Tasty for Less: The Speakeasy

I have got to get better at taking a picture of my plate before I dive in!

Here's the quick breakdown on the new restaurant Hubby and I tried last night via a Groupon deal: $29 for dinner for two including two appetizers, entrees and desserts, The Speakeasy.

The restaurant which appeared to seat maybe 30-40 guests, with an addition ten to twenty at the bar, was... E M P T Y. Okay- not completely empty, but We were the only people seated at the tables with five people at the bar. It was 9 PM on a Thursday night, and I didn't expect it to be that quite. Nonetheless, there's always the benefit of fast seating right? Part of the enjoyment of eating out for me is the people watching but last night I didn't have much to watch.

We were seated near the front window by our kind and attentive waiter/bartender/host (a man with many hats). Our corner booth was comfy, although it was quite chilly. Enough about the temperature though-- on to the food! We dined on the fried calamari and cesar salad appetizers, both of which were delicious. My calamari was way more flavorful than the garden variety bland Italian or Thai restaurant style I've been finding lately. It had quite a bit of kick, which was awesome. The caesar salad was delicious, by Hubby's account. He gobbled it up before I could ask to try a bite. He is a tough critic who only eats what he knows and praises very few dishes. He praised that salad, which was shocking, coming from him. We both then enjoyed the steak with garlic mashed potatoes. The steak had good flavor and was cooked to a tender perfection. The mashed potatoes were buttery and creamy. We were both pleased with the taste but not the amount of fat that was left on the steak. We finished off our meal with the peach and blueberry cobbler. It left me wanting something more. Something about it screamed "massed produced", "previously frozen", and "possibly not made on-site". It didn't taste bad but I didn't think it matched the rest of the meal.

Overall, I enjoyed the meal. I would come back just for the calamari alone but I would get it to go. It was far two quiet in there for us to speak above a whisper without interrupting everyone else's conversations. Maybe I'll pass by on another night and see if its more lively.

BlueprintLuxe Score: 3/5 stars :-)

Mind over Matter, the Hair Knows Best

I'm seeing that my hair woes are more mind over matter. It's kind of a perfect mess today. I woke up feeling sick and so instead of taking time with my hair, I stood under the shower and concentrated on feeling better as the clock ticked on. But instead of worrying about it I just refreshed it with some water spritzing and gobs of Ecostyler raked through and tossed a hat on. I took off my hat to see that my largely unmanipulated hair did just want it wanted to do. It curled the way it wanted and was incredibly shiny and soft. Some parts frizzed and others coiled perfectly. It was screaming "leave me alone and let me do me!" for the first day since my BC, I fell in love with my hair again, kinks, curls, coils and all. Mind over matter. My mind says to mold my hair one way and that doesn't matter because my hair knows best! :-)

xoxo,

Jessy

A little Sparkle Goes a Long Way

I had some TWA anxiety; you know, will I look to androgynous with all that nearly bare scalp sort of anxiety, but its growing on me. Theres nothing that can't be girled up with a little pink lipgloss. :-)

Pass the Turkey: I Big Chopped!

The night before Thanksgiving, while women all over New York City were preseasoning Turkeys and bakign pies, I was going (near) bald.  Ok, not going bald necessarily. But I was chopping off my relaxed hair. After agonizing over it for 15 weeks, I finally let the hair go! I've had natural hair in the past with everything from braids, to dreads, to an afro, and always wound up back at a relaxer within five years or less. I never took good care of my hair and treated my natural hair like it was invinsible, flat ironing it with...dare I admit... grease. I know- shameful. I plan to do it right this time around, heat free and with natural products so that I can turn this little curly shrub into a thick, lush garden. Stay tuned. :-)

xoxo,

Jessy

So I plan to Run a 5K

I actually ran a lot between the ages of 12 and 18. It dominated every weekday afternoon and Saturday from 7th to 11th grade, when it lost out to intensified ballet classes and a part time job that consumed my weekends. Since then, running and I have had a love/hate relationship. She makes my chest and knees hurt and I'm sure I disappoint her with my complaining and labored breathing. But I'm intent on reviving my runners' spirit. I discovered a great workout plan when I went on a google binge looking for some shortcut ( I know, ridiculous), or trick to accellerate my trining. What do you think? Any suggestions on how I can go from past experienced novice to distance runner?

Check out the Couch to 5K Running Plan courtesy of Josh Clark. I'm going to start in January.


Xoxo,

Jessy