camping food from 3 days in the catskills.
(amazing photos via my friends, cara & mina - forgot my camera ;__; )

a few weeks ago, we went to help & mostly watch my friend julia home-brew beer for the first time.
we got to taste it today - unfortunately the fizz and the yeast had died out!
(notice there's no foam whatsoever in the photo)
we'll have better luck next time.

menkuitei late at night.
tried their scallion "soba salad" and the good old, tried-and-true hiyashi chuka men.

i put the "soba salad" between quotation marks, because, unfortunately,
it really wasn't any kind of salad at all.
it was just a cold noodle dish that was SUPER spicy (though none of the description
on the menu or anywhere mentioned the extreme heat), so much so that it wasn't
enjoyable after all.

the hiyashi chuka, on the other hand, was as refreshing and cooling as always.

today started a bit backwards (in a good way), with dessert!
audrey's done it once again, amazing cake with her first (lemon) buttercream icing.
it was so good paired with raspberry jam and white cake - almost like angel food.

then a bike ride down to red hook to tcb, a good bite at hope & anchor.
the veggie burger i had was so good - i love a veggie burger that is
actually vegetables, not something concocted to mimic meat.
matthew got a mushroom swiss burger.
so good, great prices.
and how cute are these gardens on van brunt!

today also ends with kale salad (can't get enough of):

amazing homemade pan-asian meal while visiting family in atlanta.
(how great is it to have chefs in the family!)
grilled pork, fried runny-yolked egg, pickled veggies, seasoned bean sprouts,
kimchi, cucumber salad, and rice.
all together, so so delicious!

an old favorite place for a good salad and sandwich, ciao for now.
they moved to a fancier, larger, new place a while back,
and the food has gotten different, but upgraded in many ways.
(i miss the old quaint spot, though, and their heart of palm salad!)

the cobb salad (tofu instead of chicken) was amazing with their creamy basil vinaigrette,
and the turkey sandwich was great too.

great vegan sandwiches (as always) at boneshakers.
top to bottom : the club racer (a vegan club sandwich), the merckxx werckxx (vegan turkey/ham sandwich with olive tapenade), and the kevin bacon (vegan tempeh bacon/cream cheese panini).

mine was the kevin bacon and my new favorite there!

over the weekend, we traveled to philly for a friend's birthday via bikes & train.
(bike part being not particularly enjoyable with a 95ºF sun beating down on us nonstop)
above is a photo of some of our brunch at dos segundos
in fishtown/northern liberties neighborhood - even came with free chips & salsa,
just like in california (or maybe everywhere else but in NYC)!

huevos rancheros (top), which 3 of us got, and 2 salads:
green papaya salad & heart of palm salad.
huevos rancheros take the cake, they were so good!
our salads were a bit of a let down, especially with the grease-soaked
over-sized side order of seitan.

fusili with brussel sprouts, smoked oysters, & mentaiko.

big lunch at hope & anchor in red hook : jalapeno poppers,
tofu edamame burger (mine), mushroom swiss burger (matthew's),
and grilled eggplant & fried mozz sandwich (audrey's).

what a great day for a ride down to the (almost) ocean!

sauteed baby broccoli, brussel sprouts, garlic, mushrooms & smoked tofu
topped with fresh tomato & basil for dinner.
yummy~~~~!!!

made avocado & black beans salad (with tomato & cuke).
first bowl topped with smoked sardines (top) & second with lentils.
had i not been stuffed to the gills from these,
i'd have kept on to my third bowl.

super abundant (post-trader-joe's) large salad at home.
baby spinach, lentils, smoked tofu, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumber, basil (chiffonade),
asiago cheese (shaved), and some balsamic vinaigrette & pepper flakes.
the richer flavors balanced out nicely with fresh crunchiness of cucumber, tomatoes, & basil.
positively one of the best (if not THE best) salad we made ever!

early dinner at lemongrass grill (first time).
thai dumplings, green papaya salad, & red tofu curry.

home made dinner - kale salad with smoked trout (canned),
and whole wheat rotini with baby clams in tomato sauce, with kale of course!

yummy late lunch.
beef stew w/bok choy over rice & sesame pancake w/ pickled veggies at m noodle shop.
i'm a bit sore to pay the price 2x(if not 3x) as much as chinatown,
but the pancake was way lighter than that of dumping house.

beautiful birthday (matthew's) baked goods by sweet audrey.
frosted scone (with jelly center) & lemon tart.
amaaaaazing!! ♥♥♥

snacky night at snacky.
chinese greens, kimchi tofu salad, mini cheese burger (really mini),
pork soup dumplings, bbq pork sesame pancake sandwich.