Weekend Bits

The long holiday weekend in Montauk was relaxing as always, and filled with loads of good old American bbq, a little bit of late-night revelry, a very cute hotel room at Ruschmeyer's, a particularly raucous 4th of July party courtesy of Ben Watts, Ben Pundole, and Kanon Vodka, and most importantly, the time and space to do absolutely nothing but read for ridiculously long stretches of time. I finally finished A Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan, and it is genius--one of the best books I've read in long, long time. I ended the weekend back in NYC on the rooftop of the Standard Hotel to take in the amazing fireworks display. Pretty perfect. How were your weekends? xo

The baby corn we had for dinner one night at Ruschmeyer's.

 Suz Monster turned into Nature Dog this weekend, much to my surprise, and was appropriately exhausted at the end of each day.

 The beautiful sunset at Surf Lodge.

 Love this. Photo by Yvan Rodic.

Me, Rojas, and Matt hanging out at Ruschmeyer's. Photo by Yvan Rodic.

This was waiting for me on my bedside table at Ruschmeyer's.

 Hanging tree lanterns in the Magic Garden at Ruschmeyer's. Photo by Harry Beee.

Ending the weekend back in the city on the rooftop of the Standard Hotel for a truly spectacular fireworks show.

Weekend Bits

Walking into town through a grassy trail with Matt and Paul. Photo by Alexandra Weiss.

My weekend in Montauk was pretty perfect--we ate lots of little pizzas from Sole East's restaurant, took long naps outside, got a little sunburnt, walked into town for a hangover-curing greasy-spoon breakfast at John's Pancake House, reunited with our old haunt, the Surf Lodge, got introduced to our new favorite place, Ruschmeyer's, slurped down delicious bowls of corn chowder at South Edison, and did a little late-night dancing at the Memory Motel. All the trappings of summer.

How were your weekends? xox

Sole East's peaceful garden. Photo by Alexandra Weiss.

 The glowing red sign for Ruschmeyer's, which just opened this weekend. Cutest new place in Montauk with food done by the Fat Radish boys. Bliss. Photo by Harry Beee.

The flower-lined trail leading to town. Photo by Alexandra Weiss.

Suz Monster tuckered out in the hotel after a full day in the sun. Photo by Alexandra Weiss.

Granola breakfast from Ruschmeyer's. Photo by Harry Beee.

Dancing at Memory. Photo by Alexandra Weiss.

Weekend Bits: What I'm Reading

I spent the entire weekend hiding out in my apartment because of an unfortunate Friday accident during which I tripped, fell, and proceeded to chip a tooth. I guess I still haven't grown out of my teenage "clumsy" phase. Sigh. Of course, my dentist wasn't around until this morning, so I had an excuse to loll around the apartment, read, take in lots of Friday Night Lights episodes, and cook. It actually ended up being a nice break from...well...everything. Plus it gave me a chance to really get caught up on the growing pile of cookbooks I've been meaning to sink my teeth into (no pun intended).

I highly recommend all of the books pictured above (picture by Mark Iantosca). From top to bottom:

1. Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes, by Harold McGee, $35, at barnesandnoble.com
2. Canal House Cooking, Volume No. 5, by Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, $19.95, at canalhousecooking.com
3. A Bird in the Oven and Then Some, by Mindy Fox, $24.95, at amazon.com
4. Pretty Delicious: Lean and Lovely Recipes for a Healthy, Happy New You, by Candice Kumai, $30, at barnesandnoble.com
5. Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?, by Ina Garten, $35, at barnesandnoble.com

Weekend Bits

Another perfect manicure by the exacting technicians at Valley Nails. I decided to go for a black pearl color a la Chanel this time.

I spent the better part of this weekend relaxing, cleaning house, cooking, hanging with Suz Monster, and reading. Lately, that's pretty much my idea of a great time. I don't know if it's the end of winter blahs or maybe that I'm just sick of my cold-weather clothes, but I have almost no desire to go out at night these days. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune once the evenings get warm enough for open-toed shoes and spring dresses, but for now, it's cozy dinner dates and early bedtimes for me.

I did manage to make it out for the big opening party of the new Mondrian Soho hotel, during which The Kills gave an awesome live performance. Totally worth the late trek in the rain. What did you do this weekend? xo

New books! Tiger, Tiger, by Margaux Fragoso; Room, by Emma Donoghue; Three Stages of Amazement, by Carol Edgarian; This Vacant Paradise, by Victoria Patterson. All highly recommended by the paper of record.

Jamie Hince (yes, Kate Moss' fiance) and Alison Mosshart of The Kills performing at the Mondrian Soho on Thursday night. Picture taken by Billy Farrell.

My new favorite Cacharel shorts that I can't wait to wear. I picked them up at Opening Ceremony. I'm in love with the print and the fact that they look like boardshorts.

I have a thing for hot, spicy potato chips. I discovered these Route 11 ones this weekend; they're made with some of the spiciest peppers around and they're delicious. Plus, look at that bag!

Weekend Bits

My fresh manicure courtesy of Valley Nails--the shade is Red by RGB nail polish.

As far as weekends go, this one was rather uneventful. I went for really long, meditative runs, I cooked a lot, I cleaned my little apartment, I spent some quality time with Suz, I read just about every word in the Sunday papers, and I worked a lot. We just launched a big Facebook contest for Valentine's Day with David Yurman today that is actually giving me lots and lots of faith in romance and love (just check out all the entries and you'll see what I mean). 

Beyond that, it was quiet. I painted my nails a bright fire engine red and that, my dear readers, was the highlight of le weekend. And yours? xo

 Sometimes there's nothing better than a breakfast of good toasted bread topped with the best butter you can find.

 One of my favorite places in NYC is the old books section of Bergdorf Goodman. 

Signage at the LOFT event I attended. This is pretty much what we all need right about now.

 I love the big jars of tea they sell at Marie Belle in SoHo.

Weekend Bits

~My new ballerina nude manicure courtesy of Valley Nails~

This was one of the most fun, relaxing weekends I've had this winter. I was determined to ratchet up my activities (usually, I spend cold weekends ensconced firmly in my kitchen cooking up a storm and catching up on leisurely reading) and agreed to brunch dates, tea dates, movie dates, and (gasp!) grocery shopping outside of my own neighborhood. 

And so, in my enthusiasm, my Friday-through-Sunday ended up being one long string of non-stop activities, starting with a cozy Friday night movie date with a boy to finally see Black Swan (I loved it). It continued with a series of brunches: one at Joseph Leonard, where I had one of the best burgers of all time (they smear it with creamy ricotta cheese--genius). Another with the lovely Jenna Fain, who does social media at Coach (tea at Tartinery). And yet another in the form of an hours-long catch-up session over Mimosas at one of my favorite restaurants, Balaboosta, with my friend Bevy. Alas, by the time the big Jets game came on, I was too tuckered out to do anything but throw in a load of laundry downstairs and curl up with the Sunday papers. C'est la vie. How were your weekends? xo

~I made a trip to an old-fashioned butcher shop called Ottomanelli & Sons Prime Meat Market in the West Village to buy pounds of duck (recipe to come). This is one of the super-sweet Ottomanelli brothers~

 ~Fresh flowers to brighten up my sitting area~

 ~Loving my Smythson notebook (a gift from my business partner, Alex Weiss). They're the most durable things ever and the pages, although razor-thin, don't bleed when you write on them with an ink pen~

 ~The delicious burger at Joseph Leonard~

 ~I finally bought some Mast Brothers chocolate this weekend--so prettily wrapped and yummy~

~Suz Monster about to take a nap in the sun~