Saturday, August 20, 2011

Brooklyn Shuffle

A week or two ago, S. and W. and I went to Brooklyn together on our group outing. There was some kind of event going on that opened up free admission for all museums/parks/gardens/zoos etc in Brooklyn. We ended up only going to two places: Brooklyn Museum and Botanical Garden but I definitely got my weekend’s worth of walking.

For lunch we were going to check out this cute bistro but after what seems to be ten blocks + of beautiful brownstones, we pass by a nice Cuban restaurant which was not our destination. I mentioned that if we don’t like the menu/place for our first choice, we can always come back. (foreshadowing here?)

The bistro we wanted to visit was closed for lunch! We double back and had one of the best lunches ever. I think all summer days and weekends should start with a leisure lunch at a café followed by museums and parks/gardens. Enough food to sustain all the walking. and don’t forget sunscreen and sunglasses.

W. is heading to Chicago for the next few years so this get together was sort of a last hurrah. I’m sure we’ll keep in touch and schedule other outings in NY and Chicago.

Cubana Café (Smith St. Brooklyn)
http://www.menupages.com/restaurants/cubana-cafe/

//décor: feels like outdoor patio/resort. I recently saw a Anthony Bourdain special on Cuba. This restaurant's vibe (colors, music, and brochures) replicates the place perfectly.
//drinks: nobody was drinking alcohol for lunch so I decided to go for a shockingly lime green soda (made in Mexico with real sugar!) 
//food: S. got Ropa Vieja, best beef ever. I ordered the pulled pork with whipped plains (can you really go wrong with any pork at a Cuban restaurant)? W. had a chicken quesadilla which was actually quite different from quesadillas I’ve had in the past (at mostly mex or tex-mex places). filling food, delicious, and would definitely recommend and return.

Brooklyn Museum
//exhibit: Vishnu. http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/vishnu/ 
I have to profess I know near 0 stories in Hinduism. I was surprised to find some of the names/avatars of Vishnu from a Persona game I played. I suppose Japanese game creators at least knew enough about the stories to use the names. The exhibit was well put together (paintings, statues, and stories) and inspired me to look up more stories about Vishnu.
//reorder: http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/reorder/
I didn’t know what to make these mushroom structures but the room was quite cool and relaxing. Just to provide some context, it was an extremely hot and humid day to be out walking when we were in Brooklyn. Luckily no rain as forecasted.

Botanical Garden
//highlights: herb garden, giant sunflowers, and Japanese garden. I still have to make an effort to go to the cherry blossom in the spring.

1 comment:

Wendy said...

Good times! You have such a good memory of the food we ate =)