NYC Bucket List Challenge: Recap

Hello from Newport, RI!

The absurdly stressful process of moving out of New York was of course chaotic and I haven't been able to blog in a couple of weeks. Special thanks to my friends Brian & Tim and my neighbor Chris who helped me move a queen sized bed and box spring and a gigantic oak dresser down four flights of stairs, then take them to the corners in the middle of the night to avoid a fine.

I may be the only person in NYC who wasn't in the know about the particulars of New York's waste collection rules, but I see weird, large things abandoned on the curbs of NYC seemingly every day, so I didn't even think there were rules around it. In case any readers are moving out of NYC sometime soon, here is a pro tip: read up on Bulk Collection and get an understanding of the schedule in advance of your move. Otherwise, your landlord (and then you) can get fined.

Now that the craziness is over, here's a quick recap of my NYC Bucket List Challenge. I was only able to complete 31 out of 40 challenges because the end of September brought a wonderful wedding in Maryland to attend, a beautiful new baby to visit, and the largest climate march in history happening a block away from my apartment! All awesome reasons to miss a few challenges if you ask me.

Below is the final list. It's hard to pick, but I think my top 3 favorite challenges were going to AquaGrill with a few friends & ordering 3 dozen oysters, exploring Red Hook, Brooklyn and seeing my friend Kristen teach a geometry class in the South Bronx.

You can check out the hashtag #NYCBucketListChallenge on Instagram to see photos from some of my favorite challenges.

Thanks to everyone who joined me for these. It was a lot of fun and a great way to get to see people before leaving New York.

 

NYC Bucket List Challenge: Final List

1. Go rowing in Central Park (needs to happen on a Saturday or Sunday morning) done 9/8

2. Go to one more Yankee game (to see #2 play) done 8/23

3. Spend an afternoon in Dumbo

4. See Dark Universe at Hayden Planetarim  done 3/14

5. See Sleep No More done 4/14

6. Order something weird/difficult to pronounce in Chinatown  done 9/4

7. Do yoga every day for 7 consecutive days done week of 9/22

8. Go to the roof of Eataly  done 9/9

9. Walk down one street I’ve never walked down before done 9/4

10. Check out the Meatball Shop that just opened down the block from my apartment done 9/19

11. Find a Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Truck and eat vegan ice cream  done 8/22/14

12. Experience Barry’s Boot Camp done 9/23

13. Indulge in a pastry from Cafe Lalo, where You’ve Got Mail was filmed done 9/21

14. Watch Kristen teach geometry to high school sophomores in the South Bronx done 9/29

15. Venture to Red Hook done 9/6

16. See Macy’s 4th of July fireworks done 7/4

17. Hang out in FAO Schwarz done 9/19

18. Go to Smorgasburg attempted 9/19

19. Run a half marathon done 12/13

20. Use 2 Free Barre Classes coupon at Physique 57

 21. Go to a restaurant participating in Oyster Week (and eat oysters, obviously) Done 9/16

22. Volunteer for a good cause done 7/14

23. Buy a GroupOn for an out-of-the-ordinary activity in the area

24. Have brunch with a lot of friends done 9/21

25. See stand-up comedy

26. Go to Ellis Island done 9/20

27. Go to the MoMA

28. Walk over the Williamsburg Bridge done 12/13

29. Eat oysters at Aquagrill done 9/16

30. Catch up with someone I’ve been out-of-touch with done 9/16 x3

31. Discover a new trail/landmark in Central Park  done 9/2

32. Try to spot Bradley Cooper at a 6:30am Soul Cycle Class in Tribeca Done 9/16

33. Get a slice from Di Fara in Brooklyn

34. See art/ drink wine at a Thursday night Gallery Hop in Chelsea

35. Go to a speakeasy I’ve never been to before done 9/10

36. Eat at Rosemary’s

37. Finally start a blog done 6/14

38. Wait on line for bombolone/cookie/some kind of pastry at Levain Bakery  done 8/16/14

39. Drink wine at Tolani happy hour done 9/15

40. Go the the Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

An Adventure in Red Hook

As mentioned in a previous post, last weekend was a fun time. In part because I got to go to the Daily Front Row Fashion Media Awards on Friday night, and also because on Saturday I took a trip to Red Hook and may have found the coolest bar in New York.

Venturing to Red Hook was one of my NYC Bucket List Challenges, and a couple of friends from work were down to join me for it. To get there, we took the (free) water taxi at Pier 11 in lower Manhattan which was a beautiful, quick ride with great views of the downtown skyline. It dropped us off right on Van Brunt Street, the main strip of restaurants & bars.

After walking a few blocks on Van Brunt, we spotted Brooklyn Crab, but first, I wanted to check out Red Hook Bait & Tackle. I'm so glad we went because it was SO weird in the most awesome way.

The entrance had a funny chalkboard and a really old clock out front.

[caption id="attachment_471" align="alignleft" width="189"] Entrance of Red Hook Bait + Tackle[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_434" align="aligncenter" width="190"] Entrance of Red Hook Bait + Tackle[/caption]

 

Inside, it was dimly lit and only a handful of very randomly assorted patrons sat at the bar.  The bartender is was a friendly Irish guy wearing a Hawaiian shirt and Burt Reynolds mustache twisted up at the ends.  As we walked further into the bar, the first thing we noticed was taxidermy – everywhere.

[caption id="attachment_466" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Red Hook Bait + Tackle[/caption]

There were some nautical items on the walls, but this place mostly looked like the Museum of Natural History meets a hunter's lodge, meets a bait & tackle shop meets a garage sale from the 70s. And it was all kinds of awesome.

[caption id="attachment_436" align="alignleft" width="168"] Brooklyn Bait + Tackle[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_435" align="alignleft" width="168"] Brooklyn Bait + Tackle[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got a table that was surrounded by stuffed mammals and birds. Fittingly, they had the video game Buck Hunter.  The women's bathroom is labeled "BAIT" and the men's bathroom is labeled "TACKLE" - some were confused by that.

[caption id="attachment_464" align="aligncenter" width="282"] The Trio at Red Hook Bait + Tackle[/caption]

As my friend Marshall said, it was an "Instagrammer's Paradise." Yup.

[caption id="attachment_465" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Red Hook Bait + Tackle[/caption]

After a few hours of this...

[caption id="attachment_460" align="alignleft" width="139"] Red Hook Bait +Tackle[/caption]

 

 

 

[caption id="attachment_462" align="alignleft" width="165"] Red Hook Bait + Tackle[/caption]

 

 

[caption id="attachment_463" align="alignleft" width="168"] Red Hook Bait + Tackle[/caption]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...we decided we were ready to get some food. So we walked/rode bikes through some amazing sunflowers and spotted Hometown Bar-B-Que.

[caption id="attachment_459" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Joe on Van Brunt Street[/caption]

Unfortunately, there was a long line. We waited for about 10 minutes then just moved on to Brooklyn Crab around the corner. Brooklyn Crab was a multi-level, multi-bar log cabin meets crab shack meets arcade meets mini golf spot.  Here is Marshall riding a rainbow colored dolphin at the end of the night.

[caption id="attachment_458" align="aligncenter" width="576"] Brooklyn Crab[/caption]

 

Overall, I love Red Hook.

Why Starbucks Spells Your Name Wrong

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPbrlNsMTg4[/embed]

Experiments in Spiralizing

After a few months of following food blogger Ali Maffucci's blog Inspiralized and Instagram account (@inspiralized) and admiring the photos of beautiful, vegetable-based dishes she makes, I guess you could say I was "inspiralized"  to buy a Paderno Spiralizer and try it out for myself.

Basically, a Spiralizer is a tool that turns vegetables into "noodles" very quickly and easily. Zucchini noodles aka "zoodles" seem to be the most popular vegetable to spiralize, but you can also make noodles out of beets, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots and other veggies.

Here's a quick demo of how it works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3aKSoRxUwM

 

I tried out my Spiralizer for the first time last weekend on some zucchini & squash I got at the Columbus Avenue Greenmarket, a local farmer's market in my neighborhood.

[caption id="attachment_358" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Zucchini & Squash from Columbus Ave Greenmarket[/caption]

The tool comes with 3 different blades (A, B & C).   Blade A makes thick flat spirals that remind me of flower petals a little bit. Blade B (my favorite blade) makes well formed, rounded, long spiraling noodles. Blade C makes short, thin noodles that are more like shreds.




[caption id="attachment_356" align="aligncenter" width="300"] "Zoodles" from A, B and C.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_357" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Blade A cut[/caption]

I took all the noodles I created and added them to this meat sauce recipe from Nerd Fitness, but substituted ground turkey for the ground beef.  I also used my red onions instead of a regular onion. (Sorry, I don't have a pic of the finished dish.)

I love this tool so far and plan on experimenting with it a lot more. Stay tuned for some detailed recipes!

If you're interested in trying a Spiralizer out too, you can get one on Amazon for <$40.

 

Holsten's Ice Cream Floats: Fuhgeddaboutit

Last weekend, my bf, his sister, brother-in-law and I stopped in Holsten's during a trip back to our small hometown in the Garden State.  The restaurant, a joint confectionary and diner, is a little spot on the corner of Broad Street and Watchung Avenue in Bloomfield, New Jersey and has been something of an institution in the area for generations.

Since 1964, the 50's-looking eatery has been locally famous for homemade candies and ice cream, like this amazing, heaping scoop of vanilla chocolate chip in my root beer float:

[caption id="attachment_142" align="aligncenter" width="260"] Holsten's Root Beer + Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Float[/caption]

But in 2007,  it was Holsten's onion rings that stole the show and became world famous. In the final episode of  the HBO hit series The Sopranos, Tony & his family ate the onion rings here and listened to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, just before the screen ambiguously cut to black.



About a year ago, when James Gandolfini passed away, Tony's fans flocked to Holsten's to pay tribute to him.  In his memory, the restaurant famously reserved the spot where the actor sat during the filming of the last scene.

[caption id="attachment_149" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Holsten's tribute to James Gandolfini. Image via The Bloomfield Patch.[/caption]

We reminisced about the Sopranos and trips to Holsten's growing up while sitting in the booth next to Tony's.  We ordered the onion rings and liked them, but the ice cream floats? Fuhgeddaboutit.

[caption id="attachment_140" align="aligncenter" width="455"] Scott & I drinking an ice cream float from Holsten's.[/caption]

 

 

Thinking Outside the Bottle: Boxed Water is Better®

In need of some water after a run, I stopped in Birdbath Bakery recently and was caught off guard when I found the water they were selling was not bottled, but boxed.

The brand was Boxed Water is Better®, and the unique carton's bold branding and packaging immediately piqued my interest.

[caption id="attachment_124" align="aligncenter" width="463"] Boxed Water is Better.[/caption]

I looked up the company when I got home and found that their website is also beautifully simple and well designed.

Self-described as "Part sustainable water company, part art project, part philanthropic project, and completely curious", the eco-conscious water distributor based in Grand Rapids, MI apparently doubled its sales in 2013.  Check out the Environmental section of their site to learn about their green initiatives like a partnership with 1% For the Planet and the reduced carbon footprint of cartons vs. bottles.

Milk & Cookie Shots > Cronuts™

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation and Q&A with award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel of the preeminent Dominique Ansel Bakery in SoHo. Chef Ansel is most well known for the culinary sensation known as The Cronut™ which began its takeover of NYC last May and established Ansel's small, eponymous bakery as one of the top destinations for pastry in the world.

If you don't know what a Cronut™ is, in which case, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!? -  it is essentially a croissant with a hole in the middle, lots of sugar and some frosting.

Now, I like sugary doughy things as much as the next person, but pastry/doughnuts/croissants would never compel me enough to be fanatical. This being the case, it's been perplexing and somewhat humorous to watch the entire world become so freakishly obsessed passionately fascinated by the $5 Cronut™ over the past year or so.

I don't mean  to hate on all the foodies who are nuts for Cronuts here. To be fair, I only had one bite of a Cronut™  last summer. Though I don't find the taste as amazing as the rest of Earth does, what I do find impressive  is the cultural phenomenon the little center-less bun has created.

The Cronut™ has maintained almost the same level of buzzworthiness since it's launch  for over a year now. As of this writing, there are 72,800+ photos on Instagram tagged #Cronut and counting. Every day on my way to work, I observe the frenzied line of Cronut™ - cravers snaking down Spring Street and up Broadway. When Cronut Mania reached fever pitch sometime last summer, the daily line reportedly started forming around 5:30am for the bakery's 8am opening.  These days I'm told the line starts closer to 6:30am - 7am.  As Business Week mentions, the Cronut™  Line is nearly as famous as the Cronut™ itself. The Dominique Ansel's website even has a section in it's Cronut™ 101 tab that calls out proper etiquette in the Cronut™ Line: "Do not cut or reserve spots for friends and we hope you don’t endorse any scalpers you may see. Please do try to keep the sidewalk clear of obstruction so there is ample room for passersby and keep your voice level to a minimum."

As Ansel explained yesterday, he refuses to mass produce his creation and thereby diminish it's quality. You've got to respect that. He only makes 300 for sale per day plus 150 for special orders. The result is a demand that is never met and a sustained state of exclusivity. Ansel should be just as praised for savvy marketing/business sense as he is for inventing the juggernaut of the dessert world.

Though not the biggest fan of doughnuts or pastries, I am definitely a huge fan of cookies - particularly of the chocolate chip variety. So when we got to try Ansel's latest baking innovation, the Milk & Cookie Shot, after the Q&A session, I was really excited. Made with incredible Valrhona Chocolate, the delicious, chewy cookie portion serves as a cup holder for vanilla-infused farm milk from upstate New York.

If you ask me, this $3 dessert is definitely better than its world famous predecessor. If you're sampling one at the bakery, ask for extra milk - you'll need some while you eat the cookie part. They'll provide it to you in a separate (non-edible) cup.

Good luck waiting in that line. Cheers!

[caption id="attachment_24" align="aligncenter" width="483"] Cookie Shot by Dominique Ansel[/caption]