wacky video :: teen usa 2007

oh so pretty - oh so dumb. take a watch as miss south carolina does her state proud as she fights for the title of miss teen usa 2007. may this experience and now the youtube video scar her for life. makes you kinda feel sorry for her - or not - blondes are like - smart and stuff - totally!

say something photo :: loopy nut

'hello, this is the department of redundancy department. we think you have tossed out our cereal. could you please replace it as soon as possible before our children go crazy? thank you.'

you would think i found this in the garbage in some foreign country - nope - on 23rd and 8th avenue in new york city. just thought it was funny. must be one of those brands kellogg's decided not to develop.

hottie-crush :: dale levitski

so i'm obsessed. i'm obsessed with the reality television programs on bravo - but more specifically - i'm obsessed with this season of top chef. when i first heard that this concept was coming to life (2 seasons ago) - i have to admit - i didn't think it would work. it's amazing. the people they've pulled together to compete keep you coming back every week to see what's cooking.

my obsession with a contestant has been a common theme around my other friends. we are all obsessed with the cutie with the mohawk - dale levitski. this guy is from chicago - he's gay - and he's nothing short of awkwardly cute. i hope he makes it through to the very end. i do know he's one of the reason i come back for more every week. so - i am choosing to feature him as the first hottie-crush. we'll see who else makes the list from here on out. good luck dale!

foodie finds :: brgr

brgr
287 7th avenue
new york, ny 10001

i didn't hate it - didn't love it either. i decided to go the healthy route and got a turkey burger. i just felt it had little flavor really. it was paired with goat cheese and bacon (i mean how can you go wrong with both of those) but on the whole - nothing sang to me. i'll go back for sure - it wasn't bad - just wasn't over the top either.

foodie finds :: maroons

maroons
244 w 16th st.
new york, ny 10011

oh where to begin really? all around - this place is consistently a great spot for the not-so-healthy but definitely filling and satisfying heaping hunk of comfort food. well - comfort food for me - grits, collard greens, fried chicken - i mean - what can be bad about that?

southern soul food and caribbean food at it's best. i particularly am fond of the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer. the stuffed porkchop is to die for but it's enough food for 12 armies. the staff is always nice. the drinks are always fantastic. and the cornbread - oh my god the cornbread.

it's a jem - it's amazing - a slice of 'goodness' right in chelsea.

foodie finds :: hell's kitchen

hell's kitchen
679 9th avenue
new york, ny 1003

i'm torn. based on last night and last night alone - 4 stars is a stretch. it should be getting 3 in my opinion but i'll give it 4 by reputation. i'll break it down:

1. service: this is a key thing for a great dining experience. we arrive - hostess says 45 minutes for a table. my friend said 'totally worth the wait' - so we did - and popped over to another place for a drink while we waited it out. when we arrive back on the scene - hostess informs us that we are indeed the next to be seated and that they were cleaning off the table (as she points to it) and we'd be sitting shortly. we cried an internal 'yay!' at this news - and then - the hostess sat other people at that table - um, what? her response: 'oops, i'm sorry. you are totally next.' we grab seats a the bar - order drinks (as the bartender spills an entire pint glass of ice on me - i get another 'oops, sorry' from him - thank god it was just ice - that could have been messy) - 15 minutes later (on top of the hour we've already been waiting) - we finally sit. mind you - i would have left an hour and 15 minutes ago but my friend insisted we stick it out.

then - our waiter came. to call him a dumb-ass would be nice. this guy's head was anywhere but in the game on this night. slow - inattentive - forgetful - not good qualities to have in this job (or in any job really). my friend - still sticking to his guns - insists 'it's all worth it.'

2. food: i love's me some mexican food - so internally i was very excited. externally i was still a little miffed by the wait and the experience thus-far.

appetizers included duck confit empanadas with pineapple mole sauce, chorizo sopas, and seared tuna medallions with a chunky mango salsa. everything had heat, sweet, texture, and great flavor combinations and compliments. my personal favorite was the tuna but the empanadas were a close second - but all of them i could eat again.

for mains we sampled the halibut with yucca cakes, sweet plantain mash, and salsa verde; sea bass (it escapes my mind what it was covered with - let's just call it 'goodness') so that's sea bass covered in goodness; and a chicken quesadilla. again - very impressed with the flavor profiles and interesting combinations of sweet, savory, and heat. the sea bass was cooked perfectly while the 2 of us that got halibut had issues that it was overcooked and a bit dry (but the yucca cakes and sweet mash with the salsa - so good). the quesadilla was declared 'the best i've ever eaten' by my other friend - it was indeed tasty.

we passed on dessert as it was rounding 11:00. keep in mind - we started this dinner experience around 8:00. yes - that's right - 3 hours later we are paying. it took nearly 20 minutes to do that. evidently the hostess's birthday was going to require the entire staff to ignore the diners and serve cake and sing and all the things you'd expect for a birthday. while sweet for her - every single table in the place was left unattended to for another 15-20 minutes so they could have their party. my feelings is that it was so close to quitting time - the staff could have waited until after they had closed to do this. several tables were trying to flag down anyone to refill drinks - or in our case - just pay our check and go! the entire process to pay took just under a half an hour - um - is it hard to press print - i mean we were sitting right next to the computer?

maybe it was an off night. like i said - i would give them 3 stars (or less) from the service which spoiled my entire experience overall. but - the food did make up for a good deal of it (excluding the overcooked halibut). i live in the area so i'm sure i'll go back. maybe next time will be an 'on' night - and all will be right with the world.

say something photo :: fat nap

so it's been a while since my last fat nap post. i just happened to be on the subway the other morning and saw this one and could not resist. so - out comes my treo 680 and 'snap' - sleeping jewish man with a 1990s cd player. haha - so peaceful - so sleepy - i wonder what he's listening to - fiddler on the roof?

foodie finds :: frank restaurant

frank restaurant
88 2nd avenue
new york city, ny 10079

fantastic food - reasonable prices - cash only so go to the atm before you get there. they say they aren't related to max over on avenue b but the similarities are uncanny. you be the judge. small and loud - yet cozy and intimate. pleasant staff and great wine.

chinese fortune cookie

from tonight's batch of dirty chinese food - here are the fortunes:

1. be brave at heart. take that chance it's been there all the time.
2. your problem just got bigger. think, what have you done?
3. perhaps you've been focusing too much on spending.
4. it's over your head now. time to get some professional help.

is it just me or was this some kind of twisted therapy the chinese place was trying to push on us?

wacky video :: dee ranged

this video is from youtube. it features dee ranged - the newly crowned entertainer of the year. it's just a quick example of her twisted mind!

personal update

well - i'm home from my fabulous trip to louisville, ky. this weekend was truly exciting. i do love going to the entertainer of the year pageant. this year was no exception. the winner was dee ranged from florida. she's one of the most twisted individuals i've ever had the pleasure of knowing. i'm sure she's going to have a fantastic year.

now - back to reality - i've been continuing the packing and organizing for the move. hopefully the movers will be able to get me over sometime next week - i'm waiting for their confirmation. then - it'll be me - my new place - in manhattan - can't wait!