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6 things I learned about New York City.

With no job and nothing holding me back here in LA, I decided to take a ten day trip to the big apple. This trip was long overdue seeing I probably have more friends in NYC than I do here in Los Angeles.  It was an interesting trip.   I learned a lot, had a blast, ate some of the most delicious food ever, saw live music, went to many bars, drank a lot and adored the beautiful park in the middle of all this chaos.

I wanted to keep mental notes during the duration of the trip for the sole purpose of exploring the city from new eyes and my perspective, of course.  Here’s what I learned: 

1. NYC has great tap water. Everytime I washed my hair, I noticed it considerably softer.  The tap water also tastes a lot better, colder & fresher in NYC.  It’s also said that the tap water is responsible for the amazing bagel & pizza crusts.
2. Convenience. Everything you want is right outside your door. You need a new pair of shoes?  Dry Cleaning?  A falafel sandwich?  The city is so compacted and grid-like that everything you want (i.e.restaurants, museums, etc.) could be next door to you or a block or two away.
3. No one really cooks in NYC.  I saw some tiny kitchens in some really nice apartments.  Sometimes, the only counter space are those square edges outlining the corners of the sink.  The little-to-no-space is discouraging for most so a lot don’t even bother.  And why should you even bother…
4. NYC has some of the best food i’ve ever eaten in my life.  Don’t get me wrong, Los Angeles has some pretty tasty numbers here, but nothing can compare to some things I devoured in the big apple.  Here’s the thing with L.A. food:  It’s big on vegans, vegetarians, raw food and the huge health craze that comes along with the fact that everyone in Los Angeles is obsessed with the way they look.  My friend had an interesting theory that the reason NYC can get away with fatty, great foods is due to all the walking that goes along after/before a meal (see #5.).  That totally makes sense.  I’m so thankful to know so many locals and foodies in the city that know what’s up when it comes to food.  See the list at the end for my best eats!
5. Nobody walks in LA.  Just like that catchy, 80s song goes.  But walking in the city is a vital part of the big life there.  I believe I walked an average of 3-5 miles a day.  Some days more, some days less.  You don’t only notice the walking, but you can feel the urgency that goes along with most people who are on the go. They can rush past you, leaving you in a tizzy.  But it is to be noted that I only gained one pound after all that good food I ate, thanks to all the walking. 
6. It’s fucking cold.  55 degrees means two separate things for two separate coasts.  NYC’s 55 feels like you’re in the middle of a winter storm (just add wind!) while L.A.’s feel’s much more manageable.  You wear layers upon layers only to go out in the rainy cold and you get wet and sweaty from all the walking and the stuffiness of the subway.  Being born and raised in California, the cold is something I just don’t know how to handle well and i’m just not used to it.

List of my favorite eats in the city:

• Shake Shack -mouth watering cheese-stuffed shroom burger w/cheese fries

• DiFara Pizza -Probably the best pizza i’ve ever had in my life.  Dom has been working there for an eternity and he is the only one who makes these tasty pies- he doesn’t trust anyone else.  I don’t blame him.  The burned, thirsty crust gets quenched with authentic italian olive oil and the cheese and fresh ingredients are undeniably delicious.

• Taim Falafel -Taim means “taste” in arabic and this is exactly what it was. This is what a perfect falafel sandwich should taste like.

• Taco Morelos- Yes, this is a taco truck.  Yes, I ate there on three separate occassions.  Yes, my friend Nicole is very lucky to live only two blocks away from it.  These tostadas put some restaurant ones to shame. 

• Petite Abeille - One of the best omelets i’ve ever had coupled with delectable mashed potatoes to make a beautiful marriage of a belgium breakfast. 

• Levain Bakery- A really tasty, fluffy, gooey, fat, juicy cookie.  Took me 3-4 days to eat due to the richness.  Yum.

I love nyc

Fresh and raw zucchini pasta with freshly made tomato sauce and cashew parmasen my friend made. Turned out to be a *really* tasty burst of flavor without all the pasta guilt, in each bite.  Yum.

Enjoyed such a lovely ethiopian vegetarian plate tonight at Nyala on Fairfax. Delish.

open road in santa barbara today. amazing what an iphone can do.

I’d like to thank the academy for…

holding a real oscar!! I can cross this off my list now.

Cafe Gratitude Los Angeles

Phone (323) 580-6383
639 N. Larchmont Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

I have an outrageous friend, Santina, who has a real magical love for this place that just opened up in Los Angeles called Cafe Gratitude.  It’s a restaurant that specializes in raw vegan goodness.  I have been a vegetarian for two and a half years now and as much as I like dabbling in vegan cuisine, I don’t believe i’ve eaten pure raw vegan food before, so I was completely looking forward to it.  It’s exciting when food you don’t expect to be good throws you a party and your mouth is the main guest.  When the waitress gave us the menus then asked us what we’d like to be appreciated or remembered for, I knew I would like this place.

Take a look at this menu!

We started out with a couple of appetizers.

I ordered the I AM DAZZLING~Ceasar Salad for starters.  It had a brazil nut parmesan, capers, avocado and the dressing was spot on…but overall, it was missing the crunch factor that is the crouton.  I felt that they could’ve added a crisp with a toasted nut, maybe almond?  Either way, it was a good salad, just didn’t knock my socks off.

Santina started off with the I AM GROUNDED~Roasted Potatoes and boy were those fantastic!  I got full from eating them.  They are roasted potatoes drenched with this really tasty and spicy cashew nacho cheese.  These were really impressive…it’s hard to believe this food is actually good for you. 

I ordered the I AM ELATED~Enchilada.  Oh boy, where do I begin. I started first with the cilantro-spiced cole slaw.  I’m a huge lover of cole slaw and I thought this recipe was great.  It tasted very light and breezy, with all the subtle flavors in the right place.
At first, I thought the enchilada was tiny.  Well it was tiny compared to other enchiladas, but then when I took a bite, I understood why.   That bite I took rocked the inside of my mouth!  It was this spicy-sprouty-seed filling, topped with cashew sour cream (yes, cashew is huge in the vegan world)! The enchilada is served cold, which added to the mystic of it all.  Santina tells me that their tortilla is made from vegetables and that it takes a ridiculous amount of hours to cook.  So gathering all that information, you can imagine how richly structured each layer was, bursting with flavor.

Take a look at all that!  It made sense why the enchilada was so small.  I took only a couple bites and really savoured the circus of spices and flavors and took the rest home.

Santina’s main lunch dish was the I AM FORTIFIED~Steamed Vegetables over Quinoa.  I didn’t try this, but it looked like a basic steamed veggie bowl.  It didn’t make that much of an impression on my friend.  But that’s ok, this is the third time she’s been to Cafe Gratitude this week!

We went to look at the desserts and found this great little side store inside the cafe containing raw vegan cookbooks and cute little kitchen-y things.



Santina tells me they make a mean mint chocolate chip vegan ice cream.  I’ll have to try that next time. 

We ended up getting this really delicious coconut cream dessert.  It was light and creamy and oh so airy.  My only light gripe was that it needed cinnamon to elevate it to the next level. 

When i’m eating something really tasty like all of this, something in me makes me automatically feel guilty sometimes because we, as a society, equate good tasting food with food that’s not so good for you.  It’s wrong in this case.  Give raw vegan food a try.  Not only is it really healthy for you, but you’ll definitely be surprised in the richness and the uniqueness that’s embedded in this food- nevermind the fact that most of it is made with love!

deadmarch:

* (by Daniela Henríquez)

(via landlocked-blues)

wanna learn how to make fattoush?  check out my guest blog entry on eatpinklove!

santina runs a pretty fantastic blog.  don’t forget to bookmark it!

santa monica beach!

I have never, in my life, craved sushi, until today.

vegetable rolls.

Radiohead releases new info about their highly anticipated album, The King of Limbs.

highly highly anticipated…did i say that?