three reasons i love sundays in brooklyn in the summer... here is what was on today's docket...

the yard


stoop sales (i picked up some records as a bday present for a friend)


brunch at new places (today it was jack the horse tavern)

i finally made ice cream! i decided to try something super easy for the first time so i tried david lebovitz' lemon ice cream. super simple and super delicious. can't wait to try other flavors this summer.

Lemon Ice Cream
Zest of 2 organic lemons
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons worth)
2 cups half and half
Pinch of salt

Put lemon zest and sugar in a blender together and process until zest is fine. Add the lemon juice and process until the sugar has dissolved completely. Blend in salt and half-and-half until smooth. Chill for at least an hour, then process in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions

Tacos at the Library! BK Paper is reporting that "Spencer Rothschild, the man behind much-loved Park Slope restaurants Barrio, Playa and Cabana Bar, is now serving his Latino-influenced beach cuisine on the plaza in front of the central branch of America’s fifth-largest public library. The concept is classic Rothschild: breakfast, beginning at 8:30 to serve incoming library workers and some commuters, will consist of homemade granola, espresso drinks, muffins and croissants. At 11 pm, the menu expands to include lobster salad sliders (a bargain at three for $8.75), mini pulled pork sandwiches (three for $5.95), chips and guacamole, tacos, quesadillas and salads."

Have you seen Peter Weir's ethereal Picnic At Hanging Rock? It is about a trip by a party of girls from Appleyard College, an upper class private boarding school, who travel to Hanging Rock in Victoria's Mount Macedon area for a picnic on Valentine's Day 1900. I saw it a few months back and just came across these stills that seem appropriate for the coming summer months... it felt like it could be a Au Revoir Simone video.

Strawberries and Pimms are two of favorite summer treats so here is a recipe from Jamie Oliver that combines them both... grilled strawberries with pimm’s and vanilla ice cream... mmm...

i kind of can't wait to see pixar's up this weekend.

As I mentioned below, I went to an amazing wedding this weekend for two dear friends. Everything came together beautifully and I couldn't be happier for these two. Plus I must pass on that the food was out of this world delicious, make sure to book reservations at Zahav the next time you're in Philly. more pics on flickr

Nabe News

A new music venue/art gallery/bar, Littlefield is now open at DeGraw St and 4th Avenue.

Red Hook Lobster Pound is also open now- get your fresh live lobsters! Rumor is they might have lobster rolls available down the line.

The Feed has a first look on the new wine bar by the Marco Polo owners, Enoteca. They will be serving wine, pizza, paninis and small plates.

A new vegetarian spot has popped up, Olga's on Smith (and 4th Street) (via Brownstoner)

Jacques Torres in Dumbo has launched a ice cream cart and not only do they have an array of flavors and toppings but ice cream waffles as well! (via Grub Street)

Next on the list, is to try the now open Watty & Meg down the block on Court Street.

rune guneriussen

My friend sent me a link to this site, Sunday Brunch (obviously knowing how much I love brunch). Any store that takes in account the dress you might wear to brunch, pretty much has my name written all over it. It is all dresses! be still my heart. Here is an interview with the owner, Judy Kou as well that just went up.

the NY Times has a great new blog, Lens, showcasing their amazing photojournalism.

Rumor is that Erin Fetherson might be coming to QVC (in Sept). First Target now QVC. I have never bought anything from QVC but this might just change that. (via Refinery)

There was a great article in NY Magazine an issue or two back about what can be found in the waters surrounding NYC, the most interesting to me being a "corpse of a giraffe that had fled a circus" and ice cream trucks "because they are good places for edible plants and small animals."

I was in Philly this weekend for a wedding and stayed at a friend of a friend's apt in West Philly. It was there that I ate a DELICIOUS sandwich, the vietnamese tofu hoagie. For a mere $3.75. Next time you're in Philly, run to Fu Wah Mini Market.

I explored Long Island City with a friend on Friday, this not only included a Bjork & Co spotting but lots of sunshine, drinking and food. We took a walk on the pier and then got a pound of crab legs and oysters at the Riverview Cafe along with some super strong daytime cocktails. We then made our way over to L.I.C. bar for more outdoor fun and then across the bridge to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory in Greenpoint. Super yummy. There is a ton more going on in LIC and I can't wait to go back for more. I especially want to check out the new 18000 ft beer garden, Studio Square.

I love aprons and I just stumbled upon this line of smocks/aprons that could pretty much double as a shirt.

The NY Times has a story on my (and probably yours) favorite sauce (besides ketchup of course!)... sriracha!

Upstate NY makes me so happy!

I found myself at Momofuku Milk Bar last night and after reading on Serious Eats (image provided by them) about the Arnold Palmer cake, I had to try it. As with most things at Milk Bar, I found it overly sweet but completely original and creative. It tasted just like an Arnold Palmer. As SE explains, its "a layer of iced tea-soaked cake, followed by tangy whipped lemon mascarpone cream, almond tea crunch, and iced tea jelly. In the middle: a layer of lemon cake. Repeat with cream, crunch, jelly, and cake."

Love or hate his movies, director Cameron Crowe knows how to pick a song. And currently on Empire, he picks his Top 10 (Or So) Music Moments in Film.

(life is a stage via ffffound)

chanel not only makes great looking clothes and make up but beautiful commericals as well. The NYT's T Magazine has an archive of some of their past commericals for No.5 along with their new one with Audrey Tatou.

Spike Jonze et al is getting into the blog business with his just launched site, We Love You So. Cute name with a cute logo. Self described as a place to "...to help shed some light on many of the small influences that have converged to make this massive project (Where The Wild Things Are) a reality." He has also tosses in the some yoooouuutube clips, film influences and art openings for good measure. (via Vulture via The Playlist)

I made fish tacos this weekend and finally got around to watching 5 (of 6) amazing episodes of eastbound and down, starring the hilarious danny mcbride with guest stars will ferrell (also a producer) and craig robinson. i am so happy to that another season is on its way. 6 episodes was just not enough.

Good news! Sunday Best is back at the end of this month. One of my favorite Sunday afternoon activites last summer was heading down to the Yard for this weekly event. A great setting, yummy drinks and good company on a sunny afternoon is the perfect way to roll into the week. According to Grub Street, this year will launch on May 23rd "with an event called Parked, which will bring food trucks such as Pizza Moto, the Community Juice Truck, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, and more." See you there!

I also hit up a new bakery I have been wanting to try in North Williamburg, The Blue Stove. Super charming and old fashioned, they have everything from mini rhubarb pies to red velvet cakes. I happily dug into a piece of homemade cherry pie with whipped cream. It was so yummy and I don't actually even really like fruit pies.

I returned to the Red Hook Ballfields this weekend and settled in on a Sunday afternoon with a taco and sweet limeade. All the regular vendors have again returned and while lines seemed manageable for the most part, the taco line was a slow 35 mins long. I still miss the days where the vendors were able to set up makeshift tents and it felt more like a cookout but the food was delicious as ever.

i caught a few minutes of SNL this weekend and this had me cracking up. My mom is often guilty of this...

cafe disco on the office last night was absurd but funny. dance away...

Kottke pointed out that Gourmet has some David Chang recipes in their archives, including his famous pork belly buns. mmm...

check on this super creative site, film the blanks. It's "an ongoing experiment to abstract and/or reduce film posters. Some are famous, others are not so famous but they all have one thing in common - they're pretty cool."

if you want to know when you can see some of the films from the tribeca film festival, they have updated their website with the films that have been picked up.

Interesting concept... "If we started a movie on the day you were born, and stretched it over your lifespan, this is where you'd be in that movie." Find out here.

Tomorrow is a culinary feast! Cinco de Mayo means tacos and lots of guacamole for me. I'm planning on checking out the offerings at a restaurant in Williamsburg and then heading over to Trophy Bar for the return of Asiadog (veggie and hot dogs served with an Asian twist) which means more eating!

obama after a long day heading to the private residence.

I also went to go see Bat for Lashes last night at Bowery and she was fantastic. She sounded absolutely amazing and did two encores. I especially loved it when she played Siren Song off the new album, it's my jam! (image from Self Titled)

i also stopped by the book party for erin mckenna's new vegan, gluten-free, babycakes cookbook. But the cookbook I am really coveting and going to pick up this weekend is from the red hook bakery, baked. i hear they have a recipe in there for a salty and sweet chocolate cake that is delicious.

i went to this talk last night about women and advertising and they showed this hilarious commercial from the 70s. be a mindsticker.

i have been hearing good things about this new doc at the tribeca film fest, soul power