Charly is growing up fast. It’s hard to believe she’s only six months. At this time she’s able to utter gibberish and turn!
She has the cutest cheeks ever! 
Knows how to dance hip hop in her sleeps! 
Hangs out with her friend Charlotte! (Note the wet finger) 
Shows a talent in gymnastic!
Gets hungry sometimes and thinks outside the box….
Observes the cat
Flirts and asks you to call her maybe! 
Can sit up!!!
Sleepy Charly!
Tons of love to the little princess!
The beautiful music box encased in glass was a souvenir from a friend. Recently, a friend went to Kyoto in Japan, as he was strolling on the streets of Gion, he “stumbled upon” (in his own words), Otaru music box museum store. He asked if they had the song from Ghibli studio’s animation Laputa and they did! On top of that, they had different shapes. The star shape is very suiting since the animation is about the castle in the sky.
I am digressing but there are several reasons why I am excited about this gift. Earlier this year, when I was planning to go to Japan, I had wanted to go to Hokkaido and a town nearby called Otaru; I had wanted to visit the famous music box museum. It’s a bit of a coincidence that although I didn’t get to go there, my friend got me a gift from there.
Last year, we showed Laputa at the artshow! Because the song was stuck in his head after the artshow (you know how if you leave the DVD on the main page, it plays a certain song, this was the song). It’s like a cycle of event. Chain and effect? Or overthinking in my part.
Watching the mechanical side of it wind and unwind is really therapeutic. There is definitely a certain degree of romanticizing it, but it’s because music boxes are very old fashioned. Who really uses it when you can get a song to play on loop on your media player with the press of a button? I made an attempt to record it on my phone and the sound was completely different. To enjoy the song and experience the visual aesthetics of it requires the act of being present, physically there.
Mondays are tough. It was definitely the highlight of yesterday. Thanks K!
Funny thing happened at this restaurant on an unassuming Sunday evening. We got there over half an hour earlier, reserved the table under my name and it turned out somewhere in the restaurant there was my doppelganger with the same first and last name. We were close in number also; she reserved for 5 and we reserved for 4. What is the possibility of that? Pretty neat (or my name is just that common!).
Frankly speaking, I don’t look forward to restaurant week as much as I used to after last year. On Thursday I also went to the restaurant at Perry street and was disappointed; more on that in another post later.
David Burke’s Fishtail is located in a row of town houses; upon going inside, you see a bar and some booths, the host is actually near the stairs and there is a kitchen in the back. The main color is red; the kind of red you see on crayfish and lobsters, the vibrant red that encompasses you with its contrasting yellow on decors from here and there. You go up the stairs and you see modern decors; colorful transparent, exaggerated light bulb sculptures, an unused fireplace and mantle, worn out chairs and lights that are reminiscent of Japanese lanterns because of the colors. It’s all done very tastefully, if not playfully.
One thing we liked about this restaurant week menu is, it’s not a refugee’s menu which the restaurant creates just for this event to cut back on the loss. You actually get what is on the night’s menu. More than three options per category which is a real treat compared to other restaurants.
DAVID BURKE’S OWN SMOKED SALMON- horseradish crème fraiche / mustard oil / watercress pancake (from website)
Generous portion, watercress pancake has a very delicate taste; everything goes well together, but it’s not anything you haven’t tasted before.
FRIED OYSTERS creamed spinach / tomato aioli / jalapeño maple bacon (from website)
Creamed spinach was very tasty as it also served a bed for the fried oyster, sweetness from maple bacon and tomato aioli which is slightly sour but mostly sweet brought a new touch to the fried crispiness of the oyster. Well executed.
CORNFLAKE CRAB CAKE BALLS mango tomato salsa / red onion / jalapeño (from website)
Using cornflake makes the crab cakes very crispy and probably easier to keep in shape. Again, generous amount of crabmeat and sweet mango salsa makes you long for summer, jalapeno sauce was so light on spiciness I could barely recall it.
SURF & TURF DUMPLINGS lobster / short rib / fennel purée / moroccan glaze / shaved winter vegetables (from website)
It’s not a combination of lobster and short rib in one dumpling; one dumpling contains one meat. I like the lobster dumplings more than short rib since short rib was a bit dry. Overall, it’s an interesting interpretation since I was expecting a ravioli kind of dumpling with thick skin and heavy sauce. The dumplings tasted a bit like Asian fusion with light flavors, thin sauce and thin skin (sounds funny).
NORI & MUSTARD CRUSTED TUNA- soba noodle & shitake stir-fry / tomato miso (from website)
It was very plain in flavors; soba noodle and the-hard-to-find, where’s-waldo-shitake was lightly seasoned. Tuna was crusted but also lightly flavored. It was probably a dish for those with sensitive palate since the rest of us were left in a state of being lost. What happened to the flavors?
SLOW BRAISED SHORT RIB- creamy pepper jack white polenta / lemon caper onion rings (from website)
Salty polenta complements the lightly seasoned rib. Rib tasted a bit dry, overall it was okay but I think my opinion coincides with my dislike of short rib.
GRILLED BRANZINO quinoa & cranberry / butternut squash (from website)
A play on palate and texture with lightly salted Branzino, sweet quinoa and butternut squash. I liked the texture of grained quinoa, the mushiness of butternut squash and how the fish cooked to perfection that the meat fell off at the touch of your fork and it was not rough at all.
Dessert competition
COCONUT CRÈME BRULEE macadamia nut shortbread (from website)- Sweet, very sweet with sweet cookie
DAVID BURKE’S CHEESECAKE LOLLIPOPS FOR TWO- bubble gum whipped cream (from website)-
This one totally threw us off. The whipped cream was shaped like ice cream, so initially I thought it was ice cream. Usually lollipops have bubble gum in the center, so I imagined the taste of the center to be bubble gum, but after a few more tasting, it was verified that the cream on the side was bubble gum flavored. No baked cheesecake in the center with Godiva (I made this up), truffle exterior. Totally weird combination of things which made my head spin and uncertain if the taste was really that pleasant combined.
BANANA CREAM PIE- drunken toffee sauce (from website)
The winner; creamy and light banana flavor with a granola crust and sweet toffee sauce to enhance the sweetness of the banana. Highly recommended.
I like the setting; I think it’s rare to have a chance to dine in a townhouse. To see the layout and how it is utilized as a restaurant is very interesting. I like the spray painted fish with bold black lines and light colors. In terms of food, it’s somewhere along the lines of being mediocre but also wanting to break out of the shell to combine something wholly different. Ambition admired but if execution could be as high as ambition, it would be wonderful.
Cheers.
HABITUAL HAPPINESS st. germain / cointreau / rose water / prosecco / wild hibiscus flower (from website)
A hidden quaint cafe in midtown east is Keko Cafe. When you enter the shop, the aromatic fragrance of Jasmine tea fills the air as you slowly absorb the scenery of decos from “Around the world in 80 days.” Colorful teapots, lost leather luggage, postmarks, Harney and Sons’ tea containers, simple wooden chairs and tables, wooden shelves, there is no empty space, no room for the minimalist mind to breathe.
Keko cafe near the door- they also serve cakes and pastries
Crepes, teas & coffees
Earl Grey tea with milk on the side- Harney and Sons tea leaves, smooth and delicious aromatic bergamot taste.
Keko cafe is a cute little place for time traveler’s to post colonial times. There is indian music in the background and soccer game broadcasting on its flatscreen tv. Very intimate setting, good for small chats with 1 or 2 friends but not ideal for huge parties.
Translation: Congratulations Akimi-chan for finding a job! (rough translation)
Simple message to congratulate my friend Akimi chan in finding a new job in Seattle! I met Akimi chan in Japanese class, in fact, she is our class president! Title aside, she is definitely one of the most motivated, optimistic people out there! She had traveled to Oregon, Seattle and Louisana, in search of a job in programming for SAP and successfully found one in Seattle. Will miss her tons when she moves to Seattle but will definitely visit. Right now I am just so extremely happy for her!!!
It’s rare you get a chance to time travel back to the 1920s and to your childhood at the same time. For $2, you can do just about both in a time capsule (as my friend best describes). The glass case protects your imagination from discerning the real world. When you are on the carousel, you think of nothing but the moment, perhaps, when was the last time you have ride on one or the looks on the kids faces ahead of you or how the horses are brightly and meticulously painted.
Advance machine. Touch screen. Accepts cash and credit/debit. Disposes blue plastic card tickets.$2 a ride 🙂
Looking inside the glass box...
Looking outside from the glass box...
UFO. We couldn't figure out what it was. Looked like a trash can but couldn't find a place you can put trash. Maybe a table?
They did a good job repainting/restoring the horses. Looked new in vintage style even though it was really the opposite.
Kid fascinated!
🙂 Kodak moment?
Definitely worth a go if you’re in a nostalgic mood and do not want to go to a crowded area. It almost felt like the box is right between heaven and the ocean, you’re just a step away from childhood.
And Happy New Year!!! 🙂 Cheers!
In November, there was an article on NYT listing the best 8 macaron places in NYC; I asked a friend of mine who loves to eat macarons (not to mention playfully teases her boyfriend for wanting macarons since it’s really a lady obsession) if she wants to go on a Macaron walk with me. Due to various, numerous obstacles, reasons and excuses, we finally made it yesterday! YAY!
ALMONDINE
I love the displays of cakes & pastries with their huge arrays of colors! A former professor used to say the human eyes are attune to variations of colors, so the more colors there are the more appealing it is to the eyes.
This was our first stop for macrons. We had the pistachio (Green) & Black currant (purple) macrons. The crust and inside cake part have the same consistency; soft on the inside and caramel like texture on the outside where it's slightly hard like candy but melts in your mouth. The cream inside was jam like. Subtley flavored, tastes like what it intends to be.
You see an empty spot in the back? That was the macaron we got. This was huge!! It tasted like two brownies with chocolate sandwiched in between. The chocolate was delicious almost reminenscent of the chocolate from la maison du chocolat. Only saying this because the aftertaste is wonderful; it is not the standard sugary aftertaste but that of chocolate that lingers in your tastebuds fleetingly and bids good bye! 🙂 On a random note, almondine has great coffee. A small cup is potent enough to keep you awake for a while. It's also very smooth. Nice surprise.
Laduree
We were standing in line intimidating people inside. "HURRY UP!!" On a serious note, we waited 1/2 hour for our macarons. We really commend the employees for being very patient for demanding, rude, annoying, obnoxious & indecisive customers. I was annoyed just standing there and watching fellow customers! 😦
Pretty display of ribbons!
Want to eat Teddy and rats?
Cookies! Packaging is everything. Their packaging is so idyllic and pretty, who can resist?
We stood in line for too long. Natural human impulse is to make the wait worthwhile, therefore resulting in taking tons of pictures and ordering a dozen macarons. We only did the former 🙂
Far left- Rose flavor- center is butter cream and thick with rose flavors. Very subtle and light. Center is pistachio- The Pistachio flavor slowly hits you. We had the Almondine one as contrast, they taste very similar but liked the Almondine one more because you can taste actual bits of pistachios in it. Orange Blossom- Tasted more of orange/citrusy taste with a hint of floralness. Overall, the macarons were surprising light even though the center was creamy. However, we both concur it was not worth the 30 minute wait.
LA MAISON DU MACARON
Macaron Gift box displays! So festive 🙂
Ooooh Colors! Some macarons even have gold flakes :)!!
Mini pastries! just thought they looked cute!!
You would never guess the flavors of one of them. To the far left (reddish with gold flakes)- this is the infamous Jack Daniel's macaron! Before trying it, friendly worker there warned us it was strong! The cake is a bit flavorless but when you reach the center part, it reeks of strong alcohol! Just placing it near your nose, you will notice a whiff of Jack Daniel's that will unsober you. Very unique and bold. A+ for creativity and Americanizing a delicate French pastry. Tarte Apple (red one)- Obviously I do not remember the name. Very apple and tart like. Bold flavors, it's like screaming, "I AM APPLE FLAVORED!" Center (orange colored)- This is the Passion Fruit one- Eating this is like eating a fruit, it has a hinge of citrus flavor but overall, bold passion fruit flavor.
Francois Payard
Not part of the NYT tour but we ended up here as a replacement for one of the stores that ran out of macarons!
Look at the perfect cookies!
Alternative view of the store!
Taadaa! We didn't want to repeat flavors so we got Vanilla bean & Gingerbread! The texture of the cake is more chewy and the outside is a bit harder than other places. Vanilla bean was a bit sweet but the inside really tasted like vanilla ice cream. Gingerbread was also a bit sweet and tasted like a Gingerbread latte since the flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger) were a bit scattered in the macaron. It doesn't really connect but tasty none the less! Interesting intrepretation.
Bisuos Ciao
When my friend explained to me what the name of the store meant, I had tears streaming down my cheeks. Just kidding. But very bittersweet name, it means Goodbye Kiss. Is that why the window display looks so lonely and minimalistic?? You poor thing 😦
Displaying the macarons in an execution similar to displays of ties or perhaps glasses? Something of a necessity.
One more view of the attention to details and reduction. Very contrasting to Laudree. Polar opposites.
Our minamalist macarons. We got the salted caramel (one to the right) and Jasmine green tea (left). Salted caramel had a layer of candy that loyally stays in your mouth while the cake part melts away. The caramel center was very good since it's sweet but also not. Very unique. Jasmine green tea has a very floral, but light taste. It's almost like drinking tea. Also liked that it wasn't super sweet, but just enough.
Hits and misses-For next time!
1) VENDÔME @ saks fifth avenue. This is located on the 8th floor. When we went there, the macarons were gone!! We were informed they won’t be in stock until next week.
2) TAKAHACHI BAKERY– We called at 6:30 and was informed they would be closed at 7. Also, the nice lady on the phone told us they only had two flavors left- Sesame and raspeberry. Didn’t seem to be worth the rush so maybe next time!
3) LITTLE OVEN – Location! This is in long island city, so we’ll probably go next time we make a trip to PS1.
Here is a personal list of personal opinions (redundant?) of personal preferences (super redundant!)
Most Creative & friendliest staff- LA MAISON DU MACARON
Longest wait and with prettiest presentation- LADURÉE
Most lonely staff with most lonely display- BISOUS CIAO (they only have one guy working there 😦
Top 3 Macarons from this tour- Salted Caramel from Biscous Ciao & Pistachio from Almondine & Orange Blossom from Laduree
Tour to be continued! 🙂
On boxing day, as a special treats to ourselves because we promised not to do gifting (*coughs* most of my friends didn’t follow it!), we went to have a very special lunch at City Crab.
Overall, I don’t think City Crab is really worth going to. Our tab came out to around $105 so with tips it was around $120. Our waiter was a bit snobby and inattentive. When we asked questions, we were shown an impatient face and a couple of times, he passed by our table without saying anything. The only time he made an attempt to talk to us was when he handed us the check. Also! When we asked about the $21 lunch special (which consisted of sandwiches but included dessert), his face turned 180 degrees. Of course, this is just our luck with the waiter (too bad I don’t remember names), other ones might be better!
Besides being at a great location at Park Avenue, it’s really not that special (decor is plain, food is okay, etc). I won’t recommend this place. I think we can find much better seafood in NYC! 🙂 Overall rating is probably a 2/5. Sorry Oyster Rockefeller cannot save you.
Happy Holidays! Where ever you are I hope you are enjoying the holiday seasons with friends and family with delicious food and laughter.
This Christmas I visited Seattle for the first time. Knowing that Seattle is most probably the espresso capital of the US (apparently there are even signs at the airport for espresso! Which unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture with my camera since I was running late both to and from airport >.<), yet too chicken* to do pure espresso everyday, I decided to treat myself to a daily cappuccino instead. After all I am on vacation!
*Drinking regular coffee makes my heart beat too fast and feeling slightly nauseous, however espresso drinks with frothy/foamy milk doesn’t…must be the dairy counteracting the caffeine? 🙂
What’s nice about Seattle is that delicious cappuccino does not cost Four Bucks, unlike the very global coffee establishment that hails from Seattle, and the culture is so coffee-tuned that almost every few blocks one can find a charming cafe.
The first (unintended) cappuccino stop en route from Capitol Hill to downtown was Stumptown Coffee, which actually originated from Portland.
Wait!!! The cappuccino is not ready for the camera yet!
A bit camera shy...
The espresso was delectably smooth, the foam was nicely foamy and heavy: stacking up when pushed around with a spoon and then settling gently into the espresso again, and the cappuccino art was artfully done. It is one of my favorites among this tour de force.
The second I stumbled into Capitol Hill’s Bauhaus, the intended cafe destination of the first day, a cozy books + caffeine concept with very cool surrounding (a wall of books!) and logo (hot motorcycle chic!).
Books + caffeine!
I couldn’t help but snap a picture of the erudite-looking elderly gentleman surrounded by a wall of books.
Motocycle chic Bauhaus logo
Bauhaus espresso had a kick, was too strong for my taste, and didn’t go down smoothly like Stumptown did. Plus the foam was on the drier, airy side while I tend to like more luscious, wet frothy milk.
The next day was Christmas 🙂 You would like to believe that in a town like Seattle coffee shops are open 24/7/365 but most places were closed on Christmas! Except for this location of Vivace in Capitol Hill that is a roadside stand and that doesn’t have seating yet the line was at least 10 people deep throughout the whole day! My friends and I kept driving by it on our hunt for a restaurant for lunch, thinking that the line would shrink but when it didn’t we joined the huddle masses seeking caffeination.
Vivace!
The cappuccino at Vivace was delightful, one of my favorites and the favorite for my friends who lived in Seattle. The espresso was tasty and complemented the nicely foamed milk very well. Definitely worth the wait on the cold windy day. By the way Vivace specializes in espresso drinks only and does not do coffee of any kind.
The next day I finally had my first sit down cappuccino sans paper cup and I was able to enjoy it at lovely Zeitgeist at Pioneer Square. Like Bauhaus, Zeitgeist also marries two concepts into their cafe: art + caffeine.
Welcome to Zeitgeist
Isn't it pretty?
The walls of Zeitgeist feature the artwork of different artists, contributing to its relaxed artsy vibe. The cappuccino was excellent and joined Stumptown and Vivace as the best 3 cappuccinos I had in Seattle: nicely balanced between espresso and milk, while imparting smooth and luscious mouth feel.
The next day the training wheels are off, I’ve been going to cafe’s based on my friend’s recommendations and wanted to do my own research. The internet is touting Caffe Vita as a leading cafe in Seattle so I went to the one on Capitol Hill.
Do you see a heart?
The espresso was a bit strong for my liking, though less strong compared with Bauhaus, and the foam also had an airier quality. Excellent presentation, nice and smooth in taste.
The next night we had a delicious slow-food dinner at Olivar in Capitol Hill, which had a mixture of French and Spanish influence on their food while surrounded by walls painted with scenes from a Russian folktale. Everything was incredibly fresh and well done. Since it was getting late I had a post-dinner decaf cappuccino. By this time I’ve had a lot of cappuccinos so all I can say was that it was good.
The texture of the table next to the smooth cup
My last cappuccino in Seattle was actually at the airport. Dilettante is a local chain known for its chocolates, along with Theo.
The last cappuccino!
The cappuccino was nice but I bet their mocha or hot chocolate tastes better 🙂
This ends the Seattle cappuccino tour de force! I’ve acquired a healthy admiration for a city that is obsessed with caffeine 🙂
On Saturday, went to Nanoosh for Mediterranean food. They have four restaurants in NYC. We went to the one by university place.
Overall, I don’t think I’ll go again. The quality of the food is mediocre. I’d give the restaurant a 2/5. 😦
nanansa 