After the dentist’s visit, dinner in Chinatown, and running to Herald Square for some last minute window shopping, I headed out to 230 Fifth for some drinks with Jason, Leo, and their friends. It was kind of a cold night to be out since 230 Fifth is known more for their rooftop bar (or the stuffed cheetah by the entrance). I haven’t seen Jason since March (he’s SO busy with work!):

Leo and I didn’t stay that long because we were kind of hungry (again), BUT, while Leo was ordering drinks, he noticed that one of the bartender’s was a model from ANTM (America’s Next Top Model)! Leo has seen every season since it started in 2003 (impressive!) and recognized Xiomara Frans (I had no idea who she was). She was booted mid-season (the season Yoanna House won). Now, she works as a bartender at 230 Fifth (I’m not sure if she’s still a model) and she was SUPER rude to Leo. She wouldn’t take a picture with her because she said she was busy (understandable) and basically blew him off. Before we left, he asked again and she wanted Leo to take a picture of her and another bartender…um, okay. Instead, I took a picture of Leo and her in the background:

Recognize her? Yeah…I didn’t, either.

Afterwards, we headed to K-Town for some seolleongtang, which is the ox-tail soup that I love so much and some beef brisket, thinly sliced:

You eat the beef with the green onion in the center for more flavor (Steve mistook it for lettuce when he came to visit in January). I didn’t end up going home until 3AM, but the meal was so good. I could live off seolleongtang (especially now since I have a temporary crown in and I’m not supposed to use my left side to chew).

On Thursday night, after sitting in on a presentation at the Google Building, I headed to Serendipity III with Chris for some late night desserts. We weren’t that hungry, but Serendipity III has a policy where every person at the table has to order a minimum of $8.50…which is the exact cost of their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate! Since we couldn’t sit down without ordering something else (and we didn’t want TWO frrrozen hot chocolates), we ordered a sundae as well. The frrrozen hot chocolate:

It looks good, but in reality, it’s not THAT great. I don’t really understand why it’s SO freaking popular! It really tastes like hot chocolate that’s blended with ice, topped with unsweetened whipped cream. Since it’s blended with ice, the consistency is a little off because most of the ice rushes to the top and then you just have cold hot chocolate on the bottom with pieces of ice in between.

We also ordered the sundae - three scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry), with a raspberry topping:

The sundae was actually a lot better than the frrrozen hot chocolate drink, but I mean, who can’t scoop up ice cream? Me and Chris after being put into a sugar induced coma:

I don’t think I’ll be going back any time soon (unless it’s to take someone that’s heard about the place and really wants to go…basically an out-of-towner). AND…last time I was there (with Audrey when we were interning two years ago), there was a cockroach in someone’s salad (they were across from us) and the waiter acted like it wasn’t a big deal! But the cockroach was ALIVE and MOVING. I think they got comped ONE drink.

On Thursday night, after sitting in on a presentation at the Google Building, I headed to Serendipity III with Chris for some late night desserts. We weren’t that hungry, but Serendipity III has a policy where every person at the table has to order a minimum of $8.50…which is the exact cost of their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate! Since we couldn’t sit down without ordering something else (and we didn’t want TWO frrrozen hot chocolates), we ordered a sundae as well. The frrrozen hot chocolate:

It looks good, but in reality, it’s not THAT great. I don’t really understand why it’s SO freaking popular! It really tastes like hot chocolate that’s blended with ice, topped with unsweetened whipped cream. Since it’s blended with ice, the consistency is a little off because most of the ice rushes to the top and then you just have cold hot chocolate on the bottom with pieces of ice in between.

We also ordered the sundae - three scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry), with a raspberry topping:

The sundae was actually a lot better than the frrrozen hot chocolate drink, but I mean, who can’t scoop up ice cream? Me and Chris after being put into a sugar induced coma:

I don’t think I’ll be going back any time soon (unless it’s to take someone that’s heard about the place and really wants to go…basically an out-of-towner). AND…last time I was there (with Audrey when we were interning two years ago), there was a cockroach in someone’s salad (they were across from us) and the waiter acted like it wasn’t a big deal! But the cockroach was ALIVE and MOVING. I think they got comped ONE drink.
On Thursday night, after sitting in on a presentation at the Google Building, I headed to Serendipity III with Chris for some late night desserts. We weren’t that hungry, but Serendipity III has a policy where every person at the table has to order a minimum of $8.50…which is the exact cost of their Frrrozen Hot Chocolate! Since we couldn’t sit down without ordering something else (and we didn’t want TWO frrrozen hot chocolates), we ordered a sundae as well. The frrrozen hot chocolate:

It looks good, but in reality, it’s not THAT great. I don’t really understand why it’s SO freaking popular! It really tastes like hot chocolate that’s blended with ice, topped with unsweetened whipped cream. Since it’s blended with ice, the consistency is a little off because most of the ice rushes to the top and then you just have cold hot chocolate on the bottom with pieces of ice in between.

We also ordered the sundae - three scoops of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry), with a raspberry topping:

The sundae was actually a lot better than the frrrozen hot chocolate drink, but I mean, who can’t scoop up ice cream? Me and Chris after being put into a sugar induced coma:

I don’t think I’ll be going back any time soon (unless it’s to take someone that’s heard about the place and really wants to go…basically an out-of-towner). AND…last time I was there (with Audrey when we were interning two years ago), there was a cockroach in someone’s salad (they were across from us) and the waiter acted like it wasn’t a big deal! But the cockroach was ALIVE and MOVING. I think they got comped ONE drink.
On Friday, I headed to the Conan O’brien show with Chris, Audrey, and our friend, Charles. Getting tickets wasn’t difficult - you just call the NBC number and they’ll tell you when there’s availability, but getting the actual tickets the day of the show was a little more troublesome. They had us line up around 3:30 to get wristbands and tickets, but you couldn’t get your tickets until your entire party was there. Charles, Audrey, and I went early to get in line, thinking that it was okay to get tickets beforehand, but apparently, your entire party has to be present to get tickets. Luckily, Charles works very close to Rockefeller Center (where Conan tapes) so he called one of his coworkers and he pretended like he was our fourth. The show was hilarious AND they gave out free shirts (extra larges, but it was free!). No pictures (no photography allowed), but we saw Michael Imperioli (Christopher from The Sopranos), Jim Cramer, and AJ Hammond. Afterwards, Chris and I walked around 5th avenue and ran into Jim Cramer and his wife (or girlfriend)! We walked around Saks for a while and after we left, we were kidding around about Chris walking one way and me going the other. He took all of my stuff (blackberry, purse, cell phone, and wallet), kissed me goodbye, and walked the other direction. At first, I thought it was funny because we were kidding around, but 5 minutes later when he didn’t COME BACK, I was starting to freak out! I couldn’t call anyone AND I didn’t know how to get back into my apartment. Luckily, Chris realized this while he was at the freaking Nintendo store and ran back for me.

After finding each other in front of Saks, we went to Bon Chon Chicken for some chicken wings that are supposed to be really popular. The place is more of a bar that serves little dishes, but we ordered a medium serving of the fried chicken (with soy ginger sauce):

We also ordered french fries sprinkled with rosemary. The chicken was very crispy and light - I was actually thinking it was going to be a big piece of chicken breast, so I was a little surprised when the wings/drumsticks came out. I thought it was O-K but Chris really enjoyed it and said it was something that he could see himself craving. Afterwards, we made our usual trip to Pinkberry (which Pam’s supervisor knows all about :)).

On Saturday, Chris and I took the 2 train to Harlem (Yes, I went to Harlem) to eat at Amy Ruth’s. I have pictures, but they’re on Chris’ camera and I forgot to upload them. They’re known for their chicken and waffles, known as the “Al Sharpton”:

You’d think it was a weird combination….I mean, waffles with CHICKEN?! But it was SO awesome…I was so taken aback by the fried chicken with maple syrup combination. Chris ordered the short ribs with colored greens (because they’re not collared people) and cheesy grits. It was definitely stick-to-your-ribs southern cooking. Afterwards, we walked to Columbia (it’s not that far) walked around their campus, and headed back to Chris’ place to watch a movie. Since we ate Chicken and Waffles pretty late (4PM), we weren’t hungry until around 11pm, so we headed to the Corner Bistro for burgers:

While waiting for our burgers, another couple sat down next to us and it ended up being Kate Reinders (from broadway):

We didn’t know she was famous from looking at her (I mean, can people really recognize broadway actors/actresses on the street?), but we found out because she was telling her bf/gay friend/friend about how she was named one of New York’s 25 hottest people in 2006. She basically talked the entire time about some guy she was dating (that’s why I’m guessing her friend was a gay friend…because what guy would want to talk about your ex?) - how this guy was some famous producer/actor in LA and had dated other people like Parker Posey. Parker Posey, people!! This girl HAS to be famous! Turns out she was in Wicked (Glinda, the good witch), AND she went to Michigan Christian High School! Well, obviously she’s famous because she has her own wikipedia entry. I felt kind of bad for the guy she was with because she literally talked his ear off (when the waiter asked if they wanted anything else, he ordered another beer, looked at her, and ordered TWO more beers. I guess you’d have to be drunk to listen to her).

After Corner Bistro, we walked to a corner bodega to pick up some fresh fruit and saw Gail Simmons in the window of a small sushi restaurant by Chris’ apartment. I recognized her immediately from Top Chef, but I had no idea what her name was, so I didn’t bother banging on the window :):

She’s a Canadian food critic that works for Food & Wine Magazine - recognize her? When I told my friends that I saw someone from Top Chef, everyone thought it was Padma Lakshmi , and when they found out it was Gail, needless to say, they were slightly disappointed.

On Sunday, Chris and I went to brunch at Schiller’s Liquor Bar, another Keith McNally restaurant (we’re trying to hit up all of them). The wait wasn’t too long (around 30 minutes - great for a Sunday AND not to mention EASTER Sunday). The inside decor is very similar to Pastis’:

We ordered the hazelnut waffles with sour cream and berries and the cheeseburger (because we hadn’t had enough fat intake this weekend). The hazelnut waffles came with strawberries and GRAPES. WTF - grapes?! No sour cream, either. Apparently, it’s in the batter. I asked for sour cream on the side, but the waitress said they didn’t have any. I don’t get it - if there’s sour cream in the batter…and you make the batter on site…then wouldn’t you have sour cream SOMEWHERE in the kitchen?! The cheeseburger was good (similar to Pastis’) but the waffles kind of tasted like they were fermented. Out of Balthazar, Pastis, and Schiller’s, Balthazar is definitely the best place for brunch.

This week, I’m headed to Morimoto (as in Chef Morimoto from The Iron Chef) on Tuesday and Nobu (as in, the place co-owned by Robert de Niro) on Wednesday. I hope the weather gets better soon…it SNOWED yesterday!

On Wednesday, Chris and I went to The Waverly Inn for dinner and it was seriously so awesome! We got there around 6:45, we were seated around 7, and the waitstaff was so attentive. I heard good things about their burger (it was good, but not as good as Shake Shack’s/The Burger Joint’s) and Chris ordered the chicken pot pie (a layer of cheese was in between the chicken and the crust - it was awesome). Anyway, The Waverly Inn is a popular celeb hang out, but we didn’t see anyone famous while eating dinner (although last week, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ron Howard, and Matthew Broaderick were there on a Wednesday night). We were a little bummed, but THEN, all these celebs came in and now I have something to update about!!

Here’s a listing of the celebs we ran into on Wednesday:

1. A black woman walks in dressed in this really ornate (yet somewhat tacky) poncho type jacket. At first I thought it was Maya Angelou (forgive me for being so ignorant) but it was actually Bill Cosby’s wife! Know how I found out? Because BILL COSBY was behind her!! He sat in a little nook by the bathroom with another couple (he’s actually really huge in real life). Chris wondered if he brought pudding pops and I wondered if he was as crude as he was when I went to see him while going to summer camp. Seriously, I went to Interlochen when I was like, 14, saw him in a performance, and he was talking about all these really weird topics. I just remember thinking to myself, wow, Dr. Huxtable is a perv! Anyway, after our first “celeb siting” (I don’t know if Bill Cosby is considered a celeb?), we were really excited and were like giddy little school girls.

2. RIGHT after we saw Bill Cosby, guess who walked in…JOHN BON JOVI! NO JOKE! WISPY HAIR AND ALL! He actually looked really handsome in person (although his wife looked used and abused by the sun, cigarettes, etc). AND, I heard that he bought a duplex on Mercer Street! (he sat next to us and was talking really loudly).

3. GUESS who he was talking to….JULIANNE MOORE! We both commented on Julianne Moore’s choice in clothing - I mean, I know you have two kids and all, but when you go out, could you at least *try* to dress in something more than ill-fitting jeans? The nicest thing Chris said about her outfit was that her jeans made her butt look saggy. haha. Seriously, don’t you think someone that much money could afford a pair of nice jeans? Her jeans looked like they came off the shelf at Old Navy!! (maybe she likes shopping there?)

It was so strange/surreal seeing all these movie stars/actors/singers! I guess it happens all the time in New York, but I’ve lived here since August and I’ve seen more people in the past MONTH than I have in the 9 months I’ve lived here! I’m getting excited to go to Chicago (Monday) and showing Chris the city. We’re going to the Field Museum, Navy Pier, Millennium Park, and possibly the John Hancock. Any other places that he should definitely not miss on his first trip to the windy city?