Gwynnett Street

Last Thursday evening, Jim and I participated in Dine Out Williamsburg for Sandy Relief. Gwynnett Street was a participating restaurant, and we’ve been dying to try it out for a while. What better way to try out a fancy new bistro than a night when 20% of their gross profits are going to provide relief to Sandy victims?

This meal totally impressed me.  Gwynnett Street is very vegan friendly.  So much so, they always have a vegan appetizer, entrée and dessert on their menu at any given time.

Jim started out with their Whiskey Bread, which wasn’t vegan but vegetarian.  It came with cultured butter and looked delicious.  I wish it was vegan, it looked so yummy it was torture looking at it.

For my appetizer I had the winter squash with bell pepper, szechuan pepper and peppercress.  Holy moly this was delicious.  Textures were great.  The squash had a nice bite to it, the herbs were flash fried, and it also had what I believe were pepitas throughout it which gave it additional crunch against the soft vermicelli noodles.  The sauce was delicately sweet and had a hint of citrus.  It was also probably one of the most gorgeously plated vegan dishes I think I’ve ever had.

For my entrée, I finally got to try their tofu.  This restaurant like Roberta’s was awarded a two star review by the New York Times, and the reviewer raved about their house made tofu.

This night it was prepared crusted in pistachio with avocado, celery and celtuce.  The texture was more reminiscent of a pate to me, and it had a great pistachio crust.  Very light and tasty, perfectly paired with the raw avocado, celery and celtuce (which I think is a combination between celery and lettuce?).

What absolutely made my night is when the waitress told me the chef was going to come up with a specialty vegan dessert for me.  She later came back out with what I believe was a sorbet with poached pears, fall spices (lots of cinnamon), a nut cream sauce, and fresh berries.  This was as delicious and seasonal as it sounds.  Isn’t the plating beautiful?

I was extremely pleased with my meal at Gwynett Street and will for sure be back.  It’s now one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood.

Have you tried the vegan options at Gwynett Street?  What did you think?

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Go Brooklyn Open Studios

Last weekend, my husband Jim participated in GO Brooklyn Open Studios. The event is organized by the Brooklyn Museum, and the way it works is local artists throughout the borough open up their studios for the public to tour and view their art.

I helped Jim man the studio both Saturday and Sunday and the turnout was awesome! Despite the horrendous down pour on Saturday, we were really surprised by how many people still came out to view everyone’s art. Jim also had lots of our friends come out to support him and see his art for the very first time as well.

As a fun project, Jim took polaroids of a lot of the people who came through with plans to post them on the wall in his studio. It was a big hit. Everyone loves having their photo taken, especially polaroids. He also provided refreshments and snacks, which I thought was a nice touch.

Most importantly, his recent body of work is incredible, and I am so excited he finally had an opportunity to share it with the public. He’s so talented, and I can’t wait to see where he takes some of his series and concepts.

Wild Ginger

My BFF Nikki and I have been finding it’s pretty tough to get together lately. We’re both so busy with work, and she’s living in Manhattan while I’m obviously in Brooklyn. That may not seem like it’s that far, but it’s far enough not to be super convenient to get together, especially being such over-career-achievers.  So what we’ve been doing lately to make it a priority to see each other  is doing dinner every few weeks, and alternating between new places to try in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Last week, the dinner spot we chose was my absolute favorite, Wild Ginger. If you’re vegan and have yet to try them out, make sure you stop by there while visiting NYC. There’s several locations ranging from Manhattan to Brooklyn. We decided to meet up at the Williamsburg one in my neighborhood. I’m not ashamed to admit I order take out from here waaaay too often.  We gorged on some of my favorites, including their miso soup, fried spinach and “cheese” wontons (the sauce is to die for!), general tso’s soy protein, and finished up the meal with a good ol’ peanut butter bomb!

Time to Get Naked / At Bootcamp

My totes diesel friend Tracy of Tracy Helsing Fitness.

I love going to the gym as you may or may not know, and the women solely responsible for the shape I’m in is my BFF Tracy Helsing.  Tracy’s a personal trainer and fitness professional who really knows her stuff.  She very recently made her television debut as of the trainers on Food Network’s Fat Chef show.  She’s a total badass and will make you cry if you don’t do enough squats to make your ass perfect.

Tracy is teaming up with fellow trainers Faith Pilger and Dorian Cervantes to offer outdoor bootcamps 9 am each Saturday in June at Williamsburg’s McCarren Park.  Classes are an hour long and it’s $125 for the entire 5 week session, or $30 a class.

Visit their Facebook Page to sign up.  All you have to do is click “like”.

You can email Tracy at tracyhelsing@gmail.com with any other questions. Seriously, the more the merrier, so please pass the word on and bring your friends as there will be plenty of tag team, cooperative and group exercises.

If you are serious about getting in bikini shape for summer, or about looking good NAKED, make sure you visit their page today before it gets sold out.

Caracas Arepas Bar

Last week, Jim and I felt like going out to eat so we stopped by Caracas Arepas Bar. I had eaten there before and loved it, and Jim had never been.

It was a beautiful evening out so we opted for their outdoor seating area.

If you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, they have lots of veg friendly options and are open to modifying. The arepas are crazy filling, inexpensive and delicious.

This summer we plan on trying as many new restaurants as we can. I love dining al fresco.

Wythe Hotel, Vice and Faile

I can’t believe I went to this event and tool these photos almost a month ago! Time seriously flies. I’ve been so busy lately traveling for work that I’ve had zero time to post and edit photos. Makes me totes sad.

The Wythe Hotel very recently opened up in my neighborhood, and a few weeks back they held a party with Vice Magazine to show off the hotel, as well as to showcase some works by the very talented street art collective Faile. Jim and I had a blast, enjoying the free cocktails and making some new friends.

Jim and I both have been trying to make it a point to get out more and go to local events. There are so many in our neighborhood at any given time, it’s a crime for us not to check out at least one a week. It’ll be so much easier for me once I’m not traveling so much and my schedule goes back to normal again.

12 Dates of Christmas / Date 1

Damn. It’s amazing how immediately following Thanksgiving life blasts past at warp speed. I’ve been busier than ever at work ( lots of travel, yuck!) and on top of that trying to get caught up for the holidays.

While catching up with my Google Reader, I read about this great concept called “The 12 Dates of Christmas” on the Rockstar Diaries. Basically if your married or in a relationship, the holiday season is a great excuse to make time for 12 dates. Jim and I are trying it this year.

Our first date was to check out the Brooklyn Night Bazaar, which was a short 3 day bazaar filled with artisan gifts, treats and food. Though we didn’t find any gifts there, we did pig out on some Asia Dogs and Regal Vegan grub. And the mulled wine was a nice touch too.

Rockin Raw

Last Sunday my friend Tracy and I went to yoga class, and afterwards decided to go have brunch. She had earlier in the week suggested we eventually try Rockin’ Raw, Williamsburg’s local raw vegan restaurant. Since I was super impressed with the raw food at Pure Food and Wine, and the both of us love healthy fare (we’re both fitness nuts) we decided it was the perfect choice to check out for brunch.

It was an absolutely gorgeous, Indian Summer day, so we took advantage of their outdoor seating.

You can’t call it brunch without a bloody mary! Rockin’ Raw’s bloody’s were great. They had a slight fruity taste, which was a pleasant surprise.

As an appetizer, Tracy and I shared the nachos. They were made of flax crips topped with vegan cheese, tomatoes, and all the nacho topping standards. They were surprising delicious. Tasted just like the normal thing, just at room temperature.

We both coincidentally ordered the same thing as our meal. The lasagna. It was really flavorful. You could taste the concentration of flavors in the sauce. I could easily pinpoint sun-dried tomatoes and basil. The layers included zucchini and mushrooms, which I love. The kale topping with the nutritional yeast was a great addition. This dish was very, very filling. We both only managed to finish half of it. I took the leftovers home and they lasted very well the following day in the fridge.

For dessert, we both shared the Chocolate Pecan Tarte, yum! I never in a million years would have guessed it was raw. It was delicious.

Though it was an expensive brunch, it’s definitely a place I’d hit up again. The food was well worth the money. Check it out if you’re ever in the neighborhood and are looking for a good, healthy bite.

L Train LOL

{Army Jacket: Gift; White Tee: dollar store find; Scarf: The Limited: Camera Bag: THEIT; Boots: MIA via 6PM}

I have the most miserable cold.  It started yesterday.  I’m sitting here today sipping coffee hoping to wake up enough to do something productive today.  I think it’s working.

I wore this last Saturday.  In the afternoon, Jim and I decided instead of making dinner, that we wanted take out from Foodswings.  So Jim called the order in and I headed out to get it.  I drove there, which usually only takes around 8 minutes or so.  I had forgotten the L train (which connects our neighborhood from Brooklyn to Manhattan, in case you’re not familiar) was totally shut down for the weekend, and the trip instead took me closer to 45 minutes round trip.  It’s not that there were a lot of cars along the way, it was more that the city buses they were using as shuttles in place of the L were clogging up intersections all over our neighborhood.  Yikes.  I ended up having to detour probably 15 minutes out of my way and taking an alternate route to the restaurant. When I got home I was totes cranky about it.

For those of you who have eaten at Foodswings, I’m sure you know the long drive was totally worth it.  Freaking delicious.  I felt much better after.

Loreley

Since WordPress decided to be a bitch and eat my Miami recap post (which I spent hours on my plane ride back writing), today we’re resuming with our regularly scheduled posts until I can find time to re-write the damn thing. I hope to finish that this weekend while the trip is still relatively fresh in my mind.

Back a few weeks ago, my friend Nikki and I decided to have a few after work beers at Loreley. Loreley’s a biergarden located a few short blocks from my house, and it’s my summer hang out spot. Every few weeks the girls in my spin class at the gym take a class and then head to Loreley for “sweaty beers”, where we go to the bar right after class all sweaty and gross and proceed to get sloshed. It’s a great time for all involved. I also spent all day on the fourth of July here since we could sit in their outdoor garden and drink the day away.

Loreley has a wide variety of beers and German food. They even have a vegetarian sandwich option that can easily be made vegan minus the cheese. I also love their fries. If you’re ever in the area I highly recommend checking it out. Be sure to let me know, I’ll meet up with you!