The best kind of surprise

Celebrating friends, traditions, and pizza after a long flight

Mar 25, 2024

Hi friends,

I’m back in New York where the daffodils are blooming even though it’s still quite cold. It was a special and exhausting week and I took Sunday to rest, clean the apartment, and catch up on laundry and random tasks. The week culminated on Friday night, when we surprised Julia with a party to celebrate her new job (she starts today). She was 100% shocked (we got dinner and then suggested one more drink and she was floored by all the guests and love). I firmly believe in celebrating milestones of all kinds and am so proud of Julia!

Thursday’s newsletter will be about another big kitchen milestone I recently checked off.

Now, let’s dive in.

Something to cook:

Teal and I made dinner Monday night and watched the Irish Wish, which was a real blast. The outfits and dialogue are so bad but that’s part of the fun. We had pre dinner hummus and olives (Little Sesame is the best storebought hummus, the texture is incredible). We made pasta with puttanesca sauce and zucchini and a side salad with pickled onions, avocado and crispy shallots. Cozy and fresh.

Since I got home late on Wednesday, I’ve enjoyed making simple things like oatmeal with raisins and peanut butter, and eggs with spinach and cheese. We got groceries for the week and I am ready to do some more cooking!

One thing we did make this weekend were Hamantaschen, a lot of them. Hamantaschen are a long story around here (I was once insulted in the New York Times for tweeting that they are good and calling out a poorly reviewed recipe) but I love making them with my family every year. This year, we had all our usual fillings plus Ghianduja (client), which was a great addition. Here’s our dough recipe if you’re baking soon, it’s a winner!

Something to order:

Anjali and I got dinner at Piccalilli in Culver City. Sitting outside is the move (ofc) and the food was really good, especially the brussel sprouts and potato wedges. The only downside is you order and pay for everything on your phone so it’s hard to ask questions/share allergy info.

My final LA meal was a post pilates breakfast burrito with Brooke at Bardonna, which was delicious as always. And I came home to Williamsburg Pizza from Dale! I love a regional specialty.

Of course I added hot sauce, not pictured

I did miss Just Salad wraps while I was away so I got one for lunch on Thursday (the buffalo cauliflower salad, in a wrap is my order). It’s a well balanced salad with pickles, cauliflower, avocado, cheddar, and ranch.

On Friday, we misled Julia with dinner at Amazzacaffe, where the pasta is great and the gem lettuce salad is a sleeper hit. Hillary, our Italian wine expert, picked a lovely Verdicchio. Then we took her to Blinky’s, where all the pals were waiting! We even had a pistachio cheesecake from Fortunato Brothers that said “Got a job,” which was very funny to order. It was such a special night.

Dale and I caught up on life and culture (the Love is Blind reunion) and then went out in the rain to a place that feels like home: the bar at Lighthouse. I got their mushroom pasta, which is so comforting, and we started with the whipped feta and grilled sourdough. Lighthouse makes food that feels good to eat and the team is so kind.

On Sunday, we welcomed Nicholas back to New York with dinner at Anton’s in the West Village. Half of my office had recommended it and they were right. It’s a cozy corner space and the food was so good, from the fennel citrus salad to all the pastas.

Something to read:

Returning to paid work after years as a stay at home mom (this writer wrote My Last Innocent Year, which I really enjoyed, here’s a review of it)

Restaurant cancellation fees are rising! I understand no shows are bad for business but $30 or $40 per person feels punitive.

So excited for

Casey Lewis

who is going full time with her newsletter

After School by Casey Lewis

This Needs Hot Sauce

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