Tuesday's Takeout

This takeout actually comes from Friday, when a long weekend led to happy bosses and my leaving at noon. Hooray long weekend!! So in attempt to diversify from ordering Posto yet again, and still score a cheap lunch special, (the highlight of getting out early) I walked across the street to grab some thai at Lantern. A sizeable appetizer and entree is $8, and I went with shrimp Pad See Ew and spring rolls. I added the Thai iced tea, my fav hot day drink, and they served it to me in a giant soup bowl, which was nice to sip all weekend long.

Lazy Coffee Monday

OK, with this being my second post about coffee you may be starting to realize that I LOVE COFFEE! I drink probably 4 cups a day. We can all debate about how healthy that is, but I think it is safe to say that it is just a necessity in my life. With this Monday being a holiday I had to forego my usual ING Cafe coffee and pick a more laid back destination. I love Monday holidays because I get an extra day to take care of laundry, go grocery shopping, and then spend a good couple of hours at a lovely coffee shop.

One of the reasons I started loving coffee was when I studied abroad in France. It was such a social event, but it was also completely acceptable to sit at a cafe all day with a paper and your tiny espresso cup. An activity that can be enjoyed alone or with company! By god, no wonder I love it so!

Today on my day off I found myself wanting to head down to my fave coffee destination, Irving 71. I would not recommend this place for an all day solo event because sadly the place does not include wifi on their menu which IS a major disappointment. However, if you just want to slowly enjoy your coffee and people watch I have to say it is a perfect solo place to kill a couple of hours. BUT my favorite time to go to the cafe is with friends, sitting outside in the nice weather and slowly sipping coffee and chatting. It really is a great lowkey activity and lends itself well to company.

via Flickr

Now onto the coffee. One of the things that surprised me the most about New York's food scene when I arrived was the lack of good coffee shops with good food. How can this be!! What is a coffee shop without a bagel?? So I was so pleased when I found Irving, who not only have excellent bagels, but a huge menu of breakfast or lunch options. Today I just feasted on a sesame bagel, but the salads are delicious, too.

I think what I like about it most though is it is the laid back coffee shop environment that I miss about all the other cities I have lived in. I always had my spot! And while this one doesn't meet ALL criteria, it will work as my loungey, lazy coffee shop for now.

Tapas y mas brunch

While Zoe was having her huevos rancheros at Esperanto, I was devouring the same dish at Pipa, just down the street from our apartment. Pipa is tapas for lunch and dinner, but serves an amazing brunch, although with no bells or whistles to speak of. Coffee and mimosa's not included. The huevos rancheros were the best I have ever had, with creamy black beans spread on a puffed up fried tortilla lying in sweet yet spicy tomato sauce. My only problem was that I woke up early to go jogging with the intention of rewarding myself with a satisfying brunch, and though it was delicious, too small. Next time I will definitely order sides, or the amazing looking calamari appetizer that I saw pass by...
Pipa's decor happens to be done by my favorite home store, ABC Carpet and Home, and there are hundreds of chandeliers dripping from the ceiling- with price tags telling you to dream on.

Shrimps, subs and snacks

This week I revisited one of my fav restaurants, Gemma, in the Bowery Hotel, and discovered that I actually do like zucchini- when done right, as their taglioni with shrimp in a light sauce with fresh tomatoes was. I've been wanting this meal again ever since.
Defonte's is around the corner which is scary for my scale considering how much I love their stacked thinly sliced fried eggplant subs. Friday I tried the breakfast sandwich which is basically a tortilla espanola with with ham, cheese and fried eggplant piled on a sub. I know!! It sounds crazy but was delicious. And large enough for me to share...which I did of course...

Finally, we get to my favorite snack- Stacy's pita chips and hummus. I go through bags and tubs of this, alternating flavors as the mood strikes. Right now I'm on a multigrain/ garlic addiction kick. Yummmm.