European Union Open House

today i went by a few embassies in DC for the European Union Open House.  the embassies opened their doors and had activities, food and drinks!  what fun.

i went by the Czech Republic embassy first.  the residence is gorgeous as well as the grounds.  there were vintage cars, a pianist and a biergarten.

this car looks like a shark!

i hope the owner of this dapper hat found it!

i next stopped by the Hungarian embassy, which had puppies!  there was also traditional dancing and music and girls walking around with pitchers of what looked like wine on their heads.  this is the best sign i have seen in a long time:

and here is a puppy!

lovely afternoon

today i had a luncheon for the program i volunteer with, acementor.org.  it was a great luncheon to create funds for the scholarship fund to help kids become architects, construction managers and engineers.  i had the luncheon, and later in the afternoon i was volunteering with the kids so i had a few hours to enjoy.  i started out on 37th street on a beautiful nyc day and walked up 5th ave.  i made my usual stops at St. Patrick's Cathedral and Tiffany's but i also stopped in to Gucci and Louis Vuitton and then to Henri Bendel.

while at Bendel's i got a free oxygen facial and makeup application.  it was a delight!  so refreshing and relaxing.  it was the perfect afternoon!

soul daddy

i went to the new restaurant Soul Daddy on monday because i happened to be in lower manhattan.  i got the pulled pork sandwich which was ok.  i was a bit confused because the menu lead me to believe that i was getting two sides with the sandwich, but apparently i glossed over the menu and didnt realize it was only for "meals."  here is the menu below.

i went at about 4pm, and it was not busy at all, scarily so.  walking back to the subway i saw other "fast casual" "restaurants" busy so it wasnt just the time of day, maybe it was the location, which wasnt in the south street seaport, but off the beaten track.  

but anywho, i got the sandwich, which came with slaw on top, on a whole wheat bun.  i got a booth and felt like a food blogger.  i found myself taking photos of the sandwich and analyzing everything, never done that before.  so here are the photos!

looks pretty good right?

it was good.  slightly dry, and not every bite was flavorful, but i liked it.  i kept wishing i had some sauce to add to make it better, but ate the whole thing.  i was hungry, but it was nice and for $4.95, not a bad price.  the slaw was good, but i really couldnt get over the dryness.

the atmosphere was alright, a bit industrial.  i didnt really sense "soul food," more chipolte with wooden booths.  the staff was undertrained; the lady who rang me up didnt know what i had ordered, even though there are only about 6 items on the menu.  i also noticed that a few other people who came in after me also thought they would get sides with the sandwich, which made me feel better.  here is a view of the interior of the restaurant.

as i was leaving i sadly found a table of sauces hidden behind a corner, oh the sandwich would have been so much better had i only seen!  overall ok, but not running back there, and even if i worked/lived in the area i couldnt see myself there more than once a season.

lower manhattan

last night i was watching shows on my dvr, one of which was the finale of the tv show America's Next Great Restaurant.  i wanted Spice Coast to win, and planned to try it today, which would have put me in lower manhattan walking past Ground Zero.  instead Soul Daddy won.  i wasnt that keen on trying it, but then when i was watching Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen told me that Osama bin Laden was killed.  i immediately opened up my computer to see what was going on.  having frequently checked in on the construction progress at Ground Zero, i decided that today was another good day to see the progress.  below are photos.

my thoughts and prayers remain with the 9/11 victims and their families.  thank you to the police, firefighters, navy seals and all responders.