Almost everyone who lives in New York loves New York and a lot of us who don’t live there love it as well. Lots of people (me) would live there if they could and like to live vicariously through those that do. I hope you get my jist. I recently discovered a section, Grub Street New York in (my favorite) NY Mag that details well-known New Yorker’s diets for a week. They include all sorts of chefs, writers, designers and models. For some reason I am enthralled by what people eat and all things food, really.
I already know what Anthony Bourdain eats but still enjoyed reading about it. I love his voice and am really wanting to read his books. An excerpt: Wednesday, June 9 “Badly hung-over from the night before. Regretting the negroni before the wine, so there was no question of breakfast. Nothing helps hangovers anymore; it used to be a nice cold Coke, a joint, and as soon as my appetite would come back, maybe some leftover kung-pow chicken — spicy Chinese food helps. But as a father of a 3-year-old, I’m not smoking a lot of weed anymore.” Tony’s always right.
Alessandra Ambrosio seems to eat a lot like everyone else, she just doesn’t look it. One day consisted of “I had coffee and an English muffin sandwich with ham and cheese at home. For lunch I was at home, too: I had rice, beans, salad, and a chicken breast. The nanny made it for me — she cooks for my daughter and I had some. In the afternoon I had two chocolate-chip cookies and a green-tea latte. In the nighttime, I had a dinner at my house, so I went and bought cheese, olives, salami, caviar — all those things. I had some lobster ravioli and a little tiramisu. We bought it ready-made, it was one of those things you just warm it up. To drink I had some wine.” Sounds good to me.
I especially enjoyed reading about Catherine Malandrino‘s diet right before and after her NYFW show. “During the presentation, I didn’t eat — it was all about the collection. But after the show, a table was waiting for me at Ed’s Chowder House, where I celebrated with family and friends. We ate oysters and jumbo shrimp and drank Champagne; it was a four-hour lunch! I felt exhausted after that, and I went home and fell asleep until midnight. I woke up starving, dreaming about spaghetti Bolognese, so my partner Bernard made some for me — we ate pasta and celebrated again with Champagne. It was beautiful.”
Eating and enjoying food with friends and loved ones is such a wonderful part of life, don’t you think? Reading and writing about this makes me very excited for the weekend.
Images: Anthony Bourdain, Alessandra Ambrosio, Catherine Malandrino
Ice Tray (I really need one and cannot find one anywhere!)
There was finally a slight chill in the air this morning when I left for work! So, I’m getting chills thinking about the delights of Autumn while trying to ignore the inevitable disappointments like earlier sunsets, frigid cold and…Winter. Plus, Shop-o-matic (by NYMag) has released a 100 Reasons to Get Excited for Fall edition. Of course I have some favorites. Find all of them here.
I can always use another wine stopper…
Decanter and sipping glasses for cold nights by the fire
I <3 Cheese
As I said here, I’m digging skinny cargo trend, the above are from Old Navy
The must-have accessory for dance parties: iPhone speakers
Lovely little dress from H&M
$72 cut-out dress from Fred Flare. I. Want. It.
Suede Stillettos. Mmmmm.
Gargoyle rings!
Chambray shirt. I have a vintage work shirt that I can’t wait to bust out.
Dish drainer. For those that don’t have a dishwasher, like me.
Biker leggings. Umm. I must say I dig on these. This version is by Tory Burch and is above my current price point for pants I will only occasionally wear…but I will be looking for knock-offs…oh yes, I will.
Sauce pot. Getting hungry now. “Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah” is for some reason playing in my head…
Tall boot by Cole Haan, again out of my price point but I am equally excited to wear my less expensive, less chic tall boots.
I’m dying over this fuschia sofa from Ikea. Sooo delicious! And only $200 more than the Cole Haan boots!
Leopard scarf. I’m in.
Detachable Ruffle Collar. Actually detachable collars in general. I will be in search.
As previously stated here, I’m a bootie-hound!
Shearling jacket. Or in my case faux-shearling jacket.
In honor of Fayetteville’s Restaurant Week (8/12-8/22). There are so many locally owned restaurants to support in our area!
The following post includes my personal opinions on where you should eat in Fayetteville, AR (NWA) if you are visiting or just moved here. I’m humbled to relay that I’ve had a couple of requests for these recommendations. I’m no culinary expert; I just like to eat, drink and be merry. I grew up going out to dinner in Fayetteville and I love discovering new places as well as frequenting old favorites.
If you have a restaurant you’d like to share with me, I’d love to know about it. Email me: prettypayblog@gmail.com
Places I frequent often:
Theo’s – best place for seared tuna, mussels, a yummy beef tenderloin, bleu cheese stuffed olive martinis…. It’s a fantastic place for a romantic date, or great to bring your parents when they’re in town (and paying). It’s not cheap by NWA standards, by big city – total bang for your buck.
Greenhouse Grille– wonderful atmosphere, “locavore” friendly, amazing buffalo burgers and great specials. I always order the spicy caesar salad on grilled romaine. There are these amazing porcini mushrooms…and they serve 1554, my sipping beer of choice. Live music.
Pesto Café – It’s a hole in the wall in a seedy hotel on the main drag (HWY 71) but it’s quite quaint and the pasta is wonderful. I get the chicken picatta or the pesto pasta or the chicken parmesan. I’ve never had anything I didn’t like and we order take-out from there all the time. On Thursday nights only, they serve homemade chocolate cake that is to DIE for. Live music.
Uncle Gaylords – I really only go there for breakfast/brunch, but its right down the street from the Farmer’s Market on the square (and my house), plus it’s served seven days a week. The service is terrible, the atmosphere is so-so*, the waitstaff aren’t particularly friendly, but the food is damn good. I always get the breakfast platter with blueberry pancakes or French toast, eggs and bacon. Mmmm. *There is a floor to ceiling painting in the main dining room that I am obsessed with but have no idea who could be the artist.
Hammontree’s – This place is about a year old and it started as a grilled cheese-only shop inside the nightbird bookstore. They’ve since outgrown it, moved and started serving hot dogs! It’s wonderful for lunch with friends or take-out. They also deliver to Dickson St and surrounding areas. The friendly staff call ranch “sorority sauce”, which it basically is…
Rick’s Bakery – I love sweets. I do. But I’m extremely partial to Rick’s lunch offerings. They have several amazing sandwiches available all day. You get a sandwich, chips, a fountain drink and the day’s special dessert for like $6. Can’t be beat.
Café Rue Orleans – Having lived in New Orleans for four years, I certainly miss my remoulades and my etouffees and oysters, etc. The owner is from South Louisiana and I have a friend who works there. On Sunday mornings, mimosas are $.99. The Eggplant Napoleon will put you down. It’s truly amazing. Downstairs is a seafood bar that’s open Thurs- Sat evenings serving in-season seafood (oysters on the halfshell, boiled crawfish, crab legs, shrimp) and dollar beers.
Hugo’s – A local favorite, for a number of reasons. It’s casual, cheap and really, really good. Share a basket of fries, get a sandwich or a burger and try one of their bloody marys. They are my favorite in town.
Charlie’s Chicken – This is a favorite of mine dating back to high school. It’s a buffet line with a drive thru. I get 3 chunks of chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy & macaroni and cheese. Amazing & cheap.
Meiji – I love sushi. But I must admit that it’s never going to be as good in a landlocked state as it is in coastal cities. Still, some places are better than others. Meiji is relatively new to the area and I’m already a huge fan. They try to buy local produce and serve only wild-caught fish. I get the spicy crab salad and try a new roll every time. I actually ate there for lunch today and tried the gyoza. Phenom.
Petra Cafe – Right off the square and serving lunch only (except for Friday & Saturday), you can eat authentic Turkish food at the counter or at a little table. It’s pretty small, in fact, I think the family makes all the food from their home kitchen and then they bring it in every morning. I love their hummus, gyros, everything.
Off the beaten path:
Monte Ne Inn – It’s in Rogers, very close to horseshoe bend marina. It’s a little building and there is no menu. It’s about $9 per person and its heaven. The food is served family style, all you can eat. First, navy bean soup, which doesn’t sound good to me either, but believe me…it is. Then rolls, homemade apple butter, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn on the cob, blackberry cobbler. BYOB is also pretty fun. Random farm tools adorn the walls and the clientele are quite interesting as you can imagine.
Venesian Inn – It’s in Tontitown and it’s kinda a shack. Impermissible on game days, people come from far and wide to eat here. It’s also closed on random days. But its AMAZING spaghetti, meatballs, fried chicken, rolls. Their Italian oil & vinegar salad is THE BEST I’VE EVER HAD.
Mama Dean’s – It’s in South Fayetteville, so it’s not really off the beaten path but it really can’t be on my rotation. You cannot go back to work, play or really anything that requires activity after eating there. It’s down-home, southern soul food. They serve things like fried pork chops, chicken fried steak, lemon meringue pie…you get the idea.
Enjoy! More to come…
Also look on Experience Fayetteville for addresses, phone numbers and more restaurants.
Being barefoot
Coffee – now that I can have my half & half again
Swimsuits…holiday in 26 days!
Trunks
Pretty boxes
Light and bright rooms (my entire house is being painted eggshell)
Cool whip…can’t seem to get enough
My precious boyfriend
Image Credits: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, last two – mine
The week is half over! Thank goodness…I hate to wish away summer days that are so fleeting, but sometimes RuPaul comes to visit and the weeks just draaag. That’s a little cubicle humor for you. And now…some cupcake porn a la Bliss Cupcakes right here in Fayetteville.
Happy Wednesday loves!
The Window Shopper 