Meatballs! Meatballs!

One thing I love about living in NYC is the abundance (maybe even over abundance!) of restaurants. So when my friends mentioned The Meatball Shop (WARNING - When you mouse over the icon of the two guys on the right side it makes a farting noise - scared me the first time) I was skeptical. The only thing I knew of meatballs were those faraway days of rock hard meatless tasting meatballs in school cafeterias or really small ones in canned soups and what not. The prices were okay but then again I never thought of eating just meatballs as being a meal all in itself.

The place is always busy at the usual dinner time and I've tried twice to go but alas the waits around prime time eating time (6pm-8pm) had a 2 hour waiting time. Once we went there around 9pm and the waiting time was still 2 hours but granted we had four people and it was a beautiful Autumn evening. The restaurant inside is rather small so two people would be the best for the shortest wait time.

Third time's the charm! Finally got in on a Sunday at 3pm with no wait (not very surprising). The decor inside reminds me of those old garment factories I use to spend my childhood in. In fact I'm pretty sure all the chairs were salvaged when those factories closed down. It's a very nice comfy ambiance and there's a heavy curtain covering the door to come in which is great since it keeps the drafts (mostly) out!

Any ho! The most important part was the meatballs! My friend and I ordered the "Naked Balls" (I had to giggle at that when I read it on the menu) She ordered the spicy pork while I got the beef one. It's served with this ultra soft bread and choice of cheese and sauce. I personally liked the spicy meatballs because it had that kick in it and also the tomato sauce. The Parmesan sauce I ordered was overwhelming the taste of the slightly dry beef meatballs.
We also shared a side of spaghetti. Nothing special... just regular old spaghetti with tomato sauce and we didn't think it was worth ordering. I totally loved the Arugula and Apple salad. It was very refreshing and crisp and complemented my heavily cheesed up meatball meal. Surprisingly these meatballs were very filling! Don't let their size fool you. I ate 3 and was very full but then again I don't eat too much.

Verdict:
Food is good for the price but not for a 2 hour wait. Next time I'll just order the "Smash" which is 2 balls (hehe) and side salad. This time definitely make room for the dessert which sounded delicious (ice cream with homemade cookies) but I was way too full the first time!

Yelp Reviews for Meatball Shop

Until next time... happy eating!

Mexican + Japanese Fusion

Mexican Kaiten Sushi @ Taka Taka

Sorry guys for being MIA! During the end of last year I got my first full time job and its been exhausting! Some readers/friends have been prodding me to write more posts (you know who you are!) My first review was much better but I had to delete the whole post because there was a glitch in it! SIGH! So here's the first post of the new year!

A new year means new experiences and my sister and I decided to start it off with going to this Mexican Japanese fusion place called TAKA TAKA where their motto is "Mexican Sushi and Japanese Tacos". With us being a lover of both, it was the perfect place to try! The first thing we notice was the conveyor belt of sushi that passed though the kitchen to all the tables outside. We decided to order from the menu rather then the conveyor belt. We noticed the same dishes were rotating on it for the whole hour and a half we were there.

Tuna Sashimi Tostada
The first was a cold dish of thinly slice tuna that was perfect with the crunch of the Tostada and blend of Chipotle sauce, onions, olives and tomatoes. I usually have a lower tolerance for spicy and not a fan of tomatoes but this dish won me over! My sister said "It's s simple but whoever thought of putting tuna on a tostada is a genius!"

Don Cangrero (top left) and the Rib eye Teppanyaki Taco (bottom right)

Both were delicious but what really stood out to us was the Rib eye one because of the blend of sweet sesame sauce and the jalapenos. The meat was tender and full of flavor. I've had my share of flavorless, over/under cooked thin beef to appreciate this wonderful taco. The soft shell crab taco was a tad on the soft side because it also had beans in it. Nevertheless we enjoyed both!

As for the sushi we ordered a modified Philly roll of smoked salmon, avocado, cream cheese with the addition of the fried gyoza strips and tuna. At this point we were already stuffed with the tacos but these were also very good. The details of the crunch strips took these to a new level.

The people packed everything in this adorable to-go box! It was rather pricey being $70 for the both of us but it was definitely a wonderful and unusual food experience. Not an everyday place but you know whenever I feel the need for Mexican sushi and Japanese tacos... I know exactly where to go!

Until next time... how's everyone doing?!

Otakon 2011 Finally!

Otakon 2011 has yet again come and gone and I know it's been over for a few months but here's the pictures finally! This year the weather was nice and sunny but a bit on the hot side. Unfortunately we couldn't be there on Friday so we arrived Saturday instead. The above picture is from the Arena where some of the really big shows are hosted such as Masquerade and concerts. The cosplay above is from a game called Animal Crossing sort of like a Sims type game except everyone else are animals.

An awesome Dalek cosplay from Dr. Who Series. I'm not sure whether it was remote controlled or someone was inside. People got a big kick out of it.

Old fashion Tetris piece!

Collection of cosplayers from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The beloved Peter Griffin vs. Ernie the Giant Chicken, from Family Guy.

Magic Knight Rayearth cosplayers. Love the details on their costumes and making armor seems like quite a challenge.

Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu.

Ghost Busters! Sorta disappointed this picture came out fuzzy!

The BF really wanted to see the Chemistry concert but alas it was on Friday. Le sigh. We did go to their Q & A section. Truthfully I had no clue who they were but I did find out they sang the song to Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and Mobile Gundam Suit Unicorn. I haven't seen the latter but I did like the FMA Brotherhood series. They were extremely polite and also funny as they answered and joked with the fans that came to see them.

Last of all is my revamped costume of Mahoromatic. In this version I reworked the apron to have a tie across the waist which is higher then my actual waist. I also reworked the red tie thing and added a petticoat. It was also the first time I styled and wore a wig with the costume along with contacts and false lashes. I think these details really added the finishing touches for the character. I might add in a more in depth post on the reworking of the costume later on.

Until next time... time just seems to fly fly fly away!

Finally here! Nerdy Totes!

Nerds Get the Chicks Tote @ LiPeony!

I know better late then never but I finally got one of my favorite prints on a tote bag. The reason behind the lateness was I wanted to try it out and it's been about two months that I've been wearing it out hanging with my friends. It's 100% cotton with a whopping 15 x 16 inches of space for random things. I love the size and simplicity because I just throw whatever inside and it's good to go. Most of all I really like how it has something I created on it and I took the time to research and put the print on the bag myself.

Nerds and Chicks @ LiPeony

Though it took me a while to get around to it I'm very happy I decided to try something new with what I already love doing.

Until next time... release that little idea lingering at the back of your head

New Cards for the Holidays?

"When Santa runs out of elves he uses happy chicks"

I know it's not even the end of August and I'm already preparing for the holiday season in my shop LiPeony! Actually it didn't even cross my mind until one day I was lurking in the Etsy Forums and stumbled upon this post by KreatedByKatrina (btw visit her soap for soap goodies like gingerbread men soap! ) and she's been one of those long standing people on Etsy who has a lot of knowledge and experience and when she writes something I read it. This post happened to be "Preparing Your Shop for The Holidays" . She lists several good ways to prepare and opened the board for others to both learn and put in their advice. I've been gobbling up every single morsel of knowledge. I decided to finally start on those Christmas/Holiday cards. I've always wanted to be hands on with my work and making cards is no exception. I decided to experiment with the little print above.

Martha Stewart Crafting Scoring Board
I also have this nifty Martha Stewart Crafting Scoring Boards when I was making my friend's wedding invitations. It's not a necessary tool but it's so awesome to have because you can make crisp lines on blank sheets of papers to fold into cards. It's simple and they sell it at craft stores. I think this was brought at Micheal's with one of their lovely 40% coupons and it came up to a little over $11. Yes this thing retails around $20 hence the coupons.

It's very simple and the whole thing is outlined with inch ruler measures and the corresponding scoring groove. So all you really need is the bone folder which is that flat and rounded edged tool that comes with it. Place your paper on the board and pick how far you want your folded line to be and press the bone folder from that groove all the way down the card.

Ta-da! Perfect groove where you can fold your blank piece of paper into a card!

Now a nifty little card!Open up for anyone to write their special message in. This is just a practice run because I do want either a luster/pearl or a glossy finish. Haven't decided yet. I've also deciding on whether to buy plain white envelopes with the cards are these lovely light light blue envelopes which cost a tad more. I'm leaning towards the blue ones because I think it adds a bit more. Look forward to new card sets (was thinking sets of 3 or 6) close close in the future. So how have you been preparing for the holidays or are you still going "WHAT? HOLIDAYS? ITS STILL SUMMER??"

Until next time... stay groovy!

Governor's Island Origami fun!

Governor's Island Nolan Park
Isn't it amazing a place so full of trees and picturesque as Governor's Island is literally 10 minutes away from lower Manhattan? For last Saturday which Mr. Weatherman said would be thunder storming (which it did not) I was volunteering to help teach people how to make some origami whales, fish and crabs.

Ferry entrance/exit at Governor's Island
First off the ferry ride was packed full of people but then again its free and there's boats every 30 minutes but you'll have to check the schedule HERE. The ferry was full of people who were dressed as flappers and even a steampunk couple. Apparently there was a jazz festival on the island! I was amazed by this sudden leap into the Roaring 20's and really regret being too shy to ask to take photos of some of the more elaborate costumes!

The view of Manhattan from Governor's Island was awesome. The above pictures shows the ferry dock/piers on the Manhattan side. You could also see the Staten Island ferry along with the other NYC boat tours. It was pretty sunny and hot out on deck but inside are two hallways of benches to sit on and there's no air conditioner. No worries the trip was about ten minutes.
What's also neat about the island was that there are these old homes that can be rented out. The New New Team rented a house and basically decorated the inside and made a whole gift boutique full of wonderful items from the New New Team! Of course I couldn't help but buy a little something something for myself:

Vintage Beaded Necklace from WishByFelicity!
Seriously I have been eyeing her colorful jewelry from we first met way back when. She's also such a sweetheart and helpful during our craft show shares. I tend to wear a lot of neutrals like beige, soft greys, dark blues... pretty monotone and I've been leaning towards buying colorful accents to add to my mundane clothing hues. The one above was perfect... even my mom was eyeing it. (no mom I will have to get you your own!) Okay enough of me and my goodie of the day! I was pretty late but Lucrafts (who makes these unique switch light covers!) , Paperelle (who makes awesome origami stars jewelry and going to vend at New York Anime Festival) and Lamusekalliope (who makes adorable little critters and pouches) were already hard at work with table of little kids around them!

As usual I was the awkward "OMG I"M SO LATE AND SO SOOOORRRYYY" person. It took a bit but I got into it and taught all these kids how to make whales, fishes and crabs. Whales were a big hit with the girls and the boys like the crabs... go figure? By the end of the day we were all covered in glitter with goggle eyes and tiny plastic gems everywhere. It was so fun! The kids were adorable though the younger ones wanted you to make it for them while the older kids were actually having that "I'm going to learn how to make this" look on their faces. Oh btw we learned origami from this awesome website Origami Club... the animations really really help!

All in all it was a great day. Volunteered, met some more awesome crafters, delved into another hidden gem of NYC and went back to watch Crazy, Stupid Love (hilarious movie!) and ate with my cousin and sister before she left for college. It was one of the best days of summer!

Until next time... what were your summer adventures?

Governor's Island Origami Fun!

Ah remember the little origami people I use to make? This Saturday I'll be at Governor's Island teaching people how to fold some cute origami sea creatures! Every weekend the New New Team get together and teach a certain craft. I haven't been to Governor's Island for a long time but I do remember it was a very calm and picturesque place and there's a free ferry that goes to the island from both Manhattan and Brooklyn side! DIRECTIONS . If you're ever need to go somewhere peaceful in hectic NYC then come on by... you'll walk away with new found origami skills and a funky card to boot.

I know I haven't updated in a LONG LONG time as mentioned by a friend and reader! I got it! I did get a new job that I'm very happy about so that's been eating most of my time. I'll be updating soon about my cosplay for Otakon, new stuff for my store and things around quirky little NYC.

Until next time... learn something new!