Brooklyn Baby! (Part 2: Brunch and then some!)

IAM knew where she was taking us for brunch on the drizzly and windy morning we had before us: Tom's Restaurant.

After a few block walk from her apartment we reached our corner destination in Prospect Heights covered in real and faux fauna and florals. There were plastic chairs lined up in case there was a wait but luckily we went right in.

Immediately we were greeted by the owner handing out pumps of hand sanitizer and toast dripping with cinnamon butter and honey. Next a friendly man behind the kitchen counter made sure we had coffee if we wanted it.

When the owner realized that we weren't just your usual three sisters out to brunch - we were three sisters with the youngest's Spanish lover - he spoke the few words he knew of Spanish and then took the lover over to see a picture on the wall depicting the King of Spain skiing with the former owner of the restaurant in Colorado! It was that kind of place.

The menu was huge (as you can see) I was torn between sweet potato pancakes and pumpkin waffles. I bargained with my tablemates to finagle both. More toast was brought over. Then, while we were looking at the menu an old fashioned Egg Cream arrived at our table with four straws because of our Spanish friend.

We enjoyed our abundant breakfast. The potatoes were really salty and substantially delicious and familiar. My waffle was great, crispy and still fluffy and served with three different types of flavored butter! As we ate we were brought orange wedges and cookies. I have never seen this kind of service but I certainly didn't mind it at all.

The atmosphere was 30's mixed with 80's country home. The crowd was really a mix from the neighborhood. We sat next to someone my sister knew! They actually had me in their eyesight and started to talk about how that woman (me) looked just like their friend, IAM.

Every staff member said goodbye to us and wished us a good day as they do everyone. This was one of the warmest, quirkiest, most generous brunches I have ever had!

Brooklyn Baby (Part 1: Ice cream baby!)

JRD and I traveled down to New York City last weekend for my older sister's (IAM's) birthday scavenger hunt extravaganza! After a long day of running around Manhattan taking crazy pictures of ourselves with strangers and blue vampire teeth we ventured back to Brooklyn and were needing something to eat. Walking back to her apartment from the subway we came across Blue Marble. Of course, IAM had been there before, in fact just earlier that morning when she had taken my little sister there for breakfast!

Blue Marble is an ice cream shop with two stores in Brooklyn. What really got me was the toppings. Balsamic vinegar, honey, and fleur de sel were among the options for your ice cream! Unfortunately, when I asked what they recommend for the balsamic the girl working said, "It is wonderful on the strawberry ice cream, but...we don't have it right now." So then I asked what she recommend for the fleur de sel not seeing any caramel flavors. Her response, "We love to put it on the Dulce de Leche that we usually have but...we don't have it right now."
Have no fear! I ordered a rich scoop of this luscious dark chocolate ice cream on a sugar cone with fleur de sel sprinkled on top.

JRD had the pumpkin ice cream - sweeter than I expected and so good. A cold thing that could make you feel warm and cozy. perfect.

They have coffee and baked goods too (thus the breakfast...). Nothing is made in or by the shop but they are proud to tell you where it all comes from - always a great sign. Their way of bringing everything together makes for a great feel. With a tall wooden fence lining the wall, light blue and whit-ish paints that make the place feel open and bright, beautiful chalkboard menu and lovely staff (at least the one and only girl there when we went) Blue Marble feels as good as the treat you are getting!

New York City! (part 3)

When it comes to places to try, I always trust KK. So when I decided to head to the Big Apple I asked for her suggestions of where to stop. She equipped me with an index card scribbled with bakeries and cafes. It gave me the structure I lacked for a day in the city.

I showed my card to LM after brunch and she conveniently knew which stops were in walking distance. She marched us right over to soho, making a recommendation or two of her own along the way. In all my trips to NYC I have never spent much time in this neighborhood.

LM's addition was Ceci-Cela, a tiny hallway of a bakery that had a little room off the back for sitting. Stuffed in this narrow rectangle was a case brimming with rows and rows and columns and rows of colorful, cheerful macrons (stay tuned for more on this subject). In baskets and on trays were many other very French pastries and out of drawers poked serve yourself take-away savory pastries. Oh, I just adore macrons and these were true to their form!

We then went to Balthazar, a grand looking restaurant with a tiny and elegant bakery next door. LM swears by their chocolate bread. I ordered an almond croissant, a petit fore, a madeleine, and an éclair. Later in the afternoon I discovered the croissant was flaky; the petit fore with a marzipan bottom had a moist, perfectly square cake and dare I say it, supple fondant; the madeline was not too sweet and not too soft, the éclair disappointed me, but that is mostly because I had expected vanilla pastry cream pouring out but instead it was a wilting chocolate cream.

With two bags of treats in my hands, LM pointed us towards Once Upon A Tart, and said good-bye. Hot and tired, IAM and I decided to sit down at this next stop. A nice shoppe, with nice food, but something was missing. We refreshed ourselves but were not as taken by the atmosphere or the food. We nibbled, drank our iced beverages and went back into the stuffed streets of the city. Discovering the edge of a park, we stepped over a fence, reclined on the grass and laid out our spread of sugar, flour and butter from the bakery crawl.

Sunshine and treats…need I say more…

Perfectly content, we hopped on the subway. We had a live radio broadcast to see, after all!

New York City! Part 2

Somehow I didn’t realize that Saturday was going to be such a beautiful day and consequently, I didn’t pack accordingly. I threw together an outfit that consisted partly of what I planned, some athletic wear, and something from the night before. But then again, I was in a town where everyone looked like they were wearing something new with some sort of athletic gear and something from the night before, whether it be mousse, a dress, or person on their arm.

We went into Manhattan to meet IAM’s friend for brunch (IAM and LM are pictured as the meal is winding down...you can see all of our juice!). Luckily we beat the brunch crowd by arriving at 1pm. IAM suggested going to a Brazilian place called Café Colonial because she remembered them having delicious pao de queijos (cheesy little popover things). Eh, they were good, but my favorite part was the drink selection! They had fresh squeezed juice, strawberry shakes, açai shakes, and Ipanema juice (beet, carrot and apple juices). Whenever my body is slightly deprived it always tells me that I should drink my way back to a balance. I must have been really deprived because I almost only ordered drinks.



We stuck to breakfast fare, though I couldn’t resist a side of corn (corn and desire of it are pictured). We rethought our order with every dish that walked by (everything looked so good!) but were completely satisfied with our choices. The atmosphere was fresh and rustic, with white walls, white tile floor, sun shining through huge windows, wooden and tin accents and sturdy mix-matched furniture (you can get a feel for it in this solo shot of IAM). Their dinner menu looks promising too!

A good way to start our day (if I weren't on a whilrlwind trip it could have been the main event of a lazy Saturday).

New York City! (part 1)

Nothing says, "Welcome to New York," like arriving in Penn Station at 5:30 on a Friday evening. I was bombarded with emotions flying everywhere in between panic and Mary Tyler Moore. Finally, I met my sister, IAM, at her office at the New York City Opera. After she had her friend give me a tour of the theatre at Lincoln Center we walked around the upper west side.


Such a beautiful evening in the city and we went right to Shake Shack (it seemed like everyone else did too). We ordered two hamburgers, french fries, and a shake to go. A little old-fashioned but very contemporary joint with a drive-in feeling on foot and modern twists. The price of the classic hamburger seemed great, but our drink cost more than the burger. After going through the well oiled machine they have to get people in, out and fed, we took our paper bag and headed to the park. Everyone we walked by had just come from the Shake Shack and plopped down where they could to enjoy their spoils. The scene was probably the same in the surrounding blocks of the two other Shake Shack locations. We joined everyone once we found a bench in a little nook of the park that seemed right for us; a tasty way to partake in the warm(ish) night and catch up.

Even though we were full we walked to Magnolia Bakery for a treat to take with us back to Brooklyn: a Chocolate cupcake with white vanilla frosting and pink sprinkles. The self serve style of the cupcakes and cookies was off putting but it felt so right. When you order cupcakes don't you always have your eye on the perfect one? Sweet and satisfying, yes, but, part of the charm of the cupcake was going into that pretty shop with high ceilings and lace curtains. Luckily, IAM knew to order a serving of banana pudding, which was actually vanilla pudding, banana peices and vanilla wafers. It was so American, creamy and fluffily rich. I would go back for this pudding more than those famous cupcakes, lace curtains or not (don't get me wrong, I'm not about to refuse a cupcake either).

IAM and I fell asleep on the pullout couch that she made up for me in her little apartment, resting up for the indulgent day ahead.