Puggy

Hailey “Puggy” or “Hai Hai” was born during the Summer of 2000.  My brother Danny, who was turning twelve that summer had been asking my mom for a German Shepard puppy for a long time.  We already had one other dog at home, Bailey a sweet Golden Retriever so she kept telling him no.  He had been working on my mom for a while and unbeknown to him, she arranged to surprise him with a puppy while he was visiting me  in San Diego.  When Danny would get off the plane and drive home, a sweet little guy, to be named Hailey, would be home waiting for him.

Hailey was a beautiful, perfect puppy, full of energy, curiosity, and love for my brother Danny.  I remember Danny telling me how smart Hailey was and sweet, but that he was also a big baby.  He’d sleep with my brother and would puppy cry with excitement and love when you’d pet him, and he learned his signature move; to take his paws and cross them over his eyes while howling when you would lean down to pet him or give him a hug or kiss.

Hailey was well loved in my family, most of all by Danny, but he went away to college in the Fall of 2006.  At that time, Hailey was six years old and had suffered a really bad accident the year before.  One night, Hailey was awake in the middle of the night, barking and howling at something he could hear outside.  My mom let him out, thinking he had to go to the bathroom, but it turned out, he went out to protect my family from a mountain lion!  Though Hailey was a great protector and very tough, he was no match for a bad cat that weighed twice as much as him… that night, the mountain lion took off Hailey’s entire hind leg.  When my siblings and I all heard of the accident, we for sure thought he was a goner, but Hailey persevered… he made it through the night, though having lost a ton of blood and a limb.  He was as good as new in only a few months, romping and chasing around his playmates at home and the deer that roamed my parent’s fields like he had all four legs.

Hailey relaxing in the shade

Hailey passed away, on November 11, 2010 a little over ten years after he was adopted into my family.  He will always be remembered for being a sweet, good-natured, loyal, and loving family member.  He’s survived by his human family: Danny Jr, Amy, Danny Sr, Christina, Diana, Sonya, and me (Jenny).  He’s also survived by his immediate four legged family: his best buds and soul mates, Riley and Izzy, and his newest family members – Chloe, Rowdy, and Luke.

Hailey and Ri Ri

Every time someone’s dog passes away, I think of this poem:

“No, we are not getting married”

That was the response my three friends (Aileen, Dana, Nicole) and I gave each time we told a friend or colleague we were heading to Niagara Falls, Canada.  I never realized it was a destination for young lovers to run off and marry!

Why did we go to Niagara Falls, you ask?

Well, a few months ago, I was talking to Aileen and mentioning that I’ve never been before.  She’d gone once, with her family years before, and agreed to join me.  Nicole and Dana had never been either so it became a foursome.

We flew into Buffalo, New York on US Air, directly from LGA.  The flights were about $160 bucks each and we were on little crop dusters.  We rented a car from Buffalo and drove the 35 minutes to Niagara Falls.  We stayed on the Canada side, which we heard was much more “fun” and “exciting” than the New York side and stayed at the Doubletree hotel, which was about $135 bucks a night.

The Good

The falls were beautiful!  They are comprised of the American Falls, Horseshoe Falls and Bridal Falls.  Take the Maid of the Mist that is open until the end of October to get the best view.  Also, the time of year was beautiful.. the weather crisp, leaves turning and not a lot of crowds!

Horseshoe Falls

People at the base of American Falls

We did not get to do this, but if you ever go to Niagara Falls, you should stay in Niagara on the Lake.  It’s such a quaint little town and the food and overall atomosphere is much better than either Niagara Falls, Canada or New York

Walking around town in Niagara on the Lake

The Bad

Niagara Falls is full of overly expensive chain restaurants (we actually went to a disgusting Macaroni Grill and IHOP while we were there and spent $20 on omelets, seriously). The non-chain resturants we found were actually much more reasonable – and this is coming from a girl who lives in NYC and is willing to spend money on good food.

On the Canada side, there doesn’t seem like a lot to do and the main downtown area, seems like a depressing Atlantic City or very ghetto Las Vegas.

On Sunday, before we left, we actually drove over the border to try to eat lunch on the American side.  Needless to say, that was even scarier.  We  actually had a restaurant in mind to go to (a recommendation from a Canadian local), but it was closed down.  The rest of the town seemed too depressing and boarded up, so we turned around and just headed back to Buffalo!

The Verdict

We didn’t really expect much, so overall, we had a really good time hanging out together. Despite the sort of kitchiness, I would definitely recommend to anyone who has never been and who want to stay one or two nights.   Just do some better research on where to stay and have some places in mind about where to eat first!

The four of us on the way to Niagara on the Lake

All You Can Eat Pasta?

At Becco, it works.

A couple of weeks ago, my friend Scott and I went to the new Broadway Hit, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson.  We planned to have dinner after, and I was craving Italian.  I suggested the massive chain restaurant at the top part of Time Square craving the bread sticks and all you can eat salad, but Scott suggested we have dinner at Lidia Bastianich’s restaurant, Becco instead.

Becco is a massive space, steps from Times Square and conveniently located in the Theater District at 355 W. 46th street.  There are at least three dining rooms that I could tell.  Although pretty busy, we were able to get seated without a reservation – probably because our show started at 7 PM instead of 8 PM and we were let out early.

Becco has a nice selection of wines, including an impressive list of wines that were all priced at $25 a bottle.  This was a nice surprise so we ordered a bottle to share although it was a Tuesday night!  Next, we decided to start with an order of burrata, which is Scott’s favorite and oh-so delicious.

Looking around us, there were happy patrons with all types of dishes served to them.  Fresh fish dishes, rack of lamb, home made pasta, which is one of their main draws.  Scott and I decided to order the Rack of Lamb, which was cooked perfectly and priced well at $29 as well as the pasta special which includes a choice of cesar salad or antipasti as well as an all you can eat trio of pasta.  That night, there was a fantastic gnocci with a creamy pesto, a delicious fettucine with a veal ragu, and a decent penne with basil marinara for $22.95.  This is all served table side and all you can eat.

Rack of Lamb

All you can eat pasta trio

Scott (who is one of my favorite eating partners of all time) and I were gluttons that night.  We finished off practically everything and even had seconds of the fettucine with veal ragu.  So while the all you can eat is definitely the draw of this place, if you’re a local wanting to stay away from the average American tourist who loves to eat a lot, or the post-theater crowd, then Becco is probably not for you.  For me, this sure beat the chain restaurant I had suggested earlier.

You Went to School to Learn, Girl….

Michael Jackson sang it best… “ABC…all about love dear.”

And love it is… I am in love with ABC Kitchen.

This restaurant is a cool, Jean Georges place, located on an obscure block north of Union Square, near ABC Carpet and Home.

A friend recommended this place to me and said it was one of her favorites in the City… ever.

I was told it was practically impossible to get a reservation. I had some luck though…  I called the week before and took an 11 pm seating on a Saturday night.  Not a big deal though, since my group and I were planning to see La Cage Aux Folles on Broadway first.

My party of four walked in on time for our reservation.  The place was dimly lit, almost glowing, with lots of seating at the bar and a cute dining room.  It was sort of a sweet romantic vibe and I leaned in to give my guy a kiss.

The only downside of an 11 pm reservation in NYC is that you don’t want to eat too much that late before going to bed.  Nevertheless, my group and I were able to order some yummy dishes from their seasonal menu to share (although we skipped on appetizers).

I plan to go back to ABC Kitchen again.  This place has delicious, beautiful food, a great wine list and ambiance.  Beyond that, I just want to try more dishes and sample some of their appetizers and salads.

House Cut Fries; Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella, and Basil Pizza

 

Pasta with Heirloom Tomatoes

Sea Bass

 

Akaushi Cheeseburger with Herbed Mayo and Pickled Jalapeño

ABC Kitchen

35 W. 18th Street (between bway and S.Park Ave)

Love and Friendship

Changed the theme of my blog again today!  This one is called Koi, which is a fish that represents Love and Friendship.  Two of my favorite things.

Enjoy and more posts coming soon!