Weekend of Catching Up & Chomping Down

I love dinner parties at Livia's. Aside from the opportunity to keep in touch, they're always a classy event to look forward to. Guests can expect an overflow wine and to be stuffed with Italian food. Gracious Italian hospitality! Li hosted another memorable dinner party last night, but it was the first time our Taiwanese friend, Barry, took the position of head chef. Jim was invited too!

Classy event~
His slim face makes mine look so wide when we're side by side... Meh!

Li prepared a simple yet innovative appetizer of Asparagus tips & Goat cheese, drenched in an experimental Jam sauce.

Barry, the Iron Chef.

Our Menu was:
Asparagus Tips & Goat Cheese with Jam Sauce
White wine + Lobster over Risotto in Seafood Broth
Blush wine + Tarto di Frutto.

Dessert was just as delicious as it was gorgeous. One of the nicest Fruit Tarts I've ever had, without a doubt! Jim couldn't believe that Li had made it herself. We all told Li that she ought to cater her pastries to restaurants in Little Italy.

Pastry chef!

No closeups of Barry's ridiculously fancy Lobster and Seafood risotto dish :S The sly dog never told us he works as a chef for Jean Georges!

Compliments to the chefs and our photographer, Yuri :D

Rather than go back all the way to LI, Jim and I had made plans to rent a room in the vicinity of Manhattan. That way, we were able to make a day trip out of Saturday. We found accomodation through Airbnb, an extremely useful website that lists sublets by the night. Since the only rooms available in Manhattan were above our budget, we opted to stay in Woodside, Queens. We got lost trying to find the apartment, because I'd taken down the wrong address. The slightly sketchy neighborhood made Jim jumpy, and I teased him about it. It didn't help that our room was kind of dingy. Suspicious vintage suitcases were stacked on top of a boarded up section of the room. We both thought the same thing, but I voiced it out first - "Is that where they keep the bodies of their other tenants?" Jim was not amused. Even the shower was odd; it had 4 knobs instead of the usual two, 'Hot' and 'Cold.' I joked, "The extra two knobs are to turn on the gas chamber." He couldn't even fake a smile. On the plus side, our sleeping space was sooo comfy! I slept like a baby. I wish I could say the same for Jim. He barely slept a wink.

The next day was absolutely beautiful out!

Woodside, Queens.


Paleta de Caramelo con Leche de Cabra.
(Caramel flavored goat milk lollipop)
I could taste the goat's milk!

Funny fish-shaped handbag at a flea market in the West Village.

Barrels of pickles. I love gherkins.

Light b'fast from a food vendor = Plantain split down the middle and filled with a mild cheese + a chicken empanada which was delicious! I think we got conned though; the little Hispanic guy manning the stall charged us $8!

Bleecker Street Records Store.

Indonesian cuisine for lunch at Satay Junction with Nina, Mariko, their respective hubbies - Amri and Wan, Kim, Cynthia & Joseph. I was excited, as I hadn't seen all of them in a long while. Most of the following pics were kidnapped from Kim's photostream on Flickr. Thank you, Kim!

Keropok Putih/Udang. Plan tapioca and shrimp crackers.

Es teller - young coconut juice, seaweed jelly, young jackfruit & coconut milk - before and after stirring.

Grilled toufu.

Siomay (not Siu mai): Steamed cabbage and Indonesian fish balls in a peanut sauce. I prefer springy Chinese-style fish balls. Indonesian fish balls are somewhat gummy.

Jim & I shared a mixed selection of lamb, shrimp, tofu and pork satay. Where can you get pork satay in Malaysia! :p

Satay Junction
28 Greenwich Ave
Between 10th St. & Charles St.

I won't go into details about the food here, but you can read my review on Yelp.

Jim and I share geek love. He'd never been to The Strand - Manhattan's biggest bookstore, so we paid a visit to Union Square.

Before heading home, I managed to grab a slice of Chocolate Pizza from Max Brenner. Even though it's somewhat of a tourist attraction, locals adore it just the same. And it's no wonder; their chocolate is the right stuff. This chocolate lover's paradise is always chaotic every time I pay a visit, but it sort of adds to the crazy 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' ambiance.

Milk chocolate + White chocolate + Mini marshmallows.

It was interesting, but not as good as the Peanut Butter & Jelly Pizza that I had in Philly. Unlike the PB&J pizza, the crust of the Chocolate pizza was savory, meaning Max Brenner uses the same dough for their sweet and savory pizzas. One woman in the takeout line ordered 8-10 whole Chocolate Pizzas to go! Presumably for a party~

If you think Max Brenner's Chocolate Pizza is inventive, you should check out their other stuff. I was extremely tickled by the sight of a group of small boys feeding on Chocolate Syringes. Yup, it's exactly what it sounds like. Worst idea ever. The kids were injecting sugar into their system straight up! Through their mouths of course. As if little boys aren't hyperactive enough.

Ooey gooey luscious...
Possible lyrics for a Lady GaGa song.