From the Mac Daddy event early in the season.
Can you believe that summer is indeed almost over? Labor Day was two weekends past; the Fall Equinox is on the 23rd. And after that, it’ll be officially autumn. Time to switch out my beloved single-layer summer clothes for the building blocks of cold weather upon us…well, hopefully not for at least another few months. (I couldn’t even bring myself to type the word “winter”).
To say that I’ve had a busy summer is quite an understatement. 🙂 Here’s my attempt to get caught up with some pending posts via an all-in-one recap of NY Spring/Summer Minutes and things!
1) SPRINGTIME MAC ‘N CHEESE
Mac ‘n Cheese is not exactly the most photogenic dish in the world, but we all know it’s one of the most comforting and delicious things in the world.
Featured restaurants at the event.
In the spring, I was invited to the Mac Daddy—a one-day-only event that featured a handful NYC restaurants with their best attempts at creating this oozy, gooey delight. For one hour, guests were able to sample each version, and at the end of the hour, cast their vote for the winning concoction.
A hodgepodge of mac ‘n cheese with a side of Goose Island Beer.
Our favorite was this version (I have to double-check, likely from The Stand’s booth) that had layered in truffle oil from the ground up: the sauce, the breadcrumbs, the cheese…
2) SOUP’S UP: SPLENDID SPOON
I’d meant for this to be a full-fledged post when I met Splendid Spoon founder and owner Nicole Chaszar last year. Her Greenpoint-based soupery creates fresh, vegan soups delivered to you (they ship nationally and just now I saw that they’re on FreshDirect). Touted as the BluePrintCleanse of soup cleansing, these soups are all plant-based and locally sourced. They are made in small batches, packaged, and then flash-frozen—so you can keep them in your fridge for a week, or a month in your freezer, both of which allow for on-demand enjoyment minus the added preservatives. Among the soups I’ve sampled, some of the soups were light (Kale Ginger, Lentil and Kale) and hearty (Mushroom with Steel Cut Oats—so good). They also now have bottled versions: Carrot Turmeric Elixir, Cauliflower Coconut, and more.
I’ll update this section with more photos that I’d taken a while back!
3) OFF BROADWAY STFSWFGM
When I first got the email about this off-broadway show, I hesitated on checking for deets at work because of its NSFW-seeming name: Sex Tips For Straight Women From a Gay Man. But don’t worry—it’s all good, PG fun. Well, fine, not that PG but it wouldn’t be weird to bring your cousins and family to the show. That said, this would actually be the perfect kick-off to a bridal shower. It’s cute, funny, light-hearted…one of the few times that I would actually disagree with The New York Times, which gave the show a pretty bland review (come on!). I liked it. It’s all good fun. A nice way to spend a Friday evening with girlfriends, gay friends…or both!
Here’s the play’s description from Broadway.com:
“In this new romantic comedy based on the international best-selling book, Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man welcomes audiences into a fun-filled world of foolproof moves, filter-free observations and insider advice that could only be culled from that most insightful of individuals: the gay man.”
T’was the morning after… 😉
4) TINDER FOR SHOPPING
Did you read that Vanity Fair article about the famous/infamous dating app? Well this section isn’t about that. This just recently came up on my radar, an app called Tunsy, which apparently mirrors Tinder’s left-and-right swipes only this time dedicated to [drum roll]…SHOPPING! “The ultimate mobile shopping app understands what you like” is how it’s described on their website. Here’s how it works:
“Every product on Tunsy is related to other similar ones When you like a product, our algorithm shows you other products according to its style On the other hand, if you don’t like a product, Tunsy will take it into account too.”
Thoughts? Tinder is off the menu for me (I’m happily married, thankyouverymuch. And besides, if I were single, I’d definitely get clobbered by NYC’s dating scene so kudos to you Gladiators out there. Um, yes—I am currently getting caught up on Scandal Season 4 on Netflix) but Tunsy, yes, I would try.
