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...

remember that one time...

i gave a cupcake to jessica hische and was so starstruck all i could do was giggle. oh yeah, i remember that.

life is beautiful

provo canyon: midway utah

ilove

my big turquoise ring i bought at a street fair in new york, even if it turns my finger green

my plum color shellacked nails

my 19 year old sister and 10 year old brother (october birthdays)

forgetting about dieting to indulge in yummy treats

such as my momma's key lime pie

living with the loveliest ladies in provo

and bragging about it by hashtagging #thetreehouse on twitter

fall weather and colorful leaves

red edges on my business cards

sneeking away to sunny az for a few days

food recently:

q: who designed this logo?

artisinal fromagerie and bistro - fondue for two with cassie. tested the so called best mac and cheese in nyc. i'm not sure i agree.

arturos pizza - yummy cheesy garlic bread but not the best pizza in nyc
max soha - yes i went again but its dang good. reason enough for nick to move back
il punto - amazing. pappardelle della selva nera = wide ribbons of pasta with fresh blueberries, mint, raspberry vodka and asiago cheese. and honestly the best chocolate cake i have ever had.
syvlias - chicken and waffles. i might get called out for being a hypocrite on this one, and i was tentative at first, only eating the two seperately then i got adventurous and combined them, then i added some hot sauce and then i added the syrup too. so good.

and why didn't i take any pictures? because my hands were busy
duh.

a. the lovely louise fili. of course.

recap

image via archidose

image via archidose

image via luminaire

this weekend marissa and i explore financial district. i was sure, there was nothing to see down there, but she showed me otherwise. we ate at the sandwich house, which was cheap and yummy. we visited the trinity church, rubbed the bull (but not his junk - that's a little weird to me), checked out the smithsonian's national museum of the native american, and walked around battery park.

we also scoped out some of the buildings i wanted to see in the midtown area. i took some pictures, with my real camera, so i will post those soon. we got up close and personal with the chrysler building, got some pictures of philip johnson's seagram building, and pretended like we belonged in the waldorf astoria. we also tried baked my melissa's cupcakes. they were yummy and creative, but way too small, like they were honestly the size of my eyeball, weird comparison? yes maybe so. oh also spent part of the afternoon dreaming of diamonds in tiffanys. 

i had the chance to enjoy the early evening on the pier at 72nd. it was gorgeous. i need to be by the coast always. i just love being able to feel a breeze coming off the water, even if it was the toxic hundson. still made me happy. for dinner i enjoyed dinosaur bbq with friends. the wait was worth it, because for the first time in my life i had some fried green tomatoes. so yummy. and the syracuse style salt potatoes. man oh man. 

this weekend we also had the chance to go visit the museum of the moving image. it was one of the best museums i have been to. the architecture, the interior design, the identity, the curation, and the hands on activities were all right on. i was smiling when i got to sit on a osorom bench designed by konstantin grcic, much more comfortable than expected. we all enjoyed the exhibit on jim henson. minus the use of papyrus throughout this exhibit, a little hiccup there. who made that choice. but this guy was awesome. we will all remember him for our friends kermit and big bird, but he did so much more.

our taste buds made our way around the world with venezuelan cuisine and french fare in the same evening. arepas cafe in queens is worth a stop if you find yourself in the neighborhood. and balthazar served me up a pretty lovely chocolate cake and nick's meringue was fantastique. 

items checked off list: 7

the skint loves me

i am not one to win things. it seems i just dont have that lucky streak. ksav on the other hand. that girl wins everything. on thursday, at work cassie spotted that the skint was giving out a free pair of tickets to see julia stone perform, so we both entered and didn't think much more of it. (we moved on to thinking about other seemily more important things - like salty pimp ice cream cones) this afternoon i got an email from the skint, that looked a little like this >>

i won something. i am a winner. i called cassie with the news.

we enjoyed a lovely evening at le poisson rouge. this basement venue with red lighting reminded me of the club scene in funny face. and for awhile there the music was getting pretty experimental, i was just waiting for someone to get up and do a dance like audrey hepburn.

i'm still not so sure how i feel about doveman. i liked the music, but not so much his voice. but julia stone did an excellent job. and she sang a cover of the national. i love them.

afterwards, we treated ourselves to popbar. what a genius idea. you pick your flavor popsicle, then your dipping, then your topping. cassie had a strawberry dipped in milk chocolate and i had a blood orange in dark chocolate. i'm sad to say, cassie ordered better than i. but they were both yummy.

i also got hit on my a lesbian. and not just a couple glances and a few words. this chick followed us for at least 5 minutes. but she said she wouldn't bite unless i wanted her too. that was a relief.

and on the train, an older gentleman asked me if i happened to be nicole kidman. at least this was flattering.

i forgot

yes i was in the same room as harry potter

to blog about how to succeed in business without really trying. chris, zack, marissa and i were all able to get rush tickets for 30 bucks a pop. we got in line at 8:30 for the box office to open at 10 and we were already behind 100 people. we weren't sure if we would be lucky enough or not. but the fates were with us. we were quite pleased. this show was so fun. i loved the music, the dancing, the set, the humor and of course daniel radcliff. the audience was loving harry potter. i think it might just have been my favorite broadway experience this summer. we ended the evening with pinkberry. what more could you want in life?

on a roll

image via amazon

after work cassie and i managed to check 4 more things off my list. first we stopped at grand central station. then we made our way to serendipty 3, where we put our names down. during our hour and a half wait, we went to eat at the burger joint. the burger was yummy, but there is something about shake shack that has me hooked. i also stuck my noise in the four seasons, which was not anything special. but cassie and i are planning a girl's night at the hudson hotel, which is sure to be stellar. we made our way back to serendipity where we feasted on humble pie and a frozen hot chocolate. i know i know, i might get some disagreement here, but honestly the frozen hot chocolate did not rock my world. but i am not the biggest hot chocolate fan anyways, well unless it comes from hatch's or city bakery. hot or cold not my cup of tea, sorry hot chocolate. but andy warhol loved ya so don't feel bad.

two salty pimps please

this weekend i will be on nyc bucket list crunch mode. gotta do as much as possible. i got another check off the list this afternoon, when i went out of the office in search of some afternoon delight.

a salty pimp for me and a salty pimp for cassie

digging coins out of the bottoms of our purses was so worth it.

cone lined with caramel, vanilla soft serve, topped with caramel, sea salt and chocolate.

love

images via ohjoy!

all you need is love right?
well my dearest roommate marissa let me a love note and a box from bouchon bakery on my bed one night.

i took the goodies to work the next morning for breakfast. oreo (tko) and brownie (chocolate bouchon) yum.

made my week a million times better

two peas in a pod

so you might be thinking i might be lying dead as a doornail and as flat as a pancake in the streets of nyc. my mother was almost positive that's exactly what had happened to me.
but i am in fact alive and doing well.

cassie and i have had quite a busy week at work. my typical late nights in the bfa are accompanied with little sleezer's pizza or mister mcdonalds and a large d p. but no sir, not here in nyc.

isn't she lovely, isn't  she wonderful

cassie and i have treated ourselves to:

max brenner
        we thought we had died and gone to heaven. we ordered the smores pizza and a red heart chocolate
        cake (choclate cake with raspberry filling). so yummy. definitely hit that sweet spot.

south brooklyn pizza
       thank you for staying open til 5 am. that served us well indeed. but the crust was super crunchy,  
       grimaldis and eataly win for best crust. south brooklyn has the freshest basil.

eataly
      incredibly decadent gelato and pizza for dessert. backwards? i think not. but i do think grimaldis and
       south brookyln have better mozzerella

shake shack
      for two incredibly hungry girls two double cheeseburgers, two orders of fries, one milkshake, and
       one concrete.

republic
      yummy noodles, but could you please give me more? cassie loved the lime chicken and i was all
       about the spicy coconut chicken. yes please.

wichcraft
     so close to the office and so easy to run over for some quick satisfaction and a cookie too

city bakery
      i have been craving a city bakery cookie all week, but they close so stinking earlier, but we finally
       made our way over there for lunch yesterday.

chipotle
     a happy burrito full belly guarantee

the brindle room
     this place in the east village delivers, so one night i order myself the 3 herb chicken sandwich. i  
     honestly don't think i have ever had a better chicken sandwich. so good.

beecher's cheese

     we came here one morning and had the breakfast casserole and multigrain bagels. yummy and     

     healthy too. well i dunno, but i seemed healthy than what i usually have for breakfast.

the city is so much quieter and cooler at 4 in the morning and i enjoyed my cab rides home with the windows rolled down.

chelsea market

michael hill map of nyc
here

marissa and i visited chelsea market. it had been on my bucket list but i wasn't sure what to expect, but it by far exceeded my expectations. we had fun browsing through the stores and bakeries and all the other goodies. we ate lunch at the green table, which was stellar. i had the grilled corn for an appetizer and the chicken pot pie for my entree. marissa had the harvest salad for an appetizer and the grilled cheese with blueberry chutney and a bowl of tomato gazpacho. for dessert, we both got a fatwitch brownie. i was disappointed for sure. i thought this place was hugely over hyped. i'd choose ghirardelli's brownie mix brownies any day. but we highly recommend taking time to visit the market.

on our way to the market, we stumbled upon maritime hotel. we were intrigued by the architecture of the building, so we pretended like we belonged there and went inside to explore. the place had a similar feel the phillipe stark's hudson hotel. the design of the building was great, however, i don't know if i was sold on all the furnishing choices.

oh i love chairs. i really do.

the england clan

meet the siblings

                       

while my family was here in new york, we crossed off quite a few things on my nyc bucket list. it was fun showing them where my stomping grounds have been for the past couple months. and i was good to have my closest of friends with me. sometimes we all need a little lovin.

here are the highlights from the trip:

they loved max soha, quite is a great little place by my house. this time i ordered la pugliese, which was so tasty. shell pasta with brocolli rabe and spicy italian sausage. 

on sunday, robert comstock came to talk to the singles ward. which was really great. i am glad my family had the opportunity to hear from him.

we also got to go to a yankees game, we arrived a bit late, which was perfect timing for me. i didn't even have time to get bored. and the yankees won, so thats a plus. 

for my mother's birthday dinner, we enjoyed some indian food. the vindaloo was so yummy. and in the morning we suprised her with a piece of german chocolate cake from harlem's make my cake. 

on monday morning, we rented a car and took a road trip up to niagara falls. the falls were beautiful but the town was a dump. we took a boat ride under the falls and it was amazing how strong that water is. we were all soaked. 

while we were road tripping, we stopped at palmyra, where we were able to see the hill cumorah pagent. we also had the chance to see the palmyra temple, the smith farm and home as well as the sacred grove. 

thursday evening, when we were back in the city, we had a pizza taste test. we went to two different places i have been wanted to try: bleecker st. pizza and joe's pizza. joe's wins hands down no doubt about it. do not be seduced by bleecker st. pizza's signs proclaiming them the best pizza in nyc. whoever declared that was not a pizza aficionado. joe's pizza is a pizza by the slice kind of place. but instead of a warmed up greasy mess. the pizza was the perfect combination of greasy goodness and fresh fantastic.

to finish up our dinner feast, we got three slices of cheesecake from rocco's on bleecker st. we got a chocolate cheesecake, a s'mores cheesecake, and an original cheesecake. i still can't decide what was my favorite. but man it was good.

on friday, we got tickets to go see wicked. i was so excited to finally see the musical. all of us kids have had all the songs on the cd memorized, but had never seen the show. it was great to finally pieces the story together. and of course i was bawling when they sang "for good"

on saturday, my sissy and i went to see harry potter. it's crazy to think how much we have all grown up since i first picked up harry potter and the sorcerer's stone. we then indulged in a little shopping and some cookies from levain's bakery. i have decided that i would rate these suckers as the best cookies i have had in new york. 

we also made our way over to the guggenheim, where we were able to see lee ufan's exhibit and enjoy the architecture of that building. 

then it was off to brooklyn, where we walked over the brooklyn bridge and got ourselves some grimaldi's pizza. grimaldi's has a location in scottsdale, arizona of all places, which my family frequents often. so we thought we had to try the one that started it all. the pizza was great. i think it might just be the best i have had. i would put eataly and south brooklyn up there with it as well. the crust was thin, fresh and not burnt. the tomato sauce, was not overly seasoned, but the natural sweetness of the perfectly ripe tomatoes was the predominate flavor of the sauce. the mozzarella was yummy and the basil wasn't too raw nor too cooked. i made three pieces disappear so fast. for dessert we got some ice cream from brooklyn ice cream factory. the strawberry ice cream topped me off perfectly. we took the water taxi back to manhattan. it was perfect timing and we got to watch the sunset over the city. it was a perfect last evening with my family.

i think shan is going to be craving another bagel from absolute bagels in the next few days. and i also converted her and my momma to instagram. you can tell i like it a little huh?

i will miss them, but will get to see them again soon. my little brother can always brighten my day. he is the sweetest little guy. 

my brother's cuter than your brother.

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.

i love cassie & marissa

because of the rain this afternoon, i ordered lunch in. despite the confusion of the phone, my food arrived from tiffin wallah. i have been craving indian food for awhile and it hit the spot today.

marissa came and met cassie and i after work tonight and we walked over to milk and cookies in the west village. upon opening the door we were greeted with the sweet aroma of cookies. cassie got a pecan bar, smores cookie, salted oatmeal surprise, double chocolate cookie and a glass of milk. i ordered a chocolate mint cookie, a salted oatmeal surprise, caramel chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk. and marissa got a chocolate mint cookie. impressive huh?

one is never enough

i think we all agree that the pecan bar was the hit

then the salted caramel surprise (oatmeal and white chocolate chips)

then the chocolate mint

i think the double chocolate and the caramel chocolate chip tie

then the smores cookie (quite a let down)

i would say for a chocolate cookie or a chocolate chip cookie i find both levain bakery and city bakery more scrumptous. but i would go back for another pecan bar or a salted oatmeal surprise. and a glass of fresh milk with your cookie a nice touch.

when we got home, marissa and i watched the breakfast club. neither of us had ever seen it before, can you believe it?! we loved it. i also love molly ringwald. how the heck did i leave her off my awesome gingas list. perhaps it's time for list number 2. redhead power.

ginga glam

i love her lipstick in this movie. it's a perfect everydat color for a redhead. now just how do i get my hands on that? and she looks so glam in the pale rose color. why do i feel like that color doesn't suit me? you showed me molly. 

girls nights are the best.

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