Morning and happy Monday! Hope you enjoyed a lovely weekend, wherever it found you. I’ve added a tab for the 2012 recipe challenge, which I’ll update weekly. Unfortunately I can’t get that “Auto Draft” heading off of the page; something about creating a page on the WordPress site instead of using Ecto, the software I use to create my posts. Hope to fix that problem soon!
Thanks for all of your input on the allergy situation… they’ve been so helpful! I’ve decided to back it up a little so I can figure out more of what’s going on. I know that almonds and cashews are out of the picture, but I need give myself time to see how I feel without them before I go ahead and try life without wheat. Once I get the blood test results back I’ll have a little more info to work with, too, and will have had more time to adjust to whatever I have to/ want to do. I went to the hot bar at Whole Foods the other day thinking I’d have an easy time finding something to eat, but it was so overwhelming! There were gluten-free options, but many had nuts. And there were GF and nut-free things, but they weren’t vegetarian. So, again, I’m just going to take a step back and see what the next couple weeks reveal.
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Sofia and I met for brunch on Sunday at Slightly Oliver, a new restaurant on Columbus. (Brunch is always really “lunch” for me, since I eat breakfast pretty much as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning.) Slightly Oliver is a self-described seasonal gastropub, two things the Upper West Side could use more of.
Our meal came with free drinks; we both chose a champagne cocktail. I can’t recall exactly what was in it other than aloe vera, but it tasted like a liquified Flintstone vitamin. The vitamin would have been better! Even though it’s hard to resist the allure of the free (especially when it comes to booze), we left our drinks virtually untouched. Blegh.
The food was good, though! Sofia liked her Eggs Florentine…
And as for my polenta with polenta with poached eggs and mushrooms?
No scrap left behind.
Once I’d decided to hold off on nixing the gluten, an overwhelming need for a chocolate chip cookie washed over me. Not just any cookie, but one from Levain Bakery. (I’ve been known to rant and rave, with or without intoxicants, about the merits of “the cookie place” and why they churn out the world’s best.)
Before I knew what hit me, my feet were walking me down the steps of the basement bakery, waiting as patiently as I could for one of their freshly baked treats.
The pre-baked cookies are lined up in fist-sized balls of dough; most people split these guys. Me, I don’t share. These are too delicious to give away more than a bite of!
It was good fuel for the walk I took before, during, and after meeting up with my friend Ryan. We take good walks together.
To my embarrassment, however, I managed to get myself lost in Central Park just as it was starting to get dark. There were still a few runners and dog walkers in there, but I did my best to get out of there as soon as I could. I have a terrible sense of direction… it’s no fun to feel disoriented in your own city!
I’ve been craving bibimbap for weeks, and sweet-talked my dad into making it for dinner. Bibimbap is a staple dish in Korea and means “mixed meal/rice.” It’s a really comforting bowl of warm rice that’s topped with seasoned vegetables, chili sauce and some kind of protein; there are many variations you can try. (The Smith tops their vegetarian version with a fried egg.) I found this recipe, which my dad altered slightly by using half of the chili paste called for (the result was just spicy enough) and adding sautéed shrimp.
In other news, I rented two good movies recently: Midnight in Paris and Beginners . I’ve wanted to see MiP since it came out but never had the time, and it was such a nice treat to curl up with on a cold weekday night. I also just started watching Shameless , which I love but don’t think could handle a marathon of because of the subject matter. But it’s really good all the same.
Compass or intuition? GPS or map? Do you have a good sense of direction?
Have you seen any good theater, film, music, television, art, comedy, etc. lately?
bibimbap is amazinggggggggggg!!!
that brunch sounds like fun, and the cookies are gorgeous!
thanks again for the sweet email!
<3
gc
I’ve never heard of Slightly Oliver, good to know that there’s a new brunch place in the ‘hood! Sofia is such a great gal, sounds like a fun weekend. And you can never go wrong with a Levain cookie:) Was just swimming with one of the owners the other morning.
I’m glad the allergist was helpful. I really hope you don’t end up having celiac disease:( At least you will get a definitive answer, though.
This sounds like a really lovely city. And yes, it can be disorienting to get lost in your own city. But in my experience, you never forget that part of town once you figure out your way
This sounds like a really lovely weekend* is what I meant. Coffee hasn’t registered with brain yet, apparently.
GPS all the way
. We watched bad teacher recently and it was A LOT funnier than I thought it was going to be. That cookie seriously looks ridiculous good. Massive! Love polenta 
I have a great sense of direction, which has stood me in good stead all over the world. Even without a GPS, I am known as The Navigator. Everywhere but the West Village, that is. Just 2 weeks ago I got completely turned around over on W. 4th. Or was it Charles? W. 10th? Macdougal?
And I used to live there!
Since we will never make it to Dubei we went to see Mission Imposiible…and also so Mumbi and Prague….nice trip amazing photography
thumbs up to hollandaise and poached eggs. mmmmgood.
and dear god, keep me away from levain. those cookies are really too good. if anything warrants using the word “foodgasm,” these cookies are it. for reals.
Ha, I never realised that they did a US version of Shameless! Those cookies look insane – like what we call rock buns, yum!
Your Sunday sounds like the ideal – relaxation and time with yourself and friends. My dad and I watched MiP last week. We both liked it, but my dad thought it was a little odd (I don’t think he’d seen a Woody Allen flick before). Don’t you just want to live in that film? I do!
omg slightly oliver sounds AMAZING. i want those fried beets with tatziki!!! haha i just checked out the menu and i would be all over those beets like white on rice. and give me that ENORMOUS cookie! isn’t it always when we cant have something we just die for it more. what a glorious weekend to get lost in central park haha love it!
Levain bakery cookies forever!! I <3 them. And I want one soon.
MiP is next on my "to watch" list, glad you enjoyed
I have a terrible sense of direction! I thank my mom every day for buying me a GPS before moving to Raleigh on my own!
i’m glad to hear you’ll be taking it slow with the allergy news. see how you feel without almonds and cashews, and then reevaluate.
also, that polenta and egg dish just screams “leslie food.” i’m going to have to recreate that soon!
also also, you’ve just reminded me of how much i adored midnight in paris. i think i need to own that movie. perfect pick-me-up for the winter blues.
at least your food was good! I am always looking for post-race brunch places!
Do I sound like a douche if I say that I have an excellent sense of direction? Oh, and definitely map > GPS. My dad is obsessed with/collects maps, so he drilled it into my head at an early age.
Levain for life.
Bibimbap is delicious! Such a quick easy dish to make, and brings me right back to Korea. Is your dad Korea, or does he just like cooking ethnic food? Kind of jealous!
Midnight in Paris is a brilliant movie!
I have a pretty good sense of direction, thankfully. I don’t have or need a GPS, but in massive cities, where streets look sorta similar I can get a little lost I admit!