The Faux-hattanite

Food on the Go

2011-05-31T15:53:00.000-07:00

I've always meant to go to Pret A Manger, but I didn't make it until this past weekend when my friend and I were going on a pilgrimage to Boston. We were taking a bus up so we decided to grab some breakfast and lunch there in case we got stuck in traffic. It ended up being so good that when we came home a few days later we went back and grabbed another sandwich!

I love the amount of options and diversity I am provided with daily, but ocassionally I want something simple. Pret A Manger, which means 'take to eat' or 'take out', provides simple, healthy and delicious alternatives to the fast food options we usually turn to when we are in a bind. All their sandwiches and salads are fresh and incorporate "real" ingredients.

I had the cilantro shrimp wrap...twice. I would definitely recommend it again. Shrimp can be iffy, but theirs was delicious in a light mayo and surrounded by lettuce and big sprigs of cilantro. I also got an egg, tomato and cheese sandwich for breakfast. It was the perfect way to start my morning.

Their restaurant design also falls in line with their "simple" agenda, providing a large space to order and look at the sandwich offerings and a small seating area.

x,

Chace

I Live in a Snow Globe

2011-01-12T08:03:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love Manhattan when it's snowing. And when it's bright out. Even when it rains. And (to rip off a recent ad in Bon Apetit) even in a type of weather that's yet to be created.

When the snow is swirling 'round and I don't feel like being cold I love to sit in any one of the little eateries, grab a treat, and watch the world pretend it's a snow globe.

One of the best places to watch the world go by (because it's right across from where I fence) is Le Pain Quotidien (58th St. & 7th Ave). Their specialties include a number of spreads or food items to put on their bread. My favorites are the berry spread and their delicious chocolate spread. They also have a number of tempting desserts including a tangy lemon tart. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water.

x,
Chace

Tea-riffic!

2010-12-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do in the winter is to buy a hot chocolate or a tea and walk down 5th avenue. The lights and decoration all look so beautiful. It's even better when it's snowing!

I've become a denizen at Argo Tea up on Broadway and 58th. They have everything to satiate a tea lover's cravings (with the exception of tapioca bubbles for their bubble tea). Their decor is very coffee house and simple. I'm a big fan of the giant glass cup-like containers they use to hold their brewed tea. The best part about Argo is that not only do they sell tea drinks, but they also sell loose leaf tea and tea inspired goodies. I always try to grab a Spinach Pine Nut Quiche or one of their salads on my way home from practice.

My usual order:
White tea coconut bubble tea with soy milk

x,
Chace

The Tantalizing Smell of Calories

2010-06-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

Bit of a hiatus. I had to graduate, celebrate my 21st, and trek out west to Wisconsin. Regardless of where I am though, I can always hear the city calling me home.

My mum is working in the city all this week so to cut down on transportation cost I'm staying with her at the Hilton on 53rd and 6th. Being here, especially on this particular corner in midtown, there is one thing I cannot escape from...Halal carts.

Ah, the good old Halal cart. You can smell them from a dozen blocks away and when you're hungry that scent is downright tantallizing! Every time I go for a jaunt I seem to notice more and more of them poping out of the pavement like daisys. That lamb or chicken (or both) laid out on a bed of lettuce and rice smothered with white sauce is a dagger to any diet. But who can resist...

Regardless, the best one is on 53rd and 6th (or so said this teammate of mine I used to know). Now you have to know which side of the street to go on because there are two carts: Amazing Halal Cart of the Divine Deliciousness and its eveil twin, Cart of the Tourist. The one you want to go to is on the south-east side of the block. On the weekends a line a block long will develop, but it's definitely worth the wait, but be careful, your stomach can only take so much!

x,
Chace

The Pursuit for the Perfect Cupcake

2010-03-31T17:31:00.000-07:00

When you're craving something you have to fulfill that desire or else you will go "pregnant woman mad." Whenever I'm out and end up near the Village I begin to crave the delectable treats from Magnolia Bakery. The other night I was out with some of my teammates and I led the charge to this late night eatery.

Everyone is going to tell you that their cupcakes are the best things they have to offer, but that is simply not the case. The first thing I ever had at Magnolia was a gargantuan slice of their famous Icebox cake. A friend from high school had told me about this treat so on a trip to the city I took my dad there. One word: Delicious!

The other night I decided to branch out and try the banana pudding. Campbel's has nothing on Magnolia because their stuff is mmmm mmmm good! It was too good to eat all at once so I got it to go, but I lost it halfway through the night.

The best things about Magnolia Bakery are its hours of operation and its multiple locations, although I'm always going to wish they were open 24 hours.

x,
Chace

If you give a Chace a cookie...

2010-03-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

I have found a new love! Cookies!

As most college students do, I procrastinate. Also , as most college students do, I tend to stay up late. When combined, you get the "all-nighter." My future roommates and I pulled an all-nighter this past Thursday to Friday. One of them had a midterm at 8 in Queens so we all stayed up to keep him company and get our work done. Naturally, we got very little work done. Instead we spent the night hanging out and playing Apples to Apples.

That was until I mentioned that I wanted to make cookies.

Before I go any further I have to explain our roommate dynamic. I am the crazy one. I sometimes come up with insane idea and am always looking to try something new. Rox is the supporter and the more realistic one (I guess). She comes up with semi-realistic ideas like having a picnic in Central Park....and then dancing around to no music. She supports my ideas, but sometimes does not attempt them...most because she comes up with a better idea to trump mine.

Our new roommate, Dan, is an enzyme added to a very explosive reaction. He is the catalyst to our ideas. He's the first one to say "Yeah, let's do it!" and have every intention of doing it.

Dan, D, Rox, and me

This is going to be a very, very, VERY dangerous living situation.

So back to cookies. After I mentioned it, Dan immediately was on board and someone mentioned that there was a 24 hour cookie place in the Village that delivered. Unfortunately, they don't deliver to TriBeCa so we had to trek up there at 2am, but it was a nice night for it.

The place is called Insomnia Cookies and is located at 50 W 8th Street between 6th Ave and Greenwich. The cookie are warm and gooey. They have the following flavors available: Sugar, Chocolate Chunk, Peanut Butter Chip, White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Oatmeal Raisin, M&Ms, Double Chocolate Chunk, Snickerdoodle, and Coconut Pecan! Each cookie is only $1 or you can get a jumbo cookie of some flavors for $2.25. They also make cookie pies if you are willing to wait 25 minutes or call ahead.

Apparently they have chains near multiple colleges around the US. Good idea whoever thought of that!

We ordered a sugar cookie, a chocolate chunk, and a triple chocolate jumbo deluxe. We almost went back for seconds, but figured we should actually get some work done instead. It's definitely a place I will be visiting again, at 2am or any other time!

x,
Chace

Spin Me Around

2010-02-14T18:47:00.000-08:00

So Valentine's Day didn't turn out exactly as planned. Although tons of outfits were tried on, recipes were researched, and chocolate strawberries were made Prince Charming didn't come through.

Looking out the window, I can see the ice skating ring across from my apartment. There's a couple skating, spinning around with hands interlocked. As they come in for the kiss she almost falls, but he's there to hold her up.Watching this happen, I can't help but think that I am living in the most amazing place in the world.

So no matter how many Prince Charmings let me down, or how many chocolate strawberries go to waste, I know that where I am, right now, is where I want to be.

Happy Valentine's Day!
x,
Chace

Burnt falafels? No thank you!

2010-02-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

When I first moved to New York I would want to be in the Village all the time. It's the mecca of liberal-minded, hipster college students. On one of my first weekend here my friends and I went out out to Horus Cafe, a hookah bar located in Alphabet City (There is a sister restaurant, Horus Lounge, in between the Village and NoHo). We all thought it was the coolest thing even though they burnt the falafels and charged too much. They had belly dancing and were very accommodating to freshmen who didn't know much about the city's nightlife.

Now that we are a little older and a tiny bit wiser, my friends and I prefer the Luxor Cafe (NOT THE LOUNGE, it's the tiny one with the ATM out front on MacDougal) in the Village. While this place is a hole in the wall, they have great hookah and delicious Moroccan tea. Every three people have to split a hookah and on busy nights (I believe Fridays and Saturdays) they have a one drink minimum [Someone told me they may have changed this]. Good flavors: Mango, Jasmine, Cherry.

Going for shisha always proves to be a good time because it leads to interesting conversations. A group of us went with some French students who are studying in NY. We got away with being as loud as we wanted because there weren't that many people because everyone was home watching the Super Bowl. They have the best music; mostly lots of older rock. Overall, a great, relaxing thing to do on a Sunday night.

x,
Chace

Living the Dream

2010-02-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

I went to a fantastic, low key celebration of my friend's 21st birthday last night....and ended up being introduced to one of the best prices Korean Barbecue restaurants in midtown.

Bann, located on 50th St. in between 8th and 9th Ave., is one of the more hospitable restaurants I've been to. We had 18 rowdy college-age people and we stayed there for 4 hours. The waiters were very accommodating and the food was delicious. A group of 5 of us split a large tasting plate of 6 different types of meet and fish for only $105. The desserts were also to die for, consisting of light options like cranberry mousse and fresh strawberries layered between filo dough and heavier options like a chocolate volcano variation.

After our gargantuan appetites were satisfied, we headed over to Fat Cat for some billiards, chess, foosball, jazz music and such. It's one of my favorite places to go, filled with NYU college students and west village inhabitants. The place is set up like the most awesome basement ever, equipped with a bar, mismatched couches, and tons of games to keep you occupied. It's located on Christophers Street in between West 4th and Bleeker St. (Right next to the stop for the 1 train). Fat Cat gets pretty crowded on Fridays and Saturdays so you might want to get there early to grab a couch. I like to go in the afternoons to play a game of pool to pass the time.

I wonder what's on the agenda for tonight?

x,
Chace

NY Boy of my Dreams

2010-02-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

If you live in Manhattan this has happened to you:

You're on the subway rushing from point A to point B. All of a sudden someone of interest sits across from you. Maybe you try to catch their attention with a smile. Just when you get up the courage to talk to them they get off the train.

This happened to Patrick Moberg of Brooklyn. Well what did he do about it? He drew a picture of the chick and posted it on the web. Fortunately, he found her. Unfortunately, they broke up a few months later.

Well this was a few years ago; now there's a new trend.

With the advent and circulation of the Ipod and other Mp3 players the vast majority of people on the subway have their ears plugged with head phones blasting all kinds of music. I confess, I am part of this group.

How are all us hopeless romantics supposed to run into the person of our dreams when they can't even hear us.

The other day I was on the subway going to fencing practice. My headphones were on and I was listening to Paolo Nutini (amazing!!!!). This little french girl came onto the subway, she must have been about 3 or 4, and sat down next to me. She started talking to me and I was forced to take my headphones off. We talked about fencing, I showed her my mask, and she drew me a pony. It was probably the best subway ride I've had this year.

So word of advice, take your headphones out once in a while. You might meet some really interesting people.

x,
Chace

Tweeting Away

2010-02-01T14:45:00.000-08:00

I'm now on Twitter!

http://twitter.com/Fauxhattanite

I'm not the biggest fan of twitter, but working in media is evolving as such to make it a requirement.

x,
Chace

Fend For Yourself

2010-02-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

Whole Foods, not the place to scout out nutrition-minded gentleman. They are all couple-y.

Like my roommate says, "It's the place for single women, couples and gays."
`~~`~~`~~`~~`~~`~~`~~`~~`~~`~~`~~`~~`

I live next to a Whole Foods, but I try to avoid going in as much as possible. Don't get me wrong, I love the store, but every time I go there I feel like it's the end of the world. The store is ALWAYS swarming with people fending off other shoppers in the pursuit of the perfect, organic, cruelty-free, fair trade tomato.

I had to go in to grab ingredients for a basic Israeli salad I was making for a party. It was absolutely delicious. Just a bunch of chopped up ingredients (cucumber, tomato, yellow and orange pepper, and red onion) tossed with parsley, lemon juice and salt. (Nosh and Tell) A fantastic recipe for a poor, nutrition-minded college student!

The fad that Whole Foods has become makes me a bit self-conscious whenever I go into Whole Foods. Not the kind of self-conscious where I dread going into the store, but the kind that makes me more aware of the people around me. The beanie wearing guys in their late 20's/early 30's with their scarf-wearing girlfriends and 50 reusable bags in tow. The nutrition Nazi mothers (kind of like the one in the movie Motherhood) looking for interesting things to put in their kids' bento boxes. And those who are lost in it all.

I secretly love these people because they provide me with hours of amusement while doing a menial task such as shopping. I think Stuff White People Like (SWPL) puts our obsession with Whole Foods best:

"Many white people consider shopping at Whole Foods to be a religious experience, allowing them feel good about their consumption. The use of paper bags, biodegradable packaging, and the numerous pamphlets outlining the company’s police on hormones, genetically modified food and energy savings. This is in spite of the fact that Whole Foods is a profit driven-publicly traded corporation that has wisely discovered that making white people feel good about buying stuff is outrageously profitable."

Ah, such a great blog. Although SWPL is a parody on our lives, it hit upon a few good points. If we care so much about those nutritious buzz words like locally grown, fair trade, and organic, shouldn't we be buying from a local grower? The producers who sell their wares at the Union Square Market on 14th street are my favorite.

Well people will buy what they buy where the want and I guess it's good that people are on a health kick, even if it doesn't last forever.

...Now where am I supposed to find these nutrition-minded gentleman?

x,
Chace

The Birth of a Faux-hattanite

2010-01-31T17:21:00.000-08:00

I am not a Manhattanite.

When I was little I always dreamed of moving to the city, so when college came around I jumped at the chance to attend a school in the city. I moved to Queens for the first two years of university and have just recently moved to lower Manhattan for my final year.

This blog will be filled with tales of my life here in the "Big Apple"; what it's like going to school in the city, where I love to go to grab a bite to eat, and what I do if my free time...if any free time comes around.

I'm stuck in the middle. I have an outside perspective from living out of state for most of my life, but I also have assimilated fairly well, aspiring to one day join the ranks of the true Manhattanites.

x,
Chace