off all those whiskey bottles and the chamber ceilings. Hard to carry a conversation on a Saturday night. Oh well.

Annnd best of all, the food. The minute I walked in the door, the first thing I noticed was the delicious smell. It smelled like fresh baking pizza dough and garlic and delicious smokey meats and sausages. We started at the bar for their list of signature cocktails (I had a cocktail with sparkling wine and limoncello), then sat down (after we waited 45 minutes for a table) for a crunchy escarole salad with roasted mushrooms that could have been right off the forest floor, fresh crispy bruschetta with a spreadable salami topping (I couldn't even begin to explain this, just try it), and split a pizza with spicy salami, black olives, and fresh rosemary. The crust was paper thin and super crispy, and the fresh mozzarella was perfectly bubbly, but not drowning out the other flavors of the pizza like some cheese-a-holic pizza places.

The pizza's are medium-smallish, maybe 12 or 14 inches? Because of the thin crust, you could definitely eat one alone, but I recommend splitting one so you can try all the other delicious things on the menu. Or for more people, get a few pizzas and share!

But save room for the dessert menu--there are a lot of great options, including ice cream sundaes with fresh berries & pistachios. Highly recommended.

I may have just found my favorite pizza (so far) in NY.

'Wichcraft Bryant Park

Hey all. So I haven't actually spent a weekend in the city for 3 weeks now. I have no really exciting new discoveries to share, except for the 'wichcraft lounge in Bryant Park. It's an outdoor patio where you can sit and relax and have delicious 'wichcraft creations brought right to you--including Watermelontinis and Meatloaf sandwiches (my favorites).

They serve the entire regular 'wichcraft menu, and a handful of Bryant Park specialty martinis and bar snacks like butter & parmesan- or cinnamon-flavored popcorn. It's the perfect place to hang out after work, grab a snack and enjoy the weather.

Meatloaf sandwich with bacon, cheddar and tomato relish. MMMMM.

The porch-like lounge at Bryant Park. Unfortunately only serves food until 6 PM. Sad face.

Sarita's Mac & Cheese.

So, first and foremost, I apologize for being MIA for a whole. I was sick, then had midterms, then I've been out of town for two weekends in a row. I have a zillion new discoveries I'd like to share, and swear they should be coming about twice a week now. Get excited!

First off, Sarita's Mac & Cheese, also known as S'Mac. Sarita's is a whole-in-the-wall in the East Village on east 12th street between 1st and 2nd aves. And it's amazing. And I'm obsessed. The restaurant is no bigger than my apartment, and is painted roughly the colors of Kraft mac & cheese and lemonade.

Unfortunately, Sarita's 13 kinds of mac & cheese are all SUPER rich, and I won't be able to go there except every 6 weeks or so. Not kidding. These 13 different creations all start with broiler-finished skillets of homemade mac, then delicious toppings like mozzarella or gruyere cheese, fresh rosemary, BBQ chicken or thick-sliced pork belly are added to your mac. And it's amazing. The skillets come in 4 different sizes, from "Nosh" (large snack-size) to "Partay" (enough for 12 people).

I went for a "Major Munch" (a large dinner-portion) in Alpine, which included gruyere and pork belly for $10.75. And I highly recommend it... if you're looking for a comfort food-induced coma.

Besides mac, you can get fresh chocolate chip cookies, a variety of interesting beers and indie fizzy sodas.

I will be going back for all 13 varieties over the next 2 years... since that's all my mac & cheese quota can handle.

Grand Central Oyster Bar.

So, I haven't posted for a while because I was really sick over this past weekend/week, then this week was midterms. I have a few reviews from last weekend with my parents (from before I got sick Saturday night...) that I feel the need to share with the world.

First, let's start with Grand Central Oyster Bar. We went here last Friday night, it being a Friday during Lent, and the poor Catholics having to replace their steak with oysters and crab claws... It came highly recommended via various online reviews, and it seemed like a great place to take my Midwesterner parents: it's part of the history of Grand Central station, a seemingly real attraction, and one of the oldest oyster bars in New York City. The menu is really large and completely available online, and I was hooked.

Unfortunately, the food was utterly disappointing for the prices. My dad and I both had Florida Blue Crab Claws (basically enormous crab claws that are cooked, then served chilled), and while they were large, they weren't served correctly. They had clearly been made way in advance, and when you chill the crab for too long, it refuses to separate from the shell. So after basically picking out miniscule amounts of meat... not worth it. The Oysters Rockefeller were actually really good, but I'd say that was the one redeeming factor of the meal. My scallops were flavorless, my mom's shrimp salad was miniature, and well, my dad ordered fish n' chips... so he really had nothing to complain about.

Seriously, it might be a great raw bar. But the dinner menu was awful. It's definitely not worthy of all the hype. Skip it.

I like Bar Boulud.

Becca and I went to brunch at Bar Boulud for Valentine's Day, and it was fantastic! It's on the UWS on Broadway between 63rd & 64th. Daniel Boulud is one of the best chefs in NY with several different French-style restaurants. Bar Boulud is a little more casual than his others, more café-like, and with the same funky decor mixed with classic French cuisine. The highlights are the charcuterie and the wine menu featuring the Rhone Valley (where I studied abroad).

The Saturday and Sunday brunch is a $26 prix fixe with 4 fabulous little courses. It was a lot of food, and I recommend you show up hungry! I had a chocolate croissant, creamy cauliflower soup, a croque monsieur with salad, and an apple tart. It was incredible. Becca had a croissant, spinach and goat cheese quiche, a fresh herb omelet with home fries and homemade sorbet.

Everything was sooo good and I really want to go back here and to all of Daniel Boulud's other (more expensive *sigh*) restaurants.