Yelp

评论内容I admit, I am creative when it comes to making a mess.  A friend in college once told me that I never have to wear a bib, because my noonies will effectively prevent any dripping stain-making fluid to progress past my chest.  Good news?  Not really.  It just means the stains concentrate themselves there, which is embarrassing and impossible to artfully conceal.

I am also painfully short.  I know I am not the first nor the last to have this problem.  This means I have to cut at least 4-5 inches of all pants and jeans, and if they are petites, 2 inches, because apparently I don't even qualify for petite.  Perhaps "elf-ish."

Let me quit my whining and on to the review.....This dry cleaners is run by a very sweet Armenian couple with a little boy who reminds me of the kid in Willy Wonka who gets stuck in the chocolate tube.  If this actually happened to the kid, the parents would be able to get the stains out.  Swear to God, they've gotten every stain out of everything, even a very deep-set chocolate whatnot stain on my blue cashmere sweater.  And smells...all cigarette smells are whisked out of all my clothes, and they don't smell chemically when pick them up.  God only knows where they perform such miracles, as the place is teeny and I don't see any dry cleaning machinery.

The wife does the hems on my pants.  She also puts the original hems on my jeans.  Yes, the original hems.  The first time I went to her with my beloved Joe's, I told her how I had been made to pay an extra $15 for original hems.  She seemed shocked and shook her head "No, no, no."  She proceeds to charge me the regular pants hemming price, which makes me ecstatic.  When I picked up my jeans, the husband showed me the good work, and said, with much pride, "This is her specialty."  Indeed.

They also open at 7:30 am, so I can drop off stuff on the way to work.  

Sigh......

Jando!  What is this lack of Vietnamese restaurants you speak of, my friend?  Seems to me there quite a few.  But this one, that Ms. Maritess chose for our dinner outing last night, was by far the kitschiest, cutest place, and the food was pretty damn good and cheap.  A Chinatown favorite!

Upon entering, there are some tables and a bar area, and then there's a little bridge of bamboo and tables at the back.  "Watch your step," the host will tell you.  It's like you are entering a cruise ship when you cross that bridge!  There is nautically-inspired decor on the walls, and make sure you check out the chandelier made out of colorful bottles.

I stayed away from my usual shrimp fried rice and went simply for the summer rolls and BBQ shrimp on rice vermicelli.  This time, I went for the nutritious.  What I love about the dishes is all the greens they include with it.  No need to make an extra salad selection to make mommy (who is in DC, but has mom-ESP and knows when I don't get my vegetables or brush my teeth....) happy.  Ask Maritess and David about the wine selection.  It tasted vaguely like rubbing alcohol infused with antique lychees, not that that stopped Maritess (who I love, by the way...), so you may want to stay away from that.  They are also $6 a glass, which was more than my vermicelli.  

All in all, a great meal, and I will definitely go there again, especially because Mott Street, the Street of Desserts, is the next block over.

PS - If you take any photos, the waiters will want to check them out.  They were pretty nice!

My new Chinatown bubble tea stop!!!  As Joolie says, Mott Street is the street of desserts!

Last night, I tried the Taro tea here, which was fantastic, and I had the large so I could get a lot of bubbles.  Long after I finished the actually tea, I was sitting there, targeting the bubbles with my straw.  Yum!  I was delighted, even though I had to try really hard to block out the picture they have on the wall of Mr. and Mrs. George H. W. Bush giving strange looks to the tea leaves.  The place is cute, very streamlined and very small and narrow, kind of like the typical NYC kitchen.  There are some tables, but I don't think they've gotten on the Wi-Fi tip yet, so sorry, techies.  They have other pictures up of the tea leaves and all sorts of little anecdotes about how the leaves are harvested, chosen, etc.

I have yet to try some of the snacks, which are, as Maritess pointed out, almost all misspelled on the menu, in that Chinatown way.  So, I'll only give it four stars for now.

It's pretty amazing how Chinatown can be so stinky yet have so many culinary delights from which to choose!

I was supposed to meet Hugo at Melba's at 8 on Saturday.  My stupid self gets completely disoriented if you put me anywhere between 100th and 168th streets.  Every street/avenue becomes the name of a liberator, third-world style, and then I forget my traffic pattern system and am rendered quite useless.  Let me also mention here that I've been to Society, and Melba's is just across the street, so I knew where I was supposed to go....So I made it waaay late, and Hugo's brother gave me trouble for it, but in the end, I endeared myself to everyone, of course, with my delightful and witty banter.

The place was really nice and sleek.  The decor was simple with uncluttered, clean lines, the whole nine, and there were some cool pictures on the wall I checked out by the ladies room.  The lighting concept was also fabulous and conducive to many things, so the restaurant is a great choice for most occasions.  This place is great for aesthetics-hounds.

For drink, I had some tasty, alcoholically green concoction that was reminiscent of a Midori Sour.  For the appetizer, we had some toasted Injera with some spices that was really excellent, and I could have done with that for the entree as well, as Injera is meant as a sort of bread to scoop up the food.  Untoasted, it's really more of a spongy crepe.  The entrees were excellent too, with spicealicious sauces and succulent meatiness, but by the end, I was not so happy with the regular Injera we were given.  However, I was loving that it was OK, even EXPECTED, for me to eat with my hands.  After all, that is the way God intended.  This is one of things I love about NYC: I can do away with much of the table manners I was taught.  In China/Koreatown, I can slurp my soup all day long.  Here, I can eat with my hands.  Again, for more details and names, mozy on over to Hugo's review.

The wait ladies were very attentive and had that mysterious ESP thing going, so they knew exactly when we would be ready for any next steps.  They were pretty gorgeous and smart-ass, but in a good way, as Ethiopian ladies are known to be.  Plus, one of them referred to me a few times as "The Master" for whatever reason, and anyone who knows me knows that i am a sucker for flattery.  When it is repeated, that's even better.

The company, the drinks and the wait ladies get it a whole extra star, but I might not come here if in that part of town again.  But if there is a next time, I will tape a map to the back of my hand.

Every now and then, a friend will lead me to one of those fancy bars, like Ava lounge or Maru.  In the case of Maru, as it involves fruit, Bokbunsa, houseboys and foolishness, I am willing to enjoy.  In the case of Ava Lounge, well, read my review.  So, you see, my enjoyment of fancy bars is really hit-or-miss.  But give me a dive bar any day, and make sure there are Irish folk inside, for they take the drink quite seriously and refuse to compromise.  My kind of peoples!  Especially when we're on a mission from God.....

As for Patrick's, well, I figure from now on when I'm in that part of town, I will get my burger at the Piper's Kilt or my pizza con chorizo at Mamajuana's, then come here, say what's up to Tina and Sue, load up the jukebox, and sit down for a night that those fine ladies will no doubt concoct for me.  I will teach them all my name, so that the next time I walk in, they can all yell "MARIII!!!!!" Cheers-style.

I remember 99% of what went on, and I meant every word, however muddled and sloppy, but for any gaps and specific names of things and people, please refer yourselves on over to Hugo's review.  And if I did do anything really foolish, that's because it was Brother's graduation and he MADE me make a deal that I would join in the debauchery.  You know me....I always conduct myself like a perfect princess.  Any lapses in my behaviour are not my fault.

I LOVE Precision.  The selection is pretty fantastic.  Just don't go there if you are close to broke.  You will just frustrate yourself!  Things here are quite expensive, but on par for the designers offered: Nanette Lepore, Theory, Juicy, Rebecca Beeson, etc. (not full lines, but selections from each).  Most everything is so pretty, but what is on sale, well, you can tell why they had to put it on sale.  A few times, I've found some cool things, like a green Juicy long-sleeve tee that I loved but wore so much it developed holes in it.  Note to self: stop being so lazy and hand-wash things that are supposed to be hand-washed.

I was happy to see that they added a shoe section.  Much needed.  Only they charge a lot of money for supposedly "upscale" brands that I've never even heard of.  I bought a pair of shoes suspiciously on sale from $120 to $50.  I say "suspiciously" because designer shoes don't ever go on that kind of sale.  They were supposedly good quality leather, but cut up my feet so badly, I think they were something else.  Maybe they included some leather amongst the plastic.  However, Precision also carries really great lines like Faryl Robin.  So it's just hit-or-miss.  In my case, I should have used better judgment, and no, doing three to four laps around the store in them does not even begin to reflect how they will perform on the street.

A big gripe: the only Hanky Panky underbeneaths they carry are the low-rise ones.  I suppose they are suited well for some very thin women, and that's fine.  But I would have appreciated having the option.

When I lived in the Heights, that whole stretch of Dyckman west of Broadway, where Mamajuana is, was pretty much just a way to get onto the West Side highway.  Now, there's a couple really nice restaurants, and a very cool Irish bar as well in case you're ready for a dive after elegant Mamajuana.

I had the pizza with chorizo and sweet platano.  I loved the juxtaposition of flavors.  Very inventive.  And I finally got my yuca fries, which were very good.  For the appetizer, we got the steak on skewers with a cheese fondue, which was pretty good, but the cheese could have been a tad richer.  The paella was delicious, but it is really enough for two people, depending on how hungry.  This is a good place for everyone in your party to get a different entree and sample amongst each other.  The sangria was the best I've ever tasted!  Yes, I should have had some mamajuana, but based on facts I learned later on about it, I'm glad I didn't touch it.  Let's just say, I was not in the right company for one of its effects, and for the other, my fists of fury were not ready to come out yet.

The service was great and the food came out quickly.  The decor is elegant, very Spanish colonial, right down to the big, wooden doors at the entrance.  Overall, a really nice experience, and a welcome change to that part of the Heights.  I've been hearing about a bunch of great, new restaurants in this area.  I guess the gentrification is really creeping up there, but now that I've tried a couple of these places, I'm not so sure it's a bad thing.

By the way, I think the dress code here is slightly above casual.  Everyone was looking so damn good!

OK, my turn!

First of all, Beatrice is a great lady and a great host and made us all feel welcome and at home.  Thanks again, B!

I had never had pernil before, so I had it Saturday at the suggestion of a faithful patron, and I think it will ruin me for all other pernil!  It was excellent, as was the shrimp asopaDo and the tostones.  The tostones definitely satisfied my craving.  The flan is homemade and very delicious.  Oh, and how could we forget the French wines, and a French food monday with a menu created by Beatrice.  

It is tucked away in charming Greenpoint, Brooklyn, but that should not stop any Yelpers from visiting.  I know, crossing the bridge is probably a big deal to some of you, but this is worth it, I'm telling you.  me, I am just up Greenpoint Ave. in Queens, so I have now found a "neighborhood" place where I won't give a second thought to coming in by myself to sample Dominican brunch on the weekends.  And I won't forget the pernil.

I know it's weird for me to be reviewing a deli/grocery/low-budget caterer, but I have lunch here often enough to do it.  Given the assumed toxicity and general nastiness of UN cafeteria food (on most days), these guys see me quite a bit.

Their hot food bar and salad bar are kind of unremarkable, and they have the same dishes every day.  This is, however, OK by me, as I can always count on my green beans, broccoli, zucchini and squash, nicely roasted with garlic, and my mushrooms, which are sauteed with this tasty hoisin/soy sauce concoction that may not be good for me, but I don't care.  They also have really good baked chicken, and their ribs are good, but are sort of hit-or-miss.  At the salad bar, I can count on my tofu, sugar-snap peas and sesame-ginger dressing.  My big gripe is the absence of BBQ potato chips.

They have a sushi/udon bar, which also sells bibimbap.  The packaged sushi is OK, although the quality of the salmon varies a little.  They do offer a free miso soup with purchase of sushi roll.  I LOVE that the guys at the sushi bar won't give me trouble if ask for a roll made with brown rice.

The candy and last minute curiosities are way over-priced.  They sell British candies, but for about a dollar more than in my 'hood, where I can get them at an authentic Irish market.  The checkout girls can get mighty sneaky and change prices for those things and for the sodas when they feel like it (as in, just because it's Friday), so keep track of what you buy and how much it is supposed to cost.

For the wired, they have a couple of computers with pay-by-minute Internet access.

Holy hell, did we ever have some fun here!  I've always made it a point not to belt it anywhere but in the shower, where only the pigeons who've built their nest on my bathroom windowsill can hear.  But I let loose here....and I want to go back!  

Never have I been to a place where you can get your own Karaoke room, complete with a nice bottle of Grey Goose/Whiskey and fruit, and the house-boy brings you ice and juices to mix with the liquor and keeps it coming.  Very nice.  It ended up being a little more than I could take, price-wise, but in hindsight, fair is fair.  Just go with a semi-big group.  My only gripe is lack of in-capsule bathroom, but hey, you can't have everything.

I too could not deal with straight up vodka, so I ordered BOKBUNSA soju, because it's tastalicious, and I remembered Julie K.'s comment about how it helps keep lady-skin looking fresh....."and none of us are getting any younger.....purrrrr...." (sorry, Eartha Kitt moment).  Ms. Joolz has all sorts of multimedia of the debauchery, but fortunately I haven't reason to worry about that.  It's the rest of you who should be worried, you naughties (you know who you are)!