pizza & cupcakes

Last month, I flew to Seattle to visit family and celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. I also ate some stuff.

roasted mushrooms & truffle cheese pizza

chocolate & graham cracker cupcake with marshmallow frosting

And, of course, I made sure to visit to my favorite ice cream shop, Molly Moon's. This time around, I got a scoop of their famous salted caramel. So, so, so good. I love Seattle.

the baxter

Just watched The Baxter, starring Michael Showalter and Michelle Williams. Really funny. I love Michelle's sweet, understated vintage style in the film.

new york eats

Since it was my first trip to New York, I decided to stick to the classics. Every meal basically consisted of some variation of bread, cheese and/or some type of meat. I probably should mention that, until recently, I hadn't eaten red meat in over 12 years. The reason I decided to start was so that I could enjoy a New York hot dog, which is just as arbitrary a reason as the one that made me decide to stop in the first place (I just felt like it).

Here are a few highlights from my NYC food adventures:

On our first night in New York, we went to Lombardi's for dinner, where I received an embarrassing amount of attention (and a free drink!) from the bartender and, more importantly, had the best pizza of my life. This is saying a lot, since I consider myself somewhat of a pizza connoisseur. I've been to the best pizza joints in California (Northern and Southern), Las Vegas, Chicago, Seattle, and New York. Of course I expected New York pizza to be the best, by far. It did not disappoint. This slice of pizza is the slice against which all other slices will be compared.

Gray's Papaya. This is what I gave up over a decade of red meat abstinence for. And you know what? It was worth it. My friend and I got the recession special: two frankfurters and a drink for $4.45. There is only one frankfurter in this photo because my friend stole the other one before I could get my camera out.

B.L.A.T. sandwich from Friedmans Lunch. This wasn't a planned visit; we just got hungry while walking around Chelsea Market. This sandwich was a nice surprise, though. A bit heavy on the L, but the addition of A (avocado), plus a good amount of herbed aoili, made up for that. I just had my very first B.L.T. a few months ago, but it's already my favorite sandwich.

On our final night, we had dinner at S'Mac. S'mac is a delightful restaurant in the East Village that serves macaroni & cheese...and only macaroni & cheese. There are four serving size options: Nosh, Major Munch, Mongo, and Partay! How could I not love this place? My friends and I shared a Major Munch-sized "Garden Lite," which was incredibly good. It was packed with veggies, so it wasn't just the constant taste of cheese and more cheese, which could get overwhelming after a while.

We ate much more than this. These were just the things that I decided to take photos of. Even after all this gluttony, I somehow managed to lose weight during my trip. How the hell did I manage this? My feet would probably tell you that it's because of all the walking we did, but I'd like to think it's because New York is just that amazing.

new york snaps

Non-food-related New York highlights:

• First subway ride and walk through Manhattan to visit the Met
• Strolling though soggy, gloomy, beautiful Central Park
• Attending a taping of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• Exploring Strand Book Store (and buying way too many books)
• Running into Patricia Clarkson and her dog while walking to Chelsea Market
• Meeting Mindy Kaling at Magnolia Bakery later that day
• Seeing the original Batman masks on display at the Tim Burton exhibit at MoMA
• Visiting 30 Rock, where my television alter ego, Liz Lemon, works

New York food post to follow!

top 5

Jon Hamm had to do last-minute reshoots for Mad Men on Sunday and couldn't make it to the Tootsie screening. What. A. Bummer. I went to Disneyland and watched Kick-Ass with my friend instead. I thoroughly enjoyed Kick-Ass. It was very violent and very entertaining.

Anyway, I haven't done one of these lists in a long, long time. Here are five people/places/things that I've been enjoying lately:

1. Beach House's latest album, Teen Dream. I love love love this band.

2. Donald Glover. He used to write for 30 Rock, and now stars in Community, a show that's only in its first season, but is already one of the funniest and most creative comedies on television. My friend and I saw him do stand-up at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood last month, and he had us laughing non-stop. Donald also blogs about cool stuff and writes and performs intricately worded rap songs with indie/geek leanings under the pseudonym Childish Gambino. He's a modern-day Renaissance man. I have a huge crush on him.

3. Party Down is another one of my favorite shows at the moment. It's about a bunch of failed actors and writers working at a catering company. The spot-on cast includes Adam Scott, Lizzie Caplan, and Martin Starr (of my all-time favorite Freaks and Geeks). The show just entered into its second season on the Starz network. The incomparable Jane Lynch was part of the cast in season 1, but left to be on Glee. Megan Mullally is taking her place this season. Her character is funny, but I still miss Jane. All episodes are available for instant viewing on Netflix, and you can also watch a few episodes on the official website.

4. Marias USA, a cool little independent shoe line that pairs simple shapes with interesting details. Their designs are fun, classic, and effortlessly stylish. Affordable, too! The Low Top and the Two-toned Flat are my current favorites.

5. Cute boys with cats on tumblr. What a genius idea for a blog. This cat totally looks like Tiger from An American Tail.

hamm & banksy

This handsome, handsome man will be hosting a screening of Tootsie at the Silent Movie Theatre in Los Angeles tonight. To say that I'm "looking forward to it" would be a huge understatement. I get to see Jon Hamm and the (almost as good-looking) young Dustin Hoffman in the same evening. It's win-win!

Yesterday I went to a screening of the Banksy film Exit Through the Gift Shop. It was really great - unexpectedly funny and thought-provoking. It was interesting to see the story and process behind all the street art that's so prevalent throughout LA. There's so much amazing footage in the film. If it's playing anywhere near you, go see it!