Busy...but apparently not too busy to eat well

Well another semester is about to begin. Goodbye blissful days of summer. Oh well, it is always good to keep busy.

Last week I spent an evening walking around Carroll Gardens which is a neighborhood in Brooklyn. They have lots of cafes, antique and vintage stores, and boutiques. I found this great store called Lee Lee's Valise and I may have to return before their August sale is over.

This past weekend I got together with some friends at Burp Castle. It was the first real merging of NYC Friends, AQ Friends, and GVSU Friends. It was very fun and everyone got along well as I knew they would. Of course we all enjoyed the Pomme Friets from next door.

On Sunday night Sandy made an incredible dinner for Terry, myself, Mrs. C., Mrs. C's sons, and her daughter-in-law who shares a B-Day with me. We had Ginger Stakes with Mango Chutney and later had this amazing Blueberry Pie.

Monday was a true treat. Esther took Sandy, Terry, and I to the Russian Tea Room. This was by far the most elegant meal I have ever had and one of the best meals I have ever had.

For those of you who are unfamiliar the Russian Tea Room was a classic NYC staple that was a frequent haunt of Woody Allen and other NYC movie stars. It closed in the 1990s but in recent years has reopened.

At our table we enjoyed Vodka tasting (Russian Imperial Vodka has surpassed Belvedere for me), a Caviar tasting, appetizers of Ox Tail Dumplings, Open Duck Pirogues, and Borscht Salad, the most incredible Chicken Kiev I have ever had, and Russian Tea and dessert.

The downstairs hallway of the restaurant is filled with Russian Dolls and Faberge Eggs. It really was the experience of a lifetime. It felt like being lifted back to the New York's golden era…or Imperial Russia for that matter.

Tonight’s dinner experience was far less elegant but still tasty. I met up with my friend Hillarie at Spice Cafe in the Village. We enjoyed some pretty good Indian food but were both so exhausted. She works at NYU and we both kind of thought it was funny that we chose one of the busiest times of the year to get together. Thank goodness she works in higher ed too and was also ready to collapse from exhaustion along with yours truly.