Gemma some mo'

Driving from Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge back to my apartment on 22nd street has become a regular ritual for me and Sara... for the past 7 months, each time we drive through Bowery Street, I've told Sara "I've gotta take you to Gemma"... Finally, our time had arrived.

As you enter the beautiful space, laden with wooden fixtures, Edison-bulb candelabras and antiquated Italian furniture, the warm glow is immediately soothing.

Its the type of restaurant that serves you warm focaccia, with a carafe of NY's finest tap water, as soon as you sit down. The food isn't very innovative, but its simple and well-prepared. You have your choice of antipasti, crostinis, pasta and whole entrees.

After making new resolutions, we decided to be budget conscious that day. We ordered a small meal to share, consisting of the Tricolore salad, Caponata crostini, Branzini and just one glass of delicious Montepulciano wine. The waiter was amazing, and poured us 2 full glasses despite just ordering one glass. The food was flavorful, authentic and fresh. A great stop that brings a new memory to our usual route home....

Cha-ahhhh...

In my family drinking tea is a household ritual. After school my sister and I used to curl up on the couch and engage in typical teenage gossip while recounting our daily dramas. In the evenings my mom made tea to gather the family from our respective corners of the house. Having lived away from my family home for 11 years now and lived with countless roommates, I've always sought to continue this ritual wherever I am (possibly force-feeding tea to a roommate or two).

But alas, I have found a family that also honors this tea-drinking tradition. Visiting Ronak's family for the first time, riddled with nerves, I was greeted with kindness and a cup of steaming hot chai. While ordinary to them, chai is a novelty tea in my home, where Lipton is the norm. The experience inspired me to recreate the chai using Ronak's family recipe, one that is simpler than I would have expected: a blend of loose black tea, water, milk, grated ginger, fresh mint and sugar. A simple formula that stirs up a nostalgic sense of home.

The Other Side of the Coin...

On our first date, I whisked Sara away to some art galleries in Chelsea. Our favorite was an exhibit that arranged wooden colored pencils into sweet symphonies, as we whispered the same into each other's ears. As our senses enthralled, so did our appetites (naturally). For dinner, there were two choices... we flipped a coin and ended up at the uber romantic candlelight bistro, "Allen & Delancey"...

So, on our six month anniversary.. I decided to surprise Sara by going to the other side of the coin, Cafe Cluny. Set deep in the heart of the West Village, Cafe Cluny is a modern french bistro, famous for earthy home-grown creations, white-walled wooden motif... and most notably, for the giant stuffed tarantula hanging from the ceiling. Unlike Allen & Delancey's intricate flavors and deeply romantic setting... Cafe Cluny was warm, comfortable and easy, much like our relationship has become. Sitting by a perfectly framed picture-window, on a cute street in the West Village, we laughed knowing that the coin always lands where it is supposed to....