Blog - Grits in the City - discounts and faves

7 easy steps to dining like a pro

September 24, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

I have to admit, dining out is my weakness. When I moved to NYC from DC, the number of restaurants I wanted to try grew exponentially — and has just continued to spiral out of control from there. Due to the nature of the business, there are always places closing, replaced by the latest and greatest new spots. If you wait too long to visit, you run the risk of finding a different place in the same space.

Below are some things I’ve learned a long the way to help make sure I’m getting the most out of dining out as I’ve made my way around the city. Hopefully you’ll find something in this list to be helpful for you, too!

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co² (co + comedy)

September 23, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Instead of buying me a “thing”, L decided to get me an evening out this past Saturday. The plan was pizza, cocktails, and a show — several of my favorite things. We started the evening off at Co, a fabulous Chelsea spot I haven’t been to since we went there years ago after going to a taping of the Martha Stewart Show. This weekend, over five years later, I found myself incapable of choosing anything other than what I had the first time around for a second time.

To start we ordered the Truccione Saré, Sullivan Street Bakery’s signature dark baked sourdough loaf, which was served with ricotta. All it was lacking was a bit of honey. We also went with their Passion Sparkler, which is passionfruit mixed with prosecco. [Read more…]

introducing “bridal cut”

September 22, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

The beginning part of 2015 was a blur for me, but in the best way possible. After I said “yes” (as this summarizes, more in gesture than in pausing to say the actual word), it feels like we didn’t stop until the wedding finish line. I got a lot of questions as to how we managed to plan our entire wedding in less than 6 months and, in hind sight, I understand why. If you’re not organized or are not sure what exactly it is you want, 6 months won’t be enough time. But if you have even a touch of either of those two, I believe it’s more than enough.

I wouldn’t change anything about it, though. We had the privilege of working with some pretty amazing vendors that helped make the event come together. At the time, I was only several months into a new job – definitely a less than ideal time to have your focus split. I knew going through the process that the countless notes, photos, and contacts we made throughout those months would be helpful to share here – and I’ve kept them in part so I can share them here. Because you too can plan a wedding in under 6 months. Yes you can! [Read more…]

super easy blueberry cobbler

September 21, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

All things blueberry are a bit of a focus in our household – seeing as I love to cook desserts and T loves blueberries. I’m a big fan of cobblers over pie. Yes, pies look gorgeous, and taste equally awesome. The work though they require far exceeds that of cobblers, and both are a means to produce a blueberry-centric dessert – so for me, cobblers are king.

I’m always trying to find new recipes to try, and this one caught my attention because it sounded ridiculously simple and some comments weighed in that it was so good, that they had actually used it multiple times. Always a good vote of confidence. The recipe below yields roughly 8 servings. [Read more…]

the quick scoop, 9/18 edition

September 18, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

We’re hours away from kicking off the last summer weekend of 2015 – and in NYC, it looks like the weather is fully supportive of us doing this in style. High five!

Don’t have your weekend fully planned out? Don’t worry. There’s still tons of things to make arrangements to include into the next couple of days to keep you busy. Wine Riot NYC Fall 2015 on tap for this weekend. Vendors for this year include Dos Toros, Brooklyn Oyster Party, Luke’s Lobster, Tipsy Scoop, Jam Jar, MELT, and Gotham Cookies. Tickets are available for Friday night as well as two waves on Saturday, one during the day and one evening.

Watermark Bar and Hofbrau, Radeberger and Weihenstephan are coming together to host a free Oktoberfest celebration every weekend from Friday, September 18th to Sunday, October 4th. Fare you’ll find there is rumored to include strudel, pretzels, sausages, and (of course) sauerkraut. Tickets are available here. [Read more…]

carmellini round deux at lafayette

September 17, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Being such a huge fan of Locanda Verde, Andrew Carmellini’s latest NYC spot, Lafayette, had been on my brain for a while. T and I started doing one “fancier” date night a month back at the end of 2014 (which turned out to be setting the stage for this one special evening to follow in January), and this was my pick back in December. We started with drinks at the Crosby Street Hotel, which was as fun and classy as I had heard. We lucked into a fabulous table in the bar area, giving us the best of both worlds.

We made our way up to Lafayette. I’ve been intrigued about this spot from before it even opened its doors. The decor is refined and striking. I can’t walk by without stopping to take note. In the morning, the bakery in the front has a regular flow of patrons and at the night, you can always see a full floor of happy diners through the windows lining the restaurant.

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birthday dinner at gato

September 16, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Having a Monday birthday is less than ideal, but the promise of a nice dinner to celebrate with T made it all good in the end. He did our usual, only giving a subway stop exit at which to meet him and the rest would be a surprise. I love it. Sometimes it’s close by, and sometimes a bit longer of a walk. The other thing we have is a shared list of spots we want to try at some point. It’s been a while, but he dusted off the list and picked some things from the list to plan the evening.

To start, T took me over to Copper & Oak, a spot we’d been wanting to try for a bit that apparently still has a functioning website even though it’s apparently now out of business. We made our way from there over to Boulton and Watt in the East Village, where we were able to grab spots at the bar. I recommend the Mexican Revolver. It’s like a spicy margarita, plus prosecco – a perfect birthday beverage.

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they say it’s my birthday

September 14, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

I like to think another year equals another opportunity to be an even better version of you. I guess I’m a bit spoiled that mine falls at least somewhat midway through the year, as I like to think it’s a bit of a mid-year chance to assess how the year’s going.

It’s been a pretty stellar year full of lots of big changes and amazing people. I really am blessed. I’m not fully letting myself off the hook though on all of those goals I had for this year that sort of were forgotten in the midst of wedding planning. Just means the rest of the year will be that much busier to compensate!

Lara Ziobro - NYC Lifestyle Blogger - Food Photographer - Food Blogger

Birthday Celebrations at Whitman and Bloom

To commemorate the occasion though, I celebrated by treating myself to one thing practical (this new blog domain and major face-lift, still a work in progress – you like?) and one thing slightly frivolous (hello pleather leggings – where have you been all my life?). [Read more…]

the quick scoop

September 11, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

The finish line for the week is almost here… hold on. Just a few more hours to go!

This Week’s Forty Carrots Food Truck at Bloomingdale’s

There’s lots going on over the weekend and the coming weeks in the food scene. The Feast of San Gennaro is back, which means there’s lots of tasty things to be had lining the streets in Little Italy. Only 11 more days to take advantage. This rundown helps you know what’s happening when. This weekend is definitely one for food festivals. You can have your pick of Pig Island (Saturday), the Vendy Awards (Saturday – already sold out), Taste Talks Brooklyn’s All-Star BBQ with Quest Love (Sunday), TASTE Williamsburg Greenpoint (Sunday), and OysterFest (Sunday). [Read more…]

career charge into (almost) fall

September 10, 2015 by Lara Leave a Comment

Yesterday was a productive day. One of those days that come 6pm, having to leave the office a tad early to go to a free networking event felt more like a chore than a treat. I’m really glad though that I made myself do it. I knew nothing about wimLink, a networking group on Meetup, aside from the fact that it’s focused on women in digital. Usually more apt to attend events specific to social media, I thought it was a good chance to mix it up. The panel was an interesting mix as well, featuring Beth Buehler from Rodale, Megan Clarken from Nielsen, and Emily Susskind of Golden Seeds.

Most of the themes highlighted were things I have heard before, but something about hearing them again in early September felt right. Good time to refocus, get some perspective, and get some inspirational energy to charge through the almost last quarter to 2015. While it’s not fall yet, it’s fast approaching. As students are back in the classroom, it feels fitting to take a second look at all things career for the remainder of the year ahead. [Read more…]