Entries from August 24th, 2010

Roundarch Summer Event & 10 Year Anniversary

August 27th, 2010 · No Comments


Chicago Skyline from the Shedd Aquarium


Silvia, Victor & Ryan


Taylor & Mark


Stella, Anandi, Anjum


Matt & RJ


At the Oceanarium


Beluga Whale


Beluga Whales


Coral Reef Exhibit


Coral Reef Exhibit


Coral Reef Exhibit


James talking about those who have been with Roundarch for 10 years, himself included.


Marlena, Jaivin, Anjum


Alex

Every year Roundarch has a summer event (see 2009, 2008), but this year’s event was extra special because we were also celebrating our 10 year anniversary.

This summer everyone was flown in from all the other offices and everyone stayed at the Trump. Many, many meetings were held there and then our party was at the Shedd Aquarium. The drinks were flowing all night long and the food was very good as well. I felt a little weird about eating sushi at the Aquarium, but not so bad that I didn’t indulge in it! It was fun to see everyone that I work with in all the other offices. Great party, Roundarch!

[Read more →]

Tags:··················

Motorino

August 26th, 2010 · 2 Comments

When we saw Adam at Tien and Shannan’s wedding, we couldn’t help but ask him what his favorite pizza is these days. He is the pizza king, afterall. Without hesitation, Adam said “Motorino” so we decided to try it out for lunch on Sunday, our last day in New York.

We skipped any sort of antipasti and went straight for the Neopolitan-style pizza.


Stracciatella : basil / olive oil / sea salt


Prosciutto di parma : mozzarella / garlic / thyme / pecorino


Cherry stone clams : garlic / parsley butter / olive oil


Soppressata Piccante : mozzarella / spicy soppressata / garlic / oregano

Motorino’s pizza was really great. I loved all the flavors. I think we liked the soppressata the best, maybe followed closely by the clam pie and the prosciutto di parma. The stracciatella was good, but I didn’t realize it was a white pie when I suggested it. I wished for something more. Still pretty good though. And hot. When the first pizza came out, Dallas and Yvan took a bite, so I did too. And I burned the roof of my mouth. 3 days later I can still feel it! I didn’t notice that Yvan and Dallas did the fold so the scalding toppings were not directly touching their mouth at once. Oh well it was worth it.

The crust on Motorino’s pizza was really delicious too. We all ate all of our crusts. Usually there is someone who can’t finish their crusts, but not this time. They were that good. It was like baked bread with a nice wood-fire char. We even asked for olive oil to dip it in. So, all in all, great pizza, but here’s the catch. We were hungry so we got 4 pizzas for 4 people. Each pie is $14 – $18. That might have been the most expensive, per person, pizza dinner I ever had! But it was totally worth it to try Adam’s recommendation. Like Jeannette and Yvan said, it’s a good splurge, but not like they’ll be back there every week or something.

P.S. Dallas also tried this NY pale ale, Pork Slap. It came in a can and had this awesome label.

[Read more →]

Tags:········

Dim Sum at Jade Asian & Pastries at Paris Baguette

August 26th, 2010 · No Comments

On Saturday morning we asked Jeannette and Yvan if they’d be up for dim sum since Dallas and I hadn’t had it since the last time we were in New York a year ago! Dallas’s cousin Jessica from Honolulu is living in Greenpoint, Brooklyn now after having completed school at FIT, so we invited her to come along with us. Jeannette and Yvan have a car so after picking up Jessica, we headed out to Flushing, Queens and went to Jade Asian Restaurant.

Jade Asian is set up like a huge banquet hall. Kind of like Jing Fong, where we sometimes go in Manhattan. The thing about Flushing, though, is that it’s out there. Far. And it’s really Asian. In Manhattan you get a lot of tourists, a lot of non-Asians who live there and go to dim sum. Out in Flushing? I was the only non-Asian in a huge ballroom of people. Not that I really care. Just an observation. The dim sum food at Jade Asian did not disappoint. We tried all of our favorites and then some.

Doing my best impression of Jeannette, I leaned back and moaned about how full I was and then leaned forward and chipperly said “Let’s get dessert!” Kidding, but desert was on the agenda, as right across the street from Jade Asian is Paris Baguette. You know Jeannette can’t pass that up!

I was a little confused about why such a French-sounding place was smack dab in the middle of such an Asian neighborhood, but I just read on the Paris Baguette website that they are the No. 1 franchised bakery in Korea, with 1,700 locations in 3 different countries. It should be noted that the only New York location is this one out in Flushing, Queens. Of course when I went inside, it made a little more sense. Amongst the pilethera of French pastries there were a lot of Asian influences: red bean fillings, grean tea flavoring, etc. I recognized a hotdog roll I used to get in Chinatown.

Jeannette went to town and got a bunch of pasteries. I ended up just getting a coffee drink because I was so full from dim sum. Later on Jeannette admitted to Jessica that this is a well-travelled trip for them with guests. Dim sum at Jade Asian, dessert at Paris Baguette. Works for me! Great food, fun morning, and nice to see Jessica again.

[Read more →]

Tags:···········

Stop! Dosa Time!

August 25th, 2010 · No Comments

When Dallas and I arrived in New York on Friday afternoon we hung out and chatted with Jeannette and caught up on everything. When dinnertime came around we were trying to think of what to eat that we haven’t had for a long time. We thought maybe Korean, but settled on Indian. Jeannette and Yvan live in Queens and not too far from Jackson Heights, the largest Indian neighborhood in New York, so we headed over there to Delhi Palace for dinner.

We got appetizers and entrees, but most important of all, Jeannette and I split a dosa, which I’d never had before. The dosa is a savory rice and lental crepe served with fresh coconut and tomato chutney. It’s typically South Indian and is eaten for breakfast or dinner. In many places it’s eaten daily.

Delhi Palace had about a dozen different types of dosa. We decided to get the Butter Masala Dosa, a butter flavored crepe filled with spices potatoes, onions and nuts. Delicious, the crepe was nice and light, the filling savory and tasty. And the sauces were good too. I want more dosa!

As for the other food of the night, we of course started with Papadum, the fried crisp lentil wafers that are served at just about every Indian restaurant. We also had an appetizer called Samosa Chaat, which was smashed samosa topped with mildly spiced chickpeas, mint sauce, yogurt, and tamarind sauce. We all through this dish was very good. I’ve had samosa before, but I’ve never had them smashed up with other bits on top. The tamarind gave it a slightly sweet taste. Yum.

Be tried another appetizer called Bombay Bhel, made of rice krispies and mixed with chopped potatoes, onions, tomatoes, mint and tamarind. The menu said it was a street junk food in Bombay and that “U must try” it. So we gave it a try. Meh. When they say it’s made of rice krispies, they mean literally. Rice krispies cereal. Cold. Not the best, but we “must try”!

For entrees, Dallas had the Gosht Chiily Fry, marinated lamb cooked in tandoor, sliced and sauteed with peppers, onions, tomatoes & chilies (spicy). Jeannette had the Gosht Rogan Josh, cubes of lamb cooked in onion based red sauce & flavored with cardamom (specialty of Kashmir). And I had the Murg Korma, boneless chicken cooked with mildly spiced creamy sauce flavored with raisins and nuts. I ordered it mild and our wait asked a few times if I was sure. He seemed to want me to order it medium. In hindsight, I probably should have. My dish was good, but a little more spice would have given it an extra kick. Jeannette said the flavors of her dish were good but not like amazing. Same with Dallas. And his, even though it said “spicy,” it was anything but.

We had garlic naan on the side and some raita. Oh, and Dallas and I tried the Flying Horse beer. Jeannette asked about the wines. They serve Yellowtail.

We decided to pass on dessert since we were so stuffed from everything we ate. There’s a sweets shop attached to Delhi Palace and even though we passed on them, they brought us out a place of dessert to share. I don’t know how to describe what it was. At first we thought it was ice cream, but then realized it was solid square/triangle pieces. They were very rich and creamy, like a cheese dessert. Maybe burfi or kalakand?

It was so great to have a good Indian dinner. In Chicago 99% of all of the Indian restaurants are located up on Devon Avenue, which is about as far out of the way as you can get. I definitely want to try some more dosas!

[Read more →]

Tags:·······

Tien & Shannan’s Wedding

August 24th, 2010 · 15 Comments

Over the weekend Dallas and I travelled to New York for Tien and Shannan’s wedding at Benmar Winery in the gorgeous Hudson River Valley area. We arrived on Friday night and stayed at Yvan and Jeannette’s condo in Queens and then on Saturday we all drove up to Marlboro, NY, where the took place.

Shannan is a designer and her wedding showed it. Every detail was beautifully designed and executed. If you’ve ever planned a wedding, you could really appreciate how much work she and Tien put into it. No detail was overlooked and I know things always go wrong, but as far as the guests could tell, everything was pulled off without a hitch. Tien and Shannan had a lot of activities and elements that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Such great ideas. I’m not even going to try to top this one!

Take this, for example. When we arrived we first came across Tien and Shannan’s guest book. They had old-timey polaroid cameras. Written on a blackboard were instructions on what to do. Each guest took their photo and then used adhesive photo corners to stick their photo in the book. Guests could then use colorful pens to write notes to the bride and groom. What a great idea!

Nearby the guestbook there were some representations of Tien and Shannan. Could they be pinatas? They were pinata material. And mounds of tshirts that were the wedding giveaway. Since Tien and I were both planning a wedding at the same time, we sometimes checked in to see how things were going. I remember him mentioning tshirts for a giveaway, but I didn’t realize it was a “go”. So Tien. Probably 99% of the time he is wearing a tshirt.

It wouldn’t be enough just to have tshirts. .. they were packaged in custom-stamped drawstring bags and each one had custom labels with one of Tien and Shannan’s engagement photos and the size of the tshirt attached.

Before and during the ceremony there was iced tea and lemonade to drink. The weather wasn’t too hot, but the refreshments were still a nice touch. And the drinks were not just served in cups, they were served in mason jars with customized straws. One side of the straw said “08/21/2010,” their wedding date.

The other side of the straw tags said “mmmmmm.” So cute.

Since the chairs for the wedding ceremony were out in the open, it could have gotten quite hot. Luckily the day was a bit overcast and actually the temperature was just about perfect. Still, instead of having just fans or just programs for the ceremony, Shannan designed Frograms? Prans? Fan + Programs! :)

I loved the cute people graphics that matched everything. And Tien’s always had his signature mole on them.

Here’s one of the Frograms in action.

The bride and groom after the short, but sweet, ceremony.

After the ceremony the bar opened up for cocktail hour. Here’s a custom swizzle stick that Yvan had in his drink.

Bag toss was played during cocktail hour.

Yvan, Dallas, Jeannette and I snagged a couple seats to relax. Since we were at a vineyard, the oldest in America, Jeannette and I decided to have wine. I loved the Slate Hill White and drank it all night. Jeannette had the Cabernet (I think) all night.

The weather was perfect. Not hot, not cold. And this was our view.

So serene.

Love these guys!

Claire and Adam joined us at our table and we talked and talked. I used to be friends with Adam when I lived in New York. We sometimes keep in touch online, but I hadn’t seen him for ages (2004, I think!). Adam and Claire have been married for only a month so we talked a lot about weddings and planning weddings.

Jeannette, Yvan, Dallas and I were seated at the Saugerties table.

I loved the candles and flowers. They went with the slightly country, natural theme of the wedding. I don’t think I have any photos, but there were also these cool hay bales laying around with colorful clothes and pillows on them for seating.

For dinner there were two stands. One had classic bbq: Cornbread, baked beans, pulled pork, a whole pig, etc. The other had some lighter options: Mussels, little meatballs, lots of veggies.

During dinner, Shannan and Tien came out and did their first dance to a Yeah Yeah Yeahs song. Tien told me they chose it because they had gone to a Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert years ago. Check out Tien’s kicks. He and all of the groomsmen and both Shannan and Tien’s dads all wore matching Nikes. If you didn’t know, Tien is a Nike hoarder and has a large collection.

Some of the bridesmaids and groomsmen made a few speeches during dinner.

We danced a bunch, but here were are on a break.

And with Dallas -

Tien and Shannan’s cake toppers didn’t really top their cake… more like cake decorations? It’s Tien, Shannan and their cat, Randolph.

The cake was chocolate with raspberry filling and was delicious.

Oh, remember the tshirts? Here’s me modeling one. It’s the nesting doll cake toppers!

Obligatory photo with the groom.

Ok. So, remember the beginning? Those were pinatas! Dallas met a girl at the wedding who was from Honolulu and we were talking to her for a long time when we realized that the entire wedding had moved over to the edge of the dance floor and something was going on out there. We all went over and people were hitting the pinatas!

Tien’s pinata had Chinese candy in it.

Shannan’s pinata had American candy in it.

Cute idea, but I did wince a bit when people threw such hard blows on the bride and groom!

At the end of the night we all lit sparklers around the bride and groom as they made their ceremonial exit. Beautiful!

What a fun wedding. So many unique activities and details. We had such a great time. Congratulations to Tien and Shannan!! See you in February!

PS. Tien and Shannan’s wedding was written up in Tien’s hometown paper: the New York Times!!!

[Read more →]

Tags:············