Breakfast Report - 3/23/07

* TOM'S *

cheese omelette
coffee

Hooray - I did it!

Dinner Report - 3/22/07

* BETTER BURGER *
(8th Ave & 19th St)

turkey burger w/soy american cheese

Whether it's "better" or not, it is a pretty good burger!

Lunch Report - 3/22/07

* BRUCE'S BURGERS *
(Kmart plaza, off 7th Ave btwn 34th & 33rd Sts)

chili

I couldn't resist... even though it's not great chili - it's still chili!

Phone photo

Waiting for the F train.

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Oreska band @ Elysium (after the show)

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Oreska band @ Elysium

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Tex-mex music at the BMG CH hosted dinner

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The Rumble Strips @ Bourbon Rocks

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This Dexy's Midnight Runners wannabe band was just playing on the street. They ALL looked like they were wrecked and about to fall apart... but hey, that's rock 'n roll!

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Amy Winehouse (2nd time) @ Bourbon Rocks

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The Gossip!

Breakfast Report - 3/22/07

* TOM'S *

mixed nuts
coffee

ARRRGH - I'm in a lazy rut... my goal for tomorrow is to NOT take the easy way out... I WILL make something to eat for breakfast!

Dinner Report - 3/21/07

* LA TAQUERIA *
(7th Ave btwn Lincoln & Berkeley)

baja burrito

As expected - AWESOME!

Lunch Report - 3/21/07

* SEATTLE CAFE *
(33rd btwn 7th & 8th)

grilled chicken / spinach salad
black bean soup

Nothing out of the ordinary, but here's a picture so it can at least seem special:

Breakfast Report - 3/21/07

* TOM'S *

mixed nuts
coffee

I wasn't really in the mood to make anything this morning - oh, well.

The Play's The Thing

The Pirate Queen

Where: The Hilton Theatre
With: Kevin
Snack: Champagne

Oh... how I wanted to like this. I really did. And it seemed like it was going to have so many perfect ingredients: Pirates! Queens! Music! Dancing! A FREE Ticket! And, it was from the people behind Les Miserables and Miss Saigon - two musicals I love. Unfortunately, my hopes and expectations were not enough to keep me from leaving at intermission. It was just un-fun. The characters were uninteresting, the story was cliche, the songs were full of stupid/obvious rhymes, and the staging was pretty much blah, blah, blah. The best part of the show actually was the dancing (It was river dancing, and I wanted more, more, more!) Luckily, hanging out with Kevin and laughing about how bad the show was turned out to be a BLAST - and, our early exit meant that we were able to meet up with Tom & his friend John who were just finishing dinner. We headed back to Brooklyn, dropped John off at his hotel (yes, there are hotels in Brooklyn!) and grabbed a nightcap at Excelsior. In the end, it was a fun night despite my disappointment in Messers Boublil & Schonberg.

Dinner Report - 3/20/07

* THERAPY *
(52nd St btwn 8th & 9th)

turkey burger (w/side salad)
bourbon

I met Tom here after work before we split off in separate directions for the first part of the night. The burger was yummy (but not as good as these!)

Lunch Report - 3/20/07

* HALAL FOOD CART *
(33rd St btwn 7th & 8th)

chicken sandwich on a pita

Today was one of those days that I had no time for lunch, but I needed to eat something, so I grabbed this because it was just outside of my office building.

Breakfast Report - 3/20/07

* TOM'S *

cheese/onion omelette
coffee

A special breakfast, for a special day - yum yum yum!

Dinner Report - 3/19/07

* THE WALDORF ASTORIA *
(Park Avenue, btwn 49th & 50th Streets)

beef tenderloin
salmon
asparagus
polenta
wine
coffee

Ooh - fancy, right?? Well, the reason I ate at such a decadent place was because I was volunteering at a benefit for inMotion - an organization that provides free legal and social services to low-income women in New York City. The benefit was an auction & my job was to run around finding winning bidders to get their credit cards before they could leave the building. Besides being fun just for the sake of doing something that supports a very worthwhile cause, it was also exciting because during the course of the evening, I was actually handed two (not one, two) black Amex cards.

Multiple Meals - 3/17, 3/18, 3/19

* STREETS OF AUSTIN *
(Lunch/Dinner - 3/19)


pizza
tacos
more pizza
tequila & soda


Saturday was a LONG day... lunch didn't really happen, and neither did dinner. It was just a snack every few hours or so.

* THE AUSTIN AIRPORT *
(Breakfast - 3/18)

ham, egg & cheese on a croissant
coffee

The coffee was literally to keep me from falling asleep while walking to my 7am flight.

* MEI MEI & RANDY'S *
(Lunch 3/18)

chips & onion dip
stuffed artichoke
salami & cheese
olives
pizza bread
calamari salad
penne w/vodka sauce
beard papa cream puff (courtesy of Willy & Ramon)
pelegrino
wine
coffee

Back in NY!!! I was exhausted, but after the previous few days of non-stop activity, it was great just relaxing with friends.

* TOM'S *
(Dinner 3/18)

pot-roast
roasted potatoes
green beans
apple pie (courtesy of Sean/Mark/Ed)
wine

Sunday night in front of the TV never felt better. Tom made a great meal and it felt SO good to be sitting and doing nothing.

* BMG COLUMBIA HOUSE VENDING MACHINE *
(Breakfast 3/19)

peanuts
coffee

A fairly slow start, combined with a very slow train resulted in this pathetic meal. Luckily I was still too tired to care!

* SEATLLE CAFE *
(Lunch 3/19)

grilled chicken/spinach salad

Ok, I think I'm finally getting back on track... with my eating AND my meal posts! YAY!

SxSW Note...

Ok - it's been crazy few days in Austin, and today is the last one here for me. I've seen great music with only a couple small exceptions... it's an insane scene that really has to be experienced to be understood. I've got tons more band shots to post... and I'll put together a list of everyone I've seen along with a best/worst list once I get back to NY and get back to a normal daily schedule.

Breakfast Report - 3/17/07

* COURTYARD MARRIOTT - AUSTIN CENTRAL *
(just off I-35, Austin)

breakfast buffet
coffee

they do a pretty good buffet here, and let you custom order eggs if you don't want the scrambled from the food line. I had a mushroom/cheddar omelette along with some biscuits and gravy, bacon, and potatoes (ouch).

Dinner Report - 3/16/07

* LAS MANITAS *
(211 Congress, Austin)

chips & salsa
black bean tostada
steak fajita

This was at a party hosted by BMG folk. It was really nice and we saw a great show with people like Charlie Sexton, Rosie Flores, Rick Trevino and more.

Later in the night I had more snacks:
pizza (of course)
a brat (from "The Best Wurst" - which it wasn't)

Lunch Report - 3/16/07

* BD RILEYS *
(E.6th St, Austin)

nachos

these were made with homemade chips & were pretty good

Breakfast Report - 3/16/07

* MAGNOLIA *
(somewhere in Austin on Congress)

the t. rex (an omelette with turkey and other stuff)
coffee

It was a late breakfast... and I couldn't really eat all of it... but that's just how we do at SxSW

Dinner Report - 3/15/07

* SHADY GROVE *
(somewhere in Austin)

green chile cheese fries
chili
salad

ok, kind of a ridiculous meal - but it seemed like a good idea at the time (and it was good eating!)

I also had a late late night snack. More pizza from a street vendor... this time it was pepperoni & jalepeno - very Texas!

Lunch Report - 3/15/07

* BRITISH MUSIC PARTY TENT *

tacos
beans
tequila & club soda (aka "A Slivken")

eatin' tacos & watchin' live music was a great way to spend an early afternoon

Phone photo

Look what rick did

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Badly Drawn Boy

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Les Savy Fav

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Apples In Stereo

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Mando Diao

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The Pipettes

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Amy Winehouse

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Waiting for tacos at the british music party

Breakfast Report - 3/15/07

* EL PARAISO *

migas
coffee

YUM! Steps from the hotel, this place was cheap & great!

Dinner Report - 3/14/07

* THE STREETS OF AUSTIN *
(E. 6th, Red River)

slice of pepperoni & mushroom pizza (Roppolo's)
pork taco (a taco van outside Emo's Annex)
slice of sausage pizza (Roppolo's)
a hot dog (The Hot Dog King bus outside Red Eyed Fly)
bourbon (many places)

Not the most healthy dinner, but... it was spread out over about 6 hours, so it wasn't too bad.

Phone photo

Call Me Lightning @ Red Eyed Fly

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"I'm not a jerk, I love you!" Hello, did you see the pompom on top of that Spartans tam, girl? Drunk in Austin is not pretty.

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Calla at Emo's Jr

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The Early Years at Emo's Jr

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The Tiny Adventurers at The Tap Room at 6th

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Rahim @ Red Eyed Fly

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Lunch + Texas BBQ = GOOD!

Lunch Report - 3/14/07

* IRON WORKS BBQ *
(100 Red River, Austin TX)

the sampler plate (BBQ beef ribs, brisket & sausage w/baked beans, pickles, bread, onion, & potato salad)
side of fries
diet coke

There really was just no other proper way to start off my trip than to get a big plate of Texas bbq. Especially after this morning's pitiful breakfast. The meats were delicious. I didn't eat the potato salad since I got the fries, but it came with the plate. Also, the beans were kind of... blah. At some point a photo of the meal should show up on the blog, but there seems to be some technical problem, so I'll try later.

Breakfast Report - 3/14/07

* JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT / JET BLUE FLIGHT 1061 *
(Queens, NY / Somewhere over Kentucky probably)

mixed nuts (JFK)
"munchies" aka doritos, cheetos, sun chips mix (JET BLUE)
coffee (both)

I didn't realize that I would be flying out of the white trash trailer temporary terminal with no real food this morning. If I had, I would have taken advantage of the lovely food court in the main Jet Blue terminal waiting area before getting on the shuttle bus to gates 18-24.

Dinner Report - 3/13/07

* TOM'S *

steak
mixed veggies

I just made a quick dinner tonight... didn't want to take away any time from my American Idol viewing!

Lunch Report - 3/13/07

* HALE & HEARTY SOUPS *
(7th Ave & 35th St)

grilled chicken & spinach salad
3 lentil chili

Well... it's the same basic lunch I always get, but walking around the corner and up the block was at least a change of pace from yesterday's standby.

Austin, Texas, here I come...

It's SXSW (South by Southwest) time & I'm heading to Austin tomorrow! I've never been there and I'm really looking forward to the trip - both because of the event and just to see Austin in general.

For anyone who isn't familiar, SXSW is basically like the Sundance Film Festival for the music industry. For 4 days & nights, hundreds of bands from over 30 countries will be performing at over 50 venues around the downtown area. It should be fun, crazy and exhausting. I will be posting from the road - so stay tuned!

Oh yeah, and if anyone lives in or has been to Austin, let me know if there are any places I have to eat!

Breakfast Report - 3/13/07

* TOM'S *

leftover chicken leg
coffee

I'm laughing at how silly this breakfast sounds, but it was yummy!

Dinner Report - 3/12/07

* TOM'S *

chicken parmigiana (but not the breaded, tomato saucy regular thing)
cous-cous
half a chocolate cupcake (w/ pink frosting)
bourbon

I don't know if this was a recipe Tom got from somewhere, or something he just made up... but it was GOOOOOOD. We split a cupcake that Tom picked up from this place called Bugers & Cupcakes(!!) over the weekend and it was really good. I forgot to write about the other one he brought home on Saturday, but that one was chocolate/peanut butter with little marshmallows on top - whee!

Lunch Report - 3/12/07

* SEATTLE CAFE *
(33rd St, btwn 7th & 8th Aves)

turkey/spinach salad
split pea soup

The weather is getting nicer! I almost decided to actually cross the street today and find something else to eat... but why go crazy on a Monday?

Breakfast Report - 3/12/07

* SEATTLE COFFEE ROASTERS *
(Penn Station concourse)

cheese omelette
coffee

I know - it's becoming a habit.

Dinner Report - 3/11/07

* TOM'S *

chicken bog (from the Paula Deen cookbook)
ricotta gnocchi (an America's Test Kitchen tester recipe)
chocolate chip cookies (not homemade)

It was a great TV night featuring The Amazing Race & Rome - perfect for having a few friends come over and be guinea pigs for the new gnocchi recipe. Despite my help (aka backseat cooking), Tom managed to make a DELICIOUS dinner!

Lunch Report - 3/11/07

* LA TAQUERIA *
(7th Ave btwn Lincoln & Berkeley)

baja burrito

This is maybe my favorite burrito in the world (except for possibly the one I always got on late night "La Bamba" runs when I was at University of Illinois.) Here's how I ordered it today: "Baja on whole wheat, no rice, black beans, chicken & mushrooms. With everything except yogurt instead of sour cream." Then when it's ready, I top it off with some of the hot salsa they offer at their little toppings station.

It was YUMMY!

Breakfast Report - 3/11/07

* TOM'S *

mushroom, green onion & cheese omelette
coffee

Tom made it extra good this morning!

Dinner Report - 3/10/07

* AM-THAI *

herbal gai yang
curry puff

We ordered in tonight... it was my 2nd Thai meal today!

Lunch Report - 3/10/07

* THAI SKY *
(5th Ave & 6th St)

chicken pad si-eew

mmm - it was good, and my stomach is feeling much better!

Breakfast Report - 3/10/07

* TOM'S *

oatmeal
coffee

well, last night's dinner was yummy, but this morning my stomach was not up for much & the oatmeal was perfect.

Dinner Report - 3/9/07

* CAFETERIA *
(7th Ave & 17th St)

mac & cheese spring roll
chicken fried steak (w/ garlic mashed potatoes & spinach)
bourbon

yum yum yum - this was a yummy dinner (it's hard to go wrong with that much fried food!) Also, I have wanted to eat at Cafeteria for a long time, so it was fun to finally end up there.

Lunch Report - 3/9/07

* QUIZNOS *

roman chicken salad

eh... I just didn't have a taste for anything today, and that's basically what I got.

Volleyball Recap

We had 6 again this week and I was very excited to play. After winning a game last week - I was SURE that we were on a roll and things were about to turn around... but no, we lost the match (and all 3 games) again. Still, there were definitely some good moments, and I know that we will surprise one of these other teams very soon!

So now we're 0-6 in matches (2-16 in games.) And we're still last.

And they're out...

OOH! It's getting good on American Idol!

SPOILER ALERT

The final twelve are now in place after last nights cuts - here's who sucked just missed:

• Jarod - he asked "If You Really Love Me," but no one answered
  
• Antonella - "Put Your Records On" girl (and your clothes, and learn to sing!)
  
• Sabrina - her version of "Don't Let Go (Love)" had the opposite effect
  
• Sundance - hopefully he'll just go all weepy and not go all "Jeremy" now
  

Take a last look:

Birthday Shout-out

It's my brother Steve's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!

Breakfast Report - 3/9/07

* EUROPAN CAFÉ *
(Penn Station concourse)

bacon, egg & cheese on a croissant
coffee

it was just as good today as it was last week!

Phone photo

Best friends

Dinner Report - 3/8/07

* MEZZA LUNA PIZZA *
(8th Ave btwn 14th & 15th Sts.)

broccoli and peppers slice

volleyball tonight, so just something quick... not as good as last week.

Lunch Report - 3/8/07

* GINGER HOUSE *
(7th Ave btwn 28-29th Sts)

soy sauce/roast pork meat combo (over brown rice)
hot & sour soup

Oh boy... exciting! I had dinner at Ginger House once before, but this was the first time I've tried it as a lunch option since the office moved to this area. I was not disappointed. The soup was really hot, and the meats were really good! I'm thinking that Chef Yu may not be seeing as much of me anymore.

Breakfast Report - 3/8/07

* TOM'S *

cheese
mixed nuts
coffee

an un-motivated morning as far as what to eat - but it's still important to have something!

Dinner Report - 3/7/07

* STONE PARK CAFÉ *
(5h Ave & 3rd St)

creamy cipollini onion soup
warm spinach salad
basil haden manhattan

A nice dinner out in Park Slope - yum!

Lunch Report - 3/7/07

* SEATTLE CAFE *
(33rd St, btwn 7th & 8th Aves)

chicken quesadilla

ooh! it was cold out today!

Breakfast Report - 3/7/07

* TOM'S *

scrambled egg w/cheese
coffee

just something quick to get me going this morning

Phone photo

watching TV with Lucky

Dinner Report - 3/6/07

* TOM'S *

tuna salad

mmm - classic & good

Lunch Report - 3/6/07

* BRUCE'S BURGERS * / * THE HALAL FOOD CART *
(K-mart Plaza, Penn Station / 33rd Street btwn 7th & 8th Aves)

chili (from Bruce's)
chicken sandwich (on a pita, from the food cart)

Once again, convenience (and cold weather) strikes!

Breakfast Report - 3/6/07

* TOM'S *

mushroom & swiss omelette
coffee

It's a good start this morning!

Dinner Report - 3/5/07

* ERIN & PETE'S *

cheese & crackers
olives
salad
chicken
egg noodles w/mushrooms
cookies
ice cream
beer

1st dinner in the new apartment was great!

Lunch Report - 3/5/07

* SEATTLE CAFE *
(33rd St, btwn 7th & 8th Aves)

grilled chicken/spinach salad
black bean soup

I had to eat fast today because I had lots-o-meetin's.

Breakfast Report - 3/5/07

* TOM'S *

cheese
mixed nuts
coffee

I wasn't really hungry this morning (I wonder why!)

Dinner Report - 3/4/07

* THE PEKING DUCK HOUSE *
(Mott & Pell Streets)

appetizer plate (various shrimp & scallop goodies, plus a yummy dumpling)
sizzling rice soup
peking duck
lobster in szechuan sauce
pan fried noodles w/chicken & mushrooms
baby bok choy w/lobster sauce
scallops w/mixed vegetables
orange beef
rice
cheesecake & fortune cookies
wine
champagne

Can you believe that meal!!!! It was a birthday celebration for a friend and it was AWESOME. After dinner (which started at 3:30) we went to the bar Double Happiness for a couple more cocktails. It was a great afternoon, I met a lot of new people and had a lot of fun.

Phone photo

Chinatown recycling

Lunch Report - 3/4/07

* TOM'S *

indian style lentils

Costco was giving out samples & Tom picked these up - lucky me, cuz they were good!

Breakfast Report - 3/4/07

* TOM'S *

leftover peppercorn chicken & tuna casserole
coffee

who says that leftovers aren't for breakfast? both were just as good the 2nd time around!

Dinner Report - 3/3/07

* TOM'S *

tuna casserole

mmm mmm mmm GOOD!

Lunch Report - 3/3/07

* YEN YEN *
(Church Ave & E. 4th St)

peppercorn chicken (w/brown rice)
hot & sour soup
egg roll

mmmm - this was one tasty dish!

Phone photo

Ducks and geese on a frozen lake in Prospect Park

Breakfast Report - 3/3/07

* TOM'S *

scrambled eggs (w/mushrooms, scallions, & swiss)
coffee

Something went horribly wrong when I was making these - I don't know what & I don't know how, but they were not good... BOO HOO!

Dinner Report - 3/2/07

* SEAN & MARK'S *

hors d'oeuvres (cheese, crakers, pate, cornichon, nuts)
cod (w/potatoes & green beans)
bourbon
wine

Delicious food - thanks!

Lunch Report - 3/2/07

* WHOLE FOODS *
(7th Ave & 24th St)

lentil soup
various items from the salad bar (chicken stuff, an egg roll, some vegetables, etc)

Whole foods had a great salad bar with a lot of really yummy looking stuff. My selections were all good tasting, and I think all pretty good for me. With a nice walk there and back as an added bonus, this will probably be a fairly regular lunch choice as the weather keeps getting better and better.

An Important Message

A friend of mine pointed me in the direction of this gem. It's a 4 minute version of an old PSA for kids starring the Fonz (and others.)

If watching it isn't enough for you, visit Fast Hugs for some fun commentary.

Phone photo

The view from just outside my office... MSG is on the left and the halal food cart is at the bottom of the picture.

Breakfast Report - 3/2/07

* EUROPAN CAFÉ *
(Penn Station concourse)

ham, egg & cheese on a croissant

maybe not the healthiest breakfast, but boy - did it taste good!

Amazing Race Crazy

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a big fan of The Amazing Race. The show has just started it's all-star season and it was ok the first week. However, last week was great - mainly because some of the contestants are C-R-A-Z-Y!

At the top of the list is my buddy Mirna:

She is insane. Whether she was screaming at a cab driver to take all her money, screaming at other teams, screaming at her dwarf cousin & partner Charla, or explaining why she's such a great person - she definitely proved herself to be prime time material last Sunday.

See for yourself in this post cab-driver-incident outtake from last week's episode.

And they're out...

Another lame exciting week of American Idol!

SPOILER ALERT

The second cuts based on popular votes happened last night - here's who nobody cares about:

• Alaina - her "Not Ready to Make Nice" was a reflection of her singing
  
• A.J. - who knew that "Feeling Good" could feel so bad...
  
• Leslie - ...until it got even worse with this repeated song
  
• Nick - too bad he gave America "Fever" and made it sick - of him!
  

Say goodbye to the losers:

Volleyball Recap

Well, last night's match was fun. There were only 6 of us, and I got to play middle the whole time which was great. Overall, I was happy with how I played (my passing was on, I had some good blocks, a couple good saves and a couple kills,) BUT... we still lost the match. We should have won the first game, we were actually ahead, but lost focus on the last few points. However, we did win the third game in a big way & that felt very very nice.

So now we're 0-5 in matches (2-13 in games.) We're still last in the division, but we have nowhere to go but up!

Dinner Report - 3/1/07

* CRISPY PIZZA CAFE *
(7th Ave & 17th St)

slice of mushroom pizza

I just grabbed a slice on the way to volleyball. It has become one of my favorite "slice" restaurants over the years... the crispy crust is good!

Phone photo

11:30pm... on the F train going home after volleyball

Lunch Report - 3/1/07

* POW WOK *
(7th Ave btwn 36th & 37th Sts)

chicken w/string beans
hot & sour soup

Tasty, but not the best choice. I thought it was actually going to be a little more high-end, but as soon as I walked in the place I realized it was essentially one of my old favorites, YIP'S, with a new name. It was the same cafeteria set-up, same crap. You may ask, "Why didn't you just turn around and walk out, David?" Well, then I would have had to look around for somewhere else, and today that thought was less appetizing than the food.

Breakfast Report - 3/1/07

* SEATTLE COFFEE ROASTERS *
(Penn Station concourse)

cheese omelette
coffee

Could this become a regular thing? Wait & see!