august 2022

Some say tan lines are a sign of a good summer. By those measures I did have a pretty decent one. Which was honestly quite a novel experience for a bit after two years of lock down, before it became annoying. But the sweatiness was just all bad all the time.

The first part of the month was spent sweltering in New York. Unforgiving humidity, even at night. Sweaty subway platforms. Sticky clothes. Eating ice cream in underwear. Summer Fridays spent uptown, for the novelty. Spontaneous meals eaten out on the sidewalks. Wandering into art galleries, seeking out culture and air conditioned reprieve. Experiencing the city at street level, with no hurry in the drawn out daylight.

And then a great escape from the humidity. Trading it for dry heat. Slightly better, at least until it started hanging out in the triple digits. Different coast, same tendencies. More planned meals. Spontaneous shaded cafe moments. Seeking art. Leisurely moving through the city at road level, my favorite perspective of the ugly city and it’s silly landmarks that mark my memories.

It was a good month that was more play than work. The joys of summer coming to a close, but hanging on so desperately.

good bites

I blame the heat that made it impossible to cook at home, but this was a month of a lot of eating out. And across coasts, we ate well.

NYC

one | decadent focaccia from si ciamo, Hudson Yards

two | a joyous twilight sidewalk meal at thai diner, LES

three | maybe the 5th bagel i’ve had since moving to new york 2 years ago, zuckers

four | decadent seasonal peach kouign amann from patisserie chanson, Flatiron

five | refreshing lunch from banh, UWS

six | more sidewalk eating thai food, this time at lan larb, SOHO

seven | solo lunch that felt v european at via quadronno, UES

eight | cosplaying student at hungarian pastry shop, morningside heights

~ then she flew across the country on a beautiful nyc summer day, landing in a smoggy but rose colored la ~

& promptly started eating again

hit some oldies & goodies

– copenhagen pastry, felt sad i didn’t come here more often when i lived in culver

– super domestic, a former saturday morning post-workout fave now with a new and very cute location near helms

– kumquat coffee, trekked out spontaneously, sat in the shaded patio, enjoyed their very good cold brews, can’t wait to go to loquat next time, happy they are thriving

– verve coffee, after so many years, still addicted to their nitro cold brew

– bottega louie, because some things never go out of style (ahem, this pastry case with the questionable wordart print is iconic)

– salt & straw, somehow still hasn’t expanded to the east coast, but nyc would probably ruin it anyways

– wanderlust, they always get me with their seasonal flavors

– pine and crane, the new DTLA location is 10/10, great indoor outdoor ambience, and very cute and low key breakfast option (unlike, ahem, some places in nyc)

and hit a lot of the new shit

– pijja palace, worth the hype but -1 for no way of contacting the restaurant

– tuk tuk thai, a welcome addition to the sawtelle strip

– memorylook, made me realize how much ktown is growing on me after having left LA

– lulu, new restaurant, familiar setting, loved eating among older richer LA locals on a weekday

– bodega park, ugh target audience reached, i miss sunset blvd, this is my sunset strip

– afuri ramen, yuzu everything, ramen in LA is better, even if it’s the exact same thing, just because of the people and space

– saffy’s, +1 for all the food, -1 for the location bc the proximity to the scientology building is just bad vibes

– rykn, it’s me, the target audience! annoyingly aesthetic, but it came with the entertainment of watching no fewer than three (3) photoshoots happening around us

culture fix

cultural consumption this month was primarily aural. probably because i spent so much time out and about, walking around, flying across the country, not commuting.

maggie rogers and beyonce both dropped summer albums. very different vibes. both enjoyable. i was very much maggie rogers during the day, beyonce taking me home after dark.

also have been very into the podcast The Town, which is very insider baseball industry talk, but maybe it’s the nostalgia?

speaking of nostalgia, licorice pizza was an unplanned plane movie watch that definitely wasn’t my kind of movie but did make me miss greater LA.

artsy

also went to a lot of museums and galleries, because why not? gallery hopping in the UES on a random weekday afternoon, catching Open Call performances at The Shed, trekking up to the Met Cloisters early in the morning, wandering into Neue Galerie to stare at the gilded paintings i once stared at in art history books, swinging by the ford foundation for their art gallery.

and then in LA, a leisurely DTLA day spent with an old friend hitting both MOCA and the ICA between meals, and lunch with another old friend at a new restaurant in an old haunt, the hammer museum.

la sightings

one: obligatory flourescent lit parking lot taco truck, on the way home from LAX
two: is there anything more LA than sitting in traffic with a gelsons truck and zankou truck?
three: i mean, it’s not NOT a tourist attraction in my book
four: alfred x whatever FYC campaign is happening, peak late summer LA
five: old stomping grounds, a very cherished LA scene
six: if you know her, you know she’s famous (lemon ricotta pancakes at redbird, formerly of BLD)
seven: the famed and familiar gold script on marble floor
eight: and the even more iconic epi
nine: so saffy’s is new but u know what the sighting is? yes, the reflected view of the most hated LA landmark, the blue scientology building on Fountain
ten: boba drinks in car cup holder, an LA still life

current obsessions

back home beer: they had me at sumac, but honestly even as someone who isn’t into beer back home beer is too cool to ignore, brooklyn based, iranian woman founded, third culture brewing

black raspberry ice cream: still mad at whole foods for no longer carrying my childhood favorite graeters but I will DIY my own by adding dark chocolate to this luscious ice cream that plays on the identity of a purple state which is wholesome

port: or more specifically, white port for port tonics to pretend im in porto

also, working from hotel

new finds

01 | mast market, obnoxiously aesthetically curated general store that is not relatable at all but oh so very millennial aspirational

02 | as you like, part cafe part ceramics shop, the latest venture of the small okonomi empire taking over east williamsburg

03 | motley design warehouse,
stumbled upon this very cool mid century shop in arts district

One Month, Two Coasts, Two Best Meals

The fact that there is a very hyped up new restaurant in the West Village is not worthy of any headline. But add in the important detail that they specialize in Southern Indian culinary traditions and it becomes intriguing. Is it actually good? Is it watered down by the neighborhood? Is it actually spicy? Is it worth the price point and Resy game and the hype?

The short answer is yes it is worth it. One pan across the restaurant was an easy vibe check, a good mix of brown and non-brown faces, of restaurant-chasing millennials and families for a special dinner out. The food was spicy. Presentation was beautiful and the flavors and technique lived up to it each time. I ate so many things that I’ve never had before. Memorable for many reasons but I choose to remember it for the amazing spread of food.

And then there is Yangban. A part of a third culture generation of food (particularly fun and experimental on the west coast) that refuses to fit within a nice genre (sorry Yelp), that defies definition in a playful way. Again, a hyped restaurant in Arts District is no surprise, but one that is a Korean American inspired Jewish Deli is a delightful surprise.

If Semma captures the forefront of Manhattan’s restaurant scene by bringing Southern Indian cooking to a level of casual fancy eventized dining that caters to a very specific crowd, Yang Ban could only exist in LA. A sprawling space that has a deli counter downstairs and a superette upstairs and tables in an adjacent courtyard. Somehow evoking a similar experiential environment to a celebratory KBBQ meal with friends, and the wholesome family environment of a casual deli. The food comes out in familiar flavors and forms that don’t quite match but also make so much sense. Comfort foods from different cultures molded together in homey presentations on nostalgic mid-century dishes. Yang Ban delivered on a good time, a surprise and delight through and through.

what's cooking

didn’t cook much, and when i did eat at home it was often just indulging in fresh produce

i mean, tis the szn of stone fruits and tomatoes and just look how pretty

mini itini

obsessed with a new idea of creating micro itineraries, a few places that are just minutes away from each other, none of which may be worth the trip alone, but together make for a lovely hour.

COBBLE HILL/CARROLL GARDENS

– a bite at local roots

– antique shopping at yesterday’s news

– pastries on your way home at pasticceria monteleone