nyc | Girl Meets Life | a lifestyle blog by Gracie Gordon

I approve.

3 February, 2011 by Gracie 39 Comments

While I can’t say that I want to make a habit of nearly 16-hour days in the city, yesterday was definitely quite the good one.

After Erica’s interview, we hung out at our favorite cafe while I finished up with work. We also lunched there – a tomato mozzarella panini for her, and ham & frontega for me. It was pretty much a fancy-pants version of the grilled ham and cheese sandwiches I ate as a kid. I approve.

Further proof that cafes make the best offices, no?

E and I had some time to kill before meeting up with Gabriela, so we did what we do best…shop! I am happy to announce that Forever 21 now has spring clothes…

…and a great new line of workout gear, which I’m absolutely going back for more of. This top is the perfect stretchy material and was only $10.80. Approved!

After some hopping around the Village, the three of us headed to Mario Batali’s Otto, for dinner, per Erica’s rave review.

(photo a la Gabriela)

It was tough for me to decide between pizza and pasta (I’m a pizza-girl at heart), but Erica influenced me to go with the latter.

The Rigatoni Con Noci E Zucca (Zucca,Hazelnut, Ricotta Affumicata) caught me eye, but I wasn’t exactly sure what “zucca” was. Upon asking the server and learning it was butternut squash, I replied, “We have a winner.”

The girls and I also split two gelato desserts, which were out of this world. They attacked the chocolate flavors, while I was partial to the Creme Fraiche (yes, creme fraiche gelato does exist, and it is as amazing as it sounds).

If you’re ever in the NYC area and are looking for good Italian food, this is your place. The environment is fun and the food is outstanding! Not to mention that the price is very right, with all of the pasta dishes ringing in at just $9. Definite approval.

Back to work for me! And then back to the city for some Restaurant-Week action.

Enjoy your Thursday, will you? xoxo G

I know this is a toughie, but if you HAD to choose, pizza or pasta??

pure heaven.

28 January, 2011 by Gracie 35 Comments

After a very long and slushy day in the city, last night’s meal with birthday girl Gabriela was exactly what the doctor ordered.

We visited Pure Food and Wine, which I had heard rave reviews about. I couldn’t wait to try it! I also didn’t know what to expect, though, because I’m not exactly well-versed in raw vegan cuisine. But, let’s just say that this non-vegan who loves vegan food was in heaven. Pure heaven.

We each ordered our own S&M salads, which included a ginormous pile of greens, avocado, rosemary crackers (emphasis on the crack), hemp seeds, dulse, and a pumpkinseed lemon dressing.

We also split the Zucchini, Local Roma and Heirloom Tomato Lasagna - basil pistachio pesto, sun-dried tomato marinara, macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta.

Before trying this, I would’ve said that a pasta-less lasagna was blasphemy. But the flavors in this lasagna were so insanely good that I didn’t miss the pasta one bit. How do they do that…?!

I don’t think I’ve ever been out to dinner with Gabriela where dessert was not ordered (a woman after my own heart, clearly), so it was onto the next course.

I went with the Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait (with Brown Ale Caramel, Vanilla Cream and Candied Pecans), which Gabriela assured was a very “me” dessert. She was right.

Once again, I’m baffled by how a cheesecake/ice cream dessert was complied without any cheese or cream. But I don’t ask questions. I just eat.

Of course, the best part was reuniting with my favorite (and newly 21-year-old) blend!

Happy birthday, Gabs

hits and misses.

20 December, 2010 by Gracie 32 Comments

This past weekend was a great one. I might even go as far as saying it was epic.

…That’s not to say there weren’t any glitches, though.

The biggest of which came on Saturday evening. I left my apartment for a minute to greet Amanda and help her carry in her things, and we returned to find ourselves completely locked out of my apartment. It was the door handle’s fault, I swear! 90 minutes and $110 dollars later, the mishap was a distant memory. Still, it was quite the MISS.

The upside? Lesson learned. Everyone needs some sort of “first night in the new apartment” crisis anyway, right? HIT.

Thankfully, a good night was not entirely lost. In fact, our night in the city was one for the books. Another HIT.

But, you see those two pictures? Those are the only ones taken throughout the entire night. MISS.

His and her ‘berries = HIT.

Checking my phone and finding multiple “where are youuu?!” texts? MISS. Oops!

On Sunday morning, the girls and I exchanged Christmas gifts.

Amanda got me that amazing glass-framed poster, and from Erica I received my very own moleskin! HIT and HIT.

When I arrived back in PA yesterday, discovering a dozen receipts in my wallet was a grim reminder of how much money I spent on food over the past 24 hours. MISS.

Thankfully there was a delicious and comforting meal of homemade beef soup simmering away in the crock pot, and it didn’t cost me a single dime. HIT.

I was bummed to leave my new abode after just one night there. MISS.

But I’m glad I decided to spend one last week at home to be with my family during Christmas. HIT.

Can you spot the kitten?

What were some of your hits and misses as of late??

he’s like a vegan Bradley Cooper.

4 September, 2010 by Gracie 14 Comments

^^ Gabriela’s words, not mine

Where to begin? Well, first of all: New York, I love you.

Actually…that’s Jersey City. But you get the point.

After getting settled in at Gabriela’s (absolutely adorable) apartment yesterday afternoon, we headed uptown for dinner at Candle 79 for some vegan eats.

No, I’m not a vegan. But I’ve also never had a vegan meal I didn’t like! And Candle 79 was no exception.

Gabriela and I started by splitting the Guacamole Timbale appetizer: chipotle black beans, caramelized onions, cucumber-tomato salsa, tortilla chips, ranchero sauce.

Delish! I especially loved the cucumber in the salsa; it added a great refreshing flavor to the dish.

For my entree I went with the Moroccan Spiced Chickpea Cake: seasonal vegetables, red pepper-coconut curry, fresh apricot chutney, toasted almonds.

This was too good for words. The flavor and texture of the cake was spot-on. To die.

Gabriela went with the Live Heirloom Tomato-Zucchini Lasagna: cashew cheese, marinated wild mushrooms, heirloom tomato sauce, basil-pine nut pesto.

Gorgeous, isn’t it? I had a small bite of the cashew cheese and, while it didn’t exactly taste like cheese, it was really tasty!

For dessert we split the Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss: chocolate mousse, peanut butter mousse, chocolate shell, berry coulis.

Let’s just say that if there was ever a reason to become a vegan, this would be it.

After dinner we headed toward the Hudson to meet up with Gabriela’s boyfriend and some friends of hers. The remnants of Earl made for quite a pretty skyline of Jersey City.