AHAVA

One of my favorite skin care products of all time is the face cream made by AHAVA, a company indigenous to to the Dead Sea region.

The Dead Sea is known for its mineral-rich curative powers. Cleaopatra once made this oasis her own personal spa, so you know it must be good. Today even the plebians can benefit from this beautiful and healthful place, as AHAVA combines modern research with ancient skin soothing remedies.

The facial moisturizer is rapidly absorbed by the skin without a greasy feel. It is long lasting and smells light and fresh. I use it as a night time cream as well as in the mornings (it works well under makeup.) Having rather dry skin in the winter makes me fully appreciate this product, which incidentally, is hypoallergenic and dermatologically tested.

I usually get my AHAVA fix from a friend who picks it up on her way back from Israel. You can also find it online and in some specialty shops!

~flutterbyblue
Images lifted from www.ahavaus.com

La Esquina

Through a late-night taqueria, past a burly security man, a door marked, "employees only," down a set of stairs and through the kitchen, one can find one of New York City's most stylish dining destinations, La Esquina. The gothic underground vault, bedecked with wrought iron gates and candelabras, is filled with the fashionable, the elite, and those who appreciate good food and only the best tequila.

One might ask, how did we end up here?

We knew someone who knew someone who had a cousin who owned the place. And we "embelished" the truth in saying that we were trendy writers and publishers (well, grad students write...) Overwhelmed by distressed wood and exposed brick, we were seated at large heavy plank wood tables and served course after course of delicious Mexican food.

The fresh salad greens with queso fresco and mustard vinaigrette whetted our appetites along with the ceviche made with fresh fish, tomato, avocado, jalapeno and lime, tostados with lump crabmeat, mango and chipotle mayo, and spicy quesidillas filled with mushroom, roasted corn and queso oaxaca. Pitchers of margaritas were constantly replenished. For the main course we were served perfectly cooked whole shrimp with honey lime glaze and chipotle corn slaw, adobo char-grilled steak tacos with cilantro, charred onions and salsa de chile de arbol, rotisserie chicken tacos, and sides of sauteed string beans, black beans, rice and pico de gallo. Despite the many meatarian options at the table, I was tempted to gorge myself on the fabulous chiles rellenos, smoky roasted poblano peppers stuffed with an incredibly delicious concoction of organic quinoa, manchego cheese, calabaza and tomato caldo.

By the end of the meal we were filled to the brim with both food and booze, and it just kept on coming. The heavenly pastel de chocolate "cafe de olla" was an earthen bowl filled with warm chocolate cake, espresso, cinnamon and creme fraiche ice cream, the capirotado de caieta was a bread pudding of figs, raisins smothered in a delicious brandy sauce. The creme cocida was a Mexican version of panna cotta made with crema fresca and served with poached pineapple.

The decadence, the atmosphere and the incredibly good homemade food, made for one unforgettable meal. Fortunately, not everyone has to know a relative of the owner or make up stories about their trendiness to try the food. The taqueria upstairs serves tacos, salads, soups and other plates. They also serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays (this menu includes the desserts.)

So really, one doesn't *have* to be rich and famous to try some of the best Mexican food in NYC. Then again, it probably wouldn't hurt.

Only in America.

~flutterbyblue
Image lifted from www.esquinanyc.com

La Esquina
106 Kenmare St
New York, NY 10012
(646) 613-7100

papercuts

Every now and then I come across something extraordinary while surfing the web.

Peter Callesen works somewhere between two and three dimensions. Taking a SINGLE flat sheet of paper, he is able to cut and fold miraculous images of beauty and whimsy, pulling from tales of Hans Christian Anderson and the drama of nature. See where impossibility, illusion and reflection all meet:

Peter Callesen


Images lifted from www.petercallesen.com

An oddly soothing link...

Check this out:

plantage

...weird and otherworldly in a Hayao Miyazaki kind of way.

Sidebar

One of the drawbacks to keeping a blog is realizing that probably no one ever reads it. On a whim I decided to check and see just how few people check this site (other than myself, my mom, and a couple of friends) and was surprised to find links from Slate.com.

I am a HUGE fan of Slate.com.

As it turned out, my blogsite had been relegated to a small sidebar off an article regarding Malcolm Gladwell's appearance on This American Life. I was classified as one of the, "radio listeners who took [Malcolm Gladwell's] talk as nonfiction" and, "confirm[ed] the origins of Gladwell's too-glib-by-half writing: contempt for the reader."

Ouch.

Upon a second read of my own entry, I find that what I lack here is a point of view. I basically presented the story as it was told on This American Life. Take it as fact or fiction; the only goal was to entertain. And isn't that really the point?

Just because I spend the boring commuting hours listening to podcasts and the boring work hours blogging about it, does that now make me a contemptible reader? Well, I do read Slate.com...

Ah, to be so self-involved.

~flutterbyblue

Chinese ballet: from head to toe

The frogs are cute, but it's the couple who will blow you away...Check it out:



...if only we all had such poise!

I am not DULL!

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb.


Enjoy!

~flutterbyblue
All images lifted from garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com