Fizzy Thoughts is hosting the New York reading challenge and this is the first mini-challenge. For February, we need to “start spreading the news” by compiling lists of ten things about NYC. Here’s my list of tea houses I love or want to visit. My Favorites 1. Teany – currently closed due to a fire, [...]

Happy new year! Here’s a list of my favorite things from 2009 (several items were out prior to 2009, but 2009 is when I first experienced them): Favorite Book: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Favorite Book Cover Artist: Chip Kidd Favorite Book Podcast: Books on the Nightstand Favorite Film (Theater): A [...]

If you love cupcakes as much as I do and live in NYC, then head over to GraceNotesNYC blog for the cupcake cagematch – 21 cupcake joints judged for best chocolate, vanilla, wildcard, moistest, prettiest, and overall. I’m surprised Butter Lane didn’t win more categories (wildcard winner), but I haven’t tried all the places on [...]

Here’s my list of the best of 2008: Best Book: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz Best Film: tie between Wall-E and Wristcutters: A Love Story Best TV Show: Lost Best Album: Acid Tongue by Jenny Lewis Best Purchase: Wii Fit (I just don’t use it consistently yet) Best Meal: Union [...]

A new cupcake place has opened up in my neighborhood! Near Chocolate Bar, Butter Lane is located on 7th Street between 1st & A. Today’s specials were blueberry, pumpkin, and banana. Of course, we had one of each! I thought my favorite would be pumpkin (it always is), but this time around I fell in [...]

Last Saturday, Christian and I took a cheese class at the famous Murray’s Cheese Shop on Bleeker. The class included six cheeses and two wines. Clockwise, the cheeses are: Sainte-Maure De Touraine (lightly aged goat from France), Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill (bloomy rind from Georgia), Durrus (washed rind from Ireland), Roncal (uncooked pressed sheep [...]

Last night I was at the New York Public Library for a discussion on culinary innovation. Grant Achatz, owner and chef of Alinea, was on hand to discuss unique techniques he uses in his restaurant. Nathan Myhrvold was there to define the more technical side of the discussion. The innovations in food preparation reminded me [...]

After starting In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan in January, I left it aside for other books that were screaming for my attention. Thanks to the Wind-Up Book Chronicle Challenge, I have finally finished this well-researched book. In Defense of Food is broken up into three sections – nutrition, the Western diet, and recommendations [...]

Over the past two weeks, I’ve had quite a few “firsts” in my life. I wanted to share them with you. Used a soldering iron – My headphones stopped working, so I merged my quality ones with the iPhone headphones. I used a YouTube soldering iron video as well as a iPhone headset mod photo [...]