Why Not Look At All These Friends

Here's a post several postponements in the making, it started with one fortuitous week in early July where I had three seperate friendly visits. "Ah!" I thought, "This could make a nice little blog post." But then friends kept turning up, and I kept thinking "Oh! I could add this to that blog post." But now July is completely over and August has totally begun and I've decided to cut the post postponements off (No more friends! Friendship is canceled!) and get these photos online.

(You might be surprised to find some eating mixed in with these amigos)

All the friend-times began when Andrew was in town for a day with his dad (who I hadn't seen for a good number of years) and his nephew (who I had not seen for very many years) on their way back west from a sailing trip. We had lunch at the Momofuku Noodle Bar. 

Our New York Noodle Bar has added an Extremely Spicy Noodle to their menu. They had an Extremely Spicy Noodle at the Toronto Noodle Bar when I went. I found both to be, yes, spicy, but not murder spicy. The East Village one is topped with cheese and comes with a chocolate milk, in Toronto it was just soy milk. Again: Spicy, but not murder.

The next day Lucas was in town and we finally went down to Hank's Juicy Beef so he could try it out and so that we could take a TOPS reunion photo with Henry.

And if you're into what's going on in the world, you have probably heard that our friend Carol is engaged. She and her fiancee and his children were in New York that week, they had a nice picnic Friday night for lots of friends to come meet Geoff and the kids, but then on Saturday Carol and I lunched at Olmsted and really talked turkey.

The next day, a Sunday, I went to Claire and Evan's roof to participate in a Cookbook Club dinner. I didn't take any pictures that weren't of the sunset of clouds. But we've got a really good dinner coming up soon that I definitely should try to remember to take photos at.

Then a day or two later Lucas (still in town) and I went to the Nintendo Store so that he could decide he wasn't in the mood to buy a Switch yet.

At the end of that week I headed out to Corona, Queens...

And met up with Jeff at Torterillia Nixtamal, providers of tortillas to countless Mexican restaurants in the city and providers of tacos to people that stop by in Queens

And from there we talked over to Cienega las Tlayudas to meet up with Tara and her mom (hmm, not pictured, oddly) to have us a very nice dinner of super real deal horchatas, tacos, tostadas (not pictured) and a tlayuda (very much pictured).

That Sunday a little dinner was thrown to honor our outgoing Sunday School committee. No pictures of the dinner or the committee or anyone but just LOOK at these decorations (and they're not even all the decorations)

In the middle of the next week Mallory was in town so I had her meet up Jeff and Michael and Tessa and Kristin and me at the Hank's Juicy Beef 2nd Anniversary Celebration (July was a big month for going to Hank's, too)

Now here's a little detour...I got invited out the Hamptons (my first time in my 15 years as a New Yorker!) for Becky's birthday. A house with a pool had been rented and we all just chilled out around the house or the pool. I somehow did not pack my swimsuit so I got to go on the Target run Saturday morning. I also wore this cat shirt I got from Grandma's house last year. It was just going to be my pajama t-shirt but it was such a hit at breakfast I just kept it on all day. Anyway. Here's some pictures from the weekend, I didn't take a ton. Whatever you do, don't miss the birthday cake Heather made.

And then, if you can believe it, Carol was in town again. We went to Frenchette, a buzzy new bistro everyone's talking about. But what they're not talking about is how small the tables are. Sheesh! Also of note: the perfect saltiness of the butter, the sauce that came with the blowfish tales, the exceptional merguez sausage, and the fries with the duck frites, and the colors of the roasted carrots.

One rainy Wednesday I got lunch at Ma La Project with Victoria. I ordered my beef dry hot pot "super spicy" and you know what? It was spicy. At last. 

Then this Saturday morning I went and saw the new Mission Impossible with a bunch of amigos at the Dolby Cinema at the Magic Johnson and, listen, this is how I want to see all my action movies: Dolby Cinema style. Such good pictures, such rumbly, super loud sound. AND Jamar was in town, that's what I was keeping secret until now, and a nice little handful of us went and had lunch at Go Go Curry. And now, finally, I'd say I've shown you every friend that was around from early July to early August.