A St. Pats-worthy time-capsule house tour from 1969. (Jezebel) Cannot stop staring at this two-tone ruffled cake. (Style Sweet CA) I’m thinking egg-in-a-hedgehog-basket could shake up breakfast. (Kickstarter) Hamilton free-styles Fallon-style at the White House with Obama. (NPR) Any other Up fans want to hitch a ride in this balloon with me? (Travel + Leisure) I could live in this sunny room full of plants and a cat. (SF Girl by Bay)
Let them eat cake. Me? I’ll go for the pie. Rhubarb, banana cream, boysenberry, peach … I am a sucker for pie, on Pi Day or any day. I love it hot under a pooling scoop of vanilla or cold straight out of the fridge for breakfast. It had a lead role in “Waitress,” (and left me craving pie for weeks) and cameoed in a pathetic song in the gawdawful movie “Michael.” (Thanks for making us see that one over Christmas break in ninth grade, Dad.) There are some great shops for pie, including Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn, Little Pie Co in Midtown and Whisked and Dangerously Delicious Pies in D.C. I love them each for their gooey, flaky, towering slices. But when it comes to baking my own, I’ll take a preview of spring flavors, please. This Strawberry Cheese Pie is one that my grandmother loved to serve at dinner parties.
Total eclipse of the heart: Alaska Airlines delayed a flight this week to give astronomy buffs on board a perfect view of Tuesday’s total solar eclipse. (Slate) Trump tweets the classics. Wuthering Heights made me chortle. Genius! (Buzzfeed) Better than kidnapping the master bakers of Pastéis de Belém: homemade hybrid Portuguese tarts. (Lady and Pups) Poutine and maple-pecan cake, eh? Tom Sietsema reviews tonight’s state dinner menu to honor the Canadian prime minister. (The Washington Post) Speaking of Canada, man are those Toronto Zoo panda twins adorable. (Time) Ever wonder what it’s like to be huge in Taiwan for two months? (Narratively)
Hot chocolate, anyone? Friday, 2/26 Live Jazz Night at City Bakery’s Hot Chocolate Festival: The flavor of the day is Bourbon Hot Chocolate (which is actually spiked with a generous glug of brown liquor). Until 10 p.m., City Bakery is offering live jazz, beer on tap (Other Half IPA and Transmitter NY1 saison) and snacks like poutine, pretzel croissants with beer cheese, shisito peppers and oysters Rockefeller. Comics and Ramen at Ippudo Westside: Ippudo’s getting heroic tonight with Avenger’s Interactive Ramen. Line up early (like now) for a bowl, and a free T-shirt, with paired sake. Through Sunday, 2/28 Grand Street Restaurant Week: The East Williamsburg stretch is hosting restaurant week, with deals (of admittedly varied prices) at restaurants like Le Barricou (dinner: $30), Bahia (dinner: $25) and Masha and the Bear (two-course lunch: $10; three-course dinner: $30). New York City Brew Week: Tap into the remaining days of beer celebrations, with events through Sunday, including beer-and-cheese pairings, a five-borough tasting and a pairing of IPA with Indian food.
A photographer gets his Rear Window on, snapping windows from cities around the world. (Creative Boom) Quidditch is real (at least for these kids in India). (Buzzfeed) 7,000 square feet of pink, frosted walls = Marie Antoinette’s dream room? (Curbed) Barking up the wrong tree? Try to match these dogs to their barks. (NYT) The James Beard Foundation Awards (PDF) announced its semifinalists yesterday. Some of my favorite people and places made the list, including: Rasika (pictured), Bien Cuit, Mockingbird Hill, Ashley Christensen, Komi, RDV, Cedric Maupillier, Tarver King, Victor Albisu, Travis Lett and Kris Yenbamroong. (JBF)
It would be ridiculous to go to Mexico City only for the tacos. So here’s a workaround: I’ve rounded up my four favorite tacos in Mexico City across all price ranges, and included the best things to see (or buy) nearby. Contramar This Roma temple to seafood is like the Gjelina (or Rasika or Nomad) of Mexico City — a hotspot place where the food actually rivals the stellar people-watching. Lunch is primetime here, when the bright space is packed with immaculately dressed locals diving into tuna tostadas and bright ceviche paired with icy rosé. The kitchen works magic with fish, particularly when it comes to the Carnitas de Pescado (above). An order presents four golden corn tortillas mounded with tender, meaty chunks of fish (cooked in lard to amp up the flavor). The culinary team tops each with cilantro, onion and chunks of pineapple for a dish that is a more ethereal take on the classic pork. Stick around for an order of coconut flan and an extra glass of wine. Then … Head for the National Museum of Anthropology, …