from philly cheese to gourmet kittichai

this weekend was a whirlwind. friday late afternoon, the boy and i headed to philly to catch TVOTR show. traffic was congested but moving and with two pit stops- we managed to get to my brother's place by 8:15. . . unfortunately, it's a string of bad luck and disappointment, first mike viola and now this. maybe it was too large of a venue or too many elements required to come together for TVOTR to sound as good live as on album. whatever it is, it didn't live up to my high expectations for what has been among my favorite bands and for a new album which i truly enjoy.

nonetheless, it was a nice way to spend a friday night. after the show, we went to jim's for steak sandwiches. i should have gotten whiz or american on it, the provolone added little flavor and i wish i could have a side of hot sauce to spice it up. since the brother and wifey had work the next day, we called it an early night and headed back to their place to watch tv and go to bed early.

saturday was all about relaxing. i got up, went on a run where i almost got knocked over by an absent minded driver. once the boy was up, we made breakfast and lounged on the sofa watching clueless then pretty woman. around 5 we headed out to check out reload and sated the boy's curiosity and appreciation for bags. north 4th ended up being a cute area and we browsed around the boutiques before heading back home to meet up with everyone for dinner. we went to a byob italian restaurant not too far away and overloaded on carbs. we ordered pumpkin ravioli and baby neck clams served with peppers and panchetta to share and after considerable deliberation, i ended up ordering eggplant parmigiana with a side of meatballs. the apps were good, the bread fresh and homemade, and my dish was hearty and satisfying. the meatballs were so so. we all waddled our way back home and plunked down on the sofa (ahh, suburban life), ate some homemade pumpkin and apple pie, and watched a few episodes of it's always sunny before falling asleep mid-episode.

sunday was a slow start- the better part of the morning was spent drinkin coffee and chatting with the boy, brother, and wifey in the kitchen. around 2pm we started our drive back to manhattan and were back at my place by 4:15. i quickly got ready for the wedding i was accompanying celestial to at hotel thompson. it was a gorgeous night to get married and the first thai wedding i've been to. . . the evening started with passed drinks on the rooftop, a small cozy space with amazing views of the city. the small guest list of 75 or so people milled around and sounds of thai, chinese, and english could be heard. all of a sudden, a man's shrill voice began a soulful chant and his moans and singing urged the guests on. soon everyone had cleared the path for an "aisle" and clapping to the rhythm of the song. the ceremony was thoughtful and symbolic. the ceremony ended as it began, with the same man leading the way with song for the bridal party to exit.

the reception that followed at kittichai was a foodie's dream!!! i can still recall the freshness and nuanced delicacy of the sashimi of hamachi, squid ink salt, and red holland pepper dressing, coconut. the chicken relish with crispy jasmine rice crackers was tasty and playful. the chocolate baby back ribs with thai spices was indulgent and rich while the baked chilean sea bass marinated in yellow salted beans and morning glory was simple perfection.

what a wonderful way to end the weekend!