Another of my favorite things about summer?  Iced tea, natch. I don’t know what it is, but the second the temperature passes 80 degrees, downing iced tea by the gallon starts seeming like the best idea ever. Of course, the ideal way to enjoy iced tea is to either make a batch of sun tea on your porch and have it while sitting out on said porch admiring the weather, or have a freshly brewed glass brought to you with a slice of lemon at some sidewalk cafe where you can snack and watch the world going by.  Sometimes, though, that’s just not an option, and what you have available is your corner bodega on the way to the Barnes & Noble or a last minute pedicure.

These are the times when I wish I was in Asia, where you can step into the Circle K or 7-Eleven (no, really) and find iced tea in virtually every form imaginable: black plain, black with lemon, black with honey, black with milk, green, green with honey, green with lemon, chysanthemum, jasmine…  and the incidence of overwhelming syrupiness was much lower than it is here. I, quite frankly, can’t stand 90% of all Snapple.  Yes, I gather it’s “the best stuff on Earth,” but it is waaay too sugary for me to find it refreshing on a hot day.  If it has copious quantities of ice, I can handle it, but straight out of the bottle, their peach iced tea, for example, is 90 calories of sugar per 8 ounces (see also, not anything like the whole bottle).   If I’m hot and thirsty and need to grab a bottle at the local deli, that’s just not going to do it.  (It is, I might add, nearly as much sugar as Coke.)

Thankfully, in recent years the stores have branched out enormously in the area of iced tea, and we’re no longer stuck with the traditional syrupy iced tea with lemon of years past. So, here are a few of my favorite genuinely refreshing iced teas.
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Looking for a little indulgence without breaking the bank?  Try Lure Fishbar’s happy hour! If you’ve never been to Lure, it’s well worth a look-in.  The restaurant is in Soho, and is located down below street level at the corner of Mercer and Prince.  With its warm woods, cream-colored ceilings, and porthole shaped windows, entering Lure is like stepping into the dining room of a posh cruise ship.  As a dinner venue, it’s delicious if distinctly on the pricey side; I’d still rank it after Aquagrill for sheer seafood opulence, but the atmosphere makes it a great place for a date or a special occasion dinner.

If you’re looking to indulge a little without spending a fortune, however, Lure’s happy hour, weekdays from 5 to 7 pm, is the way to go.  The happy hour menu, available here, includes a variety of seafood-focused snack foods, but the tidbits aren’t the reason to go.  (They tend to be small and on the expensive side.)  The oysters are the real bargain at $1 each; the drinks are admittedly near half off at $7, but are still not exactly dirt cheap.  That said, though, both the happy hour and regular drinks are well worth the money.  (I especially liked the grapefruit margarita from the happy hour menu and the lychee and watermelon martinis from the regular menu; they were all perfectly balanced summer drinks that I will certainly be going back for.)

If you arrive at 5, there’ll be plenty of space to sit, including some very comfortable booths; by 7 the place is packed.  Be warned: the drinks come quickly — the oysters, once the bar fills up, come much more slowly, so ordering promptly and generously is the way to go if you’re a big oyster fan.  So go.  Consider it an exercise in healthy eating — oysters are low in cholesterol and a great source of a whole slew of vitamins and minerals, so happy hour might be the best thing you do for your body all day!

Grilling season?  What is this grill of which you speak?

This, I think, is one of the fundamental disconnects between life in a really big city like New York, and life in the rest of the country.  The back yard barbecue?  Well, when you don’t have a back yard, there’s no point to worrying about whether to buy citronella candles or those new OFF! clip-ons.  You may have room for the people, but there is no place for a grill.  I read an article in the New York Times food section last week about grilling food over an open wood fire.  I don’t know who that article was aimed at, but it certainly wasn’t people living in Manhattan.  I know that in much of the country, grilling in the back yard is a quintessential summer activity.  Honestly, though, to me it seems like something that happens in some kind of alternative universe.  You know, the universe where I look up at the kitchen counters and get gold stars when I turn in a paper.  It seems to go with a suburban, married-with-kids lifestyle that also seems unbelievably remote to me in my current life.

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Having lived in Jersey for almost a decade, I’ve spent many a summer weekend “down the shore.”  And, given my penchant for all things campy, it should come as no surprise that I’m thoroughly amused by the BENNYs that gravitate to the shore every summer.

BENNYs would stand for “Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, New York” – in other words, all of the North Jersey Guidos who make the pilgrimidge down to Seaside, Wildwood or Belmar to spend the weekend.

You know, the guy best personified by Tommy from MTV True Life: I Have A Summer Share.  Enjoy this classic tale of love, partying and cheeseballs – Jersey style:

It’s another great week at the Union Square Greenmarket!  Spring produce is starting to show up, so if you haven’t checked your local farmer’s market yet, it may be time.  The big newcomer since last time?  Asparagus!  I’ve been eating asparagus like a maniac for a couple of weeks now, but it’s nice to see that the local stuff is finally ready.  Some of the haul from our last report are still hanging around; ramps are still in evidence, but I didn’t see any green garlic. This week I even got the special treat of meeting the producers in person at one stand:

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The view of NYC from my 'hood

For the past three years, I’ve lived in an amazing area of Hudson County, NJ.  Alas, my time here has come to an end.

A variety of reasons has fueled the decision to pack it up and move, but the decision wasn’t an easy one.  I’ve come to love my little town within a big city, and have truly made this little slice of New York my home.  I’m leaving behind a lot of people whom I’ve grown very close to, people who’ve not only seen me through some of the toughest times of my life (including one memorable summer which brought the death of a family member, identity theft, a bad breakup and my ex’s subsequent decision to try his hand at a bit of stalking), but have also been right by my side through some very fun moments.

I’d rather not post publicly where I’m headed to (so if you’re a friend of family member, please don’t comment on it); that said, it’s going to be an interesting and exciting move.  I’m looking forward to it, even as I’m a bit sad to see this chapter of my life come to a close.  I’ll be back in NYC regularly, which I think is helping soothe my sadness.

That said, my posting has been rather light this week, as I’ve been dealing with utility issues, my current landlord and packing.  My Internet is getting turned off tomorrow afternoon, but I hope to be back and posting like normal by Monday. As always, I have a LOT to say (including a couple posts on Gym Bag Essentials and Navigating The SPF Aisle). 

Finally!  The weather has turned gorgeous, and I’m returning to my warm-weather pursuits.  One of my favorite parts of summer is going to the Union Square Greenmarket and watching the different fruits and vegetables come in as the season goes on.  Eating strictly local and seasonal isn’t always possible for those of us who live in city apartments, but I still like to take advantage of the best stuff in season while it’s available.  If you have access to a farmer’s market and enjoy cooking, there are few things more fun — come check out the season’s best with me!

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Visitors from the far North!

We’ve covered the fine feathers that the fashion industry has offered us for the coming season, but so far we’ve neglected the plumage on the city’s spring visitors.  What am I talking about?  We are now in the full swing of the spring bird migration.  Up and down both sides of the Hudson, there are a slew of waterfowl to be seen just passing through, some of whom you’d have to do some serious travel to see at any other time of year.

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Lily has just posted about her ongoing devotion to AMC’s “Mad Men,” and believe me, I can vouch for it that she is in fact devoted.  Reaaalllly devoted.  I have to admit, though, I like “Mad Men” but I have only seen a few episodes of the first season on DVD.  I feel like I ought to be catching up, but I don’t have any idea what day of the week it’s on, and somehow the DVDs have not quite made it into my Netflix queue yet.  Let me take a minute to tell you about one of my favorite shows, a show in which, incidentally, Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks has been a recurring guest star. I’m talking about NBC’s “Life”.  (Watchable shows on broadcast television still exist?  That’s right!)

Here’s my thing about “Life”: I absolutely freaking LOVE Damian Lewis.  LOVE him.  Before last season, I was vaguely aware that he existed and had an equally vague awareness that he was talented.  After watching “Life”?  Consider me a convert. He is so enormously quirky and weird and completely hilarious as the intermittently zen Detective Crews that the show hardly needs to have a plot to be thoroughly enjoyable.  I’d watch it just for him.

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Hello! Artisanal, that midtown temple (fromagerie, if you will) of fine food and even finer cheese – has announced that April is officially Grilled Cheese Month. That’s right. A new variant of grilled cheese sandwich every single day for a month, plus chips, house-made pickles and olives, for $14.50. And if you pair it with their specially chosen wine or ale of the day, you get the drink for 1/2 off.

Now before you start crowing about how $14.50 is a lot for 2 slices of Wonder Bread and some Kraft Singles (augh!) … take a look at the menu. On tap for today: Tomme D’Alsace, a cow’s cheese from France (suggested pairing: Pinot D’Alsace Domaine Bott-Geyl Alsace 05, which, at 50% off, will run you $6.) April 11th brings Garrotxa, a goat cheese from Spain (with Moscato ‘ Vina Esmeralda’ Torres Catalunya 07, $4.50 at 1/2 off). April 13th? Pecorino Tartufo, a sheep’s cheese from Italy. April 17th? Gouda from Holland. April 25th? Gruyere from California. And so on. You get the picture, yes?!?

No excuses. If you love cheese or even just like it, head on over there and enjoy a very lovely meal, with drink, for $20. Comfort food at comfort prices .. at Artisanal!!