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Friends and Food
May. 2nd, 2008 11:15 amUgh. Not feeling too well today. I lovelovelove Trader Joe's Spicy Soy Chips (high in protein and fiber and they satisfy my urge to crunch, plus go great with melted cheese--what's not to love?) but they make my stomach feel funny the next day. Ugh.
Wednesday night I hung out with a Sweet Briar friend of mine who was in town for a conference. She was staying at the SoHo Grand but I suggested we hang out in Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood I know much better. We had a GREAT time; we ate at El Centro on 54th St. and then went to Vintage for after-dinner drinks. Allyson is so supportive and warm, I just love getting together with her. She's so honest about her life and the ups and downs of parenthood (she has three little girls). Her oldest is getting into riding but her husband really wants to nix that, saying it's more dangerous than motorcycle riding or skiing. Naturally as a rider and a girl athlete, I'm all for it! However it doesn't help that one of our friends from Sweet Briar got injured a lot--Kate just shrugged it off and continued to ride anyway, but she's had several bouts of surgery and her knees are shot to hell. I told Ally that most riding injuries are in eventing and steeplechasing--equitation and dressage are much tamer (and, *cough* more boring but I didn't say that! But it's definitely true that the danger is what makes it interesting). Once you start taking jumps, the risk factor goes up. But still, girls should be encouraged in sports if possible; it teaches them so many useful attitudes and skill sets. Teamwork, ownership of and pride in your body, pride in accomplishment as opposed to appearance/relationship status...
On Saturday Paula and I hung out--we went to the new New Orleans-style restaurant on Restaurant Row, called Bourbon Street, where we rhapsodized over one of our favorite movies, Spike Lee's School Daze. (LOVE that movie! Lovelovelove "Good and Bad Hair"--"it ain't even real!") The food was pretty good, fairly authentic-tasting. I had cheese grits, Cajun red-beans-and-rice dip with chips, and shrimp jambalaya, and for dessert Paula and I shared this amazing cafe au lait creme brulet. (Ugh, don't want to think of food right now.) And they had Abita and Dixie, including Blackened Voodoo, my favorite. But the mixed drinks were ridiculously expensive. $13 for a Cosmo? A margarita on the rocks? That's outrageous. The beer wasn't expensive, I don't know why they're soaking us on the drinks. And they didn't have hurricanes--they said they weren't making them yet. Hello!--you have a NO-style restaurant, you probably should have the signature NO drink! The staff was really good though, very friendly (both the manager and the chef stopped by) and I liked the atmosphere, although it was a little too clean and shiny. I showed Paula pictures of the real thing on my iPod, I have great photos of seedy places like the cheap-ass bar on Lee Circle and the Old Absinthe Bar. Mmm, seedy New Orleans...
Afterward we met Ryan at Vintage and sucked back martinis. Walter from Oberon was there and he and I schmoozed--he wants to audition for Romeo and Juliet. He's actually playing Tybalt now in another production and I was all "hey, come audition for my show this summer!"
In other news, last week, Dani and I caught Mickey at the sink with this:
Note that there are no fewer than TEN little jars of Colman's Mustard! And that's just what was in the refrigerator! There were another 4 jars in the cabinets. PLUS 2 containers of another brand of mustard (French's?) and two of wasabi sauce. I just thought it was so endearing, all his tiny little jars of mustard. Men and their condiments!
Going to the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival this Sunday with Ted--what fun! Homemade soaps and Mickey Dolenz...
Wednesday night I hung out with a Sweet Briar friend of mine who was in town for a conference. She was staying at the SoHo Grand but I suggested we hang out in Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood I know much better. We had a GREAT time; we ate at El Centro on 54th St. and then went to Vintage for after-dinner drinks. Allyson is so supportive and warm, I just love getting together with her. She's so honest about her life and the ups and downs of parenthood (she has three little girls). Her oldest is getting into riding but her husband really wants to nix that, saying it's more dangerous than motorcycle riding or skiing. Naturally as a rider and a girl athlete, I'm all for it! However it doesn't help that one of our friends from Sweet Briar got injured a lot--Kate just shrugged it off and continued to ride anyway, but she's had several bouts of surgery and her knees are shot to hell. I told Ally that most riding injuries are in eventing and steeplechasing--equitation and dressage are much tamer (and, *cough* more boring but I didn't say that! But it's definitely true that the danger is what makes it interesting). Once you start taking jumps, the risk factor goes up. But still, girls should be encouraged in sports if possible; it teaches them so many useful attitudes and skill sets. Teamwork, ownership of and pride in your body, pride in accomplishment as opposed to appearance/relationship status...
On Saturday Paula and I hung out--we went to the new New Orleans-style restaurant on Restaurant Row, called Bourbon Street, where we rhapsodized over one of our favorite movies, Spike Lee's School Daze. (LOVE that movie! Lovelovelove "Good and Bad Hair"--"it ain't even real!") The food was pretty good, fairly authentic-tasting. I had cheese grits, Cajun red-beans-and-rice dip with chips, and shrimp jambalaya, and for dessert Paula and I shared this amazing cafe au lait creme brulet. (Ugh, don't want to think of food right now.) And they had Abita and Dixie, including Blackened Voodoo, my favorite. But the mixed drinks were ridiculously expensive. $13 for a Cosmo? A margarita on the rocks? That's outrageous. The beer wasn't expensive, I don't know why they're soaking us on the drinks. And they didn't have hurricanes--they said they weren't making them yet. Hello!--you have a NO-style restaurant, you probably should have the signature NO drink! The staff was really good though, very friendly (both the manager and the chef stopped by) and I liked the atmosphere, although it was a little too clean and shiny. I showed Paula pictures of the real thing on my iPod, I have great photos of seedy places like the cheap-ass bar on Lee Circle and the Old Absinthe Bar. Mmm, seedy New Orleans...
Afterward we met Ryan at Vintage and sucked back martinis. Walter from Oberon was there and he and I schmoozed--he wants to audition for Romeo and Juliet. He's actually playing Tybalt now in another production and I was all "hey, come audition for my show this summer!"
In other news, last week, Dani and I caught Mickey at the sink with this:
Note that there are no fewer than TEN little jars of Colman's Mustard! And that's just what was in the refrigerator! There were another 4 jars in the cabinets. PLUS 2 containers of another brand of mustard (French's?) and two of wasabi sauce. I just thought it was so endearing, all his tiny little jars of mustard. Men and their condiments!
Going to the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival this Sunday with Ted--what fun! Homemade soaps and Mickey Dolenz...
