I’m back from an incredible trip to Paris (more on my travels tomorrow), and ready now for New York adventures. In that vein, here’s another dispatch from the shadowy underbelly of the bacon world. I just had brunch at Traif, a new restaurant in Williamsburg that delights in serving all of Judaism’s forbidden foods. The restaurant casued quite a stir in the religious world when it opened. Though the owners meant no offense with the cheeky name, many found it pretty disrespectful. Sort of sacrilegious? Yes. Delicious? Also yes. For brunch, there’s a very impressive roster of pork-based dishes, including…

True to my morning routine, before I got out of bed, I checked my email. I saw that my friend Leah had sent me a message with a video attached; the only text in her email: “Ha.  Haha.  Hahahahahahaha.  Enjoy.” Though I had slept in a little past the alarm and knew that I would consequently be running a few minutes late for work (I later decided to skip Starbucks), I’m totally a sucker for the nondescript teaser.  One time in elementary school, I bought a brown paper “mystery bag” from the school’s spring carnival for five dollars, fully expecting…

Recently, I made my first-ever trip to the Meadowlands after a close friend scored tickets to the Jets-Redskins pre-season game. Now, although I’m an avid college football fan, hence aformentioned bleeding of orange and blue for the Florida Gators, professional football really isn’t my thing. I really wanted to go to see the behemoth stadium that’s been abuzz this summer. So I gladly accepted the offer and trucked out via New Jersey Transit to get a peak at the spectacular complex. The $1.6 billion dollar complex can house nearly 83,000 screaming Jets and Giants fans and is set to be…

I had big, optimistic plans for getting back on the diet after my week-long getaway to Cape Cod earlier this month (I give myself every permission to eat junk food on vacation–though my roommate might argue that I take a “vacation” every night after dinner!)  Starting last week, I was back in the saddle, eating homemade salads with lots of healthy veggies…until I learned of a little promotion called “The Never Ending Pasta Bowl” at the illustrious Olive Garden. There may be some of you who argue that the good ol’ O.G. isn’t one of New York’s finest, (this is…

I love things that make my life easier:  elevators, the remote control that came with my air conditioner, roommates that love to cook and share.  As my mom knows, I’m not-so-secretly obsessed with Downy Wrinkle Releaser. What can I say–I’m a wrinkly guy! This more often than not saves me the dreaded task of ironing, which, you know, gives me more time to play with my air conditioning remote. Speaking of wrinkles, my roommate and I are experimenting with ways to rid ourselves of crow’s feet (I intend to be young forever. Have you seen Madonna recently?)  We’ve been using…

Sometimes it’s hard to find a weekend activity that satisfies six-year-old twins without boring the grownups to death, or vice versa. This is the problem in our family, as we often get together with my charming niece and nephew and their awesome parents. Last weekend, on a gray, dreary day, we decided to go to the New York Hall of Science to see if it could amuse us all for a few hours. Let me tell you something. We had a great time! Frankly, some of the math and science (never my strong suits) were even over my head, but…

This week, I got on the lovely (and free!) shuttle bus at Forty One Madison, and went on down to the Gift Show for a sneak peek at the latest, greatest and strangest in tableware, doodads, accessories, housewares and other gifts. I oogled luxe bedding, sniffed myriad scented candles and admired modernist kids furniture (this time, i got a closer look at the Brinca Dada dollhouse in person- I must have it!) I checked out enough glittery, bespangled ornaments and thingies to choke even the most ambitious Christmas tree. You know I love glitter.  I also have a strange fascination…

Two of my favorite obsessions sound suspiciously alike: I adore sample sales (common in our neck of the woods) as well as salesman’s samples, which are a bit harder to find. In the 19th and early-twentieth centuries, salesmen needed to show prospective clients their wares without lugging stoves, furnishings, scientific equipment, canoes, and tractors around the country. The salesman’s sample was a practical way to solve the problem, allowing customers to examine the goods in detail, and leaving us with some fabulously fun, collectible items to enjoy now. These unintentionally adorable miniatures caught my attention a few years ago, when…

In an article in yesterday’s New York Times, I read that the annual international kite design competition has returned for a second year. Whoa! Cool, right? Submissions were accepted for donation to FlyNY and will be presented later this month at a public kite flying showcase on Pier I at 70th Street. The project was organized by the NYC office of Architecture for Humanity, the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, as well as our friends at Architizer. I think this is brilliant! Sadly, I missed the boat on submitting an original Josh Schoenfelder design (the deadline was Tuesday)…but had…

It happened practically overnight: Shake Shack has invaded the Upper East Side. With its soft opening this past weekend, my friends and I were already contemplating the massive amounts of working out we’ll need to combat the amazingly greasy goodness of the now-legendary New York burger joint. And can we talk about the new shake flavors featured at the UES location? I can guarantee that I (lactose-intolerance and all) will surely indulge in  the Coffee Bean Brownie (vanilla custard, brownies, coffee caramel, whipped cream)  and Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunchcrete (chocolate custard, peanut-butter sauce, chocolate toffee, chocolate sprinkles). Totally worth it….