Schmackarys is Lip Schmackin Good

Schmackarys

I was walking home through Hell's Kitchen this evening and wanted a snack when I spotted Schackarys which I've always walked by when it was either already closed for the evening or I was too full to even think about dessert.  It's a cute little shop and the smell of the coffee and the fact that they called it "Broadway Blend" prompted me to buy a bag alongside with my treats.

Make The Time for El Vez

Tonight I met a friend downtown for dinner and she recommended we walk over to El Vez. While I'm naturally skeptical of all Mexican food in NYC, I trusted her judgment and couldn't turn down the opportunity to eat outside on such a perfect evening. Apparently, many other people had the same idea because we were looking at a 30 minute wait. The time passed very quickly as we enjoyed some extremely refreshing Cucumber Mint Margaritas.

Coney Island Mermaid Parade

Mermaid Parade: Dick Zigun

Today I made my first visit to Coney Island for the annual Mermaid Parade, a whimsical art parade that celebrates the Coney Island community and seaside spirit. To kick off the parade was no other than Dick Zigun himself aka "the Mayor of Coney Island" and original founder of the parade. Unfortunately, I didn't get too many good shots because my battery died halfway through. But here are a few:

Bar Hopping: Dear Irving, Amor y Amargo, Crif Dogs

Dear Irving: Samoa & True Patriot

After a pre-theatre jaunt to St. Andrews and watching The Realistic Joneses we weren't quite ready for our night to end. We walked almost all the way down to Penn Station before I was struck with a brilliant idea. Didn't the folks behind fabulous speakeasy Raines Law Room just open up a new cocktail establishment with 3 rooms that capture 3 eras? We were in a cab heading over to Gramercy within 2 minutes.

St. Andrews a Nice Catch

St. Andrews

After picking up some last minute tickets for The Realistic Joneses at the TKTS booth we needed a nearby spot to grab dinner. A quick search of the nearby vicinity pulled up St. Andrews Scottish Restaurant & Bar. Since we've recently returned from a trip to Scotland, we've been scouting out all the Scottish culture (& Scotch) that we can get our hands on in NYC.

Rolling with Thelewala

Thelewala: Spices on Wall

After some drinks and appetizers at both Employees Only and Highlands we stopped in to Big Gay Ice Cream for a Salty Pimp, but were still feeling a bit peckish. One of our favorite treats when around the Village is a kati roll. While we normally frequent Kati Roll, our friends at The Restaurant Fairy recently recommended we check out Thelewala across the street.

High Times in Highlands

Highlands: Scotch Egg

After some delightful cocktails and snacks from Employees Only, we were not quite ready to call it a night so headed East a few blocks to Highlands. We've attempted to come to this bar many times because we hear they have a great Scotch Egg, but we tend to swing by on Friday & Saturday nights and this place is hopping. Walking in on a Monday night, they were still doing good business, but it was calm & relaxed and totally unrecognizeable from the scene we were used to.

Everything's Working for Employees Only

Employees Only: Mata Hari

As a big lover of high quality speakeasies Employees Only has been on my 'must visit' list for quite some time now. On a whim, we decided to have a little Monday night adventure to kick off the week. We found the neon Psychic sign in the West Village window and walked by the actual psychic who sits in the foyer into another world.

Williamsburg Fun at TNE, Roberta's, & Huckleberry Bar

The Noble Experiment: Owney's

Today we did a tour of The Noble Experiment, New York City's only exclusively rum distillery. It's a small operation and the founder Bridget gave the tour herself and poured us samples of her final product Owney's Rum. As a bonus, we also got to sample some leftover holiday editions infused with Rosemary, Mint, and Vanilla Bean. Oh the cocktails one could make with these gems!

I Can Cook! Blue Apron

Blue Apron: Korean Style Scallion Pancakes
with Cucumber Salad

It's been a long time since I've even had the 30 minutes that it takes to prepare a Blue Apron meal, but things have calmed down a bit so I was excited to get a delivery this week. Here is what was on the menu so you can compare against how mine turned out:

Smashburger: A Smashing Good Time

Smashburger

Smashburger was one of our favorite burger joints when we lived in Boulder, CO and we miss it dearly. That's why we are excited that this chain is expanding into NYC in a major way. Their first location is in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and now they have one in Midtown West with many more to come. Tonight we were in Fort Greene for the special RadioLoveFest taping of Ask Me Another at BAM and stopped in for a couple of burgers before the show.

Clover Club is still Acing It

Clover Club: Improved Whisky Cocktail

Tonight we attended the special RadioLoveFest taping of one of my favorite podcasts, Ask Me Another. While The Mr doesn't listen to podcasts, I've taken him to both of Radiolab's live events and knew he would enjoy special Very Important Puzzlers Robert Krulwich & Jad Abumrad. I also suspected he would be excited by special musical guest They Might be Giants. And I was right. It was a delightful event and afterward we wanted to keep the party going and explore more of what Brooklyn has to offer. Before the show, we had grabbed a couple of burgers at Smashburger, but we were ready for some cocktails and another nosh.