jersey girls in new york...part 1.....

...the last two tuesdays have been two of the most amazing days in the short time that is known as 2010...there are two very specific reasons for this claim to utter satisfaction&ridiculous happiness...one being I was able to spend time with one of my true, sweet, loyal friends/kindred spirits/soulmates, rosana silvia ortiz....the second being able to partake in wondrous, fabulous food...honestly you cannot ever go wrong with good food & good company...these are the necessary components to a happy & content life...its true...surround yourself with truly awesome people & you will only become more awesome, share good food&drink, & it only enhances the enjoyment of the company you're with...<3<3<3
rosie is one of my nearest & dearest....we both grew up in dirty jersey, she in newark, myself in lyndhurst...yet we didn't meet until we were both students @ nyack college...we passed each other numerous times walking to classes, darting through the halls to (mostly) uninteresting classes,& in the cafeteria, &feasting on nothing that i feel is worth mentioning here...
we didn't ever converse until we both signed up to go to Los Angeles Film Center in Burbank, CA, for a fall semester(of my senior year)...we were the only two students from our school to go there, so we quickly made sure to become a united front in case we were bombared with valley girls upon arrival...first impressions can never be trusted. ever. she thought I was a crazy girl who incessantly chattered & was inherently excited about every absolute thing in the entire universe...i saw her as a quiet&conservative girl who was terrified(of me!)...somewhere between now&then we have changed/blossomed/grew/failed&succeeded & completely lived up to & shattered those impressions...&with that I can say she is completely my family...when you reach that place in my swollen heart, I tell you I would do anything for you, regardless of time, place, disagreements, distance...she's there, which made out adventures in manhattan all the more awesome.
we started off our food adventures meeting @ grand central terminal...i'm there at least four times a week for classes, & i can tell you it never gets old, standing in the main concourse, lifting my eyes & travelling the ceiling, following all the constellations, attempting to do this & not get trampled during the rush hours is difficult but i make it happen...
first stop...Magnolia Bakery...we went to the one located near Rockefeller Center...yes it was teeming with tourist, but also with plenty of New Yorkers looking for their sugar fix...let me say I am obsessed with cupcakes....baking cupcakes from scratch is one of my absolute favoritest things to do Ever...its true...I'm always searching for the best cupcakes ever, & new ideas to build my cupcakerie repetorie...this was not to be the day...I always enjoy their frosting, it is marvellous, sweet, vanilla sugar frosting that you just cannot get enough of...the cupcakes themselves, sadly are like the kids who are picked last in the dodgeball game during gym class...no cupcake love here...we decided to just suck it up & soldier on &have another cupcake..this time red velvet...I am partial to red velvet cupcakes...they are fun& easy to bake...one time I baked a ginormous batch, decorated & boxed in teenty bakery boxes for a friend's baby shower, & i've been in love ever since...yeah not so much...just as Rosie & I were about to bite into our red velvets, I overheard a customer who had just stuffed her mouth with one complain how dry it was...okay no surprise, but I had faith the flavors would be there...by far the most tasteless cupcake these usually positive tastebuds have ever encountered...but the frosting was sure to be a success....no, no way, didn't happen...the enire red velvet experience was momentarily tainted...we secretively disposed the remainders & were on our way to the next stop...TEANY...located on Rivington Street...this is tradition for us...every time Rosie is in NYC we always make time for Teany...owned by Moby (definitely not the reason we go), they have hundreds of varieties of tea, fabulous vegan/non-vegan fare, & a cute (sometimes annoyingly hipster) atmosphere...we arrived to find that it was closed for renovation...not so excited about that...for those of you who might want to visit there, i always can happily rely on the chai latte&peanut butter vegan cake...their scones &clotted cream are also delectable...
next stop...Chinatown & Little Italy...i didn't tell Rosie but I was definitely in the mood for some Italian...she kept suggesting places in Chinatown, but I would just make lame excuses as to why I didn't want to eat there..."uh I heard they're super expensive", "I heard the Chinatown in Queens is the Real Chinatown, Chinatown in Manhattan has nothing on them"...as we strolled the streets & entered Little Italy, we were bombarded by young gentleman bundled up for the weather, attempting to draw us into their restaurants...they were probably hoping we were tourists with money to burn & tummies to fill...we ended up in Cafe Napoli...the decor was a bit old school, I almost felt as if I was in my Grandma Julia's basement, still decked out with Mediterranean themed couches from the 1970's(I have the pictures to prove it)...our waiter was fantastic to converse with & we didn't really mind looking @ him either...we started off with a pinot grigio after a few false starts with the wine menu...we wanted to take our time...for a truly enjoyable meal, you need to take the time, appreciate who you are dining with, & appreciate the food & the people who are preparing it for you...next up is mozzarella carroza...i ordered it for us because I remember my mother making it for me when I was younger...she would fill the bread slices with mozzarella & capers...soak it in beaten eggs, and then fry in olive oil to a golden crisp perfection...i hoped for the same at this place...i wasn't let down...Rosie & I marvelled at the soft&gooey center, & the crunchy exterior...they didn't use capers, but it was satisfying all the same...the entrees were standard & not worth mentioning here. i only mention truly worthwhile experiences! haha...which is why i will mention the "ad finitum" of the meal...ITALIAN CHEESECAKE!!!!! we were going to have cannolis(another tradition with us)...but upon inspection of their bakery case, we saw they were "prefilled", & we all know you don't ever want a prefilled cannoli...unless you are one to enjoy a soggy shell...entirely up to the feasting individual...right after i had mentioned the fact that the cannolis were not fresh, a lady with spiky bleached blonde hair marched in...I recognized her as a celebrity chef!...she has graced many shows on the Food Network...she at first seemed as if she had a countenance of self importance, but I soon learned she was on a mission...her first words were "I need a cannoli to go"...as the host reached for one from the bake case, she firmly stated, "No." Her next words were, "Those are prefilled...I want a fresh one, I want you to fill it NOW in front of me."...a foodie after my own gourmand heart...I smiled in understanding& this only enhanced the rest of our experience at Cafe Napoli...the Italian cheesecake by the way was SUPERB...if that doesn't get my point across, let me tell you, my eyes lits up, my tummy sang a song of unadulterated joy, my heart was full...no kidding. Our meal lasted two hours (not nearly long enough!) , but the impressions on my heart our time of enjoying somewhat awesome food, was only increased in awesomeness by the company & the cheesecake...Good times!!!!