a little taste of chocolate heaven - mast brothers in brooklyn

Just the smell alone at Mast Brothers Chocolate in Williamsburg is something that will take your breath away and bring you to that happy sugar/chocolate high place. Not only are they delicious, but the packaging is almost too pretty to rip open. My thoughts are... buy two so you can eat one and keep the other one to sit on your desk and look pretty. Although, it might only last sitting there a week. Tops.

favorite things part 1: rio bowls at juicy lucy

a few of the many things I look forward to on the weekends - waking up to sunglight peeking through my window, 11am spin class, early afternoon stops at Juicy Lucy for an iced coffee and rio bowl, reading a book at the dog park while watching Meeko play with other dogs.

oysters at john dory in the ace hotel

I feel like I'm constantly on the hunt for the best place to do oyster happy hour and/or brunch - is it the spring fever New Yorker in me or am I just really into oysters and brunch? Probably a little bit of both. If any of you city dwellers out there have recommendations for me, please send them my way!


John Dory - I wasn't so into your decor but the oysters were good. I guess there's always the added bonus of being able to pop into the Ace Hotel Opening Ceremony shop post drinks to do some drive-by shopping?









Ahh cava - you are mighty refreshing right around 6pm and dangerously good at putting me in the mood to shop!

caffeine buzz at blue bottle

Blue Bottle in Williamsburg is hands down one of the best places to get coffee in New York other than my go to spot for a caffeine fix, Abraço. No surprise here when I found at that the co-owner of Abraco used to be a barista at the Blue Bottle in San Francisco.














No this isn't a science experiment - these are the contraptions they use to make their out of this world good Kyoto style iced-coffee. Room temp water is slowly dripped over coffee grounds for hours to make a supreme coffee concentrate that is then diluted over ice. In other words, dark, rich, and delicious.














$1 biscotti - perfectly thin and crispy! Just the right amount of sweetness to balance out the dark Kyoto iced coffee.



Homemade smore with Mast Brothers chocolate on the inside

read more about it on my yelp review here!

bagels at russ and daughters

A lower east side institution. No one does bagels and all the fixins better than Russ & Daughters.





Everything bagel with caviar cream cheese and smoked salmon. Yes you read that right - caviar cream cheese. This stuff is heaven.



It also doesn't hurt that your bagels are wrapped in the most adorable packaging - although I suppose those thoughts are secondary when you know what lies in store on the inside.

cubana social on north 6th street

Two bloody marys with a hidden surprise - pickled onions (!!)

Chicken empanada - plump, crispy goodness

Kale and avocado ensalada tossed with lime, ceviche’d onion, and jalapeño

The boy and I walked by this adorable restaurant in Williamsburg and had to go inside. We had a small snack but I left wanting a real meal. I loved their brunch menu that consisted of heavy hitters like rum toast (thick slices of cuban bread soaked in battenkill creamery milk, flor de cana rum, and organic eggs, topped with fresh fruit and house roasted nuts) and also simple, clean dishes like a side of avocado sliced with lime and chili. Not only was the service great, my bloody mary spot on, and the food great, but the roomy, sun-filled atmosphere was perfect for a beautiful weekend afternoon. Cubana Social, I will definitely be back!