Getting By, Dreaming Big

This is a blog for me to share my thoughts on my favorite things: books, traveling, food and entertainment!

Catch-All Fridays: Catching Up on Bar Reviews July 31, 2009

Filed under: Bar Reviews,Catch-All Fridays — readerbean @ 10:45 am
(Interior shot of Galway Hooker)

Last we left off in my bar reviews from ABC Club NYC was at Fiddlesticks many months ago. I thought I would provide a run down of G, H, I, J & K for you all! We’ve been to some fun places and had some great nights!

Galway Hooker (on E. 36th Street between 5th and Madison) was a good time. I have to say that we received the best reception and service as a group from Galway Hooker. They gave us great drink specials. We had a semi-private area on the 2nd floor with awesome comfy little booths. The downside is that this place is a popular hang out so it definitely good really crowded!

(Interior shot of the bar area at Half Pint)

Half Pint was definitely a smaller crowd. We had originally wanted to go to Havana on the Upper West Side but they had like 3 parties booked that night. Unfortunately they didn’t get back to me in a timely manner and so we had to scramble to let everyone know about the change of location! Half Pint (at 76 West 3rd Street) is one of my sisters favorite bars. It’s a small Irish pubby type place. Even though we had a smaller crowd we had a good time at Half Pint (perhaps too good a time…!)

(Interior shot of the private room at Inc. Lounge)

Inc. Lounge was the largest turn out we’ve had for ABC Club NYC. We had about 50 people so it was great that we had this awesome private room at the back of the club. Inc. Lounge (at 224 West 49th Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue on the 2nd Floor of the Time Hotel) was so much fun. The private room had a pool table and Wii (so people were bowling, playing tennis, baseball, golf, etc). The staff was very friendly and the food from Serafina’s downstairs was delicous. All in all this was definitely one of my favorite ABC Club events!
(Semi-private area at Jadis Wine Bar)

That was until we hit up Jadis Wine Bar just two weeks later! This is hands down my favorite bar that we’ve found for ABC Club. Jadis (located at 42 Rivington Street in the LES) is a wine bar (although they do have beer). We had the back area reserved which was filled with plush leather couches surrounding a large coffee table. The decor was awesome and the food & wine were delish! They have scallops wrapped in bacon on their menu…I mean are you kidding me…best wedding appetizer ever! I’ve never seen them on a menu before. I also had a pear and goat cheese salad that was so good. This is a bar I definitely want to go back to again and again and again.

(Exterior Shot of Kings Head Tavern)

For K Bar we ventured to Union Square (222 East 14th Street) for the very fun Kings Head Tavern. They reserved the whole back area for us and a beruit table (what could be better than that!) They also had a jukebox so of course I put in 5 bucks and Shion, Emily & I got to pick out a ton of good music to play. Kings Head Tavern gave us great drinks specials (basically extending their happy hour). So it was an affordable and fun night.

Where will L Bar take us…I know…but I’m not telling…you’ll just have to wait and see!

Post in Comments:

Have you been to any of the above mentioned bars? If so, what’s your favorite one?
 

Entertainment Thursday: Maria Full of Grace July 30, 2009

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays,Movie Reviews — readerbean @ 10:24 am

Maria Full of Grace

Maria Full of Grace has been on my netflix queue for sometime. Recently it was playing on the IFC channel and I dvr’d it. The other day I was looking for a relatively short movie to watch and seeing as it was only 1 hour and 45 minutes I decided to dive in.

I don’t remember how this got on my netflix queue, whether it was recommended by netflix, or by a friend, but I do love foreign films so I was kind of excited. The movie is in Spanish with English subtitles.

The premise of Maria Full of Grace is a 16 year old girl from a small town in Columbia is pregnant and becomes a drug mule in order to make some much needed money for her family.

The movie was incredibly disturbing. I do not know how true to life the story is but if that’s really what these women have to go through as drug mules it’s just awful. I understand that they are desparate to make money but to take such a risk… While disturbing it was also bizarrely fascinating to watch. The movie was very well done; it didn’t drag out, it was efficient with it’s time in telling a compelling story, the acting was good, and the story itself was powerful.

Overall, I am glad I finally saw this movie and would definitely recommend it as long as you don’t mind a heavy topic!

4 stars

Post in Comments:

Have you seen Maria Full of Grace? What did you think?

 

Foodie Wednesday: The Turkish Kitchen July 29, 2009

Filed under: Foodie Wednesday,Restaurant Reviews — readerbean @ 10:14 am

Not long after I moved to NYC my aunt and uncle were in town and big group (about 10 or so) of us were planning on going out to dinner. Now, the McDonagh’s (that is my maiden name) are notoriously picky eaters. So when my cousin Terence, on the pickier side of eaters, recommended the Turkish Kitchen for a McDonagh outing I was pretty surprised, shocked and concerned. I’d never eaten Turkish Food, was I going to like it, etc, etc. Terence assured me that if he could find something to eat there, I could too, which is true. So I went in with a semi-open mind.

Since that dinner I have been back to the Turkish Kitchen at least 3-4 times! It is a great restaurant, delicious food, and great for group dinners! Although the bill can definitely add up if you’re drinking bottles of wine and ordering a lot of appetizers for the table.

Our table always always gets this lamb appetizer. It’s ground lamb on almost a pita. It’s delish but of course it’s not on their online menu (I hope they still have it!) After going numerous times and ordering all different kinds of meat, I have come to the conclusion that their best dishes are their chicken dishes!!! Specifically the Chargrilled cubes of chicken breast and fresh mushrooms on a skewer served with rice. Instead of rice though I asked them to substitute in their pan fried potatoes (so good, although probably not good for you!)

This is definitely a restaurant that I would go back to and I would recommend it to anyone in NYC!

Turkish Kitchen
386 Third Avenue
(between 27th and 28th Street on the west side of the street)
212-679-6633

Post in Comments:
Have you ever eaten at the Turkish Kitchen? What’s your favorite dish?

 

Tuesday Travels: NYC High Line Walkway July 28, 2009

Filed under: NYC Experiences,Tuesday Travels — readerbean @ 12:13 pm

The High Line was a train track that was lifted 30 feet above ground. It ran along the West Side. No trains have run on the track since 1980. This non-profit group called Friends of the High Line, formed in 1999 when this historic landmark was threatened by demolition. They are working with the City of New York to turn this elevated landmark into a NYC Public Park.

Jon and I had heard a lot of buzz about the High Line. (See my friend Shion’s review. Our computer is broken currently so I can’t load up my pictures from Sunday. Shion’s review has great pictures! ) Right now the section from Gansevoort to 20th Street is open to the public. They are currently working on the next section which I believe will run from 20th Street to 30th Street. We were looking for something to do on Sunday morning after church that wouldn’t take the whole day, but that would allow us to spend some time outdoors. Exploring the new High Line was a natural fit.
We entered at the 20th Street entrance and climbed the stairs to the high line walkway. The great thing is that they do have an elevator so people with strollers or who are in a wheelchair can also get up to the walkway to explore. We walked the path all the way down to Gansvoort and back to 16th Street (which only took us about 15-20 minutes). We enjoyed the views of the water, the Statue of Liberty and just NYC in general. I loved how they incorporated the old tracks into the design. I think the plantings mixed in with the train tracks looks so cool.

The whole walkway follows a very sleek, clean and simple design. It has very smooth lines and I thought that they took the space and made it a very nice, modern, community, public park! They also have plenty of options of seating for people to take advantage of. Getting their early on a Saturday or Sunday and grabbing one of the wooden lounge chairs to read for a bit I think would be a great way to start a weekend day. Hopefully we’ll make it back soon to do just that!

Afterwards we wandered through Chelsea Market, which I had never visited before. I plan to go back and have breakfast there with Jon one weekend and perhaps take the Chelsea Market Tour (which we discovered existed when we were there) and I’ll do a full and proper blog post on it!
Post in Comments:
Have you visited the High Line yet? Do you feel it is a good addition of Park Space in NYC?
 

Monday Bookworms: Voyager July 27, 2009

Filed under: Book Reviews,Monday Bookworms — readerbean @ 3:08 pm

Voyager, Diana Gabaldon
1059 pages, @1994

I recently noticed on Goodreads, one of my favorite websites (thanks Joe for introducing me to it!) that I had rated 299 books. Now I know for a fact that I’ve read more than 299 books, but since 2007 when I joined Goodreads I have rated (some that I had previously read and every book I’ve read since) 299 books. In realizing that whatever I read next would be my 300th book rated on Goodreads I decided it had to be good and fun (oh and because I try to read a couple of Amy’s book recommendations each book journal period I was looking for a book she had read and recommended as well!)

I’ve recently reviewed the first two books in Gabaldon’s famous series: Outlander and Dragonfly in Amber. Voyager is the 3rd book in this series of 8 books. I do not normally read books in a series so fast, because I like the series to linger and to always have something to look forward to, but since Amy had loaned me the book, and I figured I could return it to her in September when she came to visit, I decided to give the 3rd book a go!

Ahhh….Jamie Frasier and Claire Randall Fraser! In this installment, Claire Randall is in Scotland in 1978 and is searching for Jamie Fraser among the history books to see if the father of her daughter (Brianna) survived the Battle of Culloden. As she gets closer to discovering the outcome of the Battle of Culloden, she begins the big decision of will she return to Scotland circa 1700′s and return to Jamie or will she stay in the present with their daughter Brianna. Well, there wouldn’t be 8 books in the series if she decided to stay in the present day:) So back to the 1700′s she goes and after 4 months of being reunited many adventures ensue: Jamie’s smuggling operations are thwarted and he (per usual) is a hunted man, his nephew is kidnapped by pirates, there is a voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to the West Indies, a witch, a serial killer, a hurricane, and all the while Jamie & Claire are discovering the secrets of their twenty years apart.

Now as I’ve said before this is a romance novel before anything else (historical fiction, mystery, etc), but as far as romance novels go it has it all. I will also add that this installment was not nearly as smutty as say the 1st installment of the series! All in all the 1059 pages flew by – Gabaldon has really succeeded in creating characters you want to root for in Jamie & Claire. I thoroughly look forward to seeing where their adventures take them next but I think I’m going to take a break from the series as their adventures were seeming slightly riduculous for me by the end of the book.

All in all if you are into the Romance Genre this is definitely a series that you should pick up and the 3rd book was very good.

4 stars

Post in Comments:

Do you read romance novels? If so, who’s your favorite author?

 

Entertainment Thursday: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince July 23, 2009

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays,Movie Reviews — readerbean @ 11:27 pm

I’ve been waiting for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince to come out since I left the theater almost two years ago exactly at the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I was pretty bummed when it was delayed from November to July.

Tonight I went with two of my girlfriends and my sister-in-law to see HP6. I have to say that my expectations going into the movie were pretty low based on some reviews I read beforehand.

In HP6, Harry is still trying to defeat Voldermort. Although there isn’t exactly a face to face throwdown as there has been in many of the other movies. The dark magic is trying to overpower the light magic (good vs. evil; love vs. hate).

As the kids return to Hogwarts, security has been heavily increased. Draco Malfoy has a secret mission, that could endanger people’s lives. Severus Snape has made an unbreakable vow. Dumbledore is taking secret trips off the school premises. And left and right teenagers are falling in love!

This movie was visually very appealing. The director really continued to bring the Hogwarts we know and love to life. As always it was good to see the cast of characters again. The movie started off right where HP5 had left off (I’m glad I re-watched it on Monday for a refresher!) The movie moved slower than the other ones in my opinion, there just wasn’t as much action. I can’t remember if that’s really how it felt when I was reading the book as well, or not. I did enjoy all of the “relationship awkwardness” that they students are going through. They are 15/16 after all. It definitely added a lot to the movie in the way of comic relief (in my opinion).

Standout performances: Shion & I both felt that Rupert Grint (Ron) was awesome! He was so funny! Luna Lovegood – gosh, I love her. She’s just so refreshingly different from everyone else, and Evanna Lynch plays her perfectly. Professor Slughorn – ah, who doesn’t love Jim Broadbent. Every since he was Bridget Jone’s dad, I’ve had a soft spot for him:) And while he didn’t have a big part – how creepy was Fenrir Greyback – he scared the crap out of me. I’m not looking forward to his larger role in HP7! eek!

While I can’t say this is going to go down as one of my favorite Harry Potter movies ever, I thought that the director did a good job of setting up the 7th movie (Parts 1 & 2). I am slightly concerned about HP7 Part 1 because while I loved the 7th book I do remember the first half seeming really long and slow and I’m wondering where they are going to make the break and how they are going to keep it moving at a good pace to lead up to Part 2.

I think this is a movie that any Harry Potter fan would appreciate! I’m glad I saw it and now I think I’m going to have to go and re-read the 7th book:)

Post in Comments:

What’s been your favorite HP movie so far? Mine’s a toss up between Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

 

Foodie Wednesday: Frittata with Potato and Prosciutto July 21, 2009

Filed under: Cooking,Foodie Wednesday,Giada,Recipes — readerbean @ 9:11 pm
(The Potatoes, Onions & Garlic cooking…is there anything that smells better than onion and garlic?)(Everything cooking together in the pan)

(The Finished Product!)
(Side View of my Piece)

 

So for my latest Giada creation I chose the Frittata with Potato and Prosciutto. After I made Giada’s other frittata I spoke to my mom and she told me this one is even better. She was SO right! This fritata had a whole lot more flavor, not that the other one wasn’t good, because it was, but this one was AMAZING! And amazingly easy to make:) The leftovers re-heat well too!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I didn’t peel my potato).
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large eggs
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh basil
Directions
In a 9/12-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium flame. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the potato, garlic, salt and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat unil the potato is tender and golden, about 15 minutes.
Preheat the broiler. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, and basil to blend. Stir the egg mixture into the potato mixture in the skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the egg mixture is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under teh broiler and broil until the top is set and golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from the skillet and slide it onto a plate. Cut the frittata into wedges and serve.
Post in Comments:
What are you favorite frittata ingredients?

 

(The egg, whipping cream, basil & prosciutto mixed together)

 

Tuesday Travels: 2009 Vacation Plan Unveiled! July 21, 2009

Filed under: Tuesday Travels,Vacation — readerbean @ 2:59 pm
(View of Munich, Germany)

Jon and I were going back and forth on what to do this year for vacation. If you talked to me before mid-June I had probably told you we were going to go to Burlington, Vermont for 4-5 days. However, in mid-June I brought of the topic of vacation again and we just decided you know, let’s take a big trip, why not, what’s stopping us?

So Wednesday, August 19th we leave for 10 days in Germany & Austria. We will be spending our first two days once we arrive in Munich, Germany. I was in Munich in December of 1999 on my crazy 8 country in 4 week trek during my junior year abroad. Erin, Sarah and I spent 2 days there and had SO MUCH FUN! I can’t wait to go back especially during the summer so I can experience Munich in the nice weather (although the Christmas Market in the Marienplatz is the best I’ve ever seen!)

While in Munich we will of course enjoy the important museums, cathedrals, palaces, plazas, etc. We’ll also be taking a 1/2 day trip 20 minutes outside of Munich to Dachau. And of course we will thoroughly enjoy the beer gardens!
(View of Salzburg, Austria)

On Saturday we will take the 90 minute train ride to Salzburg, Austria. I’ve been to Vienna (during that same crazy 8 countries in 4 weeks trip in December of 1999 – we actually spent Christmas in Vienna) but I’ve never been to Salzburg. Everyone that I’ve mentioned this trip to that has been to Salzburg says it is amazing. I can’t wait to see for myself.

While in Salzburg we will enjoy the Sound of Music Tour, the famous Salzburg Music Festival, Mozart’s birthplace (and cathedrals, palaces, etc). During our 4 days in Salzburg we will be taking two day trips.

(A View of Lake Konigsee)

The boat ride on Lake Konigsee is a very highly rated tourist attraction in this region. It’s a 1 hour and 15 minute train ride from Salzburg and you can get off at two different spots to hike for awhile before being picked up by the next boat that comes by. We’re hoping to do this in the morning and then spend the rest of the day in Berchtesgaden (home of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest – which oddly enough is now a restaurant). This day is probably our most aggressive travel day!

(Views of the St. Gilgen Lake)

The other day trip that we will be taking is to St. Gilgen. A spot I read about on http://www.slowtrav.com/. This is in the lake region of Austria just 30 minutes outside of Salzburg. We’re going to hike from St. Gilgen half way around the lake to the town of St. Wolfgang, have lunch and take the boat back across the lake. We’re really trying to incorporate a lot of outdoor activity on this trip something we’ve never done on an international vacation before.

(View of Neuschwanstein Castle)

Then we will be spending 3 days in the town of Fussen, Germany at the end of the romantic road (or I guess beginnging depending on where you start from!) This region is known for it’s quaint medieval towns and great outdoor activities (hiking, biking, boating, etc). It’s also famous for Mad King Ludwig’s castles (specifically Neuschwanstein Castle pictured above.) Here we will visit the castles, hike hopefully a part of every day, perhaps bike or kayak if we can find a good place for rentals).

Then it’s back to Munich for our last day of the trip! So that’s the tentative plan as of right now. I’m busy working on the full fledged itinerary so that I can create my packing list and make sure there is nothing we need that we do not already have prior to this trip. We leave 4 weeks from tomorrow. It’s pretty unlike Jon and I to so spontaneously decide to take a big trip at the last minute (I know I know this is not really that spontaneous, but planning a big trip like this and buying plane tickets just two months before we leave is spontaneous for us!)

We’re both really looking forward to the trip and while I may not have access to blog every day between August 19th and August 30th I will certainly put a trip recap up when I return with lots of pictures!

Post in Comments:
What are your vacation plans this summer?
 

Monday Bookworms: A Count in the House July 20, 2009

Filed under: Book Reviews,Monday Bookworms — readerbean @ 2:59 pm

The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
618 pages, c. 1844
Back in 2002 I saw the movie version of this book and Love, Love, Loved it! A couple of years later on an HC Ladies trip my friend Kirsten said she had just read the book and loved it. Not to mention it came highly recommended by my husband Jon. I finally decided it was time for me to open The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Count of Monte Cristo is the story of Edmond Dantes, a sailor who lives in Marsielle, France. He is in love with Mercedes and plans to marry her. His father whom he loves dearly is old and fragile. Upon arriving home from his most recent excusrion, he is determined to marry Mercedes. However, in his absence another has vied for her attentions. The night before their betrothal, Edmond Dantes is arrested for treasonous activities against the crown, and for being a Bonapartist. He is sentenced to Chateau D’If.

His time spent in the Chateau D’If is filled with thoughts of revenge on those who betrayed him. Once he escapes from the Chateau D’If that is all that consumes his mind. He slowly lays his traps to ruin the lives of those who betrayed him.
For a book that was written in the mid 1800′s this read really easily. I was captivated by his character description & portrayals. The book is slow and steady but then as it all comes together really takes off. I’ve heard that the unabridged version is amazing and I’m slightly sad that I chose to read an abridged version. I can always re-visit the unabridged version at a later date.

If you like classic literature, and tales of deceit, love, betrayal and friendship you’ll certainly enjoy The Count of Monte Cristo. And when you’re done reading the book, check out the movie, it does not disappoint!
Post in Comments:
Have you read The Count of Monte Cristo? Did you enjoy it?
 

Entertainment Thursday: West Side Story July 16, 2009

Filed under: Entertainment Thursdays,NYC Experiences,Theater — readerbean @ 8:11 am


For my 30th birthday Jon got us tickets to see West Side Story. I had been saying for years “When are they going to bring West Side Story back to Broadway??” Low and behold the year of my 30th birthday was the answer.

I was so excited to go! I love the story, the music, everything about West Side Story. We had dinner beforehand and then walked over to the Theater which is at Broadway and 47th Street.

Our seats were in the last row of the orchestra. The last three rows of the orchestra were a raised section though so we had a clear view of the stage.

The play did not disappoint! The music and the dancing (espcially the dancing) was amazing! The choreography, especially during the fight scenes, was awesome. My favorite song, “America” sung by Anita and friends was easily the best song of the night. It had power, dancing, color, humor, it was spot on. And Karen Olivo, who played Anita stole the show I thought with her spunky character. She was amazing.

Maria, played by Josefina Scaglione, was also very good. Her soprano voice (she was trained as an opera singer) was beautiful. She nailed every song!

I did have two complaints though about the show. First, I though Tony, played by Matt Cavenaugh, was weak. He had a great singing voice and when he and Maria were singing their duets I loved him. However, when he spoke his voice was so “over-acted” that it really took away from his character. He just sounded ridiculous.

Second, the play was partly in Spanish. I didn’t mind that so much because I was able to understand most of it, but I thought that was an interesting decision by the director, given that the average American probably does not have a solid grip on the Spanish language. The other weird part about it was that in my opinion, you either needed to commit to all The Sharks (girls & guys) speaking Spanish every time they spoke or they shouldn’t speak in Spanish at all. Instead, it was very sporadic. Sometimes the characters would speak in Spanish, sometimes they wouldn’t. Sometimes every other sentence was in Spanish. There were two whole songs in Spanish – “I Feel Pretty” and “A Boy Like That”. It was a bummer not to be able to hear and enjoy the version that we know and love. In addition, Anita & Maria sing “A Boy Like That” in Spanish and as they finish they lead into another song “I Have a Love” that they proceeded to sing in English. The inconsistency just bothered me.

Overall, though I LOVED IT! I had so much fun watching the story unfold and I just enjoyed hearing all of the songs sung live right in front of my eyes. I would definitely recommend it to people, as long as, part of the play being in Spanish doesn’t bother you. If you know the story, you’ll get the gist of what’s going on…

Post In Comments:

Have you seen West Side Story yet on Broadway? If so, what was your favorite song?