So...the very first time I made banana bread, it turned out something like...bread pudding. I was missing some (key) ingredients. Like eggs. So I did a quick google search that told me that I could substitute eggs with a very ripe banana. Which probably would've work out fine, had I not already been adding three bananas in. *sadface* Mistakes are just springboards for learning, though, and this time around, I made CERTAIN that I had all the necessary ingredients on hand. I mean, who actually has buttermilk in their house at the ready?! Luckily, there's peapod.com and home delivery. Seriously, I have no idea how I was living life prior to this. Turned out pretty delish and the office demolished it as soon as I put it out.
Read More Post a comment (2)One of the biggest changes I've had to deal with since moving from Hawaii to New York City is a simple one: grocery shopping. At first, I was thrilled with the idea of online shopping and having my groceries delivered right to my door for a pretty nominal fee. Since Hawaii's groceries are pretty high-priced, I wasn't surprised when I was shopping here. Pricing was similar, and with sales, it wasn't so bad. The one thing that threw me for a loop was that I couldn't go to one store to get everything I needed. Why? Because the normal grocery stores carried only a VERY limited amount of asian foods. No where could I find rice, udon, sauces, those awesome curry bricks, etc. These places had the staples, like shoyu (soy sauce) and some teriyaki or oyster sauce, but this wasn't Donki. Heck, Longs back home probably had a better selection than most places out here. Don't get me wrong, there are a few asian grocery stores, but they're out of the way and pretty pricey. So when we heard there was a Mitsuwa, which is basically a big box Japanese grocery store, we flipped. There's a shuttle that goes straight from Port Authority to Mitsuwa for $3/person. My suggestion: call to make sure the store is open and go to the shuttle stop early. We made the mistake of not doing this, and got denied twice. Power outages and shuttles ending early. The shuttles also only fit about 20-30 people, so if you're person #31, you're out of luck and waiting for the next one.
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Back in Hawaii, we LOVED Buca's. Not because they had the best pasta ever, or because the bread was flaky and buttery, or even because they offered a $10 off a $20 purchase coupon. Nope, none of those reasons. We loved Buca's because of it's close proximity to Dave and Buster's. You see, Ry and I are ADDICTED to games. Those darn coin drop games, FPS games (we've passed nearly all of them, some more than once) and even the basketball shooting games (Granted, my highest score is still a pitiful 32 baskets or something ridiculous. I get put to shame by little girls everytime!)! The thing about Dave and Buster's that we didn't like was their lack of vegetarian options. I mean, there's only so many veggie burgers and french fries you can have before you crave something different! Haha. In any case, Buca's was directly below DnB's and has tons of pasta...and who doesn't love pasta!? Our favorite was the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni. The spicy, tomato-ey sauce with just a touch of creaminess. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure we never ordered anything else. Ahahaha. So much for not wanting to eat the same thing all the time!
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So, it's December. Better late than never?! Hehe. Three months later, I'm finally putting out the Hits and Misses post that I was so excited to start doing! Hahaha. This being the first run, let me know what you guys think! If I'm writing too much, or too little, etc. The thing about moving to a new city is that pretty much EVERYTHING we tried this month was new! I'm kind of expecting these posts to be ridiculous for a few months. Enjoy! September's hits (in no particular order):
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My office is located right on top of Grand Central Station, and while I still stare in awe at the masses of people, the ridiculous amounts of trains, and the constellations on the ceiling, these past few days, I've been more interested in food. Afterall, a girl's gotta eat! Since Grand Central has a "dining concourse" with a bunch of interesting and new places to eat, I figure I'd try ALL of them before exploring the outside world. It helps that the weather has been cold and rainy, and leaving the building is a somewhat low priority for me at the moment. :)
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So what was supposed to be an incredibly productive summer has already fallen to pieces. Well, just in the sense of blogging. Outside of that, I've been working late, keeping up with reading blogs, reading (I already finished Delivering Happiness, and have moved on to The Happiness Hypothesis) and strangely enough, I've been reading up on (weird, I know) fashion blogs.
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(Please don't tell Rk) When I heard an all-vegan restaurant opened up, I knew I had to try it. Unfortunately, I let time get the best of me. Then I let my short attention span get the best of me. Let's just say, this was before I started reading Getting Things Done. Hehe. In any case, months flew by, and before I knew it, they were opening ANOTHER restaurant. Another year probably would've passed had it not been for @kyleepuu organizing the impromptu meetup a few weeks ago!
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I can't believe how quickly time has passed. I've officially been vegetarian for OVER a year now. Coming from someone who ate meat at every meal, and liked her steak medium rare, you'd be surprised to hear that I don't miss meat. At all. I can sit next to someone digging into a melty cheesy burger, or crisp salty-sweet bacon, and I won't even flinch. Of course, if the opportunity presents itself, I'm always down to try veggie'd meat.
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This month’s Around Hawaii post is yet another review, as I still haven’t been able to get myself into the kitchen…
I was, however, able to check out Beach Bum Cafe, located in Executive Centre in Downtown. They’re not your ordinary coffee shop, all their coffees are ground on the spot, and brewed one or two cups at a time! The coffee was great, and while I haven’t been able to get there as often as I’d like (I’ve been on a stricter budget these days), I’m looking forward to treating myself with the good stuff every once in a while 
Their brewing methods alone are a great reason to check them out. It’s like chemistry all over again! Hehe.
Click here to read the post, and don’t forget to try Beach Bum Cafe!
Being busier than normal at work and with classes, I’ve been migrating from recipes to restaurant reviews on my Around Hawaii blog.
I guess even though I don’t have as much time to cook, I still make time to eat! 
Hehe.
Check out my review of Eat Cafe in the Gentry Pacific Design Center, over on Around Hawaii.com. The Sunnyside panini (pictured above) was delish! Can’t wait to go back!