Mrs. Brooklyn Life

Viva Las Vegas

2012-05-25T12:20:00.000-04:00

Once in a while, life gets in the way of blogging. This month I have been crazy with the end of my second semester of graduate school as well as visits with both my parents, my in-laws, volunteering, and a vacation.

First things first. M and I returned from our vacation on Monday night. When going through the mail I came across a postcard sent from one of my lovely followers Liz, who won the book giveaway. She thanked me for the book and for brightening her day. I'm happy to make you happy, Liz!

With that, I'd like to share some pictures from our Vegas vacation. We had a grand time staying at the Monte Carlo, taking a day trip to the Grand Canyon via the Hoover Dam, dining at a variety of delicious restaurants, partying it up VIP style on Saturday night, and seeing David Copperfield who made M and 12 others disappear!

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas!

Hoover Dam from the Arizona side

Me standing in Nevada and Arizona at the same time at the Hoover Dam

The GRAND Canyon

Me and M at Tabu in MGM

Me and M outside the Monte Carlo

All in all it was a great trip! Seeing the Grand Canyon was definitely one of the highlights as I've been wanting to see it for ages. Sitting by the pool and relaxing was also much needed. Mostly, I was just happy to spend some time with my husband away from our daily routine.

Have you ever been to Vegas or the Grand Canyon?

Book Giveaway Results

2012-05-01T14:25:00.001-04:00

Ladies and gents the results are in!

The Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Book Giveaway had exactly one entrant! Liz Singer is the only person who followed the blog, tweeted, and commented on the original post, so she wins the book! Not bad odds there, Liz. Please email or message me with your mailing address so I can send the book to you.

Would you like me to continue with giveaways? Maybe not a book next time...

Book Review - The Passion of Artemisia

2012-04-24T18:26:00.001-04:00

The Passion of Artemisia: A Novel by Susan Vreeland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historical Fiction is quickly becoming one of my favorite genres. This book did not disappoint. The book is told from the perspective of Artemesia Gentileschi beginning with the trial of her rapist, through her struggles and triumphs as a daughter, wife, mother, and woman artist. The characters and relationships are strong as are the scenic descriptions. This is a beautifully written novel. I highly recommend it.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

Do you like historical fiction?

Don't forget to enter the book giveaway! Only one week left.

Engagement Shoot

2012-04-19T22:18:00.000-04:00

Mike and I had our engagement photo session with the wonderfully talented Jessica Guadagno in May of 2011, six months after we became engaged and four months before our wedding, in my hometown of Southampton. We had booked Jessica for our wedding just two days before our e-session, which was entirely her concoction. I'm so glad we did the session because it gave us a chance to get to know Jessica and we captured some breathtaking photos!

Today, a few photos from our engagement session were featured on the Well Wed Hamptons blog! SO COOL! Please click the link to see the photo collage and also to read our advice to couples for their own e-sessions.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a few of my personal favorites from the shoot.

This one the one we included with our invitations and also have framed in our apartment in a lovely frame that my friend Inga got us.

Mike's favorite!

We also have this one in b&w framed in our apartment.

I hope you enjoyed!

New Banner

2012-04-18T15:37:00.000-04:00

I consider myself an artist but graphic design is not my strongest style. I'm always inspired by my brother Shane who is great with computer graphics and my bestie Jill who is a bona fide graphic designer and art director here in NYC. That being said, I was inspired by our recent trip over the Brooklyn Bridge and the pictures I took to create a new banner for Mrs. Brooklyn Life.

What do you think of the new banner? I think it's kinda hot.

Yankees Opening Weekend

2012-04-16T13:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a busy Sunday for us! In the afternoon we went for a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and at night we went to the Yankee game!

One of the reasons Mike fell in love with me is because I am a Yankee fan. Mike and I met in the fall right around the end of the Yankees regular season and were able to score tickets to a post-season game. Unfortunately, the game we had tickets for was never played. A few months later, for Mike's birthday, I bought a partial season ticket plan so that we could go to many games together. We've renewed the tickets every year and are celebrating our seventh season of being ticket holders.

The booklet of tickets!

We have a 16 Game Sunday plan which has tickets to 14 Sunday games and two mid-week games. We really lucked out with our plan this year with tickets to two games against rivals The Red Sox and a game against The Mets. Other teams we have tickets to are the Rays, Rangres, Athletics, Orioles, White Sox, Mariners, Reds, and Angels.

Last night's tickets

The game yesterday against the LA Angels was great! Even though the game lasted three and a half hours, there was a lot going on on the field. The Yankees beat the Angels 11-5 with Derek Jeter and Raul Ibanez hitting home runs. In honor of Jackie Robinson day, all players wore number 42 and Jackie Robinson's daughters were there with the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

The view from our seats, you can see everything!

All in all, it was a great night of baseball!

What's your favorite sports team?

Brooklyn Bridge

2012-04-16T00:43:00.001-04:00

I thought having lived in Brooklyn for eight months and never walking over the Brooklyn Bridge was pretty sorry. My husband, who has lived in Brooklyn his entire life had never walked over the bridge, which is even more sorry! On this gorgeous Sunday afternoon we decided to get our lazy butts off the couch, put on our walking shoes, and walk the Brooklyn Bridge once and for all.

The most famous view of all!

Brooklyn Bridge Shirts on the Brooklyn Bridge

Flyers and graffiti

Sign on the Manhattan side

"Welcome to Brooklyn"

These old ladies looked so cute consulting the Downtown Brooklyn map

Love this painted building in Brooklyn on Boerum Place and Livingston St.

Hubs' glasses: Ray Ban

Hubs' shirt: designed by Carl Eton

Hat: H&M

Glasses: Cole Haan

Shirt: Target

I'm so glad we finally took the time to be tourists in our own city! The BK Bridge is truly a spectacular sight.

I'm Back!

2012-04-15T13:36:00.002-04:00

Mike and I returned from our fabulous vacation to Costa Rica yesterday at 3:00am. The air sure smells different here! Our trip was fantabulous and much needed, I was feeling so burnt out from school and Mike definitely needed a break from work. You can read my daily posts from Costa Rica on my travel blog and add it to your blog reel.

Quick Summary:
We took surfing lessons every morning, read by the pool, went for long walks on the beach, ate some food, ate some more, zip lined, and relaxed. What a week!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip in no particular order.

Playa Guiones

Live music at Casa Tucan

Zip-lining with Miss Sky tours in Nosara

View of the ocean from the top of the zip-line

Monkey!!

Going out to dinner and matching

The jungle path from our hotel to the beach

Our surf instructor Oscar getting the boards ready for our lesson

A totally awesome tree on the beach

Our hotel, Casa Romantica

Surfboard storage at the hotel

Sunset from Playa Guiones north side

Playa Guiones from the North

Sunset from La Luna in Playa Palada

Twilight from La Luna in Playa Palada

View from Nature Air flight to Nosara

With our surf instructor, Oscar, from Coconut Harry's

Heading out for some waves

Me catching a serious wave

This was my fourth time to Costa Rica and I already can't wait to go back!

Pura Vida!!!

Bon Voyage!

2012-04-06T12:20:00.000-04:00

Mike and I are headed to Nosara, Costa Rica tomorrow!

On the globe

From point A to point B

Taken May 2011 the last time we were in Costa Rica - My 3rd time, Mike's 1st

On the Itinerary:

1. Morning surf lessons with Coconut Harry's

2. An ATV ride through the monkey, sloth, lizard, and butterfly filled Jungle

3. Zip lining through the treetops like Tarzan in the Jungle

4. Snorkeling in the pristine blue waters

5. Getting massages (much needed!)

6. Relaxing and reading on the beach

I will be updating daily on my travel blog. Keep track of our adventures we are away.

Where was the last place you went on vacation? Where do you want to go on vacation?

Book Review: The Queen's Fool

2012-04-05T17:20:00.000-04:00

The first Philippa Gregory book I read was The Constant Princess. Mike and I were on our way home from a lovely vacation in Dominican Republic and I had finished all four books I brought with me so I had nothing to read on the flight home. The DR airport did not have much of a selection of books in English and I thought The Constant Princess would be the most enjoyable out of my choices. My expectations for the book were not high at all. Of course, I ended up loving the book which spurned my buying two more Philippa Gregory novels. The most recent one that I read is also in her Tudor series called The Queen's Fool.

I enjoyed this book as well. Something about Gregory's writing style just pulls the reader in! What I love most about her style is that she makes European history interesting! While reading a fictitious story, I learned a lot about the Tudor period and ended up doing some research of the time to learn more. I am currently taking a graduate class that emphasizes arts integration and these books are a great example of integrating the art form with historical knowledge. Ahhh, I love a good historical novel.

The novel follows Hannah Verde, also known through the novel as Hannah Green, Hannah Carpenter, and The Queen's Fool, a young Jewish woman who escaped to England with her father from the Spanish Inquisition. Hannah gets begged into service as a Royal Fool for ill King Edward VI and subsequently serves his half sisters Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I. She finds herself enmeshed in the plots of the Royal Court of England. A headstrong, independent, smart girl, Hannah struggles with her various loyalties, to the Royals, her first master, her betrothed, her father, and herself.

What was the last great book you read? Have you read any Philippa Gregory novels?

Nature's Grill Smoothie

2012-04-05T15:34:00.002-04:00

Mobile bogging! How cool is this?

I am running errands around the neighborhood today and stopped into Nature's Grill on Court and Pacific Streets and got a hole punch on my smoothie card, buy five get one free!

This is the perfect afternoon snack. What do you like in your smoothies?

More Spring Flowers

2012-04-04T17:41:00.000-04:00

Tulips and daffodils on a Hill

Cherry Blossoms and a Wispy Cloud on a Blue Sky

My mom is a total flower child and while I can't grow things as well as she can, I certainly can appreciate all things flowery!

Polka Dots and Color

2012-04-04T12:44:00.001-04:00

One of my favorite things about Spring is that I get to wear skirts without being freezing cold. Yesterday was lovely outside and I had to teach a class in Harlem so I had to dress appropriately for the weather and for the classroom.

Skirt: Forever 21

Tank Top: H&M

Cardigan: Express

Scarf: H&M

Boots: Frye

I am loving polka dots this season and color and I have always been friends. I added the boots to keep the look more casual (and to keep my legs warm) and the scarf because, well, who doesn't love a fantastic scarf? What do you think about my outfit?

No Boys Allowed

2012-04-03T20:48:00.000-04:00

On Saturday night I kicked my darling husband out of the apartment and hosted a "No Boys Allowed" girls' night and invited lots of girlfriends over! There was lots of food, drinks, and good times. Jill brought tomato and lemon pastry (yum!), Tammy made AMAZING shoe cupcakes, Ashley brought delicious brownies, Sarah brought cheese and bread, and the rest of the lovely ladies all brought bottles. I myself made entirely too much food, but no worries, Mike devoured most of the leftovers!

On the Menu:

Endive and Ricotta Bites

Cantaloupe wrapped in Prosciutto di Parma

Honey Goat Cheese, Brie, and Olive Tapenade with French Baguette slices

Red Grapes

Spinach and Artichoke dip with Pita Chips

Caprese Salad Bites

Pastry with Tomato and Lemon

I didn't get a picture of the signature cocktail I made, buy you can sort of see it in the below picture in the upper left hand corner next to the pita chips.

No Boys Allowed Cocktail

2oz. Raspberry Vodka

3oz. Pineapple Juice (not from concentrate)

1oz. Club Soda

Poured over Ice

Add a raspberry and/or pineapple slice for garnish!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip was a huge hit!

Endive and Ricotta bites with Almonds, Golden Raisins, and Scallions is always a party pleaser!

Caprese Salad Bites are so easy to make and so delicious to eat!

Jill's appetizer was yummy!

Tammy's chocolate with cream cheese frosting cupcakes were a smash hit! How cute are they?!

Thankfully a neighbor lent me folding chairs so there was seating for the eight of us! I love a good girls' night!

What I learned about girls' night:

1. Girls don't eat as much as boys (duh, right?)

2. Girls love cheese

3. Girls love chocolate (unless they're allergic)

4. Girls are very helpful in the kitchen with food and drinks!

How do you like to spent time with your friends? Are you pining for recipes and how to's for the food?

Tulips in Brooklyn

2012-04-03T09:45:00.000-04:00

April Showers bring May flowers... but these gorgeous pink tulips that I found in on a road divider in Boerum Hill are already here! Love Spring flowers!

Dine In Brooklyn - Hibino

2012-04-01T09:15:00.000-04:00

Where We Went: Hibino for Dine in Brooklyn with my best friend Jill and her husband

What We Ate: The Dine In Brooklyn price fix menu was really great here. Between the four of us we ordered a variety of appetizers including Seaweed Salad, Tuna Tataki, and Agadeshi Tofu, all which were great. The Seaweed Salad was a mixture of six different kinds of seaweed, most of which I'd never had before. The Agadeshi Tofu was phenomenal. The tofu was perfectly cooked and the broth it was served in was so tasty. We all ordered the same entree option which was Kyoto Style Futomaki with six pieces assorted sushi. Having the assorted sushi picked for me meant I had to try pieces I'd never had before such as mackerel, squid, and red snapper which I have fallen in love with.

What We Saw: Like most sushi joints, this place didn't have much by way of decor, but we did get seated at a lovely table right by the window.

What We Thought: The fish was very fresh and delicious, though definitely more expensive than other sushi joints in the neighborhood. The Agadeshi Tofu is enough to make me return, though. Unfortunately this place does not take reservations so there was a long wait and no where to wait so we simply went next door to Henry Public for a pre-dinner drink.

Spring Scarves and Sunglasses

2012-04-01T09:10:00.000-04:00

After the first week of Spring being out of whack warm, the weather has finally returned to my favorite kind of spring. The kind where I can wear a light jacket and a silk scarf without being chilly. The kind where I can wear my sunglasses well into the afternoon. The kind where the light green leaf buds start to pop out of the trees and shed color on the streets of Brooklyn once again.

Scarf by H&M

Sunglasses by Cole Haan

Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Infinite Rose

Book Giveaway Results

2012-03-31T12:32:00.000-04:00

And the winner is....

NO BODY!

Since no one properly entered the Book Giveaway for Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, there was no winner. I got some tweets and a comment, but no one who tweeted AND commented.

Maybe I should not be giving away books? Maybe no one following this blog likes to read as much as I do.

In any event, I am extending the giveaway until the end of April. Please click the above link for the rules.

Dine In Brooklyn - Lunetta

2012-03-31T02:02:00.001-04:00

Where We Went: Lunetta on Smith Street in Boerum Hill

What We Ate: We ended up not ordering off the Dine In Brooklyn price fix menu as nothing really appealed to us except the fried calamari entree, which we ordered a la carte and enjoyed though I would have preferred the sauce on the side to dip in rather than on the bottom of the plate. We ordered the chicory tricolore salad which I found much too bitter, and usually tricolore salad is one of my favorites. For our entrees M ordered the grass fed steak which he found to be just average though it was cooked very well. I ordered the orechiette with broccoli rabe and Lunetta made sausage which I thought was delightful. This is one of my favorite dishes and have a difficult time not ordering it when it's available on the menu. I found their version to be one of the best I'd ever had. Overall it was good but not impressive, though I don't think we ordered right. Next time I want to order off the bruschetta menu and more off the antipasti menu.

What We Saw: Lunetta takes advantage of their small space by having seating at the bar which extends to overlook the open kitchen. Our banquette seating in the front of the dining room was perfect. I thought the red banquettes with the mirrored walls and sconce lighting gave a nice intimate vibe.

What We Thought: Like I said, I think Lunetta is better than we experienced probably because of our inexperience with their menu. Their array of bruschettas and antipastis make it seem like a good place for a small group of friends. The cocktail menu had some interesting concoctions which are begging to be tried. We will return, hopefully with more people in tow, and try other dishes from the menu.

Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

2012-03-20T16:23:00.001-04:00

For the fourth year running, I have set a goal to read 10,000 book pages a year. The most recent book I read adding 288 pages bring my total for the year so far up to 3,563 pages was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (what a mouthful!).

At first, I had a hard time getting into this book with it's epistolary style. There were a lot of characters with S names and new characters being introduced all the time. When I was about 1/3 of the way through, I couldn't put it down! I didn't even notice that I was reading a collection of letter correspondences anymore. The story is set in Post WWII England and follows the story of young authoress Juliet Ashton as she transitions from her book tour to a courtship in London to building friendships with people of Guernsey, an English Channel island, who share their experience of the German Occupation of the island during the war. This story will make you cry (I admit I cried while reading on the subway) and make you smile til your face hurts. The story of Juliet and those close to her in the aftermath of WWII will leave you wanting more, I promise.

If you've read this book, what are your thoughts? What was the last great book you read?

Spring is in the Air

2012-03-20T15:48:00.001-04:00

Happy first day of Spring! Wait, we had winter?

My favorite part of Spring is the flowers. Daffodils in particular. Today, as I was walking to school through St. Nicholas Park in Harlem, I was greeted by the most lovely hillside of daffodils I've seen in a long while.

I have always loved daffodils! They are such a happy flower. My favorite are the ones that have white petals with a peach center.

What's your favorite thing about spring? What is your favorite Spring flower?

Dine In Brooklyn - Bevacco

2012-03-20T15:29:00.002-04:00

Dine In Brooklyn kicked off yesterday.

Where We Went: Bevacco in Brooklyn Heights for their participating price fix dinner menu.

What We Ate: M ordered the Arugula Salad, Short Rib, and Tortino al Cioccolato (chocolate cate) while I ordered the Mista Salad, Lasagna, and Il Bombolone (cream filled Italian doughnut) and a Smoked Salmon Carpaccio from the a la carte menu to share. The food was good but nothing special in my opinion. The salads were big, which is always nice, I love my greens. The Smoked Salmon Carpaccio had too much sauce and could have used some bruschetta toasts. The lasagna was very meaty and not very cheesy (some like lasagna like this, I prefer more cheese), but the noddles were perfect. The short rib was tasty, not tender enough in my opinion but flavored nicely, while the polenta that it was served on was creamy and delicious. The raspberry chocolate cake was probably the best thing we ate while the doughnut was tasty but had too much filling for me.

What We Saw: The space is decorated with mirrors and Thomas Edison lights. Bistro tables with banquette seating line the perimeter of the dining room and there is a large bar on one side of the restaurant. We didn't dine until 9:30 so the place was not very busy for a Monday night, and for the last half hour we were the only people left in the dining room.

What We Thought: Reviews for the fairly new restaurant have been good. Unfortunately, as a self proclaimed Italian food snob, I do not feel the same way. The Dine In Brooklyn price fix was a great deal, though I won't be returning to Bevacco anytime soon. The quest for the best Italian restaurant in walking distance is still on! (Cafe Rosa is currently in the lead.)

How do you feel about "restaurant weeks"? Do you have a favorite Italian restaurant or meal?

Book Giveaway

2012-03-18T13:40:00.003-04:00

One of my New Years Resolutions was to pass on 90% of the books I read this year either by swapping, giving to friends, or donating. This morning I decided it would be fun to give away a book to one of my readers! The copy I chose for "redistribution" is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, a fellow Brooklyn dweller!

How to Enter:

1. Follow Mrs. Brooklyn Life on blogger.com and @tomatosalty on twitter

2. Comment on this post

3. Tweet about the giveaway to @tomatosalty including a link to Mrs. Brooklyn Life

(e.g. #Book #giveaway from @tomatosalty! Enter to win a copy of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. http://tinyurl.com/6lwmclo )

All entries must be received by 12:00AM on April 30, 2012.

The winner will be drawn at random on April 30 at 12:00PM

Good luck!

Brooklyn Restaurant Week

2012-03-18T12:19:00.000-04:00

It's my favorite time of year, Dine In Brooklyn, the most fabulous borough's version of restaurant week starts tomorrow! From March 19-29 over 195 Brooklyn restaurants will be participating by offering affordable price fix brunches, lunches, and dinners. $25 three course dinner? Yes please! $20.12 (clever) for lunch or for two brunches? Heck yes. I love restaurant week.

Participating Restaurants in Boerum Hill:

Apartment 138 (LD), Bacchus (LD), Lunetta (D), La Flor del Paraiso (LD for two)

Participating Restaurants in Cobble Hill:

Bocca Lupo (D), Hibino (D), Strong Place (D)

Participating Restaurants in Carroll Gardens:

Casa Rosa (LD), Chestnut (D), Jolie Cantina (LD), Marco Polo Ristorante (LD), Palo Cortado (D), Provence en Boite (LD), Sue Parette (BD)

Participating Restaurants in Brooklyn Heights:

Armando's (LD), Bevacco (LD), Caffe Buon Gusto (BLD), Eamonns (BLD), Heights Cafe (D), Oh My Pasta (LD), Queen Ristorante (LD), The Atlantic Chipshop (LD for two), Baluchi's (BLD for two)

B=Brunch, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, for two=one price for two meals

This year I want to try Lunetta in Boerum Hill, Chestnut in Carroll Gardens, and The River Cafe in DUMBO.

Restaurant weeks are always a great excuse to try new restaurants. I set a goal to try 10 new restaurants within walking distance of our apartment this year and so far I've gone to three. Seven more to go!

See a complete list of participating restaurants here.

Floral and Green

2012-03-17T15:51:00.003-04:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and the Spring weather here in Brooklyn, I was inspired to create a fashionable look using floral and green. Trends I'm really loving right now are floral prints, silk tops, and snakeskin. I think these trends go really well together if you can find the right color palette.

Floral and Green

Clockwise from top left

1. Essie Nail Polish Spring 2012 Collection Navigate Her $8

2. Otte Tank in Kelly Green $125

3. H&M Necklace $21

4. Daniblack Flats $140

5. H&M Pants $21

6. Dannijo Bracelet $320

What do you think of my look?