Eating jumpstart

Sorry for the lack of posting – I haven't been eating. I've been stressed out, scurrying around like a headless chicken, looking for a new place, packing, ridding my current dwelling of a stubborn mouse, fighting an ant invasion and other nonsense.

Then came the new stress....my quest to eat at all the restaurants where I haven't yet eaten at before I skip town and move south to DC. After packing up enough boxes to make me feel like it won't be a mad dash to the finish and buying a lovvveeely yellow Le Creuset cast iron pot (it is waiting patiently in its box) and lifetime supply of All Clad cookware from the Woodbury outlets, I felt like I could concentrate on eating well, rather than getting perpetual take out from Chipotle (indigestible, according to my farmer's market conditioned stomach), eating hot oatmeal, while trying to console myself in apartment in complete disarray.

After half an apartment's worth of boxes and a cup of emergency coffee from the Mud truck, I had some sense kicked (caffeinated?) into me as if to say "why are you drinking sub par upper east side coffee from around the corner? You should know better than that!!! Now stop eating this garbage." Therefore, I'm on a very serious mission to eat my way through New York City again, a little like the Very Hungry Caterpillar.

I started with Abraço. It was so amazing, I've been there twice in two days. three times in 3 days. 5 times in 7 days. The coffee was good and lethal. I've been trying to hard to get there in time to eat their fritatta, but I am always too late. Last weekend, the last slice of fritatta was eaten in front of me, while I diligently waited in line for a consolation prize of Concord grape cake, a cured olive cookie and a rose almond cookie.

Today, instead of a fritatta, I munched on a warm green salad with blanched tomatoes and a grilled eggplant and mozzarella sandwich while contemplating another coffee.



Then there was the time I got some corn soup.





Then there were the two times I got a pork sandwich with Rachel and Melissa (separate days) after coffee.



And then got a cupcake from Butter Lane with Rachel.

7th Street used to have all my favourite stores but it's kinda turned into an eating street, starting with Abraço, then moving down to Porchetta (formerly a boutique called Sugar) and finishing off with Butter Lane.

Last week, like a crazy fiend, I trekked out in the rain for the coffee, meeting my friend John there. After 2 cups, I melted into a semi delirious state, saying how relaxxxxed I was and it was like God had parted the skies and I could see and think clearly again. John glanced sideways at me and said that he felt like he just did drugs with me or something.

Today, I sipped as I looked out of the little counter, envisioning romantic thoughts of me on an Electra Amsterdam cruiser bicycle with FAT tires and a basket, transporting baguettes and running out for coffee in Georgetown, "tooling by the mall", zipping under cherry blossoms on my way to pick up a quiche. Man this coffee is so good.

So if any of you want to hang out and say See You Later before I trade a shoebox apartment for luxurious residence with a dishwasher and separate bedroom, we can make a date at Abraço, or Roebling Tea Room – my other New York love.