Culinary Delights in Jackson Heights

I have a shameful, shameful secret

before yesterday the only Indian food I had ever eaten

were run of the mill samosas with cooling yogurt sauce

out of greasy paper bags while walking around the

empty streets of Woodside,

that all changed yesterday

when I went to the famed Jackson Diner in Jackson Heights

Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake

(great, amazing book, please read it)

inspired me to look at Jackson Heights differently

to walk out from 74th street train station

and not just focus on the bus I always have to catch

but instead, to emerge from the F train

to confront all the sights, the sounds, the pleasant congestion, and the assorted aromas

and watch the way the gold embellishments on saris

are complimented by the yellow of traffic lights

the way their jewel tones glint in the sunlight

and how the blaring Bollywood tapes and the clank of yellow-gold bangles

contrast the sounds of traffic, and the hurried conversations

so, out of the many days I spent in Jackson Heights

yesterday was the most special, because I was the most aware of its

raw, almost foreign beauty, although I had walked those streets

a million times

now, to the food,

anyone wanting to try deliciously authentic Indian fare

Jackson Diner is the place

I loved the eccentric array of plates, from rainbow ceramics to metal bowls and trays

I died for the cilantro and tamarind dipping sauces

and was literally eating spoonfuls (and fingerfuls)

of sauce between courses, not very ladylike

but who gives about manners when food is so delicious

I enjoyed vegetable pakora (battered & fried)

and malai kofta, croquettes in a curry sauce

which was more like a stew

a deliciously thick hearty bowl of everything amazing

and the rice, with its long, sticky grains,

topped with the dal (lentil stew)

was to die for, and let me tell you,

this Puerto Rican girl knows good rice & beans

anyhow, the best part of the whole day was dessert (of course)

and I enjoyed some burfi from Delhi Palace, a sweet, creamy,

neon pastry of milk & sugar

I picked it because of its beautiful florescent color

and found that the it tastes just as good as it looks,

I'm totally addicted, and it helped cool my mouth down

from all the preceding spicy greatness

all in all, it was a culinary adventure, in a familiar place: the best kind.

rows of beautifully bright pastries

obsession worthy burfi

pakora nom nom

I could eat this malai kofta every single day, more croquettes please!

such authentic presentation

it felt so homey, warm & comforting

I'm so smitten.

Coney Island Photo Diary

There's something so blissfully nostalgic about Coney Island

and thankfully, I found out that Luna Park had not changed a thing

there was still that smell of fried food and saltwater, heavy in the air

and the man screaming "ice cold water bottles, one dollar"

still greeted me as I walked towards the boardwalk

the men sketchily selling Coronas out of their backpacks

still trudged slowly through the sand

and the women selling hand peeled, sliced mangos were still at it

Luna Park did not take away that old-school, rickety glory of

Wonder Wheel park

the same rides that I went on as a kid were still standing

the Tilt-a-Whirl still spinning, creating blurs of primary colors

the Thunder Bolt still blasting cheesy pop music,

candy apples were abundant, their hard cherry shells staining my lips

but most of all, I hoped that Ralph's Italian Ices would still be sitting

under that recognizable white tent

over a dozen flavors that I had loved since childhood

like the pink bubblegum, with tiny chiclets inside that streaked the ice

the brightest of blues & oranges

and Ralph's did not fail me

a Pistachio & Cookies n Cream icee was all I needed

ah, sweet euphoria.

Cookie Time

I'm crazy for cookies

especially when they are colorful

and bursting with

sweet noms like raspberry & ice cream

here are some of my favorite

rainbow cookies from Rocco's on Bleecker

& cookie sandwiches from Milk & Cookies on Commerce Street

why are the best treats born in the West Village?

under the canopy of fire escapes, quaint buildings, and brick-face

Milk & Cookies is my favorite

because of the cute, warmth of the place, tucked in between old brownstones

the glass, communal water pitcher,

the cups full of brown sugar cubes and thick golden honey,

the happy array of flowers that greet passerbys,

but most of all, I love the cookie sandwiches and the love with which they are made

the perfect way that a scoop of creamy, dense ice cream is placed between

two huge, soft, cookies

and pressed to perfection, to make that ice cream spread all over the cookies

just 5 bucks of pure lusciousness

my particular ice cream sandwich love letter

was strawberry ice cream & macadamia nut cookies

it was a delicious masterpiece.

Hi Summer, I promise to cherish you.

To make a long story short

let's just say, I finally got my life back

and thank god because I recently suffered a rude awakening

when I received a picture message from my brother

of a Vassar bug that had come to wreak havoc in my apartment

with its long, spindly, abundant legs

rapid movements, and general fear inducing grossness

technology never fails to (literally) disgust me

and it took me back to those nights where whilst I screamed & cowered

my roommate would calmly attempt to trap these horrific bugs and get rid of them

and sadly I remembered the night one of the creatures fell into my bed,

never to be found

how this monstrosity ended up in my apartment, hours away from Poughkeepsie

still baffles me

but it was an omen, that bug said "oh hey gurrrrl,

your summer is flying by"

Sophmore year is soon approaching, love life while you can"

I'm quite thankful for the bug (I never got to actually witness it)

I miss the summers when jobs didn't matter

and on my little street in Astoria someone would open the fire hydrant

sending a gush of frigid water that all the kids on the block

could run through, cooling down, filling up empty Poland Spring bottles

to spray at each other

and kids from other blocks would come

excited by the impromptu & illegal sprinkler

we would block traffic, squirting water guns and screaming

and on the days where the sprinklers didn't come to us

the days were filled with big boxes of sidewalk chalk,

hand-scrawled hopscotch boards with pebbles sprinkled on the numbered squares

while eating italian ices, that never failed to drip cherry red all over our t-shirts

there were the countless hours spent riding my Yaak scooter

(Razors were just too expensive)

rolling down the small grassy hills of Astoria Park and

playing with my Skip-It, watching the numbers on the dial

hundreds of revolutions, and I would be worn out

I can't find my Skip-It, so now, a decade later

I settle for sweet picnics,

I abandon the age old pb&js for brick oven pizza,

the frozen Capri Sun pouches for Arnold Palmer Arizona

letting the smell of the grass, and the cherry juice that stains my fingertips

incite my nostalgia.

Street Art

I already have a torrid love affair with the city

but now that I'm an intern

I love every single minute I get to spend outside even more

working in an office

is actually quite alienating

maybe it's just the sociology major in me

or maybe its because the light in my nook is out

but this weekend, I got in some much needed QT time with the streets

and encountered some street art that really made me happy

anything might be beautiful after staring at an Excel workbook for 7 hours at a time

but this stuff is actually great.

This sexy man inspires me.

Gotta love some divalicious attitude & a bit of scandal

Gritty High Renaissance in the big city? yes please!

Trifecta=new best word.

I wish there could be a pizza place, Thai restaurant & Cold Stone all in one,

that would be my dream trifecta.

No words needed. This speaks the truth.

This truck couldn't have been in a better place. Love dollar stores, forever.

LES masterpiece.

My fave.

Cake & Shake

Although I am super sleepy, not to mention worn out

I mustered up the strength to bake a banana cake

because I had some leftover homemade cream cheese icing in the fridge

can't let that go to waste can I?

I was feeling like a fun-loving, risk taker,

so I decided to add Nutella filling

because what could be better than banana and chocolate hazelnut?

nearly nothing, so I took a baby spoon and dropped a dollop of nutella into each cup of batter

I was totally inspired by this treats truck that was parked outside of

Washington Square Park called

Cake & Shake

I'm such an ice cream purist, I don't really drink milkshakes

but the cupcakes were really delish

and I'm a super picky when it comes to cupcakes

(I know where my loyalties lie)

I got the Heaven Split

caramel buttercream, banana cake & chocolate hazelnut

it was an artisan cupcake, ruffled liner

textured, piped creamy icing,

yummy dense cake, and a chocolate surprise on the inside

pretty doesn't always win with me, but this was nom

I think I might need to stalk this truck.