so my local bar of right now is galway hooker right around the corner from my apartment. the reasons i like it are many, but first and foremost is the staff. so today i'm giving shout-outs to my favorite people there. gavin & rob, two of the bartenders, are the friendliest guys around. they're engaging and lively and full of spunk; they make you want to stay. it doesn't hurt that they're attractive. and duckey is one of the owners, and he's almost always there in the evenings, and he works the room like nobody's business. if you haven't been, then you should check it out.
and the perfect time to check it out is... for their music night this tuesday (10/30/2007)! they have ANDY CLAYBURN + CAREY SCOPE: The Classical Rockers playing, and these guys are good. they played in august, and i had only stopped in to ask duckey a question about a party i was hosting there thursday, but i ended up staying for the entire show!
galway hooker
7 east 36th street btwn madison/5th avenues
new york, ny 10016?
212.725.2353
Friday, October 26, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
shanghai eating part ii
my mom and i decided to begin day 2 with a delicious hearty meal since i had a lot of walking in store. i chose wujiang lu for some sheng jian at Yang's Fry Dumplings. sheng jian is basically an upside-down soup dumpling that's fried instead of steamed. they're marvelous to watch being cooked and served. and they're even better as they're being EATEN! (no photos because i have some in my first post re shanghai.)
most impressive was the woman sitting next to us who didn't spill or spurt any of the yummy hot liquid anywhere. my mom and i got it everywhere, and shanghai isn't exactly the kind of place the offers napkins freely. but at 4 dumplings for 3.5RMB, you might understand why nothing is free.
after our meal, i brought her to the 38th floor lounge at the JW Marriott for a bird's eye view of all of shanghai. she was speechless.
we walked from there to the bund, making numerous stops (my favorite places are markets; i like to see what they sell in shanghai, since it's so differen from NYC). and she was awestruck by the bund, with the huangpu river and oriental pearl tv tower views... it was worth it.
we took another break at New Heights Cafe on the 7th (top) floor of the Three on the Bund, and noshed on smoothies, fried calamari and french fries. it's just as, if not more, amazing to see the bund from this perspective. plus, the buildings along the bund are so diverse, the juxtaposition of old and new, New Heights is a good place to check it out.
after a massage (details to follow) and shower, it was time for dinner. i tried to go to this place chen, which had been raved about on chowhound, but there were no reservations available. so my next choice was Mao Long (another chowhound rec).
this place is tiny with maybe 7 tables. the owner is an older woman, very kind and helpful, but does not speak ANY english. since my mandarin is practically nonexistent, it was difficult to communicate (plus the menu is only in chinese, and i certainly can't read chinese). fortunately, a young woman in the restaurant offered her assistance, and we sampled delectable shanghainese food. i don't know what anything is called, but we ordered the braised pork (house special), sauteed whole shrimp, sauteed pea shoots in a wine sauce and fish steamed with chilis.
everything was incredibly tasty, particularly the pork; the shrimp were too messy and difficult to eat many without an endless supply of napkins. my mom thought the pork was a little sweet and that the sauce on the pea shoots tasted too much of wine.
we walked by chen as we were leaving, and there was only one full table. but it was a perfect twist of fate because mao long was wonderful.
yang's fry dumpling
54 wujiang lu between maoming lu and nanjing lu (near people's square)
shanghai
new heights cafe
three on the bund, 7th floor
17 Guangdong Road (at the bund/zhongshan lu)
shanghai
mao long
134 jinxian lu (near maoming nan lu)
shanghai
most impressive was the woman sitting next to us who didn't spill or spurt any of the yummy hot liquid anywhere. my mom and i got it everywhere, and shanghai isn't exactly the kind of place the offers napkins freely. but at 4 dumplings for 3.5RMB, you might understand why nothing is free.
after our meal, i brought her to the 38th floor lounge at the JW Marriott for a bird's eye view of all of shanghai. she was speechless.
we walked from there to the bund, making numerous stops (my favorite places are markets; i like to see what they sell in shanghai, since it's so differen from NYC). and she was awestruck by the bund, with the huangpu river and oriental pearl tv tower views... it was worth it.
we took another break at New Heights Cafe on the 7th (top) floor of the Three on the Bund, and noshed on smoothies, fried calamari and french fries. it's just as, if not more, amazing to see the bund from this perspective. plus, the buildings along the bund are so diverse, the juxtaposition of old and new, New Heights is a good place to check it out.
after a massage (details to follow) and shower, it was time for dinner. i tried to go to this place chen, which had been raved about on chowhound, but there were no reservations available. so my next choice was Mao Long (another chowhound rec).
this place is tiny with maybe 7 tables. the owner is an older woman, very kind and helpful, but does not speak ANY english. since my mandarin is practically nonexistent, it was difficult to communicate (plus the menu is only in chinese, and i certainly can't read chinese). fortunately, a young woman in the restaurant offered her assistance, and we sampled delectable shanghainese food. i don't know what anything is called, but we ordered the braised pork (house special), sauteed whole shrimp, sauteed pea shoots in a wine sauce and fish steamed with chilis.
everything was incredibly tasty, particularly the pork; the shrimp were too messy and difficult to eat many without an endless supply of napkins. my mom thought the pork was a little sweet and that the sauce on the pea shoots tasted too much of wine.
we walked by chen as we were leaving, and there was only one full table. but it was a perfect twist of fate because mao long was wonderful.
yang's fry dumpling
54 wujiang lu between maoming lu and nanjing lu (near people's square)
shanghai
new heights cafe
three on the bund, 7th floor
17 Guangdong Road (at the bund/zhongshan lu)
shanghai
mao long
134 jinxian lu (near maoming nan lu)
shanghai
Saturday, October 6, 2007
the band of now
i checked out this band last night at this little club in the east village, club midway, and to my surprise, they'd lost their beverage license -- all they served was soda & juice!
but it was cool, because the band RRRROCKED (you have to watch the keyboardist eric gonzalez -- he jams and throws down)! they're called RED DATSUN, and they just released their first album, self-titled. i'm probably not the best judge of music (i generally like top 40-style pop, hip-hop and rap), but you can decide for yourself: a few songs are on their myspace page, and the album is available on iTunes. i already have a couple on my ipod -- i dig "freakscene" and "gorgeous day" as workout songs!
in an effort towards full disclosure, i must note that 3/5 of the band went to college with me, and that my sister and i set the drummer up with his current fiancee. but they really are awesome, and it's not just because all of my girlfriends thought the lead singer was hot when i was a freshman.
their next show is at otto's shrunken head (538 e 14th st btwn A/B) on fri, 11/2. check them out!! and best of luck to club midway in getting their liquor license back!
club midway
25 ave b btwn 2nd/3rd sts
new york, ny 10009
212-253-2595
but it was cool, because the band RRRROCKED (you have to watch the keyboardist eric gonzalez -- he jams and throws down)! they're called RED DATSUN, and they just released their first album, self-titled. i'm probably not the best judge of music (i generally like top 40-style pop, hip-hop and rap), but you can decide for yourself: a few songs are on their myspace page, and the album is available on iTunes. i already have a couple on my ipod -- i dig "freakscene" and "gorgeous day" as workout songs!
in an effort towards full disclosure, i must note that 3/5 of the band went to college with me, and that my sister and i set the drummer up with his current fiancee. but they really are awesome, and it's not just because all of my girlfriends thought the lead singer was hot when i was a freshman.
their next show is at otto's shrunken head (538 e 14th st btwn A/B) on fri, 11/2. check them out!! and best of luck to club midway in getting their liquor license back!
club midway
25 ave b btwn 2nd/3rd sts
new york, ny 10009
212-253-2595
Friday, October 5, 2007
celebs in da house!
last night i went to an engagement party for my good friends eva & tom. it was at soho house in their private library room. i generally dislike the meatpacking area, especially thursday nights, because it's a zoo down there. and although i love the cobblestone streets, i just don't get how girls walk on them! stiletto heels and cobblestone streets are not a match made in heaven.
anyhow, i never have celeb-sightings (usually because i don't recognize anyone), but last night i had TWO!
1) while at the engagement party, bobby flay and his wife stephanie march walked into our private room. bobby looked around for a few seconds then grabbed his wife's hand and left; they were obviously in the wrong room (soho house has all those nooks and crannies, it's a wonder everyone doesn't get lost). stephanie march is prettier in real life. he looks exactly the same. i wanted to challenge him to a throwdown, but the only thing i could imagine having a chance with was "champagne guzzling".
2) after we left, we walked by pastis, and at the farthest outdoor table from the door, alec baldwin was hunched over a table, chatting with the three people sitting there. he was broader than i thought he would be. he looks leaner on the commercials for 30 rock.
all i could think after seeing these people was "i should email gawker stalker."
anyhow, i never have celeb-sightings (usually because i don't recognize anyone), but last night i had TWO!
1) while at the engagement party, bobby flay and his wife stephanie march walked into our private room. bobby looked around for a few seconds then grabbed his wife's hand and left; they were obviously in the wrong room (soho house has all those nooks and crannies, it's a wonder everyone doesn't get lost). stephanie march is prettier in real life. he looks exactly the same. i wanted to challenge him to a throwdown, but the only thing i could imagine having a chance with was "champagne guzzling".
2) after we left, we walked by pastis, and at the farthest outdoor table from the door, alec baldwin was hunched over a table, chatting with the three people sitting there. he was broader than i thought he would be. he looks leaner on the commercials for 30 rock.
all i could think after seeing these people was "i should email gawker stalker."
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