Doughnut Plant
June 18, 2011 § 1 Comment
Ugh, I’ve been so bad about posting lately due to work and general craziness. Definitely going to try and be better about that as I slip into a summer routine.
So, in continuation of our most recent NYC trip, after our time at the Met with McQueen, Laura and I went to Chelsea to take a look at some of the art galleries – the beautiful, the ugly, and the wtf? – and also FINALLY stopped at the Doughnut Plant by the Hotel Chelsea since we discovered they had opened a relatively new location in the area. In the past, difficulty in getting to the Lower East Side had always prevented us from visiting.
Options at Doughnut Plant
I loved the look of the place. First, the smell that hits you when you enter the shop is absolutely insane. All that sugar and dough makes for an incredibly heady combination. There were also cute doughnut plushies on the walls and donut patterns on the seats, and everyone appeared to be happily enjoying their orders with some iced coffee.
Wall decor
We chose a yeast based donut, the peanut butter and blackberry jelly, and a cake donut, the rich tres leches. Laura and I were split on favorites; I preferred the cakiness and creaminess of the tres leches whereas Laura went gaga for the PB&J, a terrific balance between crunchy, peanut-y saltiness and tart fruit from the filling, but we both agreed that these were the best ring-shaped desserts we’d ever had.
PB&J
Innards
Tres Leches
Innards
We debated ordering another one, perhaps the blackout donut, but we had lunch plans at Company (post to come later) and decided to wait until another time.
So the next time you find yourself in Chelsea craving something sweet, definitely consider heading to the Hotel Chelsea to indulge in some serious donut fare.
The Doughnut Plant
220 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011
212.675.9100
www.doughnutplant.com
Snapshots from the Met
June 7, 2011 § Leave a comment
Aside from the amazing McQueen exhibit (photos, especially haphazard ones taken to best avoid yelling from the guards, don’t do the displays justice) and the somewhat underwhelming Antony Caro exhibit, it was nice to spend time exploring some of the newly-renovated Greek and Roman and Colombian wings. The perfect weather, sunny but not too humid, was a definite plus as well.
Stairs to the Met
Wing to Greek and Roman Antiquities
Columns
Entrance to a packed McQueen exhibition
Plato's Atlantis
Ensemble, the last collection
Ensemble, the last collection
Bird's Nest head dresses: see how they were made here
"Spine" corset
Pieces from "The Girl in the Tree"
Jellyfish dress and Plato's Atlantis
Antony Caro
Mao
Little golden men in Colombian wing
Lunch at OTTO
May 30, 2011 § Leave a comment
OTTO is probably one of my favorite places to eat in NYC. The service is always friendly, ambiance is casual, and the food is great. Yesterday, I went with a friend and we ordered the classics – spaghetti alla carbonara and the prosciutto arugula pizza – and also indulged in a bottle of 2006 Kuenhof Sylvaner, recommended by the waiter. The white wine was very dry and very mineral-y and went well with our food.
2006 Kuenhof Sylvaner
I’ve always wanted to make spaghetti alla carbonara, but a lot of the recipes that I’ve seen online seem to be modified versions, using cream or bacon or whatever. At some point this summer, I’ll probably be using this recipe, from Batali himself, to attempt a homemade dish. Anyway, the one at OTTO was creamy from the egg yolk and very savory, with lots of crunchy pancetta bits.
Spaghetti alla carbonara
The prosciutto arugula pizza was excellent as well. Whenever I go to OTTO, I always tell myself to try the other choices but never fail to order this one. Something about the richness of the prosciutto against the bitter and freshness of the arugula always pulls me back.
prosciutto arugula pizza
Pasta and pizza, together
Finally, for dessert, we got the olive oil coppetta (possibly my favorite gelato dessert in NYC) and this time, the gelato came with lime curd, tangerine sorbet, a pineapple rosemary marmaletta, and kumquats. I really really love the pop of the sea salt on the olive oil gelato and although I thought I wouldn’t care for the pineapple marmaletta, aside from the gelato itself, it was probably my favorite element.
Olive oil coppetta
So, if you’re ever in the West Village with some friends and looking for a casual place to eat that also happens to have a very, very extensive wine-list, I highly recommend trying OTTO. You won’t regret it.
Seahorse salt cellar
May 20, 2011 § Leave a comment
seahorse salt cellar
second view
The one time that I’ve gone to Catbird‘s store in Williamsburg was the one day they decided to close and do inventory. Bah. I’ve always loved their jewelry selection online, from the stag rings to the frog skeleton necklace, but I noticed lately that they’ve expanded into housewares and non-jewelry gifts.
Take this whimsical salt cellar by Flotsam and Jetsam for instance. Italians say that when you cook pasta, you should salt the water you cook it in so it’s just this side of the Mediterranean. The seahorse motif is pretty fitting then, isn’t it? Personally, I tend to salt from the container but I could also see this little piece serving as a really pretty albeit somewhat pricey dish to hold rings and charms.
Note: this barrage of random jewelry and house ware coveting is what happens when I have some extra time on my hands.
“Wild Ones”
May 19, 2011 § Leave a comment
Manymals
Yesterday, I spent all day guiltlessly catching up on my television shows and looking at jewelry that I can’t afford, including these cute and sleek MANYMAL necklaces hand-sculpted and polished by Markus Diebel in San Francisco. Originally, to celebrate the end of 1L year and reward myself for not having a neurotic breakdown, I was contemplating another tattoo, but now I think I might shell out the money (some of the proceeds go to WildAid) to buy either the koala or bat version. Thoughts?
Goodbye 1L
May 18, 2011 § Leave a comment
What a crazy, challenging, and eye-opening year.
I’m not gonna lie, during the last 15 minutes of our criminal law exam, the grin on my face just got wider and wider and I barely registered what I was typing. Handing in that exam felt like a huge weight lifting from my shoulders, which have gotten more and more hunched over the course of this year.
Goodbye to all those hours slogging through casebooks, goodbye to those hellish evenings before memos were due, when everything inevitably went apeshit. And goodbye to those nights before exams when I’d go over outlines and notes and still feel like I knew absolutely nothing.
But of course, there were many great things that came out of this year as well. Former law students don’t lie when they say that the intensity of law school fosters a strong sense of camaraderie within the class, and I feel that at Cornell, this is especially true because of the small size of our class. I’ve met some amazingly open, smart, and generous people this year and they made all those tiring hours in the library so much more tolerable, and dare I say, sometimes, even fun.
And I did learn. A lot. I don’t know if I could necessarily say that I “think like a lawyer” now but I definitely understand the world differently. And I don’t think that I’ll ever feel comfortable with the Socratic method, but there is something to be said about this style of teaching that, when done effectively, makes students learn much more than they ever would from a simple lecture.
As cheesy as it may seem, though, I think the most noted thing about this year has been my personal growth. Maybe it was because I was surrounded by people who were on average 4 to 5 years older than me or because there was a lot of money invested in this decision or because the workload was so demanding or because I was truly living independently for the first time, but I do think getting through this year has made me much, much more mature than an average 21 year old and I’m quite proud of that.
True, there’s the writing competition and two more years to go. But for now, I’m just going to soak in the fact that the worst part is over. Even crappy Ithaca weather can’t ruin my mood. And I’m looking forward to a productive and relaxing summer and actually focusing on things other than contracts or civil procedure.
To the end of 1L. We did it.
Study Break: 48 hours left
May 15, 2011 § Leave a comment
Three Little Pigs: pulled pork sandwich, pig dog, and carnitas taco
The Piggery Deli
423 Franklin Street
Ithaca, NY
607.272.2276
http://www.thepiggery.net/
Prune’s open-faced avocado sandwich
May 12, 2011 § 1 Comment
Prune's avocado sandwich
Open-faced avocado sandwich (adapted from The Amateur Gourmet adapted from Prune)
A great, healthy sandwich for spring.
2 slices crusty bread (I used a rosemary ciabatta from Ithaca Farmers’ Market)
ricotta (a little or a lot depending on your taste)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
coarse salt and black pepper
1/2 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
red onion, thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Mix ricotta and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread ricotta mixture on each slice of bread. Layer on slices of avocado, then tomatoes, then red onion. Drizzle with the olive oil, if using. Salt and pepper.
Notes on Food 