Happy Natural Ice Cream Sandwich Day!

Ice Cream Sandwich from Coolhaus, grab one today and enjoy yourself!

I apologize profusely for my absence–from going on vacation to dealing with the-forces-outside-of-my-control, my blog posting has been interrupted. While distracted, I find it hard to simply push out posts. I always believe in quality over quantity, and there’s no point subjecting you to mediocrity if you’re humbling me with some time out of your day to read this. Thank you for your support and feedback along the way!

I wanted to quickly notify everyone that today is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day! My friend had a hankering for Coolhaus after I introduced her to it, so on their Twitter feed we found about this special day. If you’re in the New York area, I’d highly recommending checking out some places I’ve reviewed already: the mobile food truck Coolhaus and Jacques Torres ice cream here and here. Hmmm… red velvet ice cream sandwich or a wicked ice cream sandwich? Whatever your preference, be sure to celebrate today!

Pigging Out on Governors Island — It’s Time for Pig Island! (Part 1)

As an average New Yorker, budgeting is an essential skill to survive in one of the most expensive cities in the world (#1 in the United States). Take away the rent and bills, I actively allocate the biggest part of my budget to food/entertainment. Food is one of those expenses (bars, restaurant, meals, etc.) that kills two birds with one stone: you need to eat in order to survive, so why not do it with friends and family?

Yes, the food I feature here is all out of my own pocket. Since I do live in New York, there are constantly various food festivals or shows that go on here. If I had to narrow down the ones that I think are truly worth every penny, hands down it would be Pig Island and the Chocolate Show.

Organic raised pigs are served by 20 different chefs during the Pig Island event on Governor's Island

Last year, my dear friend told me about Pig Island after seeing an ad for it in the Village Voice. I was enticed by the all you can eat pork, and I love Governors Island, but I was disheartened to learn I already missed out on the early bird special. When all was said and done, after taxes and convenience fees online, a single ticket cost $88.12 (according to my order confirmation email).

To ensure that we’re speaking the same page, $90 is plenty of money. You could pay almost a month’s worth of a smart phone plan, watch 7 movies (none of that fancy 3D or IMAX business) at the theatres, pay for a nice pre fixe menu in a fancy restaurant, and the list goes on. What was it that convinced me to finally order my tickets 2 days before the big event?

Sweet Action, Righteous Ale, Crisp... give me some Sixpoint craft beer and I'm so there

As part of NY Craft Beer Week, Sixpoint was also unlimited. Unlimited pork and beer? I called up my best friend and brother and said we had to do this. I checked the weather forecast and the Saturday looked to be a beauty. Good scenery, good food, good drinks… what was not to love? With them in tow, we were ready to conquer the island.

Pig Island was buzzing with culinary excitement on this perfect day

Is it worth the investment? Most definitely. The next theme for my posts are the dishes I experienced from my Pig Island adventure. Instead of the first weekend of October, Pig Island II is taking place on my birthday, September 10! I assume the set up is very similar, though I notice that the NY Craft Beer Week is from September 16-25, so I’m crossing my fingers and hoping for unlimited beers again. There was also unlimited wine as well, but with Sixpoint around, their tents were the only ones I was looking for to wash down my pork. I have found some new favorite restaurants based on the dishes served by their chefs on pig island.

The early bird special right now is $60 for a ticket. The early bird ends on August 13. At $60, even without the unlimited beer, that’s a steal. Soon I’ll be detailing my Pig Island adventure complete with photos. After, I will feature one dish a day from Pig Island. Hopefully this will convince you to come out to Pig Island II and celebrate my birthday!

Time to make a Cool House for your Ice Cream with Coolhaus

It’s official folks, NYC has become stupid hot. No need to gussy it up with fancy adjectives; call a spade a spade. Stupid as in the heat melts/burns the will to live right out of you along with your water content, reducing you to a perspiring mass of sluggish half thoughts and impaired enthusiasm. “Optimists” say you’re detoxing and releasing the imperfections. I say, there’s a reason why I don’t visit saunas voluntarily, free or not.

Today is the peak of the heat wave, hitting approximately 110°. With temperatures soaring that remind me of time spent in Las Vegas and Arizona, NYC unfortunately also packs the humidity to go along with all that irradiating sunshine. After walking around yesterday with the temperature just at 100°, I think discretion is the better part of valor as I camp indoors today. I haven’t felt that disgruntled since my trip to Charleston, and that was only in the 90’s. If you’re a brave soul or an “optimist” who wants to ignore the heat advisory, then I suggest checking your Twitter feed (or following @CoolhausNY) and tracking down the Coolhaus food truck.

Spotting of the Coolhaus truck in The Lot, a summer public spot right under The High Line