Monday, March 28, 2011

Is it a restaurant... or a cafeteria...I don't know - but it's definitely Italian!

New York City certainly has its fair share of Italian restaurants - flashback maybe to Little Italy?  Authentic northern and southern Italian, handmade pastas, and pizzarias galore.  You can't walk one block of the city without encountering an interpretation of the over popularized cuisine.


What makes Vapiano by Union Square so interesting for us was not the food, but rather the entire experience.  Our biggest question of the night: Was it a restaurant... or a cafeteria.... or maybe a lounge?  The atmosphere was intimate and up-scale - similar to a date-restaurant.  But the service is walk-up and order from a counter - like a cafeteria.  The seats consisted of couches and benches - that's right, like a lounge.  Whatever the answers were, it's safe to say we none the less enjoyed the place.  


The concept? Everyone receives a check card upon arrival and place your entire meal on your individual card.  It may seem tedious in the beginning, but it certainly takes the hassle of splitting that annoying check in the end. The modern decor and trendy infusions keep it from feeling too mall food court-ish.
The food is definitely Italian, with a wide selection of pastas, salads, and pizzas - all deliciously made in front of you. The best part - it's all so FRESH!  While it's no gourmet creation, it certainly pleased our taste buds enough for a repeat visit.  Follow-up the meal with one of their perfectly-portioned mini-desert shots and fruity cocktail concoctions and you have yourself a perfect wind down to a stressful workday.  Vapiano definitely needs to be on your next NYC to-do list! Buon Appetito!

A GNO at Vapiano

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The "Hey...It's Ok List"


I remember the first time I heard someone complaining about Time Square and the chaos within it.  I'm not going to say that it's not a circus getting through those few blocks.  From the street performers to the tour guide hustlers and countless tourists passing, it's not a place for the faint at heart.  However, I always accepted it as part of the great city that is NYC.  I always enjoyed the occasional walk-thru and taking in the atmosphere; the horn honking, the people traffic, the lights and advertisements.  All so iconic New York and there's  no other place like it.  


As a visitor, it's okay to think this way.  However, as a 'New Yorker' it appeared I had to adjust my views.  See, as a 'New Yorker' you're supposed to adopt into ways of the city.  (i.e. learn how to ignore all noise around you, avoid the cliche crowded areas, and appear to be perpetually in a hurry.)  

And so, after months of observation of myself and my fellow city dwellers, I present a list of acts that are by far more than okay to be caught doing - despite the fact you are a "New Yorker."




So you live in New York, it's still okay:


To only know the subway routes on one side of the city. 


To skip the Starbucks and Dunkin'Donuts and go for the 85 cents deli coffee.

That you realized you walked the wrong direction from the subway exit 5 blocks too late.


That you needed to take a cab for a 10 block commute. 

To use your iPod as an excuse not to talk to people you know and see on the street.

To look up and appreciate the skyline view.



If you and your friends yelp for almost an hour and still end up in the usual restaurant/bar/cafe. 

To not be able to give tourists directions to where they want to go.

That you grabbed take-out from Au Bon Pain for dinner...again.

To look like a crazy bag lady. Who wouldn't with your purse and lunch bag and laptop and overnighter dangling from your body?

That you ate at the Olive Garden in Time Square and loved it

To stop and take pictures every now and then.

If you just blurted out the lyrics of the song playing on your iPod.
Being touristy in the city (oh, no!)


-

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Our Sweet Escape

There's nothing I love more than literally stumbling upon a new amazing eatery.  This is how my friend Elisa and I discovered Just Sweets in the East Village.  On the outside it appears to be a modern techno-friendly cafe; but inside houses some of the best desserts that we have experienced in the city.  


Elisa's bite out of heaven.
While Elisa lost herself in crepe from Nutella heaven I treated myself to a green tea ice cream sundae.  Amazing doesn't even begin to describe the desserts here - even for us sweets experts.  We loved the place so much that a few days later after work we made the 20+ blocks journey back - in freezing night temperature I might add - for an encore.  Safe to say that we will frequent the place until we've tried all those yummy items. It's only fair

In a city that's famous for housing some of the most renowned restaurants and overrated cafes it's refreshing to find a place that delivers amazing food in that "hey I kinda want to just chill here for a minute" environment.     I can only imagine the possibilities when the temperature rises and summer is in the air! Anyone up for dessert?
"Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first."  ~Ernestine Ulmer

Friday, March 4, 2011

And So It Begins...

...well, it actually began on May 15, 2010. This was the day I packed my bags and boarded my one-way flight to New York City.  Barely a week had passed since I graduated college, but I knew I was ready for my new chapter in life to begin.

I settled myself into my shoebox apartment and started adjusting to the city's literally non-stop pace.  It appeared that there was no limit to what one can witness in one day here.  Acrobatic subway dancers, full-on wedding ceremonies in Time Square, even a full jazz concert in the middle of a grocery store!  When I started receiving requests about some "wild New York moments" I realized that there were too many to remember.  I never want to become one of those jaded New Yorkers with the amazing ability to tune out even some of the most amazing events happening right in front of them.

And so, in an effort to help me keep all my crazy New York experiences in check, and also to keep in touch with everyone far away, I decided to write about my life here.  Stay tuned because from secret samples sales to Coney Island, I'll have it covered. Because you just never know where a NYC day is going to end. Are you ready? Ok, LET'S GO! :-)