Flavor of Love

Yesterday was my five year wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we took a walk down Vanderbilt Ave and had brunch/lunch at Le Gamin, a french restaurant specializing in crepes. I recommend eating in the backyard area. I'm always pleased with the way restaurants in the city are able to transform a tiny backyard surrounded by buildings into a nice Eden for food-lovers. I had a swiss/mushroom/sausage crepe with salad. Tres bon!

After, we took a long trek to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. We've missed the cherry blossoms but it was still definitely worth it to go. There are still plenty of flowers, amazing trees to check out and the fish and turtles in the Japanese garden are always cool to see. And it was surprisingly not that crowded, which is always a huge plus when doing anything in NY.


For dinner, we made our way to No. 7 in Fort Greene. We were told it was a 40-minute wait but it ended up being only about 10 minutes! However, we were stuck at the crappiest table that was right in the walkway to the bathroom and the waiter stand. Overall the service was great though and the food was delicious. We shared an appetizer of mussels with thai basil/chickpea/sake broth and then I got the mahi mahi with bock choy, lentils and artichoke dip for the entree. Unfortunately, there was no room left for dessert in my belly.

Finally, we made our way to Frank's Lounge on Fulton St. hoping to listen to some live music that was suppose to go on at 9:30. But when 10:30 rolled around and I had about enough of the R&B album that was playing, we decided to just leave. I guess I'll never know what Big Brooklyn Red sounds like.

Looking forward to our 6th anniversary :)

Yoga in the Park

Last night I went for the first time to the free yoga offered in Fort Greene Park. Yoga outdoors is a very different experience then at a studio or in your home. I'm going to totally sound like a hippie right now but doing yoga outside really gets you in touch with the earth and puts you in a different mindset that is a little more peaceful and enjoyable. The only thing that bothered me a little was that although I was on my yoga mat, we were in an area where the grass was not cut and was pretty uneven with sticks and stones. I don't know how some of the guys managed without a mat but they stuck it out.
The class was an hour long from 7 - 8pm and there were about 12 people. It is a free class but the instructor did ask at the end for donations. It will take place every Tuesday throughout the summer, so check it out.

(Note: The photo above is not from the class yesterday and was just found on Google images to give you an idea of what it was like.)

Around the Hill in Warm Weather

Being unemployed and having such beautiful weather lately has allowed me to enjoy more of the Clinton Hill/Fort Greene area. Yesterday was over 80 degrees, so I went with my friend to Fort Greene Park for a few hours. We had a lovely little picnic at the top of the hill and checked out all the sunbathers. This is a great park and glad that there are places like this in NYC to at least get a little exposure to grass and trees. There's a huge playground, tennis courts, basketball courts, and the prominent Prison Ships Martyrs Monument. It can get busy but definitely not as crowded as many of the other parks in NYC, and not as much of a "scene" as McCarren Park.

Another place I visited a few times recently that I've never been to before was Tillie's cafe on DeKalb. I've walked by it a million times but finally decided that it was time to check it out. There are a few other cafes in the area, such as Connecticut Muffin, but Tillie's is definitely a hot spot for people with lap tops or people like me who want to just relax with a good book and a cup of coffee. I was a little disappointed that they don't have decaf coffee but they were able to whip me up a decaf espresso type coffee drink.

And if you're looking for a great restaurant, I'd have to recommend Maggie Brown. My husband and I have been here many many times and it's always great food and a cool atmosphere. There's also a big backyard if you want to dine outside in the nice weather. The brunch is amazing. The omelet's are great and come with a side of home fries, salad and toast or a biscuit. And the bloody mary's are not to miss.