Rain, Cat, and Brooklyn

My friend V. had moved out to Williamsburg last summer and somehow or another, I’ve managed to delay my visit until today. What better day than a rainy day in early spring to venture into the unknown?

Awful commute aside (made worse by rain and the fact that I was going to a new and strange neighborhood), I had a great time. V. is the best host ever, this was apparent even when we were students, living in cramped dormitories. I still need to get him inspired by Mad Men to throw a theme party or something.

Coffee
First time I had soy with coffee (I’m still skeptical about the lattes people rave about, but maybe I’ll try it next time). It was quite good and helped me recover from the rain. V always had quite an influence on my drink habits. First it was adding milk to Lipton (which I never do, until I met the guy), now soy to coffee? Maybe the see-through mugs helped. Any beverage is made infinitely better by see-through containers. Quick apt tour later, I realized that V’s paint job and décor skills puts the rest of us to shame. I never thought too much about interior décor but now I’m itching to get my own place and do it up with tasteful color schemes and containers. The rooftop was impressive too, with a view of the bridge, empire state building, and more!

Brunch
http://www.jimmysdinerhome.com/Jimmys/Breakfast.html
having had amazing corn bread in DC and Chicago, I was not ready to believe there’s good stuff to be had in Brooklyn. Glad I was wrong. Jimmy’s corn bread is amazing! 

They started us out with some cinnamon sugar covered donut holes on the house. Sweet deliciousness. Then I had to order their fried okra because I haven’t had that since my DC days (and that restaurant had gotten rid of that item on the menu, sad but true). Crispy on the outside, slimy on the inside. Also came with chipotle mayo, which was a nice touch. To tell you the truth though, mayo was not even necessary. I think I polished off 70% of the okras. For the main event, V had the Big Boy (with fluffy pancakes!) and I tried the Cornbread Bowl.

Cat
While we were walking back from brunch, V. pointed out a pretty orange cat near the window on the second floor. Being a cat lover, I naturally asked to be introduced to the cat (and its owner, who is a friend of V’s). We met D. and his cat Conan shortly after we stepped inside the building. D. is also in the middle of working on painting his apt. The orange boxes he started were lovely. I hope to see how it turns out next time I visit (maybe tiered like staircase? maybe regularly spaced? maybe some kind of gradual orange to yellow to another color, who knows?) You know how lions and other big cats like to strut their stuff, especially with those muscular shoulders? well, Conan was exactly the same. Inside that orange cat is a fierce and proud lion (and his majesty doesn’t drink out of a bowl, but out of a glass cup just like the rest of us). In short, after I got to know him, I was in love. Both D. and V. showed me how to entertain the cat. Besides a little feather attached to the end of a string and stick, Conan’s favorite toy is a paper covered straw (but not just the straw sitting still, you have to poke it out of doors, boxes, and other devices). In short, you have to work it to get him interested. If you can imagine us three adults in that apt, entertaining a cat, it’ll probably make you howl with laughter. I should have tried to take a video of us chasing and teasing Conan. Totally hilarious. I can just see the ironic title/caption now. “Just another typical Sunday afternoon in Brooklyn”.

Tea
V. brewed some Roobois Cream Caramel Tea after we returned from D’s apt. It went well with the vanilla sweets I bought from an Asian bakery (kind of like macaron, but not as sweet or creamy). Perfect for a rainy day.

Walk
It started to pour outside, but I didn’t come all the way to Brooklyn to stay inside. We stepped out and walked around the neighborhood with our umbrellas to find a number of cute shops (orange décor! fun posters! arts&crafts llamas!).  I was told the “BEST” bagels were found just around the corner (gives me an excuse to drag J. out to Williamsburg next time). I was also introduced to a new breed of Duane Reade with a full super market section and beer on tap. You can buy a growler and fill up on brews such as Brooklyn Lager and Six Point and Kelso. For those of you unfamiliar with Duane Reade, it’s a chain of pharmacies in New York (I’m pretty sure the other branches don’t have growlers). V also lives within walking distance from Brooklyn Brewery (somehow I was never told this, and now I really have no excuse for delaying my Brewery tour). Some of the buildings and architecture on the walk were quite nice. Will have to take some photos next time I visit.

Stuff for next time
Scrabble game
Korean tacos (?)
Bagels
Brewery Tour / Duane Reade Growler
Concert in McCarren (summer?)
Photography