Terminal Thai

So a few weeks ago I went to dinner with friends to a Thai place called Zabb city. We were a large group and two people came early and had to leave early so they needed separate checks. Also others in our party came late and then even a little later, so we weren't the easiest table to wait on. And it was obvious the waitress wasn't thrilled with us, but the food was good and the dessert of sticky rice and mango was divine. I also ordered a coconut juice and it came with lucious pieces of sliced young coconut and this was absolutely delicious. But why is this post called Terminal Thai and not Zabb city thai? Well for one I'm waiting at the airport right now and the other more important reason is that Zabb city screwed me over twice. How? First by winning over my love and affection for coconut juice then having the gull to be closed on Monday and then again on Tuesday...which happen to be the two days I insisted we go to Zabb city. So screw you Zabb, there are plenty more Tha
i restaurants in the city, consider my admiration retracted. We walked around the corner and found little unassuming Terminal Thai where we got great service, yummy food, coconut juice and mango and sticky rice. It's located at around 12th street and 2nd Ave, next to the delicious smelling mac and cheese place....just one more place to try. But for right now I heart Terminal Thai.

Chalups

Today, Chalupa woke up with an upset tummy. We could hear her belly gurgle, which is a telltale sign that she has gas. Poor thing, she stopped on her morning walk twice so that she could just sit and have me rub her belly. As soon as we got home I gave her a gas-x. But hours later her belly was still gurgling so I gave onr more gas-x strip. She felt much better at dinner time and showed by writhing around on the rug then the couch. Here she is post-writhing.

Chevey's calorie count

Now anyone who has ever been to a large scale chain restaurant knows that there are good locations and bad ones. When we lived all the way downtown near Battery Park, one of our favorite places to order from was Chevy's. In the neighborhood we lived in, it was a place that was reasonably priced, it was also open late, and it delivered. Well, yesterday we decided to run into the Chevy's in Times Square to grab a bite to eat before seeing a movie. (Star Trek in Imax rocked!) Now, we haven't been to Chevy's in a while, but this location has always been the worse of the two in Manhattan. We were seated at a tall bar table, where the cushion wobbled around and threatened to dump me on the floor. And we were promptly given two very greasy and sad looking menus. And this time on the menus they had the calories listed. Good ole Bloomberg, the calorie listings are a godsend. I had no idea my favorite dish (the flautas) was over 1400 calories! And what was shocking was that just about everything on their menu topped 1000 calories, even the salads were pretty high up there. I wish all restaurants had to post calorie counts, not just the big chain restaurants. It really does make it easier to choose a healthier option. When we lived downtown I used to order the flautas all the time, and John used to order the Chevy's sampler. No doubt about it Chevy's was our downfall. I'm very happy that we live in a much better neighborhood now, plenty of food choices and three grocery stores in walking distance. In their defense the portions are generally gigantic, so you can cut the calorie count in half if you take half home. But I can't recommend the place, the slimy, scummy menus were just gross. And although the service was pretty good, how can anyone justify one meal that is over 2000 calories including a drink. The raspberry lemonade was mild but tasty and the calorie count on that was 400, with free refills. Two refills and your already at 800! I love food as much as the next person...but it's places like this that make it far too easy for someone to pack on the extra lbs.

Something Sweet

This is a great little dessert place. Although there is no seating in the store it's a great place to run in and get a little cookie or tart or whathaveyou. I recommend the chocolate banana cookie or the raspberry linzer cookie. But honestly we've never been disappointed with any of their treats.

Transmission problems

So the saga continues with my little Saturn, she's a great little car and she's hanging tough. But this weekend was a hard trip for her. Late Friday night when we arrived at my sister's house she wouldn't reverse instead she slowly coasted forward. And when I tried to bring her to the Saturn dealership service department on Saturday I found them to be closed and the whole place seemed like a ghost town. Signs of the times I suppose.

But on Saturday my little Saturn SL1 seemed to recover over night and I was able to reverse with just a minor lag before I felt the transmission slip in. We had a pretty easy ride back to NYC on Sunday, until we hit bridge and tunnel traffic. I opted for the bridge because it seemed last time the loooong wait in the tunnel seemed to adversely affect my car. But it was stop and go even on the GW Bridge and then again on the FDR. And just when we were 5 minutes from home, the dreaded light came back on, and she had trouble switching gears, staying at about 30 mph until finally it would kick in and we could accelerate. It wasn't a big deal, because traffic was so heavy we were keeping up with the flow. But I fear the end is near.

I just dropped of my Saturn, to the same garage that I've been dealing with since the first time my check engine light came on I think back before Thanksgiving. I told him I didn't need it for a while so he could keep it and order the parts whatever, just asked that he call me when he had an estimate. Today, he mentioned something about changing the filter first, just to see. Which was funny, because the guy at my parking garage kept saying last night that I should ask them to change my filter and give my transmission a tune-up and not to pay over $100 for it. So, we'll see what the mechanic guy says. I want to trust them with my little car, but I also am trying to face the reality that my car may not survive the year. Again...I think it's just a sign of the times.

Although there is a glimmer hope, the rest of my car seems to be doing fine, so it might be worth it to spend a little bit of money to fix the transmission, even with used parts. In the long run it would be much cheaper (but less convenient) to rent a car when we need one. On paper it make much more sense, but it will be very difficult for me to say goodbye to my Saturn, and good bye to owning a car altogether. But I supposed most New Yorkers get by without one, it's very uncommon among our friends for people to own a car a live in the city. But my Saturn has a lot of personality and has been with me since October of 1997...when the time comes, it will be sad to see her go.

Crime Scene Invetigation

Big Daddy's

Big Daddy's is a fun diner, it's walls are plastered with logos of the 70s and 80s. From Pac-man, to Hostess, to "where's the beef?", to Dallas, to the Love boat...it pushes all the right buttons for someone around my age. The up town one is much bigger and more spacious, the downtown is smaller and seems not as brightly lit. But they have the same ginormous menu, with great milk shakes, and little extras like tater tots instead of fries. Big burgers, sandwiches, and some comfort food thrown in like chicken pot pie, and fried chicken, it's a crowd pleaser. And the other night while waiting for John to finish up a late night at work we ordered from there. I ordered the fried chicken with the tots, and as usual with delivery fried food it was a little greasy. But the portion was so huge I had enough for lunch yesterday and today. I also recommend the Barbie milkshake, it's vanilla ice cream with bananas and strawberries. What's not to like?

The Chalupettes

I tried to get a pic of Chalupa sitting nicely with all the toys that resemble her, but she is having none of it. She quickly attacked the squirrel/prairie dog type thing and only stayed still for half a second. But with her hair trimmed short she looks a lot like the reindeer, but when it's shaggy she looks like her little lion doll. Together they form the Chalupettes.

Penelope Cafe

Oh the sacrifices I make for my blog. John, Christine and I hopped into Penelope's on a rainy Sunday for an early dinner. Penelope's is the cutest little place, with lots of charm and personality. It has an old diner/candy shoppe feel. With nice cake stands with glass domed covers. And their cupcakes are on humble display. I ordered the brie and green apple sandwich adding the chicken, which was divine, with a side of greens. John ordered the split peas soup and mac and cheese. And Christine ordered the split pea soup. I was the only one eyeing the desserts...since both Christine and John claimed to be stuffed...I asserted that I simply had to order a dessert for my blog. It was my duty after all to report on everything, right? I thought I was going to get one of their delectable looking cupcakes with butter cream frosting but the red velvet cake was calling to me. So there you have it, a nice sugary ending that was perfect with a cup of peppermint tea. I have to admit though there was a point where I should have just stopped eating, because I was happily full. After that the it was a classic example of the law of diminishing returns...although I took a few too many bites too many...it was such a pretty cake and charming atmosphere I enjoyed it. The menu is small but delicious. Highly recommended.

Is that a baguette in your pocket...

On Friday I was heading out to meet a friend for dinner and I noticed a guy wearing a bright orange shirt with big bold lettering that read "Sullivan Street Bakery." This immediately brought back memories, I have actually never set foot in this place but many moons ago at an outdoor bbq party someone brought delicious hand pulled bread and it was from a magical place called "Sullivan Street Bakery." So, you can understand my interest in this guy with the bright orange shirt and SSB baseball cap on ...as we crossed paths I could see he was carrying something big that was wrapped in light brown SSB paper. And I couldn't help myself I was ogling that bag trying to guess what it was, thoughts were racing through my head..."wow, SSB delivers...I didn't know that...that bread was so delicious...I have to look them up and go there...what's in the bag,...and some lucky someone's getting a nice delivery from them." Before I realized it I was face to face with the guy for a split second and he looked me in the eye and said, "Hi...your gorgeous." I smiled and laughed to myself as I kept walking...with the realization just beginning to creep in that guy thought I was ogling him and not his baked goods. poor fool. This guy thought I was all into him and me, I was lusting after the carbs. It was an honest mistake, after all I did spot him from across the street and I couldn't help but stare. Oh well, no harm no foul. Anyway, I think maybe I'll try to head over to the Sullivan Street Bakery and see if they live up to my expectations/memories. If it's anything like I remember I won't be disappointed.