Karma Karma Karma Cameleon

Karma Karma Karma Cameleon…remember that song? No, ummmm…I guess I’m getting too old. HA! Remember when Boy George was IN?!? Ok, nevermind. Let’s get on with the story telling. I’m not the greatest at telling stories, but I’d like to try anyway.

I went for an 18 mile bike ride last Saturday with my cousin. We made it all the way across the George Washington Bridge. That ride was exhilarating & the view was breathtaking. It was my first time up there & it won’t be my last. We picked an awesome day with perfect weather to bike.

During the trip, I had stopped to help to 2 ladies, one of whom fell off her bike. They were very thankful. I was just happy to help. My cousin & I didn’t know the way to the G.W. Bridge, so the 2 ladies kindly explained how to get there.

Happily on our way, we ran into another roadblock. There were no more signs pointing us to the G.W. I told my cousin I didn’t know where to go. A lady passing by stopped & asked us where we needed to go. Wow, people have been so nice to us today.

We made it to the G.W. Bridge & took some fun pictures. I love jumping pics. They’re so fun & silly. On our way back down the West Side Highway, I got a flat tire! Murphy’s Law loves to show up when you don’t want it to (which is all the time). Of course I didn’t have a spare tube. I had packed my cousin’s bike pump, but not a tube. Argh! So, I ended up carrying my heavy mountain bike until I got tired. Then, I started rolling it on the one good tire for about a mile. That was exhausting. We were 70+ blocks away from my car. Oh, the horror.

While walking on the pedestrian path, 2 men stopped to offer help, but since I didn’t have a spare tube, they weren’t able to assist me. As I kept walking, an older man standing in the shade stopped me. He said he might have a spare tube for me & goes to fix it. It was not the right size for my tire, but enough so that I can roll the bike on both wheels. I offered to pay him for the tube, but he refused. I was so gracious & thankful for his assistance.

We got out of the park & found a train station. As luck would have it, I didn’t bring my Metro card. Darn you, Murphy’s Law, I hate you! They started charging $1 to get a new card, on top of paying for the fare. I told my cousin I forgot my card. A girl by the machine heard me & told me I can take hers. It didn’t have money on it, but I can use it to put the fare on. At this point, I was completely blown away by how nice everyone has been the whole day.

We finally get to my car, got home to shower, & then headed to a nice, family BBQ.

It turned out to be such a fun, memorable, & adventurous day even with the many obstacles we had faced. It has also renewed my faith in humanity. Living in New York City for so long have hardened me enough to a point that I think most New Yorkers are just plain rude & mean. Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of those around, but the few people I had encountered that day were kind-hearted, genuine, & generous.

I was telling hubby the story on the way to the BBQ & it was then that I realized things might have been different if I hadn’t stopped to help those 2 ladies on the side of the road. I helped someone & the good karma kept coming. I was just glad we got home safe & sound with smiles on our sweat drenched faces.

Lessons Learned:
1) Always be prepared. Bring an extra tube for your bicycle, as well as the proper air pump. Don’t forget your Metro Card.
2) It pays to be kind to others. You might not see any benefits now or even notice it later, but on those days when you feel like luck is on your side, it could just be good karma coming back for you.
3) I love my family! xoxo

Dinner on Ludlow Review

DINNER ON LUDLOW  

Location:
95 Delancey Street
New York, NY 10002

So a few months ago, Gilt City had a promotion for Dinner on Ludlow for 4 people for $120. I had also received a 20% off promo code from them as well, which made the deal even better at $96. We would have to pay tax (on the full price) & tip (20%) at the restaurant. I bought the deal with the intention to take hubby out for his upcoming birthday, along with 2 of his friends.

Reservations were easy even though they mention you need to make them a month in advance. There was no need. Upon getting to the restaurant on a Sunday night, we had noticed there was a huge line outside. People were waiting to get in. It dawned on me that the 2 floors above was their lounge aptly named The DL. There was a huge party going on, it was actually pretty fun people watching. We saw some characters in Manhattan. The music was loud, but they turned it down before the 7pm dinner service began.

The Executive chef is John Keller, who has worked in many of the top restaurants in NYC. Dinner on Ludlow brings to the Lower East Side (L.E.S.) classic comfort food with a focus on keeping it simple.

They have chandeliers for décor, which makes it look more high-class, but it wasn’t a fancy snobby place. The waiters were all really friendly & helpful. We enjoyed the service here.

The Family-Style Chef’s Menu for 4 came with the following:
4 appetizers , 4 entrees, 5 sides, 2 desserts & 2 bottles of wine

We ordered a red & a white for the table, but only got through the white. We had the Mirabello Pinot Grigio & Marques de Caceres Rioja. I can’t comment on the wine because I don’t really like to drink (I know, that should be a sin)!

The chef gave us complimentary Cheese Puffs in a cute wire basket . They taste like the cheese-it crackers. They were small with a flakey crust & a slightly soft cheesy inside

I can only fully comment on mine & Hubby’s food. I took a nibble from my friend’s dishes, but not enough to make an in-depth assessment..

Oxtail & Onion Soup – Classic Onion Soup, Braised Oxtail & Gruyere Gratin

Kale Caesar (salad appetizers are 1/2 order) – Tuscan & Red Kale, Caesar Dressing, Olive Oil Croutons

Bacon & Egg Salad (1/2 order) – Pork Belly Confit, Fried Egg, Frisee & Truffle Vinaigrette
Mixed the egg yolk into the salad. The pork belly was slightly crispy on the outside & tender on the inside. The dish was amazingly light considering there was yolk & pork belly. It wasn’t a stand-out appetizer, but it was good.

Spring Pea Risotto – Spring Pea, Lemon Thyme & Pecorino Romano
Hubby really loved the al dente risotto. It was creamy & cheesy, but wasn’t overwhelming. It was cooked perfectly & with care.

Penne – Wild Mushrooms, Asparagus, Tomato & Pecorino Romano
Maybe the chef ran out of penne, but this dish had a different pasta in it, but it still worked well. You can smell the truffle oil from this dish. The flavors were light, which worked well.

Whole Roasted Sea Bass (hubby) – Fresh Herbs, Lemon & Tuscan Olive Oil
Hubby thoroughly enjoyed the tender meat on the fish, minus the bones. He hates bones, but this was a whole fish that came to the table. It filled the hubby up & we still had leftovers afterwards.

Arctic Char (me) – Spring Peas, Braised Carrots, Ramps & Lemon Oregano Sauce
The lemon oregano sauce worked really well over the veggies. The arctic char had a crispy top. Again, this wasn’t an outstanding dish, but it was good. I ate everything off the plate.  

Tuna Tartar – Cucumber, Avocado, Grapefruit, Ginger Oil & Crispy Wontons

Broccoli w/ Garlic – simple side.
Chilled Asparagus w/ Garlic, Ginger & Sesame – we loved the clean flavors from the asparagus.

Garlic & Spring Squash – these were sautéed with garlic & onions. Tasty, but simple.

Truffle Mac & Cheese – This was some creamy goodness. These a slight crunch from the bread crumbs on top. The mac & cheese was heavenly. The truffle oil was fragrant but not overpowering. I can eat this all day, but then I would be really fat, so I will indulge once in a blue moon. But, this has got to be the best mac & cheese I’ve ever had thus far.

Sugar & Spice Donuts – Chocolate Dipping Sauce & Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
You take the warm donut hole, drizzle a little chocolate over it & add a bit of the ice cream on top & consume it all in one bite. It was lovely. The flavors are worked so well together.

White Chocolate Panacotta – Caramel, Fresh Berries, Hazelnut Tuile & Chantilly Cream
This was devoured in nearly 20 seconds. I had to fight the 2 boys from finishing it off before I even had one bite. The panacotta was silky smooth. The hazelnut tuile tasted like a French wafer, light with a hint of sweetness. This was a wonderful dessert to end the night.

We even snuck upstairs just to take a peek at the lounge on the 2^nd floor. It was just a small, dark room with some people dancing. I would take this as a make-out room. The top floor was a rooftop type area but enclosed in greenhouse type glass. There were palm trees & a water fountain. The space was bigger & perfect for just hanging out with friends over drinks.

Overall, everyone enjoyed the meal & thought everything was well-prepared & delicious. We would definitely come back here to try the other offerings. The total cost including tax & tip was $163 for 4 people (~$41 per person). The total bill would have been to $297 without my coupon. What a significant savings! We left completely full & even had to doggy-bag 2 boxes of food, along with the bottle of red. What a great meal. Btw, I had the Truffle Mac & Cheese for lunch the next day & it was just as good as the night before. *Slurp*

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Nail Polish Review

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics

174 Ludlow Street
New York, NY 10002
PH: 212-675-2404 | FX: 212-214-0636
Mon – Sat: 11:00AM – 7:00PM
SUN: 12:00PM – 6:00PM

I decided to walk into this store since I love looking at new cosmetics, even if I don’t buy anything. The store didn’t look like much. There were a few tables on both sides & the cashier in the far back. There were 2 associates who greeted us. One came by to talk to us about the products. They are 100% Vegan & Cruelty Free, which are 2 pluses.

The star of their line are the popular Lip Tars. They come in a range of colors. Interestingly enough, they even come in blue, green, yellow & black! I am so not daring enough to rock those colors on my lips, but more power to the people who can. They come in a tube like a lip gloss would & you would squeeze a little out to get a bright lipstick-like color, or use even less as a lip stain. You can also use it as a blush as well. The reds are really nice. They retail for $18-$25.

I browsed the selection of nail polishes which does not contain formaldehyde, thank goodness. They retail for $10. I’m very much into nail art & design, but honestly didn’t want to pay $10 for a bottle of nail polish. I so happened to be by the cashier & they had a few colors that are being discontinued for $5, so I ended up picking up 3 shades (Fondue, Chimera
& Cruising).

I couldn’t wait to use the colors so I ended up using Cruising as the base, which is a nice gold metallic color. Then, I simply swiped Chimera, a nice metallic blue/green at an angle at the edge of my nail for a simple design. The polishes are highly pigmented which meant I didn’t need multiple coats for nail coverage. I love the way they shimmer in the light. They went on smooth, without any clumps & they dried quickly. My nails were done in less than 15 minutes.

If you are in the neighborhood, stopping into the store could be beneficial for you. After getting home, I looked up reviews on the product. I looked on Yelp & saw many people saying if you check-in on Yelp, you’ll get a FREE nail polish. I was kicking myself for not checking in. *sigh* Plus, I have a love/hate relationship with Yelp as well. That’s another story to be told at another time.

I think I really love them. I can’t wait to do other nail art with them. What do you think of the colors?

Where to purchase products:
Lip Tar
OCC Nail Lacquer, Fondue
OCC Nail Lacquer, Chimera
Nailtiques 1 – used as my base coat to help my nails get stronger. Here’s the larger bottle.
Nailtiques 2 – you’ll use this every day for a few weeks for brittle nails to get stronger.

Bun-ker Vietnamese Review

Happy Memorial Day! Thank you for all those men & women who have died serving our country. Make sure to spend time with you family & loved ones.

BUN-KER Vietnamese
46-63 Metropolitan Ave.
Ridgewood, NY 11385
Hours: Tue-Wed 5 pm – 10 pm, Thu-Fri 5 pm – 11 pm, Sat 12 pm – 11 pm, Sun 12 pm – 10 pm

Bun-ker Sign Outside

I saw a friend’s FB posting for this restaurant, so I decided to save it to my list of Restaurants to Try.

After an unsuccessful time house-hunting, we worked up an appetite. We decided to head over to Bun-ker. The location was less than ideal. It was right across from a scrap metal yard. It was probably the only restaurant we saw in the vicinity. I guess it’s good for those that work in the area, but it’s definitely not a destination I would normally venture out into.

The menu is small but they offer 4 appetizers, 5 Banh Mi (Vietnamese) sandwiches, 8 main entrée dishes, 4 sides, one dessert & some beverage. They might have specials up, but that varies from day to day, week to week.

Bun-ker Menu

Hubby opted for the Suon Nuong Xa – grilled lemongrass pork tenderloin, fried egg & rice for $10. Hubby liked the tender pork with the char-grilled, smoky flavor & the fried egg was a nice touch. Was it spectacular? Definitely not, but it was good. Would we come back for this dish? No, especially considering I’ve learned to make the same pork tenderloin at home now with this recipe.

Suon Nuong Xa – grilled lemongrass pork tenderloin

I opted for the Tom Thit Ram – caramelized shrimp, bacon, ginger, garlic, basil & rice for $14.50. A few past patrons have recommended this online, so I had high hopes for this dish. When you’re presented with it, it doesn’t look like much food, but when mixed with the rice, it was pretty filling. Everything on this dish was caramelized. The shrimp was juicy & succulent, the bacon had a sweet nuttiness to it, there were caramelized bits of ginger & garlic, which I don’t think I would normally eat, but I ate it all up. This dish is on the heavier side with the bacon & grease, but it was so tasty that it was worth. I would definitely eat this again.

Tom Thit Ram – caramelized shrimp

Overall verdict, the bill including tax & tip came out to about $35. This was more expensive than our normal Vietnamese restaurants that we frequent. Bun-ker is worth a taste if you are in the neighborhood or if you are passing through, but this is definitely not a place I would go out of my way to get to (unless I start to crave the shrimp again).