Birthday Week: Tealuxe, Boston

Boston & I have a very terse relationship.  I don’t like Boston. Boston doesn’t care. Despite knowing that, I decided to give Boston one more chance.  So when I decided to take a last minute birthday trip, Boston was still on the list of possibilities; I had my eye on trying Toscanini’s since reading about their burnt caramel ice cream on Serious Eats.  (I was in the midst of this caramel kick; salted caramel hot chocolates, salted caramel ice cream, …)  Boston won out over Philly (where I’ve been about a million times – it’s really rather close to NYC) and [...]

SF 2k8, Day 5, 6, 7 & 8: Lodging – Vintage Inn

After I’d finished my late lunch at Plaza Garibaldi, we packed up everything and bid farewell to San Jose, then began the surprisingly low-traffic drive up to Napa Valley.  Yountville, Napa Valley, to be exact.  This is less a restaurant review than a hotel/lodging review – which I’ve done before, if the hotel offers breakfast, and this one did – so bear with me.  Also, this is where I profess my love and affection for BF.  See, this trip was his gift to me for our 5 year anniversary.  One of the long standing roles I’ve had in this relationship [...]

Podunk

When a friend suggested we go to Podunk for our monthly dinner, I laughed.  I thought you know, big-city-folk, Podunk is the middle of nowhere, perhaps she was making a commentary on the recent poor quality of our restaurant choices for the past few monthly dinners.  But apparently, someone with a great sense of humor (owner Elspeth Treadwell, presumably, whom we spoke with) decided to name this quaint tea shop Podunk.  Podunk, as you can see from the business card (which is an almost exact rendering of the front of the shop), is an unassuming and charming little place to hang [...]

Casablanca Tea Room

If you are one of those people who crosses the street to avoid the vendors selling incense, do not go to this place. I am just such a person.  The heavy odor of incense hung in the air around us when we entered.  We were led to the table directly to the right as you entered, which was cozy and private since we’d ascended a flight of stairs to enter, and the window was blocked off.  Three of us sat on a couch with very Moroccan? genie-in-the-lamp-ish cushions, while two of us sat on chairs that I swear were too [...]

Wild Lily Tea Room

Wild Lily Tea Room511-A W. 22nd Street (between 10th & 11th Ave.)(212) 691-2258 Cuisine: Japanese style tea; light farePrice: Inexpensive I have to say that this place was fairly far out of the way; getting off the A train at 23rd Street drops you off two and a half whole avenues away from this small, unassuming spot.  I would have missed the place completely except for my friend waiting outside; the front is fairly unobvious and unmarked.  Outside is a sign of various events etc. including a notice that cell phones are not permitted to be used inside the restaurant; [...]

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