MiRIAM "hell, yes!" w.'s Profile

A few weeks ago I joined my friends for a walk in Waterlow Park with their dalmatian whippet mix pup, MoMo. Fall was quickly turning to winter and autumn hued leaves were all around.

While it was too cold for a picnic on this visit, I definitely want to come back for one in the spring.

Located near on a hillside near the posh Highgate Village, views of London from this park are very pretty. An ideal place to bring a kid, a dog or a person you fancy.

The frozen Concord grape mint julep was a delightful, alcoholic, Slurpee-like beverage that filled me with hope for Tipsy Parson.

The staff were so friendly, I could've mistaken them for Southerners. And in their recommendations I entrusted my dinner. That is, unfortunately, where the good times stopped rollin'.

Everything we tried at Tipsy Parson was lackluster. The macaroni in the macaroni and cheese was mushy. The sauce on the ribs was cloying. The cold shrimp lacked craveable properties.

Not one thing I put in my mouth here made me want to come back, which is saying a lot given the restaurant's proximity to my flat.

I arrived at myhotel Bloomsbury around 11:00 in the morning, soaked from the rain. The staff member who checked me in told me I could take a seat and brought me a glass of water to sip while I waited. I was impressed with this kind gesture, and grateful for I had been quite parched. Shortly thereafter, I was given keys to my room.

THE GOOD
A bathtub big enough to soak in (oh and I did!)

The computer and printer downstairs came in handy when I needed to print some presentation notes.

The wifi was free and stable.

Super close to the Tottenham Court Road Tube station.

THE BAD
The room had no closet.

THE VERDICT
I'd stay here again.

There's a certain sort of person who hears about the place, ventures through a door that doesn't look like it's for the public, sees the long tables with the folding metal chairs and vinyl tablecloths under the fluorescent lights and upon spotting the lovely Ukrainian grandmother behind the counter thinks "this is perfect."

Not a spot for everyone but if it's for you you'll know it right away. The experience is a bit like you're going to a potluck in a church basement; embrace it.

We should all have the good fortune of a Ukrainian grandmother preparing us stuffed cabbage, pierogies, borscht and jelly donuts at the weekend. For those of us not lucky enough to be born into such a situation, there's Streetcha.

Given my dining companions, it was near impossible for me not to have a terrific time at Tap Tap. If you go, I'd steer you strongly toward the fried pork chunks. One bite of this dish incited serious food envy in me. Another standout was the shrimp in coconut sauce. Thankfully Maria didn't mind me dipping liberally into her dish (if you opt for the shrimp make sure to ask for additional bread to sop up its savory sauce.)

My grouper, on the other hand, was disappointing.

Bella Napoli didn't even come close to edging out my delivery go to: Skylight Diner. The bolognese lacked the savory goodness I have come to love in Skylight's bolognese. The chicken roll would have been great with a side of marinara but without it was on the dry side.

Their grandma slice was the best of the lot. I'd be fine eating another of those.

The arduous process of planning a meeting for 15 people was getting me down, what with all the crazy catering charges and labor fees and insane food and beverage minimums I wondered if I'd ever find a casual, cozy spot to play host to our team's quarterly meeting.

And then, I remembered Townhouse! A quick call to Colleen, the hotel's terrific director of sales, and I knew I'd found a spot just right for a group of yelpoyees from London, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York, Boston, London, Toronto, Atlanta and Miami. She gave us a discounted room rate and was extremely responsive from the first phone call through to when we checked out of the hotel.

Not only was the price right to pull this meeting off, the details were too. Unlike other hotels where you're forced to eat out of their kitchens (and off of their massively marked-up menus), Townhouse was perfectly happy to let us bring in our own grub from local restaurants and even provided the plates, cups, ice and cutlery.

The meeting space is actually the penthouse room with tables and chairs brought in and the bed removed. If you need a projector, bring your own (we did!) Quite possibly the best part of the space is its proximity to the rooftop. In between sessions we were able to soak up the sun's glorious rays on the Townhouse's chaise lounges and expansive water beds.

Colleen made sure we had everything we needed each day and working with her was a dream. Her high level of competence and attention to detail put me immediately at ease.

If your group of 15 or less  is informal and doesn't want a stuffy meeting room, I'd highly recommend Townhouse. What it lacks in frills and fanciness it makes up for in service and charm.

Oh and on this visit I used the auxiliary input on the iHome to play Pandora from my iPhone, which meant plenty of marvelous mood-enhancing music floating through my room every day. I tell ya, it's the little things...

Just touched down in London Town. Bet they give me a. . .jacket potato?

Odd though it may seem, something about London just puts me in the mood for baked potatoes so I was delighted to find one on Kookoo's menu topped with chili! I swiftly snatched one up for my lunch and while the salad on the side was worthless the spud satisfied. And getting it with a glass of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice was especially nice!

I think Kookoo's still working out it exactly what it wants to be - juice bar? organic restaurant? - but the offerings are solid.

Did you hear? Andre Agassi's famous hair was actually a weave!
How did I find out? While getting a pedi at Terrasentia, of course!

This clean, calming, second floor nail salon in Chelsea has all the People and US Weekly mags you need to get caught up on your celebrity gossip during your mani/pedi and has become my neighborhood go to after countless satisfying visits. I like the place almost as much as the Essie geranium shade currently on my toes.

The nail technicians are diligent in their work and I'm always satisfied with the finished product. I also appreciate that they don't rush or pack people in; on Sunday I watched them turn folks away because they would not be able to get to them for 30 minutes or so. You don't often see that in other Manhattan shops where they tell you it will be five minutes and you walk out an hour and a half later because they're trying to do way too many woman at once.

While Terrasentia isn't a super cheapie mani/pedi, I am happy to pay a few extra bucks for the superior service (and knot busting massage chairs!)

Dinner begins with little flourishes that hint at how well the Standard Grill will take care of you in the meal ahead: radishes, course salt, high quality butter, tiny loaves of bread in a paper bag, hunks of Parmesan cheese. Nosh on these as you wind your way around the menu.

We ordered a glass of Prosecco to share with our oysters but our waiter insisted we each have a glass of our own and comped the second glass.

In discussing our options, he recommended the rainbow trout, the burger and the lamb chops. This particular Thursday night seemed to call for a burger so that's direction we went in, with bacon and cheddar cheese, of course! It arrived a round wooden cutting board with a portly pickle and a canister of fries. Never ones to resist sides, we called for broccoli rabe and brussels sprouts as accompaniments. The poorly cooked and over peppered broccoli rabe ended up the only disappointing element of the meal.  

If passersby were to cast a covetous eye upon my dinner date and me I would not be in the least surprised: bathed in warm candlelight, slurping oysters and sipping bubbly and continuing on to a beautiful burger. . . I could definitely make the Standard Grill a regular in my rotation!