winter break 2011

i know i havent blogged in forever and i am not promising that i will be any better at it anytime in the near future. but i did want to post about my lovely little winter break just so i have a record of where i went, what i saw, how i was with and of course what i ate.

1. the getty 2. redondo beach 3. the food: a. heuvos racheros - montelucia b. french toast - ocean diner c. chinatown

my winter break started with a little road trip. my sister and i went down to LA for a couple of days. on saturday, we were able to attend the lovely amber's wedding, check out the grad show at art center and enjoy pasadena's yummy 21 choices. seriously the greatest frozen yogurt ever. on sunday, we had breakfast on the pier in redondo beach at polly's on the pier. good food aka sure to clog your arteries. but man the banana pancakes shan ordered were the best i've ever had. we then headed to the getty center. we didnt know what to expect and we were both blown away. we enjoyed exploring and appreciating the art, the architecture and the views. that evening we went down to chinatown for some authentic grub and meandered through the little shops and of course walked away with a few souvenirs. on monday, we got up and took a bike ride down the beach. thanks to the free bike rentals at the portofino hotel and yatch club. it was so nice to ride alongside the ocean. we eventually ditched the bikes and got our feet sandy. for breakfast we tried out another diner, ocean's diner. where i had some awesome french toast. it was good and i usually hate french toast. after filling our bellies we loaded up in the car and headed to arizona.

1. scottsdale 2. a. the sugar bowl b. the mim c. christmas sugar cookies

it was nice to spend christmas at home with the family. we of course frequented some of our usual favorite places but we found some new gems too.

grimaldi's pizza

this place is an england family favorite. we have been going here for years and when we were in new york this summer we had to make the trip to brooklyn to taste the original. the arizona counterpart is just as tasty but perhaps a second less in the oven would make for a softer crust.

the parlor

the parlor is a pizza place. i first visited when i was out in scottsdale for the aiga pivot conference. the pies were creative and tasty. the menu is exciting and the interior is great. i think it might be a new englad family thing.

the musical instrument museum

this museum opened soon after i left arizona, so it was fun to come back and appreciate the completed work. the museum highlights music and instruments from throughout the world. every country has it's own exhibition space. it was a fun experience. and great for my brother who is the budding musician in the family. the kid plays the sax, the piano, and goofs around on the guitar.

jalepeno's inferno

this place has the best tamales and the worst key lime pie. well everything is good except for the key lime pie. for christmas eve dinner this year my mother ordered a slew of tamales to feed us and it was scrumptious and fun for a change. the green corn is the best.

the desert botanical gardens

we have been hearing about this place since we moved to arizona. however, the view from our own backyard is so great, we wondered what more the botanical gardens could offer. we attended the las noches de las luminaries. the gardens were lit with 8000 luminaries and 10 different musical groups were playing throughout the gardens. when we lived in saratoga, we attended christmas in the park in san jose every year. since moving to arizona we have been looking for something comparable and i think this year we found it. the desert botanical gardens offered an experience that was truly arizonian and festive in it own right with music and lights.

last chance

this is the place where all the good from nordstrom rack go or where the returns from nordstroms end up. we hit it at a great time and my sister and i walked out of the store with a little over 1000 dollars for goods for only 200 dollars. i bought myself 3 pairs of boots! this place is just one of the many reasons for you to fall in love with scottsdale.

cosanti

this is the residence of paulo soleri, the famed architect of arcosanti, and bell workshop. we came to explore and as luck would have it there were casting bronze bells right as we got there. some of the pieces they were casting were signed soleri orginals and so we even got to see the man come check on his work. it was a great experience and fun to check out the architecture.

soleri bells

the montelucia

while visiting us in arizona, my grandma treated us to a few nights at this lovely resort. the resort just opened three years ago and took inspiration from spain's moorish architecture into the design. the place was beautiful with an amazing view of camelback mountain. the weather was so nice we spent some quality time lounging by the pool.

grazie

before the thursday night artwalk in old town scottsdale we all needed to get a little something to eat. we decided to try this place. and yes it is another pizza place. we sure know how to pick em. i ordered a caprese to start and the mozzarella was some of the best i have had in awhile.

the sugar bowl

this place is just a downtown scottsdale staple. you have to come for the historic charm. but the treaties really are nothing to special. if you really want to know its dreyers ice cream and costco pies, but knowing that really kinda ruins the fun.

culinary dropout

this was a place that was new for me. this restaurant has more of like a gastropub feel. i was expecting a really adventurous menu but instead found a menu full of culinary staples. i ordered the fried chicken and it was finger lickin good. the chicken was served with honey drizzled on top which really did just set it apart.

rainbow ryders

while at breakfast one morning i was talking about how i had always wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride. my sweet dad then surprised me the next morning with a hot air balloon ride. the balloons are so huge in person. you really have no idea how large the are until you see them being blown up. when we took off i was amazed at how smooth the ride was. honestly if you didnt look down you would think you were still on the ground. i was so beautiful overlooking the desert on a beautiful clear morning. and i ever earned myself a pair of wings.

perhaps later i will share some of my projects as of late or some of the gifts i handcrafted for our england homemade christmas!

or if i get super ambitious i might share my goals for 2012. ill letcha know when i make em...

google today

remember how i got to see alexander calder's work in dc. well today's loving google animation is in honor of him. i love how the mobile moves slightly. google wins once again. lovely job.

ps. i really need to blog.
about food.
of course.

lee ufan

alexander calder

the cloisters

today, marissa and i decided to go to the cloisters. we had heard about them, but really had no idea what to expect. we were pleasantly surprised. the museum was built to house medieval art and architecture. the gardens were beautiful. the collection was impressive. i loved the stained glass, the tapestries, the valencian lusterware, the annunciation triptych by robert campin, jean pucelle's the hours of jeanne d'évreux and the limbourg brother's les tres riches heures. 

robert campin's triptych

limbourg brothers

afterwards we strolled through fort tyron park and then made our way back down to central park where we were captivated by the turtle pond and analyzed the weather from belvadore's castle. and by that time we were starving, so we made our way to shake shack. shake shack has never tasted better to me than it did today. shack shake's fries are a perfect addition to their burgers. i do believe the crinkle in the fries enhances their flavor. and their concretes are a perfect addition to their fries. it was a perfect tri fecta.

the low down

tuesday:

the guggenheim
i love this museum and i love frank lloyd wright and i am glad he decided to bless this city with this structure. one day i will make my way to gehry's guggenheim in bilbao, spain. i enjoyed the kandinsky at the bauhaus exhibit.

rack & soul
pies & thighs got me on a soul food kick so i indulged once again. i got pulled pork, biscuits, stewed okra and mac and cheese. the pork was delish. the biscuits were a disappointment. the okra was yummy. and i think i just don't love the southern version of mac & cheese. i prefer me some high brow mac and cheese.

wednesday:

cafe orlin
this is one of cassie's go tos. so i was definately curious to see what all the fuss was about. i ordered the shrimp linguini and i was not disappointed. i hear the french toast is stellar. perhaps i'll go back for brunch one day.

scoops and sundaes
a meal is not complete without dessert. kent, nick, cassie and i enjoyed tasting the plethora of flavors. we tried corn, sesame, avocado, honeydew, taro root, and some other interesting concoctions. the boys decided on the black raspberry and cassie and i got the blood orange. it was amazing.

thursday:

hello dumbo party at toda
after work i headed over to dumbo to check out toda. although i did not eat dinner prior to the party. i filled up on the chocolate cover malt balls. made me miss maltesars.

friday:

plum
after work we decided to try a new place for pizza. after much debate, we settled on plum. the pizza was good. but not stellar and with all the options in the city. i am not interested in going back. the crust did not taste fresh and was super crunchy.

magnolia bakery
i met zack at rockefeller plaza and to ring in his birthday we celebrated with magnolia. i tried the flourless chocolate cake and although decadent. prolli not worth the calories.

and yes it probably should have stopped there but no

pommes frites
julia had told us about this place. a store that sells only fries with a huge selection of dipping sauces sounded fantastic to me. this served as marissa's dinner, but for zack and i it was post dessert snack.

scoops and sundaes
i tried to go back. but they locked the door right as we walked up. it was for my own good.

saturday:

rockaway beach
when we arrived at the beach, marissa and i were surprised to find that there were no crowds. we claimed our piece of sand and enjoyed the perfect weather and the surfer boys. perhaps too much. we both came home with red body parts.

smorgasburg
an extension of the brooklyn flea market with only food vendors. yes please! we tried the shorty tang and sons cold sesame noodles. it was quite a yummy meal for a hot day. and then we treated ourselves to some blue marble ice cream.

sunday:

the highline
for a sunday walk, i made my way over to the highline. the view really is fantastic. the park is a repurposed old freight train track. the designers and architects did a magnificent job of creating a really special sanctuary within the city.

fishs eddy
i did a little browsing in fishs eddy. they have a very strong brand that is playful and fun.

strand
i love bookstores and i think the strand is extra special. i just enjoyed walking through the rows and rows of floor to ceiling books.

monday:

rainbow cafe falafel
for a cheap and quick lunch, cassie and i went for some falafel. i was quite content with my purchase. however, the baklava could have been better.

dogmatic
we figured a homemade soda would be nice to wash down our sandwiches with. however, i was grossed out by my strawberry soda. sometimes it is just best to stick with what you know is good.

cafe lalo
this is the cafe featured in "you've got mail" so of course i wanted to make a pilgrimage. the place is adorable. the exposed brick with beautiful french posters reminiscent of those of toulouse lautrec that brightened up the place. i happily ordered a slice of key lime pie to go. however, when i opened my box when i got home, i discovered the slice i had paid 7.50 for way smaller than my phone. not cool. and although good nothing noteworthy except a super soggy graham cracker crust.

h&m
sometimes to avoid what appears as a insurmountable pile of laundry it is a good idea to just got buy new clothes instead. yep, i did that.

toulouse lautrec

agam

i love yaacov agam

and this image on ffffound today reminded me of his work