What to do this week? 9/29 Edition

"We know there's no use in getting miserable, so we go out on the town instead" - Lee Ryan

In case you wondering what to do this week either to let off steam from work, try a new restaurant, meet up with friends for happy hour or have a great date, here is a list of my recommendations for the week :-)

Farmers Market Fridays
Every Friday from now until November 22nd, Queens Botanical Garden will be hosting their Farmers market Fridays. Be prepared to get lost in the option of fresh, local and seasonal food. If you're constantly thinking of your next best recipe, this is probably a great place for some inspiration!

43-50 Main Street
Queens, NY 11355


Happy Hour - O'Nieals Soho
No I didn't misspell it, its O'Nieals! My co-worker brought me here one day for a much needed happy hour and I was hooked. The ambiance is super chill with a touch of fancy (just what I like) and once 10pm hits, the music will keep you out of your seat! Happy hour runs Mon - Fri from 4 - 7pm. $2 off draft beers and $5 house mixed cocktails, which were definitely potent! The food isn't too bad either, so be sure to grab a bite as well. 

174 Grand St
New York, NY 10013


Chelsea Brewing Company
Looking for something different to do on your Saturday afternoon? Head over to Manhattans largest microbrewery for a FREE tour of its site and witness the magical brewing process. You will also receive a few free samples (cause why else would a tour be worth it?) along with tickets for discounted pints to enjoy at their bar afterwards. Tours run every Saturday from 2pm and continue every hour through 6pm. 

Pier 59
Manhattan, NY


Date Day - Smorgasburg
Do you and your significant other share a similar love for food? Then spend your Saturday or Sunday in Brooklyn enjoying a multitude of food vendors all at your fingertips! The event takes place at 11am on Saturdays at East River park and Sundays at Brooklyn Bridge park. 

http://www.smorgasburg.com/


Maya Modern Mexican Kitchen & Tequileria
Looking for somewhere new to dine? Tired of the same brunch locations where you can only choose one entree? Then bring your self and a friend to Maya! For $39 you get unlimited Mexican small plates and unlimited margaritas, mimosas or bloody mary's for 2 hours. The food is delightful, the drinks are strong and the waiters are excellent at making sure you get your monies worth of free flowing drinks and food! I can only imagine how great their dinner is. Other highlights of Maya: $2 Taco Tuesdays and $6 Margarita Wednesdays 

Here's a little pic of what to expect when brunching at Maya:

Enjoy your week :-)

**Spotlight Friday's**

Hallelujah it's Friday!! What a week!

Today's special Spotlight Friday will feature 2 picks that my fellow New Yorkers could possibly enjoy this weekend.

"No sleep till Brooklyn!"

As I mentioned in one of my posts this week, I spent one of the last days of my summer with Don Pepe visiting his friends in Brooklyn. We were supposed to go Salsa Dancing, however we let the night guide us and ended up staying in their new area. (They just moved there) I was actually so happy we did, because they took us to 2 places I pretty much fell in love with!

Apt 138

138 Smith St.

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, NY,

Yelp.com

We went here for a late night dinner, about 11pm, after finishing off two bottles of wine in our friends apartment. Thank goodness this place was within walking distance.

As you step in, it resembles a typical small bar/restaurant. Very dim lighting, and small intimate tables. However, when you go you MUST request their garden seating. They take you down the stairs and past the kitchen and into the most adorable, spacious outside seating area. (pictured above) The wooden tables adorned with candlelight make it so romantic.

We ordered another 2 bottles of wine and then our feast was as follows:

Appetizer: Mozzarella & Tomato - Now I've eaten this dish about a million times in my life, and who knew anyone could make this simple dish actually stand out! It was either the best balsamic dressing I've ever had, or the delicious pesto sauce that lined the outskirts of the plate, that made me want to order, 2 or 3 more. AMAZING!

Entrees: Jess and I ordered breakfast for dinner. Yes I said it, breakfast for dinner! A bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a giant english muffin with potatoes and a salad. The sandwich was huge, the cheese was just dripping off of it and the bacon was nice and crunchy, just how I like it!! Gosh, writing this makes me want it right now! Jay went with the Goat Cheese frittata. It looked heavenly, but I'm not the biggest fan of goat cheese and he didn't really find it to be all that great. My bf Don Pepe, ordered the seafood paella. His favorite dish anywhere we go. It had mussels, shrimp, chicken, chorizo and peas all mixed in Spanish rice. He didn't talk much while eating it so I'm guessing it was excellent!

Sides: We all shared a side of Macaroni & Cheese. It was big enough to be someones entire meal. Now if you read my blog regularly, then I'm sure you have already realized what a HUGE fan of macaroni & cheese I am. I literally almost melted in my seat after one spoonful. It was soooo cheesy and had clumps of BACON in it! I swear I was in Macaroni and cheese heaven!!!

If you are ever in the Boerum Hill area of Brooklyn, this is a must stop! Actually even if you are not in that area, just take the trip and go!

Our next stop was for some after dinner dessert and drinks!

CAMP

179 Smith St

Brooklyn, NY 11201

The place actually really resembles a cabin in the woods somewhere, adorned with deer heads and all. They even have a Buck Shooting game, which I learned I am terrible at, but it was still so much fun. But you want to know what really made this place worth writing about? S'MORES!

You can actually make s'mores right at your table. They provide you with Hersheys chocolate, Graham Crackers and marshmallows, and you can actually roast the marshmallows at your table! It's genius!!!!

It was really such a great place to enjoy time with friends. And what's better than conversing with people you love over s'mores? Nothing.

So there you have it. A couple of "Brooklyn's finest" establishments.

Dang, I need to go back right now!!! =)

End of Summer Blues!

It's the last day of summer =( I hope everyone enjoyed this great season, through heat waves, tornadoes and all!

How have you enjoyed your summer? I spent most of mine enjoying some new restaurants, NYC restaurant week, trips to the Dominican Republic and Washington DC. Watching my godson grow, Yankee Games, parties, weddings, BBQs, beach, sitting poolside, and lounging! It really was a great summer!

This last weekend of summer was great! Friday spent time with my aunt for our monthly wine and cheese night. Saturday hit up Harlem and Brooklyn with my love Don Pepe. I pretty much think Brooklyn is my new love! We had dinner with friends at Apartment 138 and then walked down the street for some drinks at Camp. They were both amazing!! I will do a double feature Spotlight Friday on these 2 Brooklyn spots. But for just a glimpse into my review, imagine breakfast for dinner and possibly the best mac and cheese you ever tasted, finishing it off with do it yourself S'mores and a game of Buck Hunter. It really doesn't get any better. On Sunday, it was a day full of relaxing! Spent some time with family and Don Pepe, then caught up with an old friend Nikki, over some rum & cokes and pool.

But now it's on to enjoying the many adventures and events that Fall and Winter brings. Time to put away the bikinis and bring out the Northface jackets and boots!

Whopper What?!

“I love that whole princess mentality, but I also like throwing my hair in a ponytail and just wearing jeans, going on a hike and then eating a big chili-cheeseburger.” ~ Jennifer Love Hewitt

YESSS!!

Ladies, don't be afraid to go all out with your food every now and then. Having a juicy succulent chili- cheeseburger every once in awhile is not going to hurt your waistline. Plus, men might not always admit it, but they love a woman who isn't afraid to eat! We work too hard, spend so much money and effort keeping ourselves looking good and continuing to be the "classy lady" society expects us to be, that sometimes its actually healthy and beneficial to our sanity to let our hair down, let loose, get messy and pig out!

Courtesy of Marie Claire

Speaking of pigging out and Cheeseburgers =)

Burger King now has a specialty restaurant called the Whopper Bar! With only 4 locations across the U.S. (Miami, NYC, Memphis and Orlando) they are serving up there signature whoppers, but this time, you can create them ANY way you like! Pick the sauce, pick the toppings, pick the cheese!

Oh Em Gee!!

Or, you can pick one of their creations including the NY Pizza Burger: Four Whopper patties, slices of pepperoni and mozzarella cheese with marinara and Tuscan sauce on a sesame seed bun.

The only question I have is, Why didn't they think of this sooner???

Check out their entire menu and find their locations HERE

BBQ, Beer & Wine

This Saturday head out to the North Fork of Long Island where they will be celebrating their 4th Annual

Craft Beer, BBQ and Wine Festival

Photo Courtesy of LIPulse

Over 50 Breweries from around Long Island will serving up over 100 different beers for your tasting pleasure! In addition, the Martha Clara Vineyards will be giving wine tastings throughout the event.

That's alot of drinking!

So, along with your beers and wine you will also be given a BBQ sandwich and side so you won't drink on an empty stomach and get sick and can continue you're drinking festivities!

They're so smart =)

Tickets are selling quick!

$50 gets you a souvenir tasting glass, beer tasting, BBQ sandwich with side and attendance to any of their special programs held, including a session on how to pair your Wine and Beer with Food. Awesome!
Ticket prices will go up to $70 the day of the event.

They are even safety conscious!

Designated Drivers get a reduced admission price of $12 which gets you a BBQ sandwich with side, a bottle of water and attendance to their special programs. If you're caught even taking a sip of someones beer or wine, you get thrown out!

They are serious about their safety!

For more information on this event check their website HERE

**Spotlight Friday's**

Monte's Pizzeria

Route 111

Smithtown, NY 11787

Photo Courtesy of Zero Gravity Eats Smithtown

I had to spotlight one of my favorite pizzerias today! I don't really even need to write a long drawn out post about it cause this place really speaks for itself! I work right next door to Monte's and not only is their pizza and almost everything else they serve, Ah-Mazing, but the guys who work there are by far some of the nicest people I've ever met! You are always greeted with a smile and they make you feel right at home.

They are also the guy's who made this beauty:

 as i noted from a previous post and also the guys who gave me a free lunch today =) You know that made my belly very happy!!

Stop by Monte's and experience it for yourself!

It's Genius!

I LOVE Pizza! Any pizza! Any topping (minus mushrooms and anchovies, yuck!)

I HATE the Crust! Yup, I love pizza for its cheesy, tomato sauce, basil goodness! But I can really do without that dry, sometimes hard tasteless plain crust!

I LOVE Garlic knots! I mean if you don't like garlic knots, you're a dummy! Whats not to like about a garlic knot? Soft bread wrapped in a cute knot, oily and full of garlicky goodness!!!

What I really LOVE, is pizza with a Garlic Knot Crust!!!!

Yes!!!!!!!!! The pizzeria next to my job made this pie for the first time yesterday, and you know once I saw that I was all over it!!!! I don't know if anyone else has tried something as divine as this right here, but this was my first time, and, first time actually eating a WHOLE slice, crust and all!

This is officially my new addiction and I NEED to find more pizzerias that will make this for me!!

My belly was so happy =)

That Wasn't Chicken =/

LMAO!!!!!!!!!

This picture really made me think, has anyone ever eaten something, whether out of pure hunger or just greed lol, that you KNEW was either:

1.  The worst possible thing you could eat (but hey its probably the most delicious too)
2. Covered in nasty bacterias (our bodies are strong though so we believe it can fight the germs off)
3. Definately wasn't what it was being advertised to be (see pic above for reference haha)

I know I defiantely have!! Oops =/

I mean my fellow New Yorkers, what about the dirty water dogs from the carts you can find all over NYC? I mean if you think about it, how long has that water been sitting in there? Where do they clean it? Do they dump it out throughout the day and refill or is it sitting there from morning to night? How many of these guys do you see wear gloves when they are making your hotdog?? I ask myself these questions all the time....especially when I'm about to walk up and get one!!! I mean the thought may be gross, but the truth is when I'm hungry, I'm hungry and those hot dogs are SLAMMIN!!!!!

And remember the E-Coli outbreak at Taco Bell? Where all of a sudden Taco Bells across the nation were "no mans land" and they even had to close down for awhile? Guess who was still eating there even after the outbreak and before they closed? Guess who was at the drive - thru THE DAY it opened back up? Yup, it was me! Taco Bell is La Bomba and no one is keeping me away!

Don't Judge Me!

And what about the picture above?? Like I've said in one of my previous posts, NY has the BEST Chinese restaurants! Period! Don't try and debate me on this one cause i don't care, you will lose! However, some of NY chinese restaurants have been in the news for lets say, not using the correct "edible meat" in their dishes. Have these accusations stopped anyone from eating here though? NOPE!! I will continue to order Chicken and Broccoli for the rest of my life!!!

Has anyone else had similar nasty eating experiences? Or am i the only nasty fat ass??

HA!

National Cheesecake Day!!

OK, im back! To say this week has been so stressful and busy would be an understatement! I know i slacked on my Wendesday ~Eat Up, Drink Up or Shut Up~ post so i promise next week i will double the recipe goodness!!!

OK! Moving on!

HAPPY NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY!!!!!!

I'm going to admit that I am not the biggest fan of cheesecake, however, for some reason Oreo Cookie Cheesecake really really gets my tastebuds jumping!!! So today, I will take part in this beautiful holiday and have a slice =)

For anyone else that would like to take part in the festivities today the

will be serving up slices of ANY cheesecake on their menu for half price all day, all night! I believe they have over 20 different types, so just go and run wild!!!!

For all of you New Yorkers, our most famous cheesecake establishment

located right in Brooklyn will be celebrating their 60th Anniversary and National Cheesecake Day by serving up free slices of ANY cheesecake with a purchase of a lunch or dinner entree OR serving ANY cheesecake slice for 60 cents!!! Their slices usually go for about $6!!!!!

Unfortunately, I won't be in the area today to enjoy a Juniors Oreo Cheesecake since it is the BEST in NY!!!!! But I will be enjoying one at the Cheesecake Factory =)

For more information and to find a Cheesecake Factory by you, visit their website Here

To drool over Juniors delicious Cheesecakes and for more information about one of New Yorks most famous establishments visit their website Right Here

**Spotlight Friday's**

The Eatery at Tullulah's

12 4th Ave

Bay Shore, NY 11706

Photo Courtesy of Foodie Girl

I first discovered this restaurant earlier this year, when my bf Don Pepe and I were on this whole "we-need-to-eat-at-BYOB-restaurants-all-the-time phase. We had just discovered a great one in the village and were DYING (literally) to find one on Long Island. Immediately I turned to my handy dandy Google (I'm not sure what i would ever do without Google) and began searching desperately for "BYOB restaurants on Long Island."

BAM!

The Eatery at Tullulah's website pops up. It was literally almost like the heavens opened up, and the birds started singing. We didn't waste anytime. The very next night we bought a HUGE bottle of wine and headed straight to their door. What a pleasant surprise.

Ambiance: The Eatery at Tullulah's kind of reminds me of a small chic restaurant you would find in Soho. Dark paint and art on the walls, and a chandelier greet you as you make your first step through the window paned door. Some Bob Marley played softly in the background, immediately giving me a chill relaxed vibe.

Food: AMAZING!! I mean theres really no other word that can describe the taste orgasm i received while i was here. We tasted the Chorizo, the hanger steak, the Sesame Soy Chili Wings (so spicy but too delicious to put down) and the smoked Gouda mack n cheese (so cheesy, mouthwatering). They come in Tapas style, so they can easily be shared. Oh and did I mention this place was BYOB? Let me repeat! BYOB!!! Yes, you can bring YOUR OWN bottle of wine and they will provide the glasses and corkscrew and bucket of ice for chilling if needed.

I mean how much better can it get?

Awesome food? CHECK. BYOB? CHECK. Great ambiance? CHECK.

I would definitely recommend this place for a great date with that special someone or to celebrate a special occasion. BYOB and Dinner are on Fridays and Saturdays from 6pm - Midnight.

I am definitely a BIG fan of The Eatery at Tullulah's and give it my official Cupcakes & Caviar Stamp of Approval =)

Tullulah's

Just a random thought...but I've always wondered why people who live or visit New York would EVER eat at a chain Chinese food restaurant. I.e. P.F. Changs, where a meal for two will probably run you about $40! We live in NEW YORK people! We have THE best family owned Chinese food restaurants in the states! (yeah I said it). Like Empire Ginger in Smithtown, Shanghai Garden in Flushing, and the little closet sized mom and pop restaurants in Chinatown. Whats better than a $5 lunch special? Or a quart of Pork Fried Rice for $2??!! That's comfort food for ya!!

So please, if your visiting NY or your a local whose looking for a good eat, and you're getting lured in by the bright lights and fancy looking overpriced Chinese food chains...STOP YOURSELF! And go to a local establishment!! Your belly wont be disappointed, and neither will your pockets =)

OK, back to my chicken with broccoli....