Nom Noms, Knick Knacks, and Trot Trots

Just Desserts

Who would have thought that a Big Booty would actually be a good thing in a world that prefers women with no ass?

Well, I am proud to say that I do have a fat ass. :)

So might as well celebrate and head on over to "Big Booty" in Chelsea, NY. I have heard recommendations for their red velvet cupcakes, but I wanted to get something that had a dulce de leche flavor. A friend and I waltzed on over after the gym (I know right, we just canceled our workout with sweets) and decided to get the dulce de leche cupcake and bun.




MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. My stomach is growling to get a piece of that right now.

I would have to say, it is one of those treats that you should indulge in once in a while. When no one is looking. :)

As an addition to saluting your big ass during this freedom-esque weekend, I would say it is about time we had a NYC Restaurant Week!!!!!!

I am looking forward to tasting some incredible dishes during the weeks to come!
Just in case you guys have not heard yet, NYC Restaurant Week is from July 11-24th.
You can go here for more info: http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek

Have a sweet day everyone~

-Simplyme

Labels: big booty, bun, chelsea, cupcakes, desserts, gym, red velvet, sweet

posted by ~Simplyme @ 12:35 PM 0 Comments

FOOD COMA

So my promise to myself before this summer was to update this blog daily. WHAT a fail. On a brighter note, I am loving this summer. :) Great times catching up with friends, befriending random strangers, going to the gym, running into previous teachers, and definitely eating. These are some of the activities I have been doing so far. And the summer equinox JUST started. YAY :D

The main purpose I am updating this blog is mainly due to the fact that I am afraid I will go to some really awesome place and find out my memory card on my camera is full. And then I would have to delete some things that I would not want to delete because I haven't uploaded them up yet. So to save myself the agony, I am taking time during my work hours to update. (Not really a smart thing to do, but whatever.)

So I will start off this blog with this tidbit: With great work comes great hunger. (I just pulled that out of my butt - but it sounds so smart and Confucius-like :D)
And hunger - is something I DO NOT DEAL WITH THESE DAYS. BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN EATING SO MUCH. There are too many great places to visit in the city. Poor starving children would probably hate me.

So before I get overwhelmingly emotion about the children of the world who cannot afford to eat, let's take a quick tour of what I have been eating, where I have been going, and what I have been doing as of late.

For some reason, we have been heading to Japanese restaurants A LOT. I have tasted loads of great Japanese foods for the past couple of weeks.

Starting with Jebon.


Note: There are many specials around St. Marks, especially around lunch or dinner time. So check it out then! :D

We got a 3 roll sushi combo with miso soup and a soda for ~$9.

I think we got the eel, salmon, and yellowtail. All very delish. We also got egg rolls, which were very crunchy. Very well done. The service was very nice as well. The decorations within the restaurant was beautiful too.

Overall a good deal on japanese food I would say. :)

NEXT JAPANESE RESTAURANT - ZEN.

I met up with a friend from college for dinner. Decided Japanese ramen. AHAHA WHATS NEW?

The combination of all this you see here - katsu don, sushi, dumplings, sashimi on rice, miso soup, bowl of rice - all for the price of $11. (excluding tip). That is also a fairly priced dinner if you ask me. The bento box allowed us to taste all the different types of food in one meal. Almost like samples so you are never bored with one dish.

The ramen was really good too! Not too salty, but still tasted like ramen. They were also not too stingy with the toppings. YUM.

May's Place - also at St. Marks Place
Sashimi deluxe!

Here, the sushi is always 50% off!!!!!!!!! So this $24 plate was really $12!

And we also got a roll - really filling meal :) (sorry the picture doesn't make it seem like a really fulfilling meal because my friend and I digged into it before thinking about taking a picture. LOL)

Whew. Japanese foods are good that's for sure.
However, lets move on to little joints around the neighborhood.

Such as Murray's Bagels located in Chelsea.


Do I hear "nomming" in the background? Because that means my job is done.
LOOK AT HOW HUGE THIS THING IS. IT CAN FEED A WHOLE THIRD WORLD COUNTRY. (yeah, um, not really).
The price:$4.11
I don't spend more than like MAYBE two bucks on a bagel with cream cheese. Especially since there is a bagel cart right outside 59th st Columbus Circle that serves dollar bagels on cream cheese. However you gotta admire the amount of whopping toppings that are on this bagel.
So MINE was the whole wheat everything bagel with honey walnut raisin cream cheese spread. Try saying that five times.
It was DELECTABLE.
But still a bit pricey for me for a bagel still. But indulging in that creamy goodness once in a while doesn't hurt your wallet. Much.

So the Starbucks trend. We all agree Starbucks is one of those chains that people cannot live without. We all know how scary caffeine withdrawal can be. (Especially in college.) We all know that the new logo isn't as pretty as the previous one (though that is up to interpretations). So WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE THIS ADDICTING-DAMN-GOOD-TASTING-COFFEE FOR?! WHO CAN SAVE ME FROM MY ADDICTION?! (I actually don't drink coffee that much so... the real question is... who can save YOU?!)



OOOOOOH pretty. *walk in*
Argo Tea Shop
Definitely a place to stop by.
Have any of you been to the M and M store? Well, they have these vertical tubes filled to the top with colorful assortment of M and M candies.

(source from google images)

Argo Tea Shop has the same tubes; they are just filled with loose tea leaves. And the aroma when you walk in? Heavenly.
They have a variety of signature drinks too! This is the white tea acai squeeze drink. Very refreshing. About the same cost of a Starbucks latte. But probably more healthy because it has white tea and acai, a great antioxidant.

Don't believe me? Go here --> http://www.argotea.com/
GOGOGOGOGOGOGOGO

Are you FULL yet?
Or do you want some more?
How about some delectable Thai food? From the Chelsea Market?

I personally really enjoy thai food. Surprisingly, peanut sauce on noodles are really good too. (I'm truly sorry for those who are allergic to peanuts or any nuts. You guys are missing out.)
This is a nice place to get some good food. A bit pricey than the fast food places you find on the street, but worth it to try at least once. ;)
Plus the people are nice.

Gelatos Galore
Whoever thought ice cream was the greatest invention was thoroughly mistaken. GELATOS are the NEW "in" desserts these days. A bit heavier than ice cream because of the cream, but definitely a nice little snack after a long day.

Okay, so this wasn't a "little" snack.
Timi's Gelateria Classica Italiana is also a great place to hang because it has free wifi AND has a second floor with couches and other comfortable seatings.
The picture doesn't do the place justice because they all look like their melting. However the taste is great. :) A 5 scoop dish costs about $7, which is cheaper than most places. (Some places charge like, $7 for 2 scoops or less. BOOOOOOO)
Boy, do I love gelatos.

Now you are probably in a food coma by now. But don't worry, the worst that can happen is the creation of food babies. O___O
The last stop is one of my favorites: INDIAN FOOD.
Andaz has a buffet, even on a Saturday! The day I went was really gloomy. Although there was a big fair going on outside! It was drizzling and not a pleasant day to walk outside. When we got to Andaz though, we were in for a heck of a ride.


The buffet allowed us to get as much as we want, and the sauces were sooooooooooooo good. My favorite dish is the chicken tikka masala, and it was just really well made at this restaurant. The dessert was also really good. It was a carrot dessert pudding that really just sweetened my taste buds.

Now that food is done, we gotta walk all of it off. How do you walk off so much food?
.
.
.
By going to the Metropolian Museum of Art of course :)
And guess what's at the MET?


Beautiful. Gorgeous. So. INSPIRING.
Everyone should go see this exhibit. Very well made, well done, well remembered.

So that's it. This is about... 8 weeks of summer vacation for me on top of other things. But the great news is... I have ~9 weeks left!!! :D

There are more pictures to come I promise!!!

Plus, I do have a special edition coming in August! :)

So you better be a centimeter away from your computer screen and at the edge of your seats. I will blow your socks off.

Tip of the day: Remember food is all around us. Whether we are in New York or in the middle of nowhere. Just remember to ENJOY IT!!

Have a beautiful day!
~Simplyme

Labels: Andaz, Argo's Tea Cafe, gelatos, Japanese food, Jebon, May's Place, metropolitan museum of art, sushi, Thai cuisine, Zen

posted by ~Simplyme @ 11:49 AM 0 Comments

random thoughts

I thought I would update this long overdue blog (although no one really reads it) to get the creative juices flowing. All of these biology words have really took a toll on my mental capacity. I woke up after four hours of sleep, looked outside, and thought, "This is going to be a crappy day." One thing to know about me: without beauty sleep, I am not beautiful. I mean inside and outside. I can get real nasty with you folks, so I suggest you don't breathe too heavily, start sniffling,- scratch that. Just stop breathing. Haha. Just kidding. Sort of.
So, anyways, annoying me dragged my fat butt out of the dorm, walked to my first and last class until 5 later today. I come out of my class and go outside and guess what I see?


Now that just made my day.

Also listening to this song just made me reminisce of the good old days in the summer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQLZFFSMoPM&NR=1

Finally the teasing weather has settled down. For now. Seriously, depressing. And seasonal affective disorder has gone buck wild up here in upstate New York. I cannot WAIT to go back home to the sea of skyscrapers and faces. Man. I miss civilization.



On a darker note, I have been on lent-duty since... well a couple of weeks ago. It's coming to an end, but it has been a serious struggle. I gave up artificial sugars for forty days, and it feels like I haven't tasted chocolate or sprinkles or ice cream or sour gummy worms or venti soy green tea lattes or CANDY in the GENERAL in such a long time. I'm deprived. Someone hug me.




Back to the little blurb about summer. This summer is going to have a theme. It's going to be known as the "Studying the Empire Under the Sun ver. 20.11". SNAPS. It's going to be A. MAY. ZING. Under the fog of pollution and smoke, there will be a girl with a dream. A dream to reculturize herself to all the goodness that is new york. And yes, "reculturize" is now a word officially as of right now. If Bush can make up his own words, so can I.

I will hit all the fancy schmancy places in all parts of Manhattan once again! So many things happen in a blink of an eye. A neuron takes maybe a millisecond or less to do its thang. (Okay, I'll stop with the bio innuendos). I will have 3.5 months to do what a neuron does! Now that's an accomplishment. I won't boggle you guys down with the calculation of how many things I can do if I was a neuron and had 3.5 months to do MY thang.

Goals of Summer 2011 (other than work, etc) and reviews to come!
1)Food
2)Food
3)Food
4)museos
5)little boutiques and shopping
6)little random adventures
7)Shakespeare!!
8)randomly getting lost one day.
9)the PEEPS.
10)Broadway

Gosh. I'm getting all excited already.

This summer's gonna be great. I can just picture it now.
Art galleries
food tastings
shopping
musical encounters
dancing
singing
theatrical productions
thrift stores
froyos

I think the thing I will be looking forward to the most is the food. I NEED GOOD FOOD. CHEAP FOOD. FOOD THAT TICKLES MY TUMMY AND HAS A SPAZZTIC ATTACK.

Alrighty. Done ranting. Back to reality. 39 days left. SOY JOY.

:D~Simplyme

posted by ~Simplyme @ 10:24 AM 1 Comments

Viva el arte

Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while since my last update. Work is getting busy now, which I'm happy about, but I'm still very lazy since summer "officially" began yesterday. So to get right on the ball, my friend and I went to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art on the upper east side of Manhattan. Surprisingly, the MET is not my favorite museum (a lot of people already hate me for this). I rather prefer the Whitney, or even the Guggenheim, but never would I have said I liked the MET. I guess it's all those museum reports for school. However, the exhibits I saw there were EXTRAORDINARY. It was scary. Like, was this exhibit here before and I just never saw it? When did this appear? WHAT HAPPENED?! I was so amazed by everything about the MET that now I can finally say it is one of my top three museums on my list.

Labels: and Dylan's Candy Bar, bamboo, metropolitan museum of art, modern and contemporary art, new york city, Picasso

posted by ~Simplyme @ 9:09 AM 2 Comments

Menu for Today: More food!

Konnichiwa~
So while I am at work, I am writing on my blog. -__-;;; I hope I don't get fired. LOL
So I decided to upload the pictures that I took when I went to "Cha An," a Japanese restaurant in lower east side - around St. Mark's place and Union Square. For you guys who already know your way around New York City, its a couple of restaurants down from St. Mark's Bookshop. So a bunch of friends and I stopped by this Japanese restaurant because we heard that the desserts were amazing~! And they were:

So this is the black sesame creme brulee - it was the reason we wanted to stop by here. People said that this dessert was the one we should totally try, and they weren't kidding! This dessert was amazing!!!!!!! So the black sesame creme brulee is on the right, and it was sweet and tasty. The black sesame taste really complemented the creamy portion of the dessert. It also came in a stack of flaky crackers!



The sakura flan: Oh so yummy. Hands down. So I am a fan of gooey, jiggling desserts, so I was extremely satisfied with this dessert. The dessert tasted like green tea, and it was also decorated with a sakura flower (kawaii des!) and red bean paste (yum^^). It wasn't TOO sweet, so people who love to eat desserts that are not like a pixie stick explosion in your mouth, this is the dessert for you. ;)


Bad picture I know. >_<;; So this was the ice cream dessert with a HUGE wafer cracker sticking out the top. The design is very creative and the taste was pleasant, but compared to the very distinct, eastern desserts, it was plain. It also looks like something I am not going to mention...>.> talk about subliminal mesages... ahahaa




We had to try the tea as well! This was a non-sweet beverage that I cannot remember. Sorry!! >__< But it was still good.




I think these were macarons. They are also tasty, but they were plain. It wasn't that fancy and mind-blowing like the other desserts.

Overall, Cha-An is a great Japanese place to stop by for some awesome desserts! It was a cool experience I would say. ;D

If you love food like I do, I know you would want to go here after a night in the city. It is located in a quaint (sp?) building on the 2nd flr, so remember not to pass by it (because we did xD).

As tigger would say, "Ta, ta, for now!"

Labels: Cha-An, desserts, food, japanese, new york city

posted by ~Simplyme @ 6:04 AM 1 Comments

The opening of Simple Attractions!

Hello people of the internet world! This site was created to share with you the cultures and events in New York City. From museums to art galleries to food, all that I have experienced will be uploaded into this blog of mine. :) I hope you enjoy the diversity of the cultures found in this amazing city!






So this is Belgian Fries found at Pommes Frites in St. Marks Place - kinda close to Union Square. This neighborhood is full of college kids from NYC, Cooper Union, and etc. It's a great hangout place with great food! The great thing about Pommes Frites is not only its awesome fries, but the assortment of sauces you can get. Their menu has dozens of listings that are bound to meet your taste buds. ;) They range from wild mushroom sauce, rosemary garlic mayo sauce, smoked eggplant sauce, and so much more! The portions are great too!! The trouble is that it is located in a very small place. Though it has tables in the back, there are hardly any room to sit. However, who wants to sit when you can hold your yummy fries in your hands and explore downtown Manhattan?! You can always find seats outside as well due to other vendors. Enjoy~

Next stop, Yogurt Station!! So, we all heard of Pinkberry, Red Mango, and some of you New Yorkers even heard of 16 handles. The amazing thing about Yogurt Station though is not only its numerous flavors of frozen yogurt and toppings, but the price! It is weighed very cheaply, so you can buy a huge portion for less money than the other frozen yogurt chains!





So this one was about 7-8 dollars. However, there were all sorts of fro-yos: red-velvet cake (never tried it before so that was a must!), banana, cake batter, green margaritas, and vanilla. The topping looks massive doesn't it? It was a lot of STUFF lemme tell ya. But totally worth your 7-8 dollars I would say.

So to move on to the Limelight marketplace! :D
So I was really, REALLY looking forward to go to this mall for MONTHS. I was so happy to finally enter this church renovated into a mall:

The decor was really chique and fun:

When I last went, there were three floors of food, chocolate, candy, make-ups, beauty shops, boutiques, soap shops, etc. Many different varieties for a lady like me to enjoy. ;)
THE DESSERTS WERE HEAVENLY BY THE WAY. It was the first time I tried gelatos, and I have to say, they do have a place in my heart.<3
Though these were sort of expensive, just LOOK at them and you cannot resist them. *drool It is truly one of those things you must try when you are in the city.

Candy! Assortments of candy always make me happy no matter where I am -^^-

So I say adieu for now, but come join me on my adventures in Manhattan by reading my blog! We can enjoy them together. ^^

~Simplyme

posted by ~Simplyme @ 6:45 PM 0 Comments