Parents Weekend

This past weekend, my parents came to visit. This was a spur of the moment Mother's Day weekend
trip. No reservations or itineraries were required. Just your everyday hanging out with your parents
like the old days.  Or so I thought...

Two weeks before their trip my Dad phoned to inform me he wanted to eat at Locanda Verde. 

Two weeks before their trip mind you. I pulled some strings and managed to get a reservation for 

Saturday night. Of course, after my amazing dinner with Jen and Mathias at Gran Electrica, a
second reservation was set in place. About an hour after I made the reso at Gran Electrica, I
received a "What's Happening this Weekend" email from my building. I knew I was in trouble
when I saw Fatty Cue in Williamsburg had reopened post construction. My Dad had been
asking me to take him there for almost two years. So, a third reservation went into play. 

Wait... what happened to our relaxing family weekend indulging in pizza, bagels, Cuban
sandwiches and falafels? It flew right out the window along with the pizza and Cuban
sandwiches. Not surprisingly,my parents were very much okay with our new plans. 

They arrived early on Thursday and met me for lunch. That evening, we had the first of our
three reservations. We headed over to Brooklyn Heights first as my parents had not seen the
 fabulous new Squibb Park Bridge from the Promenade down to the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

 After we walked the bridge, we headed through Brooklyn Bridge Park and back up Old Fulton Street
to Gran Electrica. As I have already dedicated a whole post on how amazing Gran Electrica is, I've
decided to just leave you with the amazing view we had from our table into their back garden.

After our delicious meal, we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. The sky was beautiful!

We headed up to SoHo for a little frozen treat at 16 Handles and then walked home.
It was a glorious evening.

Thankfully, I was able to take Friday off. We slept in and enjoyed our relaxing and lazy morning.
We headed out on foot towards breakfast which was of course, none other than Murray's Bagels.
One of the best ritual treats in my life. We headed north towards the High Line on this beautiful
morning. After all, my parents had not been in a couple of years and it was time for them to
revisit the ever growing elevated park. We made a pit stop in the Meat Packing District for
some much needed retail therapy. Actually, Theory just really missed me. Or was it, I just
really missed Theory?

Our Friday was turning out to be a great day. A little bagel, some shopping, High Lining, more
shopping, a little swimming and finally dinner. We dressed in our new clothes, and headed
out to Williamsburg for a little Korean BBQ at Fatty Cue.

During dinner, we made some new friends, chef friends, from London, and basically shared our entire meal.
We learned that one of our new London chef friends owns a BBQ restaurant in SoHo (London) and the
other a burger joint. After sharing photos of our favorite food, pets and places, continuous conversation
about food and the discovery that we all loved to ski, our new friends had to leave us to go meet friends
for dinner... wait? I guess when you're a chef and you're visiting another country, and have other chef
friends in that country, you're pretty much on an eating vacation. We said our goodbyes and headed out
to The Woods for a few more drinks followed by The Counting Room for a night cap. Let's just say,
we had a lot of fun and I might have felt it the next day.

On Saturday, it was overcast, as were we. Mom and I walked to Zucker's to get some better
than Oklahoma quality bagels, but definitely not as good as Murray's, and bring them back to a
surprisingly awake, with the bed made, Dad. After assessing the weather, we decided an
11:30am Great Gatsby sounded perfect. A bag of popcorn and an education on Jay Gatsby later
and we headed back out into this concrete jungle and back home for a nap. Locanda Verde was
calling, and nothing was going to ruin that night for us.

Of course Locanda Verde was spectacular. From my Dad's kale salad, Mom's beet salad to
my warm asparagus with egg and truffle oil, to our pasta entrees, we were all extremely happy.
Not to mention the lamp sliders and sheeps milk ricotta with sea salt and herbs crostini we munched
on in between courses.For dessert we shared the tiramisu and lemon tart. Thankfully the weather
 was nice out so we could stand up and walk home before getting back in bed, watching
Pitch Perfect, and passing out.

On Sunday, Mother's Day, we had a more relaxing day planned. Sara and Tucker came over for
brunch. I made challah French toast topped with berries which was requested by the Mother.
For Dad, I cheated a bit and reused some of the left over crostini and ricotta by heating the
crostini, adding ricotta, avacado and tomato slices and topping it off with an over easy egg.
I am pretty sure everyone was happy.

After brunch, we took the pups for a long walk from the South Street Seaport all the way around the tip
of Manhattan (Battery Park) and into Battery City and back home through Tribeca. After the long five
mile walk, Mom was ready for her Mother's Day relaxing while Dad, Sara and I headed back uptown
to Murray's Bagel to grab some grub for their in flight snack. After, we stopped at Bare Burger for a
late lunch. Well the girls ate burgers, Dad went with a salad.

After our lovely meaty lunch, we headed back to the apartment to bid my parents farewell. It was such a

fun weekend but I was exhausted and so were the pups. We spent the next hour napping. 

 After our naps, sixty laps in the pool and twenty in the sauna, I hit the pillows hard. What a weekend!

DUMBO: Gran Electrica

Photo

I have a new favorite restaurant in town! Two weekends ago, my coworker Jen invited me to dinner with 

her and her husband. She informed me that when her Mother was in town, she did some research 

on restaurants in her Brooklyn neighborhood and came across Gran Electrica. They went for dinner

 that night and she came into the office the next morning talking about margaritas and guacamole. 

It was early on a Sunday, the restaurant was busy but not overly crowded. We were seated at a nice 

four top in the front room. Jen took the reins and ordered a full size of guacamole, the salsa sampler and 

a round of the cucumber margaritas. Since we pretty much filled up on the chips, guac and salsa, we

 shared the Flautas de Pollo and Carnitas. After the server told us they had churros with dulce de leche,
we had to try them.

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The first thing that crossed my mind was the tortilla chips. You can almost tell right off the bat how amazing
a restaurant is by their bread, chips or any other carbohydrate. Their chips were not the flimsy greasy
kind. These babies were the real deal tortillas fried, baked or whatever the hell you do with amazing chips.
 I knew my Dad would instantly love them. 

Photo

The second life changing event was my first bite of guacamole. Flashbacks of my childhood growing up
in San Diego came roaring into my mouth. From five days old sleeping under the table, to visiting once a
year when I return, Alfonso's is and will always be my favorite Mexican restaurant. However, I can
officially say New York City now has some real Mexican food. Every taste bud on my tongue was
 dancing for joy. 

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And then came the rolled tacos, Flautas de Pollo. Not only were they spectacular, they had the same
cheese, queso fresco and salsa verde as Roberto's in San Diego. I knew after I saw the chips, but once
I finished the guacamole and Flautas, my parents were going to die and visit heaven when they
tasted this food.  Then, I saw Carne Asada on the menu and officially died myself. I immediately made
a reservation for their visit the following weekend.

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So, this past Friday, my parents and I went for an early dinner. We sat in the back room looking out
the back door to the garden. The weather was perfect. Nothing in life could have been better at
 that moment. After a couple Margarita de Toronja Picante, habanero-infused blanco tequila,
combier, lime juice, fresh grapefruit juice, jalapeno syrup, and spicy grapefruit salt, for my Dad,
 and a couple Margarita Electrica, blanco tequila, combier, lime, agave syrup and lime salt for my
Mom, we were celebrating the party in our mouths. 

We pretty much ordered the exact same thing I had the previous weekend, which I was ok with. To top
it off, we also added in the Carne Asada. We received the bill and my Dad blurted out, "I just had the
best meal of my life for $119.00." I am finally relived I now have an answer to a great Mexican restaurant
in New York City. It is also parent approved! 

Oh yeah... did I mention how amazing their back garden is? I'm in LOVE! 

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Jazz at Lincoln Center

I am getting ready to head out and get pampered for tonight's big event honoring my boss, Mica Ertegun.
I am honored, along with the office of MAC II, to be invited to such special event. I have the dress and
the shoes, now I just need to get myself ready! Hopefully I will have some photos to share soon!

DAVID CROSBY, STEPHEN STILLS & GRAHAM NASH AND THE JAZZ AT LINCOLN 
CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH WYNTON MARSALIS PERFORM THE CROSBY, STILLS 
& NASH SONGBOOK TO BENEFIT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER

DAVID CROSBY, STEPHEN STILLS & GRAHAM NASH

and the

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA

WITH WYNTON MARSALIS PERFORMTHE CROSBY, STILLS & NASH 

SONGBOOK

TO BENEFIT JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER  

May 1- Gala Concert and Dinner, May 3 - Public Concert

January 28, 2013 (New York, NY)   In a unique and historic collaboration, iconic rock trio Crosby, 

Stills & Nash and the world renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis 

will perform together for the first time in Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall 

in two concert events entitled “The Crosby, Stills & Nash Songbook.”  The premiere on May 1, 

2013 will be Jazz at 

Lincoln Center’s 2013 Gala Concert followed by a public concert on May 3, 2013.

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2013 Annual Gala Concert will honor famed New York Interior Designer 

and JALC Board Member Mica Ertegun and bestow upon her the organization’sEd Bradley 

Award for Leadership in Jazz. 

“The Crosby, Stills & Nash Songbook“will feature Crosby, Stills & Nash’s classic songs - music that 

has become a cornerstone of rock and roll - arranged by Marsalis and members of the Jazz at

 Lincoln Center Orchestra.

    

“Jazz at Lincoln Center is honored that Crosby, Stills and Nash are donating their time and talent to 

perform at this year’s annual gala,” said Wynton Marsalis, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Managing and 

Artistic Director.  “Individually and collectively, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash 

are influential and important figures in American music.  Their music is rooted in American folk, pop 

and blues traditions and their experiments with form, harmony and orchestration will make for a 

natural collaboration.”   

“Wynton Marsalis, who has become America’s musical hero and ambassador to the world in the tradition

 of the great Louis Armstrong, has offered us the chance to make music with the Jazz at the Lincoln 

Center Orchestra,” said David Crosby.  “These are musicians who have spent their whole lives becoming

 the very best in the world at what they do.  We are are excited and fascinated with this merging of 

musical streams and looking forward to a night to remember.”  

The Jazz at Lincoln Center gala dinner décor will be designed by David Beahm, and dinner will be served 

by Great Performances, the exclusive in-house caterer for Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Summer Doo's

This past Sunday, with the warmer weather heading our way, I decided it was time

 to give Oliver his summer hair doo. After two hours and a pile of hair half the size

 of Oliver himself, he was officially ready for summer. 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I've heard he looks smaller and he looks younger and I agree with them all. The one
I agree with the most is how adorable he looks! I love his chocolate coloring which
was hidden beneath all that blonde hair. 

I'm pretty sure he loves his new doo too!