Good Morning, Good Evening

Sunday mornings start here. At Abraço.

With a cup of this.

And sometimes one or two more.

Sometimes I come alone, sometimes with a friend, but most often with Lauren. She likes her lattes :)

If weather permits, we'll sit outside for a bit. Lazzzy Sundays are for unwinding and catching air. On this particular Sunday, we dallied away time shopping on 9th Street. I love how this city, how my neighborhood in particular, is so accessible. Coffee on 7th. Shopping on 9th. Soft serve on 13th. Cake on 4th. Pizza every where between 12th and 14th.

I love how my own two feet can take me anywhere.

Parting ways in the afternoon, I rounded the corner on 10th to meet a friend who had chosen to spend his Sunday with a book and a latte. Hours past quick when you don't own a watch, and soon I found myself at dinner in Hell's Kitchen, and then rushing back downtown for dance class. I went home post-dance and organized life because dusk is the best time to gather thoughts.

Later that night, I met with Kathryn and Dan - the most awesome couple in the world. We dessert-ed over cups of soft serve - root beer float with brown butter solids for them, and a twist of graham and malted chocolate for myself.

Sundays are, indeed, the loveliest day of the week.

Abraço
86 East 7th St
NY, NY 10003
(212) 388-9731

Saturday with Sunlight

Early morning yoga, followed by lunch with Greg (aka Greg of the Waffles) at The Adore. Serene, quiet, and full of sunlight. If yoga didn't already put me in such a fantastic mood, then the setting of this restaurant surely would have.

We scored a 2nd floor window seat facing 13th Street wallowed away the lunch hour with cups of coffee and bowls of soup.

Corn chowder and...

...potato leek.

We then moved onto sandwiches, uncomplicated numbers on toasted baguette. For myself: ham, avocado, melted cheese, mayonnaise, onions and tomatoes.

And for Greg: smoked salmon with mozzarella, cucumber, arugula and horseradish.

The food? All lovely, nothing exceptional nor extraordinary. The dewy sunlight though, was fantastic.

We parted post-lunch, and I went uptown to jazz dance the afternoon away. The dance studio is coincidentally located quite close to Bouchon Bakery. I swear, that pecan sticky bun called my name from afar.

I gave in.

Because you would be a silly fool to act otherwise.

Later that evening, I met Robyn and Jessica for dinner at the St Mark's Grand Sichuan. We shared a few dishes, making sure to save plenty of room for the dessert to come. First, dumplings in red chili oil.

Then pork soup dumplings followed by...

...sauteed pea shoots and...

...Chong Qing dry and spicy chicken. Make sure to read Robyn's Serious Eats New York post on this dish here.

Greg showed up at the end of the meal, and we trucked up sweets to his nearby apartment.

Jess had just come from her pastry session at culinary school and had plenty of bounty to share.

Tiramisu, Sacher Tortes...

...wedges of focaccia...

...and madelines! You simply have no idea how much I lovelovelove madelines.

As Jess and I devoured the sweets and savouries, we soon realized that the remaining half of our party had simply disappeared. Where to? It wasn't hard to find them - all we had to do we peek through the windows ^_^

Robyn had gone to the Brooklyn Flea Market earlier on in the day and returned with exceptionally delicious gifts from Mitzy, including a stash of her signature macarons...

...and a bag filled with ephemerally light gougère-esque puffs.

But the ones I love most were the savoury cheese shortbreads. Buttery, crumbly, and extravagantly rich.

We ate, and ate. Until we could eat no more. And then we paused.

And then Jess and I went out dancing.

It was a pretty good Saturday to say the least :)

On another matter, I still can't seem to get those song lyrics out of my head...

"Is that all there is, is that all there is.
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing.
Let's break out the booze and have a ball.
If that's all there is."

For the better, perhaps? Keeping it on repeat throughout the day induces a sort of calm, why not, why not, just chill sensibility.

Happy Tuesday night / Wednesday morning :)

P.S.
Welcome back home Darien!!