Sitting on a Bench in the Sun

Plus happy hour quesadillas & love is blind

Mar 04, 2024

Hi there,

Yesterday it was over 60 degrees (this score felt low). I walked to 19 Cafe, my former local, and got an avocado and egg sandwich and an iced coffee. Jason, the owner, is so friendly and everything was just as good as I remembered. I ate it sitting on a park bench, watching friends and dogs and families enjoy the day. I felt the sun on my skin, my still wet hair drying as I bathed in its rays. On my walk, I listened to the latest episode of It’s Been a Minute about what’s going on in the media industry (it’s very bad and will make us all less informed) and about Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation. What’s happening in Gaza has been on my mind since October (that phrase is an understatement but it’s what I have right now) and it feels extra cruel on a sunny day where I have food to eat and a peaceful park to look at. Ceasefire now.

Now, let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

Julianne made rice bowls for the Bachelor (it was a Hello Fresh recipe that we added extra things too). I made some tofu for a veg option and realized the 365 brand extra firm tofu is the firmest I’ve tried. It kept its shape perfectly even though we didn’t have time to press it and got super crispy. I’m glad I bought two packs.

I made another big kale salad for lunches, this time with farro, apple, cheddar cheese, scallions, and toasted almonds. I keep the dressing simple with lemon or apple cider vinegar and olive oil. And you must massage the kale.

If you’re having pizza, an arugula salad is a great companion. Keep it simple with a cloud of microplaned parmesan, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon.

Keeping chips and salsa on hand is very important for spontaneous TV marathons. Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready.

Something to order:

Hillary and I had a stellar evening on a rainy Tuesday. We caught oyster happy hour at Bar Belly (it goes till 7) and then had dinner at Scarr’s (you can reserve the back tables on Resy, you just have to order a pie which is a good thing because you get leftovers). We got a pie with half mushroom and the vegan caesar salad which is great.

Cam and I got coffee at Bakeri and I would definitely have put this on the grid between 2012-2014

Tilden and I discovered a very good happy hour at For All Things Good in Williamsburg. From 6-8, you get either a $10 glass of natural wine or for $18 you can get the wine plus any vegetarian quesadilla (get the squash blossom or mushroom). I’ll definitely be back—it’s a large space and the menu is mostly vegetarian.

I had dinner with Julianne, Julia, Danielle, and Ian at Mesa Coyoacan, where the mushroom tacos always hit the spot.

Dale and I got brunch at Le Fanfare—their egg sandwich comes with mozzarella and smoked mayo. Get the lemon ricotta pancakes for the table.

It was so rainy on Saturday and the perfect excuse to spend the afternoon watching Love is Blind with Julia. After some snacking, Dale ordered a Grandma Pie and Caesar salad from Williamsburg Pizza. This season is messy and I’m excited to see how it ends (please share predictions in the comments).