Wandering Tales | University Place

Today was a very relaxing and well spent day full of chatting and catching up with lilladyslife & Karyi. There weren't any specific plans other than to have lunch. Many places we went to were impromtu and very random (like Trader Joe's and Barnes & Noble). But I cannot complain about that since I get to explore the city more this way. (I am too much of a hermit anyways :P)

Peacefood Cafe
41 E 11th St
(between Broadway & University Pl)
New York, NY 10003

Mediterranean Over-Dried Seasonal Vegetables Panini
with cashew cheese, basil spinach pesto
This was my first vegan meal. I had no expectations going in. All I hoped was that I would be able to finish the whole meal and not let anything go to waste since I'm not a very big veggies person. Thankfully, it wasn't half bad! It even tasted kind of meaty..

Our next stop took us to Washington Square Park. Luckily it was sunny and breezy ... my favorite weather combo! It is such a nice place to people watch. If you don't mind getting a little wet, you could actually go in and sit in the fountain steps. Apparently, there is a guy who always plays the piano at the park. & I've also occasionally seen people doing chalk/sand art by the arch.

Amorino Gelato
60 University Pl
(between 10th St & 11th St)
New York, NY 10003

Middle cone: Caramel, Sweet Pistachio, and Hazelnut Gelato 'Petals'
After we sat under the sun for a while, we were all craving ice cream. Karyi remembered that a place nearby sold ice cream that's shaped like a flower and I was sold! I'm not sure how gelato differs from ice cream but this cone tasted really good. The next time I visit, I am going to choose the fruitier flavors & make a more colorful flower.

Asia goodies from Karyi!

MBD Natto Mask, Sasatinnie Platinum White Truffle Mask, Silk Whitia Whitening Essence Mask
Pretz HK Sea Food Flavored ...... Pretz Abalone in Oyster Sauce Flavored
All things I have never tried before. So excited!! I didn't even know Pretz made any other flavors outside of Salad. Have I been missing out on some really interesting Pretz flavors?!

Lusting Over | Toms

I have to admit, it took a while for me to get on board the whole canvas shoe phase. When I first saw them, I thought they looked too much like the shoes that were worn in China years ago (and what my grandpa still sports now). But after trying them on for myself, I don't think I could go back to any other shoe for casual wear.
Very easy to slip on and off.
Doesn't take long to break them in.
Doesn't cinch my toes like Converses do.
Very comfy.
Although...I think this one depends on the brand.
The arch in the first pair I had took some time getting used to.

However, I have yet to buy a pair of TOMS because they are quite pricey. I know that I shouldn't support the 'copy-catters'...but discounts and deals are hard to say no to. Perhaps for my next pair, they shall be TOMS! I've had a sparkly/glittery pair that I bought from Century21, which I completely worn out. I recently bought another pair, Gloriee from Madden Girl, that is black with white skulls print.

Left: Rebert's Toucan $68 ...... Right: Dure's Pink Flowers $68
TOMS sent a e-newsletter to announce a new collaboration to support local Haitian artists. I didn't think much of it. When I browsed the collection, I immediately fell in loved with these two. (More so the flower because it's easier to pair everyday outfits with. But the Toucan shoe is so colorful!)

Left: Grey Ikat $54...... Middle: Tyler Ramsay Speckled Dot $688 ...... Right: Splatter $54
If pricing wasn't an issue, I would love TOMS just for their variety. I usually gravitate towards the solid colors. But these 3 stood out to me. I especially like the middle one!

What do you think of TOMS or this style of shoes?

Wandering Tales | Lower East Side

I have never heard of Smorgasbar until Bestie C mentioned it to me last week. She went and suggested we go together to finally try out lobster rolls. Of course, whenever our plans are made revolving eating it never ends up being just from one place. But neither of us thought we'd end up eating soo much! What the heck right? We were out and about anyways! With all the walking we did, I like to think we walked off at least one of our meals.

Our first stop off the subway landed us somewhere close to Doughnut Plant. This was an add-on to our day's itinerary because I had never had Doughnut Plant doughnut before and Bestie C said they were good!
Doughnut Plant
379 Grand Street, between Essex and Norfolk
Hours: Every day 6:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.


Coconut Lime & Lavender Flower Yeast Doughnuts
After sharing 2 flavors between the two of us, I knew immediately that I wanted to go back. I even joked to Bestie that if I lived in the area I'd probably go there as often as I could or at least enough to have tried all the flavors once. Of the two doughnuts we had, we both agreed that we liked the coconut lime version more. I didn't enjoy the lavender flower doughnut as much because it smelled a little too much like candles for my liking. But that means it had tons of it's namesake flavors, which is a good thing!


An elementary school's community garden
I wish more schools who have the space available did something like this!


Red Hook Lobster Pound @ Smorgasbar, South Street Seaport
Left: Connecticut Style ...... Right: Maine Style
I've seen Red Hook Lobster at Madison Square Eats many times, but never had the money to spend on the lobster rolls. We made the trip specifically for these and I must say...I felt it was worth it. Lobster is expensive in general and you do get a lot of lobster in each. The Connecticut style was a warm version. I think the sign said the lobster claws are poached in butter. Versus the Maine style roll is more like a cold lobster salad with mayo. Neither is very healthy but we also don't have the chance to eat this very often. So it's alright!! :P



We spent a while sitting on a bench by the water just enjoying the sun. Good thing it was a nice day out! NYC had a strange sudden cold & windy day just the day before. I even got a bit sunburned from our outing.


Left: Melt Bakery Lily Koi Ice Cream Sandwich (Vanilla Shortbread Cookie + Passion Fruit Ice Cream)
The stop to MELT Bakery was Bestie C's pick. We have both been obsessed with their ice cream sandwiches since we had our first ones way back in the Fall at Madison Square Eats. We wanted to try their Zen Ice Cream Sandwich (with green tea ice cream), but they didn't make that the day we went. Apparently, they make their sandwiches fresh. So I guess we'll just have to keep visiting until we get our hands on it!

Right: babycakes (vegan bakery)
Going to babycakes was my choice. This was more of an impulse decision when I realized how close we were to it. One of my high school teacher's favorite bakery was babycakes and I had been wanting to try it out for a few years now. I don't know what was stopping me because it is SOO close to Chinatown. I ended up buying their day old/2 for 1 cupcakes because I wanted to be greedy and try multiple flavors & bring home some for my little brother. The cupcakes were bashed around a bit on my way home so I didn't get a chance to take a photo of them. Perhaps I'll get a shot the next time I purchase from them! Their vegan cupcakes weren't bad at all. It wasn't as sweet as non-vegan cupcakes I have had (including the icing), which is great! However, the icing was a lot oilier when left out at room temperature. I wonder if that is normal?

We ended up making a full circle. Doughnut Plant, Melt Bakery, and babycakes are actually pretty close to each other. Just keep that in mind if anyone wants to visit any while spending their time more efficiently!

Have you had any good eats recently? I'd love to add it to my "To try" list, no matter where it's located!
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