Jeannie enjoys a good burger. She recently enjoyed a 100% angus beef burger with blue cheese at BLT Burger. It was cooked correctly at medium. The burger was served with cole slaw and a pickle. She ordered a side of onion rings and a mudslide milkshake. She thought the onion rings were okay; smooth and crispy on the outside with softened onions inside. She liked the milkshake though she's enjoyed a better version of the mudslide milkshake elsewhere.

The week of new things ended with Jeannie and TH checking out a store in Jersey City called Super Buy Rite Wines and Liquor. TH had explained the store sold a wide range of beers. They were not disappointed with their selections. The beers were mostly in the single serving bottles. Jeannie and TH selected several bottles that they thought were interesting and not available at the Whole Foods in TriBeCa. They left with 18 bottles of beers.

Jeannie received an email via Scoutmob for a handpicked deal featuring an itlalian picnic lunch from Pappardella. The original price for a picnic lunch for two was $88. Scoutmob was offering the lunch at a discounted price of $35!

The picnic included the following for two people to enjoy:

Antipasto platter
Pasta salad
2 Panini (vegetable or prosciutto)
Italian dessert
Artisinal Italian bread
Olive oil for dipping
Biscotti
2 apples
2 bottles of water

Jeannie thought this deal sounded pretty good and made her first Scoutmob deal purchase. She arranged for the picnic lunch for yesterday. She arrived early to pick up the picnic. She was surprise to learn that she had to pay sales taxes though perhaps in retrospect, it should not be surprising.

Jeannie and TH walked over to Central Park to enjoy their picnic lunch. They found a quiet spot near the 72nd Street entrance where they walked through a path with a wooden trellis and then they came upon three wooden benches. They had a nice view of the path that circled the park and partial view of The Lake.

The picnic lunch included a plastic table cover, which they spread over the bench and laid out the food. At the bottom of the bag, Jeannie found a busted apple. She wasn't pleased with finding a browned busted apple ruining the bottom of the brown paper bag.

The sandwich turned out to be less meaty than she expected. The sandwich consisted of tomato, fresh mozzarella, and a few measly slices of what she assumed was proscuitto. Jeannie was disappointed that it was not a more meatier sandwich. The antipasto platter looked okay and tasted okay. There was some additional cured meats there. The pasta salad was penne with pesto and some tomatoes and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Jeannie thought the pasta salad was good. They saved the biscotti cookies for later, which they eventually enjoyed. There was also a mini Italian fruitcake which they also saved.

Jeannie and TH both enjoyed their picnic in Central Park though they both agreed the foods were okay. They also agreed that the foods were not worth $88, and as a result, they have no plans to ever dine at Pappardella.

Jeannie enjoys a good burger. She especially loves a good bacon blue cheese burger. Ideally, it would be Roquefort blue cheese and thick cut maple bacon.

She recently consumed a bacon blue cheese burger at Bare Burger. Her mouth water when she looked through the menu of burger combination. She went with the Big Blue Burger with ostrich meat.

Jeannie has not tried ostrich meat and it is something she's been wanting to try. Unfortunately, her first experience with ostrich meat consumption and Bare Burger left her unimpressed.

She did not taste anything distinguishing from the ostrich meat in her burger.

This week was on Tuesday was the last day to file taxes. It was also a day where a seafood restaurant, BLT Fish, was offering half price on all drinks all day! Jeannie went for a drink and tried their signature champagne and cassis cocktail, shark bite. She enjoyed the drink at half price but did no think it was worth paying full price.

Jeannie and TH went on a day trip to Hamden, CT. What's in Hamden, CT you ask? Broken Arrow Nursery. They were written up in The New York Times for selling unique trees and plants.

They also lunched in Bridgeport at a diner called the Galaxy Diner on Main Street. They each order a sandwich, a BLT for her and a Reuben for him. The quality and price of the sandwiched was much better than any diner they've eaten at in NYC.

Week 16, Jeannie tasted wines from the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, and Canary Islands. She thought they were interesting though none impressed her enough to buy. That same week, Jeannie and TH went to a new Indian restaurant that opened up near where TH lives. She enjoyed the crab appetizer and chicken biryani. TH on the other hand selected a dish that did not satisfy his Indian spiced cravings. For dessert, Jeannie had an interesting creme brûlée infused with saffron. The masala tea was an excellent end to a delicious Indian meal.

Week 17 was chilly. Jeannie warmed herself up with a tasting of American bourbons from Kentucky bourbon distillery. The tasting took place at a subterranean bar called Pfaff's on World Whisky Day. She enjoyed all four products that were featured at the tasting, and included Johnny drum, pot still, Noah's mill, and willett's rye.

The weekend brought Jeannie and TH to Van Houten Farms to check out their inventory of trees and plants. It's not a farm in that there wasn't any livestock or fields of crops in the ground. It was more of a gardening center that carried a good selection of plants and gardening supplies. There was a friendly cat who followed them around as Jeannie and TH wandered around the property.

Week 18 was uneventful and although Jeannie did not go some place new, she did do something new at her favorite Japanese bakery. She tried a new sandwich, which was breaded pork with zucchini, a fried egg and served in a hotdog style bun. It was pretty tasty! And at another Japanese eatery that she likes to go to, she also tried some new things from their spring menu like a plate of toasted brioche and two poached eggs with Japanese seasonings. For dessert, she was excited to try their cheesecake but it was not ready. Instead she settled for their doughnut holes with dipping sauces, which were not as exciting as the cheesecake sounded.

And so Jeannie's challenge of accomplishing at least one new thing a week continues....

Jeannie and TH ventured into DUMBO to go check out a carousel that's been restored and housed in a glass box. The glass box is design by a famed architect from Paris, Jean Nouvel, whose work they both appreciated.

The carousel is named after Jane, who bought and restored the carousel back to life. The carousel is located along the East River and between the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. Tickets are $2 a ride per person.

Jeannie, of course, had to go for a ride around the carousel.

It was a brief ride and though the views of both bridges and Manhattan skyline is probably the best anyone is ever going to have while riding a carousel, the joy of it didn't seem to be there for Jeannie. Perhaps she was getting too old to be riding such things...? Or maybe it wasn't going around at a faster speed? Or, that the feeling of peering from under the canopy of the carousel to see that she was encased in a glass box like an exhibit did not appeal to her. In any case, she left not as happy by the experience as she had hoped.

I try to keep an open mind about things especially when I've tried something I ended up not liking. Last weekend, TH and I went to a tasting of a selection of products from Finger Lakes Distilling. They are a New York State company and I want to support NY businesses. The tasting included their bourbon, rye whiskey, gin, vodka, liqueurs, and introducing a corn based whiskey they named, Pikes. We started off with the bourbon, which we both enjoyed followed with the rye whiskey. I didn't think I would like this because the last time I tried a rye based brown spirit, I made a frown-y face. I did not like the spiciness. Oddly, the rep explained that their rye whiskey is considered to be spicier than the one I disliked but I enjoyed the rye whiskey from FLD. Next, we tried the clear corn based whiskey, which unlike similar products by other brands, this one was aged for 18 minutes so as to retain character and flavor. I enjoyed it. It was smooth and I liked the taste. The taste of corn was slight and sweet unlike another corn based whiskey that I tried and did not enjoy.

The rep explained that white pike makes a good mixer; a replacement for vodka or gin, which I thought was interesting because it would add a different flavor dimension that is typically found in some cocktails. The rep also raved about a cocktail called the Morning After, which was created with White Pike in mind. This cocktail was found at a Soho bar and restaurant called Jo's.

We tasted the rest of the FLD spirits that were being featured, which included an interesting vodka, a citrusy gin, a pear brandy, and an interest liqueur called maplejack. TH and I were very impressed with their spirits.

Since the tasting, I have had White Pike Whiskey on my mind, and curious to try the aforementioned cocktail. So, TH and I went to Jo's for brunch. I ordered the Morning After cocktail, which was not listed on the menu. It was an interesting concoction of grapefruit juice, maple syrup, muddled blueberries, and White Pike. It was a good cocktail. It didn't quite highlight the spirit, and the flavors weren't as expressive especially given how much the cocktail was raved about. I was expecting a taste sensation; and it wasn't.

I ordered a burger, which I usually drink with a Bloody Mary so I ordered one with White Pike instead of vodka. I normally ask for it to be light on the vodka but I let the bartender mix it as typically.

It was perfect! I don't know how much the Bloody Mary mix played a role in terms of taste but the White Pike added an interesting depth of flavor to the spiced tomatoey drink. There was a bit of licorice or fennel, and had a somewhat sweet finish. It was also very smooth. It is probably the best Bloody Mary I've had.

The burger was pretty good too. I added bacon and blue cheese for good measure. It was juicy and delicious. The fries were great, long and soft and slightly crispy outside - the way I like them. The chili garlic mayo dip was fabulous! I enjoyed Jo's deluxe burger with my White Pike Bloody Mary.

For some unexplained reason, Jeannie wanted to make granola. It was something she's never made, nor had she had any desire to until now.

She fantasized about making granola clusters like the ones that are available and made by Whole Foods, almond cherry granola. Then she dreamed of making her own granola bars and wrapping them in parchment paper. She was especially keen on TH enjoying her granola bars instead of the ones from the store.

She didn't find an absolute recipe that she liked so she made up a recipe based on a few different recipes that she found. Jeannie decided to make almond cranberry orange granola. She grated the zest from an orange, she used several tablespoons of armaretto, melted butter with generous squirts of honey, tossed the ingredients together, baked it in the oven at 350 degrees F. Unfortunately, it did not turn out as she expected. It did not form clusters let alone baked solid to be able to cut Into bars.

Jeannie was not discouraged, and expects to try again until she is successful.

The week started off with dinner at a Michelin star Korean restaurant in Hell's Kitchen called Danji. I've never heard of this restaurant if it wasn't for Lizz who has wanted to try it, and suggested we check it out. It's a small, narrow restaurant, and quite popular. By the time i arrived, which was around 6:20, it was already full with limited seating at the bar.

Danji is not your typical Korean BBQ restaurant that is found in Koreatown. There's no BBQ grill. And no complimentary array of pickles and salads. The menu offers a good variety of modern and traditional korean dishes that is perfect for sharing. Each dish can accommodate two people. While I was waiting, I overheard the bartender advise a couple that 5 dishes would be sufficient for two.

I ordered a cocktail while I waited. I was split between two cocktails; Su Jung Kwa or Asian Pear. I decided to go with the Asian Pear, which was okay. I tasted the SJK and realized a chose incorrectly. I liked the warmth from the whiskey with the cinnamon. It was a perfect cold weather cocktail. I might just have to return for just a cocktail.

Dinner was just fabulous! The food was high quality and well prepared! Each bite was full flavored and succulent.

The trio of kimchee is a must. If you're at a Korean restaurant, kimchee is a must have. It's pickled veg; usually nappa cabbage, which marinated in chili spices. It's not spicy in the traditional sense. The trio of kimchee included chili pickled cucumber, nappa cabbage, and daikon. Excellent!

The wild mushroom jook is a rice congee dish that is similar to a risotto. The jook was smooth with a bit of softened rice and full wild mushroom flavor - earthy! It was wonderful!

Another popular dish at Korean restaurants are the pancakes. This is not your breakfast kind of pancake. For one, it's savory. Crispy and chewy pancake fried up with scallion and peppers. A must have traditional dish.

I have to say bossam was my favorite dish at Danji. It's braised pork that just melts in your mouth! The combination of scallions, daikon, and nappa cabbage just enhanced the natural flavored of the braised pork. I could have easily gobbled that up by myself!

The pork belly sliders were also incredible. I think the soft potatoes buns were buttered and toasted and filled with shredded pork belly and topped with scallions. Very juicy.

The meal ended with sablefish, a white fish similar to cod or seabass. Incredible flavors melding together especially from the sauce, spicy daikon, and shredded ginger.
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On Saturday, we visited the 9/11 Memorial. Visiting the Memorial is free but you must register for tickets online. If you opt to print at home, (tip) you must print each ticket on its own paper. Don't try to conserve paper by printing on both sides. They will send you to a booth to obtain tickets. After which, we were herded along like cattle with our tickets visible so the ticket checkers can see that we belonged in the line. We were then herded into an area where we had to walk through metal detectors. This required removing coat and emptying pockets into a bin. At least we didn't have to take off our shoes...

After passing through metal detectors, security and the police were pushing us out. We continued onto the next check point where security marked our tickets. We walked along the expressway within a barricade because cars were zooming past us on the other side. The area is still heavily under construction.

I was excited about visiting the Memorial despite the nuisance of going through various layers of security, and then when we reached the threshold, my excitement faded into disappointment. I was like, "That's it!? Well, this is anti-climatic!"

I was expecting to go into a partially submerged public space or at least feel surrounded by the Memorial. It just felt flat even though the Freedom Tower and welcome center are adjacent.

Plus, only one of the waterfall was running. The other footprint was quiet and hardly anybody surrounded it compared with the south tower footprint.

I'm hoping that the experience of the Memorial will improve when I return in the spring and summer. The trees will have leaves and I suspect it will change the look and feel of the Memorial.