Weekend Recap

So the weekend with the folks was nice. The arrived around 5pm on Friday and I helped my dad unload the car and bring everything up the stairs. I forgot to warn them about the 4 flights of stairs and no elevator when they were deciding what to bring. After we finished unloading the van and they rested a bit, we all walked over to the Sea and had a nice dinner there. My parents loved the food and thought the prices were even better than Newport News!

Then we walked around Bedford Avenue for a bit and I showed them a little bit of Williamsburg. . but it was getting cold and they were tired so we made our way back to the apartment. My mom helped me sort through my boxes, put everything away, and do some light cleaning.

The sleeping quarters were a tight fit. My parents and I all in my bedroom! My dad was out cold by 8:30 p.m. and my mom by 9:30. . . I decided to go out to the living room and finish reading “Running with Scissors” before trying to go to bed around 1a.m. But between my dad’s snoring and their trips to the bathroom (I shouldn’t have served them so much tea!!) during which I would cringe because I worried they would wake up the roomie, I just couldn’t sleep. I told my dad to sleep on the bed and I grabbed the blanket and went to sleep on the sofas. . unfortunately, around 5 a.m. the heat started coming on. .and if you are not from New York, you cannot imagine the noises being emitted from the radiator and heating poles were making. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep.

The next morning was a slow start. I made breakfast and coffee for my parents and once the roomie was awake, my parents started chatting him up. I think he handled himself well. Eventually, we headed out to Chinatown and found Nha Trang Restaurant on Baxter. . .the appetizers were so so but the main courses: sour soup, beef stirfry with pickled vegetables, and a whole gingery fish hit the spot. The weather was miserable but we managed to go to Pearl River Mart and a few random clothing and furniture stores. By 3pm I was crashing, so my folks and I headed back to Williamsburg for a little R&R.

The roomie, George, Q2, my folks and I met up for dinner at ICI restaurant in Fort Greene. I finally decided on the restaurant after reading rave reviews on New York Metro, citysearch, and hearing good things about the place from a CT friend. The restaurant has a little bit of notoriety because the owner was the former general manager on the show the Restaurant.

http://www.icirestaurant.com/

You walk downstairs and enter a cozy restaurant lit with candles and instantly feel as though you could be in Europe. The food was delicious, simply but excellently prepared with fresh, quality ingredients. The waitress made a very good wine recommendation and was quite attentive throughout the meal. Between the six of us, we ordered almost everything off the menu and from the looks of enjoyment on everyone’s faces, there was not a bad dish on the menu! We ordered steamed clams with lime and cilantro and the grilled squid with smoked paprika and lemon to share. I ordered the skate with greens and a side of pureed butternut squash, my mom had the monkfish special, my dad and George both got the shortribs, Q2 ordered the flying pig, and roomie got the chicken. Of course, we all made just enough room for dessert and we split the chocolate cake, pomegranate panna cotta, and plum crème brulee. What I liked about the dining experience is you get wonderful food without the pretentiousness of a Manhattan restaurant, and at a fraction of the price to boot!

My parents left early in the morning and it was a nice visit. I’ll spend the rest of the day tidying up the apartment, getting a haircut, and looking for a Halloween costume. Maybe go to the grocery store, make some curry for dinner, and go watch Entourage at George's if I'm not too tired tonight.