Hi Guys!  I was just told that our 2nd tier management will be getting the ax- aka laid off.  I was also told that a great young, happy and God-loving guy in our department was found dead at 30-something (?) last night.  HUGH???  How does that work?  So young!  So happy!  So Godly in spirit!

UGH…So I flipped thru my diary and this is what I opened up to…  

“We are disturbed not by what happens to us but by our thoughts about what happened to us.”   Epictetus

I love you guys so wanted to share it with you.  Good one.  Now I just have to hold my breath and try to keep a smile on my face…

Tori2

Hi there guys!  I want to be the first to add to your blog!  Keep up the great work and keep moving forward!  

(BTW, everyone LOVED my mother of pearl/frosted glass platters I had out for the Valentine’s Day party…of course ;)!)

We all know this quote from Ghandi…but think we need to remind ourselves of it time and again these days.

“Keep your thoughts positive because your  thoughts become your words.  Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior.  Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits.  Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.  Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.”     Ghandi

Namaste’

Pam W.

We have a new restaurant and beer bar in the hood…

B Cafe - 566 Amsterdam- 87th/88th

Our new favorite watering hole and brunch spot.  Still have not tried dinner there but they are open until 10:00 p.m..  It is a very small bar and dining room for that matter but it is quaint with its long railroad layout with one long brick wall that adds to the coziness.  The wait staff are friendly and efficient.  Just what UWS needed, frankly.

Wanted to add this onto our list!  If you are looking for 100 different beers, ales and craft brews, this is a ‘must go’!  There are several fresh ales on tap and they have a beer for every taste bud, even some of us who are not a beer-fly!  various lambics in bottles.  Our groups favorites were Chimay 500 and Kwak beer (served in a wooden stand).

Come for the 6 different dishes of Moules Frites that come in an iron pot of 50. Their awesome frites- crispy and fried to perfection. Their cheese croquettes were as lite and fluffy as air.  The sandwiches and omelets are fresh and portions are enough to fill you up.  Prices are NYC reasonable.

Definitely a good place to visit if you are up our way!

I missed Nelly’s bash, “Because we’re hot and Single” at Suite Presidente!!  Anyone go??!

lonlilu

Hi guys!

I just had a fabulous fruit punch that will grow hair on your chest!  Check it out for your next party!

1 1/2 gallons citurs fruit punch

2-3 cups vodka- or to taste

2 cups orange juice

2 cups pineapple juice

1 cup grapefruit juice

1/2 cup lime juice

orange, lemon, lime slices

Combine everything in a large container and mix well.  Add fruit slices. Chill for 3-4 hours before serving in punch bowl.

I actually need a place for serving so I decided to give up 1 of the large closets and convert to an alcove for a service bar for the Dining Room area. I have a large sectional with the long side separating the room. I got an Ottoman from ME2 because they are compact to fit in the middle and still be able to walk around. I have an area rug under sectional and ottoman. The dining room looks separate from couch area with the addition of the alcove, and area rug.

citygirl

Hi roadwarrior,

Thanks for the question… Depending on where your main room is positioned in your home, the layout is predicated on the “flow” of the space.  It is important, so here are a few rules of thumb.

1.  Try not to obstruct main “walkways” from one room to another with major furniture… you don’t want to trip over the couch after getting home late one nite and forgetting you re-arranged the furniture, do you?

2. Create an atmosphere for each room but take 1 accent color or decor accent that repeats for both so the areas tie together slightly.  We don’t want Geranimals or circus tent, do we?

…kudos to citygirl!  She knows what she’s talking ’bout!  Wanna job?

3.  Since the room is not that palatial, I would paint walls all the same color… if you want to do an accent wall- do it behind couch.

4. Dining room area should always have a chandelier… it creates the room instantly.

5. Living room area with couch and coffee table or ottoman should have an accent rug to off-set that area.

Remember, with no walls you are left with accent items to indentify, but also, to complement.

Send pics!

David

David, What do you do with one large 18′x28′ room that has to be the entertainment area and dining as well. Two of the walls have closets and the back wall is all window. UGH not much to work with! Can u help?

roadwarrior

Dishin' with Di

Relationship Survival circa Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day, February 14:
A holiday ripe with sentiment, thick with expectation, a big revenue booster for the restaurant and red rose business, and the single day of the year that causes more people to fall out of love than get engaged. At least that’s the conclusion my education and experience supports…

Let’s face it. For all the money spent on talk therapy in the US, Valentine’s Day is the one holiday on which many intelligent and self-realized people still believe that their partner can read their mind. On any other day, an expression of good intentions can diffuse an argument. On Valentine’s Day however one wrong step can cause a relationship’s global apocalypse.  
Timing is part of the problem.  Many couples delay dealing with their conflicts until after the November – December holiday season. Then they sleep-walk through January in an over-spending, eating and liquor induced coma. Finally, February rolls around, they wake up and realize that the relationship needs serious work and they find themselves sitting on the “do I stay or do I go” fence. KABLAM – here comes Valentine’s Day, and with it the pressure to communicate unconditional love and support a wealth of Hallmark-esque romantic fantasies.

Frankly I don’t know how any relationship survives the month of February but whatever side of the relationship fence you fall, I have a few recommendations.

For those that can’t handle the pressure, don’t feel the unconditional love vibe, or make the decision to walk away from the relationship:

Do not play the “I will behave badly so they will break up with me and I can be the victim” game.  

If you believe that a relationship is broken, admit that you are unwilling to do the work to fix it. State your limitations and desire to move on, pure and simple. 

Own your decision, and do not be pulled into a long painful analysis of what is good and bad about the relationship, you or your partner. This discussion is an emotional quagmire designed to keep you connected to your ex- via pain and drama. Once the decision is made, the reasons behind the decision are irrelevant. 

Do not find fault in the person you are breaking up with or defend your feelings. One response to your ex-lover’s plea for an explanation may be: There were many wonderful moments in our relationship. I have no doubt that you will meet someone fantastic very soon and I wish you only the best. 

After the breakup conversation, NO CONTACT for at least 3 weeks. No phone, voice-mails, emails, face-books lookups, conversations in the hallway. Nothing. Do not try to jump directly into an awkward friendship. No contact equals no mixed messages or misunderstandings. Note: The no contact rule is tougher than the actual breakup but in order to heal, people need to experience life fully without the ghost of a broken relationship lingering about. 

On the short term, you may believe it’s more difficult to face your partner’s disappointment than behave horribly to a person that you cared for in the past.  Long term, however, stating the truth without all the bad behavior leaves your self-respect intact, less anger and resentment is harbored, and probability of both people moving on to loving relationships is greater. 

If you are the breakee, and are heartbroken, I am very sorry for your loss. You must remember that you are NOT a loser, and the good news is that you dodged a bullet. Stock up on movies, call your friends, take a trip, learn a language, keep busy, and embrace the idea that you should not have to convince anyone to love you, no matter what you may feel for them.

V’DAY ADVICE IF YOU LIVE IN

MUSHY MUSH-LAND

If you fall on the gushy, “get a room, will ya?” side of the relationship fence:

1. Flowers: if you don’t want red roses, state so LOUDLY and offer other floral suggestions. A picture on the refrigerator helps. It’s very hard to ignore the flower industry’s marketing blitz so tell your partner what you like in case they succumb. 

2. Food: If crowded restaurants are not your cup of tea, find out what your lover’s favorite foods are. Ask if they could choose their last meal on earth, what would it be?  If you don’t know how to prepare it, find someone that does or go to a gourmet store. Set a table. Light a candle. Taste can be as sensual as sight and smell. 

3. Nothing says “I love you and only you” like individual red velvet cupcakes served up on Angie’s Tasting Tower by ME2 Design.  A scrumptious recipe for red velvet cupcakes can be  found below. You can even craft sexy Twitter-style messages for the top of each.

4. Frolic: For the evening’s festivities to continue through to the next morning, don’t forget to take a long nap on the 13th and remember that too much liquor can diminish a man’s “stamina”. If have a desire to spice things up a bit, Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity to experiment with costumes (Cop? Genie? Anything involving a green jumpsuit, a hammer, and construction?), food (whipped cream, fruit, sushi, ice chips), or electronic devices (no description necessary). FYI: satin sheets are not all they are cracked up to be.

Whether you are in love, single or recently single and not happy about it, have fun and practice gratitude. A great love affair is a gift but having no relationship is MUCH more fun than being in a bad or mediocre one. 

Prep Time: 20 min.
Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 40 min      
Yield: 24 frosted cupcakes

Ingredients

    * 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    * 1 1/2 cups sugar
    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1 teaspoon salt
    * 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
    * 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
    * 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
    * 2 large eggs, room temperature
    * 2 tablespoons red food coloring
    * 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

    * 1 pound cream cheese, softened
    * 2 sticks butter, softened
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
    * Chopped pecans and fresh raspberries or strawberries, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
Line two (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy

Over a lot of deliberation and editing, we are anxious to report our Top 10 wine bars for flights and finger food. We suggest you start out early, like 3:00, so you can cop a great seat and watch the changing of the scenery as the night wears on. 

Tell us about your own great haunts with wine in your city or ours!  We all need places to go when we arrive.

1.  The Room- 144 Sullivan St./near Prince   Ny, Ny

By far the best for our gang… romantic, urban, goth and sexy but, most of all, it’s a wine and beer bar.  All tastes satisfied.  Unlike our pub crawl. 

- Long and narrow tavern-like rooms with iron chairs, velvet couches, candles and music that reminds you of NYC when it was cool to smoke. Dark and intimate but without  feeling like you are walking into a lounge where ‘Cheaters Anonymous’ members would go after a meeting at the Y.  It is quiet and loungy and that’s what we’re talking about. 

- The indy and 80’s music rocks… takes us back home to the place when we thought we were cool. Radiohead, The Cure, The Smiths and Echo and the Bunnymen, Massive Attack rocks the bar for the perfect fill-in-the-blank if you’re on a blind date.

- The Belgian and German beers seemed endless and the wine list was pleasing. If you are a martini drinker, ask the bartender for a Delirium Tremens big beer and you’ll fall off the chair.  For you fruity palettes, ask for the pear cider. Gotta love the candlelit chalk boards with the bar offerings you can hardly read.

What’s there not to like?  Definitely is on our A-List for a downtown hang out.

2. Grape and Grain- 620 E. 6th St. / Ave. A   Ny, Ny

Small, cozy and casual.  A great place to go with your guy/girl Friday or your Aunt Gladys from Buffalo.  Candlelit tables next to the long brick wall give you a relaxing Tuscan vibe while the bar serves up simple but tasty small plates from tupperware containers in the back of the bar.  You feel like you are at home. 

- The bistro-type menu includes delicious bread and cheese our from local merchants, like Murrays.  Ask the bartender what wines go with your plate of tasty bits and he’ll hook you up all night long.

- Wines selected from around the world go for $7-$17 a glass.  Also have a select beer menu that satisfies the most discerning suds lovers.

3. Xicala- 151B Elizabeth ST.   NY, NY

We passed right by this tiny spot in the wall as we were making our way across town.  You blink and you miss it. Once we saw that it was a tapas bar, we just had to go in and sample the Spanish fare.

Small and quaint with the red walls and dark wooden parlor tables makes you wish you had it in your hood.  A lovely husband-and-wife team run this hidden gem to the tee.  Great Riojas and Tempranillos with a unique and yummy tapas menu. We ate our way thru the menu ’til the waitress had to cut us off. 

4. Bubble Lounge- 228 W. Broadway / White St.   Ny,Ny

A true NYC moment.  Experiencing the most sophisticated night of bubbly you’ll barely remember the next day.  Most of us have many memories of when we used to troll this hi-brow bar when we were young fashionistas.  We go w-a-y back. Bring the cash ’cause you’ll be hobbin- and- a noddin. You’re in for a long fuzzy night of trying to figure out who’s who and why you’re there.

- Urban, chic, sophisticated lounge for the Wall Street-ers, politicians and banker-types…watch your wallets!

- Are there really that many labels of champagne available to us??  Had no idea it could take us 1/2 the night trying to pick our flavor.

- A perfect place to go to impress-your boss, your parents or your soul mate du jour.  We were bummed that we didn’t have the ME2 black smoke glass serving tower with mother of pearl and horn handle to give them…just so we can see how perfect it looks! 

Even-though, we barely made it out alive (again) or with enough money between us to get a cab home, yet we still must go back.  And next time we’ll remember what happened.

5. 10 Degrees-  121 St Mark’s Place  1rst/ Ave. A    Ny, Ny

A new stop on our downtown wine tasting circuit.  A much needed add to the ever growing dive bars and fusion restaurants in the Village.  A gallery owner turned bar manager created this great lounge for his after-gallery parties.  A perfect solution for him and a great spot for us!  

-Retro-50’s again, which we are tired of; but we like the black leather couches and legion-hall bar stools up at the bar.

-A fabulous wine list of about 100 boutique wines that we have never heard of.

-Beautiful cheeses that seem to go with all the flights we were tasting.  

- Love the quite neighborhood vibe where you can sit on a Saturday afternoon and relax.  We will be coming back in the summer for a little fresh air when they open up the front onto the street.

Potential to be regulars if we were still living in the village but since we migrated out with all the other ‘over 40’s’, we have it on our short list of ‘drive-by for a glass of red’ spots.

6. D.O.C. - 83 N. 7th. St./ Wythe   Williamsburg

Think we found the hide-out for the “in-crowd” and mini celebs.  It’s small but the Italian food and atmosphere take you away to Sardina on holiday and you forget your in Brooklyn.  Love the peasant tables and long wooden benches with the customary tin ceiling.  We had a few bites of some deliciously fresh and simple italian with wine of their recommendation.  What stood out was the crostini with fonduta and tiramisu.  We plan to come back for dinner.

- Vast wine list from Italy and everywhere. Reasonably priced.

- A warm family welcome to Brooklyn from Claudio, the owner at the door.

-We heard the wait staff is rude.  We didn’t get that.

7. Cru- 24 5th Ave/ 9th St.   NY, NY

A place where we go if we are out shopping or for an apres-theater drink .  You are guaranteed to get a nice glass of wine from their extensive and impressive wine list and modern Euro cuisine that is delicious culinary art for wine.  You pay for quality and sophisticated ambience.

- A handsome wine bar/restaurant decorated in sophisticated dark mahogany and white linen table cloths.  Clean but classic.  Great to take a client or date.

- You will be amazed at the endless wine list including some rare bottles you’ve never heard of. 

- Shea Gallant’s culinary creations are precious and delicious.  Made to pair beautifully with the impressive wines they offer.

A 5-star approach to a wine bar for the most discerning wine connoisseur.

- Not a place to drop by and hang your hat and graze over a cheese tray.  Too serious for that.

8. Riposo-50 W.72nd St.  Ny, Ny

- Great find in the hood but not a place to see and be seen.  It’s a quite and laid back chill with friends and the folks.  That’s what we like about it. Great place to go on a Sunday afternoon.

- Tall wooden parlor tables that seat 4.  Great wine list under $15.  Nice cheese plate but wish it had more bread and more artesian ’wine’ cheeses.

UWS is certainly not a mecca for great bars so we are happy to have it.

9. Wine and Roses- 286 Columbus Ave  /73rd.  Ny, Ny

- More of a scene with a ‘date-or-mate’ vibe to the bar.

- We love the bar.  It is mostly about the bar cause of its beautiful white marble top.  It is elegant with the tall ceilings and roses dotting the tables.

- The wine list is pages long so our eyes gloss every time. The bartender is always sweet as she walks us thru the basics.

- The food is good.  The cheese plate is ala cart so we have fun with the selections.

Need to get there early on a weekend. Snag a booth for a date or a seat at the bar for your mother.  She’ll love it!

10. The Bowery Wine Company- 13 E. 1st.  Ny, Ny

Chris Sileo, ex-beverage manager at The Plaza, and his partner opened up this swanky yuppified spot with all the uptown digs.  Leather banquettes, lacquered bar and a central park vibe.

Miss the old drunks and rocker-street-squatters down at the bowery but we’d stop in for a glass or two on our way to lower east side.

- Huge open room with tall ceiling and a lots of seating.  Chic but we wouldn’t say it is “cozy” or “relaxing”. 

- Reasonable, well planned wine list (with a glass starting at $6.00) and a 5-star small plate menu for a night on the town.  A great place to go for those “special” nights.

Thanks, Chris for giving our yuppie corporate friends a place to go downtown.