to eat / what i ate this week

1) Financier Patisserie (Various locations)
These mini Financier Patisserie Palmier cookies are, as my friend J would say, “phenoms”. They are tiny, thinly sliced, and super crispy.

2) Porchetta (110 E 7th St, NYC; East Village)
I worked from home a day last week since there was “significant” snow fall. Porchetta’s lasagna has been on my to-do list for a while. Did you know that they don’t sell it on weekends, or at least that’s what they told me last time I visited. I love their signature Porchetta sandwich (mmm, fatty pork) and their lasagna comes with porchetta ragu.

3) Butter Lane (123 E 7th St, NYC; East Village)
After Porchetta, we stopped at Butter Lane. I’ve been raving about Butter Lane since they opened in 2009. They’ve been improving since, adding icing flavors. They’ve also expanded next door for cupcake classes. I got a Groupon last month for their cupcake class and am waiting for my girlfriends to free up! I got a Bourbon Street and J got a caramel on vanilla (yes, that is popcorn). I also got a free cup of Stumptown coffee because that was their promotion of the day.

4) Chick-fil-A (5 University Place, NYC; Greenwich Village)
I LOVE Chick-fil-A. They don’t have an official location in NYC, save for the Express counter in an NYU dorm. My cousin is living here this year and he hooked me up. There is a steady flow of students, so I’d say that everything is as fresh and tasty as what I’ve had at other locations. I’m pretty sure non-students can get in. After you enter the building, go straight into the dining hall. Non-campus cash is accepted, but if you go during peak hours, students may give you dirty looks for slowing down the line. I was in a rush, so didn’t have time to adjust my BB camera settings.

5) Piccolo Cafe (Various locations)
A few months ago, I tried a bite of my friend’s pesto sandwich from the cafe’s pop-up shop. Yelp had rave reviews. I finally passed their Gramercy cafe and had stomach space. Pictured is the pesto sandwich (#15) and the highly rated truffle egg sandwich (#1). Unfortunately, the sandwiches fell low on expectations. The foccacia was too rough; the egg was overcooked and rubbery (which proves that truffle oil doesn’t right a wrong). Oh well.

to pamper / olay $20 off $50

Though I am blessed with Asian genes, I’m convinced that stress and lack of sleep wreaks havoc on my skin. My strategy is to prevent now. It’s easier (and cheaper) to prevent now than correct later.

One of my favorite skincare brands is Olay. Bigger company = bigger budget for R&D. I also don’t want to make my way to the higher-end products too fast. The products are relatively cheap so I liberally slather it on the face and  décolletage area at night. And you can get it cheaper through promotions! Olay currently has a $20 off $50 rebate on their website for all Olay facial cleansers, moisturizers, and treatments purchased through January 31st. I’ve gotten rebate checks from them in the past, so they are legit.

Where to buy:
I usually buy Olay from Amazon because they sell below retail. Prices fluctuate; I add them to my cart and check back periodically. I also get free two-day shipping through Amazon Prime. If you don’t have Amazon Prime, shipping is free for purchases over $25. Costco would work too.

Recommended products:

• The rebate is a great deal for the Pro-X and Regenerist lines.
• I am a fan of their new Regenerist Resurfacing Elixir ($22.95 from $29.99), the Regenerist Serum, the Regenerist Eye Serum ($12.49 from $22.99). I had my eye on the Regenerist Micro-sculpting Serum, but the Elixir won me over with the glycolic acid.
• I’ve been using the Olay Complete Defense Daily UV moisturizer sunscreen for years.

to travel / españa

(Click each row to view larger image)

First row: Casa Milà interior courtyard, Casa Milà rooftop, Madrid Plaza Mayor.
Second row (Barcelona): View from Casa Milà’s rooftop, Casa Milà’s front door, Sagrada Familia front door.
Third row (Granada): Alhambra palace gardens, Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolas, Patio de los Leones.

As much as I like pretty snow, I am looking forward to warmer weather and vacation… I’m excited to revisit Barcelona in March. It’s one of those lively cities that I never tire of – vibrant culture, amazing food, great artists, and good shopping (including one of my faves, COS). It is hard to resist when coupled with bargain airfare.

to shop / high and low – tuxedo blazer ($150+ or $13)

Uniqlo vs. Gap

to eat / four & twenty blackbirds, torrisi, and cake man raven

My parents recently found out (through their college friends) that my brother has a blog. In the most noncompetitive spirit, I shared that I had one too, and that it was mostly about shopping. My mom didn’t hide her disappointment. A few weeks later, I sent her a link to a NYC food blog written in Chinese (to give her more incentive to visit me). Her response was that I should write about “interesting sights, not always shooooopping!”. I’m interpreting sights as food, so here is a food update. I haven’t been eating out/food adventuring much lately because I started cooking again, weekends are too short with other obligations, and it is cold outside!

Last weekend, C and I trekked out to Brooklyn for Four and Twenty Blackbirds pie (and to discuss our upcoming Barcelona trip). I’d been craving good pie for ages; the pumpkin stuff that Trader Joe’s calls pie was a huge disappointment, even with Cool Whip. Our trip there took much longer than expected. I’m used to getting on the subway and it taking me reasonably close to my intended destination. I didn’t do research on getting there like I usually do and relied on Google Maps transit. Big mistake. We were talking and didn’t know that the F line turned into the blue line. We ended up at a station with heavy police presence. After backtracking a bit, we took the G train for the first time and walked from the Fort Greene area (= CAKE MAN RAVEN).

Distance truly makes the heart grow fonder. Cake Man Raven‘s red velvet cake is to die for and a MUST for any red velvet fan. I grabbed two slices to go (pre-packaged) because we didn’t want to spoil our appetite for pie. One slice is currently sitting in my freezer. I’m so glad I don’t live closer.

Photos from October 2009.