Long walk, no pier

Monday I slept in, then went for a really long walk. I walked to Prospect Park, walked all the way around the park, and walked home. It was really nice, the park is so beautiful. Got home, then turned around and got some much-needed groceries. Had late lunch and relaxed a while, then headed to Williamsburg to see my friend perform at Public Assembly. Derek joined me, and we had a really fun night.

Impromptu BBQ

Sunday Matt and I went on an adventure to Fort Greene, the neighborhood right above where Matt lives. We walked a few blocks and went to brunch at The General Greene, a new restaurant that New York Magazine gave a great review. Matt had french toast with granola on it, and I had eggs with mashed potatoes, herbs, and short ribs. We both liked it a lot, really nice atmosphere and good food. Then we went to poke around at the Brooklyn Flea, this big new flea market held in a school basketball court or blacktop or something. Saw lots of fun things but didn't buy anything. We parted ways and I talked to Granny on the phone, did my laundry, and set up Mint.com, which is this really super cool free money management site. If you don't already have a system to keep track of all of your financial stuff in one place, I highly recommend you check it out, it's really easy and helpful so far. Went back over to Matt's and we had an impromptu BBQ, which ended up being really well attended. Ben and Atsuko arrived first, followed by Anja and Austin, who were just returning from their honeymoon in Canada. Then, Hannah, Derek, Kristel, Randy, and Sophia all came over, and we had a really fun time, just hanging out and enjoying the weather.

What do YOU mean, "you people"?

Saturday I worked the morning, which was a really good shift until it was time for me to count out everyone's money. It took me a long time because the bar bank was screwed up, and if anyone's ever tried to fix money mistakes after waiting tables all day, you can guess about how well my brain was working. Finally got it worked out and went home to crash. Eventually Matt made me get up, and we had a really nice dinner at Miracle Grill. Then we went to see "Tropic Thunder," which was funny, although not as funny as "Zoolander." Nice relaxed night.

CSA Cost

I've also decided to start calculating what it would have cost me to buy my CSA share's worth of veggies from a grocery store. This is approximate, of course, and it's probably a low estimate, since I didn't take the time to choose organic products, but this week's approximate total is $38.84.

Getting back in the groove

Thursday morning I went to work, and I felt a little less sickly and a little better at my job. Picked up my CSA share on the way home, and it included lots of good stuff this week:

-Tomatoes
-Cabbage
-Baby lettuce
-Onions
-Peaches and nectarines
-Fennel bulb
-Basil
-Italian frying peppers
-Carrots
-Eggs

Went home to relax, then went to Matt's to make dinner. We had CSA pizza, with the tomatoes and basil and green peppers and onions. Also had a salad with CSA supplies.

Friday I worked in the morning, then it was Ethan's birthday, so he and Matt and I made dinner to celebrate. We had pesto made with CSA basil, a CSA salad, and garlic bread made with CSA garlic. Could we BE any more local? Had a lovely dinner on Matt's patio, enjoying the cool weather. We had to get birthday treats, so we walked to Baskin Robbins for ice cream, then called it a night, since Ethan and I both had to work the next morning. Happy 24th, Ethan!

Un-Pack, Re-Start

Tuesday morning Randy and I got up early to be at work by 8:00 to unpack everything they had to pack up for closure. It took about three hours, nothing too terrible. We all had lunch at a diner afterwards, then went home to relax. I took a three hour nap, which was awesome, then puttered around before making dinner and watching Olympics with Matt, a common theme this week.

Wednesday was my first day back at the restaurant. It went fairly well, although we all felt a little rusty. It didn't help that I'd come down with a sudden and nasty cold that made it hard for me to hear. Anyway, things went fine, but I was glad to go home. I made Matt bring me soup and bagels and Vitamin Water, and we watched Olympics.

And the winner is...

Monday was All Staff Meeting day, where all of the Bouchon and Per Se staff have a shmancy meeting to talk about the company and its focus and kick off the new season. This one was particularly exciting for me, however, because they announce their Outstanding Employee awards, one for front and back of house each for Bouchon and Per Se. And I was the front of house for Bouchon! Even better was when I got back to my seat and they announced the prize...

DINNER FOR TWO AT PER SE!

For those of you who don't know, that means food and wine pairing at one of the best restaurants in the world. Really, an $800 meal. Something I could NEVER do if I had to pay for it. I am SO EXCITED! Matt was too, when I told him about it. He says we're even now for all past and future Broadway tickets he's gotten me.

After the initial excitement, I helped set up for the company picnic in Central Park, which was nice. Went home to relax for a while, then I think Matt and I made dinner and watched Olympics.