A Night at the Races

This post takes us a little out of the city, but not tooo far away. While home in Jersey for Memorial Day Weekend, I took a trip to Meadowlands Racetrack in Rutherford, NJ -- horse betting time (but no big hats, this ain't the South)! All in good fun though, of course. Who could pass up a fun night of food, drinks, and watching horses with crazy names race to the finish with an excited crowd cheering (or maybe cursing from the intense betters left disappointed and broke).

View of the finish line from the restaurant

There may have been no William Tell Overture, but I had a great time! The complex, also known as the Big "M", hosts an array of TVs, concession stands, bars, restaurants, and and outside area to watch. We started the night in the Terraces restaurant, which includes tables with a TV to hear the commentator/see a close-ups and huge windows so you don't miss any action. I didn't eat much there, but they hosted a nice menu, which included either a la cart type food such as seafood, steaks, and burgers, or a $30 buffet. With 13 races of the night this was a good spot to post up -- close to the betting window and table service.

Of course not much of a big better myself, I kept my wagers pretty low betting on horses with good odds and even better names such as Prince Bubba, The Terror, Frog Juice, and Oh My Joepa (I'd say it was meant to be since I attended PSU as an undergrad, but the stinker trotted in like :20 behind the rest of the pack).

Ca-chinnng!

The venue has races every Friday and Saturday night -- and even some other events that I'd love to go back for such as camel and ostrich racing (yeah.. what??... exactly!). Like any other sporting even they even had a T-shirt toss to keep morale up and the kids happy throughout the night (and yes, I caught one, in case you were wondering ;) ).

And hey... I won a couple hundred bucks -- beginners luck? (I'd say so... since I'm still trying to figure out what odds really mean...) Maybe I'll check out the Aqueducts in Queens now that I'm seasoned in the field :)

Ovelia Greek on 30th Ave

My last few posts have ventured well outside of the neighborhood, so this one is here to bring us back to Astoria. Well, bring us back and talk up some more delicious Greek food in the area. Where now? Ovelia Psistaria on 30th Ave and 34th Street.

Ovelia is a little more hip than a lot of the classic Greek Taverna's around, but I gotta say I'd be ready to head back there in a heartbeat. I just loved this little place. It had trendy decorations inside, but you could also sit on the sidewalk in the nice weather.

The service was great, the happy hour specials were impeccable, and the menu was so different. My friend and I started off with a glass of Sangria each and a Greek salad to split. Ok, yeah, yeah ...standard, right?

For entrees though, I got grilled baby shark with skordalia (a pureed garlic potato). I finalllllly got to try shark!! It's been on my "want to try" list for some time now. It was good -- the texture of a thicker fish, but I tasted mostly "grill". It had a small bone in the middle, which didn't bother me, but it surprised me that it was there. I enjoyed, but I can't say I'd get it again. My friend got Mousaka with lemon potatoes and it was GINORMOUS! She said it was delish and had plenty leftover for the next day's lunch, too. 

Ovelia offered everything from dips to meat dishes to seafood and beyond. A dish I want to try in the future is the lamburgini (ground lamb burger topped with sauteed Crimini mushrooms and Feta sauce served on a baked bretzel bun) or maybe the Ouzo Stir Fry.

Stin Iyiamas, readers!! (Cheers/to our health" in the language of my new people...)

Happy Summer from the High Line

Happy Summer (sort of) from a beautiful Sunday spent walking throughout Chelsea. May this sun come back soon!

While getting some color and walking the High Line, my friend and I got some deliciously juicy popsicles from La Newyorkina (Mexican Ice & Sweets) -- a little cart that provides yummy treats to cool off your hot days. I had the passion fruit pop, while my friend, Sheina, had the cucumber lime. I hadn't had a popsicle in years, and I must admit this was probably one of the best I've ever had. It tasted like real frozen fruit juice.

Sllllurp.

Eat.Drink.Dance.GoogaMooga.

Saturday was a great summer kick off having spent the day in 80 degree weather with some good friends at the GoogaMooga Festival in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. GoogaWhat?! Well, the website describes it best as "The Great GoogaMooga: n. an amusement park of food & drink; adj. something wonderfully great; excl. "oh my goodness!" or "how bout that!" aka foodie heaven.

Center Stage on a cloudless day in Prospect Park - Crowds were a-growin'!

Overall, there was a good amount of waiting on line (Ok, maybe similar to Disney World -- that's where the amusement park aspect comes in), but with good company on a beautiful day, it didn't much matter. There was plenty of good beer. Over the course of the afternnon, I tried lots of new brews such as Magic Hat Elder Betty, Peak Organic Summer Session, Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold, and Brooklyn Brewery's Doc Pomus -- and I liked each and every one... I think Ol' Betty won me over though. I also tried an array of food such as Dirty Bird's To Go Buttermilk Chicken Fingers, Joe's Pizza, a Cookin' With Coolio Soul Roll, and Wooly's Shaved ice with Strawberry and Brownie crumbles. This all sounds like a ton, but remember I was there ALL day and most of the food was shared between my friends and I. There were tons more famed NYC vendors such as Luke's Lobster, Roberta's, and Collichio and sons to name just a few. There were band playing all day as well, and The Roots tail-ended the night with some good festival music.

Dirty Bird To Go

Good NY pizza from the Village

Half a Soul Roll with a half a dime bag's seasoned salt (if you haven't seen the Cookin' With Coolio youtube channel, you should check it out. Apparently Coolio was around, but we missed him).

These are just a few of the days pictures. Oh... and did I mention, this was all free entry? What better way is there to spend a summer Saturday? You could have paid $250 to get an all access pass as well as see shows with Anthony Bourdain and Aziz Ansari, but hey... I was quite content with all of the food, drink, and atmosphere I got for around $40. The only thing was that you needed to sign up for your "free" ticket months in advance. I was just lucky enough to have heard about it. This was GoogaMooga's first year though, so I'm sure by next year all of their kinks should be worked out (aka hour long lines to get beer and food). 

Another fun fact, was that GoogaMooga was started by the creator's of Bonnaroo (the highly acclaimed music festival in Tennessee), so these people must be doing something right!

 Needless to say, I was pooped and in bed by 10 pm with my first sunburn of the year (a good base to tan the rest of the season now ;) ), but standing all day in the hot weather can really do ya in... or maybe I'm just getting old :/

A Taste of Turkey Right in the Middle of Manhattan

On Friday night, I got dinner with the girls from Two Minds Cook Alike. Of course, I  am always willing to try something new, and that night I had my first go at Turkish Cuisine. Well, I've had Turkish breakfast whilst traveling before, but I feel this extended way past that. I had also never tried lamb, so there was a lot of new tastes here for me. One of the lovely ladies I got dinner with has been spending a lot of time in Turkey, as well as having a Turkish fiance, so she knew just where to take us!

Bi Lokma, which translates to "One Bite", is an intimate little Turkish Restaurant located on E 45th Street not too far from Grand Central Station.  We definitely had more of a feast than a bi lokma though.

Thank goodness we were with someone who understood Turkish cuisine, because although each item was explained on the menu, you still never can expect exactly what is going to come out!

For starters we got an eggplant salad (similar to hummus) and cacik (yeah... try to pronounce that one properly on your own ;) ), which was a yogurt dip similar to those of you familiar with tzatziki, a greek sauce that is served with gyros. I didn't take any pictures of these starters, but they were both served with great bread for dipping and were yummmmmmay!

Next we moved on to lahmajun, which to me looked like Turkish pizza, but I was slightly wrong. This was also the first time I had ever tried lamb, but I didn't realize that until after I ate it. So here is the interesting part. When served, lahmajun looks like this:

Described on the menu as "Thin crust dough topped with minced lamb and spices" ...so sounds like pizza, right?

I was ready to dig in and start cutting slices out of this baby, but that is not the traditional way to serve. You sprinkle lemon juice on top, put some of the onions and tomatoes on it, and then... you FOLD IT! As shown here:

This boggled my mind, but I guess I am just a silly American, right?? Next time I  get a pizza pie, I may just pull this little trick out and make a calzone! Just kidding.. that would be a mess. Anyway, we cut this dish into 3 servings and devoured it. It was soo good. Then I was told there was minced lamb atop it, since I didn't realize when it was ordered. Couldn't even taste it -- it just tasted like tomato sauce, herbs and spices, on a very thin crust with a touch of lemon juice. Mmm.

Next, we ordered 2 entrees to split, lamb and okra (pictured on the left on top) and Ali Nazik (eggplant puree topped with lamb... yeah, it definitely seems as though they eat a lot of lamb in Turkey). Both dishes were quite tasty. I had never tried okra before, but I liked it in this dish. It was kind of a crunchy type veggie in a sauce (best I could explain it). The whole chunks of lamb were alright, but the texture is a bit different. I preferred the taste when it was minced of ground.

Looking back it looks like we ate A TON, but remember we split all of this. Ok, Ok, we still split a ton. Ha!  ;)

All in all, the service was great, the atmosphere was cute (and not busy either on a Friday at 6 pm, but I guess a lot of people are unfamiliar with Turkish cuisine), and the prices were cheap. Appetizers ran about $3-$4, while entrees were around $12-$14. Our lahmajun (the pizza-ish dish) was only $4!

If you are up for trying something new, check out a Turkish restaurant! It may be helpful to go with someone who knows the cuisine, or maybe try the things that I wrote about here. If you're feeling really crazy, just ask for a recommendation from the waiter or randomly choose. Personally... I'd stay away from the tripe though. Never had it, but the idea of it makes me want to gag. Sooo if you don't know what it is, google it if you dare...

Anyway, Bi lokma at a time, huh?

2 Weeks Left and Counting... Madison Square Eats!

You have until June 1 to check out this awesome little square block that I happened to stumble upon tonight! Madison Square Eats -- Vendors from many of the city's raved about eateries come together for a fest of delciousness all in Worth Square (right next to Madison Square Park). To name a few vendors, I recall strolling by tents for Momofoku Milk Bar, Eatily, Mexicue, the Cannibal, and Red Hook Lobster Pound (of where I tried a tasty summer beer -- forget the name, but it was organic something or other).

Too bad I just discovered this great little find today. They opened May 4 and will be there through June 1 from 11 am until 9 pm. I hope to make it down there at least once more before the shows over!

Once you are through strolling, eating, drinking, and hanging out in the little square block, take a seat in Madison Square Park and take in the sites... and all the people in line at the original Shake Shack who are missing out on the limited time Madison Square Eats will be around!

Here is a great link with more pictures of this cute little hangout/eat fest: Click me!

Now what are you waiting for?! Go eat, drink, and be merry!

A Sunny Afternoon in Williamsburg, Brooklyn -- So Deck.

** Sunday was the perfect afternoon to take the L train over too Williamsburg, an area of Brooklyn that gets a lot of great acclaim. It is basically one of first stops off the train. It is known for being completely hipster, and I'll have to agree it totally is. I've been there a couple of times -- once to see a show, and another time to tour Brooklyn Brewery. I had always been excited to explore the area more since I've heard so many great things, but I can't say that it lives up to all the accord.  Don't get me wrong, Williamsburg offers plenty of great things, is generally safe, and I had a great afternoon. BUT out off all of Williamsburg, it comes down to one main avenue, Bedford Ave, that has a bunch of boutiques and coffee shops. The rest of the area seems desolate and industrial.

Shall we talk about hipsters? Taking the train to Queens, you get a mix of all kinds of people. Taking the train to Brooklyn, you absolutely get many stereotypical hipsters.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term "hipster", we will start off with a picture:

If you don't understand from the farce above, I'm going to need to refer you to Urban Dictionary or maybe the hipster handbook.

Hey, there is nothing wrong with hipsters! They have a unique style, and for as many Greeks as you can find in Astoria, there is an equal amount of hipsters in Williamsburg. It's just super easy to stereotype them.

Anyway, what did I do all afternoon? I shopped in the cute boutiques, but talk about irony. Hipsters are all about their "vintage" thrifty clothes -- every boutique on Bedford Ave was SOO expensive, which was a bit disheartening because they did have a lot of cute stuff. We checked out Catbird and Brooklyn Charm (where my friend and I picked up some stuff to craft) among a few other cute shops, but I couldn't afford (nor would I imagine paying) most of these prices. We did get a free chain and charm from Brooklyn Charm though -- a nice little perk. :)

Post Willysburg afternoon, my friend and I headed over to Central Park to enjoy the BEAUTIFUL weather, catch some rays, and make some bracelets with the material we acquired earlier.

Stay tuned about our future Etsy page

I hope Mother Nature keeps being nice to us!! At least on the weekends so we all can enjoy them... and not too hot until I get a chance to buy an air conditioner!! If it must rain, keep it on a Monday and Tuesday like this week... we all have cases of the Mondays anyway, right?

We'll tail end this post with Hipster Puppy (pun intended):

Now go listen to that band that no one's ever heard of before... they'll probably be mainstream in a few months :P

**Disclaimer: This post is all in good fun. I am only poking fun at a stereotype and I have no problem with hipsters. I actually like them.