Blog - Grits in the City - discounts and faves

homemade lemon ginger preserves

December 9, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Going into the wedding planning process, we knew the last thing we wanted to do was to give our guests a generic favor. After the time we put into finding the perfect venue and decorating it in just the right way to pair with our relationship, we didn’t want this to be a throwaway element to the day’s planning.

With our ceremony and reception scheduled for a Brooklyn brownstone, we decided there wasn’t anything more fitting than something homemade. Ever since taking a class on homemade jam making with Nancy of Potlicker Kitchen, I’d been fascinated with the idea of making something unique of my own, and this was a perfect opportunity. I chose lemon ginger preserves as a nod to our wedding colors (royal blue and yellow) and our wedding cake (raspberry lemonade). When I found this recipe online, I knew this was the one I had to make for the occasion. [Read more…]

the quick scoop: deck that faux tree

December 4, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Happy Friday! I’d originally taken off today thinking it would be for final holiday shopping but I just clicked “purchase” on my last item on the list. Whew! That leaves the day ahead free for an early afternoon movie, decking our new mini-tree, and a fancy dinner tonight (more to come on that later).

Save the weather, the holidays really are my favorite time to be in New York City. Everything is decorated, from tourist sites down to office buildings. Love it. The city is so beautiful all shiny and colorful. [Read more…]

a return to sleep no more

November 18, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Still it cried ‘Sleep no more!’ to all the house: ‘Glamis hath murder’d sleep, and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more,—Macbeth shall sleep no more!

I’ll state the obvious and say that New York City is pricey. That means I’ll typically do an expensive thing once, and then move on to the next thing on the to-do list. It’s a nice methodical way to continually choose to experience more of what the city has to offer. Sleep No More though is one of my exceptions. Trust me – after you go, you’re spoiled for immersive theater thereafter.

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sunday dinner at resto

November 12, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

A few weeks back, we went to meet some friends at Cannibal. We’d heard great things about their food as well as their great selection of craft beers and cocktails. We even arrived on the early side for dinner, hoping to meet the evening rush. We ended up not being able to grab a seat though, as there was a large reserved party that was going to be occupying the entire back seating area shortly after we arrived.

As a plan B, we made our way over to the sister and connected restaurant, Resto. The menu is very similar for food, though more extensive on the Resto side than Cannibal. The big difference though is the beer menu, which on the Resto side is limited to Belgian beers. [Read more…]

creative reboot at book riot live

November 11, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

I’m on temporary long-form writing hiatus – and it’s driving me crazy. The longest pieces I’m writing are what you see here, and I don’t count this as being quite the same as working on a novel. I’m taking a course through UC Berkeley’s Extension Program this semester on social media, so I am sitting out NaNoWriMo and just watching with envy as I follow the updates.

Lara Ziobro - NYC Lifestyle Blogger - Food Photographer - Food Blogger - Grits in the City

“Writing What You Don’t Know” Panel

The second best thing though for November was getting to attend this past weekend’s Book Riot Live, the first conference offered by the team behind Book Riot. It was two wonderful days filled with a variety of panelists (authors, editors, agents, cover art illustrators, publicists – all things book!) discussing a variety of topics ranging from manuscript to publication to what leads to banned books. I walked away feeling super inspired to pick back up the starting framework of the next novel I’m writing and to see that through to finish hopefully by midyear 2016. [Read more…]

exploring gotham west market

November 10, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Going into this past weekend’s Book Riot Live, I read on the website that there were a number of restaurants nearby we could check out on our breaks. On my walk over, I didn’t see a bunch that looked feasible for a quick in-and-out bite. On the walk back after day one I saw I had missed one great option – Gotham West Market.

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car wash donuts at underwest

November 9, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

This past weekend was mostly about books. In general, it was about books and all things writing. Until my sister mentioned the Book Riot Live conference, I’d sadly not heard of Book Riot. Big miss on my part. I’ve since started listening to their podcast and followed their updates – full of useful info for readers and writers alike. When my sister signed up for their conference, I decided to join her to see what it was all about.

[Read more…]

the quick scoop: holiday warm-up

November 6, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Apple picking season may be winding down, but the focus on apples certainly has not. Today is the beginning of Cider Week in New York City, which kicks off over a week of cider-centric events across the city. This listing has the lowdown on the happenings.

This entire weekend is “Museums on Us“, a weekend sponsored by B of A and Merrill Lynch for their cardholders. For NYC, this means free admittance to the MOMA, Queens Museum of Art, Staten Island Museum, Brooklyn Historical Society, Children’s Museum of Manhattan, and the Whitney. Visit the website for more details. This Saturday is the Toast of Brooklyn. Tickets are available for $29 here via Pulsd. The event promises to be a fun mix of food, wine, spirits and arts. [Read more…]

more color and sparkle, please

November 5, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Blame it on Daylight Savings Time, with our 4:49PM sunsets and bordering pitch blackness come 5:30. Or you can point the finger at all of the fall into winter displays at various stores, focused on dark browns, grays, and blacks. The combination of all of the above has me obsessed with all things bright and sparkly. If I’m wearing a black dress, you’d better believe I’m finding something bright to contrast. Here are some of my favorite sparkly things I’ve been eyeing. Good ideas to add to your Christmas “want” list, to maybe buy for a friend, or indulge in for yourself as well. If nothing else, to brighten up your day just a wee bit. [Read more…]

walk me down the aisle

November 4, 2015 by Lara 2 Comments

Music is so so important. Even if you aren’t going the play-your-own, do-it-all-via-iPhone route, you still have to have your parameters. Pre-ceremony, is it all instrumental? Is it all super soft love songs? Maybe it’s jazzy or bluesy love songs, or acoustic or instrumental variations of popular songs.

If you’re going the live route, well that’s an entirely different conversation (though not entirely unrelated).

It’s not just music. It’s the faint sounds of what you’re going to be listening to right up ’til the point you start down that aisle. It might not be that lengthy, but that aisle is going to feel like the longest walk ever. In the moments leading up to starting to make my way in, when I was so close to bursting into tears from the mix of so many excited emotions, the music really made such a difference to me. It was calming. Familiar. And a song that always for whatever reason, has always made my heart swell just a small bit.

We did our own music for all of the pre-ceremony, so for a thought starter, here you go. Check out our actual playlist, below. We went so far as to eliminate some songs along the way. You’d be surprised some hidden negative layers in some popular “romantic” songs. I think the end result is pretty awesome, though I know I’m entirely biased.) [Read more…]