Super long post and gratuitous use of Poladroid warning.
I feel like I had a really long weekend because I did so much. And ate so much too. Not a good thing for my figure because I've had to lay off Bikram (my pesky cold would infect everyone extra fast in all that heat and humidity), but whatever. What's the point of working out, if not to enjoy pigging out all the more?
I started the weekend with a totally unnecessary but very enjoyable red velvet cupcake from Buttercup. I was craving for it badly, so I walked through the drizzle to grab one and ate it as I walked home to the Upper East. I figured I was burning calories as I ate so it wasn't so bad.
On Saturday, I went out to see apartments in Union Square, so I also spent some time walking through the outdoor market. I snacked on an Italian cheese stick (ho-hum) from one of the booths and got some handmade spinach ravioli to experiment with at home. I daydreamed of buying fresh herbs but since we're moving and I have a black thumb, I thought it best to spare the adorable mini basil bushes.
Then I realized it was the best time as any to get a haircut, so I trained it down to Chinatown and sat down with Charlie, my main guy at 22 Pell Hair Salon. He hacked off a good 5 inches from my way too long hair and gave me a very layered cut. I don't love it but I like it enough. I'm just glad I don't have to ponytail it anymore. And it cost all of $25 (plus tip) so I'm not complaining. After my cut, I had to stop for bubble tea. I ordered a cold taro green milk tea with pearl tapioca ($4.25) at Green Tea Cafe on Mott between Bayard and Pell. I thought it was pretty good. Bubble drinks in the Philippines are more like milkshakes, but here it really tastes like tea, which I like. And I just loved the consistency of their tapioca balls: soft but firm, and nicely chewy. Yum.
Then I made my way back to Shake Shack, where I met friends for dinner. I was pretty excited because I had never tried Shake Shack before; the line is just too darn intimidating! Thank god for the bubble tea. I wasn't starving in line but I had a healthy appetite when I finally had my burger in hand. I was originally going to get a cheeseburger was convinced that I had to have the 'Shroom Burger ($6.50), so I got that and was not disappointed. There's nothing better than a breaded pattie stuffed with portobello mushroom and melted cheese (supposedly onions too, but I didn't really taste it). The crisp lettuce and tomato gave nice contrast, and even the bun was pretty tasty. My only complaint? It's so small! It's perfect for a small chick like me but I imagine the average man would need about two burgers to feel full. Oh, I also tried the Shakemeister Ale ($5.25), brewed by Brooklyn Brewery especially for the Shake Shack. It's a little hard to appreciate beer from a plastic cup but it tasted pretty good. The hoppy taste was very apparent, and it was not overly bitter, which I like since I'm normally a Hefeweizen drinker. Would definitely order it again.
After dinner we went to 40/40 to watch the Pacquiao vs. Hatton fight, which was, lets face it, really not much of a fight. Hatton hit the mat TWICE on the first round, and surprise surprise, was knocked out before the second round even ended. Manny's untouchable! Filipino pride!!!
I felt kinda bad for the owners of 40/40 for a sec because they probably didn't make back what they had to pay in order to show the Pay-per-view fight there. The Filipino crowd walked out immediately after the fight ended in search of cheaper libation. But then I remembered Jay-Z owned the joint so jeez, who needs to feel sorry for him?
We ended up having martinis at PS 450 and then ended the night with, what else, more food. We went to Yakitori Taisho and gorged on saikoro steak, grilled squid, chicken skin skewers and these phenomenal grilled pork spare ribs ($7.50). Mmmmmmmmm ...
Yeah. It was a good weekend.
