Happy Halloween!

So it's Halloween and I decided to do a little research online for some Halloween treats and came across a really cool cake blog called "The Cake Mistress."

Check out this creative and festive way to bake and serve cake: Halloween Eyeballs -- Red Velvet Cake Balls with Creamcheese Frosting and White Chocolate

Yum right?!

Is A Vegetarian Diet Actually Cheaper?

So a girlfriend of mine and I were recently discussing our finances and budgeting as young twenty something year olds living in a bustling cities and only about 200 miles apart. She in Boston and I in NYC where dining out, coffee, and taxi fares tend to be our ailments of poor budgeting. We both work long hours, but do our best to stay active and maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. We both try to eat more greens and whole foods as opposed to overly processed and fried foods. She is a meat-eater and I a vegetarian so when she came across this article, she e-mailed it to me with a message saying that she may reconsider being a vegetarian... =)

Anyway, check out this article that illustrates a cost analysis comparing eating habits of a meat-eater, pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan: "Is A Vegetarian Diet Actually Cheaper?"

Panda Birthday Cakes!

It was little brother's birthday last week and my family back home in California threw him a big party this past weekend. Check out this cute panda cake my sister made and decorated!

$1 Pizza Truck?!

So I was in Union Square the other night and saw this random $1 Pizza Truck and totally did a double take. At first I thought it was a total joke, but people were lining up to get their $1 slice of pizza. I asked customers if the pizza was any good and they said it tasted like another other type of pizza you get at a random no-name pizzeria here in NYC. Check it out:

NYC Food and Wine Festival (Food Network)

Well it's that time of year again! Yes, the Food Network's famous Food and Wine Festival here in NYC. Special guests include a couple of my favorites, Giada De Laurentiis, and the super food nerd, Alton Brown! Check out the website for more TV Personalities and special events: Food & Wine 2010! There will be lots of wine tasting and eating going down this week so don't miss out on the fun!

Chinatown Brasserie (Restaurant Review)

NYC is filled with many mainstream and trendy Asian inspired restaurants owned by American Entrepreneurs who have taken Chinese Take-Out to the next level. I recently had the pleasure of dining at Chinatown Brasserie with co-workers for a celebratory toast to a successful end of Fashion Week.

So was it all that it was hyped up to be? Quite frankly, not really. Yes, it's a cool and dimlit restaurant that gives off the ambiance of swanky east meets west cigar/speakeasy type lounge. The architects and interior designers did a wonderful job decking out the place. The food and the service, well that's a different story. I've had better in the hole in the wall shop down in NYC's Chinatown. If you know where to go, you'll get the best $1 dumplings as opposed to paying $12 for only 6 dumplings. The food is a total rip for what it is. I hate to say it, but I think I can prepare better noodles than the greasy stuff that I ate for dinner...

I must say though, the food does come out piping hot! I took a photo of my little Vegetable Moo Shu just before I scarfed it down! It was definitely a bit oily as you can tell from the photo. The veggies were crunchy and the sauce in the noodles were tasty. Was it out of this world? No. It simply tasted like normal Moo Shu I could have ordered from the Chinese Take-Out around the corner from my apartment in Brooklyn. They were a little more successfule with their cocktail and drink menu. Very creative and new ways of mixing Chinese flavors such as Ginger and Orange Zest, which you will find in a lot of the fancier Chinese cuisines. I ordered a Kiwi Gimlet that contained gin, kiwi puree, lemon, and some lime. Not too sweet, but just enough tang. The only issue here was the tiny little kiwi seeds kept getting stuck in my teeth!

Overall, the food was mediocre and the service was slow (and it wasn't even that busy). I say don't waste your money if you want good authentic Chinese food. This is just another trendy Americanized Chinese Eatery where you're paying more for the ambiance than the quality of food. I can give you a whole list of restaurants and small shops down in Chinatown where you can find the same food at half the price or less and I gurantee you, the authenticity of flavors will satisfy your hungry tastebuds! Until next time, happy eating!