Eats & Cuteness ~ February 24th

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! I appreciate them! I've still been depressed and not feeling well lately, so really some of the only times I "eat" are when I go out to get food I really like. I basically survive off of Naked Juice and Odwalla Juice because it's one of the only things I can stomach. (I think my hormones are still screwed up from those damn birth control pills I quit taking a month ago now.) Anyways, here are some of my eats over the past few days...

My parents took me out to my favorite Italian restaurant Sunday night for another birthday dinner. We went to I Tre Merli Bistro in the West Village. (This was my greatest restaurant find in the past year... everyone I take here is blown away by it!)

I got my favorite, penne alla vodka! :)

I went to Dang Lai Palace earlier this week too... this was my first vegetarian asian restaurant find, because I used to live up the block from this place on 3rd Ave. when it opened back in 2007 (this restaurant was the "replacement" for Zen Palette that closed in Union Square, which was terrific-- the one on 9th Ave., not so much). But now since I've discovered so many other places (like Wild Ginger, Qi Asian Eatery, Sea Thai Bistro, etc.), this place seems only mediocre at best.

Their taro spring rolls aren't really that good in comparison to what I'm used to now!

I got their wonton soup, which is good, although the wontons are tiny!

Their steamed veggie dumplings though, for some reason I could barely stomach! The coating is just too thick and it almost has an aftertaste. Wild Ginger's steamed veggie dumplings have spoiled me forever!

Still, they have some of the most delicious cheesecake I've ever had, which is reason enough to go! It's just so creamy!

Later on that day I went to Jamba Juice to get a smoothie. I like to get the "aloha pineapple" one, without bananas (because I can't stand them!). I always get the free "immunity boost" added to it (which can't hurt, especially with the weather we've been having in NY!).

Today I wasn't feeling well again (headache and whatnot), so I didn't end up eating until later this afternoon. I was out and decided to go to the Spice in Union Square-- big mistake! The place was PACKED. Not a single table and people were actually waiting in line to get them. So I decided to just have what I wanted delivered to my apartment. They took forever and I was starving, but I am addicted to their food, so it's the price you have to pay I guess! lol

Peanut was all ready and waiting on the table when the food finally came!

I got their spring rolls...

and their broad rice noodles with tofu.

One of Peanut's favorite activities is getting the way of the refrigerator door when we open it! lol This is something he's been doing since he was a baby... I think it's an attention maneuver, and you know what? It works! He's so frigging cute!

And I'll leave you with more cuteness... here's a picture I came across on MSN today... a kitten that's befriended a squirrel! :)

P.S. ~ Does anyone know what happened to Taylor's Joy of Food blog or the Peanut Butter Bliss one? I feel so out of the loop when blogs just disappear! :(

Happy Birthday to Me! February 20th

I used to love my birthday... but not so much anymore. It just means getting older and time passing (and yes, I realize I am not that old! lol). I've actually been pretty depressed today for a variety of reasons though, so I don't feel like doing a cheery post and I'm not going to! But I did go to Wild Ginger tonight for dinner... just me and my Mom. And the funny thing is, this is the first time my Mom has ever been. She's not a vegetarian, but I figured it wouldn't kill her to sit through one "meat free" meal with me! lol Here's what we got....

Her dinner came with miso soup, so that came out first. My Mom really liked it and I tried a bite and thought it was good too.

We both got the spring rolls. They are truly a winner! :)

We got the tofu skin wraps to share, because we both wanted to try them. Shockingly, this was the very first thing I didn't like at Wild Ginger! And neither did my Mom. They just had a funny taste to them. My Mom said they must have put something fermented in them... but I don't know. They looked like they would be tasty though!

Luckily we loved our other appetizers though... Mom got the baked eggplant.

I got the steamed veggie dumplings, a usual favorite.

Mom got the moo-shu vegetables with wrappers for her entree.

I got my usual favorite, pineapple fried rice!

I didn't have room for dessert, so I got some to take home. I've heard great things about Wild Ginger's peanut butter bomb, and it lives up to the hype. In fact, I'm nibbling on it now!

I took some pictures of Peanut today... what can I say? He's a beauty! :)

And a note about the up-coming Wild Ginger meet-up... after going there for dinner tonight I'm almost leaning towards trying to do a lunch there instead. They aren't as busy, so I think they'll be able to cater to a larger group of people then... AND it will be easier to find them in daylight hours! lol I will e-mail the attendees detailed instructions on how to get there, but I think we're looking at a Wild Ginger lunch instead... I'd do a weekend of course so everyone could make it! And it will be sometime in March. That's all for now!

Sugar, Spice & Blogger Meet-Ups! February 17th

A lot of you have been asking me about meet-ups and whatnot, and I've been planning to do a blogger meet-up at Wild Ginger for a long time now. So, if you would like to come to a future Wild Ginger meet-up, please e-mail me (see advertisement on the right). Let me know when you'll be in town (or if you already are living in the NYC area), and when you could make it. Because I want to try to arrange it when some out-of-towners are here too! I'll be updating you guys once I get a better idea of when to have it, so keep checking back! I'm going to be having my own private dinner there this Saturday for my Birthday (I think).

Now, on to the eats... and because of Maggie (from Say Yes to Salad), I have a new restaurant to tell you about! She told me to check out Spice the other day... there are several locations in NYC, and the restaurant is owned by the same company that owns Sea Thai Bistro, so they're very similar and she thought I would like it. Turns out... she was RIGHT! I actually ended up trying TWO of the Spice restaurants this week! One in Chelsea, and one in the Union Square area (see pics below!). So thanks again for telling me about these restaurants Maggie! :) Now, here are some of my eats over the last several days...

Breakfast from the other morning...

A Naked Juice and a Clif Mojo PB & J Bar.

Lunch was at the Spice in Chelsea (at 8th Ave. & 20th St.). And just like Sea Thai Bistro, you get a free appetizer, which is always a plus in my book!

I got their spring rolls... these were very similar to Sea Thai's... same sauce and everything! But I actually prefer the way Sea Thai presents them, because they aren't already in the sauce. These were a little cold because of this. Good though, none the less.

I got the broad black noodle dish with tofu. Again, it's pretty much the exact same thing that I got at Sea Thai. The portion here seemed a bit smaller though... it was actually just the right amount!

After lunch I stopped in New London Pharmacy, which is an "old school" pharmacy in Chelsea. Not at all food related, but I liked how the store had pet cats in it! :)

Later on I had some brownies... I made some more Ghiradelli ones... they were on sale this week, and I was depressed... don't judge me! lol

Yesterday's breakfast was some cran-apple juice and a s'mores Luna bar.

We had more snow yesterday, and it was actually kind of a mess out! Peanut enjoyed looking out the window at it though!

For lunch I made my own egg mcmuffin with organic egg whites & american cheese on a sandwich size english muffin, with some baked chips alongside.

For dinner I made my own "colorful" pasta creation with mini bow-tie pasta, peas & carrots, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes in a marsala sauce (with parmesan cheese on top-- of course!). This was excellent!!

Today I was running some errands in Union Square, so I tried the Spice nearby (at East 13th St. & University Place, which is just below Union Square Park).

For something different I tried their vegetarian vegetable dumplings. These were REALLY good! I decided to get them because you can't get this appetizer at Sea Thai Bistro-- only the Spice restaurants have them.

I couldn't help but get the same broad black noodle dish because it's so delicious! I've become addicted to this for whatever reason. lol

So, I really like the Spice restaurants as a whole. The Chelsea one was much quieter and empty, so I liked the atmosphere more, but despite how busy the Union Square one was, the food was really fresh and excellent. I can't believe I've lived in NYC all these years and never went to them until Maggie pointed it out to me! lol Life is funny like that, because they are literally scattered ALL over the city... there's ones in the East Village, Astor Place, and Uptown too.

And for the "sugar" portion of my blog, aside from the brownie (above), I also got a black & white cookie from this organic/natural stand in the farmer's market in Union Square that I always go to!

That's all for today! And don't forget to e-mail about up-coming blogger meet-ups! I'm composing a list of people who want to go, and then I'll sort something out soon.

I'll leave you with Peanut cleaning himself. :)