The Wrap That Won My Heart

I've referenced it in multiple posts, but it's time that the energy wrap receives its own post!

Most people know of my love for peanut butter. Because of this very public love of peanut butter, a friend from November Project told me that a deli near our office had a delicious breakfast featuring some of my all time favorite things - for under $5! 

The description of this wrap had me SO excited. I might have even drooled a lot upon hearing the ingredients. 

But nothing could have prepared me for how truly delicious it was. Words don't really do it justice, and neither do pictures, you really need all of these flavors mixing together all up on your taste buds. 

So what is the energy wrap exactly? 

Whole Wheat Wrap. An actually tasty whole wheat wrap - like, next time I go I'm probably going to ask them what brand they use. 

Banana. One whole banana. Usually, sliced, but when 15 people go after a November Project workout and order the same thing, I guess they get lazy and just unpeel the naner and plop it in the wrap.

(Sorry if this was overwhelming...1237819 energy wraps please!)

  

Peanut Butter. Skippy. No organic, unprocessed, no-sugar added PB up in hurr. And I can't say I mind it... 

Walnuts. Do you know how expensive walnuts are? Expensive. They give you a big handful of crushed up walnuts - probably at least 2 "servings." (I have a serious problem with the serving sizes for nuts - I want to be able to eat more, dammit!) We won't even talk about the fact that a serving of walnuts is 185 calories...

(What 100 calories of almonds, pistachios, peanuts and walnuts looks like...looks like not enough to me...)

Granola. I have a real addiction to granola. I can no longer allow myself to keep it at my desk at work because it's gone in a day instead of the week or so that it should last. 

Raisins. Raisins are a staple in my oatmeal. Love 'em. Sugar and all. 

Honey. SO MUCH HONEY. I never used to like honey that much, but on this wrap, it #WERKS. It also makes it a little difficult to eat this neatly, but you'll be so happy to be eating it that you won't care what you look like. 

(Please stop and appreciate its beauty!)

So where can you get this? 

Delis 48 - on 48th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. 

And are you ready for this? Walking to work the other day, I saw Toasties advertising the exact same thing, with the exact same name! I think I'm going to have to stop by one day and have a wrap-off. 

Word on the street is Alex from Burke's Bites created her own spin on the energy wrap! And it sounds deeeelicious.  You should check out her blog for other awesome recipes too! 

Row Row Row Your Erg - ROW HOUSE REVIEW.

On Wednesday night I finally took an indoor rowing class at Row House NYC! 

For awhile now, I've been really interested in attending an erg class [indoor rowing machines are technically called ergometers, according to Wikipedia!] They're like the new spin class, popping up all over. These studios' gain in popularity coincided with me meeting a lot of new people through November Project who rowed in college, and definitely got me interested in giving it a chance. As a runner who feels like they're constantly injured, rowing is a lower-impact workout, while still being great for your entire body and not skimping on cardio! 

Just last week, Row House celebrated their 1st Birthday! I stopped by their party for some cute little hors-d'oeuvres from Just Salad and delicious drinks from fancy organic vodka and tequila brands that I can't remember the names of, oops. 

(Cheers!)

But let's get to the good stuff - the class. I signed up for a class at the Columbus Circle location [In reality, it's a bit of a trek from Columbus Circle - a little over a half a mile to 59th Street between Amsterdam and West End Avenues]. The studio has lockers, two bathrooms [each with a shower - and the showers are equipped with TRESemme shampoo and conditioner, classy!]  

A few minutes to six we were led into the studio, 3 rows of ergs with a giant mirror in the front. Our instructor, Eric sat front and center and explained that for most of the class we would be rowing together, following either his stroke or that of another coach who was in the class in the front row.  I sat directly behind Eric, hoping some of his form would rub off on me! 

Eric Von Frohlich was not only my instructor on Wednesday night, but he, along with wife Debra, are the founders of Row House! He's been interviewed for a bunch of fitness magazines on rowing technique, since a lot of people don't know the first thing about this piece of gym equipment.

 (I certainly didn't know a bout proper rowing technique, until this guy showed me the ropes!)

So when Eric asked who was new at Wednesday's class, I raised my hand, but I knew I had an advantage. When he started going over form, I was already a few steps ahead of the game, knowing that you're supposed to send your arms out first before bending your legs. 

He's clearly experienced in teaching people how to row, because what could have taken up a quarter of the class was done succinctly and quickly - a few strokes to get the arm movements down, then a few strokes putting everything together, learning that you're body is supposed to hit 1 and 11 on the invisible clock, and then it was time to get started. 

Like I said, for most of a Row House class everyone in the room is expected to row in-sync. After all, when you're actually outside rowing, that's what it's all about - teamwork to make the boat move! Eric led us through intervals, 10 strokes of recovery followed by 20-30 power strokes at differing strokes per minute. 

There's a lot of new terminology when it comes to using the erg - but going to a class at Row House will be SO helpful in letting you put together your own erg workout if you're so inclined to use the lonely little rower hidden in corners of gyms. 

But rowing as a group, in a dark room with music, makes indoor rowing a lot more enjoyable, in my opinion. 

(Eric demonstrating perfect form!) 

After 10 minutes of intervals, we got off the rowers for some body-weight exercises. 

First, squats. Then, front lunges. Next, back lunches. Last, inchworms to push-ups. I also liked that Eric included a stretch before we got back on the machines - and one that was good for our IT bands no less [I was concerned that my IT band would bother me during this workout, and as a runner, that's not a body part I'd like to upset!] 

Next we did another 10 minute section of intervals on the erg. The more I row, the more it starts to come together. Your power is mainly supposed to come from your legs and core, not just your arms. You can bring your pace down in two ways - either by pushing off/pulling harder or by slowing down your recovery time [simultaneously upping your strokes per minute]. For me, I found that keeping my strokes per minute on the lower end and taking a sufficient recovery (slower on the way back down to the front of the rower) allowed me to have a stronger stroke which in turn made my pace (per 500 meters) drop. 

After the second 10 minutes of rowing we hopped off again and did side lunges followed by push-ups to side plank and another stretch. 

The last part of class was probably my favorite part. Eric said that now that we successfully rowed in sync it was time to let us go our own speed. He turned the lights out and told us to see how far we could go in 4 minutes. Having the lights out definitely allowed me to block everything else out and just focus on finding a rhythm that worked for my body. 

For the 4 minutes, Eric walked around encouraging people and trying to get them to give a little extra push.  Lucky for me, Eric stopped by my rower with 40 seconds left, and the extra motivation saw my pace drop to the lowest that it did the entire class - 2:19. To be fair, there were plenty of people going a hell of a lot fast than me, but I was happy to see that I could give a little more than I thought. 

At the end of 4 minutes Eric told us to look at how far we had gone, and add 50 meters (or more) to that number.  That's how far we were trying to go in the next 4 minutes. UGH. Then he gave a motivational but not at all cheesy or over-the-top speech about setting goals and learning more about yourself the loftier the goal. 

I didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I did add 30 or so meters to my first 4 minutes. 

Sadly, a few stretches and we were done. I wanted to keep going! 

It was definitely a full-body workout and I definitely sweat, though I've been sweatier in other classes.  

Row House Full Body is the class I took, but they also offer Row House Core (where the time off the rower focuses on abs only) and Row House Express (only rowing for 35 minutes). There's also Row House Endurance which is a 50 minute class with more rowing drills. 

The music Eric played during the class was GREAT. When Geronimo came on it was hard for me not to erg-dance. Is that a thing? 

At some point during the class I realized that each machine was customized with a clever quote, which I probably enjoyed more than I should have.  "Stroke of genius." "Don't resist the erg." There is nothing I like more than a fitness-themed pun. 

We all wiped down our machines at the end of class, got some high fives from Eric, and were on our way.  They had two foam rollers in the back of the room which I appreciated, and probably should have used, but I waited until I got back to my apartment to roll it out. 

You've probably never thought about taking a group rowing class. But I think you should. 

Row House has two locations - one at 555 West 59th Street (between West End and Amsterdam Avenues) and one on the Upper East Side (come on NP people!) at 406 East 91st Street (between First and York Avenues).  

Row House also is awesome on Instagram and likes my pictures, holllllla. But really, having a fitness studio that gets to know their clients is awesome, and it was very obvious that a lot of the people in the class are regulars. 

They offer a great beginner package - 3 classes for $75 (single classes are $35). 

DO IT.

Food, Fitness, Friends - The Usual.

I've been really consistent with my blogging, wouldn't you say?

Since my pretty wonderful 25K out on Long Island, I've been pretty busy.

First off, it was Restaurant Week in NYC.  Ok, so Restaurant "Week" is now like 3 weeks twice a year, but I still try to take advantage of it! We decided to go to Maya - a Richard Sandoval Mexican restaurant on the Upper East Side. Review to come, but let's just say I was a fan and thoroughly photographed (and Instagrammed) the meal. 

(Chipotle Salmon entree from Maya)

To burn off those tasty, tasty tostadas, it was up and out super early Thursday morning for an EPIC Hybrid Training class at 6:30 a.m. Our friend has been teaching there and sadly is moving to Philadelphia, so we wanted to get in one more killer workout while we still could! I HIGHLY recommend checking out EPIC if you like getting SUPER SWEATY and going non-stop! You will feel so bad-ass by the end of the class, and you'll probably learn a few new exercises to incorporate into your routine. I struggled through Turkish Getups for a good 10 minutes before I (kind of) got the hang of it. 

(Get it, the HANG of it?)

Friday we ran to the November Project workout in Times Square. Waking up early definitely has its advantages, when you can take over the one area in NYC that's usually crowded beyond belief and workout! 

(I have a new top NYC moment - kick lining and singing New York, New York in the middle of Times Square. Photo Credit: Chris Mosier)

Of course, my all time favorite breakfast followed the workout. I still need to dedicate a post to the energy wrap...After NP I ran a few more miles on the treadmill at NYSC.

Friday just continued to be amazing when we had our first DIP NIGHT. Basically, a potluck where everyone brings a different dip. 

I was so excited to be able to host dip night in my new apartment :) With room for all the dip, and all of us! Dip night featured:

-Biscoff Cookie Dough Dip with apple slices
Recipe Here!
It took me some time to appreciate this, but eventually I came to think it was pretty tasty. Don't let the chickpeas scare you!

-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and a Curry Mustard dipping sauce

-Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip with tortilla chips

-Spinach and Artichoke Dip with carrots and celery

-2 Black Bean Dips with pita chips

-Guacamole with tortilla chips

-Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips with Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip 

-Brie/Apple Crumble/Walnut Bake 

-S'mores Dip! 

And of course, this was all accompanied by fresh MARGARITAS courtesy of Jaime! I've truly found my people. 

(She even salted the rims!!)

Despite a serious food coma, a bunch of us were able to rally and head to Central Park in the morning for some mileage. I did 11 and felt...

AMAZING. 

I bet you thought I was going to have some complaint about every muscle that was bothering me.  But nope. I busted out 11 miles at an 8:00 pace. 

I was able to be lazy for a little bit before it was off for an amazingly fun afternoon/night to say goodbye to our friend Leanne. A ton of November Project friends got together for a scavenger hunt throughout the city that ended at Brother Jimmy's for a looooot of drinking. 

(Ate an Oyster at the oyster bar in Grand Central!)

(Quick hockey break) 

(We all have the same birthday!)

(We'll miss you Leanne!!!!)

Sunday I slept in later than usual, finalllllly. But instead of laying around and doing nothing, we decided to take advantage of the relatively warm weather and headed to Brooklyn (whoah, who am I? I never go to Brooklyn - unless it's for food).  First stop was an attempt to get brunch at Buttermilk Channel in Carroll Gardens.  They basically laughed and said there was no way we would get seated before they closed. So we wandered and came across a place that looked good and decided to give it a try. Ok, I'll admit, what really sold me was the drink special on the chalkboard - Mint Tequila Hot Chocolate. Uhm, yes. It didn't disappoint. 

The food was good too, and the fire-place smelled delicious. (Buschenschank if anyone is curious - we both had the Cobble  Hill Cristo which was a poached egg, hollandaise, speck, lingonberries and melted Gruyere on battered brioche. It was the perfect blend of sweet and savory!) 

After brunch we headed on to the transit museum, which I highly recommend! The price is fair ($7) and it was really interesting. I actually learned a ton. And seeing the old subway cars was pretty cool.  

It was such a pretty day out and made me so excited for SPRING. 

(Is it time for Smorgasburg yet?!)

I did speedwork in the park on the following Tuesday in only ONE LAYER - a small miracle.  Of course, the speed work resulted in 0 more miles being run that week until Saturday's long run. My shins and intervals just do not get along.  We ran 10x400 meter intervals which I did at around 1:40-1:30. 

This is my new attempt at foam rolling. These knots are no joke. 

Tuesday night I went to the Coliseum for the Rangers/Islanders game which BUMMER they lost. But it was nice getting to be there - it was my first Isles/Rangers game at the Coliseum! And likely my last. All the feels. 

Hmm, what else.  We went to get a real German dinner on Saturday night. I ordered the Jagershnitzel and besides being a baby cow, it was delicious. Crispy, buttery spaetzle is incredibly yummy as it clogs your arteries. 

(Not the more photogenic of dishes)

Saturday's forecast called for rain rain rain. But I had no choice, 18 miles were happening one way or the other. I would never have been able to do it without Peter getting me up and out and into the rain. We met up with Brian, who luckily knew his way around the bridges way better than me.  For the first half of the run I felt pretty good, then I had my usual "crap, I'm halfway done and now I have to do that all over again and I'm tired and it hurts" moment - luckily that's about when we picked up Kaitlin and I was able to suck it up and catch up with her while trying to keep up with a pair of fresh legs (meanwhile, Brian's legs never tire). I guess I was going a lot faster than I thought, because at the end, my 18 mile pace was 8:30.  There were a few parts in the park where Brian and Kaitlin had to give me a few peppy words because I was fading. 

Can we just briefly mention how DRENCHED we all were? I'm talking 5 pound pony-tail. Also, a car drove past me at some point and it was like a scene from a movie, hugeeee splash all over me. But it didn't even matter because I couldn't have gotten any wetter than I already was. 

I felt so relieved that I finished that run and felt OK doing it. Especially after an only 4 mile week. 

Normally, I would sleep the rest of the day away after a run like that. But instead, I showered, packed, ate and got on a train to go to Nassau Coliseum to see my parents, sister, grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins, and best friend for our last Islanders game together :( I can't believe it. 

We all had rooms at the Marriott with a view of the Coliseum from our windows and enough food and beer (and sangria) to feed a small army. It was amazing. Minus the Islanders losing (but we're all used to that...) 

In other news, I've been doing weights a lot more since most days my legs don't feel run-ready. Operation do an unassisted pull-up is in full-effect and I started going back to Body Pump at NYSC.

Took a trip back to my most favorite margarita place - Bamboleos - for St. Patrick's Day! $20 pitchers with free chips and guac from 4-7. Go, people! 

So now that I'm relatively caught up - I'll likely fall ridiculously behind again. Sorry about it. 

Oh...WHO HAS READ UNBROKEN? Can we please discuss? 

Your Guide to Eating Mexican on The UES

Live in the Upper East Side? Like Mexican food? Hands down my favorite tacos that I’ve found in the city remain the tacos at Cascabel Taqueria. They changed me forever from a flour tortilla girl to a corn tortilla girl.

Usher ate there once.

They offer 10 different tacos, and while I haven’t tried them all, I can give recommendations on my favorite 3:
#1 Vegetal:  oyster mushroom / fingerling potato / poblano / tomato / spring onion house made creme / bibb lettuce / rabano / queso fresco / cilantro. Please, please order this. No matter how much you love meat. Order Cascabel’s veggie taco. I am generally against the word moist, but THEY’RE SO MOIST and flavorful! The queso fresco is killer.
#2 Al Pastor: chipotle achiote marinated pork butt / grilled pineapple / avocado / sauteed onions / paprika / epazote. Mainly, because pineapple and avocado are my favorites.
#3 Pollo Chipotle: shredded amish chipotle chicken / spring onion / avocado chicken chicharrón. Usually chicken isn’t my go to choice in terms of meat, but this is delicious!

There’s also a yellowfin tuna taco, shrimp taco, veal tongue, battered tilapia (a little too dry for my liking), chipotle pork, hanger steak, chorizo (also delicious), and another pork option!

So let’s talk prices.

Cascabel has an incredible all you can eat taco and all you can drink sangria/beer option on Monday nights. For $25 you can get unlimited Dos Equis or Sangria along with unlimited tacos (you have to order 3 of each kind at a time) and Mexi BBQ wings which were pretty good too.

The first time we went, the waiter was amazing- he gave us pitchers, he kept the tacos coming, he gave us orders of wings with our tacos. Second time, the waitress said she wasn’t allowed to give us pitchers, she couldn’t keep up with orders, and we couldn’t order wings and tacos at the same time (granted it was a much bigger group the second time around). Either way – we definitely had our fair share of tacos and sangria both times!

Another great deal that Cascabel has is taco flight Tuesdays – if you’re not looking to get sloshed on sangria or eat your body weight in tacos, this might be the option for you! $16 for 4 different tacos! Do it up, people.

Some other things to note about Cascabel:
*They have a brunch that sounds pretty delicious, though not one of the cheaper ones you can find
*Their margaritas aren’t anything special. The flavors sound special, but trust me, you’re going to pay way too much for way too little tequila.
*You MUST order their yucca fries! Their chipotle aioli is just the extra bit of fat and calories that you need with fried yucca. Order them, pretty please.
*Two locations - one on 2nd Avenue between 80th & 81st and one on Broadway at 108th St. 

I recently took a trip to another Mexican joint on the UES called Cantina 1436 and while I didn’t love them as much as I love Cascabel, I did appreciate their bowl options- quinoa, tofu, mushrooms, spinach, beans and onions was delicious, cheap, and made me feel like I wasn’t gaining 23489 pounds. Again, not worth the margarita price. BUT they have really great happy hour specials that I’ll have to check out. $5 margaritas and $2.50 tacos.

If you’re looking for a place with a strong margarita, check out Selena Rosa. 

Read more about my favorite margaritas HERE. 

Pittsburgh on Pause

Let us recap the week in running and exercise, shall we? Even though I'm pretty sure the title of the post provides enough foreshadowing to tell you how things turned out...

As I said in my last post, Monday morning I woke myself up at 5:45, looked out the window, and said “Snow hasn’t started yet, no excuses, get your butt to the park.”

I got dressed, put on my sneakers, looked out the window and…the snow had started. But at that point there was no turning back, and I headed to the park for 6 miles that were faster than I’ve been typically running these days- 8:25 pace in the empty, snowy park and my week was off to a very positive start.

Tuesday was another early morning, but it wasn’t very difficult to get up and out because interval day is my favorite day and I knew I was meeting Melissa to do a few miles as a warm up! We did 3 miles followed by 2.5 miles of 400 meter intervals and a .5 mile cool down back home for a total of 6.

(Interval crew) 

It was cold, it was snowy, and when I got back to my apartment, there was no heat or hot water. Thank god for NYSC memberships.

Wednesday morning I returned to November Project after way too long off. I even got up and out for the 5:30 a.m. group so I could make it to physical therapy at 7:30! 

(So early, but so great)

My new apartment is almost 1.5 miles away from Gracie Mansion, and the workout was about 3 miles plus burpees, lunges and pushups! 5 miles total on Wednesday!

(NP_NYC)

Thursday was a day off from running but I did a shoulder and back circuit at the gym:
10 TRX rows
10 front plate raises (10 lbs)
10 ball slams (14 lb ball)
10 later side plate raises (5 lbs)
x4

Then,  15 minutes of rowing.

Friday was another day off from running – 

(Sometimes, seeing this is wonderful!)

Kayla, Melissa and I continued with my new favorite tradition – Friday decks & froyo! We met after work for 2 decks at NYSC. A KILLER arm deck (renegade rows, tricep extensions, lateral raises, pushups, and Kayla’s Chaturanga death move for the jokers. It took a while, so we made a quick ab deck to finish up with- penguins, lower ab circles, weighted Russian twists, and toes to sky.  

Next was the best part of deck & froyo Fridays- the froyo. $4 fill ups, thank you 16 Handles! Who cares that it was the coldest day of the year!?

(Mine's the one with extra graham cracker crumbs, frosted animal crackers and rainbow cookies)

Saturday was Valentine’s Day and it was the perfect morning. We woke up and headed to the park – I finished 12 miles relatively pain free and when I got back, an amazzzzing brunch was being cooked for me :)

Bacon.
Cinnamon Buns.
An omelet with spinach, mushrooms, peppers & cheese.
Hot chocolate with whipped cream and raspberry chocolate sauce.

Why do I spell omelet wrong every time. My brain just wants it to be omelette.

(Lucky girl!)

We got ready and got on a train to Connecticut for happy hour and endless appetizers at TGI Fridays. Approximately 40 mozzarella sticks later, it was time for some hockey! It was so nice being back at Quinnipiac. Watching hockey with some of my favorite people. And seeing BOOMER of course.

(Favorite people)

(Favorite bobcat)

(Just like the good old days!)

We spent the rest of the night drinking and eventually made it to Eli’s which was weird because it was emptier than I’ve ever seen it! Second trip to Hamden in a row where I’ve been forced to leave the women’s room by the bartender because I was busy girl talkin’ with friends. Woops.

Sunday we slept in and got RAY & MIKES SANDWICHES aka heart attack in sandwich form. Cheesesteak with a buffalo chicken cutlet. Because that’s necessary.

("The Irresistible") 

Then, time for more hockey- we had an entire suite to ourselves at the Bridgeport Sound Tigers game! Sadly, my parents and sister couldn’t make it, but we made the best of it.

(We may or may not have watched an entire period on the TV screen because we didn't want to leave the couch) 

Monday was President’s Day so we had an extra day of weekend-ness. I had every intention of running 6 miles. Instead, the cold made it impossible to run outside- my fingers and toes were immediately numb despite all my layers. So we went to the gym and I figured I could at least do a few miles on the treadmill.

Wrong.

Shins. Were. Awful.

I was crushed. My foot has been feeling almost 100%. I took 3 days off from running last week. My runs had been going great. I was finally back in the groove of waking up early in the mornings for my workouts.

The frustration and disappointment translated to me crying in the middle of New York Sports Club. Not my proudest moment.

Naturally, I dealt with it by brunching with my lovely ladies.

Potluck brunches are the best! You get lots of different food. The drinks are bottomless for AS LONG AS YOU WANT. You can take your shoes off and sit on couches.

Our menu consisted of:
The most delicious mini banana muffins that Kayla made. And healthy too! Probably not when you eat like 5 of them like I did, but whatever. 

S’more cookies that were killer. “If we eat them all now, we don’t have to worry about eating them later.”
Bruschetta, classic.
Avocado toast on Ezekiel bread <3
Greek yogurt with coconut flax granola (shout out to Nature's Promise, my favorite granola ever!)
Fruit salad
FRITATTA

And lots and lots of sangria. 

And maybe some cucumber vodka. Organic, of course.

Tuesday, I was supposed to run, but a delayed flight and landing in California later than scheduled meant I didn’t have time to make it to the gym.

I woke up this morning SO EXCITED to run in SHORTS and be WARM. My hotel is right near the Guadalupe River Trail, and I woke up nice and early with plenty of time to get in a wonderfully glorious 6-8 mile run.

If only.

Instead, I limped along for 2 miles before finally telling myself that this has to end.

I have to stop blatantly disregarding the warning signs that my body are giving me.

I have to stop knowing what I need to do to get better, and refusing to do it.

Thank you, to the November Project friend who Facebook messaged me and said, “I just honestly don't want to see a talented runner sidelined because of this mental side of training and need to keep up.”

Thank you to Kayla who probably doesn’t realize how much she has helped me- by watching her overall positivity despite not being able to run for so long – by seeing her persistently  stay active with decks and yoga – by being so unwavering in doing what it takes to make it to her end goal, to run happy and healthy again.

Thank you to Nina, whose tough love protestations of “GIVE IT A REST, IDIOT” have finally broken through my stubbornness.

Thank you to Peter for not pretending he didn’t know the weirdo breaking down in the middle of New York Sports Club and for hugging me instead.

Elliptical, rowing, biking, swimming, weights and decks it is for me for the time being.

I’m still fairly confident I can make Pittsburgh happen, but if I keep doing what I’m doing, there’s no way I’ll be making it to that starting line, let alone the finish. 

:(

PXT (2) at Pure Yoga

The other night, I had the chance to take a PXT class at Pure Yoga East. It was different than anything I've ever done before, different than I expected, but overall a pretty great workout. 

Pure Yoga East is an absolutely beautiful studio. I mean, at $250 a month for membership, it better be a little bougie.  

Pure Yoga is 3 or 4 floors, with all different types of studios. Hot yoga studios, regular yoga studios- I'm not a yogi so I'm sure there are other types of studios and I just have no idea what they are. Either way. 7 is impressive. They also have tons of little lounge areas, a boutique, and a seriously huge and gorgeous women's locker room. 

I started the class of great- by getting yelled at for walking into the studio with shoes on - oops. After taking them off and leaving them outside, I re-entered and took in the setup. Everyone had a mat, a step and those little sliders you put under your hands and feet to torture your abs. The instructor told me to grab two sets of dumbbells (10 lbs and 5 lbs) and a 10 lb medicine ball. 

I was shocked to see that there would only be 5 of us in the class - it was like a private training session! 

As usual, I had done some research before showing up, and I knew that the PXT class would start with some yoga. Grumble grumble. If I must I guess I can do a few minutes of yoga as a warm up. We started slow, switching between the few moves and poses that I actually know (my yoga knowledge is limited, at best). I was a little stressed that it was going to get too complicated for me to follow and I would stand out like a sore thumb considered there were only 5 of us, but instead of adding a bunch of complicated poses to the flow, we just sped it up. Downward facing dog, chair pose, upward facing dog, warrior, vinyasa - by the end of the 10-15 yoga warm up I was actually starting to enjoy it! Minus the fact that the room was slowly getting hotter and hotter. Hey, I'm about to do burpees and squats and you're putting the heat up? What gives? I know, it's a thing. I'm just not sure it's a thing I like. Genius day to forget to bring water too, Lauren. 

This class really pushed me with some moves I had never done before- which I loved. Using the ab sliders was A LOT more challenging than I thought it would be. Pikes and walk outs and lunges- I was shaking! I also loved implementing the step for things like squats and step ups to knee holds. The instructor, Julia Stephens, was great at explaining and demonstrating each move and encouraging and motivating you to push until the end. We didn't stay on any one move for too long, so knowing that the end was near if you could knock out a few more reps was always helpful. 

After the cardio/plyo/strength section we moved into "partner abs." One person laid on their backs and grabbed their partners ankles while the partner got in the squat position and threw the other persons legs down- first to the left, then the middle, then the right. By the end of this, my abs were feeling it and I was looking forward to a break by being the "leg thrower." Well, stay in that squat position and pushing the legs down was more work than I thought, and I could feel it by the end of that too!

The next section was the "Coreball Countdown Challenge." Julia wrote 4 exercises on the mirror at the front of the room and we had to do 8 reps of each, then 7 reps of each, then 8 reps of each, etc. all the way down to 1. I wish I remembered exactly which exercises we did here, but I know burpees with the core ball was one of them, and that was rough!

We cooled down with a few more minutes of yoga and then we were done.

If you ever get a chance to go, or want to drop-in for a $35 class, I recommend it! This class is good for anyone who gets frustrated by an entire hour of yoga and wants something more intense. I loved the challenge, but I also wouldn't recommend it for beginners, as some of the moves may be frustratingly complicated.

Newest Obsession

This post has nothing to do with fitness or food, but I think you should read it anyway, especially if you live in New York City.

I've recently discovered, through my addiction to both Thrillist and Gothamist, the solution to expensive cab rides. At least from their operating hours of 6:45 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.

So no, it's not going to save you money when you're stuck trying to get back uptown after a crazy Saturday night of bar hopping in the East Village. But when it's pouring rain and you live a mile walk from the closest subway and you desperately want to hail a cab, but you're a poor twentysomething and rent is more important than keeping yourself dry, then it's going to save you money.

It's called Via.

Via is different than Uber or Lyft because it's a car share service. If the driver can pick up 5 passengers along the way, without going off-course from where you need to get, he will. So you're not guaranteed the car all to yourself. But you know what is guaranteed? The ride is going to cost you $5. Every time. No matter how long you're stuck sitting in traffic and no matter where you need to be (within their current parameters of 110th Street to 32nd Street). 

Once you connect your credit or debit card to Via, you buy in "credits." Each ride is $5. I'm not kidding. $5. You use the app to set your drop of and pick-up location and Via tells you how far away the car is, the number in the window, and where exactly it will pick you up (sometimes you have to walk a block or two, but never anything major). 

When you sign up for the app, you get one ride free. And be on the lookout for friends posting promo codes! I got $20 in free ride credits- that's 4 FREE RIDES! I used one the Wednesday before Thanksgiving- it was pouring rain and I had a huge duffel bag to bring home and instead of struggling to commute on the subway, I sat in a beautiful, clean Suburban, Escalade, whatever. It took 13 minutes for a car to get to me once I requested one- on a busy travel day, at rush hour, in the rain. Not bad at all if you ask me! 

When I got back to the city from Thanksgiving weekend, I had a Via car pick me up at Penn Station and the driver was so nice- his previous passenger had left her cell phone in the car and he was going to return it to her, but kept apologizing to me all because he had to make a 5 second stop. All the drivers I've had so far have been extremely friendly and professional- and anyone I've shared a car with has also seemed like a normal, young professional. 

Download the Via app and enter this promo code for $20 in ride credits: lauren5d3

Two More Trips to Two Tablespoons

Over the summer I wrote a review of a vegetarian pop-up shop at Madison Square Eats called "Two Tablespoons." I fell in love with their summer rice paper wraps and glass noodle salads with some of my favorite seasonal flavors.

(Not a bad view from Madison Square Eats!)

Since that initial review I've been back to Two Tablespoons twice- another time for their summer wraps and salads and more recently, for their updated fall menu at the Bryant Park Winter Village Holiday Shops.

Let's chat, shall we?

The second time I visited the Madison Square Eats stand for the summer menu I ordered the combination again- two wraps with a small glass noodle salad came to $13. I thought the value was pretty good for how filling the meal was! I didn't have any leftovers like the last time I had had it...but it's probably because I had run beforehand.

This time, I ordered the gluten-free, vegan corn, coconut and curry sauce summer roll and the tofu, quinoa and almond sauce summer roll. Both were delicious, and it was awhile ago so it wouldn't be fair for me to pick a favorite.

The salad I went with this time was the favorite of the woman working that afternoon- the cabbage, apple and ginger miso which was made up of glass noodles, red cabbage, carrots, apples. scallions, ginger, gluten-free miso and olive oil. It was so fresh tasty!

What I loved about the summer menu at Two Tablespoons was that everything was fresh and in season and it just made you FEEL like you were eating something summery. Both times I dragged myself up to my rooftop to enjoy my summer rolls and salad outside in the sunshine.

So I was so excited when I realized that Two Tablespoons would be setting up a booth in Bryant Park for the holidays- a few blocks from my office meant I could easily get delicious, healthy, fresh lunches. And when I saw that their winter menu was going to focus on chili and loaded smashed potatoes? Excited is an understatement.

(Oh Bryant Park, you've always been my favorite!)

Check out this menu. It's safe to say ANY of these is a winning combination. The potatoes go for $7.50, the chili is $5.50 for a small and $8.50 for a large, or you can go big like me and get a combination- a potato and a small chili for $12.50.  This was two days of lunches for me.

The potato I decided to go with was the pumpkin, tahini, hummus.

By the time I got it back to my office, it needed to be reheated a little bit. It wasn't as big as I had hoped, but it was tasty. Not mind blowingly tasty though. What's with the duddy spuds lately?

The sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds added a nice crunch to the otherwise mushy components of the dish. The pumpkin hummus wasn't too pumpkin-y which I appreciated, because unlike almost every other female in my demographic, I am not CRAZY about pumpkin-flavored things.

The next day, I reheated my chili with hopes that this would make me forget about the not-so-impressive potato. It was definitely an improvement! I ordered the Chickpea, Spinach and Coconut Chili. It had curry flavors and was loaded with broccoli and tons of chick peas! 

Overall, I have to say that I like two tablespoons summer menu better- but I still have a lot of things to try and they all sound seriously awesome!

It Ain't Even Mah Birthday! Cake Cake Cake! Restaurant Review: Tompkins Square Bagels

If you follow enough NYC-based Instagram accounts, you'll start to notice that the same food tends to pop up again and again. Avocado toast from Cafe Gitane, the Salty Pimp cone from Big Gay Ice Cream Shop, the infamous cronut from Dominique Ansel, and recently, the birthday cake cream cheese from Tompkins Square Bagels. 

You read that right. Birthday Cake. Cream Cheese. 

In fact, Tompkins Square Bagels was just named as one of NYC's 30 most Instagrammed Restaurants thanks to its colorful, sprinkled cream cheese. Can't you see why? It's just so cheerful and delicious looking! 

(Some of my favorites from Instagram!)

Of course, when I found out that Friday's November Project workout was going to be at Tompkins Square Park and people were planning on getting bagels afterwards, I knew I had to go. Despite the fact that the Birthday Cake Cream Cheese looked great- I was hesitant to order it with other options like Peanut Butter Cream Cheese and Cookie Dough Cream Cheese on the menu! 

(What a lovely - freezing cold - morning for a workout followed by BAGELS)

We walked in and I was surprised at how big the place was- there's tons of seating in the back and even an outdoor seating area. I was also surprised that for such a popular place, they really didn't have their shit together! 

First of all, their register was broken so they couldn't give any change. Then someone ordered an espresso and they couldn't get the machine to work. Then, they were out of the wasabi cream cheese that like 5 people wanted to try. It was a slight disaster to say the least. 

But luckily I had a $5 bill on me and a bagel with a flavored cream cheese was $4.75. I decided to I had to see what all the fuss was about with the birthday cake cream cheese, and ordered it on one of their french toast bagels. You think I have a sweet tooth or something? 

(There she isssss)

I'm not going to lie. I was skeptical about this birthday cake cream cheese. I thought it was just going to be cream cheese with some sprinkles in it, and be more about the way it looked than the actual taste of it. Happy to report that this stuff highly exceeded my expectations! It really tasted like cake batter flavored cream cheese! Think funfetti. On a bagel that was warm and perfectly toasted, but still doughy enough for my liking. The flavor of the bagel was really great too- it really did taste like french toast! I feel like the picture does all the explaining- this bagel was no joke a french toast bagel. Look at that thing. 

It was amazing. I ate half of it there and brought the other half in to the office to eat a little later in the morning and I was seriously so bummed when it ended. I could have eaten like 5 more. It was so good, that if I were to go back to Tompkins Square Bagels (ok, WHEN I got back to Tompkins Square Bagels) I think I'll probably get it again instead of trying the PB cream cheese or one of the others! Crazy, I know. 

And of course, I got one of the classic bagel shots to Instagram. 

The Tompkins Square Bagel trend isn't all hype. 

Jump on that bandwagon. 

Ballin' Restaurant Review: Bantam Bagels

I like to think that I'm up on the NYC food scene. 

A quick scroll through my Instagram reveals that I am following accounts with names like:
chekmarkeats
brunchcritic
shelovesfoodnyc
bellybible
grubshotsnyc
citytaste
eatingnyc
bigfoodiebitches
missnewfoodie
eatupnyc
hungrybetches
nycdining

That's the reason I can spout of deals and specials and the "must orders" at so many random places throughout the city. 

"The Friday workout is in Washington Square Park? You need to get breakfast at Oat Meals afterwards- ask for your bowl "Crazy Uncle" style so it's easier to mix!" 

"Oh you're craving guacamole today? Well you're in luck, it's Dos Toros' birthday and they're giving it away for free." 

"You better hurry up and get your butt to The Meatball Shop for their special turkey meatball before it disappears after Thanksgiving!" 

It's a little ridiculous. I realize this. I accept it. 

Staying up to date on the NYC dining scene via Instagram and websites like Gothamist, Eater and Thrillist is the reason that over 4 months ago, I bought a Groupon for a place called "Bantam Bagels." Fast forward four months, and Bantam Bagels were just named as one of Oprah's Favorite Things. Yahtzee! 

Bantam Bagels sits on Bleecker Street, and is nothing more than a takeaway counter, serving up an interesting spin on one of New York City's most beloved breakfast foods- the bagel. 

Bantam Bagels serves mini stuffed bagel balls. 

I'm going to let that sink in for a minute. See how it makes you feel. 

I was conflicted at first too, it's OK. Changing up the bagel is a very risky thing to do in a city that is known for them. In a city that LOVES them. As an avid fan of all things "filled," though, I was willing to accept the mini stuffed bagel ball - on the condition that the bagel was quality, the filling was sufficient and tasty, and the size was just right. A tall order, I know. But I am from Long Island- and one thing that I feel very, very strongly about are bagels. I was going to be very critical of Bantam Bagels. 

The first time I attempted to pick up Bantam Bagels was a failure. They had just closed. 

(But any trip to my old stomping grounds is welcomed! Look at that building. So damn pretty).

So I made sure to go in the morning the next time I showed up. Like I said- this is not a large operation. It's a take-away counter. The worker was extremely friendly and helped me pick my flavors and let me know which were the most popular- something I always ask. 

Naturally, I was sure to use every cent of the Groupon that I could- which meant walking out of Bantam Bagels with 16 bagel balls. Before you judge me, I was taking them home to share with my parents...except then I ended up eating ~10 myself...

I said stop judging. Moving on. 

When I got these bad boys to the office, I opened a box and wafted. And then I stuck my finger in some cream cheese that had escaped from one of the bagel balls. And then I licked my finger. And then I got really excited- because I could tell that these things were gunna be GOOD. 

I somehow waited until the following morning to break into these with my parents.

[*Side note: I had gone to bed Friday night telling my parents NO EATING THE BAGEL BALLS UNTIL WE CAN ALL TRY THEM TOGETHER. I am the food Nazi after all, and there were specific flavors we each had to sample. I feel the judgement- knock it off. Anyway, I was rudely awoken around 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning by my mom peeking her head in my room and saying, "Lau...I couldn't wait...I ate two of the bagel balls." Me: *groan* Mom: "Are you gunna get up?" Me: "Not anymore!" I then slept another hour.]

The helpful man behind the counter had told me not to have him toast them if I wasn't planning on eating them right away, so we read the included heating instructions and popped them in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes. 

Then, the bagel ball tasting extravaganza began. We heated up 6 of them and gathered around, taking turns taking bites of each bagel. Hey, we're family. 

I wish someone had recorded this because it probably looked and sounded hysterical. The three of us huddled around a paper plate full of rolling bagel balls making exclamations like, "OMG" "I can't tell which one this is but IT'S SO GOOD!" "I think this one is my favorite," "Nope, wait- THIS ONE!" 

I swear, each one we tried was better than the next. 

I had grabbed a menu from the store and brought it home with me so we could hopefully ascertain which ones we were trying, but it proved more difficult than anticipated. Some of them were obvious, like the Bleecker Street which had a piece of pepperoni on top, and some were obvious because of the flavor (like the apple pie and hot pretzel) but it was harder to tell the difference between some of the other ones. 

Here is my overall review of Bantam Bagels:

Holy crap. Much like the filled donuts from Flex Mussels, myself and my parents were totally blown away by how great these were. There is some sort of inappropriate comment about filled balls here, but we're going to move on. For all of us to collectively agree that something is delicious, especially something we all care about as much as bagels, is huge. It helped that Bantam Bagels has a ball for everyone (balls on balls on balls). Sweet, savory- they've got you covered. 

The actual bagels were damn near perfection. I like my dough doughy and if I'm toasting it, the outside crispy. These were spot on. 

The filling to dough ratio was also WHOAH good. They have it down to a science- you can't even really tell where they've squirted the cream cheese in. Squirted. Ew. What an awful word. 

There were a few times we bit into the bagel and the cream cheese went all over the place, but for the most part, it stayed contained and I was impressed that it wasn't completely oozing and drippy considering they had been heated in a toaster oven for 5 minutes. My dad claims one of his was unfilled, so that was lame, but probably just a fluke. 

The most impressive thing about these bagels was that each cream cheese was packed with flavor. You can tell that Bantam uses real ingredients to create these specialty cream cheeses (which you can buy containers of, joyous!) 

Here are some descriptions of the standouts to get those salivary glands workin'. (Yes, I really just typed those words). 

1) Hot Pretzel. This is one of Bantam Bagels most popular bagels, probably because it's the one Oprah talks about. It's a salt bagel ball (sprinkled with some sea salt for effect) filled with a cream cheese that is undeniably flavored like cheddar cheese and MUSTARD. I'm sorry- was that too much for you to handle? Because it was almost too much perfect for my taste buds. 

2) The Bleecker Street. Another popular choice, this is a "pizza dough bagel" filled with marinara mozzarella cream cheese and topped with a piece of pepperoni for good luck. So. Pizza-y. So yum. 

3) Everybody's Favorite. What's in a name? The truth. I am never one to like the plain Jane option at places like this. Reading the description on the menu of "everything bagel filled with freshly chopped vegetable cream cheese" was a total snooze fest to me. But once I took a bite? Sold. Done. Give me a dozen of these and I wouldn't even be upset at the lack of variety. 

4) Apple Pie. This is the current special ball of the season and it was yum yum yum. Yum. Really. Yum. 

4) Box Lunch. Shockingly, this WASN'T my favorite, although it was still damn good. A plain bagel topped filled with peanut butter and strawberry jam. Mmm. 

I was really looking forward to some of the sweet options, because I have the world's biggest sweet tooth and all, but unfortunately, these were the ones where it was hardest to tell which one you were eating.  The cookies and milk, french toast and cinnamonster were impossible to tell apart. All of them were delicious, I just couldn't tell which was which. 

I'm pretty sure my mom hijacked The Hangover bagel ball that I was dying to try (GRR MOM, I know you're reading this!) but listen to this description: "Cheddar cheese and egg bagel topped with melted cheddar cheese filled with bacon cheddar cream cheese and a drizzle of maple syrup." Dead. 

Each bagel ball is 2-4 bites, depending on how HAM you decide to go on it. 4 balls costs $5 and is a satisfying breakfast. Of course, I ate 5 for breakfast. So I'm not saying you should get 6 for $7, but...you might want to get 6 for $7. A dozen bagel balls costs $13. And like I said, you can also buy their specialty cream cheeses. 

Now that Bantam Bagels has been listed as one of Oprah's Favorite Things, I'm sure we're going to be hearing about them a lot more. My family has already decided that my aunts and uncles and grandma in Florida NEED to have these shipped to them for a little piece of New York on Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.  Bantam ships- and you can order 3 dozen balls for $36 (the shipping costs are a little ridiculous of course, but that's to be expected). 

Go get these, people. 

The Most Perfect Acai Bowl

About a year ago, I had the pleasure of making my first, real-life friend from LA.

She was completely opposite of all those Orange-County stereotypes that make NYers swear that we’re the better (best) city in the country. 

Despite growing up on opposite coasts, we had a ton in common. 

(Like, we were both total badasses)

One day, Emily was craving something from back home and asked if I knew of a place to find it in NYC.

New York City has everything- I was sure I could find her a place to buy whatever it was she was looking for.

So what was she looking for, you ask?

An acai bowl.

I had never heard of it, and she was shocked. She explained what it was to me, and I was quickly appalled that I’d never had one.

Next step in this acai saga was Googling where the heck I could find one in NYC. This was probably in December of 2013. I was right, of course, and she COULD find one in NYC- but there were shockingly few places serving something called an acai bowl at that time.

Essentially, Juicy Lucy Juice Bar and Juice Generation.

Fast forward to now, and acai bowls or similar “smoothie bowls” are being served in nearly every juice bar and health food chain you can find. Liquiteria, Jamba Juice and Organic Avenue all have their own versions, just to name a few.

Q: So what is an acai bowl?
A: An acai bowl is a healthy, sweet, delicious, amazing, perfect meal or snack or dessert. See how versatile it is? The writers on Huffington Post knew what they were talkin’ about when they described acai bowls as, “the prettiest, most colorful breakfast optionaround. In short, breakfast porn,” “parfaits on tropical, chilled steroids,” and “what breakfast dreams are made of.”

Here’s what it’s made up of:
-An acai puree/smoothie base that can contain different fruits and milks
-Topped with a layer of granola or nuts, or both 
-Topped with fruits for a burst of color, calcium, natural sugar and vitamins
Optional:
-Drizzled with honey
-Sprinkled with toasted coconut
-Enhanced with a dollop of peanut butter

Q: Why the heck am I just hearing about these now?
A: Acai bowls first gained popularity in Hawaii and, apparently, have been popular on the West Coast for a while now! Thankfully, they’re finally making their way to menus in this fine city!

Q: What is acai anyway? 
A: These berries are being touted as a “superfood” due to their high levels of antioxidants which can help lower cholesterol and do a bunch of other important things like fight out free radicals in your body or something- I really don’t know, and I’m too lazy right now to do the research- but acai berries are apparently good for you and they taste delicious too and that’s not too common so let’s just agree with the scientists on this one, k?

Acai berries may be a good source of antioxidants, fiber and heart-healthy fats.

Q: Ok, I think I’m probably pronouncing it wrong. How the heck do you say acai?
A: Ah-sigh-ee

Now that we got that out of the way, want to hear about the acai bowls I’ve tried? Of course you do.

After that initial Google search for Acai Bowls in NYC- Emily and I kept meaning to get to  Juice Generation to try one and see if it measured up to what she was used to eating in California.

I’m grateful that due to the fact that it was winter and freezing cold, we never ended up getting an acai bowl in the city, and my first experience with one was sharing it with Emily while watching the sunset on Venice Beach during my first ever trip to California. It was everything I had dreamed it would be!!

(Best work trip EVER)

We got it from a little stand along the beach, not because we were hungry, but because, “OMG ACAI BOWLS WHILE THE SUN IS SETTING AT VENICE BEACH!” That is reason enough. Hunger is unnecessary in instances like those.

It was perfect. The smoothie was super thick and delicious and there was peanut butter, granola, bananas and shredded coconut. If I could marry a moment in time, it might be this one:

It was a long time until I was ready to try an acai bowl back here in New York. In fact, I didn’t have another acai bowl for 8 more months!

Then, one night in September, I was looking for some healthy fuel after a long run and went with a friend to Juice Generation, to finally see how their version measured up. Juice Generation has tons of locations throughout NYC and they offer 5 different varieties of acai bowls that range in calories from 390-520.

Of course, the PB Acai bowl packs on the most calories at 520. Rude. All of them sounded so good though and after some back and forth I ordered an Aloha Bowl. The Aloha bowl has acai (obviously), banana, pineapple, bee pollen, almond milk and hemp granola. And I added some almond butter to it, because I’m a suck for nut butter.

(Juice Generation Aloha Acai Bowl + Almond Butter)

While the scenery and company weren’t the same as my first acai bowl, I must say that this was absolutely just as delicious as the one I ate on Venice Beach. The base smoothie was different- at Juice Generation it was more a smoothie and in California it was a lot more solid/frozen. I don’t have a huge preference either way, as long as the flavors are good. And the flavors from my Aloha Acai bowl at Juice Generation were bangin’. Not only did it taste amazing, it was totally filling and satisfying. Two thumbs up!

(I approve!)

The next time I had an acai bowl was from Jamba Juice- they’ve recently added an entire section to their menu called “Energy Bowls.” They’re offering Acai Bowls, Fruit & Yogurt Bowls and Simply Greek Yogurt Bowls.

My friend and I had a coupon for a half priced acai bowl, so we ventured there during our lunch break one day. Jamba Juice offers 3different acai bowls in 3 sizes- 12 oz., 16 oz. and 24 oz. The three options range in calories (for the 16 oz.) from 390-530, almost spot on with Juice Generation.

Our acai bowls came topped with granola, banana and shredded coconut.  They took FOREVER for the worker at Jamba Juice to make. We actually had to laugh it was so ridiculous the amount of time they spent arranging every slice of banana- I guess because we went when they were brand new and the guy had never made one before. They tasted great, although the smoothie was the most liquidy of the 3 I’ve tried, which I didn’t love.

(They put a lot of effort into this presentation...like 20 minutes worth!)

One thing to note about ordering acai bowls in NYC vs. California- the size/price comparison. The acai bowl we had in California was a freaking bucket and probably only cost us $5. At Jamba Juice, energy bowls cost at least $6, and at Juice Generation a 16 fluid ounce acai bowl is going to cost you around $8-$10 bucks. Rough.

Anyone have suggestions for delicious acai bowls in NYC? You know, now that it’s the perfect season for freezing cold smoothies?

The Search for the Perfect Donut Continues: Doughtnut Plant

As I’ve mentioned on here once or twice, I’m a big fan of fillings. Why eat a regular cupcake when you can have one that’s stuffed with more deliciousness? That (along with the warm, crispy, dough) is why Flex Donuts by far outranked both Dough and DoughLoco in my donut search.

But when I took a trip to Doughnut Plant, I knew that Flex Donuts would be meeting their toughest competition yet. You see, Doughnut Plant is known for their filled donuts, and there was one in particular on the menu that I was just dying to try.

Located on 23^rd Street between 7^th & 8^th avenues, Doughnut Plant is adorably decorated. They make a bunch of different types of donuts, so if variety is important to you, you’re sure to like this place.

(Doughnut pillows, guaranteed to give you SWEET dreams- ba dum ahhhh)

Here are the different donut stylings up for offer at the Doughtnut Plant:

1) Yeast donuts- on their website, these are described as light, airy, fluffy yeast-raised doughnuts, with a slight chew. Flavors include: Vanilla Bean, Valrhona Chocolate and seasonal flavors like Roasted Chestnut and Cranberry Relish.

2) Cake doughnuts- “Leavened with baking powder, our cake doughnuts have a texture somewhere near the intersection of a classic birthday cake and a buttery pound cake.” Flavors include: Tres Leches, Carrot Cake, Cinnamon Sugar, Wild Blueberry, Blackout Cake, Coffee Cake, seasonal flavors and more.

Stop right there. Even with just those two options, I’m having an inner struggle. Both of these sound so tempting…what’s a girl to do?!

On the one hand, I had already tried the Tres Leches cakedonut at my potluck brunch and fallen in love. But light, airy and fluffy sounded most similar to those heavenly Flex Donut balls I had almost wept over!

But wait. There are more options.

3) Filled doughnuts. Oh yeahhh.

3a) Their “original filled doughnuts” take a yeast donut and make it a square so that you’re guaranteed to have filling in every bite. That’s the kind of creativity and dedication I like to see! Square filled donuts include Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jam (hello, dying), Peanut Butter and Banana Cream, Vanilla Bean and Blackberry Jam, and Coconut Cream.

3b) Their other filled donuts are cake donuts- the blackout is a chocolate cake doughnut filled with chocolate pudding, dipped in chocolate glaze and sprinkled with chocolate cake crumbs. Say hello, chocolate coma. 

The tres leches cake donut is described as, “the sweet taste of the authentic “three milks” cake, delivered in our round cake doughnut. They should actually just use the word “crack” to describe it.

And last but not least, the carrot cake doughnut, packed with carrots, raisins, walnuts and spices and filled with a cream cheese filling.

4) If four types of donuts weren’t enough for you (cake, cake filled, yeast and yeast filled)there is yet another type- Doughseeds.

Sounds cute right? They are. “Mini, round filled doughnuts.” I was immediately reminiscing about Flex Donuts…

The doughseed flavors rotate and include: Rose, Hazlenut Chocolate, Matcha Green Tea, Peanut Butter & Blackberry Jam, Pistachio, Strawberry & Cream, Wild Blueberry & Cream and their most well-known donut- the Crème Brulee Doughseed.

So- let’s get down to the reviewing. What have I tried from Doughnut Plant?

-The tres leches filled cake donut. As I mentioned before, this donut was brought as part of a potluck brunch that I organized with friends from work. One bite into this donut and my donut obsession was born. 

(Serious about donuts...)

I can’t describe the flavor of “tres leches” to you except to say that it is amazingly sweet and creamy and heavenly. The cake donut was dense and buttery and biting through the glaze added a wonderful texture and consistency to the soft, inner dough.

(There she is <3)

I really don’t know how I resisted another tres leches donut on my solo trip to Doughnut Plant. But I was on a mission to try their most popular doughnut.

-The crème brulee doughseed. Like I said, I was hoping these doughseeds would be similar to the incredible filled doughnut balls from Flex Donuts. But sadly, the outer dough was not up to par- it was kind of crusty and pathetic, in fact- although the crème brulee filling was a sweet pudding like consistency that somewhat made up for the disappointment, though not entirely.

-My friend had requested that I pick one up for her and all she said to me was “make it choclatey.” Well then, Blackout Filled Cake Doughnut it is! I took a bite, and basically all I got out of it was WHOAH CHOCOLATE. Alright, but not much more than cacao craziness.

-I also got a peanut butter and jam filled donut and all you need to know is that I don’t remember much about it. That’s probably the worst thing I could say about something. To be a baked good containing peanut butter and jam and literally leave no impression in my mind is a sad, sad predicament to be in. Sorry, little doughnut.

(Left: Creme Brulee Doughseed and Right: PB & Jam filled doughnut)

Some closing thoughts:
-I hate switching between doughnut and donut interchangeable but it just happens so DEAL WITH IT, I’M SORRY!
-I loved the tres leches donut here SO MUCH and I’m so sad that the others didn’t live up to my expectations.
-Next time, I need to try a yeast filled donut, I think.
-Don’t come here if you’re looking for a cheap snack- I left here SHOCKED at how much I had spent on 2 donuts and essentially a munchkin sized donut ball. The donuts are around $3.50 each and the doughseeds aren’t any cheaper!

A quick note about Doughnut Plant that gives it serious points from me:
The ingredients they use are all natural, often times organic and made fresh daily. The menu has seasonal specials that are usually reallllly tempting. And all of those fillings? They make them from scratch. Doughnut Plant doughnuts have zero trans-fat, eggs, preservatives, artificial flavors or artificial colors. I don’t know about you, but I like that.

Bottom Line: The tres leches cake donut from Doughnut Plant made me fall in love with donuts. All kidding aside, it did make me reconsider donuts as an incredible dessert and sent me on my mission to try all different NYC donuts. It was really, seriously great. 

So Doughnut Plant gets my vote for the best cakey donut I’ve tried to date.

Flex Donuts still takes the prize for filled donut, hands down.

Light, airy, fluffy donut? Hit up Dough. 

My Spud was Kind of a Dud. Restaurant Review: Potatopia

Do you like Chipotle? Do you like potatoes? Do you like toppings? If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, read on. If you answered no to one or more of those questions…who are you?

(Any excuse for DRad to be on my blog.)

Fast casual restaurants are becoming more and more common, especially in metropolises throughout the country. (I just really wanted to use the word metropolis…)

Chains like Chipotle and Chop’t have found success because they’re quick, yet claim to offer customers with fresh, natural ingredients unlike those found at true “fast food” establishments.

 I won’t lie- sometimes, fast casual restaurants can overwhelm me. There are too many options. The menus are complicated. Am I building my dish as I go? Am I choosing from a pre-determined menu? Are you going to charge me $2 extra for each vegetable that I ask for? WHY IS THE GUAC EXTRA? There are people behind you in line who are clearly regulars, using terminology from secret menus that you one day hope to decode, and the workers are staring you down impatiently, judging you for calling that salsa “tomatoes.”

But despite my fast-casual social anxiety, I recently visited Potatopia- where you can customize your very own bowl of POTATOES.

I’m part Irish and therefore I LOVE potatoes! I remember over a year ago, when I was still living in the West Village, and I saw the Potatopia storefront pop up on 6th Avenue. I immediately texted my momma (that’s where my Irish comes from) and let her know that NYC was yet again proving to be the best city in the world, with a restaurant dedicated to potatoes. It’s a little ridiculous that it took me THIS long to get there- considering they have now expanded to two locations and have a third on the way.

(Seen on my walk to Potato-land)

What got me to finally check it out? Well, of course I follow them on Instagram, and they had an amazing special during the month of September (National Potato Month- who knew?) where a meal (sans protein) plus a drink was $4 after 4p.m.! They had a similar special for the Halloweek- $5 meals before 5 p.m.!

Let me break this down for y’all so you don’t get anxiety when you visit Potatopia.

Step Number 1: Choose your potato. 

Potatoes are amazing in many different forms, so this first step may cause a little bit of a struggle. I mean, you could go basic baked potato or get a little crazy with a smashed potato. Not mashed, smashed. There’s a difference, and if you don’t know it, you’re about 15 years behind the potato trends people! Get with it! Smashed potatoes, according Peter Hoffman in this New York Times article, means ''Basically, you give the potato a good kick inthe pants and send it to the plate.” Lumps, skin and all.

Feeling healthy? Go for the baked sweet potato, which they will make for you with or without olive oil, salt and pepper.

Prefer your potatoes fried? (Don’t we all?) They’ve got you covered there as well- skin chips, curly fries, shoe string fries, sweet potato crinkle and TATOR TOTS! Go big or go home with the au gratin potatoes- because cream, cheese and butter make everything better!

(Potato Porn- NSFW)

Depending on what Build-Your-Own Potato option you choose, your meal will cost $5.75-$6.95 to start.

Step Number 2: Choose your protein, if that floats your boat.
Want to get fancy and add some substance to that potato of yours? The answer should probably be yes. There are normal protein choices like chicken, steak, and bacon to add to your potato- but you could also choose shrimp, lox, vegan chili or a fried egg.

Careful on this step- each protein costs extra, and depending on which you choose, you could be paying between $1.00 (for the egg) and $3.50 (for the steak). 

Step Number 3: Toppings Time!
The best part about the toppings is that you can pick as many as you want and they’re all FREE! So go ahead, load up that spud bowl with your choice of cilantro, arugula, jalapenos, red onion, zucchini, black olives, corn, mushrooms, scallions, broccoli, garlic, parsley and sweet peppers. Or just say you want a little bit of everything…

Step Number 4: Cheese <3
Cheese. If you skimp on this part, I envy your self-restraint and also question your humanity. You can choose up to two cheeses, and after that, they charge you extra. While I think the menu would be enhanced with a goat cheese option- you’re still sure to find a fromage that tickles your fancy, whether it be asiago, parmesan, cheddar, swiss, pepperjack or mozzarella.

Step Number 5: And to top it all off… SAWCE
Only one sauce is included so choose wisely…

By that I mean just choose one. They all make my mouth water! Ranch Aioli, Chipotle Ketchup, BBQ, Chili Pepper Aioli, Melted Cheddar, Chipotle, Garlic Aioli, Sour Cream, Truffle Aioli, Ketchup, Savory Bacon Aioli, Parmo Aioli, Roasted Pepper Aioli…

Step Number 6: DIG IN

I loaded my sweet potato with veggies, some parmesan and a fried egg with some of the roasted pepper aioli on the side.

Overall, this wasn’t phenomenal, yet I was still a fan, in the end. Let me explain.  The potato was cooked fine, but then the toppings are added and they are raw, which I didn’t like. Cold toppings on a hot potato. Raw broccoli? Meh. Once I got it home and heated it on my own, it was improved. The sauce was so yum.

I would love to see more vegetable options and the ability to have my vegetables cooked along with the potato. Some roasted carrots and cauliflower on top of that sweet potato would be a game-changer.

At the end of the day, choosing to do Potatopia the healthy way was probably my downfall. I would have been better off making a homemade sweet potato with my own toppings (uhm HI, this dish that I made was amazing!) and choosing the fries and cheese and bacon while visiting Potatopia.

(My loaded sweet potato > Potatopia's?)

Still, having a place where you can load a healthy carb up with vegetables and protein is a step in the right direction, and when they offer deals like $4 meals after 4 p.m. and $5 meals before 5 p.m., it’s worth it if you’re in a rush and need to grab something.

Plus, it photographs really well.  

(Everything looks fancier with a fried egg on top!)

I’ve been back for a return visit, which says something!

If my wonderful breakdown of the ordering process isn’t enough to calm your fast-casual social-anxiety- the folks at Potatopia have come up with a few signature meals of their own, so you can just walk up to the counter and say, “I’ll have the Lower East Sider please,” and they will present you with a beautiful bowl of tator tots, scallions, salt, lox, cilantro and sour cream.

The best thing about Potatopia is that you can either make it a healthy meal, or do a complete 360 and make it a carb-heavy, cheese-laden belly bomber.

As you wish, my friends. 

A Lecture + Restaurant Review: Al Horno Lean Mexican Kitchen

For the most part, I bring my own breakfasts and lunches into the office. I work smack dab in the middle of Times Square and Rockefeller Center- so you could say that the food options in these parts tend to be a bit overpriced.

(If you don't agree that Aladdin is the best Disney movie, and that Aladdin is the hottest cartoon character...bye.)

Look at it this way. An egg sandwich + a coffee for breakfast probably sets you back at least $6. A standard sandwich or salad for lunch at a Metro Café type joint goes for around $8- without a soda or a bag of chips or any other extras. Bye bye $15. Do that 5 days a week- bye bye $75. That’s $300 a month on breakfasts and lunches. No thanks.

At the beginning of each week, I buy myself 5 Greek yogurts (Key Foods always has one brand per week that’s on sale for $1), 5 bananas (4 for a dollar from my neighborhood fruit stand man outside of the subway station) and a box of granola (free, if I’ve recently visited my Grandma, or $5 for a box of Kashi Go Lean Crunch that lasts me 7 days). Total cost? Around $12. 5 fruit and yogurt parfait breakfasts #BOOM. 3ish days a week I’ll get a $1 McCafe coffee instead of making it in the office (Don’t judge…the stuff is actually pretty good!) So instead of spending $30 a week on breakfast and coffee, I spend around $12. Instead of $120 a month- $48.

Math is fun, no? $1,440 is the price you could pay to buy breakfast and coffee every weekday morning (yeah, we’re not even getting into your weekend spend habits here…). Me? I’ll spend around $576.

Lunch, obviously, is even more expensive- both to buy ingredients for if you’re making your own, or to purchase out somewhere. It’s also harder to plan something quick and easy to bring in from home, and therefore, from time to time, I do find myself looking for some healthier grab and go options in the midtown area.

While browsing LivingSocial, which I’m guilty of doing more than is probably normal, I came across a deal for a place called “Al Horno LeanMexican Kitchen.” Lean? Mexican? And in midtown? That was definitely happening.

For $6, I received a $12 gift card to Al Horno Lean Mexican Kitchen. After a crazyyy 11-day work week, I decided to treat myself and walked over to 417 West 47^th Street (between 9^th & 10^th Avenues) for some delicious, healthy, Mexican lunch. At least, that’s what I was hoping was in store for me!

(The walk over was so pretty!)

I had perused the menu plenty before I went, always wanting to be prepared! The best part about it, is that it is so customizable. Any of their burritos and vegetarian burritos can be made into a salad or rice bowl- hold the tortilla! Brown rice can be substituted for quinoa!

There are an overwhelming number of options- and a lot of them are really similar, which gets confusing. There are also build your own burrito and salad options, “plate” options, tacos, soups, quesadillas, tortas, smoothies, shakes AND a juice bar. Yeah, I told you it was slightly overwhelming.

In the end, I decided to go with the Baked Falafel burrito bowl with quinoa instead of brown rice and served over greens. I know, mixing up my Mediterranean and Mexican themes- but I’m a sucker for falafel. In addition to the falafel, quinoa and kale, this came served with avocado, black beans, roasted corn pico and a chipotle sauce.

Was this dish healthy? I think so. Was it delicious? Not so much. It was extremely bland- and I can 100% vouch for the fact that these two things are not related. Healthy food does NOT have to be bland- a fact that is proved by many of the other restaurants I’ve reviewed on this blog.

Unfortunately, Al Horno Lean Mexican Kitchen just didn’t deliver. The falafel was dry and crumbly and none of the vegetables had any flavor. Not even the chipotle sauce could do much to help this sad little plate.

I was so disappointed- usually something with so many of my favorite things (avocado! Falafel! Black beans! Quinoa! Kale!) would have been a guaranteed grand-slam. But nope. I won’t be making a trip back to Al Horno, especially when there are so many places still left to try.

5 Reasons This Week Rocked

This week was a pretty great week. Here are some reasons why:

1) Halloween this year was so amazing- I got to see so many of my friends that I haven’t seen in SO LONG and reuniting so many QU bobcats warmed my heart!

(I don't think my apartment is meant to hold this many people, but we made it work!)

Also, my costume was the world's most comfortable thing. As I looked at the girls in heels and minimal clothing, freezing, I smiled in my hoodie and converse. Ok so I was lacking in the pants department. Whatever. We were adorable and comfortable. 

(Alvin and the Chipmunks!) 

2) On Sunday, I got to run a few blocks on 1^st Avenue with my marathon training partner, Tiffanie, as she ran in the NYC Marathon. 

I was feeling like death that day. I was supposed to be volunteering and I’m ashamed to admit, I quit. I couldn’t take the cold, and I was more exhausted than I had ever felt in my entire life.

(I feel ya, Arnold) 

It took everything I had to crawl out of my bed when my tracking app told me that Tiffanie was close. But I am so glad I did!

As I saw her coming up 1^st Avenue in her yellow shorts I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t simply stand there and wave.

(In my brain: "I know her, I know her! That's Tiffanie, my amazing, perfect, incredible marathon training partner! I know those are her most favorite shorts because I have run with her in them so many times! She is the best!  We run in this very spot together all the time! I can't just stand here, let me in!")

I jumped into the street and started running with her, despite being in Uggs and 7 million layers of sweatshirts and jackets. She was absolutely killing it- and went on to BQ with an incredible time. She truly is my inspiration, in so many ways- not just running!

(I look ridiculous but then again, mid-running selfies are hard and I have yet to master them!)

When I realized how easy it was to just jump into the marathon, I stuck around and waited for my friend Nina to come by and did the same thing with her! It was awesome. Nina was powering through some cramping but, as is typical of November Project people, smiling and staying positive!

(Cramps ain't got nothin' on this girl!) 

(How come the ladies running marathons look better in these pictures than me?!) 

I’ve said a million times to countless people that I have no desire to run the NYC Marathon because it’s too much of an ordeal and a hassle.

HA, who was I kidding? My city, my streets. Being out there on First Avenue (which, hi, I didn’t even realize I basically live ON the marathon route), it was just energy energy energy- non-stop. Bands, music, posters, cheering, happiness, emotion. Just absolutely incredible. And now I know that I NEED to be a part of that one day. No questions.

3) My roommate Luciano and my friend Edgar from New York Running Co. both made me SUPER HAPPY by coming out to their first November Project workout on Wednesday morning. They dropped a #verbal and they stood by their word!

(Everyone knows that breaking a #verbal is even more of a no-no than breaking a pinky promise! You can break a finger. You can't break a #verbal. Or something like that?)

(At work on Tuesday, Edgar champed up with a #verbal so I gave him a sticky note with strict instructions to be at Gracie Mansion at 6:28 a.m. Recruiting papers, where you at?) 

The first words I heard Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. were “I fucking hate you,” but as I left the apartment for work after PR day, Luciano thanked me for inviting him, so I forgive him for his not so kind morning greeting!

(I also forgive him because he's awesome, and has this shirt...)

Luciano killed PR day with a time of 15:56! And Edgar, my Meatball Shop loving counterpart, was McAwesome as usual.

(He doesn't really hate me!)

(YAY Edgar with his NY Running Co. and NP-crazed co-workers)

Thanks again both of you! You were a part of history! On Wednesday, November Project reached its goal of 3014 members before the end of 2014. On Wednesday, November 5 the tribe was 3,934 members strong across 16 cities! The New York tribe had its most attended workout with, wait for it, 172 members! Thanks to people like Edgar and Luciano who are motivated to get up, get out and get sweaty!

(We did it guys! We got a standing O from Oprah! See what I did there? Standing O? Oprah? Gahhhd I'm good.)

4) I got to meet MEB! I don’t know why, but I can’t just write his name Meb. It is MEB. All caps is necessary whenever the topic is MEB!

(MEB MEB MEB!! Kiss those streets! You own those streets!)

He came to do a Q&A and meet and greet at the store and I totally got swept up in the MEB craze. I’ll admit I didn’t know a ton about him prior to Tuesday night, just that he was a super awesome crazy fast marathoner. But after hearing him speak, coming to terms with just how awesome his 2014 Boston Marathon win was, I totally have a new role model.

Since Sunday, he has made tons of appearances, yet he was completely present and tuned in during his time at NY Running Co. He was friendly, a great speaker, and funny as hell. He was scheduled to wrap up at 8:30 and he stayed until 9:30 so that he could get to signing and taking pictures with every single person.

I’ve been going on and on about how I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon eventually, but I’ll admit that my reasons were purely speed-based, not because I had any strong desire to run the Boston Marathon. Well, that changed when Meb referred to the Boston Marathon as the Olympics of mainstream marathons. “You have to earn it,” he said. Now, I want to BQ not only to achieve that specific pace goal, but to be able to run in the Olympics of mainstream marathons.

MEB signed my picture "Run to Win." I love that. I love MEB.
 

(I'm pretty sure MEB LOVES ME TOO!)

5) I went to a JackRabbit Union Square run on Thursday night and ran 6.5 miles with the crew that started it all for me. We took selfies. We met an awesome couple who were visiting New York from Milan and had run in the marathon on Sunday. Awesome couple was awesome. I gave them some vegan restaurant suggestions. You know how I do. Food food food. Restaurants restaurants restaurants. Running running running. 

When I run in the city at night, it can still take my breath away every single time. I can't believe that when I got out for a run, I'm passing sights that people literally spend their whole lives dreaming of visiting. 

Review: 

-November Project continues to bring so much happiness to my life.
-Running in general continues to enrich my life. (I feel like the use of "enrich" on this blog feels out of sync with my normal writing style but it's just really the word to explain what running does for me!)
-I’ve decided that I need to run both the Boston Marathon and the NYC Marathon. How cliché of me. 

How Not to Race

Well, I can officially check “run a 5 miler on 3 hours of sleep” off my bucket list. Oh wait, that was never on my bucket list. And yet that’s exactly what I did two Sundays ago. It was probably one of the most jam-packed weekends I’ve ever had. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

As I mentioned, I’ve been working at NY Running Co. quite a lot, in addition to my real job. Hi, let me just voluntarily and semi-unnecessarily work 60 hour weeks. Because why not?

So two Fridays ago, I was once again closing at the store. I got home around 10:30, made my dinner and crawled into bed because at 8 a.m. on a Saturday morning my alarm was going off and I was headed to Carl Schurz Park to do some volunteer mulching of the Mayor’s lawn with November Project! 

(But first, let me take a selfie on my walk over to Gracie Mansion...)

3 hours of manual labor is no joke people! I had been feeling guilty about not waking up earlier to get a run in before volunteering, but by the end, I felt pretty confident that I had earned my brunch! 

(The women in charge MAY have complimented my technique multiple times. I mean, I'm just saying...)

It was a beautifulllll day out, and once we were done turning over the ground and spreading the mulch, we headed to Supply House for some brunchin’!

(Such a beautiful morning to give back to the community!)

I ordered the Huevos Rancheros and LOOK AT IT! So delicious. Like. Ridiculously good. Plus a Bloody Mary, obviously. The tribe is all about hydration. 

Your first brunch cocktail is included in the price of your entrée, too! Some of the brunch cocktails not included sounded so delicious that I was almost persuaded to spend the extra money- I mean, a Ruby Red Mimosa? It’s like they created this morning beverage for me- Grapefruit, champagne and St. Germaine!

After brunch it was off to work the 4 p.m. – closing shift at the store.

As soon as we closed, I changed into my Great Gatsby costume and it was off to the most epic Halloween party I’ve ever seen! Laura took me and when we got to the building, I casually found out that Justin Timberlake lives in the penthouse. They had ordered 16000 balloons to fill the first floor of the apartment, which was so. gorgeous. They had a full-service open bar and a PHOTO BOOTH!

(I mean, maybe I'm a little bit of a camera whore) 

 I was in heaven.  People had great costumes. And did I mention they ordered beef, chicken and cheese arepas? This was my first time eating an arepa (ok, first, second, and third time eating arepas…since I ate one of each…) but it certainly will not be the last. They were incredible. We were having such a great time at the party that oops, I finally crawled into bed after 4 a.m.

(Such a fabulous night- THANK YOU LAURA!)

I think it’s more accurate to call what I did that night “napping” instead of “sleeping” because my alarm went off at 7 a.m. (yeah, hi, that’s three hours MAX) and I laced up my sneakers and ran to packet pick-up for the Poland Spring Marathon Kick- Off 5 Miler in Central Park. Yeah, I ran to the race.

(Hi, Central Park.)

Clearly, I had no intentions of this being a particularly enjoyable or successful run- after all, I was functioning on 3 hours of sleep and had tequila, arepas and pumpkin pie shots still sloshing around my stomach. But as I normally do, I got competitive towards the end, pushed myself a little harder than I had planned, and ended up finishing with a time of 38:41 for a pace of 7:45 mile/min. Not bad, not bad.

(This is what we call a forced smile...)

I crossed the finish line, grabbed an apple and a water bottle and started my run to NY Running Co. for shoe training 9 – 11. Thankfully, there was coffee there. Which I drank a LOT of. And Mary brought peanut butter, which I smothered my apple in. For a while, I was riding a caffeine and race high, learning about shoes, learning about insoles, lovin’ life.

(Never underestimate the power of caffeine and peanut butter)

Next up was Marathon Volunteer Training in the park at 12:15. I also ran to that. But as soon as I got in that tent, I was crashing. I stuck around for the station manager portion of training, but there was no way I was lasting until 3:30.

I ran home from training too. Why? Because it’s faster than walking. And faster meant I would be in my bed faster.

I ate lunch and somehow managed some cleaning and preparing for the week ahead before collapsing into bed for some America’s Next Top Model marathonning.

Now that my recap is done, can we rewind to the fact that on three hours of hung over sleep I raced a 7:45 pace and placed 15^th in my age group out of 207? I might just need to step up my speed work, tempo work and hill work game and take this running stuff a little more seriously! 

(See the girl behind me? She's smiling because she probably slept more than three hours the night before. Also, she probably wasn't emitting alcohol from her pores. But guess what? I'm in front of her ;)

Restaurant Review: Quintessence

I’m so far behind in restaurant reviews that it’s almost not fair for me to do write ups since I ate it all so long ago. But I have a pretty good memory- and I also have plenty of pictures to remind my taste buds about my meals.  A few weekends ago, I used an awesome Groupon to go to Quintessence in the East Village.

Quintessence specializes in raw food- and while I’ve eaten my fair share of vegan and vegetarian meals- raw was something new to me! In addition, Quintessence is organic, vegan and gluten free!

I sat down at the little bar stools along the window with a trendy glass bottle of tap water and a beautiful sunflower, complete with buzzing bee. The waitress handed me my menu and to my surprise, it was a tablet! You could go through the menu reading descriptions and looking atpictures! Each menu item also listed all of the ingredients. It was a little slow to load, so I eventually asked for a print menu as well, but it was pretty cool and I loved being able to see the pictures, especially since eating raw was new and I wasn’t completely sure what to expect.

(So cute)

For my appetizer I decided to order the Chipotle Pate roll, described on their menu as, “amazing sweet, smoky, hot citrus dip takes this wrap south of the border for a deep flavor explosion. Cooled down with cucumber, bell pepper, avocado, and romaine lettuce, all wrapped in raw nori for a perfect balance of heat, intense flavor, and cooling juiciness.”

(Menu picture of the Chipotle Pate roll)

This was a little disappointing to me- it was pretty much just seaweed stuffed with the dip- which was very flavorful but also very spicy. My mouth was burning, nose was running, and all I was tasting was “ouch that’s hot” in my mouth. I hoped my entrée would be better.

(Mine! Accurate menu picture is appreciated!)

After some back and forth the winner wassssss: Portobello Steak Burger with Chipotle Cheese Sauce. I guess I didn’t put two and two together that the chipotle pate and the chipotle cheese sauce were the same thing- oops! Luckily, this sandwich was heaps better than the nori roll- the chipotle sauce didn’t overwhelm the other flavors. The Portobello was marinated in a delicious sauce and was definitely juicy- the onions were probably my favorite part.

(Menu picture)

The choice of “sprouted kamut bread,” “coconut squash bread,” or “grain-free veggie bread” was a tough one for me as I hadn’t tried any of those options before. I asked my waitress, and she steered me towards the sprouted kamut bread. It was…interesting. Definitely not the consistency of regular bread- it was like a very thick chewy sponge, but it was kind of cool, and tasted fine!

(Mine!)

The good thing about Quintessence is not everything they serve is raw. My Groupon was for a good amount of money, so I decided to get two more dishes to bring home for dinner the next two nights. Both of these weren’t raw dishes, and I ended up liking them a lot more.

The first was the Bibimbap! The menu describes it as, “Inspired by a popular rice dish in Korean cuisine, this version has all the flavors expected from Bibimbap, and is completely vegan. A large bowl is filled with shitake mushrooms, spinach, mung bean sprouts, zucchini, dried fofu cubes, and carrots served on a bed of slow-cooked sprouted quinoa seasoned with our spicy homemade Korean red chili pepper sauce (aka Gochujang).”

(Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of mine for comparison!) 

This tasted fresh, healthy and delicious.  Nothing mind blowing, but a solid meal of veggies and grain that I added my own avocado to. The best part was by far the Gochujang sauce, which I used every single ounce of. So full of flavor that I didn’t even mind the heat.

According to the website, this sauce is made of Birch Xylitol, Korean Chili, Miso, Salt, Vinegar, Sesame Oil, Garlic, and Onion. First, I need to figure out what Birch Xylitol is and then, I need to make me some of this sauce.

The second dish I brought home was one of the “small plates,” the Miso Veggie Stew! This was “A scrumptious vegetable stew... kabocha squash, burdock root, daikon radish, yellow squash, kale, carrots, and red bell pepper, seasoned with brown rice miso."

(Menu photo)

And indeed it was scrumptious! As you can see in the pictures, it wasn’t really a stew- not much liquid or broth to speak of! This was hearty and filling with the squash, roots, kale and brown rice! And only $5!

(Not the prettiest picture of my meal...)

The other dishes I got were much more expensive- the Bibimbap was $14, the Portobello Burger was $15 and the nori roll was $7- this Miso Veggie Stew was one of my favorites, $5, and plenty filling. For $15, I felt that the Portobello Burger should have come with some sort of side dish!

I’m not sure I’m sold on raw eating- the nori rolls were disappointing and the kamut bread was a little strange…but dishes of healthy grains with lots of veggies and delicious, all natural sauces like the Gochujang sauce- that I can get behind!

Afternoons in the East Village trying new foods are always enjoyable :)

Retail Tales: My New Job

I think I might be a little crazy. I have somehow found myself with a part-time job in addition to my full-time 9-to-5. How does one accidentally start working 20 extra hours a week, you ask? A friend from November Project posted on our Facebook group that the running store she works for was looking for a few people to help out during the busy time before the NYC Marathon. I thought it was a volunteer type thing- help out at some events, get some store credit, no big deal. One of the managers asked me to come in to speak with him, and I didn’t think twice- they can’t have someone helping out that they haven’t met- what if I was a complete weirdo? I go in and I’m presented with W-9 forms. Uhm, OK- probably just procedural if they’re going to be paying me in any way. The following week I’m in the store for “training” and I’m being given a free shirt to wear, being told I now have a 50% discount on anything in the store, and oh yeah, I’m scheduled to work Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights. Righttttt.

I’m equal parts loving and hating this addition to my life.

I’ve never worked in retail before so this is all really new to me, which makes it interesting and challenging. I’ve always assumed I would be an awful salesperson, but when I’m selling products that I am familiar with, love, and have some knowledge on, I’ve discovered that I’m actually not that bad at it!

Here are some things I have learned on the job.

Did you know that companies have spiff sales? This means that a sales associate can earn cash just for selling an item from a certain brand! Sell two sports bras and it's like you worked an extra hour that night! It’s kind of awesome. But also kind of makes me wary as a shopper! 

(Another fun fact, spiff comes from SPIF- Sales Performance Incentive Fund).

I love being surrounded by all the newest running apparel and products. For someone who can talk about running for hours, I definitely feel at home on the sales floor amongst the gels and hydration packs and foam rollers. That sounds weird. I am one with the foot rubz. King of the Kinvaras. Sneaker joke. OK. Moving on. 

(Me, one with the mannequins. Om!)

Not to mention that when I’m working the women’s section, I’m constantly browsing the racks for what I need to buy for myself. I’m justifying my eventual purchases by telling myself that new fall and winter running clothes will inspire me to run through the winter and successfully train for a possible spring marathon. Right? Right…(more on that inner struggle later).

(Do I buy this Under Armor ColdGear shirt?! Or is it too Halloweeny? It's got thumb holes and a zippered pocket in the back! I need opinions!)

(Brooks Run Happy tech shirt? Yeah, think I need that.)

Selling sneakers is hard though. People ask me a lot of questions and I have very few answers for them…this weekend after training I’m hoping to be a little more knowledgeable! But learning how to do a gait analysis is pretty awesome!

Not everything about retail is fun. Making sure every rack is organized by style, color and size is time consuming and when a costumer goes by and ruins all your hard work it’s slightly infuriating.

Some people are rude, like the man who told me to “go get him this and that.” No thank-yous, no pleases. 

It can be super awkward when you start asking someone how they’re doing, or what brings them into the store and all they give you is a blank stare or start talking in a different language. I’m not a fan of socially awkward situations, so this has taken some getting used to.

Some people are plain crazy, like the first woman I helped buy a pair of sneakers. She backed
up into a shoe sizer and freaked out. Like needed to sit down for 5 minutes before she could “continue the shoe buying process.” She needed a pair of shoes that were easy to clean. I’m pretty sure she had everything from OCD to social anxiety to hypochondria. Lucky me. Hey, I sold her a pair of sneakers! (And socks.)

(Did you know this has a name? It's a Brannock Device. Boom!)

SO MANY PEOPLE DECIDE TO COME INTO THE STORE 5 MINUTES BEFORE IT CLOSES! We are smiling and being helpful, but we really really don’t like you.

I’m used to a desk job, and standing and walking around the store for hours is more brutal than I ever imagined it would be. Luckily, I get to wear sneakers and comfortable clothes, otherwise, I think I would cry. But that’s another huge perk- my “uniform” is what I wish I could wear 24/7. And the best part? I can try on and wear whatever shoes I want around the store during my shift!

(Not saying I match impeccably but...I match impeccably) 

Picking out outfits for mannequins is fun, but dressing them is really difficult. Using folding boards is also more difficult than anticipated.

A 15 minute break is really, really short.

People ask awkward questions like, “Do you think I’m a Large or an Extra-Large?” Uhm, how do you say extra-large without sounding offensive?

Overall, it’s been a great new experience.  But working 20 hours in addition to my full time job is taking its toll.  I work the closing shift. The store closes at 9, and depending on what needs to be done and what manager is on duty, that often means leaving around or sometimes after 10 p.m. Getting home at 10:30. Cooking dinner. Eating dinner at 11 p.m. (because that’s a normal Manhattan dinner time, yes?) And then attempting to get to bed and up to work out before work most mornings. 

I love the people I work with. I love the connection to running. I love the extra cash. And I realllllly love the 50% off discount.

But I think I need to speak up and have my hours scaled back if I’m going to stay on the team at the store. Woof! 

Restaurant Review: Flex Muscles. I Mean Mussels.

While my parents were in town a couple weekends ago we went to dinner at a place on the UES called “Flex Mussels.” I have been dying to try it. Ever since I moved to Yorkville, multiple people have mentioned it as one of their go-to neighborhood restaurants. I love seafood, plus I had heard they make amazing donuts. My hopes were pretty high for a place whose name is a fitness and food related play on words.

I guess I didn’t realize just how popular a place Flex Mussels is, because when I called to make a reservation, the first available one was for 9:30 that night (granted, it was a Saturday). When we got there, we realized we easily could have just sat at the bar and walked in whenever. We were led to a table in the back of the restaurant. The atmosphere was nice- clean, uncluttered, with lots of beach pictures. But the chairs were hard and metal and it was cold in there!

The service was fine, and I give our waiter credit for listening to my parents and I argue about which seasonal vegetable to order (“But I just ate so much asparagus!” “Mushrooms are bad for my gout.” “I love spinach!” “Spinach is so boring!”) When our food came out, he magically had a plate of asparagus and mushrooms- thanks for trying to make everyone happy, Mr. Waiter!

Obviously, the main attraction of this restaurant is its mussels. But the rest of the menu looked delicious too, and so we decided to choose two mussels and a non-mussel entrée. First to come out was the bread, which I was highly anticipating. Everyone knows that the best part of eating a pot of mussels is when you take a hunk of bread and dip it in all the leftover broth. Come on, you know that, right? Sadly, this bread wasn’t anything to write home about. I wasn’t a big fan, maybe due to the sourdough-y taste of it - heavy on the sour.

My choice of mussel pot were the Thai mussels- served in a curry coconut broth with lemongrass, coriander, lime, garlic and ginger. I love Thai and curry tasting things- so I thought this was pretty delicious. However, it wasn’t the “WOW” I was looking for and was incredibly salty. 

(Unfortunately, Flex didn't have great food photography lighting!)

I’m also a lazy eater- I like my meal to be easy. In order to have a mussel that tasted Thai, I needed to pick it out with my fork, transfer it to my spoon, and use the spoon to scoop up some of the broth. And after a while, it didn’t seem worth it.

Dad’s choice had a little more “oomph” to it- a pot of mussels “Cleopatra,” topped with lump crab meat, saffron, fennel, cream and basil (super light, right?) This was PACKED with crab meat, so A+ on not being stingy. 

I definitely recommend ordering a pot that comes with something in addition to the mussels – like the Mediterranean that comes with shrimp or the Mexican that comes with chorizo and calamari.  Now that I look back at the menu, I’m not really sure what I was thinking with the Thai. Oh well, live and learn!

We went back and forth on a couple of options for the non-mussel meal before settling on the crab cakes served with jicama slaw and sesame Dijon. These may have been my favorite part of the meal- well really, the jicama slaw was my favorite part of the meal. With the Dijon sauce a close second. The crab cakes weregood though- and again, not skimpy on the crab meat.

As I mentioned before, we also got a side of asparagus and mushrooms. They were asparagus and mushrooms. Dad insisted on the truffle fries and I wrongly assumed that my distaste for truffle-flavored things would stop me from eating a ton of fries. That assumption was wrong. That being said- I still do not like the taste of truffle. But pro tip: when you dip things in enough aioli- you can drown out the taste.

The best part of Flex Mussels was hands down the dessert. I am on a new donut RAMPAGE. Like, donuts are >>> all right now. And these donuts are at the top of the list. Seriously. I am on the hunt for something to beat Flex Donuts (more to come on how the search is going) but I’m not quite sure they’re beatable.

First of all, I am a sucker for things that are filled. I don’t like cupcakes, but I liked Crumbs cupcakes because they were bursting with ooey gooey deliciousness inside. If I’m getting a donut, 9 times out of 10 I’m choosing a jelly or Boston Crème. So Flex Donuts are just my speed- deep fried balls of dough stuffed with magical fillings.

“We need to try 6 of them. Not only 4. I can’t pick only 4 flavors.” I told my parents. My parents aren’t dessert people, but they too fell in love after one bite of these crispy, light, airy, doughy donuts. I will say that they are greasy. You are not going to feel great about yourself after eating 6 of these. But your taste buds are going to be happier than they’ve been in…possibly ever.

(SO SO SO GOOD!)

Cinnamon Sugar, PB&J, Fluffernutter, Salted Caramel, S’more and my mom’s choice- Wild Blueberry.  We tried them one at a time, savoring every incredible bite. They were warm, and you could dunk them into vanilla bean dipping sauce that was actually just melted down vanilla bean ice cream- which explains why it was so creamy (my guess is they use Haagen-Dazs- that was some quality vanilla bean ice cream!) I honestly don’t know which was best- I might have to go with the Salted Caramel, although Fluffernutter was up there.

I happily rolled out of Flex Mussels- slightly disappointed in the mussels, but newly addicted to donuts. Beware, your life will be changed by Flex Donuts.

Flex Mussels has two locations – 154 West 13^th Street and 174 East 82^nd Street. You should also check out their Happy Hour – when you can get certain pots of mussels and a side of fries for $15. They also offer special prices on clam strips, oysters, fish tacos, oyster sliders and $5 fries. Wine and beer are $5-$7.

Dough Loco!

In my hunt for the most killer donut, I have now been to Flex Donuts, Dough, Doughnut Plant and Dough Loco.

Walking to Dough Loco, I didn't feel like I was in the right place, and I didn't see it. Then suddenly, I could smell it. Sitting there, dangerously close to my apartment, on 97th & Park. 

Choosing between the Maple Miso and the Pineapple-Brown Butter from Dough Loco was a serious challenge. Had they not been sold out of the Banana Curry already, that would have put even more of a monkey wrench in the decision making process.  (Get it? Banana curry, monkey wrench?)

I ended up going with the Maple Miso and YUM- good choice.

The Maple Miso donut was pretty huge- it looked fluffy! I heated it up in the toaster oven before I had my first bite. Crispy and greasy.

The glaze was killer- if you’re ok with things being extremely sweet.  Which I am. I mean, it was maple after all. And this tasted like pure, maple syrupy goodness.  Not really sure where the miso came into the equation, but I didn’t really care.

Unfortunately, the cake part of the donut wasn’t my favorite. It wasn’t light and airy, was a little dry (although that could have been from me toasting it) but most disappointing was the fact that it had a weird taste.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Overall this was an enjoyable, yummy dessert. But I have been training my palette to critique donuts for a few weekends now ;) And this donut just didn’t stack up to my previous ones from Flex and Dough.

My review on Doughnut Plant will be coming soon. And just in case you want a full run-down- here are my overall rankings:

Flex Donuts, Dough, Doughnut Plant, Dough Loco.