Hello Summer!

I think this weekend is going to be the real introduction to summer- not Memorial Day.  Now I know it will probably get cold and rainy again at some point in the next few weeks, but right now on weather.com we have a 5-7 day stretch of 80 degree days.  That is good enough for me.  We are in business.

Once a year, on the first genuinely beautiful day of the year, when I walk outside and the sunshine and the fresh air hit me in the face I throw my arms up in the air and say "Hello Summer".  Last weekend was beautiful, but I forgot to say it.  So tomorrow afternoon, if you see me leaving the office around 4:45 (if all goes as planned) you will witness me saying hello to summer.

My goal this weekend is to spend as much time outside as possible.  After being pent up all week in the office, where the weather is always a constant 70 degrees and sterile, some sun and fresh air is just what I need.  Some golf, some dining al fresco, some time walking around the city...sign me up.  I fully expect summer to be in full gear this weekend- sandals, shorts, and sunglasses.  Even if it is back to a suit and tie on Monday, I know that this weekend I am free.  Enjoy everyone!

To Re-New Beginnings

Well it's official:  renewing my New Jersey driver's license is one of the most difficult things I've ever done in my life.  I've spoken to friends from other states, and renewing their licenses consists of requesting a new one online.  In NJ, you have three things working against you that make this an impossible situation:

1.  The hours

2.  The proof of identity

3.  The prison guards

The hours:  It really seems like the DMV is open for about 37 minutes each day.  How anyone with a full-time job ever makes it there in time is amazing.  Taking into account my job, as well as the fact that I don't even live in NJ anymore, and it becomes an enigma how I'm ever going to make this happen.

The proof of identity:  NJ has masterminded this 37 point system.  I thought that with a passport and old driver's license I would be good to go.  NOPE.  I'm still short some combination of an ATM card, high school diploma, gun license, military card, or marriage license.  Even with items such as these, I would not have the proper proof of address, which includes a lease agreement, utility bill, or jury duty request.  I simply don't stand a chance.

The prison guards:  By prison guards, I mean the delightful people who work at the DMV.  They give you the stare of death, and greet everyone that walks through the door as if they are criminals.  As I unload my 17 proofs of identity, it still isn't enough.  I still need to beg for mercy.

I am going to give this a shot on Saturday, sometime between 9-12 (if I wake up in time), but I can't make any promises.  Wish me luck.

A Restaurant That Stinks

I write a lot about food- this I know.  Recently, I got a complaint that all of my reviews are too positive and that there are never any restaurants that I don't like.  What can I do, I really love food, whether it's fancy, cheap, elaborate, simple- it doesn't matter.  There is little that I don't like.  However, there is one restaurant that I really hate.  One place that just the thought of makes me sick.  And that place is called the Caliente Cab Company in NYC.

This place is just awful.  It is a chain Mexican restaurant in NYC with locations in Murray Hill and the West Village.  I think people like it because they have large outdoor seating areas (people love eating outside in NYC, it is a favorite pastime).  Well the drinks are weak and very sugary.  It tastes like they come from a mix.  The food is plastic and not remotely authentic, and everything is overpriced.

So there you have it.  My least favorite restaurant in New York.  A place I hate.  See, isn't it more fun to hear how much I love the food I am eating?  The food at this place is not caliente, it is frio.

Nice Little Saturday

Life is made for days like today- 72 degrees and sunny, just a beautiful and relaxing day.  Spent the day with Michael and Teddy strolling around the West Village.

We had lunch at Son Cubano, a Cuban restaurant I've been wanting to try for awhile in the meatpacking district.  We had mojitos and shared an appetizer of plantain cups filled with garlic crabmeat, which were amazing.  For an entree, I shared the shrimp sandwich and the chicken sandwich with fried jalapeno with Michael.  I think the shrimp one was better.

We then wandered around the West Village aimlessly, going down tiny side streets and

 stopping at random sidewalk sales.  We found an area near Barrow and Grove streets that really reminded me of Beacon Hill in Boston.  Very old fashioned looking and quiet, lined with trees.  We then walked over to the river, and found Pier 45 at Hudson River Park.  It was beautiful being out by water with the breeze and fresh air.  It's really an interesting place- such a cross section of people doing different and crazy things.

A very nice way to spend a lazy Saturday.

Places I want to go

I have not taken a vacation in awhile, so I thought I would put together a list of places I want to visit, in no particular order:

Thailand

Wrigley Field

Napa Valley

Barcelona

Grand Cayman

Anna's Taqueria

Jackson Hole

New Zealand

Jersey Shore

Seattle

On a cross country trip

Hershey Park

Argentina

Congo

Lake Louise

Dubai

Grand Canyon

Cabo

1000

I had my 1000th hit at some point in the past 24 hours and I am psyched.  Thanks for reading, there is a lot more good stuff still to come!

Welcome to Citifield, home of the Binghamton, I mean New York, Mets

Last night I went to Citifield for the 2nd time. Don't get me wrong, I love this park, but for many reasons I felt like I was at a minor league baseball game.

First off, you have to see the signs and advertisements at the stadium. It is hysterical. The following is a sampling of Mets sponsors that bought ad space on the scoreboard and outfield wall:

Bob's Discount Furniture
Buy and Sell Gold- U.S. Coins.com
freecreditreport.com
Spongetech
Alliance Building Services
Arpielle Equipment
Titan Motor Group

Ok, I know we are in a recession, but what the heck is going on here? I guess the days of AIG, Chase, etc. are gone. But is freecreditreport.com and buy and sell gold really doing that well that they are able to afford signage and Citifield? Is the business at Bob's Discount Furniture really booming that much? I'm shocked that we didn't see an ad for my neighbor's garage sale on the board. Seth and I were cracking up at these advertisers- way to bring in the big boys. If this is an indicator of our economy, we are all screwed.

Other reasons why this felt like a minor league game:

1. A cat ran out on the field
2. Mike Pelfrey fell down throwing a pitch
3. The winning run was decided by a balk

It was a very memorable day, and is always one of the best days of the year for me, but these things were very funny last night and just created a sort of strange vibe. I love this stadium, but if you really want to walk around and try the food, you have to go to a game that is not as high profile. I would recommend trying a weeknight during the summer against the Nationals or something. Then it will REALLY feel like a minor league game.

Event #5: Citifield

I had been waiting for this for over two years:  the opening of Citifield.  There are not many times in life when you can anticipate something so much and yet still be shocked having underestimated the excitement of it all, and yet this is what happened for me on Sunday when I went to Citifield.

I know I am partial, but Citifield is the most beautiful baseball stadium I have ever seen.  The architecture is classy yet dramatic.  I love the green steel against the burnt color of the brick.  The wide open walkways opening up onto the bright green grass.  Plasma TVs scatter the stadium, combining a modern feel while the park feels old and traditional.  There are so many open areas to sit, eat, drink, hangout, talk, and mingle.  It is just a welcoming atmosphere that promotes socializing, relaxing, and enjoying yourself.

There are amazing new features such as as a kids area with a dunk tank, mini baseball field, and batting cage, bars scattered around so you can have a drink while watching the game without being stuck in your seats, fantastic restaurants and lounges and more.  However, there are great memories of Shea, with the old home run apple on display and the skyline on top of the old scoreboard placed on top of the gourmet food stands.  A mix of old and new.

And now for a topic on its own- the food.  WOW!  My goal was to sample as much as possible, and I think I did what I came to do.  We tried the old bay fries with cheddar dipping sauce from the seafood stand, a shake shack burger and hot dog (incredible), a slice of the Grandma pizza (no words to describe this, one of the best slices I have had...I promise), and the taco sampler (the flank steak one was the best).  I didn't get around to the Blue Smoke stand- I will 

save that one for Opening Day.  There were a million more things I wanted to try, including the belgium french fry stand, the sausage stand, and a shake shack shake.  All in good time.

I don't care if you like baseball or not- you need to come see this stadium.  There is something for everyone.  You can just come for dinner, to walk around, and grab drinks with friends at one of the many outdoor sports bars.  The Mets really nailed this one, a fantastic job.  I can't wait to go back for opening day- T minus one week.

Event #4: My Party

All I have to say is that I have some great friends.  So many people came out to celebrate with me, and I really appreciated that so many people made it.  I think we all had a great time!

First, people came over to the apartment to hangout, drink, and have some snacks.  We had Met-zels (blue and orange chocolate pretzels), assorted crostinis, and a blue and orange birthday cake from Sugar Sweet Sunshine bakery (or something masculine like that).  Yes, most of the food was blue and orange (not the most appealing food colors, but everything was delicious).  We also had scotch, wine, and tequilla to wash everything down.

We then headed over to The Globe for some drinks.  I was told we had an area reserved, but I guess the owners forgot that they had already booked a party of 500 in the back room.  It was a birthday party for two girls, and they had their pictures plastered all over the bar.  Apparently, a bunch of us thought it was a funeral, which offended the guests of the birthday girls.  Oh well.

We managed to find some room at the front of the bar, and still had a great time.  Thanks again to all of you guys who made it- couldn't have celebrated without you.

Event #3: Defonte's

Best sandwich I have had in NYC, hands down.  For my birthday lunch, I thought about Artichoke (my favorite pizza), and Shake Shack (never had a burger at the one in Madison Square Park, but I knew I was having one on Sunday) but I chose Defonte's.

Defonte's is a sandwich place that originated in Brooklyn.  They make amazing hot subs and their signature is putting thinly sliced fried eggplant on their sandwiches.  I went with Teddy last weekend, so this time around I knew exactly what I wanted.

I think their two best sandwiches are the turkey with swiss and fried eggplant, and the roast pork with cheese, fried eggplant, and hot salad.  These are not healthy, but they are awesome.  Nothing more I'd rather eat on my birthday.  I shared both with Diana while watching Friday Night Lights (my favorite show on TV, by far).  I was a happy camper.

Event #2: WD-50

On Friday night, Diana took me to WD-50 for my birthday.  I have been wanting to go here for awhile- it is a molecular gastronomy restaurant where the chef, Wylie Dufresne, changes the textures and presentations of all of his ingredients.  I first learned about him from watching Top Chef, and we even got to see him in the restaurant on Friday!

I will focus on the textures and the way the food looked, and then tell you about what I actually ate:

Lower east side roll up- corned duck instead of corned beef, purple mustard, rye cracker instead of rye bread.  The meat was delicious, and the condiments made the dish.

The food for my entree was all cubed and stacked, creating a great wall of china on my plate.  It was actually pork with fried plantains with jerk sauce, but the meat and plantain was in a cube, and the jerk was basically broth that the cubes were swimming in.  Tasty, a little wierd though.

Dessert was the best part of the meal.  They gave us complimentary vanilla ice cream stuffed with balsamic vinegar, then I had this deconstructed apple brioche with sage foam and brown butter ice cream.  To polish it off, they gave us bite-sized chocolate cake stuffed with vanilla ice cream.

I'm really glad I tried this restaurant.  It is a really unique experience, and I love how the flavors, textures, and presentation all play off one another.  A great time!

Event #1: Convivio

The festivities began Wednesday night with a three-way birthday celebration with Diana's family.  We had a lot to celebrate, with Diana, Daniel, and I all having birthdays within a month of each other.  Some restaurants have a ton of hype but don't live up to expectations- this was the opposite.  This restaurant was fantastic, I really loved everything I had:

Chicken liver crostinis with grilled onion

Fusilli with pork and some kind of cheese sauce which was amazing

A pork dish with crispy rinds, hard to explain but delicious

Homemade gellato- chocolate, vanilla, cappuchino

It was a four course prix fixe, and was pretty reasonable given the amount and quality of the food.  I highly recommend Convivio, one of the best restaurants I have been to in the city.

Birthday Weekend

What a weekend, I am wiped.  All I can say is that I had a great birthday, and have some great family and friends who made it really memorable.  The weekend consisted of 5 key events, mainly consisting of food and sports (big surprise, right?).  My next 5 posts will be about these 5 things- I'm breaking it up because everyone likes shorter posts, and because I'm tired and not sure I am going to be able to write about everything tonight before I pass out...enjoy!