Grits in the City - Fitness. Family. Food.
Hope you enjoy all these as much as I do!
All decorated for Chinese New Year
Content to eat at the bar, I just sat up shop for us to eat there. Smart tip I learned – never assume, always ask, about being able to eat the full end at the bar because at Talde? No can do. I went up to out our name in and was bummed to learn the wait at that point was another hour – and I’d already been there almost 45 minutes I could have been waiting for the table. [Read more…]
When we got there, we weren’t sure what to expect. None of us had ever been there – which made sense, as we learned due to delays from Sandy, they’d only been open for about a week beforehand! When we got there, it looked really empty so we thought we might be having an accidental personal party. It ended up being that one large group had booked for the evening, so it would become quite full later in the evening. [Read more…]
Not surprisingly, there were food experiences galore. I went to Cochon 555 (so… much…. pork). There was the US launch party for Pie Face, and the launch party for their second location. Zagatdinners of all sorts. I continued to try oysters, finding yep, I still just don’t love them. I celebrated a wonderful year with T with a wonderful dinner (minus our horrid server) at wd-50. I celebrated three years in NYC for 2 of my favorite Jenns on the rooftop of a stylish bar in Chelsea. I finally made it out to check out City Grit Culinary Salon – not just once, but twice – the second time being a benefit following Hurricane Sandy. I saw Anthony Bourdain speak at BAM, mostly regarding his contempt for Paula Deen, thanks to the gracious TC and Underground Eats. [Read more…]
When I arrived in Madrid, jet lagged and in the midst of a group of 16 students, mostly from the same university (which wasn’t mine), I thought I was going to have an uphill battle or a long summer ahead, one. When I met Rachel, we clicked instantly. She was warm, friendly, and 100% her own person. Like me, she wasn’t a University of Maryland, University College student and we clicked instantly.
Sarah Simmons who started City Grit invites various chefs to come in and prepare their food and, from what I understand, usually adds a bit of a Southern flare to their offerings. The biscuit last night was a bit Southern, but I’d say for the most part, the chefs last night were serving up their usual fare. The venue was quite an intriguing choice as well. By day, the space is a furniture store. The building itself was a Catholic school and is some 200 years old!
Located along a strip of several restaurants and bars, 606 R&D looks very low-key. T originally thought it was more of a sandwich shop until a friend mentioned they had fabulous cocktails and we should stop in. [Read more…]
Last Wednesday, I’d planed on making T a big batch of peanut butter cookies. I figured I’d be up late making them since I had trapeze, but I found myself home an hour early after leaving midway through the class in tears. While the class wasn’t my finest, the substitute teacher who didn’t know me or my capabilities said some things which really upset me. The comments were out of line seeing as this is something I do only once a week rather than in their formal circus training program. [Read more…]
I really enjoyed checking out Ambiance as well as several of the vintage stores along Haight Street. In the process, we saw Cha Cha Cha in the distance and walked by the signage for The Alembic. We were intrigued by what we saw and liked the idea of the menu, so we decided to come back and hope to get in. When we arrived, there was a group of people assembled in the front – making it look crowded. [Read more…]
When I was lucky enough to win one of the prizes in Zagat’s “12 Days of Foodie Cheer” – a $500 gift card to use at Zagat rated restaurants – my mind went blank. Where did I want to go? I polled friends. I read menus. I looked at possible reservations. I finally chose Jean Georges as the first place to try, based on what I was reading, their selection, and feedback from a co-worker.
I felt special from the moment I walked in the front door. I had a conversation with the elegant lady in front of me about this week’s Valentino selection she was wearing, and she was warm and sincere. The host was chatting with her, making it clear that unlike me, she was a regular. But no one treated me any differently. They seated us in a cozy table perfect for two, angled just as to put us sitting together in a curved corner table. We went with the three course tasting menu, which was filled with a variety of options, noticeably many with an Asian flair. [Read more…]