Bars, as a whole, disappoint me. It’s hard to get excited about spending time with friends on a Friday night when you know the transaction cost of doing so will be diving into a melee of sloppy, ritualistic swipes at conversation priced at $5 a half-hearted swig. Not to say that going out to the [...]

Walking through the ground floor chambers of Le Parker Meridian is an exercise in luxury. Each room, exquisitely marbled from top to bottom, houses armchairs more expensive than my monthly rent and chandeliers that replace “let there by light” with the more fashionable “let there be ambience.” The foyer is a cocktail bar. The Hallway [...]

This is the third post of a week-long series.
You can read the first post here and the second post here.
In this week’s dumpling survey I’ve only written about five dumpling houses, partly because I want to stay within the $1 range and partly because anything more would be unacceptably tedious, even for someone who [...]

This is the second post of a week-long series.
You can read the first post here.

Since moving to New York I’ve been to Chinatown at least once a week for a bite, at one point joining a couple of friends for an afternoon dumpling crawl. Scarfing dumplings, pork buns and pancakes from six different take-outs back [...]

New York. New city, new year. My transplant to Metropolis has gone over fairly smoothly, but since our economy is still circling the recessionary whirlpool, a new job is nowhere to be found. I’ll eventually adapt to the higher cost of living, but until I’m gainfully employed the pricing differences between New York dining and [...]

Details are forthcoming

I’ve lived in New York for about nine weeks, and about as many times
I’ve stopped to think of California and what I’ve left behind.
It isn’t that I feel regret. I’d say I’ve had my best weeks yet. And yet-
I will admit: There are certain things that never leave my mind.
It’s not sunshine and sand that [...]