Ritter Sport Chocolates

Today I took a lovely stroll around lunchtime today with some coworkers when we were stopped by a woman who asked us "Would you like a piece of chocolate?" Of course I said YES! She also took a picture of us and posted it on their website, Ritter Sports Friends. As it turns out, this near 100 year old chocolate company has a great social networking presence on facebook, twitter and myspace.

We were given a solid square of chocolate and a short pamphlet on the different chocolate varieties. Mine was milk chocolate in a butter biscuit, my absolute favorite. There are different sizes in their chocolate bars, with the standard size being 100g while a king-sized bar is 250g.

Here are some of their enticing flavors: Cornflakes (how freaking neat would that taste?!), Cappuccino, White Whole Hazelnuts, Caramel Nuts, Butter Biscuit, Marzipan, Peppermint, Raisins & Hazelnut, Whole Almonds, Yogurt...Oh which one should I try first?!

Kodak Gallery Coupon Code

I've been an avid user of Kodak Gallery since 2000, but I have to admit that I've ventured off to other photo sharing sites in recent years. However, Kodak has made some impressive changes to their website which I am very excited about. Mainly, it is now easier to view and preview my photos in albums! I also love how easy it is to tag and edit the photos. If you haven't used Kodak Gallery in a while, here's a little incentive to try it out again.

Purchase your Holiday Cards, Photo Books, Mugs and hundreds of other products at Kodak!

Here are coupon codes for 40% off your order at the Kodak Gallery. If none of them work (only one per order), please leave a comment and I will post up additional codes. Expires 12/1/2009.

PARTAULIN2UY
PARTACCK2AYQ
PARTAFAHMWIY
PARTAJXACK7I
PARTAIFD2XNA
PARTAPVGJI2I

Restaurant Review: Ed's Chowder House

Ed’s Chowder House at The Empire Hotel
44 West 63rd Street (btwn Broadway & Columbus)
New York, NY 10023
212.956.1288

Ever since our weekend trip to Boston, we have been searching for equally delicious seafood restaurants in Manhattan. Forget the chain restaurants (aka McCormick's and Red Lobster)! We want good chowda, raw bar and grilled lobster!! So did Ed's Chowder House deliver?? Hmm it came pretty close. Read the following review closely before your first visit!

Pros: With the name 'chowder' in the restaurant name, we *had* to eat the chowder. And based on previous reviews and the waiter's recommendation, we had to eat "Ed's loaded shellfish chowder." This is a New England based chowder and then filled with a big chunk of scallop and shrimp! There were unmistakable chunks of clams as well and it made it all delicious! We were almost full from just eating the loaded chowder. Almost. Next, we tasted the Scallop Ravioli with white wine sauce & herbs ($12). Normally, I'm not a fan of scallops but the wine sauce and herbs made this dish absolutely to-die for!! I am definitely going to eat this again in my next visit. Our next appetizer came from the bar-menu. We wanted to try the jumbo lump crab cake from the entree section but we didn't want to order it as our entrees. So luckily we knew (from reading other reviews, hehe) that we could order ONE crab cake which is from the bar menu. Omigosh, this was also delicious - chunky crab meat over a delicious sauce. Sigh, heaven.

Cons: The cons are mostly relegated for our entrees. And it's only because we were so full from our appetizers that we couldn't really enjoy our entrees. I ordered the peppered tuna steak frites with herb butter ($28). Did not love it but only because they overcooked my tuna - I wanted it rare. Jander ordered the moist grilled lobster over a bed of julienned vegetables ($16 per pound with a minimum of 1.5 lbs). According to previous reviews, this is a very popular dish. However, they failed to warn us about the amount of butter used in the dish. They must have melted at least 3 sticks of butter in that one plate!!! And the worst part is, even the vegetables were cooked in butter. Seriously...I could feel my pores oozing with butter after tasting a bite of lobster. I would recommend trying the simple lobster.

Note: The entrees in the menu are divided into 'simple' and 'composed.' The composed items are cooked in a sauce and come with vegetables. And the simple are without sauce/vegetables. Given our experience with the sauces in their entrees, we will go with SIMPLE in the future!

Overall, we found the food delicious and the patrons in the restaurant a bit pretentious. It's definitely a fancy type of restaurant with the average age in the 40's range. Previous reviews have noted the lack of food knowledge by the waiters. Luckily we did not experience that...but I did notice that there were many 'hosts' in the restaurant. At first, I mistook them as guests in the restaurant because I've never seen so many male 'hosts' in a restaurant. They wore blazers and nice pants so I figured they would be patrons. Last observation, since the restaurant is inside the Empire Hotel, I had to 'leave' the restaurant to use the bathroom. I cannot wait to go back here and try their other appetizer options!

Shecky's Girls Night Out 2009 - Part 2

So here are some additional details from my fun night at Shecky's Girls Night Out. One of the fun things that we got to do was attend a mini beer and food tasting event sponsored by Budweiser. I am not a personal fan of beers. And in fact, my de factor beer of choice is a Corona. So American lagers are not my cup of tea. But it turned out to be quite interesting....who knew that a Kirin Light compliments Asian foods such as edamame? The darkest ale was delicious with chocolate. But then again, everything tastes good with chocolate!

And to those that follow my blog, I am a huge Yes To Carrots fan! Here they are at the Shecky's event. Their booth was quite large and full of information regarding their products. They offered free hand massages with their nourishing hand cream.

As promised, here are pictures of the jewelry pieces I purchased from Sara G. Strauss. She is a local designer based in Brooklyn and makes unique whimsical pieces. Her style is to infuse a twist to traditional style. Here is the necklace that caught my eye. It was a bit short for my neck and I did not want to wear it like a chocker (do I have a thick neck? haha). But Sara was super nice, she asked me how long I wanted the necklace and then whipped out her tools to add in 2-3 inches of extra chain. Voila! Won't it look absolutely fab against a neutral v-neck sweater?

And here is the pair of earrings that caught my eye...there is actually a third link to the pair of earrings (another bellflower and stone) but I thought it was too long so I asked the designer to remove it. Again, customized jewelry! As my friend said to me "That is totally you! And the original length is totally me." I am so glad I purchased these two pieces...and I wish I brought more because the prices were so good!! (Shhh, don't tell my husabnd that).

Okay, and here is a picture of the goody bag that we received. It technically cost me $20 and I've heard that in the past, the items were really awesome. But...I was disappointed with the products. As you can see here, the quality is just so-so. I only say this because my Girl On Top goody bag was totally FREE for me! I was hoping for an awesome make-up product. Sigh. But instead, we received body lotion, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, Lindt chocolates, lip balm, tampons, razors, hair ties, veggie chips, teeth whitening, betty crocker chocolate dessert.....

Next year, I plan to attend the event sans the goody bag ticket! I would take the shopping and drinks over the goody bag anytime!

Shecky's Girls Night Out 2009

This is actually my first year attending the Shecky's event but I've heard about it from my beauty friends for the last couple of years. So for those that are clueless about Shecky's...it is an online and event destination for all things beauty, fashion and shopping! And Girls Night Out is an opportunity for attendees to enjoy an evening of shopping with fabulous jewelry and clothing designers all while drinking (free) beer and vodka.

The best part of the night for me was all the jewelry shopping that I got to do!! I felt like I *had* to shop because I've never seen so many unique and beautiful pieces in one place! And indeed, many of the designers only make one-of-a-kind jewelry that are just exquisite looking. My favorite designer was Sara G. Strauss for her whimsical and fun designs! I loved her so much that I brought a pair of earrings and necklace from her. Check out the last picture for some of her unique designs.

Here are some notable highlights from my night out.

Want to hear more about my fun night? And see pictures of my jewelry purchases? Oh and did I mention the awesome beer and food pairing event? Stay tuned for my next post!

"Girl on Top" Book Tour in NYC

I attended the "Girl on Top" book tour when it came to New York City last Thursday. The book is written by career expert Nicole Williams who applies 20 tried-and-true dating rules to your career. She applies tactics used to land a guy (for example, Rule #8 Play Hard to Get) in handling work situations and coming out on top. The event was held at a pop-up The Limited Store in the SoHo area so there was plenty of opportunity for the guests to mingle, shop at a 40% discount, sip champagne and munch on cookies and truffles.

Here are a few pictures of the beautiful outfits at The Limited.

And the best part of the event for me? It was free and there was a gift (swag) bag worth over $100! Here are some of the notable items: animal print purse, glam business card holder, tarte eyeshadow, day moisurizer, Tepper Jackson card wallet among other coupons such as a $50 make-up consultation at Paul Labrecque salon & spa.

Click here to see future tour dates! The GOT book tour may be coming to a city near you!

Brunch at Cafe Orlin

Here's a restaurant review of a brunch meal at Cafe Orlin in New York City.

41 St. Marks Pl., New York, NY 10003
212-777-1447

Surprisingly I didn't have my camera so I couldn't take pictures of the food, but trust me when I say...we would've finished eating everything on our plate before I take out the camera! So before I begin, the restaurant is very non-descript on the outside. There is a blackboard sign with the name of the restaurant, but otherwise it is easy to miss. This place is apparently quite popular for brunch, and it is quite easy to taste why...the food was fresh and tasty. Here is a link to a menu I found on-line but there were a few things that were not listed. Diana's Breakfast (two eggs any style with labana cheese, hummus and pita) was quite popular among patrons. My fellow eating buddies ordered the popular pumpkin pancakes cinnamon yogurt. The freshly squeezed orange juice was also a highlight at this restaurant. Yum yum. Lastly, there is a brunch option that has smoked salmon over a potato pancake and hollandaise eggs....highly recommend that as well!

L'Oreal Color of Hope

L'Oreal Paris is taking a stand against ovarian cancer, and you can get a special day of beauty out of it!

Looking for a Fall cosmetics makeover? Visit the Walgreens Times Square in NYC this Friday, Sept. 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for free Color of Hope makeovers and a chance to meet L'Oréal makeup artist and Project Runway regular Collier Strong.

For goodies, or to see their product line, which, when you purchase an item, a donation will be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, go here:

http://www.lorealcolorofhope.com/

Zip It Handbags

Here's an innovative twist on the traditional handbag - one that is made entirely of zippered strips of fabric! I was intrigued by the cool zipping effect that easily transformed into so many different items - such as a coin purse, tote bag, messenger bag and even a cosmetic bag. It turns out that the bags were invented by a local Boston fashion student who was working on a final art project. What a way to earn an A!

Here is what the tote bag looks like before it is assembled. Looks like quite a mess, eh?

After a few zips, the bag is fully assembled! The one on the left is a hip-banging purse and the one on the right is a messenger bag. And the best thing about this bag? If I don't feel like using it, I can unzip it roll it up into a ball. And because the zipper is so light-weight, the entire bag is very light - awesome for those travel trips.

A Foodie's Visit to Boston

I recently toured Boston in search of fine seafood. I felt like a food personality host while visiting different cuisines and food spots for the best food that Boston has to offer. I've always coveted the likes of Rachel Ray whose one job is to visit different cities and eat and critique! So this was pretty close to what I always dreamed of their job's responsibilities. The only downside? I felt like I had to finish eating all the dishes and I doubt the hosts on tv do more than take a few 'bites' of their food. As a result...I had a very full tummy throughout the entire trip.

Eating pho noodles in Chinatown...

Also at the Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. According to our tour guide, the smaller the store sign in Chinatown, the better the food and service!

Dessert at Grill 23 and Bar restaurant. While this restaurant is right next to the Salvation Army, don't let that fool ya. A dress code is probably required even though we showed up in shorts, sneaks and sweatshirts!

And here is their version of creme brulee. Sadly not the best that we've had.

Our meal at Elephant Walk (near Fenway Park). It's a French/Cambodian restaurant and it is simply delicious. I wish they had this restaurant open in NYC because I would go for every occasion! This dish is called Luk Lak, part of their traditional Cambodian menu.

This was rated the best dish in Elephant Walk by Stuff Magazine. The seared Tuna was delicious, and part of their French dishes.

This was our meal at the Union Oyster House, during our Freedom Trail walk. I had the lobster roll sandwich (picture not shown) but I thought the fried oyster sandwich was really yummy!

Finally, where is the search for delicious seafood without a picture of a lobster?!! Well here you go...run to Quincy Market and park yourself in the bar stool and enjoy a fresh steamed lobster, chowder and corn for $18.50.