The Blueprint

What do you think about when you hear the word “cleanse”?  I think the word cleanse has connotations of being washed clean and purified.  And that is what I intend to do over the next week, starting June 1.

I jumped on the cleanse bandwagon, when my friend Scott said he was going to cleanse for a few days before heading to the beach in June.  He sent me the link to the cleanse he was thinking about… one that his friends have done in the past, called the Blueprint Cleanse.

I did some research on the site and on the internet in general.  Cleansing is recommended as part of a regular heath routine to promote well being, inside and out. It is supposed to rid your body of impurities and repair your immune system.  It’s also recommended if you’ve gone on a recent binge of food/alcohol and to get you back on track (like I have the past few weeks)!

I myself am planning to ease into a 5 day cleanse by doing a partial juice/food cleanse for 2 days (Juice til Dinner), and then a Foundation cleanse for 3 days.  The Blueprint site mentions that “A three-day Cleanse helps the body rid itself of old built up matter and cleanses the blood. A five-day Cleanse starts the process of rebuilding and healing the immune system.”

To prepare for the cleanse, my friends and I are going to get Colonics of course.  Some folks that have had colonics say they’re the most amazing (although uncomfortable) thing they’ve done in a while.  We do this prior to cleansing so you get a jump start on washing out the built up matter in your digestive system making the intestines free to absorb all the vitamins and nutrients you’ll get in your juices..

I’m really actually excited to start this cleanse.  I’m looking forward to increased energy, fresher skin, and maybe even dropping a few pounds.  I plan to chronicle the next week of the cleanse for any of you who are interested in reading about it or trying it on your own.

A Craft of Genius

A good friend of mine, and local bay area radio personality, Heather Quarterman , for KKIQ came to visit me last week.  She sent me a list of things she wanted to do over FaceBook while in NYC, including “hit up one of Tom Colicchio’s restaurants, he was just named top chef in America.”

I knew I was already a fan of Colicchio’s, having dined at Gramercy Tavern before.  The hard part was whether I wanted to choose Craft or CraftBar though.  After talking to some friends, I realized that Craftbar was a little more affordable and would also be more fun. While I’m sure Craft is delicious, the clientele appears to be stuffier and a bit older.

CraftBar, to put it simply was an amazing dining experience.  The space wasn’t huge, but it is modernly decorated and was bustling inside.  There were people sitting at the bar and a nice sized dining room with probably 20-25 tables.  We were seated at a table for four and introduced to our waiter, Mark.

This is where the night started off right.  Mark, was wonderful.  Funny and charming, he had great recommendations for us from the start.  My dining companions, A, H, and Heather, are self proclaimed “fun eaters” so dinner could have been like wild Wild West.  No limitations whatsoever.  We asked Mark for suggestions and he gave us a list of recommendations that were in line with our thoughts and our palate.  He suggested some things off the extensive menu that were questionable to some of us, but we went for it anyway.

Overall, the food was amazing – each and every dish and course.  While we did have a 1 or 2 items we were not in love with, there were no complaints about anything.  Below, is a sampling of what we ordered.  I guarantee to order these in this exact order the next time I dine at CraftBar.

Spanish Octopus to Start

Smoked Pig Head Terrine, Mostarda - so freaking delish

Soft shell crab risotto

Triple Pork Delight (can't remember the real name) - Pork Belly, Pork Ravioli, Pork Loin

Lemon Panna Cotta with Kumquat

Homemade coconut sorbet and cookies and cream icecream... yum.

This place is highly, highly recommended by me.  Next time you go here, ask for Mark and tell him I say hi.