Review: Ayurveda Cafe

I guess it's time for my first negative restaurant review here on my blog. Tonight, a friend and I went to a restaurant called Ayurveda Cafe (Amsterdam Ave. and 94th St.). It follows an Indian holistic view of well-being (Ayurveda) by serving carefully-selected vegetarian dishes that balance out the tastes of salty, sweet, sour, bitter, astringent and pungent. Basically, you are served a large platter that consists of small servings of: rice, two entrees, lentils, salad, raita, and naan. There is also an appetizer and a dessert. Ayurveda Cafe follows a daily set menu, so the diner does not have any ordering options.

Our food arrived faster than an order of fries at McDonalds, and based on its texture and temperature, seemed like it was lying around for a little bit. The appetizer resembled a hockey puck, but based on the potato-and-pea filling, I'm guessing that it was an attempt at a samosa. The entrees were not bad, but were eaten because I was hungry, not because I was necessarily enjoying them! The naan was flat (nothing like in the picture!). The salad remained untouched. My friend and I saved the raita (a yogurt-based sauce) until the end, thinking that it was rice pudding. To our surprise, it did not taste like rice pudding, but rather a bitter, awful, familiar taste that I quickly pinpointed as paint. Luckily for us, a real dessert did arrive after our plates were cleared, and it was an interesting (and good) dish that tasted like cardamon-enhanced peanut butter but had the texture of brown sugar. At least the meal ended well! The service was lacking, no one took the time to explain to us what was on our plate (if they did, maybe we wouldn't have mistaken the 'paint' for pudding!), and the place had no atmosphere to speak of. My friend was squished between a wooden divider and a space heater while I became hypnotized by a neon-light buddha display. Although the dinner is a mere $12, I would recommend spending a few dollars more and ordering the vegetarian thali plate from a good restaurant like Curry Leaf. All that Ayurveda left me was craving some real Indian food - and thus no sense of balance or well-being!

Shameless Product Plugs

Let's face it: we're Americans. We love our products. In fact, at times, we can become over-zealous about our products. Whilst I've become increasingly sensitive to the effects of commercialism getting out of hand (and realizing that I, too, am a culprit), I did want to take the time to offer my 'can't live without' product plugs:

Makeup: Bare Escentuals - All of the makeup by this company is made up of 100% natural minerals. No oils, no preservatives. Nothing to clog pores or cause allergic reactions. It feels like you're wearing nothing on your face and they last all day. The colors look amazing and after using their products for nearly a year, my face has never looked clearer or brighter. Best of all, the makeup is fun! You can find their products at Sephora, or, for great sample combos, visit qvc.com.

Cleansers: Fresh - Fresh only uses natural ingredients as well. Currently, I'm in love with their soy makeup remover and their brown sugar/strawberry face mask. It's so natural you can actually eat it! I have ultra-sensitive skin and these products are so soothing and work great! I also recently picked up a lip gloss from them that I love! Check out a Fresh store (they're in Boston and in NY), or look for them in Sephora.

Household Cleaner: Magic Eraser - If you have not yet experienced cleaning with the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, run (do not walk) to the nearest store and pick a package up. It is incredible. You wet the magic eraser, which feels a little like light styrofoam, wring it out, and use it to clean everything from cabinets to counters to bathroom surfaces. It's great because it gets into all the little grooves, like those in your refrigerator. There's a very light cleaning product built into the eraser itself that you can barely detect; no other cleaners are needed! If you think your counters are clean, run over them with the Magic Eraser and see what clean REALLY is.

Snack: Calavo Dates - I've recently discovered a love for dates and after trying several types and brands, I have decided that the Calavo brand (grown in California) are my favorite. They are packaged with no preservatives so all that you taste is the yummy date. This brand happens to have a very deep, creamy texture that somewhat resembles chocolate on the palate. You can find them in your grocery store, by the produce, in small plastic containers. I recommend the pitted ones!

Review: Flute Champagne Bar

Last night I met up with two very dear friends from my old job. It was so great seeing them, catching up on life, exchanging stories about work, laughing about recent dates-gone-wrong. What made it even nicer was the scene: We met up at a champagne bar called Flute, nestled away in my favorite neighbhorhood of the city, Gramercy (40 20th St. btwn. Broadway and Park - there is also a midtown location; www.flutebar.com). We had a choice of sitting at the bar, or at comfortable oversized sofa clusters tucked away in the privacy of dark lighting. We opted for the bar. Suprisingly, the place did not get as busy as we thought with the after-work crowd, but we quickly determined that this is the place for intimate conversations between friends or a romantic date. Flute features three flight tasting menus: champagne, kir royale, and bellini. Kir Royale being my drink of choice, I went for the tasting menu of pomegranate, peach, and the traditional cassis. Everything was delicious. My friend tried the raspberry and lemon Kir Royales as well, and my other friend went for the champagne-tasting menu. Drinks were also available by the glass. There was light bar food: we ordered a cheese and fruit platter and the raw tuna and avocado spring rolls, which were presented on the plate like pieces of sushi. There's also a very decadent dessert menu that includes chocolates from La Maison du Chocolat. The servers were very attentive and took the time to offer their suggestions and to explain the champagnes to us. Prices were typical for Manhattan. Overall, I strongly recommend this great place!

To Be A Snow Day Or Not to Be (that is the question)

When you're working in a school, there's always that slight glimmer of hope that keeps you going through the freezing and doldrum winter months, that reason why you can get up every day and face a schoolful of cooped-up kids - that glimmer of hope is simply referred to as a Snow Day. Since we're in Kindergarten, a phenomenon of psychology happens in the days leading up to the possible snow day. First, there's the first words of a winter storm, usually several days before the day in question. As the day approaches, eyes and ears are out for every possible weather report, and comparisons are made between the best case and worst case scenarios.

Then, the day before the questionable snow day, conversations abound, guessing the outcome. Now, there's people who fall into two strictly different and converse schools of thought: There are the pessimisms - these are the people who go around saying "accumulations will be less than an inch," "OUR district? We NEVER close!" or (and even more aggravating to me) "it's supposed to turn into rain." Then, there are the optimists, those who go around announcing loudly, "hey Tom, I guess I won't be seeing you tomorrow, SNOW DAY!" or "The roads will NEVER be clear for the morning busses to get through."

Whilst I like the thinking of this latter group, I also feel that they are breaking the cardinal rule of Snow-Day Wishing: NEVER EVER, under any circumstances, ASSUME that there will be a snow day! I firmly believe that the chances of a snow day are inversely correlated to the number of people who assume that there will be one! It's Murphy's Law at its simplist! Now, I'm not saying to proscribe to the pessimistic thought of the former group, but rather, be cautious. Don't go broadcasting the possibilities. Don't rub it in to your private-industry-employed friends who don't get snow days. Go to bed early, assuming there will be work in the morning. It's okay to watch the news or to look out your window, but don't let it consume you! And lastly, should you have to go to school in the morning, leave early and be extra careful on the roads.

Dim Sum - "A Little Bit of Heart"

Today I met up with some friends for dim sum, a traditional Chinese 'brunch' of dumplings and other small steamed and fried foods. I once had dim sum way back in High School but don't remember it much. I had it again when I went to Asia, first in Hong Kong, which is known for their dim sum, and then again in Beijing. I loved it!!!! Similar to Spanish Tapas, I love when everyone at the table shares a little bit of everything. I'm also a big fan of being able to try a little taste of lots of different things!

Dim sum can be a little overwhelming to the English-speaking diner! The descriptions in English are pretty vague. I was lucky enough to go with some Chinese friends who knew exactly what to order (and how to pronounce it!!!). We also went to a great place that I'd recommend to any of you who are new at Dim Sum. The place was called Our Place Cuisines of China (3rd Ave. btw. 81st and 82nd Sts.). I have to say that it not being in Chinatown took away some of my fears of being overwhelmed. Everything was delicious, and the menu was simple to read. My favorites today were the roast pork buns (both the steamed and the baked ones), the red-bean sesame balls, and the chicken sticky rice (that comes wrapped in some sort of leaf!). I also loved the su long bao, which are like pork dumplings but have a pocket of delicious juice that bursts in your mouth. I also liked the very traditional dishes like the beef and shrimp wrapped in a big rice noodle (sort of looked like a manicotti). Delicious tea (a blend of chrysanthemum and jasmine) completed the experience. The price was incredibly reasonable; we left stuffed and ended up shelling out a mere $12 per person. I highly recommend that you give dim sum a try: it's a great get-together for friends.

A Photographic Ode To Spring - Please Come Soon!

Go Naomi!

Well, I just finished watching Naomi perform on Teen Jeopardy! Naomi got off to a slightly slow start, but quickly ripped through the 'Cartoons' category, and took the lead after the first commercial break. During Double Jeopardy, Naomi raised her score by getting lots of the $2000 questions right (including one impossible one about the name of a type of camel). The guy on the right took the lead on a Daily Double (he risked $10,000, and, quite honestly, the question was way too easy... very unfair...). Into Final Jeopardy they went, with Naomi in second place. The guy in last and she both got the question right, but the guy in the lead got it wrong! Naomi wagered enough and she won! Now she gets to go on to the semifinals! Go Naomi!

Naomi's semifinal appearance will be on Tuesday, February 13!

This is Jeopardy!....

This is very exciting: the teenage daughter of a family friend (and a subject of many of my practice psych tests while I was going through grad schoool....) will be on Teen Jeopardy! this coming Thursday night. So, everyone be sure to tune in and root for Naomi from Brooklyn, NY on February 8 at 7pm on ABC. After the show I'll give you all a report of how she did!

Review: Curry Leaf

I had the BEST Indian food this Saturday night at a restaurant called Curry Leaf (Lexington Ave. and 27th St.). The decor was a little plain, and not exactly eye-catching from the outside. However, the food was amazing. We started out with generous-sized samosas, which were crispy outside and full of flavor on the inside. We then ordered the chicken makhani (tender chicken breast in a slightly sweet thick red sauce) and the vegetarian thali (which consists of several small dishes like spinach with paneer, lentils, cauliflower, and some yummy sweet ones too - it was a great way to try different things). I also tried mango lassi, which I had never had before. It's a sweetened mango yogurt drink, which I loved. The naan was baked to perfection. At the end, they treated us to cardamom rice pudding, which was absolutely delicious. The prices were reasonable and the service was excellent. I will definitely be visiting this restaurant again!