Restaurant Recommendations

After deciding 2 and a half hours was too long to wait for The Spotted Pig the other Saturday night, A and I happened upon dell'anima, the sister restaurant of l'artusi also located in the West Village.  I enjoyed my food immensely.  Poor A had wine spilled all over her by the wasted people at the table next to us and that put a damper on our night.  Nevertheless, the staff was friendly and I would love to try this place again some time. My entree and dessert were both perfect tens.

gnocchi with mushrooms

pineapple upside down cake (fancy version)

This past weekend my husband was generous enough to take me to my favorite vegan place on the Upper East Side, V-Note.  I was looking at the pastas, but on the recommendation of our waiter I want with a fake meat dish, and boy was I happy with it. My seitan cordon bleu was delish, especially the mashed potatoes. C didn't even let me see the dessert menu because he already knew he wanted us to have chocolate fondue and he received no complaints from me.  He can order dessert for this radical feminist any time he wants.

vegan seitan cordon bleu

C's vegan peppercorn medallions

vegan chocolate fondue for two

NOLA

My first time in New Orleans was back in 2006 to check out Tulane Law School.  I decided against my dad's alma mater because it was a bit depressing to be there right after Hurricane Katrina.  Well I got a chance to revisit this weekend for a wedding and it was one of the most fun weekends ever.

 

We had delicious beignet's from Cafe Du Monde that we ate on our way to the Ruby Slipper, a great brunch spot!  I of course had the southern breakfast complete with a biscuit, grits, and fried green tomato. 

southern breakfast complete with biscuit, grits, and fried green tomato

C's breakfast complete with cheese grits

I love being in a walking city and the weather was absolutely perfect for leisurely strolling through the French Quarter.  The best part of the weekend was the wedding.  Following a romantic ceremony we did the second line, where you follow a live brass band from the ceremony to the reception parade style.  It was really fun.  The band was awesome and they played Just the Two of Us by Bill Withers which made the whole night for me.  I love love and I love Nola.

The Bride and Groom danced with these umbrellas!

Fairly Legal

Fairly Legal has been cancelled for a while now. Nevertheless, I am newly inspired to find a better job and am a bit concerned about my current work wardrobe.  Thankfully I have black flats, and several pairs of suitable heels.  I have a great trench, strand of pearls, navy blazer, black pant suit, and navy pin striped skirt suit from Brooks Brothers.  Several of the basics are covered, but for the last couple years I have been working for a firm so casual that all my suits and business casual attire has been hidden from view on the back rack of my closet.  I don't know if things will stiff fit or what condition they are in.  I do know that I will likely need several blouses, a couple dress shirts, and at least two pair of new pants to carry me through the first couple weeks at a new job, whenever I am blessed enough to find it.  I started thinking about what look(s) I am going for based on how I desire to be perceived in the workplace.  Fairly Legal immediately came to mind because I absolutely adored both Kate's and Lauren's wardrobes on the show.

Lauren's looks are very crisp and formal.  Whereas Kate's attire is far less formal, yet still professional.

I would need a shorter skirt.

love this coat!

great color combo on kate

 

I am inspired by everything from their hair, to their accessories.  I think I would like to borrow elements from both of them.  One issue I've always had with business attire is that button down tops are horribly unflattering on me because my torso is so short.  They also make me sweat like no other.  One solution may be to get short tops that I can wear untucked.

Nook Book

One of my resolutions this year was to read more on my e reader and I have been.  After hanging out with her in VIP at the Kanye concert I was in the mood to read a little more about Grace Coddington.  Her life is only mildly interesting the way she tells it but I still enjoyed it.  I especially enjoyed the part where she talks about living in Paris and going to La Coupole, since that was the fancy restaurant my sister and I want to on our trip there.  

In the vein of Nicole Richie's and other celebrities' books loosely based on their lives, this book lacks depth, but makes for a very fun and interesting read.  Definitely awesome beach read and I actually was so engrossed in it one evening on the train ride home that I ended up on Roosevelt Island.

I just recently discovered this Christian chick lit mystery author and I am so excited.  She's no Mindy Starns Clark, but these books are awesome and l have almost as hard a time putting them down as I do with Clark's books.  The protagonist is a budding private investigator who is always getting herself into disastrous predicaments.  

 

Liberia: The Rest of the Trip

These are a few pics from my Dad's neighborhood.  

   

Once we left there to the Cape Hotel, the rest of our trip was much more relaxing.  We went to "Miami Beach." 

   

We spent a day seeing Providence Island, where the freed slaves from America originally landed.  They spent a year there before being allowed to enter.

 

 

  

We went a couple hours outside Monrovia to see Blue Lake.

We ate.  

  

Tandoori Paneer at Mamba Point Hotel

We went swimming.

We went home more grateful than ever for all the luxuries of America.