Lara "Anti-Beer" R.'s Profile

Ok, I feel like I'm becoming *that* lame friend when it comes to baby gifts (and at the rate my friends have begin multiplying, dang, this has been happening all too often). Since they're all out of town and typically registered at the good ol Babies 'r Us, I keep getting gift cards or a few simple items to send to them and calling it a day.

However, I'm a creative gift giver. I like giving things personal and this just isn't a personal option, even though it does guarantee that you get something they want.

I loved this store though because it has useful things which are cute and not something you'd stumble across in a Babies 'r Us. Something different. Unique. Special. And not too pricey to boot. Did I mention um YAY? This is my new go-to spot for all things babies. Love it and definitely would highly recommend.

They also have cute cards. Not too cheap (similar to Papyrus) but definitely cuter upscale options if you're looking for that as well.

I had to hop back on here since I just took in my little Dix for her check up and next round of shots today at Dr. Cotter's. Another great visit. The office is nothing fancy - but he's a great doctor. He is very kind and gentle with her and lets me stand there and pet her throughout the check-up, which I really appreciate.

I also had Dix spayed with Dr. Cotter. The prices were way less expensive than other Manhattan horror stories I've heard and they did the procedure laparoscopically, which ended up being super helpful with my nosy little pup. She healed fabulously and didn't have to wear that lampshade thing which makes me incredibly nervous. Highly recommend.

I absolutely love Sutton Pets. They've been fabulous with my dog. I entirely agree with the other review. The Webcam is an absolute plus for me and my dog really loves coming here. They always remember her, no matter how much time has passed since her last visit. I love the way that they're allowed to go between an indoor and outdoor area during the day (weather permitting). I tend to be glued to the computer on-and-off when my dog's here to see what she's doing - and it's easy to tell she's having a blast. One of the workers even named their dog after mine. Such nice, genuine people. You might find other places in the city with a ritzier presentation, but they've got the important things right here with a price tag which won't break the bank. I'm sold.

Ok, so the food here is definitely generic Mexican. But then again, isn't that all you find in Manhattan?

So let's instead focus on the important part of any outting to a Mexican restaurant. How are the chips and margaritas? Oh yes. Yes yes yes. For those two items let me shout out an ARRIBA ARRIBA! I do not know of any other restaurant um period that gives you tortilla chips (a rare find in general in NYC) along with a form of guaca-salsa gratis. Por nada! And they refill them. Ohhhhh love it.

And then there are the potent margaritas, which help to keep me get my margarita fix formerly only filled by DC's tasty Lauriol Plaza. They've got like 15 something flavors. Yummmm. Current faves are coconut and prickly pear, but ask next week and I may have tasted another. Pass on the raspberry. It came out too bitter for my taste... but I might give it a second chance someday ;-)

Switch between sides of the bar and you'll get to traipse through the actual kitchen area. The cooks make you feel muy bonita as they whisper hellos in a mixture of Spanish and English. It's a must experience part of the trip to El Rio Grande.

El Rio, me gusta mucho. Creo que tus margaritas tienen drogas o algo similar. Y tu guacamole, amor, es el major por eso precio. Entonces, voy a verte muy proximo. Hasta luego... y hasta guac y margs...

MEAT PIES!

I really like this place. We were looking for a spot to chill at while waiting to get into Planet Rose (nothing like opening up a karaoke place on Valentine's day -- oh so klaaaassssssy) and found our way here. I really liked the bartenders. They were really personable.

And then um did I mention MEAT PIES? Very comfy though. Cushy seats in the back. Big fan of this one and have to say, wasn't expecting too much going in. Pleasant surprise!

I was curious to check this spot out after reading that M&H's crew was opening up a new spot. I thought the entrance was cozy, but the rest of it felt almost more like a bar versus a speakeasy. That said, I did really like the drink menu. It was a nice mix and did contain quite a few containing abisinthe (my oh my - punchy stuff). And any place which has mint juleps on the menu can't be half-bad.

I'd like to go back and try more off of the menu. I thought they gave you a lot of bang for your buck, which means I didn't get to try much. Definitely will be back.

I finally made it over to check out Craftbar when my mom came into town recently. I made us reservations for brunch. Service here was pretty prompt, though I will say it did slack off a bit once the crowd picked up. We started off splitting an order of their fresh donuts. How can you go wrong there? I had their French toast, while not the best I've had in the city was pretty darn good. I wouldn't mind going back although I don't know that I'd say their offering stands out tremendously versus others in the city.

Whoops! I just realized I did not yet review this event. How did that happen?

Kudos to the team for such a fun event. The venue was a little funky with the layout (requiring a map to navegate - complicated), but I guess it just meant there were so many options of things which which to entertain yourself. That's ultimately a good problem to have, right?

Great to see so many Yelpers all dressed up - super fancy. The variety of sponsors was amazing. The liquor room? Fabulous. And the people were so nice. I was impressed that they came so well stocked. Major thumbs up.

I didn't realize there were dancers/peformers until I saw the photos later. I'm not sure if it was because I was downstairs or it happened later, but definitely a fun event at a venue I'd never come across before. Love that!

I don't have sushi enough in this city, period. So I can't say I have a ton of Manhattan specific context in which to place Amber... but I will say, YUM. Maybe I cheated...  my date had been there quite a few times, knowing what to recommend. Always nice to have the inside scoop though.

This was my first foray into Nigiri, which I will say was interesting. Something about having the sushi tucked in all surrounded by rice in the Maki seems to tone back the fishiness a bit I guess. And darn it, it's much easier for the dipping part, which I always seem to foul up anyhow. I think it being divided out into the smaller tidbits though in the Maki makes for a better overall taste.

My favorites were definitely the Ocean Roll (rock shrimp and avocado topped with spicy snow crab and dry seaweed). Absolutely perfect. I could eat this um on a weekly basis?!? And the seaweed salad with miso dressing was perfect too. Mighty fine sushi here!

We ended up here as a Plan B when our original restaurant was all booked up for our big group brunch outting on Sunday. I'd never heard anything about it, but thought it was cute upon walking in and the wait staff was super attentive from the get-go.

The seating area is pretty small. We were a party of 15 and easily took up half of the restaurant. I had their french toast, which came with a fig syrup and caramelized walnuts. Perfect. The brioche bread was nice and fluffy. Others seemed to really enjoy their steak and eggs dish.

And then there were those tasty slivers of toast... they kept on bringing them out once we would polish off a basket. It came paired with some sort of marmalade-y butter spread (just ever-so-slightly sweet) and raspberry coulis. And the mimosas came crowned with fresh orange pulp and a slice of strawberry. So tasty. Well done. I'm curious how this one would be for dinner.