1. Washington Square Arch
On my way home I stopped myself to enjoy this rare and beautiful moment… standing behind the arch is the Empire State Building with its tribute in colors – orange, white, & green – to India’s Independence Day. It was like the merging of 2 countries with a little bit of Paris. Let’s face it, the famous arch at Washington Square Park is the closest thing to Paris we have here in Manhattan. I absolutely LOVE the unpretentious vibe of the West Village neighborhood. Great restaurants with so much character. ~ @ Washington Square Park, New York City (West Village)
2. Manhattan Meals
New York City is a cultural melting pot, and naturally you can have any cuisine your heart desires. This past week I enjoyed a lot of great food with even better company. To begin with…
The MasalaWala (bottom left) – I already raved about the food in my last post, but I still can’t stop thinking about the amazing meal at The MasalaWala. The Masala Chai was definitely the highlight of my meal. My friend, Lauren (Lauren Loves To Eat), was one of the Press Dinner attendees, and it was fun to share our opinion on the meal. Excellent food! ~ Lower East Side
La Bergamote (main) – I finally had a chance to catch up with my friend, Ameena (Fancy That Fancy This), and we had a nice conversation over a French lunch at La Bergamote. My salmon was yummy and perfectly cooked. Additionally, La Bergamote offers a plethora of French desserts, and making a decision is nearly impossible. ~ Midtown West
The Halal Guys (bottom right) – My co-worker, BL, and I enjoyed Chicken over Rice from The Halal Guys truck. I typically don’t crave street food meat per se, but this one is a sure winner. These guys are super famous and it’s really the best chicken and rice you’ll ever find in Manhattan! ~ Midtown West
3. Coconut Vanilla Macaron @ La Maison du Macaron
La Maison du Macaron make the BEST macarons, even better than Bouchon Bakery. After my haircut (& a little gray coverage, ahem) appointment, I treated myself to a macaron for a little pick me up. Hey, gray hair can be depressing when you’re still young, thanks to my mom’s genes! Anyway, the Coconut Vanilla Macaron is creamy, flaky, and coconut-y. My other favorite is Caramel Fleur de Sel. ~ $2.75 each @ La Maison du Macaron, New York City (Chelsea)
TELL ME: What’s the BEST thing you ate this past week? Do you have gray hair? What product or salon product do you use for coverage? At what age did you notice your first gray?
A foodie who is passionate about living a healthy-ish lifestyle, cooking, and traveling. You'll find a mix of everything here and lots of seasonal content. I moved from Jersey City leaving behind my family & friends to beautiful Southern California for love. I'm adjusting to the laid-back SoCal lifestyle and learning a lot about myself along the way. Come join me on a soul searching journey and I'll tell YOU "what's cooking" through my love for food, fashion, and travel.
I saw my first gray hair recently and really really sad oh well, thats why we have hair dye although I dont do anything as of now. I am so glad you and Ameena were able to catch up 🙂 Best thing I ate have to be smoked cocoa almonds.
@Dixya – yeah, I think the first ones show up at like 27 or so. I know we have hair dye, but it's all so harmful, I hate using the chemicals, but I have no choice.
If you're ever visiting NYC, let me know, would love to meet with you as well. Ooohh.. smoked almonds sound lovely.
Was sooo fun chatting it up with you at MasalaWala! You're the best 🙂
@Lauren – No you're the BEST! I love that we share the same sense of humor + our love for food!
Man I wish I was a macaroon fan because they just photograph so darn prettily ;)! The coconut vanilla flavor combination sounds rather heavenly! The best thing I ate this week is the oatmeal & raisin cookie at Starbucks- it's so generic but oh so tasty!
@Khushboo – I don't love all macarons, but this one was so exceptional. I can't wait for you to visit NYC… add me to your agenda for 1 day, we can go food hopping! 🙂
I'll have to check out SB's Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, wonder if we have the same menu.
You better believe we will be food hopping together when I make it out there 🙂
@Khushboo – Great! Plan soon! 🙂
I've never been to Washington and I've been here in this country for 17 yrs,,,:(.
I just made macaroons today and those flavors looks so good..
Talking about gray..I remember exactly, I was shocked and called my mom in India and it was 3.00 a.m for her and she was not excited about the call. I got mine late 20's 2 yrs before my 30th, feel so old..
Glad you guys hooked, would love to meetup sometime and I live in SF..come over, it is so much fun.
@Asha – The park is in NYC – Washington Square Park. 🙂
Wow, I have never attempted making macarons, that's complicated.
You got your first white hair after me, I got mine fairly early because my mom had a lot of white hair by 35. Next time I visit SFO, I'll let you know. It's a great city.
Looking forward to meeting you sometime…hey macs are not complicated at all, just a few things to remember that's it..
Thanks Asha.. I'll surely give them a try at some point. SO much to make!!! 🙂
Caramel fleur de sel – salted caramel macarons are the best my friend 😀
Cheers
CCU
I love salted caramel too.
Nice photographs. Food looks yummy!!
http://www.volatilespirits.com
Thanks Anupama. It was.
OMG,
All the food looks so yummy!!!
Thanks Asmita.. it was.
The macaron looks so good! I've had a few grey hairs for at least 5 years, but they haven't really multiplied. My brothers are younger than me and have much more grey hair!
Christin, you are so lucky!!! I think a lot of it is genetic, and the other half is stress. Thanks for sharing.
urgh – struggling with the ipad and commenting, I deleted my own comment.will repost from my laptop
haha.. no worries!
New York sounds amazing! I would so love to go!!! JEalous.
My friend, NYC is one of the most amazing cities I've been to, it's my favorite. I don't think any other city compares, it has it all! Come, visit!
I think your hair looks great! Really, we are all our own worst critics.
I need to hit up Masalawala…was telling Ali about it a few days ago. We are going to give it a shot when we get back into town!
Thanks Ameena.. someday you'll see it curly and frizzy now that you live on the east coast – haha.
You should definitely visit Masalawala, you'd love it. I think it's as good as the Indian restaurants in London!
I agree with Ameena — you have beautiful hair my dear 🙂 And I hope we move to NYC someday. Really, I love that city to bits!
Thanks Kiran.. you haven't seen it frizzy and curly though, I straighten it with so much love these days. Hope you move to, it's a fabulous city. Perfect for foodies.