we are one week away from moving back into manhattan!
it's been a really fun four weeks living in williamsburg, and i don't think either kevin or i can say that we are tired of the commute or neighborhood, and ready to move back to manhattan right this instant. some conveniences we will definitely appreciate, like proximity to central park, a central location in manhattan, elevators (!!), the rest of our clothes, and our bikes!
but we have also really enjoyed exploring williamsburg, all the coffee shops, restaurants (there are SO MANY!!!!), and especially the new running routes. i love the neighborhood vibe around here - there are families up and down every street, and you can see them getting together on the sidewalk, hanging out on the stoops, and to be honest, it's more down to earth than chelsea. folks are relaxed and easy going, and it's so nice to be able to see the beautiful blue sky every morning above the low-rise homes. they do need a maison kayser out here though ...
oh man, we are so excited that the apartment remodel to finally coming to an end, but there's also the realization that we will have to unpack those boxes. oh boy ... living in lizzie & mike's nice home has been a bit magical i guess. a five-week long vacation coming to its end ...
anyways, reality started sinking in on saturday morning as we spent a couple hours at the apt moving boxes and furniture from one room to the other, so the painters could access the ceiling for a couple coats of paint. we followed the hard labor with gahm mi oak sul long tang yummm. what's better than a stone pot of bone broth, tender beef, noodles, and UNLIMITED daikon and napa kimchi. the hostess spoke to us in korean for the first few minutes, until we clarified with her that we are not korean ...
check out this awesome coffee mug. if something looks wierd, it's because the mug is actually three feet wide. you can sort of tell by the relative size to the coffee beans!
hard work deserves reward and so we treated ourselves to saltie's balmy sandwich and olive oil cake, since i'm sort of on an olive oil cake kick these days. saltie's is a delicious hole-in-the-wall with minimal seating inside, more of an order to go sort of place, next door to momofuku milk bar on metropolitan ave aka dangerously close to our place.
the balmy was vietnamese banh mi inspired, although its list of ingredients was quite long: chicken liver pate, ham, jalapenos, pickled veggies, cilantro, and mayo all on a homemade focaccia. a lot of flavors going on in there, though VERY tasty. the olive oil cake was very nice! it was a little drier than i'd expected, but some of the pluses were the flavorful bursts of kosher salt in the cake and the crunchy toppings.
finally, a late dinner back in the city at ravagh persian grill with some close college friends. it was great to catch up with grace, even if she was only in town for less than 36 hours! and ravagh ... PHENOMENAL. we will be coming back! faves: babaganoosh with naan, chicken kebab, green hot sauce, burnt-bottom-of-the-pot basmati rice, and albaloo polo (sour cherries mixed with basmati rice). eating with saied is KEY :)
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