spring fever
thinking about thawing out
it’s amazing what an extra hour of sunlight can do for your will to live… if you’ve been in NYC the past few days, you know spring is officially in the air. the sun was out, the vibes were good and my allergies were out of control! so burn your puffer jackets (or just store them in your closet until next winter) and shed those layers.
all that to say – when it starts to warm up, all i can think about is all the ways i want to take advantage of the nice weather, so i thought i would make a list of all the things i’m looking forward to this spring:
my birthday dinner -
this year, I am having a mellow birthday dinner for 8 at one of my favorite restaurants –Roman’s followed by a little party at June. pasta + wine + celebrating with my good friends seems like the perfect way to ring in *redacted* years old.
it’s almost panzanella season and Roman’s makes my favorite one – my italian friends would also say it’s pretty outstanding! for a restaurant that changes their menu every day, the panzanella is a constant and is a minor but major way that announces the new season for me.
more apollo bagels -
last weekend i dragged my boyfriend to the newest bagel shop on the scene – Apollo Bagels. they started as a pop up operating through LEO in Williamsburg, and finally have their own standalone space. they also did a pop up last year at Cervo’s with specialty fish toppings that was one of my best meals of last year. though there was a line, they really have their operation down pat already and it was pretty quick to get in and out!
the menu at the new spot is limited, but has exactly what you want – we went in on a lox bagel with scallion CC, onion, caper, dill and a whitefish bagel with sliced cucumber. their whitefish was really special with an addition of dijon and pickled peppers! the bagels are perfectly crusty on the outside, soft on the inside, and miraculously i did not get any everything bagel seasoning stuck in my teeth – a good omen in judaism. (not really, i just made that up, I am not a rabbi so don’t @ me)
Apollo bagels really gets everything perfect, the fish to cream cheese ratio, the right amount of topping on the open face bagel so everything doesn’t constantly topple over, it’s all just really thought through! absolutely worth the hype, i am hoping this helps people to finally shut up about Pop Up bagels – but also i don’t want the line to get worse here! i am also really excited to see how they evolve and i am hoping they bring back some old pop-up specials back!
bike rides through brooklyn and a slice of key lime pie -
i want to do some loops around prospect park on my bike, head over to red hook, and grab a key lime pie from Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie and eat it while looking out at the water.
a bad key lime pie is DISGUSTING but a great key lime pie is SUBLIME, and these ones are so good! these were good enough to make my boyfriend try key lime pie even though citrus desserts are one of his least favorite foods! his dessert taste is my least favorite thing about him, but he was able to see things my way thanks to Steve’s.
glasses of wine outside at rhodora
a glass of wine at sunset at one of my favorite wine bars – no further explanation needed!
i love that you can just drink on the sidewalk here, it feels like some of my other favorite wine bars in europe and i love that it’s counter service which adds to the casual coolness.
the return of farmers market produce!
each saturday i scope in anticipation waiting for the full roster of vendors to return. much to my friend’s chagrin (ooh - big word there! maybe i am a writer?) i am waiting for my whole personality to become about ramps and making pesto. i’m ready to never look at a potato (i’m not anyways, too many carbs for little ol’ diabetic me) or a carrot!
i want to taste the rainbow – in a food way, not a slutty gay way! i want EGGPLANT and ZUCCHINI and TOMATOES and ASPARAGUS and CUCUMBER!
I’m ready to make this cucumber salad and this scallop and corn from Alison Roman’s “Nothing Fancy” (or really, any of Alison Roman’s veggie recipes in this book) or a nice summer red curry with whatever i have left over!
the sun will set after 7 PM and the days will slowly get warmer and i will soon be able to just wear one layer. a pisces girl can definitely daydream! what are you all daydreaming about? comment and tell me <3