Saturday, April 11, 2009

Food Favorite: Spotted Pig



I just can't get enough of this place! Small, very cozy, intimate, great beers and wines, gastropub food fair, very homey and soulful. I've had their burger and fries, fried pig ears (pin@ys - it tastes just like chicarron!), pork belly, lamb chops, and skirt steak - everything is cooked to perfection. Not only do they have multiple pork dishes (hence, spotted pig) - and ya'll know I'm a huge fan of pork - but, they also have cute servers (that's always a plus, right?!). =)



Friday, April 10, 2009

XOXO...

Gossip Girl fan here (and I feel a little embarrassed, but I know you're a fan too). Check out some of the sites:

The steps where lots of gossip and plotting happens:





The school courtyard:





Dalton School:


Anyone else a Gossip Girl fan? If not, just check out the first three episodes from Season 1 and if you're not hooked yet, I'll forgive you - at least you tried. The fan in me totally had a blast checking out these Gossip Girl sites with the person who is much more of a fan than I am - my cousin! haha... Thanks for visiting Kuya Marv!

Craft



This was such a classic dining experience in NYC. I walked into Craft, Tom Cholicchio's restaurant for those Top Chef watchers, and was immediately impressed by the warm lighting, amazing wine storage structure, and classic yet modern decor.





The food was cooked to perfection! Jeff and I started the night with a bottle of Malbec, and for the first course, had the arugula & lemon salad with the rock shrimp ravioli. Then we moved to our second course with pork and monkfish, and sides of gnocchi and baby carrots (my mouth is watering just thinking about these dishes). If I had to choose my favorites, it had to be the perfectly seasoned and fluffy gnocchi with the monkfish - MMmmmm!









Cheers!

Birthday Pics are Finally Here

Welcome to Therapy!



Here's a pic of my fellow research colleagues and their birthday gift to me: Whey Do Men Have Nipples? (Yes, I'll be citing this as part of my research!)



A Night of Fun, Drinking, and Dancing! One of the best parts of the night: friends from all parts of my life who happened to be in NYC came together, met one another, are now friends =) Cool people just attract other cool people!

Here's a pic of my cousin who traveled from the Bay, Paola (a research fellow from Ecuador), Jeff & Joey (Jeff who I used to dance with at DowneFX in the Bay! And fun Joey, Jeff's bf)











The Beyonce Girls perform Single Ladies perfectly! Plus - here's a pic of them and my friends who were their biggest fans!





A few more pics --





Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Birthday Bash!

OMG! Birthday Celebration was a huge success! Here's the wrap up:

My new and past NYC friends join me to celebrate my 29th birthday at a place fittingly named Therapy - a gay lounge and bar in Hell's Kitchen...



... Everyone grabs a drink to warm it up... group tequila shot #1... straight girl friends admire the bartender then start to harass him by taking multiple pics... Everyone grabs another drink... we head up stairs to dance... two guys decide to put on a bump and grind show on the center of the couches causing major havoc... the gays and girls scream and laugh... flashes and flashes (pictures are taken)... group tequila shot #2... more dancing... two other guys know the choreography to beyonce's Single Ladies and work it out!... the crowd goes crazy... more drinks... i'm more than buzzed and so is everyone else... tequila shot #3... drink #?.... dancing continues... more fun ensues... drink #?..... then....

pics to on their way. =)

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Cuban/Chinese Food



I had no idea that this cuisine existed until a coworker let me know - and, it is ooooh soooo good!

A little bit of history of the origins of Cuban/Chinese food:

Chinese immigration to Cuba started in 1847 when Cantonese contract workers were brought to work in the sugar fields. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese workers were brought in from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan during the following decades to replace and / or work alongside African slaves. Brought to Cuba as laborers, these migrants developed a cuisine that blended Chinese and Caribbean flavors.

I had dinner with my friends Mary and Ngoc - fellow Oaklanders who moved to the East Coast. Check out the tasty food - yellow rice with a medley of seafood (calamari, shrimp, and scallops), fried plantains, black beans, and grilled steak. Mmmm Mmmm....





Sunday, March 8, 2009

Spotted!



Look closely -- who do you see? If you squint your eyes just a little, you'll see the hot red glasses of Ugly Betty! No joke ya'll, it's really America Ferrera, and her co-star buddies Becki Newton and Michael Urie.

Just a few days after arriving into NYC, my research fellow colleagues and I decided to walk around our Grad School's neighborhood to get to know the area. Low and behold, we're crossing the street and notice a group of people looking towards a small, narrow street. As we get closer, we see lights, cameras, and.... The Ugly Betty cast shooting a scene for the show!

I've always been hearing that there are lots of actors all around NYC, but, I didn't believe it until this experience. I wouldn't have thought that I'd feel so star struck, but as an Ugly Betty fan, I couldn't help but feel super excited and gitty.

Check out the pics below for the few shots I was able to take of Michael Urie and the back of Becki Newton. America Ferrera had to shoot another scene on her own, and I wasn't able to switch my major zoom lens in time to catch her. Oh well, maybe another time! Or, maybe I'll find a way to be an extra for another show!



Monday, March 2, 2009

BRRR... It's Cold in Here!

Just overnight, I wake up and look out my window to see this...



As cold as it is, I couldn't believe how about 8 inches of snow has fallen. And throughout my day, though I had to trek my way to my first day of class in freezing cold, I'm amazed by how beautiful it is. Check out the winter wonderland that is New York. (By the way, the funny part of snow in New York is seeing people slow down at every curb and corner of the street to find a way to jump over or tip toe across the dirty water built up. It's tricky... what I thought was hard ice was really slush... and swoosh, my foot is soaked in water trying to get across the street).

The front of our dorm building -







Friday, February 27, 2009

Watch Out New York...

...Charles is here! Just kidding... It's more like, "Watch out Charles... big, intimidating New York is here." I just finished unpacking my two very large suite cases, settling into my my tiny room (you can only take 3-4 steps before there's no where else to go... i'm serious! Just ask Kelly), getting to know my neighbors (everyone at the I-House is super friendly), purchased my Metro card to get around (I'm off to the farmer's market tomorrow), and reading up on the latest "Time Out New York" Magazine titled "Go Out for CHEAP - 769 Ways to Enjoy the City without Breaking the Bank." Perfect!

The purpose of this blog is to have a place to record my experience (pics and all), share it with you, and keep in touch with all, my friends and family in the Bay Area. So please... comment, share your thoughts, and keep in touch. By the way, for those with SKYPE, look me up... I'm "cbugalde02".

Finally... to my friends and family... thank you for hanging out with me before I left the Bay. I had so much fun eating, drinking, talking, and laughing with you! Want proof? Check out the pics below.

-c

With Friends at Cha Cha Cha's



Chillin' Out with a few cousins over Pizza, Rock Band, and Red Horse Beer











The Girls & The Gays =)