Donkey of the Week

The Donkey of the Week is U.S. Rep Anthony Weiner for living up to his given name in the unfolding of Weinergate initiated by Weiner tweeting his...weiner.  In one of my personal favorite clips, he details the now infamous Twitter photos as a master-mind conspiracy theory from a successful hacker, chalking up the incident to 'what life is like within social media in our world today in 2011'.  Yes, this is just pesky 'ole social media at its best, hackers and disturbing underwear shots from a deserted gym.  That's what Twitter means to me anyway- well said Weiner.  And the good news is, he assures the public he will be returning to Twitter when all is said and done, because 'it helps him do his job', which we later found out is courting random college students, single mothers, and porn stars with crotch shots.  All in a days work in the House of Representatives!

Zumba!

I am always willing to try any sort of group fitness regimen because I love being chatty while doing my exercise.  So, when I heard about Zumba, a new crowd favorite for moms in the Midwest, I figured I should give it a try.  I am neither a mom nor a Midwesterner, but something about Latin dance for exercise sounded super fun.  So I convinced my fluent Spanish speaking besty who loves all things Latin to come along for the ride.  We waltzed into the Equinox feeling confident and ready to show our best moves.  Class began like this:  The instructor walked over to the iPod, turned it on, and without a word she along with the rest of the class began dancing in unison to intensely choreographed moves.  Clearly we were the only two in class who had not done our homework.  While everyone segued seamlessly from Samba to Indian dance into Merengue, we stumbled behind them like bumbling idiots.  I was convinced I twisted a knee during a very quick one-two step, while my equally disabled dance partner had to take a break mid Zumba for a towel and water while the grandmother in the front row shook her hips like Shakira.  So, lesson learned:  Zumba requires actual dance skills for maximum participation, otherwise you may end up hurting yourself.  Other than being shamed by older more able women, we had a great time, broke a sweat five minutes into the hour class, and I might dare say learned some dance moves we could use outside just a fitness studio.  All in all a big success, but I will be practicing with the do-it-yourself DVDs before I try and tango with the professionals again.

Four Seasons Birthday

The Four Seasons Restaurant is an iconic New York City restaurant in midtown.  The dress code is jackets required and the ambiance is classic elegance.  It is not the least bit trendy which is why its been serving its signature Grand Marnier souffle since 1959.  Sometimes its nice to get all gussied up just for dinner.  That is why its a great place to celebrate milestones, like a birthday.  Celebrations come complete with their very own gourmet cotton candy tower.  Happy Birthday to me!

Accidental Drinks at the Met

 

The Alexander McQueen Costume Institute Exhibit at the Met has garnered a lot of attention for being a unique showcase of fashion that pushes the boundaries into art.  The galleries display the many dichotomies McQueen explored between culture, politics, and history to serve up oftentimes controversial runway shows.  Or at least that's what the critics are saying.  I wouldn't know because I never made it beyond the velvet ropes.  I suited up and donned my favorite Alexander McQueen scarf to see the exhibit this past weekend, only to be out a twenty dollar cab ride and stuck in an hour and a half line.  Apparently my nice little Saturday was not so unique. 

The afternoon was not totally lost though.  We went to the Met's Rooftop Garden instead.  Not as controversial or envelope pushing as a glimpse inside the late Alexander McQueen's mind, but pretty darn enjoyable.  The cafe has a lovely view of the city and boasts sculptures amid benches where you can sit with a glass of wine or a Corona.  If you happen to be lucky enough to make it inside the Savage Beauty exhibit, let me know how it is.  Otherwise, I'll meet you for a cocktail on the roof!

Save the Date - Judgment Day is Today!

According to Harold Camping, president of Family Radio and certified Christian crazy person, the world is ending today.  In fact, 'The Bible guarantees it'.  Harold's followers have quit their jobs and devoted their lives full time to explaining to the naive unassuming public that we will all be swept up in a rapture on May 21st, 2011.  What this means I do not know, but it apparently involves some of us going to heaven and others being caught up in a tricky one-two punch of a tsunami and an earthquake.  While some are selling their houses and arranging pet sitters for their cats and dogs that Harold has assured will be left behind, I decided to have a great NYC day in honor of Judgment Day.  What would you do on your last day in New York?!  Here is my itinerary:

2:00PM - Metropolitan Museum of Art

3:00PM - Had a goat cheese salad (my fave) and an afternoon cocktail on the terrace at Serafina uptown

4:00PM - Shopped at Hermes, who needs money anyway, the world is ending!

8:00PM - Dinner at Babbo for Rigatoni Bolognese (they probs don't have meat sauce in heaven)

Thankfully, kind souls have sprung up all around the U.S.of A. to offer pet care for those of us that will not make it.  By the way you have to pay in full in advance of the world ending.  Non-refundable.

Locanda Verde

I approached Thursday night date night at Locanda Verde with skepticism, Robert DeNiro, a restaurateur?  Turns out this Goodfella also co-owns NYC's Nobu so I was clearly out of touch and proven oh so wrong by the amazing food that awaited me. The chef, Andrew Camellini was the head chef at Cafe Boulud, but exchanged the jacket required ambiance for a true neighborhood taverna that was both outstanding and affordable.  The restaurant itself is large to the point of cavernous, but was so jam packed that it felt just as cozy as a ten table cafe in the West Village.  We asked the waitress to bring us the most popular appetizers, main course, and dessert.  We ended up with sheep's milk ricotta crostini, lamb meatball sliders, gigantone with Sunday night ragu, and a pear crisp.  Each course was delectably delicious.  The lamb meatball sliders were topped with miniature pickles and homemade sauce that put ketchup to shame, and rank as the best sliders I have ever had.  Skipping dessert was not an option here with famed pastry chef Karen deMasco from Craft, and the pear crisp could have stood alone as a showstopper.  There is nothing better than a hyped restaurant that actually deserves the accolades and attention.  Pictures of my meatball sliders below.  Shania Twain was at the next table and thought I was taking pictures of her, but the real celebrity at Locanda that night was this meatball slider!

Donkey of the Week

Donkey of the Week is Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.  For someone that dishes it so freely, he should really learn to take it with a little more social grace.  As the rest of the crowd laughed at Seth Meyers' roast, Trump made it super awkward by refusing to take himself a little less seriously and offer up a friendly chuckle.  Instead he played robot and the rest of the people at his table were forced to laugh behind strategically placed hands, video here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWuv2txl_5M

Shouldn't he just be psyched he got the invite?

The Royal I Do's

I would like to pretend this was just any other week, but I would be remiss not to mention the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Clearly, there was no forgetting the big day was here as media coverage outside the illustrious affair came to a halt and predictions began flying.  There followed a full five days of made up news in which no firm facts were reported and instead we mulled over the dress (it must be Alexander McQueen!) and the honeymoon (could it be the exotic island of Barbuto?).  I even received an email from website DailyCandy telling me what I should wear to the royal wedding, read, what I should wear in my living room at 5:00AM.  I opted not set my alarm painfully early and don a hat jauntily cocked to the side, but I did tune in thanks to my DVR.  Luckily only consummate professionals were on the scene.  When Kate Middleton first emerged in her wedding dress, all I saw was a blur of white.  However, Randy from Say Yes to the Dress screamed - I see lace, a deep v, and a collar, inspiration is Grace Kelly!  When the cameras honed in on the arrival at Westminster Abbey, voyeuristic precision only escalated with certified lip readers on the scene.  Thanks to the ABC News official lip reader (who knew this was a job?), I also was privy to the not so private sweet nothings exchanged between the bride and groom.  No syllable was left uncovered.  Here's hoping the honeymoon leaves more to the imagination, and we can go back to normal life - not sure Kate Middleton will ever be able to do the same.

Da Silvano

Da Silvano is most often mentioned as a stomping ground for bold faced names, but is also one of my favorite places for an over indulgent weekend lunch.  The Tuscan trattoria has been open since 1975 and still has an energy in the air that buzzes with excitement.  The dichotomy of the laid back staff that feel like the Italian cousins you never had, and the crowd clad in fur is as puzzling as the menu, which showcases specials in Italian with little translation.  The best pick for lunch, if you are a veggie-lover like I am, is the simply but delectably prepared artichoke.  It comes out whole and drizzled with lemon and oil, with the leaves ready for plucking.  Its impossible to eat gracefully, so if you're there to pick up a shout out on Page Six its probably not your best bet (luckily a non-issue for me so I could happily go swimming in this artichoke and go unnoticed).  For a heartier lunch, the Spaghettini Puttanesca is equally delish.  Try to score a table outside and maybe you will catch a heated interchange between the owner of Da Silvano and his former friend and current owner of neighboring restaurant, Bar Pitti.  Nothing like Italians cursing over big bowls of pasta to make you feel like you're on an authentic visit to the old country!

A Soapy Tribute

ABC has pulled the plug on iconic soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live announcing that after over 40 years both programs will be ending within the next 9 months.  This may prove to be a difficult time for the die hard readers of Soap Opera Digest.  After a recent episode of All My Children, KathyNYC wrote in:

'Ryan lost his true love Greenlee, only to move on in a few days. Now he realizes that Kendall really loves Zach after all, and it's "oh well, time to move on again" and he is grinning like an idiot with Erica. What kind of grown man has two new relationships less than 6 months after the death of his true love? That is just sick.'

This is awkward.  I'm not sure who is going to clue Kathy in that Ryan is a fictional character played by a 17-year-old looking to be the next Kelly Ripa.  Though I was not allowed to watch soap operas growing up, I too was just like KathyNYC.  When my nannies chatted on the cordless phone with their boyfriends, I snuck countless episodes of soapy fun.  What did these coveted hours teach me?  A few golden rules that will sadly no longer be passed on to future generations so must live on in this walk down memory lane instead:

Soap Life Lesson #1: You are resilient and have many lives.  For example, any day of the week your Ferrari could careen off of a cliff and everyone will write you off as dead.  Then, you will show up at your own funeral with a face full of bandages and there will be a dramatic unveiling one layer of gauze at a time.  Luckily your ex-husband is a plastic surgeon and will fix you right up and as you heal you will rekindle your love.  This also leads into life lesson number two: old flames die hard.

Soap Life Lesson #2:  Old flames die hard.  Just like Luke and Laura from General Hospital, one minute you could meet the brother of a prostitute who is your boyfriends ex-girlfriend and the next minute you are the victim of a horrible crime and falling in love with your attacker,  while married to your childhood sweetheart.  Exit childhood sweetheart, enter attacker as the love of your life.   If this sounds super confusing that explains why soap operas run for almost half a century.

Soap Life Lesson #3: Anything worth arguing over must conclude with a slap or a glass of water to the face.  Not to be mistaken with when things get really heated and a man from your past is called in to  'take care' of the situation.  This generally results in a miscommunication by way of the opposing party being buried alive.  Shortly after, a lone pale bony hand will emerge from the dirt in the shape of a claw and this signals trouble.  Queue life on the run.

Soap Operas have provided us with invaluable building blocks, but its probably time to retire our Antonio Sabato Jr. calendars and move on to the next chapter, which according to ABC is reality based lifestyle television.  I'm not sure if learning how to cook gluten free risotto and be our best selves is as exciting as hit men and love triangles, but I'm willing to find out.  Soap Life Lesson #1, you are resilient and have many lives.