food in philly

lesson learned - always get American cheese

Cheesesteak cart

pretzal & mustard

Right after our show Monday night (photos & post to come) I was on the train to King of Prussia (right outside Philadelphia) this week for work training. Stayed an extra night in Philly with my college friend to see the sites & eat. obviously. Cheesesteaks galore

Still sort of bummed I never found an 'I <3> Philly' sign to take a photograph with... I know, cheesy. but hey it's my city! hehe

(lunch of) champions

gruyere cheese puffs //foie gras coconut macaroon //french bread //linguini w. alaskan king crab, black pepper & meyer lemon //spaetzle w. niman ranch pork belly, pommery mustard & spinach //carrot curry cappucino //bone marrow crusted beef tenderloin w. root veges //colorado lamb w. artichoke barigoule, taggiasca olives & piquillo peppers //chocolate caramel tart w. sea salt

These photos are a tad dated... had an epic epic lunch of champions at fancy schmancy eleven madison park the last day my bf was in new york.
(sadly i know this place as - where-carrie-and-big-tried-to-have-lunch-as-friends-and-then-he-tells-her-he's-engaged-and-she-gets-mad-and-runs-out-of-the-restaurant-and-almost-eats-it-on-the-steps. wow.)
I decided to wear his plaid shirt too. Too bad the place was fancy schmancy.


But anywho, t'was delicious. I ate enough for 2 entire days, yep yep.

WD-50

dinner last Sunday at WD50 in LES. Japanese red rice ale, crispy sesame flakes and oolong tea, skirt steak with peanut pasta. fun subway mosaic mural. topshop leather jacket and comfy Uniqlo pants. digging for crap in my bigass purse.

It's a shame that I've been here for a little over 2 months and have barely begun to explore all the delicious food options around here -especially lamentable considering how, between the high restaurant turnover rate & the breadth of this immense city, I'll never ever even get close.
oh well. I at least ought to try more though... yes. more nomnoming. that's not a hard decision to make.

empanada mama

I know I haven't posted in a while but that's because the boy was visiting and we were off taking an entire slew of food porn photos that'll be coming your way soon!


Anywho, this past Sunday was gorgeous here in NY... we headed over to Empanada Mama in Hells Kitchen for a late brunch and then spent the afternoon relaxing around Central Park.
Their empanadas have all sorts of interesting fillings - I don't remember what we ordered exactly, but they had everything from Italian sausage, to cheeseburger, spicy chicken, and (pictured left) one dubbed "viagra" (seafood).
Of course, we had to try that one... although it didn't quite live up to its name.



empanadas, sangria, plantain chips, and guac = deeeelish

hi zones.


It's amazing how a few degrees of warmth and some sunshine can wake this city up from it's typical Sunday stupor... the park was full of kids running all over each other and musicians bustin' out songs - calming and peaceful but still so much energy everywhere (hah, if that makes sense..)

sweet disposition

thanks for all the nice comments on the last post guys =) unfortunately i don't have my sewing machine out here so that may be as finished as it's gonna be for awhile... we'll see...
i had my first uniqlo experience this past weekend in soho. and my first chocolate cannoli.
also, i hate writing cover letters. ugh.

white-washing

striped top: Old Navy, khakis: Dickies mens, bow belt: random sash that came with some other pants, flats: Guess

For the most part I hate j.crew and all other forms of preppy, WASP-ish style (argyle!! argh), so I'm not quite sure how I ended up with this outfit... but I AM glad I finally found a perfect navy striped top, and on clearance for $2.50 too! Now all I need is to trade my messy backyard for a yacht and done some Sperrys.

Thank you guys for wishing me luck on my packing, haha. It's really not even all that much -since I've noticed that an overwhelming portion of my closet is tanks and summer tops, useless in an NY winter.
I'm just a big procrastinator.

BUT I've got about half done already... go me, I deserve a snack =)

arizona snow

I'm homeeee - had a lovely family vacation (which almost seems like an oxymoron, but really, good times). Just wanted to share a random handful of photos...
It's good to be back in California and be able to leave the house in just a cardigan.

Oh gosh, I'm so screwed for New York.













a little late but Happy New Year everybody! I'm so excited for 2010.

blue stove

target sweater, F21 socks, boots by Jessica Simpson, bf's Raybans, skirt from ...6th grade? how do i still fit in this

aren't the back of my thighs sexy??? i was trying to show the button-up back of my sweater... fail.

the boy's here now =) we went to the park for some duck watching yesterday. it's like people watching but even better -you make up the conversations and scenarios you think those little birds are having... and there's no fear that they might overhear you talking crap

and i've been having quite a lot of mexican food lately... like these tapas from Blue Stove. nommy.



also, really feelin' my blue nails right now, although i just bought a chanel jade wannabe which is next up

this post is so schizophrenic.

dance for love

my mom and i found this amazing cuban cafe/bakery by the burbank airport as she was going to drop me off. had a quick dinner. sandwich of feta cheese and fresh tomatoes on homemade baguette with mariquitos (plantain chips!) and a delicious garlicy dipping sauce. and we bought a bunch of pastries for her to take home. and when she picked me up today we stopped by again, hehe. so delicious and not expensive at all! so glad we found this place, good job us =)


had brunch with the boy at Somerset in Oakland. seriously, the Bay Area has some of the best best eats. we've been trying to conquer them all (with the help of yelp) but it seriously a work in progress.
open faced crab sandwich with avocado, black pepper aioli, cheese, and red pepper on top of sourdough; heirloom tomato salad.




lovevolution parade in San Francisco - "we dance for love and respect" haha i loved it; it was so eclectic, energetic, and completely san franciscan in every way. i admire the people who went all out and were at the parade at noon, the festival in the afternoon, and the afterparty till the break of dawn. i really wish i could have gone to it all but i went to the football game instead, and my party endurance has really plummented (i know, it's pitiful)


speaking of which, Cal vs. USC. let's not talk about it.



on sunday we swung by Ici, a delicious and quirky ice cream store run by an ex-Chez Panisse dessert chef. they have the most unique and unexpectedly delicious flavors that change daily and, true to Alice Waters form, are always made from fresh and local ingredients. i had a scoop creme fraiche amareno cherry and he got brown sugar oatmeal raisin cookie. they also hand roll their cones and dip the insides in chocolate! deeeelicious

secondhand boyfriend jeans, H&M tank, Zara jacket, dinosaur necklace from Taiwan, American Eagle sandals. excuse my funky facial expressions

and here's a random picture of my boyfriend. (his arm's half up because he's being shy, not abusive, haha) i miss him dearly and it completely sucks not living in the same city anymore.
anyways, if any of you guys are interested, he just started a blog where he shares a lot of good music. check it out -i swear, at least half of my itunes is credited to him. ...the other half is full of those horrible catchy songs that you know are horrible but you can't help loving because they are so damn catchy =)