New York Eats: part deux

Sometimes I fantasize about living a life 2 parts fabulous and 1 part scandalous just like Sex and the City. Here I am, Carrie Bradshaw, leading a band of readers with juicy secrets of the female psyche, but the juicy secrets are really restaurant hotspots and travel ramblings. This was our second trip to NYC in 3 months! But every time we leave the magical city, I always feel like there is so much territory left to cover. The second time around, we managed to stay away from Morimoto and tried a few new spots. My favorites from this trip: L'artusi and Pearl Oyster Bar. You can't leave NYC without going to an oyster bar!!!

And so it begins--the mister and I packed our bags for an extended weekend. We had an extra day this time, but inadvertently used it as a recovery day after our first night there (woops!). Drinks and a quick dinner at Buddakan was exactly what we needed to get the night started (Sex and the City style!). The drinks were phenomenal! I love that NYC has a later curfew than we do out here in the Bay Area as well. More time for us trouble makers.

Blue point oysters and little neck clams

The amount of picture taking on this trip has got to be worst than any other time. I should really invest in a fancy camera so that I am obligated to take better photos! The food at Pearl Oyster Bar is amazing times 10. The not so little clams were surprisingly soooo delectable! Very clean, fresh tasting. The lobster roll that everyone loves there is also a must. It may look a bit intimidating with the large heap of shoe string potato fries, but dear lordy the creamy lobster chunks are to die for!

Of course, we couldn't leave NYC without some ramen, and we visited both totto and ippudo on this trip. If asked again which won the battle? I would have to say Totto wins this time! Ippudo's broth was somehow diluted and not as amazing as the first time around. This trip, we tried the new Totto down the block on W 51st street for a late night fourth meal after drinks at Press Lounge.

Beautiful rooftop view at the Press Lounge

We also tried to get into The Standard on a Friday night with very little luck. Was able to admire some views while in the ladies room though. Wish I had more photos to make this blog a little more colorful and interesting...we will meet again soon, NYC. Cheers and a late happy solstice, holidays, and New Year to all!

Weekend Getaway: Los Angeles, Pasadena, SGV

Happy Autumn, friends!

My all time favorite season of the year. This means football parties, layered clothing, comfort food, friends, family, and holiday festivities! Which by the way, who's going to the 43rd Annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin festival this year?

It's been a while since my last post, but that only means more tasty travels to share! Over our short and very eventful weekend, we had less than 48 hours to indulge (consider this a sneak peak for our Christmas trip coming up!). We escaped the early AM fog in San Francisco and arrived in sunny SoCal Saturday morning at LAX. What brought us to town was the UCLA vs. CAL game that night.

There was no time to waste. Our first order of business was shopping and brunch in downtown Santa Monica. We played a little 'name that price' game in the Nike store on a 49ers Jersey...loser drinks a tequila shot with a vodka back (I won, of course). And it was a beaaautiful morning, which meant one thing: drinks on the deck at Sonoma Wine Garden.

Bloody Mary, empty glass of 1942 Don Julio, Hefeweizen to start the party.

I really have to get better at taking photos, but our drinks and food here at Sonoma Wine Garden was wonderful. Best bloody mary ever! Loved the horseradish kick they added with extra lemon and limes. Although yelp gave the place a 3.5, I would have easily given it a 4 with the added convenience of being at the mall. Oysters, chilled prawns, marghertia pizza, and truffle fries. Get it all!

After a few hours of drinks and chatting, we parted ways to our hotel in Pasadena to get ready for the game. Chris's cousin had the right idea in mind and picked up a special BevMo mystery grab bag on the way home aka turn up at the Rose Bowl.

Pregaming with the dudes we hate to love: Maker's Mark, Johnny Walker...

Drinking would never be the same without a few games involved. I was the loser this time around...Fun Fact: 1 shot is 45 ml. A mini has 50 ml. So five minis later, the three of us headed to Barney's Beanery for a few snacks and to catch a few games on TV. Two words: fried pickles.

At the Rose Bowl! Bruins win 37 - 10!

To end our crazy day, we had a late reservation for Bestia in Los Angeles. Believe the hype! The food there is amazing. They don't have many veggie friendly options, but the flavors and textures are phenomenal. My favorites of the night were the smoked mackerel crostini and spaghetti rustichella with sea urchin and squid ink bottarga. I can't get over how wonderfully flavorful everything was. The spaghetti was cooked perfectly al dente!

Spaghetti Rustichella (Sooo good!)

Bestia has a great set up with industrial decor that reminded me of New York. Would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone making a trip out to Los Angeles. Tapas/shared styled plates and hip crowd. Can't comment on the cocktails because at this point I was too stuffed!

You could only imagine the food coma I fell into when we got back to our room. We continued the good eats the next day for lunch before our flight back to SFO. It's appalling how much good food we ate in such a short period of time. We trekked over to SGV to try the famous lobster at Newport Tan Cang. It's getting old when I say "best ______ ever!" but really, that lobster was to die for. The restaurant is huge, but there was still a ~20 minute wait for a table at 1:30pm. We did some serious damage. That's what I call Sunday Funday!

Hot and sour soup, spicy basil clams, house lobster, salt and pepper shrimp, and garlic water spinach.

So that was our weekend in SoCal. Can't wait to go back! You'll definitely be seeing me in the gym this week. Stay tuned for more delicious updates coming soon! Or follow me on twitter for frequent updates. :-) twitter.com/stinebeans

Stay warm and carry on!