A different kind if satisfaction!

"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it" Proverbs 3:27

One of our resolutions this year was to give back to the community. Not just sign a check and donate gently worn clothing as we done in the past. But due to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives we had yet to find "the time" to do more than just that.

So when hubby told me he was spending a few hours with his friend Ali at the shelter I was equally excited and confused. You see, these are two guys who are used to spending their Saturday nights eating at fancy restaurants and drinking at hip bars  spending their evening with Mrs. Vicki, a tough  no nonsense loving lady who along with her husband handle the day to day of The Hoboken Shelter in the basement of St. John's Lutheran Church.

http://hoboken.patch.com/listings/hoboken-shelter

This shelter houses an average of 50 people per night and feeds up to 200 every night. 

We wanted to donate our time to the shelter where we knew they needed the most. Our first step was to bring in as much as we could from the list of "needs" on the wall (hubby took a picture of it during his first visit) and 2nd was to set a day in which not only we served but also prepared (insert hubby the chef here) the evening meal. 

I'm happy to say we are blessed drought to have been able to provide the mayor it's if the "needs" list, and we are looking forward to cooking & serving our first meal at the shelter this coming April 12th.

I know we might not aways be able to donate as much as we did, but at least I know we can donate our time as much as possible. 

So look around you, see how blessed you truly are in this life; and take a second to say thank you for what you have. And if you can o(r want) take a few hours of your week and use it to bring a smile, a hope to someone who's in need of it; trust me when I say it will bring you a satisfaction unlike any other.

Until we meet again!

Where did the taste go?

This is not my first time here; however it is my 2nd disappointment when ordering the tasting menu. I made the reservations as a surprise wedding present for friends who were en-route from Geneva to their honeymoon in Cabo and stopped in a layover  for 22 hours in NYC; and who always wanted to visit Daniel. We got the tasting menu, an 3 bottles of wine selected by the Sommelier to accompany our dishes.

The point of visiting a place such as Daniel, is for you to try things that you would not everywhere else. Selecting its tasting menu should be an explosion of flavors that only gets better as the evening continues. However out of all the courses, only two were good; one of these been the amuse (not part of the tasting menu the other the lamb which was perfectly executed.  There were numerous dishes that were  unimpressive, such as the bland arctic chard and few that were outright over powering with so many entwined flavors like the Scottish langoustines that you could not appreciate the minuscule langoustine pieces itself .  The highlight of the night were the selection of cheeses course right before dessert. If I may say so, this has been the best selection outside of Europe I have had thus far; the fun fact? most cheeses were from the North-East region of the country! Also their Beer ice cream was to die. 

The bread! now that's a selection I could eat all day & night. They are baked freshly from their own bakery, and the top ones (for me at least) were the sweet garlic rolls , the olive rolls

 I do have to say or server (who name escapes me) as well as the sommelier were a true gem, who made our dinner a much better experience. 

Perhaps I just happened to choose an off night (twice); we all have them, even the chefs at Daniel; however it cannot erase the fact the it was a  truly disappointing experience for a place named on the top 13 most expensive & tastiest menus in America. 

We met with dear friends who made it a point to have a 22 hour layover in NYC to meet us, and that's what really mattered. In the end, our evening was a fun one, and we created experiences that only we know how

Until the next time we meet!

XO

Little Man is One!

I always talked about my nieces, how much I adore and do anything for them. But today I am taking a chance to talk about the main  boy my first & only godson who's turning the big one. It is amazing how a year goes by in a blink of an eye. It seems like it was only yesterday when he was born and we were at the church for his christening. 

Baby boy & nina at church prior to the christening

Alas, my chunky monkey is growing, and I cannot wait to see what he does and becomes as he takes each first step in this life. So here's to my little man Logan Alexander; may life be everything you dream of; and remember Nina loves you to the moon & back!

It mustache been his 1st Bday bash!

unconditional love 

Jamming To The Beat in MoBay

Jamaica, vibrant island filled with laughter, music & amazing jerk!

Freshly returned from a long and well deserved weekend from the Island of Mr. Marley and I cannot wait to go back.

 Its people, its food, its drinks, its temperature, its everything is a dream. Our hotel was amazing

Although on the pricier side the Iberostar Grand Rose Hall hotel, and adults only all inclusive resort is amazing. from its employees, to the rooms it is worth every penny. Here's is what you get for what you pay:

• Personal-private 24hrs butler service
• Top quality restaurants
• Private-adults only beach
• Your own beach as well as pool cabanas
• and an amazing staff ( make sure to look for precious & shorty they are the bests!)

Do not forget to venture out into town and pay a visit to Scotchie's so you can have the most authentic and delicious jerk chicken you would ever try; or hit the Beach Hut, so you can have a freshly caught fried fish while you soak your feet at the shore.
let's not forget the Iberostar Grand Hall provides you with free shuttles to each of these locations.

Until meet again!
XO

Who Rule the World? Girls!

Tomorrow Manala Yousafzai turns 16 years old, but instead of celebrating it with a grand party as we are accustomed to, she will delivering a set of education demand which were written by youth to the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon.

Who's Manala you may ask? She is the Pakistani child who was shot by the Taliban back in 2012; Manala was only 14 then and returning from school along other classmates. After her horrific ordeal, Manala has come up stronger than ever, and is fighting harder, and speaking  for the more than 60 millions kids around the world who are not partaking on education. Manala courageously speaks for thousands, if not millions of girls of her own country who are desperate to be able to attend schooling but cannot for whichever reason.

I believe in the right to an education, I believe in the freedom of been able to make that choice, and I am blessed I live in a country, and a culture in which women are treated equal as men. Many girls who live in many of the countries that encompass the middle east do not. Research shows that in many areas / cities of the world  (Pakistan for example) only 1 in every 5 students is a girl. Reasoning for this you ask? there are many! Some girls might live in areas where there are no schools, or the fees are so high that in some circumstances parents can only afford to send one child to school and boys are the favored ones. However the main reason is because girls are discriminated due to their gender and denied even a basic education.

How would you feel; if you were not able to have such simple yet significant right to education? If it was stripped from you just because of your gender? Join Manala Yousafzai and many others on the fight to end Women Education Discrimination. We cannot all standwith her on the United Nation Floor, but we can all show we stand by her by signing the letter to the Secretary -General Ki-Moon. Signing this will show your support and demand for education rights around the world. Its easy and non time consuming, by clicking Stand with Manala you can make your voice heard.

On a separate note,  Golbal Citizen Organization is a great organization who also support s the Stand With Manala Cause. Every year the give a free concert in the CP great Lawn to not only thank its members for the great effort they make but to also bring awareness to the various causes they represent around the world. If you join, you can earn points whcih can be cashedin for ticket to the concert, trust me its a great event, Check them out!

Until next time!!

XO!

Falling in Love with Krakow

Poland was not entirely in our mind where travels was concerned, yes I wanted to see the main cities and its surrounding history, but for no longer than 2 days. However 2 of our besties were getting married in Krakow and doing it Polish style for 3 days. So hubby and I decided we would spend 5 days in Krakow; and below is a peak to our experience.

Eric & Alicia Wedding in the Market Square!

There was a time in which Krakow was a very populous city. It harbored a medley of cultures from Gypsies to Jews & Catholics; this all came to an abrupt stop during the years of Nazi occupation and its infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Auschwitz-Birkenau 

Krakow is not only one of the oldest city but one of the most culturally as well as political cities within Poland. It is city that beams with restaurants / cafes / pubs / and amazing people which make Krakow the new Eastern Europe Bohemian Capital. Krakow is a party city, perhaps this is due to the many (and I mean many) universities that surround it, bringing in thousands of young blood into its many neighborhoods? However Krakow also is a city full of history.


Their Market Square which seats in the middle of the city its full of life (day & night) with its magnificent cafes, flanked by St. Mary's Basilica will provide you with vast entertainment. Other famous areas such as the Kazimierz (Jewish Ghetto) District and Podgorze district will not only feed your belly but also your mind.

 St. Mary's Basilica & The Market Square 

 One of the many Obwarzanki olish Bagel) stands


Krakow has its fault, and it can be melancholic city because of its dark chapters in history; yet needless to say, it is a rewarding place to visit. I felt in love with it, its people, its hearty food, beers, and definitely its Vodka.

So make time and visit Amazing Krakow.

Nostrovia!!!

XO

" Sea" The Thai Experience... NOT!

I've heard great things about Sea Thai in Williamsburg, BK. And I had walked pass its Meatpacking location many times; however I had never (and will never) stopped and enjoy a meal there.

We came as a group of 8 (for an 7:45pm reservation) this past Saturday. We wanted to provide a vacationing friend with a great fun, tasty Thai food experience that was also not too deep in the pockets. When we were been taken to our seats (on the 2nd level) the floor was so slippery with what looked like a mixture of water and oil that our guest of honor felt; our hostess only reaction to this was to turn around look at her and say sorry the floor is wet! not an we are sorry.

Once seated we decided to start with two bottles of wine, our waiter proceeded to serve full glasses of wine to every one in the table, and forgot to serve two of us. When he was informed of this he proceeded to say I am sorry but there is no more wine in the bottles; you need to order more. Mind you 1 bottle yields 5.5 servings and we had ordered two bottles for 8 people. Now I am not asking for the waiter (or any waiter) to be a master sommelier but I am asking that you know how to properly open a bottle of wine and in which manner to serve.

Once the menus were presented to us, we were rushed to order the food. The food looked delicious, and the selections were plenty. We ordered approximately 9 appetizers to share and not one of these were bad; the night I thought started looking up. Once our entrée arrived it was a chaos, side orders of Jasmine rice were missing, and when pointed out to the waiter he said we needed to pay for them although it clearly stated in the menu it was part of the dishes ordered. We went ahead and ordered the additional rice with the additional charges anyways.

I ordered the Ginger Herbs Fried Rice with Shrimp. Hubby ordered Roasted Rice T-Bone with Papaya Salad & Coconut Sticky Rice. The highlight of both of our dishes Ginger (for me), roasted rice crusted steak (for hubby) were the focal point and the reason why we ordered said dishes, trust me when I say it was the worst experience. Mine lacked ginger anything and his was only a powder rice sprinkled on top type of steak. Now; I can only really speak about my dish and that of my hubby (which I ate from) which were not good at all; but our friends also felt their dishes were not up to part, and were either too salty or lacked any of the highlighted seasoning. Oh yes our waiter was not really present at our table more than 2-3 times in a spam of 3 hour and 20 minutes.

Dessert was one thing I was looking forward; I love me sticky rice and mango any day. We ordered their Chocolate Fondue Pot, and two Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango sorbet. Well their fondue was great, and I can say I would have again; however the sticky rice and mango never arrived, and when we had the chance to flag our waiter down and informed him we were still waiting for it; he left and only brought back the Coconut Sticky Rice in a bowl, with no sorbet. When asked were was the dessert his response was, " we don't have more sorbet, so only the sticky rice".

Needless to say; its a place we would not visit ever again food was mediocre, and the service non existent. The Meatpacking is one of our favorite hangout spots, but the restaurant is a dark spot in a otherwise area were food is taken seriously.

Until next time!
XO!