My exciting holiday spending spree is now over, but guess what? I got some great stuff. For starters, I had been searching for a signature scent for a long while. Last year, I bought D.S. & Durga's Orris Root and absolutely loved it. Sure, it's for a man, but it smelled so good and I was looking to get in touch with my inner Bea Arthur. I ran out recently and wanted to stick with D.S. & Durga. That's when my love affair began with the perfume they created for In God We Trust.
It's so ridiculously awesome - it just smells fresh, feminine and light. And it's like no other fragrance I've ever smelled. I cannot speak highly enough about this perfume! Every time I wear it, someone compliments me on how great I smell. Their officialdescription is: Roots scrubbed clean. Green tomato stem, bergamot, bourbon geranium, with angelica root and vetyver. Light bodied like the girls at IGWT.
If you're in New York, you can get this at In God We Trust. If not, you need to contact D.S. & Durga directly, but it's worth it!
Old Hollywood. I'd been wearing the same ring since high school, and I felt it was time for a change, especially after some clown shook my hand so hard my ring cracked. The ring on my ring finger is made by Jana DeSpain, and the one on my pointer finder is by Han Cholo.
I'm so pleased with my fresh scent and my sweet bling. I feel like a real lady, ready to face 2011.
I've been cooking a lot, and I was really pleased to get the New York Times cookbook for Christmas this year. Last night, I made a little variation on their fish tacos, and they came out awesome. I had my fist successful attempt at frying something and making crispy breading. Mmmmm...
To create this masterpiece with my own hands, I:
1. Ordered some pre-made, fresh salsa from Fresh Direct because I didn't feel like chopping onions, tomatoes and peppers. Cheating rules!
2. Made my own Calexico-style crack sauce by mixing 2/3 sour cream, 1/3 miracle whip, a ton of chipotle powder, and some lime juice.
3. Cut up tilapia into small pieces and soaked it in a bowl of whole milk.
4. Made a mix of 1/2 cup flour, a tablespoon of salt, a lil' pepper, and a tablespoon of chipotle powder
5. Heated peanut oil in a large frying pan until it got super hot, but not smoking. Then I added a little bit of butter, and powdered the fish with the flour/chipotle mix.
6. Fried the pieces of fish for two minutes on each side. The oil also splashed all over my hands, burning me several times (not recommended).
7. Dumped the pieces on a paper towel and put more salt on them.
8. Heated up some corn tortillas and filled them with the fried fish, shredded cabbage, the pre-made salsa, crack sauce, and a squirt of lime juice.
And that's it folks. 8 easy steps to your fish taco fantasy.
The recent Snowpocalypse made me realize I need more winter gear. I have one winter(ish) coat, one scarf, and one big ass hat. I wear these same things every day. I wonder if the people I work with think of me as a peanuts character - always wearing the same clothes.
Anyways, I just got PAID, which means in addition to having a drunk-tastic New Years Eve, I will probably be splurging on some new winterwear.
It's been far too long since the last edition of Subway Fashion, so I thought I'd share the latest look from the runway of the A train.This strapping young lad was testing his layering abilities by mixing many patterns. It was a bold choice, and a bit busy, but I think he really pulled it off. You can't see the blue and orange striped shirt he was wearing under all those layers, but that definitely helped tie it all together.
But we can't give him all the credit for this fabulous outfit. I think it's fair to assume he got some of his inspiration from Mondo from Project Runway:
There's only two full days left of the year, so it's time to reflect on the best and worst that 2010 has offered us.
THE BEST:
Best Scripted TV Show: Hands down, Eastbound & Down. I have never felt so much enjoyment from a TV show than I felt from this past season of Kenny and Steve's antics. Maybe it was the donkeys, maybe it was the fat Hispanic people, or perhaps it was all the cocks. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what made this season of EB&D so great, but it definitely hit its stride pretty hard.
Best Reality TV Show:
The Real Housewives of NYC, duh. I was sad to see Jill Zarin get all Hollywood Hogan on us this past season, but my delight was soon restored when I got to see Bethenny Frankel's face morph into all sorts of fun shapes. And let's not forget when The Countess dropped her hit single, Money Can't Buy You Class, in all of its autotuned glory. Also, the episode where Horseface Bensimon has a crazy party on the boat rivals The Swan for this year's best psychological thriller.
Best Movie:The Social Network gets my vote. Aaron Sorkin's script was so good, and Jesse Eisenberg totes nailed it as Mark Zuckerberg. When I first heard there was going to be a Facebook movie, I had a feeling it would be pretty fucking terrible. But then, when has David Fincher ever made a terrible movie? Basically, it was the first time in my life I've ever been wrong. Trent Reznor's soundtrack is also completely amazing.
Best Taco: Calexico. Like you didn't already know that.
Best Digital Marketing Effort:
Skittles' Update the Rainbow knocked my socks off. Not like real-time advertising is anything new, but the way Skittles got people to update Facebook with all sorts of personalized Skittles ads was pretty effing genius. Facebook users could send their updates to a call center, where employees read them aloud and made a video of them.
Best Album:
LCD Soundsystem's This Is Happening is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. It's got the perfect mix of danciness, psychedelic funk, and rock. If this is James Murphy's last album, at least he went out with a bang.
Best Celebrity: The sax guy from Mondolva. Undeniable talent.
Glee. WTF is this stupid show and why are so many people obsessed with it? I watched the Britney Spears episode and was completely dumbfounded by how unacceptable it was. Gross.
Worst Reality TV Show: Why have I wasted so many hours of my life watching Millionaire Matchmaker? The "cupid" Patti Stanger makes me uncomfortable. Her weirdo assistant with a purple curl of hair on her head makes me even more uncomfortable. And I don't think she's even successfully matched anyone up on the show. Why Bravo? Why?
Worst Movie: I know I'm probably going to get a lot of shit for this, but I vote for Blue Valentine. Slow, indie character-driven flicks are totally my thing, but I couldn't find anything redeeming about this movie. It just felt like it was trying so hard to be cool, and in the end it was just a boring movie about whiny hipsters. To be fair, I'm sure Tooth Fairy is a little worse, I just haven't seen it... yet.
Worst Taco: Seven Star, a deli in dumbo with really nice people makes really terrible tacos. I used to eat them every Thursday until Calexico entered my life.
Worst Digital Marketing Effort: Marc Jacob's old website was dumb, and their new website is even worse.
Worst Song:
As much as I love my Housewives, this song is simply not ok.
Worst Celebrity: Boo, you've got to step it up. I really need to see more scandalous behavior from you in 2011.
Worst New Tumblr Blog: Fuck Yeah Ferrets. Ferrets are unbearable, particularly when they hang out in bathtubs.
When blizzards happen in Greenpoint, no one plows the streets and buses get stuck. This looks like a job for Mr. Plow.Also? It snows inside my lobby. Some cats like to wear costumes.
Conroy and Wilcox makes the coolest rings ever. I've got a great idea for my Halloween costume next year. All I have to do is get red contacts and lose about 40 pounds.
I have always been one to dress up for Halloween. In fact, when I was little, I had a re-occurring nightmare that suddenly it was Halloween time and I had forgotten to buy a costume. (!!!) I stressed out so much about this wardrobe amnesia issue that I made a promise to myself at the rope old are of 9 that I would always be sure to prep my costume well in advance of 10/31. This year, some friends and I are joining forces to dress up as one of the most important group of individuals in America's history. I've collected plenty of inspiration like this:(from Mayor McCheese to be, Perry Crowe) And in my research, have concluded to be a sexy version of Hamburglar. I just had to clarify, in case you thought I might be going as the demonic version: So to put myself at ease, I decided to start crafting our costumes this weekend. I went to the yarn-riddled, x-mas decor-stuffed, obnoxious children mecca otherwise known as Michaels to gather colored foam. So far Hamburglar is coming along nicely...And after a few angering trial versions, I was able to craft a pretty decent Officer Big Mac mask:After this, Major McCheese should be a breeze right?
Also, in case you were wondering how Hamburglar got his stripes, you can view this historically accurate documentary here:
Yesterday I went to the taco truck that can be credited for starting my terrible addiction. Endless Summer is my favorite taco mecca in Williamsburg. Their tortillas are made right here in Brooklyn too. This lady clearly knows what she's doing:The diesel fumes wafting from the truck don't smell particularly inviting, but don't be fooled. These: are fucking DELICIOUS. Well, at least that bottom pork taco. My pal David ate the beef taco (on top) so I cannot vouch for its tastiness. However, there is no need to get anything other than a pork taco at Endless Summer because it is practically perfect. The juicy carnitas shreds are braised with Mexican spices. The cheese crumbles are perfect - not too overwhelming but thety provide a nice flavorful undertone. The guac is to die for. Oh my god I have to stop writing this so I can eat more tacos. Anyways, I would venture to say that the pork taco at ES is almost as good as the pork taco at Calexico. Grade: 9
I never thought I was into Kate Spade until this morning, when I happened to come across her fabulous legwear. I want my legs to be yellow and blue and red!I'm thinking that last pair might be necessary for my sexy Hamburglar costume I'm planning for H'ween.
So the bridesmaid dress diet has come and gone, and it's time for the Taco Challenge to go into overdrive. Actually, I suppose it's already in full-effect. The moment the dress came off, the tacos came rolling in.
I planned a nice Taco dinner, but of course had to have some pre-taco tacos in Santa Monica at Perry's Beach Cafe. The fish were pretty, pretty, pretty good. The taco innards were simple - cilantro, onions, tomato, and something that looked a lot like the special sauce used on In-N-Out Burger. Tasty, a good amount of spice, but nothing mind-blowing. Grade: 6.5
Then I headed over to Malo for Taco Night!! Apparently this phenomenon happens every Monday night, so if you live in Silver Lake, I suggest you head on down. There are oh-so-many tacos to choose from, and they start at just $1. You can afford to get enough to fill up a dump truck, so why shouldn't you? Anyways, I tried three varieties of varying qualities: - Fish Taco Pretty bland. Not seasoned well, and nothing of note. Pretty meh. Grade: 4
- Carne Asada A little better than the fish taco. Just beef and onions - no frills here folks. Bottom line: this taco cannot hold a candle to the deliciously seasoned steak at Calexico. Grade: 5
- Carnitas Oh my. Sooo good. A plop of guac was included for good measure. The whole thing practically melted in my mouth. Grade: 8
Let's get real. None of these California tacos were as good as Calexico. (I just ate Calexico tacos for lunch to be sure, and they're still tops in my book.)
I've been a little busy lately with various sketch comedy classes and shows, including my most recent class at The Pit with Kevin Allison. Last night we had a show and I premiered my latest video short, The Affair. In case you missed it, check it out!
Thanks to Galen, Paul, Victoria, Kati, James and Brian for making it happen.
I am what you could call a Mexican food snob. After living in southern California for many years, I thought I had tasted the best of it. I just celebrated my 5 year anniversary of being a New Yorker, and I've been on a quest for good Mexican food the entire time. It only took 5 years, but I finally found it.
The. Best. Taco. Ever.
Behold... That right there is called a Calexico Carne Asada. It includes tender, marinated skirt streak, some slaw, guac, and of course, crack sauce. Yes, it's actually called crack sauce, and it tastes like chipotle mixed with heaven. Three fantastic brothers from California are responsible for the Calexico Cart, which serves a lot of stuff in addition to this perfect taco. The cart I go to is by the Brooklyn Bridge and there's always one in Soho too. Follow them on Twitter to find out where they are on any given day.Thanks this cart for simultaneously making my dreams come true and adding 10 lbs to my frame of taco weight. I have to be in a wedding in a couple weeks that requires me to squeeze into a very small dress. After that, it is time for the taco challenge!
When I return to NYC on 9/28, I will return to eating as many Calexico Cart tacos as possible. Additionally, I challenge you to name a more delicious taco. Name a Mexican place in NYC and I will try it. Mail me a taco from Mexico and I will eat it. I DARE you to find a taco that is more perfect than the Calexico Carne Asada drizzled with crack sauce. Anyway, name the taco and I will put it in my mouth.
The night of high fashion has arrived. It’s time to get gussied up and hang out with a bunch of skinny famous people while sipping champagne and making empty promises to yourself about never eating again. That’s right, it’s Fashion’s Night Out!
This year my outfit is a little boring, and wish I could spice it up with this nice ice cream cone hat But alas, I will be heading out ice cream-less. I’m pretty jazzed up about tonight’s festivities though. Here’s what I’ll be up to tonight: Opening Ceremony is hosting a French flea market at the Ace Hotel. I’ve always wanted to go to Paris, so instead I’ll just go here. It’s probably just as good, right?
Kim Gordon (fashion goddess/my lady crush/ bass player from Sonic Youth) will be at Sportmax to debut her new line. I’m going to stop by so I can try to touch her arm.
Then I’m going to attempt to catch Sarah Silverman doing standup at MAC cosmetics. She will most likely be cracking jokes about how she doesn’t wear makeup.
Also? Refinery 29 is having a party DvF. If you don’t go to this, you’re a dumb dumb.
Greenpoint is having their own FNO party, and it’s supposed to be off the chain. The best event looks to be the In God We Trust party, which will feature a cameo by favorite perfume designers DS & Durga.
Too much to keep track of? Fashion’s Night Out made a really cool feature that allows you to make your own agenda for the evening. And to live vicariously through people who are better than you, check out this amazing site, which aggregates the #NYFW tweets.
.jpg)
.jpg)
