Mara's Homemade
This really happened...
"Can I bag that up for you and you can take it home?"
Says the waitress after H has finished an entire meal with his friend at this restaurant and has decided to order one dessert. Granted, the restaurant was busy with the usual friday night dinner crowd and all waitors like to turn over tables rather quickly to make more money, but that's just plain rude.
And then his credit card bill was charged $70 instead of the $43 he signed for. That's just plain wrong.
Be warned my children...
Turkish Kitchen
A normal Sunday afternoon jaunt landed me at the Turkish Kitchen on Third Avenue with Ulku, my curley-haired Turkish friend. Just the mention of enjoying food will start her on tales of her homeland's cuisine. But if you're really lucky, you'll be invited to one of her Turkish brunches.
The staff at The Turkish Kitchen know Ulku by name -- that is how much she loves it and how often she goes. They greet her in turkish and sadly watch her leave after a glutinous rendezvous. On the weekends, it features an all-you-can-eat buffet for $17.95 with several types of dips -- varieties of hummus, yogurt dill and seafood -- plus a spread with more bread than any carblover could handle and a variety of meats from the farm prepared in different ways. Can you say STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES? I can't get enough of the tasty little rolls. Be sure to save room for pistachio baklava.
What can be better than good food, than good conversation? Mix a group of people deliriously stuffed, slightly hungover and tired twenty-somethings and nonsense is sure to follow. From ridiculously true stories of spending christmas in dover with one's new zealand boyfriend to another diner's mix-up of words, I was rolling with laughter the whole meal.
While discussing plans for the afternoon, D mentions, "We're going to meet some friends in Shepherd's bush."
Laughter errupts, when we realized he's talking about the area in Central Park called Sheep's Meadow. Awh, anything is funny on a full stomach.
On a recent trip to buy cupcakes for a co-worker's birthday, I made my first visit to Cupcake Cafe on 18th Street -- home to the most beautiful buttercream frosted, flower-adorned cupcakes in Manhattan. And because looks are 50% of taste, they were mighty fine cupcakes. With a choice of chocolate or vanilla with chocolate or vanilla icing, they are almost too pretty to eat. And for those who like to feed their brains, there's a book store attached to the bakery.
But, when I first moved to the city, Magnolia Bakery on Bleeker Street in the West Village was THE cupcake place of choice. The Marc Jacobs clad bakers were a small bonus to the yummy, sugary goodness in multiple flavors like chocolate, red velvet, vanilla, or german chocolate -- all with or without sprinkles.
In my early days as a Condé Nast intern, I often rushed downtown getting boxes of cupcakes -- they don't deliver!!!! -- waiting in line, and making my way back to the office hoping the cupcakes would emerge as immaculately as when they were first iced. Maybe that's why they tasted so good? Of course, the fact that they were "free" didn't hurt either.
But then one rainy day, I took my mother there and she was all but horribly disappointed in the famous bakery as were my 3 sisters. Yes, mom, they're not as tastey as your Pilsbury varieties, but the famous "Sex in the City" experience is worth the trip every time!
Plus, you never know who you'll see while getting a cupcake in NYC. I happened upon Drew Barrymoore on my way to Cupcake Cafe this week. Here's to delicious dessert calories!!!!!!
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/food/features/14289/index.html
