1. When you’re in your early 20s and just started your first real job, how would you describe your spending habits?

    Mine would be: “The cheaper the better.” Unless it’s clothes and then that flies right out the window.

    But if I can get gourmet-quality food for pennies on the dollar, you bet I’m making a beeline for that restaurant.

    Through the goddess that is Yelp, my friends and I found Prosperity Dumpling in Chinatown in NYC. It’s teeny, it literally has counter seating for eight people. And if you’re one of those eight people who were lucky enough to get a seat, the entire time you enjoy your dumplings and sesame pancakes, you’re going to be bumped, knocked into, trampled and thought of as annoyances by the other patrons waiting for some one-dollar dumplings. That’s right one measly dollar for four or five steamed and yummy dumplings. C’mon, McDonald’s charges more than that for a medium Diet Coke.

    On a sunny Sunday, my friends and I waited in the neverending line that forms for the delicious dumplings (thank goodness the line moves quickly) and were rewarded for our patience with inside seats and scrumptious dumplings.

    Though my favorite treat was the sesame pancake that I could not have devoured faster. Amazing!

    If you’re in Chinatown, look this place up and get ready to have your mind blown by some cheap eats.

    Photography by me. April 2012.

  2. Adult camping is usually code for let’s go get drunk in the woods. In Brooklyn it means going to a bar that lets you make s’mores and play board games inside an establishment that looks like the camp from Parent Trap. That cozy little spot is Camp.

    We roasted marshmallows for the s’mores right at our table with little teeny fire in the middle of our chip ‘n’ dip bowl that held our s’mores goodies. Of course the bar’s previous patrons had adultified Jenga and made it Truth or Dare Jenga.

    We added our own “dares,” but we really liked this Rihanna-inspired one.

    We also played Bananagrams and danced to ’80s and ’90s music all night long.

    Photos by me, taken with Instagram for iPhone. April 2012.

  3. The name doesn’t necessarily scream, “Yum!” But once you’ve had a taste of anything, and I mean anything, at Duckfat in Portland, Maine, you’ll be sold.

    My dad and I stopped by because of glowing recommendations from Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor and were not disappointed. Glad to be out of the rain my pops and I waited about 15 minutes for a table at the truly tiny restaurant (it only accommodates maximum 20 people) and watched plates of yumminess dance around the dining room.

    When we were finally seated, we let loose and ordered enough for four people. Are you ready for this laundry list?

    Me: golden beet and tangerine soup, housemade honey and cardamom soda
    Father: fig milkshake, fiddlehead (which is the curled head of the fern plant) and mushroom soup
    To split: a poutine (Duckfat fries topped with Pineland Farm cheese curd and housemade duck gravy), an oven roasted turkey sandwich with bacon jam, fontina cheese, pickles and pea shoots

    My soup reminded me of tomato soup and the soda was similar to ginger ale. Everything was astoundingly delicious, even the fig milkshake which my dad pretty much only tried because it sounded so strange. He also didn’t know what a fiddlehead was - we had to look it up. My favorite part of the meal, aside from the completely indulgent poutine, was the bacon jam on my sandwich. C’mon, I had to go with the bacon!

    Needless to say we ate like kings (or in my case queens) and left only crumbs.

    The restaurant is also a rotating gallery and sells the artwork on its walls. I’ve got to say, restaurants and cafes that do this have a place in my heart. However, the art on the walls was a woman doing various tasks who resembled a hedgehog with boobs. And the price was more than $600. Puh-lease.

    Photography by me. April 2012. I used the special food lens and film on Hipstamatic for iPhone (Loftus lens and DC film).

  4. When you see a sign that reads “Max Brenner - Chocolate by the Bald Man,” you have to check it out. Right?

    I really don’t have a preference where I get my chocolate - the bald man, the tall man, the man in the gorilla suit. It does not matter, as long as I have a daily fix - however small or large my fix may be - I’m good to go. 

    I was a little disconcerted that Mr. Brenner was not 100% focused on chocolate making and had diverted into food. But when I bit into the restaurant’s juicy Kobe burger, all of my fears left me. It was perfectly delicious and even had waffle fries on the side, to boot!

    But what really made my little chocoholic heart skip a sped-up beat was the s’mores dessert. Not only did it have a ready-made s’more on the side but the canning jar contained a delicious deconstruction of a s’more with marshmallow fluff (be still my heart), graham crackers, chocolate mousse and a beaker of caramel on the side.

    It was heaven.

    If you’re in town, I dare you not to try it!

    Photography by me. April 2012.

  5. My dad was in town for my birthday and we stopped by Citizen Public House & Oyster Bar to grab a bite. We’d both never had oysters before and we figured if it was in the name, we probably had to try some. We got Oysters Rockefeller and Casino style, as well as raw (read plain and unseasoned) oysters and clams.

    I felt like a contestant on Fear Factor or MTV’s The Challenge eating these big, slimy, booger-like creatures. But we didn’t get the chance to earn money at the end.

    They weren’t the tastiest of delicacies, but I can’t say I hated them either. However, the oysters were so large I cut mine into thirds. Don’t call me a cheater, I just did what I had to do to stay in the game.

    We finished them all with only minor discomfort. No vomiting like on TV.

    But the real star of the night was Citizen’s handmade burrata cheese with duck prosciutto and fig and pepper relish. It was so amazing I could’ve eaten six plate-fulls. Lucky me Citizens isn’t far from my apartment!

    Photography by me. April 2012.

  6. Dumplings with Dad

    While my dad was in town we stopped by the Gourmet Dumpling House in Chinatown. It was just as good the second time around. (I mention the GDH in a previous post).

    Yet again, my eyes were much bigger than my stomach. But isn’t that always the way it is with food like dumplings, dim sum or appetizers? You always take too much and end up satisfied with a full belly. Nothing to complain about!

    Photography by me, taken with Hipstamatic for iPhone. April 2012.

  7. One of the best Easter brunches I’ve ever had at Le Gamin in Brooklyn. My friend had a bowl of cafe au lait, while I had a more petite cappuccino. But the best part was the orange-infused pain perdu (French toast), fresh fruit and rosemary, onion country-style potatoes. If you’re ever in Brooklyn for brunch, I highly advise it!

    Photography by me. April 2012.

  8. Monsieur Marcel is one of my favorite places in the Original Farmers Market. I’ve visited several shops: the hot sauce spot, Brazilian BBQ restaurant Pampas Grill and Short Cake pastry and coffee shop. But Monsieur Marcel is a delicious French market with everything a foodie’s heart can desire. There are barrels of olives, shelves of gourmet chocolate, a room of all types of wine, two cases filled with the most scrumptious cheeses I’ve had since France and one filled with delectable salami. One of my favorite finds was the creme brulee mix in a box. Endless jars of assorted mustards filled the aisles. The selection of brightly colored pastas in cute packages also drew my eye.

    But it was the cheeses, salami and fresh bread that my dad and I picked to have a little French pique-nique in the Farmers Market. We grabbed a creamy brie and a yummy gruyere, salami from Tuscany and a baguette to lunch on.

    Photography by me. February 2012.

  9. My mom and I decided to make the drive up to Malibu for the last day of Dine LA. Dine LA is a couple of weeks every six months where nice (read expensive) restaurants set a prix fixe menu of an appetizer, entree and dessert for a low price so that people who wouldn’t normally get to eat there can. Unfortunately, we learned that Duke’s doesn’t serve great food, though it does have a great location right on the beach. Photography by me, trying out the Diptic app for iPhone. February 2012.

    My mom and I decided to make the drive up to Malibu for the last day of Dine LA. Dine LA is a couple of weeks every six months where nice (read expensive) restaurants set a prix fixe menu of an appetizer, entree and dessert for a low price so that people who wouldn’t normally get to eat there can.

    Unfortunately, we learned that Duke’s doesn’t serve great food, though it does have a great location right on the beach.

    Photography by me, trying out the Diptic app for iPhone. February 2012.

  10. The Night My Life Turned Into A Sitcom

    My Friday night started out with dinner at Loteria Grill in Hollywood with two friends, including the lovely AJ (also a Tumblr-er). Loteria has some of the best margaritas I’ve had, ever. I’m not a huge marg fan, but these contained just the right amount of tequila and weren’t too sour. So we ordered a pitcher, for three of us.

    Then after a two-hour dinner of chatting, gossiping and - most importantly of all - eating (I had delicious tacos and amazingly tasty rice, even though it looks like plain white rice), I exit the restaurant to discover I’ve parked in a tow zone. Awesome.

    Perfect way to end a great dinner with friends. Not.

    Thankfully AJ knew where the Hollywood tow lot was, and we swung by to discover they had my car and would return it to me for the low low price of $268.

    Let’s take a moment of silence for nearly $300 that could’ve been at least three gorgeous blouses from Anthropologie. We could’ve been great together.

    After liberating my car from the pokey, AJ and I met up with her guy friends at the original and truly tiny Cabo Cantina in West Hollywood, but decided to walk down the street to Saddle Ranch. Already from the name you can tell it’s a classy joint, so classy there’s a mechanical bull in the middle of the bar.

    Little did I know that my car being towed wouldn’t be the only traumatic incident of the night. I ran into a pair of guys who I haven’t seen or spoken to in at least a year. One of whom can only be described by this ADELE song and this Lady Antebellum song. You get the picture. And the other one, well this song describes him perfectly. Not a pair I was in any way prepared to run into, at Saddle Ranch no less.

    But I put on my big girl pants, said the obligatory, “Hi!” with big smiles and hugs for both. Then I proceeded to enjoy the rest of my night. Don’t get me wrong, I was shaking (physically and emotionally) but I think that’s a sign of growing up that you get better at “faking it ‘til you make it.” I’ve always been a “heart on my sleeve” person, but lately I’ve come to realize there’s something to putting on a brave face. One of the boys even rode the mechanical bull to cheer me up.

    Unfortunately there was no laugh track in the background of this dark comedy, only  ’90s music and cheers whenever someone fell off the bull. This was my life that night.

    It was raining when I left the bar that night. Straight out of a sitcom.

About me

Traveling, shopping and eating my way around the world. Or as far as I can go! And sharing the tales of my travels with whoever will listen.

"Always roaming with a hungry heart..."

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