tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50980301768162252762011-08-12T10:19:41.057-04:00(A Girl Sought An Eating Buddy)Zoenoreply@blogger.comBlogger611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-84274681585842479052011-07-24T09:16:00.003-04:002011-07-24T09:26:02.143-04:00

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-86738555814639447252011-03-04T22:48:00.007-05:002011-03-05T12:26:53.176-05:00

In the food world, it seems like there is a fine line between having a philosophy and taking yourself too seriously, and another between trying something new and deploying a marketing gimmick. I am constantly trying to parse restaurants along these axes, obsessed with divining the ingredients of success and failure.When it comes to Chinese restaurants, I am especially obsessed. I feel that ours

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-62272305103219466482010-11-15T01:00:00.000-05:002010-11-15T00:54:17.092-05:00

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-88781274687762108382010-09-28T23:52:00.003-04:002010-09-29T21:54:16.940-04:00

I thought for a while that I was eventually going to rehabilitate this blog, but I lost most of my desire to eat out once I decided I was eventually going to join the industry - all I want to do is cook! I keep a blog of my thoughts and ideas re: food/life elsewhere, and in writing I've reached certain positions regarding this scene. They can be summed up as such:1) 95% of food writing, mine

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-23056110824900261432010-07-21T23:34:00.015-04:002010-07-23T00:06:12.642-04:00

Half of my receipts from Xi'an Famous Foods and my old, old laptop.I've become a regular at the St. Marks location of Xi'an Famous Foods since its opening two weeks ago. My dad is from Xi'an, and I was always begging for lamb growing up even though my mom, the cook in the family, was from Nanjing and hated the smell of it.I was one of the pilgrims who trekked to Flushing regularly just to get a

Zoenoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-88039278871947975312010-05-16T23:09:00.004-04:002010-05-16T23:42:35.730-04:00

Another month, another belated blog post. The months have been rolling by so fast, but it's ok, because I'm sitting at the tail end of a fantastic weekend, filled with the warmandfuzzies.It's true, I'm quitting finance and going to cooking school. Not CIA or FCI, because there is no way I'm shelling out another $50k+ while student loans from my liberal arts degree are still dripping acid into my

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-6108422873931414322010-04-14T22:04:00.010-04:002010-04-15T20:35:55.785-04:00

I took the winter off due to time and money constraints, and also because it was exhausting and sometimes boring to eat with strangers all the time. Many things have germinated quietly during the cold months, and I've figured out my next steps, career-wise, as well as a few other projects I want to do, food-wise. Strictly Platonic will probably not be the same blog ever again, but I have too many

Zoenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-81030740826917969972009-08-26T22:02:00.015-04:002009-08-27T00:05:35.714-04:00

Thanks to the amazingly generous spirit of Josh Ozersky, I found myself the recipient of an email invite to Meatopia, Ozersky's annual carnivorous fete at Water Taxi Beach thrown in honor of...himself.In other words, the baddest motherfuckin' birthday party one could have.My email address, clustered in with the other J's as it was, found CC'd company with big-time industry names like Jefferey

Zoenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-76799089433909520182009-08-22T11:47:00.007-04:002009-08-22T12:34:13.153-04:00

The foodieverse is aflame over the announcement of the Vendy Award finalists. More correctly, the foodieverse is aflame over the inclusion of the Rickshaw Dumpling truck in the Vendy Award finalists.No one is wrong in saying that, at $6 for 5, their dumplings are the most expensive, anemic travesty of a dumpling ever sold, and that they can't be mentioned in the same breath as the most apathetic

Zoenoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-37662736796975221382009-08-16T19:32:00.006-04:002009-08-18T12:53:31.185-04:00

This bookworm turns 23 in three weeks, and I'm trying to decide what to buy myself*. I've been forcing myself to read The Restaurant Dream lately, in an attempt to temper my aspirations for a career in the industry with a reality check. But it's just so...corporate. I'm only on Chapter 3, and I can't tell if I'm bored silly by the restaurant concept (obnoxiously named "'Za-Bistro!") or the

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-44221722390185006252009-08-13T23:19:00.004-04:002009-08-13T23:33:09.239-04:00

I'd been allocating a liiiiittle too much of my paycheck to retirement, what with the markets doing so well, and suddenly, with the onset of September's quarterly loan payments, I find myself a little short on unencumbered cash.For the next month (or whenever my liquidity squeeze ends), I invite you to show me how and where to eat cheaply! I'm talking $10 a day or less. Don't worry, I'm not that

Zoenoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-11722503805865151712009-08-10T23:09:00.014-04:002009-08-11T12:52:59.279-04:00

I met Alex of the eponymous AlexEatsWorld at an open house for an apartment in East Village, where the owner/roommate described the living situation as his "happy dictatorship." The place had a 360-degree terrace, but neither of us took the room.A month later, I got an email from Alex, who'd come across this blog on The Feedbag during my July 4th shenanigans. "Can't believe food didn't come up

Zoenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-12590327321898500202009-07-29T22:30:00.014-04:002009-07-30T19:51:22.746-04:00

Toto, I don't think we're in Manhattan anymore.I spent this past Sunday on a Brooklyn adventure. I rarely venture into the outer boroughs, but this is mostly an issue of time rather than of misguided snobbery.We started out in East Williamsburg at the Huckleberry Bar, which was probably the bougie-est-looking thing in that neighborhood by a long mile. They were having a Maker's Mark sponsored "

Zoenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-82708014517449652502009-07-27T19:06:00.006-04:002009-07-27T23:52:57.964-04:00

I stumbled upon this photo today in a gallery over at The Village Voice.Copyright Nate "Igor" Smith

Zoenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-27144199686499567542009-07-26T13:26:00.006-04:002009-08-11T00:58:55.278-04:00

I worried that I'd met my gustatory match with Ray when he informed me of our plans for the evening over email: bowling, lobster rolls at Pearl Oyster Bar, and then omakase at Ushiwakamaru. All this in response to a mere "Hey, let's grab a lobster roll after work." This was a man with a plan, and the plan was decadent enough to scandalize even me.Over bowling, I learned that Ray is an architect

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-84068969114348519312009-07-16T20:03:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:48:12.471-04:00

I scored 9:30pm reservations to Back Forty's weekly crab boil next Tuesday night. The reservation is for six, and I have three two spots left. Interested parties can email me. Preference given to those who wouldn't mind having pictures of their mugs up on this blog.Seating is communal and the dinner costs $40. For a write up with photos of the carnage, see AlexEatsWorld's blog post.

Zoenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-18383534544196072552009-07-13T19:38:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:18:36.562-04:00

I went to the opening of Mantao Chinese Sandwiches for lunch today. I just couldn't resist after receiving a "friends of Mantao" soft opening invite email with secret 20% discount password. I need to feel special.But the line was out the door and after waiting 5 or so minutes to place my order, I waited another 25 for my food. So much for feeling special."We're a little backed up," the adorable

Zoenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-29112783344187037872009-07-12T19:29:00.020-04:002009-08-11T00:59:18.797-04:00

Amanda is not actually a stranger, but a friendly acquaintance from college. We recently reconnected over two revelations: we both live in NYC, and we both are obsessed with food.After lengthy deliberation, we chose Aldea in the thick of its flurry of good reviews, and I'm glad we got in while we still could, before Bruni's two-star stamp last week. Amanda shares my love for dining at bars, which

Zoenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-69498614912765688422009-07-10T22:06:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:47:29.635-04:00

From my friend Amanda, who works at Marea:7:16pm: Bruno is here!7:28pm: Bruni. Damn iPhone.(To be honest, I was more excited after getting the first one)

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-48428152383917123792009-07-07T20:01:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:46:57.113-04:00

Bear with me, this one evolved as it was written, and everything I've been thinking scatteredly for months seems to have made it out.I take issue with this list the way I take issue with most food writing in general: in its pronouncement that "the list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food – but a good omnivore should really try it all," it glides over the

Zoenoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-82937881630287186782009-07-06T20:51:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:21:44.154-04:00

List of company IPs I've noticed visiting my site during work hours in the past week:Deutsche BankGoldman SachsMerrill LynchCredit SuisseSociete GeneraleMorgan StanleyLehman Brothers**And a handful of hedge funds that shall remain nameless because I'm not trying to get anyone fired.But come on, people, you broke the economy already! Get back to work!*Alternatively, is anyone in finance NOT a

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-52498217393874677072009-07-06T20:38:00.015-04:002009-07-06T23:13:39.618-04:00

Saturday was fantastic.I showed up at the W Hotel in Midtown at 8am and found the lobby filled with the greatest competitive eaters in the world. As I stood there clutching my newly-issued jailbait uniform, slightly starstruck by the scene, Juliet Lee came over and asked for a picture! We posed, I stammered something about being a big fan, her husband took a snap, and told me he'd "send a copy to

Zoenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-9997256998594077872009-07-01T19:53:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:46:17.996-04:00

Email I got last night:Hello, My stage name is [redacted]. I am looking for Zoe Yang who recently "won" a spot to be a Bunnette at Coney Island this weekend. I am a competitive eater out of Philadelphia who will be in New York City this 4th of July for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Championship. If this is you, I was hoping you and I could get together either at the contest or even afterwards

Zoenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-15222107707283263952009-06-30T19:57:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:40:26.142-04:00

In answer to people who ask if I've ever had awkward situations come out of eating with strangers.9:33pm: hey zoe, ur nt gonna call me bk? thats messed up...i thought we were kool9:42pm: i would really like 2 b friends with u...and nt some odd stranger u eat with and then rip apart on ur blog...kind of hard 2 do if u dont call back9:46pm: u said some not so nice things zoe...and u didnt have 2

Zoenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-21786383386897490242009-06-29T23:34:00.017-04:002009-08-11T01:00:03.805-04:00

Back in college, some of my overly intelligent classmates would put their high SAT scores to use toward crafting the most ingenious smoking devices since the dawn of Getting High. One guy even used a magnifying glass to etch an elaborate fresco onto the wood of his home-made vaporizer.I can only hope a couple of those ambitious peers will grow up to become the next Peter Gevrekis and Christian

Zoenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-1319273147135214132009-06-29T22:23:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:41:31.503-04:00

I WON!Guess I'm not going home to Boston this weekend. So excited!! Excited to be in Coney Island, excited to meet the other two lovely ladies, excited for the gross quantities of food, excited for Juliet Lee, and excited for Kobayashi, who's been making a comeback lately!A million thank yous to the people who voted slash endured my endless FB status updates and Tweets, especially my awesome

Zoenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-9669590957590172512009-06-29T19:30:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:40:59.945-04:00

I'm currently following a developing story I came across on Eater.While most commenters are quick to deride Joe Dobias's grasp of grammar, his attitude, and his food, I see a chef painfully lost as the roles within the little theater of dining - chefs, customers, and critics - shift around him, thanks to this thing called "the internet."In Hong Kong, I briefly interned for a time at HK Magazine,

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-54223980558853367792009-06-26T21:25:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:44:54.003-04:00

Vote for me!Root for the underdog! I wasn't home when I sent in my "application," so I only had access to FB pics, hence that unfortunate selection. Who am I kidding, I can't remember the last time a camera was on me rather than what I was eating.Don't be distracted by the blonde's shiny hair! Mine is just as shiny! And the girl with the chicken feet? Girl, I've been eating chicken feet since

Zoenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-1000454380655104502009-06-25T22:07:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:42:48.256-04:00

I got a reservation for two to Momofuku Ko!!! Now accepting bribes.I'm so behind in blogging that the thought of how behind I am makes me anxious and not want to write. Restaurants I need to blog: Cabrito, Desnuda, Le Bernardin, Lupa, Aldea.Also got tickets to Food and Wine Festival in October the day they went on sale, because I'm a dork like that. I'm seeing Bruni Unveiled and the Bourdain/

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-31290324984627000432009-06-25T00:37:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:43:26.160-04:00

The following email is a response to this:Hi,If it's not too late, I'd like to be considered to be a Bunnette!My name is Zoe, I'm 22, and I am completely obsessed with food. I write the food blog Strictly Platonic (http://zoehasappetite.blogspot.com), in which I frequent NYC's restaurants with strangers I find on Craigslist and then write up the food and the conversation. Previously, I was a

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-68015930032094247642009-06-10T22:01:00.013-04:002009-06-11T13:12:56.623-04:00

...Because the challenge is set at my alma mater, POMONA COLLEGE!!!10:02: Michael Schlow of Radius up. The pastry chef at Radius's ex-boyfriend had a crush on me last summer. True story. I would've stuck with the pastry chef.Whoa, who invited Gandalf? Dude looks badass.10:03: Been dying to go to Aureole. I think this show is going to add a lot of restaurants to my ever-expanding list of places to

Zoenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-29972983023674410372009-05-20T22:20:00.004-04:002009-06-25T10:13:55.870-04:00

Kate Lowenstein.She's the senior features editor at Time Out New York, and interviews people every week for the Public Eye feature.I like Time Out because it's just like the magazine I worked at when I studied abroad in Hong Kong, HK Magazine. I like Kate Lowenstein because she is a great conversationalist.You don't fully grasp this until you eat with a bunch of strangers one-on-one, but

Zoenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-57768918093606886492009-05-19T20:16:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:37:49.118-04:00

“I suppose there are people who can pass up free guacamole, but they’re either allergic to avocado or too joyless to live.”-Frank Bruni, Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater* (via Grub Street)*You better believe I have this pre-ordered on Amazon

Zoenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-1864055135562456812009-05-17T18:17:00.009-04:002009-06-15T10:16:07.476-04:00

This is the post where I'm going to tell you exactly how to eat at Matsugen.1) Go in high summer, when the heat has robbed you of appetite and you feel thin and tan and want to keep it that way. You'll be in a rare mood for something both light and expensive, because that's the taste of summer in New York.2) You'll be tempted to order oysters, the epitome of waify decadence, but you shouldn't.

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-61339737915957969912009-05-14T20:00:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:38:28.238-04:00

I've been given a one-time opportunity to dine somewhere really, really great (read: really, really expensive).Besides pants-soiling-in-excitement, this news has rendered me incapable of making the crucial decision. So, readers, would you like to read about Le Bernardin or Jean-Georges?The vote begins now.

Zoenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-78063223671103933082009-05-09T13:42:00.015-04:002009-05-16T12:34:24.084-04:00

I knew I wanted to eat with Mr. Kool* from the minute he offered me his fried rice at Shang. I was there with Chris, and Kool and his companion were at the table next to ours. Rather than glare at the stranger eyeing his food, he shared.Anthony Bourdain once said that he knew he wanted to marry his wife when she wordlessly swapped plates with him on their first date. I think this is a bit lenient

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-53704321032520220232009-05-05T20:00:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:39:22.110-04:00

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, I'm writing about the newly opened tequila bar, Mayahuel, on 6th and 2nd.Mayahuel is the much-hyped second operation of the guys behind Death & Co, and I hope that means something to you because it certainly means nothing to me. I'm just parroting what everyone else is saying.See, I could care less about bars. As obsessively as I follow the Manhattan restaurant scene, I

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-68244724412208293192009-05-03T21:23:00.000-04:002009-05-03T21:29:58.457-04:00

I've been having a lot of nice meals lately, but sometimes, this is all I want:scallion pancakes, $2.95chicken wings, $2.95Both from Empire Corner, the takeout place near my apartment. The long-gone Chinese restaurant in Cambridge where my dad worked as a delivery man was called Empire. Fitting, no?

Zoenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-58303901718000668912009-05-03T16:48:00.000-04:002009-05-03T19:33:45.706-04:00

I've been in love with banh mi ever since I discovered, at the broke-ass age of 13, that a $2 banh mi was easily the best deal in Chinatown. Pho came much later, as it was a little farther up my nonexistent allowance scale, but when it came, it stuck. I am not Vietnamese, but pho is now my number one comfort food.I have dreams of running a banh mi truck out of Midtown, saving my fellow worker

Zoenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-21255405437637300522009-05-03T16:16:00.000-04:002009-05-03T16:35:40.645-04:00

I did some sleuthing for Ashish, and just as I suspected, Queens has the answer.There are also rumors of Food Emporium carrying Alphonsos, which is worth following up on before trekking out to Jackson Heights.I recommend reading this piece by Sona Pai, featured in Best Food Writing 2008, on one Indian-American's complicated relationship with Indian mangoes and locavorism. According to Pai, the

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-88111038107990402622009-04-30T23:19:00.000-04:002009-05-03T16:37:53.420-04:00

Ashish is a life-long vegetarian who bravely emailed me to make the point that he does not limit himself to salads just because he is a veggie-eater.I really admired his optimism in believing that a veggie and a carnivore can be great food buddies, so I challenged him to find the perfect vegetarian place for us to eat. I figured I should also try to be more open-minded. And so I detoured, for the

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-4836423311234331312009-04-26T23:23:00.001-04:002009-06-26T17:48:05.312-04:00

dateThu, Apr 23, 2009 at 10:52 AMsubjectRe: I NEED AN EATING BUDDY - w4m - 22 (Midtown East)mailed-by me.comHey Zoe,I was wondering if we could change the venue to another restaurant? I am thinking something more low key, Susur is best left for a second or third outing. Some people love his food others just don't get it (even foodies).ChrisThis email raised a burning question in my mind - is

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-68889868933433878812009-04-26T16:39:00.000-04:002009-04-30T21:58:43.939-04:00

“There’s only one-hour parking around here, let’s go to SoHo.”On the way to meet Mikey at the Starbucks on 9th and 2nd, I had told myself, “Don’t get into a car, don’t get into a car. Honestly, how dumb would that be? Don’t get into a stranger’s car.”But how was I supposed to say no? I was the one who suggest Pho Sure on Christopher Street after we’d already made plans to meet on the East Side.

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-58408001665200816392009-04-24T19:14:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:33:57.208-04:00

I've been so busy at work this week, I keep flaking and reflaking on my strangerdates. It's now gotten so confusing that I need to keep track of this somehow:Tonight: Michael @ TBATomorrow: BBQ@Coworkers', then either Ashish@TBA or Christopher@Shang or TBASunday: David@SripraphaiTuesday: Angela and co@MatsugenWednesday: TM@BaoguetteI already have a couple of backed up blog entries to write, where

Zoenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-57672752070901273402009-04-20T20:16:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:34:59.258-04:00

1) Why are shellfish so irretrievably linked with summertime when true seafood lovers know that you're only supposed to eat shellfish in months ending in "er?" I propose a winter raw bar revolution.2) Why doesn't Indian food (in the US, because I've never eaten it anywhere else) have more seafood? India has like, 49583493 miles of coastline, yet I don't think I've ever seen a seafood dish at an

Zoenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-20094784653954993532009-04-19T22:35:00.000-04:002009-04-19T22:50:13.982-04:00

For New Yorkers, born and bussed:If you're not reading Eater already, or at least just the Dealfeed portion, you really should be. If you still have a job, one upside to the recession is that tons of restaurant meals are now affordable thanks to special deals that will die as the Dow surges*. If you don't have a job anymore, one upside to the recession is that tons of restaurants are offering

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-35213871549030096432009-04-19T21:58:00.000-04:002009-04-19T22:33:10.709-04:00

I made the pilgrimage to Mitsuwa, and emerged slightly shell-shocked. I'm now officially auditioning a side role for Japanese Supermarket Buddy - an infinitely patient and food-loving Japanese person (or expat) who can explain, in detail, what the weird and wonderful items in that store are used for. Or just are, as in nature of existence. When I had trouble, I tried to make it a game: in the "

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-77806665559356458892009-04-15T23:09:00.000-04:002009-04-16T09:43:55.936-04:00

Here's what I knew about StephenB before last night: 58, divorced lawyer, polite to the point of cautiousness.Here's what I now know about StephenB: 58, divorced since 2002 over something vaguely to do with cats, tax lawyer, still polite but no longer cautious.The last part may be a problem. He has a list of places for us to try next: Picholine, Bellavitae, The Modern.It's not that he wasn't a

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-41964685219358087412009-04-15T21:34:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:27:01.379-04:00

Hi @jingtastic,I came across your blog through Twitter. I really like your conversational writing style. I'm the community manager at GrubHub.com. I currently manage our company blog, The Daily Grub (http://blog.grubhub.com/), and I'm always looking for food bloggers who maybe interested in posting on our site. The blog itself just launched this week, so we're still new. It's a volunteer

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-36726179082781210702009-04-15T13:54:00.001-04:002009-07-31T18:01:51.319-04:00

alex: come by here my officewe're ordering food me: i cantjim wants to meet with me alex: lamesauce me: just order something for me alex: for how long me: dunno alex: I CANT DO TIHS BY MYSELFokayi'll try me: dude i'll eat anythingHere's something you should know about me.I judge food, and I judge what other people are eating. If I don't know you, I'm probably not going to want to know you

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-19685860470448153582009-04-13T21:48:00.000-04:002009-04-15T15:33:14.441-04:00

My favorite Christians are the once-a-year ones. My friend Claire, wanting to do her first Easter in NYC right, made vague promises of egg-dying at her place in Williamsburg. She didn't ask anyone to bring anything, but we all somehow knew to show up with yummy tidbits and soon we had a Feaster. Jesus has risen indeed.I always use visits to Claire as a convenient excuse to stop in the Union

Zoenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-38357387711690693982009-04-11T18:30:00.001-04:002009-04-15T15:33:30.742-04:00

I had a devastating late-week craving for soup dumplings, so I dragged my coworkers to Joe's Shanghai for dinner on Friday.We kept it simple:Four orders of pork, two orders of crab and pork. Being from Nanjing, four hours away from Shanghai, I've been eating soup dumplings since birth, so I will now stop calling them by this bullshit name. Xiao long bao is what they are.Alex demonstrates the

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-2119518919218346782009-04-11T17:34:00.001-04:002009-04-15T15:34:09.710-04:00

On Thursday night I went to Emporio with my good friend Jen and a chain-link assortment of other acquaintances. On Wednesday night, Emporio opened its doors for the first time.Jen had suggested the place because it its liquor-license-pending embryonic stage, we thought we could BYOW. Turns out that was false advertisement. No matter, like I've ever let the lack of alcohol get in the way of my

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-36017434233679533702009-04-11T16:23:00.000-04:002009-04-15T14:15:59.872-04:00

So I got back to the office after lunch with Noah the other day, excited about how well my first meat up went, only to have my bubble completely burst by my coworkers.Alex: So how'd it go?Me: Good! Really well! He wasn't creepy or sketchy or awkward at all! And the restaurant was really awesome - this underground Japanese place below an office building. He's really into Japanese food and his

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-32257419787520134372009-04-09T20:27:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:31:30.184-04:00

The mecca of Japanese food?Apparently in New Jersey. From what Noah described, it sounds like an amazing treasure trove of Japanese packaging, with a FOOD COURT attached. Best of all, there's a shuttle from Port Authority! I might have to make the pilgrimage this weekend, if the weather is nice. Who's with me??

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-30679867801766994762009-04-09T20:04:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:32:27.404-04:00

Any of my friends could tell you that I have something called "extreme menu anxiety" in which I am unable to go to a restaurant without first reading every published review, with a good smattering of Citysearch/Menupages/Chowhound/Yelp opinions to round out the picture. Even then, I try to drag as many people as I can with me, and once I'm there, will usually interrogate some poor server multiple

Zoenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-14522702384058895902009-04-08T22:52:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:29:02.874-04:00

Sakagura for lunch tomorrow at 12:15.Preliminary facebook-stalking of my lunch date reveals a mountain bike enthusiast with pensive eyes. Married, which at this early stage can be either a relief or a stealth bomb.He definitely wasn't lying about his foodie credentials, though. The largest photo album consists entirely of food encountered on a trip to Osaka, 58 photos in all. I thought I was the

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-36094722149991758782009-04-08T21:52:00.000-04:002009-07-19T14:28:01.560-04:00

Jen: instead of a food date maybe a "meat up" me: hahahahai like itbut it sounds too dirtylike a boner Jen: oh wellfood is sexy me: true

Zoenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-2191284395956891012009-04-07T23:02:00.000-04:002009-04-07T23:46:28.616-04:00

I may have a date* as soon as tomorrow.Noah is not a fan of bananas or raw eggs, thinks I should read FXCuisine, and prefers Japanese.I told him about the worst raw egg I ever had, which was in the form of a Prairie Chicken. The story isn't interesting; I did it because it was there. It was bad, but not terrible. It tasted like rolling into Frary for breakfast hungover from 99-cent margaritas,

Zoenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-39026032715320820362009-04-07T22:48:00.001-04:002009-04-07T22:53:48.773-04:00

Lots of replies to the Craigslist ad already. One potential buddy responded,I do love food but despise the label "foodie." Help me think of a new word and I'll share my culinary experiences with you. =)Hmmmm. He's not wrong. I also hate the label "foodie." It's too iiiieeee, like indie for food. Punks. I'd like to think of myself as "gastronomically prioritized."

Zoenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5098030176816225276.post-44280825251852360082009-04-07T22:45:00.000-04:002009-04-07T22:48:12.706-04:00

She's really quite easy to get along with. Less snobby than you might think.

Zoenoreply@blogger.com2