In Search of the Elusive Romanian Jew

So I really needed to check out this Sammy's Roumanian place. Alex's parents came to eat here 20+ years ago and, from first impressions, it really seems like it's the type of place that never changes. Halfway between 2 AM at a Bar Mitzvah and "Christmas" dinner with your Jewish friends, Sammy's is one of those quintessential NYC joints that makes us newbies wax nostalgic about the good ol' days (pre- Bloomberg, pre-Giuliani, crazy, coked out, dangerous & dirty New York)...

Wine...so far, promising.
There's literally, 8 things on the menu. Steak (single or double size), latkes, stuffed cabbage and chopped liver. You must be willing to clog your arteries and be slightly weirded out when you contemplate eating here.

me, eating my stuffed cabbage rolls, which I regret I ordered in lieu of the steak.
Not because they weren't good - my grandmother's are just better.

The double steak - it flops off the sides of the plate and is covered in butter and garlic.

David and the steaks, with the latkes & applesauce and pickled tomato appetizer.
The pickles tomatoes, unlike the cabbage, was exactly how I remember eating them growing up.

We finished up the meal with an egg cream (chocolate syrup, seltzer water and milk).
A really tongue-tasty culinary experience. Not refined, not cultured, but who wants to be in this economy?

Caught!

eating my cake.

Broken Apartment

Ever since moving to my new place back in May, I feel like Jekyll/Hyde. I love my apartment. I hate my apartment. I love my side-view of Central Park. I hate the rotted, warped floors. I love my big kitchen. I hate my teeny bedroom. I love my huge closet. I hate cockroaches.

I love the flea market across the street. I hate scary alley pigeons. I love Shake Shack. I hate the long lines at the Shake Shack. I love Loehmann’s and Filene’s Basement and Westside Markets. I hate Pinkberry. I guess those are just my neighborhood, not my apartment but I feel an all-encompassing neutral energy about the whole thing. This is how it is in Manhattan. Unless you have bajillions of dollars, nothing is your way and every positive moment is canceled out by a low blow. I love that I live in a better neighborhood, closer to work, closer to bars, closer to everything and I pay, on average, less that I did before. And now I have turtles. But,


The old-timey heater exploded and shot steam all over our bedroom. That thing on the ground is supposed to keep that from happening. And this is a staged picture - that thing flew off into our laundry hamper!

(New) Bar Night

I love going to new places. Case In Point:

Burp Castle

Loved the look of this place - murals on the walls and belgian ales galore.
Only problem? We kept getting shushed!

Finally get to McSorleys.

Book Party at Diane Von Furstenberg

Erica invited me to a fancy pants book party in Meatpacking and…wow…i just impressed by this store (and the people). So gorgeous...a candyland of exactly the clothes I would wear if I didn't have to shop at thrift store/Goodwill. I actually have two DVF dresses (one blue/white wrap dress ($29) and one tangerine ruffle dress ($19) both purchased at beacon's...oopsy) plus my luggage. Highlights of the evening include seeing DVF in the flesh and nerdy journalist spotting - Bill Cunningham of NYT.

The book is Kim Hastreiter’s “Geoffrey Beene: An American Fashion Rebel”.
Nobody really thinks about GB anymore (anyone? bueller?)
but he really was influential in developing the modern fashion market. And there was a film.

With designer Robert James - of By Robert James designs - a fabulous, super nice guy - check out his beautiful clothes…Kim Hastreiter is signing books in the background…
(hawks by geren ford top, botkier purse)

We are upstairs in, what I can only assume, is the lounge area for frequent/bajillionaire customers.

Best photo of the night.
Erica at the top of the DVF stairs.
Great nights are pizza at Carbone’s + fashion party. I’m convinced.

Red Lights, Big City

Best, loyal-to-the-death friend Jane comes back home to New York today.

Us at May's Place Sushi (50% off) on 7th & 2nd Avenue

Telephone Bar with Becker

Bowlmor Lanes on University

Always a good time when that girl comes round.

Got My Hair Did

Went to Lindz at GiGi Salon in Astoria to get that nasty brassiness out of my hair.

Have you ever see so many foils!?!?

Craziness ensues!!

Hookah

Great night last night. It was Yom Kippur, so no eating. Ugh, absolutely one of the hardest things ever. But, I went out with Alex & Kevin for some delicious burgers at Brother Jimmy’s.

Notice the “ramrod”. Oh yeah. After our meals, we trekked down to the East Village for some hookah fun at Hade Bade hookah lounge.

It says “for ultimate wakey-wakey-ness”. So cute!

Now, at Hade Bade, there are soft, comfy mattresses and pillows everywhere. We had Efes and He’brew beers, and enjoyed Double Apple + Honey tobacco. Copious smoking pictures of Kevin, Alex and Erica ensued.

Mets Game with a Romanian and a Hungarian

Mmm, Queens.

We took Ms. Pants, my Hungarian friend & Dave's roommate, to a Mets game.

Of course, this is before their wicked postseason collapse!

She really likes the foam finger!

Last look at Shea

Dave is disingenuous. Angela is quite serious.

Goodbye Shea! (Go Phillies!)

Conde Nast > Dexter, of Showtime Fame

GQ and Wired are both Conde Nast Publications titles. This ad campaign (found at the 42nd Street subway stop) is absolutely delicious!

In Ten Years

This is what Mulboo & Yick will look like!

(They are currently about 2.5 inches long, this guy is about triple that)

Monday Night Funball

Blondies, where you can find me almost every Monday night since football season started.

Don’t mind the creeper staring at the camera. There’s a game on!

Boyfriend is a cutie.

Angela and Dave: funny faces.

On Saturday I Went Around the World

I started in New York this weekend, celebrating Angela’s big 2-4. Boy + I went to meet up with A and Big D at Wogies in the West Village - a Phillies bar - because we thought the Phillies game was on at 2pm. Nope! 6pm. 4 hours to kill, if you can’t do math. So, that said, we decided to do something I loved in college - going “Around the World”...food, drinks, you name it.

Maracas - Tastilicious tequila! This is possibly the least Mexican eatery besides Taco Bell, for one. But tequila is tequila, anywhere you go, and we wanted it! 4 shots + 1 free for the birthday girl + chips and salsa = golden.

At Lederhosen, ordering authentic Germanic brews

Flaming absinthe drinks at Pegu Club

Angela and I (with my drink (corpse reviver) and hers (absinthe & champagne)

it's almost summer...right?
Happy Birthday Angela!

My Last Meal

Watching “The Practice” lately (I love lawyers, and the law). One episode is entitled “Spirit of America” and it shows the last meal of a death row inmate. He eats lobster and strawberry ice cream. It’s got me thinking about what I would eat, just eat, for my last meal. Probably everything, I think. But mostly just tapas of everything I love.

Here goes:

- my eggplant dip

- georgia peach

- dad’s seed-y pretzels

- sarmale & mamaliga

- maryland crab cakes

- mom’s pizza

- rib eye, prepared by Alex

- vosges truffles (why not have the best?)

- fried chicken from vai

mm. i’m hungry.

Black and White Nights...in D.C.

I don’t like D.C. so I’m happy that I actually didn’t “go” there, but mainly stayed in Clarendon and Fairfax with Jane, my corporate “pitbull with lipstick”. We took the Vamoose bus down to Arlington and enjoyed tapas, shopping at Tysons, Jane’s housewarming party and a delicious brunch at the Silver Diner.

In Arlington Old Town with Natalia and Jane

There’s a LEGO store in Tysons???

Boy plays with mannequin. See what happens?

With Boy at J’s Black + White party

Breaking it down

(wearing an Alice and Olivia dress)

Discussing the meaning of life over brunch

Silver Diner with Jane and roommate Lori

At Crate & Barrel in Clarendon.

(wearing a Gryphon jacket, H&M tank, Botkier purse)

Thanks for being a wonderful host & friend, Janey!