March 18, 2016

NYC: Hummus Place; restaurant review

Hummus Place  

305 Amsterdam Ave./74th, (212) 799-3335.  L-D daily.  

Delicious Israeli food is served up in tiny subterranean Hummus Place and it includes even the famous attitude.

entrance to Hummus Place in NYC
entrance to Hummus Place in NYC


interior of Hummus Place in NYC
interior of Hummus Place in NYC


Several different kinds of hummus are on the menu—if you are indecisive you can order a sampling of them—but Masabacha, made with whole chick peas remains my favorite.  Fava Hummus, made with fava beans and topped with a hard-boiled egg is probably the most unusual.  All are served with really good plump housemade pitas.  
 
different types of hummus at Hummus Place in NYC
different types of hummus at Hummus Place in NYC


A falafel sandwich topped with fries and za’atar pizza are also options, 
 
za’atar pizza at Hummus Place in NYC
za’atar pizza at Hummus Place in NYC


and side dishes are especially good, among them a beet salad, stuffed grape leaves, Labane cheese, roasted eggplant, and olives and pickles. 
 
side dishes at Hummus Place in NYC
side dishes at Hummus Place in NYC


Housemade lemonade, mint ice tea, and fresh veggie juice are available along with beer.  Turkish coffee is on hand to revive you and mint tea to refresh you, but sadly, the baklava can be soggy.  It is useful to know that tasty and nutritious hummus satisfies your appetite without spiking your blood glucose levels, and it is also low in calories.  Most items on the menu are vegan, and many are gluten-free.  

March 16, 2016

NYC: Time Warner Center/The Shops at Columbus Circle + Bouchon Bakery; sights to see + restaurant review

Time Warner Center/The Shops at Columbus Circle  

10 Columbus Circle, (212) 823-6300. 

Shopping at the Time Warner Center/The Shops at Columbus Circle is primo, there is a gigantic Whole Foods in the basement, and you can spend the night at the swanky Mandarin Oriental hotel.  And let’s not overlook the opportunity to browse the larger-than-life plump "Adam" and "Eve" bronze sculptures by artist Fernando Botero.

looking out at NYC skyline from The Shops at Columbus Circle
looking out at NYC skyline from The Shops at Columbus Circle


Whole Foods at The Shops at Columbus Circle in NYC
Whole Foods at The Shops at Columbus Circle in NYC
 

"Adam" bronze sculpture by artist Fernando Botero
"Adam" bronze sculpture by artist Fernando Botero


"Eve" bronze sculpture by artist Fernando Botero
"Eve" bronze sculpture by artist Fernando Botero


But my main reason to come here is to eat at:
(212) 823-9366.  M-Sat 8am-9pm, Sun 8am-7pm. 

I’m familiar with this exceptional bakery from a visit to the original in the tiny town of Yountville in California’s Wine Country, where celebrity chef Thomas Keller has his original restaurant, The French Laundry.  Here I enjoyed a really good almond croissant (if you love almond croissants you probably know how many places don’t get it right).  It was made even tastier by the view of Columbus Circle I snagged from my chair at a high table overlooking the scene. 

Bouchon Bakery at The Shops at Columbus Circle in NYC
Bouchon Bakery at The Shops at Columbus Circle in NYC




More NYC attractions.

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

March 14, 2016

Bali, Indonesia: Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali; hotel review

Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali  

Jl Petitenget Gg Cendrawasih No. 99 DS, North Kuta, Badung, Bali 80361, +62 361 8466 966.  121 rooms; 4 stories.  Pool; fitness room; full-service spa.  Breakfast buffet included; restaurant; 2 bars.  Free shuttle service via open-air buggy to shopping, restaurants, and clubs in nearby Seminyak area, as well as to Batu Belig Beach and beach club. 

Newly built in 2012 and located just 45 minutes from the airport and a few minutes from shopping and restaurants, the clean-lined, contemporary Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali hotel features a Balinese style.  It sits in a quiet neighborhood amid what formerly was a rice field, and the remaining field around the exterior is still farmed--giving the hotel a pleasant rural feel.  Guests often return to the spacious open-air lobby with a musician playing traditional music from Bali or Borneo, and a gaggle of bellboys are anxious to assist and eager to speak in English.  An expansive breakfast buffet with particularly tasty pastries, fruit, and local noodles is complimentary to all guests and served in the open-air Devali Restaurant, which also serves lunch and dinner.  Beautiful intricately-woven silk panels line the guest room wall acting as a headboard, and comfortable king-size beds are made up with two light duvets (one for each side) and white cotton linens.  Marble-tiled bathrooms have a glassed-in shower separate from the bathtub and feature a large glass window with a view into the bedroom and beyond to the view outside; a pull-down shade permits privacy.  All rooms have a balcony.  




exterior of Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali
exterior of Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali

guest room bed at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali
guest room bed at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali

guest room bath at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali
guest room bath at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali

breakfast buffet plate at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali
breakfast buffet plate at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali


spa at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali
spa at Vasanti Seminyak Resort Bali



March 11, 2016

NYC: Argosy Book Store; things to do

Argosy Book Store  

116 East 59th St., 212-753-4455.  M-F 10am-6pm, and except in summer Sat 10am-5pm. 

It seems like this cozy old-time bookstore has been around forever.  Indeed, the Argosy Book Store was founded in 1925 and is in its third generation of ownership by the same family.  On a rainy day, or in fact any day, it’s six floors  provide a divine browse through used books, signed and first editions, vintage prints, and antique maps.  And when you are done, Bloomingdale’s and its new Magnolia Bakery outlet is just across the street, where last time I visited I spotted Nicole Kidman waiting in line for a cupcake!  No KIDding!

entrance to Argosy Book Store in NYC
entrance to Argosy Book Store in NYC


vintage books at Argosy Book Store in NYC
vintage books at Argosy Book Store in NYC


used books at Argosy Book Store in NYC
used books at Argosy Book Store in NYC


vintage prints at Argosy Book Store in NYC
vintage prints at Argosy Book Store in NYC


vintage book covers at Argosy Book Store in NYC
vintage book covers at Argosy Book Store in NYC


old book covers at Argosy Book Store in NYC
old book covers at Argosy Book Store in NYC



More NYC attractions.

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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

March 9, 2016

NYC--Queens--Long Island City: Sweetleaf Coffee; restaurant review

Sweetleaf Coffee  

10-93 Jackson Ave. 

Looking and feeling like it could be in the Village, this cozy coffeehouse is actually in Queens.  Pick a pastry—perhaps a savory pepper-pear scone or an oversize cookie—to enjoy with your drink.  Everything at Sweetleaf Coffee is prepared in an onsite kitchen that you can observe through windows.  I sipped a thick and dark hot chocolate, while my companion enjoyed a sweet and creamy Vietnamese-style iced Voodoo Child coffee.  Music featured the Talking Heads and edgy tunes from the ‘60s. 

Opened only in 2008, this tiny spot is the original Sweetleaf cafe—there are now three—and it has actually tripled in size since opening.  Situated with an atmospheric 19th-century building, it features original walls and a tin ceiling.  Though small, seating areas include overstuffed chairs by the sunny front windows, a designated laptop room, and a record room in the back where you can man a turntable and choose from several hundred old-time records.

order counter at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY
order counter at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY


bakery kitchen at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY
bakery kitchen at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY


coffee and at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY
coffee and at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY


contented customer at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY
contented customer at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY


decorations at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY
decorations at Sweetleaf Coffee In Long Island City, Queens, NY

  


More things to do in Queens.
 
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images ©2016 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

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