SYP Says

Dumpling Trip to Flushing, Queens

NYC is one of the best places in the world to explore (and, some would say, the greatest city in the world). Most people come to NYC and just see Manhattan, but some of the most interesting places are in the boroughs. That's because the majority of NYC's 8.3 million residents actually live in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, or the Bronx, and are from all over the world, creating ethnic enclaves that are fascinating to visit. You can always tell at any given time which ethnicities are well represented in NYC by which languages are on city signs. For example, the current subway notices are in English and translated into four main languages--Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Russian.

I know I'm lucky to live here (and even luckier to have left and been able to move back), so from time to time, I plan on highlighting a different part of NYC.

Today, we're going to Flushing, Queens. According to Wikipedia, NYC is home to more than one million Asian Americans, greater than the combined totals of San Francisco and Los Angeles, and the highest total Asian population of any U.S. city, with nearly a quarter of the nation's Asian Indian population, 15% of all Korean Americans, and the largest population of overseas Chinese outside of Asia. Over 40% of these Chinese live in Queens and many say that the Chinatown in Queens is now larger than the one in Manhattan.

Flushing, Queens is a neighborhood I have (embarrassingly) never been to. To get there, you take the 7 train to the end of the line and you'll be downtown. It has approx 200,000 people, 44% of whom are Asian. Two of the largest ethnicities are Chinese and Korean, so it's no surprise that the food is really great there. When it looked like I'd have a reason to go to Flushing, I was very excited. :)

My husband is a Tae Kwon Do student and instructor. As a result, he has a few aches and pains and his master recommended he go to his acupuncturist in Flushing. Great excuse for a dumpling excursion!

In preparation, I mapped out a few places to visit. 

In the end, we ended up at two Chinese restaurants and one Korean grocery store with plans to visit more often. I would have taken pics of Flushing itself, but it was pouring rain and snowing while we were there. What you need to know is that it is very crowded, many of the restaurants are cash only, and most of the signs are not in English, so it really does feel a bit like you have travelled to another country (until you pass by the all-pervasive souvlaki cart).

Nan Xiang Dumpling House

This unassuming restaurant often has a waiting line, but we were lucky to get in right away due to the bad weather. Because we knew we were making another food stop, we stuck to ordering the two dishes Nan Xiang is best known for -- scallion pancakes and soup dumplings.

The scallion pancakes were unusually light and crunchy, but the real stars were the soup dumplings. There is an art to eating these. I put one on my spoon with a bit of soy and chili sauce and then make a small hole in the dumpling with my teeth. This allows me to easily slurp some of the yummy soup that is inside while some of the hot steam escapes.  Then, I eat the rest of the dumpling in one large bite. Heaven. 

Biang

Next up was a visit to Biang, the team that created Xi'an Famous Foods. This is a much different restaurant than Nan Xiang--it has been suitably hipsterized with its wooden tables and sleek decor. It has been written up quite a bit lately, so the clientele was mixed. At 4pm on a Saturday, we were still able to get a seat, but by 5, there was already a line, so come here during an off time unless you don't mind waiting.

The dishes everyone raves about here are the noodles and the lamb dumplings. We were too full to eat the noodles this time, but we tried a few smaller dishes and they were all good. I actually liked the spicy cumin chicken skewers the best. Usually, I don't eat red meat, but because everyone raved so much about the lamb here, I had to give it a try. The lamb sliders were almost like a Chinese gyro. The bread was not fluffy and sweet like you might find with a Chinese bun (say at a dim sum restaurant for example), but instead was more like a plain flatbread with a bit of crunch. The spicy and sour lamb dumplings were savory and tasty, although quite rich. 

 

 

Goowha Market

This specialty Korean grocery is smaller, but closer to the 7 train, than the other Korean markets in the area. It is very clean and bright with a broad selection of Korean ingredients, as well as produce and a good seafood and meat counter. Excellent prices too. We got a few things and hightailed it back to Brooklyn. I definitely recommend coming here if you are on foot, rather than trekking all the way to H Market.

Looking forward to next time! 

 

 

 

La Regle du Jeu: Jim Haynes Dinner in Paris

Jim kissed my hand and advised me as I was leaving,"Always work as little as possible. Make sure you're fullering!" 

At the time, I had no idea what he was referring to, but it turns out Jim Haynes has coined a new word, "fullering," (in honor of Buckminster Fuller) meaning "to spend energy joyfully" as opposed to working which means "to spend energy painfully."

If anyone is a model of fullering, it's Jim Haynes. An expat artist who was a key figure in the London counter-culture of the '60s, Jim has been hosting a Sunday dinner party for the literati set at his Paris home for over 30 years. 

When I first heard about his infamous get-togethers, I was doing research on a recent trip to Paris and I knew I had to try to attend. They are notoriously hard to get into and I e-mailed Jim only a week in advance, but somehow I was able to wrangle five spots for me and my family.

Dinner is always made by a different friend of Jim's. There are usually between 50-60 guests--sometimes more, especially when the weather is nice--and you have full use of his backyard garden. It gets pretty dark back there though at night, so I'd bring a flashlight (seriously). The dinner was pretty good--the night I was there, we had an endive, walnut, and stilton salad, chicken and ratatouille, and some kind of rice pudding-ish thing for dessert--but the conversation's the thing.

Most of the guests at Jim's dinners are strangers to him and also to one another and I think that's the way he likes it. There are regulars, certainly--in fact a few people I met had been there a couple weekends in a row--but by and large, these are "salons" as Jim likes to call them that bring together people from all over the world for a few hours in Jim's home to drink wine, break bread, and talk in a civilized manner about the things that matter in life--art, politics, travel, music, literature.

There are rules to the game, of course. So for you newbies out there, some tips:

1) Call or e-mail Jim as far in advance as you can with the number of people in your party, their genders, and the date you want to attend. Be polite and friendly.

2) Be sure to call Jim to confirm the morning of your booking. There is always a waiting list.

3) Sunday dinners begin at 8 and end at 11. Jim lives in Montparnasse in the 14th arr. From the Champs-Elysees we had to switch trains and the ride took about 20-30 mins not including walking to/from the Metro.

4) The suggested donation is 25 euros per person (although they will accept more or less). Bring one envelope containing the total donation for your party in cash (plus business cards if you have those) and make sure you write your names on the back.

5) Dress is casual and comfortable. You don't need to bring any gifts (in fact, he specifically asked me not to). Just bring an appetite and a mindset for connecting with new friends.

6) Keep your fork.

7) *Do not serve yourself.* I was standing in line for the second course and a woman in front of me took some leftover salad. Let's just say she got a stern talking-to from one of Jim's friends. (The reason is in case people show up late.)

A Jim Haynes dinner is something to enjoy at least once in your life. He's having a special 2010 New Year's Eve soiree btw. There might still be room...have fun!

Listen to Jim Haynes talk about why he holds these Sunday dinners on NPR.

P.S. La Regle du Jeu means "rule of the game" and often refers to the 1933 Jean Renoir film of the same name (although in English it is usually called "The Rules of the Game"). It's one of my faves. Check it out.

 

Paris & Barcelona Fall 2009 Photos

I recently spent 10 days in Paris & Barcelona. What a wonderful time I had! More posts to come on the trip itself, but here are some pix to enjoy. These two photos do a good job of representing my experiences in each place--Paris was all about the architecture and Barcelona was all about the food & energy. That's not to say I didn't have good food in Paris or that the architecture in Barcelona wasn't amazing, but...it's just how I feel about each place.

More pix here: http://syp.typepad.com/photos/paris_barcelona_fall_2009/index.html

and also on Facebook:

• Barcelona Part 1: Tapas & Assorted Gaudi
  
• Barcelona Part 2: Cinc Sentits & Mediterranean, etc.
• Barcelona Part 3: La Boqueria & Las Ramblas
• Barcelona Part 4: Gaudi's Park Guell
• Barcelona Part 5: Montserrat, Opera, etc.
• Paris Part 1: Seine, Place de la Concorde
• Paris Part 2: Notre Dame
• Paris Part 3: Versailles
• Paris Part 4: Pompidou, Place des Vosges, misc.

 

2008 Oceanside Trip: Creative Good Beach Party + Phil's Wedding Reception

Every year for the last five or so, I've gone to Phil Terry's Beach Party in Oceanside, CA. The first year, it was more of a birthday party. Subsequent years have been more work-related and now are essentially a combination networking and Customer Experience Council event. As such, they even have real caterers (no more having to run up and down the Costco aisles with Phil's mom for salsa & soda!).

This year was extra special in that the night before the beach party, we celebrated Phil & Lisa's marriage with a west coast wedding reception. It was a blast--friends, fun, dancing, and, hey, even Marines!

Check out the pictures from the 2008 beach party and the 2008 wedding party a couple weeks ago.

2007 beach party pictures are here.

And just a tip if you are ever in Oceanside, CA. Don't miss dinner at Azafran for great Cuban food and breakfast at the Beach Break Cafe where all the locals go before they surf all day.

Back to NYC April 2008

A couple of weeks ago, (the Pope &) I spent 8 days back home in NYC. I was in town for Customer Experience Council meetings, but I took some vacation days so I could enjoy being back in the city with my friends and my old life. Believe it or not, this post will be sans action shots because my Blackberry doesn't have a camera (yes, I'm a loser) and my camera was on the fritz. I think my friends were relieved as I've been on a bit of a tear the last couple of years. Everyone worries about getting stuck on my blog doing things they'd rather not remember. :) Warning: This is a very long post!

The first half of my trip, I stayed with my friend, Karen. Now that she is divorced from TOAD (see pic at left), she is so much happier which makes me happier, of course. Her partner in crime, David, came over to hang my first night in town--he and his family were the inspiration for one of my all-time fave shows, Six Feet Under. No surprise--he is hysterically funny.

We left him to check out his lovely new apartment (long story involving a dead man and his dog) and made our way to meet Karen's new BF for dinner at Etats-Unis Bar, a slice of the West Village on the Upper East Side. They have an eclectic casual menu focused on fresh, seasonal ingredients, that is much different from their more formal restaurant across the street. Don't miss their spicy guacamole and date pudding for dessert!

Sunday in NYC always, always starts with brunch. We chose to go to Morandi, the new rustic Italian trattoria from Keith McNally, the clever man who brought us Balthazar, Pastis, and Schiller's Liquor. We started with fried artichokes with lemon and then I dug into poached eggs over fava beans, artichokes and escarole. We were SO full, but couldn't pass up ricotta fritters for dessert. David took one on the road with him for his first trip on the Ikea bus. Although he did not buy any furniture, he did get several of their infamous blue bags!

Karen and I were now fueled up and ready to shop til we dropped. We hit a variety of shops in Nolita, including one of my favorites, bag (formerly called shoe, now up the street), where I found the perfect summer yellow purse, and we took a quick sake break at Chibi's. I had great success in Soho too at Bloomie's downtown and Max Studio. We stopped off at Te Casan, a very cool shoe store that is design and fashion-forward, focused mainly on limited-edition shoes, such as Natalie Portman's new shoe line for vegans. We had dinner at the exotic, Thai-fusion restaurant, Kittichai. Karen was craving their chocolate baby-back ribs and although I hadn't been to Kittichai in a few years, I did remember how beautiful the interior is and had a faint memory of delicious cocktails, so who was I to complain.

Monday was all about pampering myself. I slept late on the Aero Bed which was surprisingly comfy, played with Lily & Max, sipped coffee, danced around, and before I knew it, was a scant 15 minutes away from being late for lunch. I cabbed it down to L'Impero to meet Tara, a recruiter I used when I worked at A&E. I hadn't seen her in a long time and it was so nice to catch up. She's now heading up Jobplex at DHR International, one of the largest HR firms around. I had been hearing about this restaurant for years and it didn't disappoint, although the setting is much more formal than I expected. I started with an appetizer of sardines, buffalo mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and pesto. It was a lovely combination--a bit salty, sweet, and creamy. At lunch, you can get half orders of pasta, so I ordered Sardinian saffron pasta with crab, sea urchin and fresh tomato. It was the best pasta I'd had since I left NYC two years ago. I walked around town and then ended up at Sol Spa for my Korean scrub & massage appointment. (For those of you who haven't been paying attention, here is why I love Korean scrubs so much.) Met David and Karen for drinks at Lucy at ABC (one of my all-time favorite stores) and then off to The Modern for dinner.

Genius NYC restaurateur, Danny Meyer, did a Council call earlier this year I unfortunately missed. He was going to be speaking in person at the Council meetings though and as part of that, we got an email from Phil at the beginning of April saying we should book reservations for one of Danny's restaurants through his personal assistant and be prepared to give feedback. I chose The Modern at the MOMA since I'd never been and Phil highly recommended it.

We were in the dining room and by this point in the night, a bit on the rowdy side. I had just gotten my scrub, of course, and Karen and David couldn't stop touching the back of my neck. I have to admit it was smoooove. We had also had enough to drink that merely saying, "He-llo? Helloooooo? Hellooooooooooo?" to each other in a funny accent had us in stitches. The food was amazing though--sophisticated with a very light touch and we had the best time. And it was more than enough--I kept reading reviews that said the portions were small, but we didn't find that to be the case. In fact, there was dessert after the dessert course--cute little bon bons--and when David dropped one of the yummiest ones on the floor, they brought us an entire new tray! Even with our...um...boisterous behavior, Dino, the assistant manager of The Modern, welcomed us warmly and said he would see me on Wed at the Rainbow Room dinner later that week. As it turns out, he actually did remember me which was quite impressive, I thought, given the number of people he sees every day.

Tuesday brought a bit more shopping, lunch at Won Jo, one of my favorite restaurants in Koreatown, and eyebrow threading at Perfect Shape Threading Salon (seriously, if you have never done this, do it today--it is cheap, quick, and your eyebrows will never look better). Met a bunch of the old A&E crew at the Flatiron Lounge and then met two friends for dinner--Mary, formerly of HBO, now of MAINE(!), and Sarah, formerly of BabyCenter.com, now of Snapfish.com. Now that Le Tableau has closed (which I am so, so sad about), I figured Lucien would be a good spot to go. It's a perfect place to have fun conversation with friends and enjoy bistro fare--fish soup, salad, frites, wine. Afterwards, I met a friend at the Brandy Library (see pic at left) in Tribeca for a swanky nightcap. You can choose from over 900 bottles of spirits--an amazing selection. Ignore the sign on the outside claiming it's full. I strolled right in and got a comfy seat and it really wasn't all that crowded. I think they just do that to keep the riff-raff out (clearly, they failed in my case).

Wednesday it was back to work in the afternoon, so I spent the morning checking out of Hotel Stavisky and checking into the modern boutique Hotel QT. (How could I not choose to stay in a NYC hotel that has a swimming pool in the lobby? Plus, the beds here are amazing.) After our meetings, we had the Council's Annual Copernican Awards Event and Dinner at the Rainbow Room. At one point, I was sitting at my table and I heard someone yell my name "S-O  Y-O-U-N-G"! I looked up and there was Dino from The Modern! I was so surprised he'd remembered me. Great guy and so friendly--he is perfect for the job he has.

A bunch of us went out afterwards and went to chill at Tillman's, a bit of Harlem in Chelsea with a vibe I really loved. Can't go wrong with Billie Holiday, classic cocktails, and one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches ever (get the French Onion one!). It's a bit hard to find--it's on the north side of the street at 165 26th between 6th and 7th. There's a doorman. Be nice and you won't have any problem. :) Marie & I stayed out a little longer, making it to Happy Ending for a drink (it's not what you think--this former Chinatown massage parlor is now a dance spot) and then the 24-hour meat-packing-district staple, Florent, for late-night frites.

Thursday was another full day of meetings. Afterwards, Councils 1 and 3 went bowling at Leisure Time Bowl, the bowling alley at Port Authority. The beer and pizza weren't great, but the company was, and furthermore, I bowled an awe-inspiring 76. Woohoo! So, no, I was not "Obama-bad." And then it happened. I was forced to go karaoking for the second time in my life. Several of us from Council 1 who will remain nameless to protect the not-so-innocent convened at Sing Sing, an East Village karaoke bar on St. Marks Place. We got a private room and spent hours doing truly unforgettable renditions of everything from The Cars' "Good Times Roll"  and The Human League's "Don't You Want Me," to "Puff the Magic Dragon," "Baby Got Back," "London Bridge," Iron Maiden's "Run for the Hills," "You Don't Bring Me Flowers," "Ring of Fire," "Electric Avenue," "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)", and my personal shining moments, Guns N Roses' "Sweet Child O Mine" and Foreigner's "Waiting for a Girl Like You". I have never laughed so hard in my life. And who knew "Islands in the Stream" was so tricky?

Friday...had to be up bright and early. Considering the night before, it was tough, but I prevailed. I had gnudi at The Spotted Pig to look forward to, so I made it through the day and then met Keith around 9.  David and Karen joined us there later after seeing a play called "A Catered Affair"--NOT recommended btw. I stuffed myself with not just gnudi, but other delights as well, including a delicous duck egg with sauteed ramps and the always fabulous banoffee pie. Their site has a full menu. And as proof that my gnudi obsession has not only gone global, but affected my friends at work now, apparently Keith was in a business meeting in Australia when in the presentation, they brought up my blog and pictures of us having gnudi at The Spotted Pig. Pretty funny stuff. (My friends know how much I love the gnudi, but for those of you who don't, here are all of the posts I've written on the topic.)

On Saturday, I met my long-time friend Michelle for brunch at Alice's Tea Cup on the Upper West Side, hung out at Central Park, and then went down to the West Village. We stopped in at Corner Bistro, one of my all-time favorite places in NYC for a McSorley's. It was so nice to spend time with her. Then it was off to Grand Central to go up to Goldens Bridge for *my very first Seder*. Much more on this in another post, but suffice to say, I had gefilte fish (slightly sweet), asked the Four Questions, and sang in Hebrew! It was very special. Given it was my last night in the city, I just couldn't go straight home afterwards, so I went to my favorite jazz bar, Smalls, and enjoyed saxophonist Marcus Strickland doing his thing.

My last day (sniffle) was spent checking out and then meeting Karen, her new BF, Randy, and David for brunch at Cafe Sabarsky, the Viennese Kaffeehaus in the Neue Galerie. The Pope, whose schedule had been matching mine pretty closely all week (I go to Westchester, he goes to Westchester; I go uptown, he goes uptown), once again shut down the area near where I needed to go. The Popemobile reminds me strangely of the clear plastic box David Blaine trapped himself in when he suspended himself from the Tower Bridge in London several years ago.

Anyway, back to Cafe Sabarsky. I had my luggage with me and at first they wouldn't let me in. After my luggage was searched and locked away in a bombproof room (OK, not really), we figured it all out and I was able to enjoy a lovely two-hour brunch that included crepes with smoked trout and horseradish cream, and wiener melange one of the best cups of coffee ever with the funniest name. Apparently pronounced "veener" not "wiener," our server guffawed with laughter every time we misspoke. Seriously, he actually said to us "That never gets old." At least he admitted that I was in good company since he said Jake Gyllenhaal made the same pronunciation gaffe. The food is very good here, but it's the pastries that really make people drool. We had two--Sabarskytorte which is a dark chocolate and rum torte and some kind of Quark cheese strudel. What a sweet way to end my trip.

The best part was on the way to Cafe Sabarsky, my cab driver asked if I was going to the airport afterwards. I said I was and did he want to take me.  I needed to leave at 1. He said yes, I will be here at 1. Whoa! Let me just say that this never happens. Cab drivers in NYC never pre-arrange to come get you, because they never need to. So now I have something else to thank the Pope for! 

Isla Mujeres, Mexico: After

It's been several weeks now since I was in Isla Mujeres. I was so excited about the trip that I posted before-hand. This perfect little island off the coast of Cancun had the best beach I've ever been to--and I've been to beaches all over the world from India to St. Martin to Baja. Granted, there are many many more I haven't been to, but the Isla Mujeres beaches are number 1 for me at least for now.  The beach at our hotel had such clear, blue water, but the most amazing part was how far out into the ocean you could walk and the water rarely got above mid-chest level. You could just go and go and go until you were basically standing in the middle of the ocean.

Isla Mujeres is the anti-Cancun and that's the way I like it. As soon as we got off the ferry, I was reminded a little of India with its laid-back feel, low, colorful buildings, and people on bikes carrying 10x their weight. We hoofed it to our home for the week, the lovely Ixchel Beach Hotel. My family was sharing an ocean-facing suite with a huge wraparound deck. As is customary on our family trips, we immediately went to the local grocery store to buy water, fruit, and juice (in Mexico, we especially love the juice/soy milk beverages) and get the lay of the land.

We spent the bulk of our trip chilling on the beach, swimming, playing cards, drinking tequila, and eating a lot. As a true foodie family, we will not go on a trip unless we think the food will be excellent. We weren't disappointed. And because Isla, like the rest of the Mexican Riviera, has a large number of transplants from Europe, there is a wonderful mix of cuisine.

We found the best fish tacos, ceviche, and garlic conch and octopus (pulpo)  to be at an open-air seafood restaurant called Cockteleria Justica Social (Social Justice). Social Justice is on the water on the same side as the ferry but up the street quite a bit--the opposite direction from the more touristy restaurants (and Picus, which I had heard good things about but hated). I like that it's removed, but I'm also concerned that it is a bit hard to find. I don't want it going out of business before we make it back!

We also had outstanding local grilled bbq fish called tikin-xic, amberjack marinated in lime and coated with achiote paste and grilled until bright red. Our favorite was at Playa Lancheros which is about mid-island on the water. This was one of the biggest fish I've ever eaten. It looked strangely like ribs as you can see in this picture and the meat was almost more like chicken than fish. Delicious though.

My favorite hangout was Manana, a bookstore and restaurant run by an Israeli couple. Don't miss their various coffee concoctions, smoothies and snacks. We also had an amazing breakfast there on our last day that included a Moroccan-inspired dish of spicy tomatoes and over-easy eggs.

For a healthy, European-flavored meal, check out Elements of the Island which has homemade preserves and interesting dishes from Switzerland (as well as rooms for rent and pilates and yoga classes!). The pizza at Rolandi's was quite good, especially the ones with seafood and huitalacoche (corn funghi which is a delicacy in Mexico...it tastes like a smoky type of mushroom, basically). If you want to have fun on a Sun night, go to the basketball courts in the center of town and enjoy homemade tacos and sweets with the locals for church dinner. My favorite meal though was at the newly opened Olivia's, a Mediterranean restaurant with a beautiful setting and a delectable mix of cuisine from Greece to Turkey to Morocco. Last, but not least, once we found the gelateria, Cool, we went there for dessert *every night*. The best  flavors--cinnamon, nutella, and kahlua coffee with tons of ground up coffee bean right in the cream. mmmmmmmm

The best way to see the entire island which is only 5 miles long and less than a half mile wide is by moped or golf cart. The southern part of the island is gorgeous and where most of the locals live, so don't miss doing this. Among other things, we saw the baseball field, a local k-mart(!), a house shaped like a seashell, and of course, amazing views.

My aunt loves reggae, so one night we went to a club called Caribe and my dad bought us Cuban cigars. Now, I am a novice cigar-smoker and I couldn't light my cigar to my family's amusement.

There was an older guy at the bar smoking a cigar, so my dad says, "I bet he knows how to do it. Go ask him." So I trot up there and he helps me out. My mom comes up to us and takes a picture. He totally freaks and then my mom makes it so much better by saying, "No, it's fine, I'm her mom!"

My dad had heard that Captain Tony was the only guy we could trust for a boat trip and because the  weather can be a bit unpredictable (and Captain Tony won't go out if it's at all rough), the best thing to do is to go to his house first thing in the morning and check in with him to see if he'll be making a run or not. It took us a couple of tries, but we eventually made it on a trip to a nature preserve called Contoy Island.

The boat was not large, but with the help of a calm sea and a couple Dramamine, I was fine on the way out. On the way back, however, the wind unexpectedly began to kick up and in addition to basically being in a continuous shower for 2 hours straight (with the occasional water gun squirt to the face), the waves were so high we almost turned over. The 20 of us on the boat thought this was pretty funny and in between wiping our faces from the constant soaking we were getting, we were squealing from our stomachs dropping over and over, and even singing the theme to Gilligan's Island. Captain Tony otoh was amazing the way he handled it all. I am sure we were a distraction. :) Even after all that, he stopped to let us do some mid-ocean snorkeling. The current was so strong, I felt like I almost got pulled out to sea a couple of times, but it was worth it. I hung onto the rope and was rewarded. I've never seen such huge fish in my life. And I mean HUGE...barracuda and other giant colorful fish with big teeth. What a way to top off the day which had some of the clearest water and most beautiful beach I'd ever seen and stingrays that swam with you at Contoy. I touched one and it was so weird feeling--slimy but firm. One in particular liked me and followed me around. I named him Joe. (If you are wondering where the picture is of me touching Joe, my mom flubbed it--lol.)

If you are thinking of going to Isla Mujeres, be sure to visit IslaMujeres.net and especially MyIslaMujeres.com, home of the Map Chick. Her map was invaluable btw.

Find out more about my trip and check out all of my Isla Mujeres trip photos!

Haven't gotten enough? Visit the Big Sweet Tooth blog for more from another Isla Mujeres-lover.

CEC1 Recommendations

I've been a member of the Customer Experience Executive Councils run by Creative Good for four or five years now. Lately, we've been starting our sessions with updates from each member and things to recommend to one another. The Councils are private, but because these are some of the smartest, most well-informed people I know, I thought I would share just the recommended list so you too can benefit. I suspect if you check out some of the items below, your IQ and taste bud sensitivity will go up at least 5 points.

Blogs/Sites

• 43Folders.com: Blog on time management
• BeFunky.com: Funky ways to express yourself
• Doodle: Site that helps people agree on date/time of something
• FreeRice.com: Feed the world, one grain at a time
• ffffound.com: Image bookmarking
• Future Perfect Blog and NYT Article
• MyHeritage.com: Fun facial recognition software
• Omnigraffle: A wire-framing tool for Macs
• PaidContent.org: The economics of content
• Pingg.com: Design invitations
• Smashing Magazine: Innovative tips for designers & web developers
• Stuff White People Like
• White Whine

Books

• Alexander Hamilton Biography
• Andrew Carnegie Biography
• The BinLadens by Steve Call
• Christianity and the Social Crisis (1907)
• Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• Getting Things Done by David Allen
• How Doctors Think
• Liberty vs Democracy debates by James Bovard
• The Little Red Book of China Business
• Team of Rivals
• What Customers Want
• Wild Swans

Other Stuff

• Baby Charles, a funk band from Brighton
• Conference called "Interesting"
• Go to Africa and check out the non-profit project AsanteAfrica.org
• Go to the Grand Canyon with (or without!) your kids
• If you like really spicy food, ask for "gunpowder" in any South Indian restaurant
• Le Creuset "buffet" casserole
• Oberoi Hotel in Rajasthan, India
• Sonos Wireless Music System
• Visit Nova Scotia
• Wines from the Toro region of Spain

Restaurants Around the World

• Adelitas Taqueria in San Jose, CA
• Bazin's on Church Street in Falls Church, VA
• Bistro Elan in Palo Alto, CA
• Caduff's Wine Lofts in Zurich, Switzerland
• Corner Bistro in West Village (NYC)
• Figs in Charlestown, MA
• Fribourger Fondue-Stuebli in Zurich, Switzerland
• Heidi's in Minneapolis
• In-n-Out Burger (all over CA and a few other Western states)
• Keungama Tofu House (Korean) in Los Angeles, CA
• Liberty Cafe in San Francisco
• Napa Rose at Disneyland
• The Oceanaire in Baltimore
• Osha (Thai) in San Francisco, CA (the third street location is best)
• Ottolenghi: A healthy restaurant in London
• Panera: A location near you!
• Phuong Trang (Viet) in San Diego, CA
• Pizzeria Mozza, Mario Batali's new pizza place in Los Angeles, CA
• Pylos in NYC
• Slanted Door in San Francisco, CA
• St. John: A meat restaurant in London
• Tamarine in Palo Alto, CA
• Tiger Noodles in Princeton, NJ
• Tofoo Com Chay in San Jose, CA
• Uncle Bill's Pancake House in Manhattan Beach, CA
• Uncle Yu's in Livermore, CA
• Willie's in Shrewsbury, MA (Worcester area)
• Zenna Noodle Bar in Brookline, MA

Isla Mujeres, Mexico: Before

In 9 days, this will be me!

Soon, I'll be off to an island in the Mexican Caribbean called Isla Mujeres, named in 1517 by Spanish Conqueror Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba after finding several female figures close to a small archeological site, a temple dedicated to Ixchel, goddess of love, fertility, and the moon.

Am looking forward to swimming in the ocean with whale sharks and dolphins, hiking Mayan ruins, eating fresh grilled fish, and most of all, hanging on the beautiful beach *sans Blackberry*!

The picture here is courtesy of thegrizzatlanta who posted this on TripAdvisor.com with the caption "From beach chair at Ixchel Beach Hotel's beach - not so bad?" Not so bad, indeedy, especially given that is the same hotel, I'll be enjoying! :) I'm counting the days.

UPDATE: My trip report has finally been posted! Check it out here and check out the photos from my Isla Mujeres trip too.

Portland, Oregon

Me, sauced a little, at Portland's Saucebox where I'd had a few delicious house-infused kaffir-lime gin concoctions and was practicing my Yanni impression by candlelight.

Right, where were we...went to Portland recently for a long weekend--Halloween in fact. It made me a bit homesick. The city reminds me of a cross between Park Slope, Brooklyn and Tribeca. And lucky us, the weather was absolutely perfect.

We stayed downtown at the Hotel Lucia, a hip boutique hotel with cool photography. It's got a good central location perfect for super-shopping, something I don't do very often, but feel the need to do more now that I'm not living in NYC and the local Medford mall is pretty much a pockmark on society. Yes, I know that makes me sound like a snob; so be it.

On Friday, we got in around noon and had lunch at Paragon in the Pearl District. Really good jerk chicken sandwich btw. From there, we met our friend Dave Griswold, the President and Founder of Sustainable Harvest, a fair trade coffee importing company based in Portland, and took a tour of his office. Sustainable Harvest was the first, and still is the largest, coffee importer to source exclusively from small family farmers and cooperatives, and currently purchases from over 100,000 growers in 15 countries. It's been ranked one of Inc. Magazine’s Inc. 5000, which lists the fastest growing companies in America. Dave is such a nice guy and does awesome work. He's also a new Customer Experience Council member (yay!). After a beer or two on the office rooftop deck, we went to Korean for dinner (alas, no good Korean in Southern Oregon) and totally stuffed ourselves at Toji Korean Grill House. My only complaint was that the soondubu was not spicy enough. Then off to Saucebox for music, drinks, dessert, and, admittedly, a late night.

Saturday, we got up early and had a very good New York-style breakfast at the newly opened and unsurprisingly packed Kenny & Zuke's Deli. Excelled latkes and they also have housemade pastrami, smoked salmon, and the like. Great way to start the day. I then went on a shopping rampage that covered the Pearl, Hawthorne, Northwest 23rd and Downtown.

My bounty included a military-style coat from BCBG, vintage shoes from Imelda's, and super cute gifts from Anthropologie, Moulé (a sleek high fashion gift & clothing shop hailing from Canada), Sole (exactly what you'd think it is), Cargo (Asian artifacts & antiques), and Powell's (the largest independent used and new bookstore in the world). We even managed to stop by Foster and Dobbs so Jeff could try Mario Batali's dad's infamous mole salami. (The actual store is based in Seattle.)

It being Halloween weekend and all, we were treated to a zombie parade past our hotel (mmm...brains) and then off to dinner at the French mega-bistro, Fenouil. We made a last-minute decision to see Australian chanteuse Sia at the very happening Doug Fir Lounge (next to the also very happening Jupiter Hotel which has been getting a lot of press lately--kind of like Portland's version of Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco). Finally, back to Saucebox because I had become absolutely obsessed with their kaffir-lime cocktails.

A sublime truffle omelet, waffles and spicy bloody marys at the sophisticated Bluehour restaurant the next morning and then back down I-5 to Ashland.

Portland's the nearest big city to us (no, Eugene doesn't count)...and worth the 3 1/2 hour drive. I wish I could go there every week!

Yachats, Oregon

The Oregon Coast is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It's wilder and more rugged than the California Coast and that's what I love about it. Definitely a step up from the East River.

Last month we spent the weekend in Yachats, Oregon, a sleepy seaside town on the Central Oregon Coast between Florence (where the sand dunes are) and Newport. It's about 3 hours from Ashland.

We stayed at the lovely Overleaf Lodge where every room has an ocean view and is so close to the water that at night the sound of the waves crashing rings in your ears as you drift off to sleep. We got a suite on the top floor in The Restless Waters, a room with a fireplace and hot tub facing the sea. Not a bad location. Plus, it's got a great spa. I had a hot stone massage for the first time here and although I would have preferred a shiatsu, it was definitely relaxing and a nice way to spend an hour. :)

If you go to Yachats, have dinner at the hippest place in town, the Yachats River House and make sure you get the Chuka Ika salad. It is *delicious*.

Yachats is a little north of Cape Perpetua, the highest point on the Oregon Coast and near the world's largest sea lion caves. For a tiny resort community, it has quite a lot to do with several festivals throughout the year, including a wild mushroom festival, and it's surrounded by a variety of state parks. It also has an amazing array of multi-million dollar beach houses. Check it out. I know I'll be back next year.

Visit my Central Oregon Coast photo album for more pix of Yachats and the Overleaf Lodge. Here's a pic from my balcony.