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Another Year Sexier

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Last night I spent hours smiling, laughing, sipping, and eating with some amazing friends! I initially thought that hosting a holiday party next weekend and the Miami work travel would make things too hectic for a birthday party but I’m thankful that Bo convinced me otherwise!

We me the group at the Hurricane Club at 9pm for a dinner of tropical shared plates and fun rum punch drinks!

008The first to arrive, we had just enough time to grab a fun drink at the bar. Bo started with a Manhattan and I went with my standby, vodka soda with a splash of cranberry. The fun and slightly kitschy decor immediately put us in a party mood!

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010  012For anyone who has yet to enjoy drinks or a meal at the Hurricane Club, the atmosphere is not the only amazing part. The owners really have mastered all three aspects of a restaurant experience: atmosphere, food, and drinks.

These pictures, while devoid of people, give you an idea of the decor and interior. The restaurant was packed last night, but at 5:30 this evening when I showed up to pick up my camera which had been left behind, it was completely empty.

022 023 Upon being seated, our party was ready to dive into the food and drinks!

We started with two Brazilian punch bowls and the Pupu appetizer platter.

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014 The highlights of the platter were the tuna tartare cones, coconut shrimp, and the PB& Guava Jwith prosciutto and Thai basil.

After enjoying some sweet drinks and appetizers, we ordered a number of main dishes to share:

  • Honey-glazed baby back ribs
  • Bangkok chicken stir-fry
  • Filet mignon w/shiitake mushrooms
  • spice-crusted shrimp with coconut cream
  • scallops a la planch
  • Shanghai lobster noodles
  • steamed baby bok choy

020 017 021 The food was even more amazing than I remembered, especially the lobster noodles and the scallops!

No birthday celebration is complete without dessert, so our table shared two different desserts, the chocolate kill devil’s food cake and a peanut butter sandwich. The devil’s food cake was like an uptown, grown up version of a Little Debbie Swiss Roll.

022 After dinner the majority of the group ended up at Cibar where we enjoyed our version of bottle service, compliments of our fine gentleman escorts!

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019002Needless to say, after a fun evening with lots of bubbly, I’ve spent the day in bed, on the couch, and in the kitchen baking. I didn’t shower until 5pm and have only left the apartment once all day. The lazy recovery day felt wonderful, complete with homemade pancakes, miniature red velvet cupcakes, and healthy Chinese dinner to complete the day!

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Have a wonderful Sunday evening and here’s to hoping the painters will be finished tomorrow and that our life can return to normal.

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Salad and Potato Chips

 

Last night I was that girl. The girl who orders a salad, with dressing on the side, and then chows down on potato chips. You know what? I loved every minute of it and wouldn’t change a thing!

When Tina announced that she was coming to NYC, I knew that called for a celebratory dinner and some much needed girl time over delicious food and some quality beer. I really wish we’d captured a picture last night because we had such a great time together!

After Frank and Melissa introduced us to The Smith last year during a double date, Bo and I have since become huge fans of The Smith’s original East Village location due to the fact that they are on Seamless Web. Every so often we’re in the mood for delicious takeout that is a step above sushi or Chinese. Everytime we order from The Smith we’re impressed more than the last!

Therefore, I was excited to share The Smith with Dori, Theodora, Tina, and my friend Jessie last night and knew it’d be the perfect spot for us to celebrate!

Below picture via Tina.

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The Smith is best known for their upscale and perfectly executed comfort food. The house specialties include hand cut potato chips, macaroni and cheese, and tomato soup. Both the Midtown and East Village location are quite large, leaving plenty of room for large groups and a hopping bar.

Choosing drinks was the easiest task as we each knew exactly what we were craving whether it was wine, beer, or a cocktail. I started with a perfectly refreshing Duvel which paired perfectly with our next course.

004 As I mentioned before, The Smith, is known for their hand cut chips. Who can resist potato chips topped with blue cheese, melted and served on top? Dori and Theodora ordered these for the table and it was an amazing choice.

001 (640x478) By the time we were done with this bowl there was nothing left except some melted blue cheese which had dripped to the bowl’s bottom.

While most of the table was dreaming of The Smith’s famous chunky tomato soup, I knew exactly what I wanted: salad. I’ve ordered one of The Smith’s huge salads at least 90% of the time and have never been disappointed. Their salads are always huge portions, piled high with delicious and fresh toppings that leave me satiated and stuffed.

Tonight I chose the chicken salad which is a bit simpler than some of their others but equally as delicious. This huge bowl included fresh arugula, sliced Granny Smith apples, walnuts, Brie, grilled onions, and rotisserie chicken.

002 (640x478) In case you’re wondering what the tomato soup looks like, below is a picture of Tina’s chunky goodness.

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I’m not going to lie, it looked pretty amazing. I think I’ll have to order this next time!

If you live in New York City and are looking for a casual dinner, lunch, or brunch spot with friends The Smith is a reliable and reasonably priced choice! If you’re looking for more information, I highly recommend checking out Dan’s review here!

Question: Have you ever been that person who orders Diet Coca Cola and fries or a salad and potato chips?

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Casa Mono Restaurant

Happy Sunday! I hope you all have enjoyed the weekend as much as we have thus far! Our weekend has been a perfect combination of friends, amazing meals, and spending time together wandering the streets of New York City!

Friday night, after a delightful happy hour at Pipa in the Flatiron district, Bo and I found ourselves wandering through the neighborhood at 9pm in search of a dinner spot. This can be a recipe for disaster as seats are hard to come by in New York City restaurants on Friday nights. We happened to pop into Mario Batali’s Casa Mono, hoping we could add our name to their wait list. Much to our delight, they were able to seat us immediately at the corner bar.

Batali’s Spanish tapas style restaurant never ceases to amaze us with the impeccable service, delicious dishes, and reasonable prices.

We quickly ordered a glass of crisp white Spanish wine and placed our order as we were both starving. Unfortunately, you can’t just order as you go at Casa Mono. You must place your entire order at once which is a bit annoying since it is a tapas restaurant.  The complimentary olives and fresh bread were just the thing we needed to put our hunger at bay as we chatted and people watched.

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We ordered five small plates including new to us items and a few of our favorites.

Scallops with Concord Grapes and Brussels: The scallops were cooked perfectly but neither of us thought this dish was worthy of ordering again. The grape flavor didn’t match very well and we were unfortunately very disappointed by this first dish.

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Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Croquetas: We ordered these little bites after reading on both Zagat and Yelp that these were many people’s favorite small plate. We could have easily enjoyed two orders of these croquets as they were absolutely divine. The mild goat cheese paired perfectly with the crisp pumpkin.

005 (640x480)Duck Breast with Butternut Squash and Maple Syrup This decadent and savory dish was my favorite of the night. The sweet maple syrup paired perfectly with the crisp savory duck breast and butternut squash is a side I never would have fathomed would pair so perfectly with the duck.

006 (640x480)Skirt Steak with Onion Mermelada We have ordered this dish each of our four visits to Casa Mono. Tender to the bite, this skirt steak is a leaner meat dish than most of their dishes, but perfectly tender and crisp. The onion mermelada is unexpectedly sweet with a hint of relish spice.

007 (640x480) Setas with Garlic: These wild mushrooms were tender and bursting with rich garlic flavor.

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We often forget to recommend Casa Mono to friends visiting New York City but after Friday night, it has quickly become forefront in our mind. If you’re looking for a perfect spot for an intimate dinner than Casa Mono is perfect.

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