I saw this awesome slideshow feature on Angela's site, and I just had to steal it!  It's photoblogging made easy.  Here, a scrumptious slideshow of our Korean bbq meal last weekend after Great Adventure.  The place:  DAE GA on Lemoine Ave in Fort Lee, NJ.

This is not a flashback to my 1993 JHS senior class trip....Last weekend we went to Six Flags Great Adventure!  Every summer I yearn and yearn for a Six Flags visit, but never get around to it.  The biggest turnoff is the summer crowds.  And playing hookey from work on a summer weekday with a buncha people is a logistical nightmare, esp for responsible working adults like us.  So we waited till the kids were back in school and hopefully overburdened with homework to go on a Sept saturday.  No such luck.  The place was pretty crowded, but we didn't let that stop us.

But this nearly stopped me.  It nearly stopped my heart.  Bestill my pounding heart.  We saw vertical behemoth from the parking lot and my knees instantly buckled.  What the HELL is that???, I asked.  It's KINGDA KA, reaching ridiculously high up to the foggy sky.  I immediately started to back out of riding Kingda Ka, to the disapproval of everyone.

The whole day, we broke up into 2 groups:  the group that rides the rides (me & P.diddy), and the group that holds my purse/camera/cellphone while I ride the rides (bubbyMichael & Bennifer).

At 10am sharp, the mad dash into the park began.  We, and everyone else, ran straight for Kingda Ka.

 

KINGDA KA made my heart race and lower lip quiver, just looking at it.  We attacked it first just to get it out of the way.  It was sheer insanity.  128 mph, 456 feet in the sky.  You shoot so damn fast up 90-degrees, reach the apex, round it, and take a 90-degree nosedive back down to earth. 

 

I'm so scared I have my eyes closed.  Wouldn't you, if you saw this in your near future??  Only Patrick and I rode this.  Our partners consistently cling onto their "nausea" excuse.  mmm-hmmm.

Yet, I manage a good-humored wave to Bennifer & bubbyMichael right before lift-off.  Ride it for yourself here (not my video, but you get the idea):

Kingda Ka was SO AWESOME!!  The tremendous speed completely negates the fearful height.  The whole ride lasted like 50-seconds.  It was insanely invigorating and truly thrilling!  We felt victorious and so wanted to ride it again.

SUPERMAN THE RIDE.  After Kingda Ka, I had virtually no trepidation about the Superman ride.  That is, until we were strapped in and the seat tilted forward 90-degrees so that you're in flying position.  I said to P.diddy "you know, this ride is probably gonna be scarier than Kingda ka", and he agreed.  It was.

Holy crapoly!  This ride was so nerve-racking and exciting!!  At one point it was so uniquely scary that I just said 'fuck it' and threw my arms out into a full-fledged flying.  Why the hell not!  With 2 rides under our belts within the first hour, our titanium stomachs were up for anything.  Bring on the best of the rest...

 

The loopety-loops of The Great American Scream Machine (the worst roller coaster ever....very bumpy, very headachey) and MEDUSA.  Medua was wonderfully smooth loopy fun.  Loved it.

 

Let's take a little break from the coasters, with some Looney characters.  From Foghorn "I say, I say..." Leghorn, to Speedy "Andale, Andale" Gonzalez.  Foghorn and Speedy were hanging around looking bored, so I graced them with my presence.  Keep in mind, this is not Disney.  The characters are not 100% in character.  They look bored and not thrilled to make $6.50/hour in a sweaty heavy suit.  They didn't exactly jump for joy when I approach them for pictures.  Instead, underneath their hot vomit-filled suits, they were probably thinking "ugh....here comes another annoying japanese tourist girl with a camera". 

 

Tweety "I tawt I tawt a putty cat....I deeed, I deeed taw a putty cat" Bird, and Sylvester "thuffering thuccotashhh" the cat.  "I say, I say..." 

Back to the thrills.  EL TORO, a mega-intense classic up-and-down wooden coaster....but much faster!  It was P.diddy's favorite coaster. 

 

And finally, NITRO.  Our 6th and final deadly ride of the day.  After a nearly hour-long wait, Nitro proved to be my personal fave. 

 

The ascent is slow and torturous...looks like there's no track over the apex.

 

The best adjective I came up with for Nitro was smooth.  Everything about this ride was easy breezy...the plunges, the loops, the ups-and-downs.  For the first time that day, I loosened my vise-like grip on the harness, de-clenched by buttocks, and gave myself completely to the ride.  I felt safe and serene.  Don't get me wrong...this ride would fill puke buckets and kill fetuses galore.  Strangely, I didn't feel a hint of nausea all day from these rides.  Which just proves...my titanium stomach is good for something other than packing away tons and tons of food.

 

I ended the day riding the Buccanneer solo (that's me covered by the yellow pole).  It's a swinging pendulum pirate ship which gives you the giggly stomach tingles.  It's no roller coaster, but it makes the Six Flags day complete for me. 

Enjoy the ride?  I always do!

It's late September in the city, which means SAN GENNARO FESTIVAL in Little Italy!  L'ITALY comes alive with street fair fun & frenzy centered around a common goal.... FEEDING ME.

Mulberry Street, from Houston straight down to Canal, is tranformed into an 8-10 block stretch of tantalizing street food.  Ubiquitous sausage & peppers, hot Italian dishes, steak sandwiches, Italian pastries, funnel cake, zeppoles.....everything is here!

 

Cousin Furfur and I attacked the festival with full hungry force.  We started with vietnamese spring rolls.  I know...wtf?  There was a vietnamese stand and the spring rolls were calling my name.  And I answered back. 

 

This was last Friday afternoon for lunch.  The festival was busy but not insanely crowded like at nights or weekends.  If those are the only times you can go, by all means, don't even bother.  Unless you like having 3 people elbow you in soft organs while you're trying to take a bite of sausage & peppers.  Or having someone right up your ass eating zeppoles, dusting you with a layer of powdered sugar and their slobbering saliva.  Or having some greasy lardo guido groping you as you pass by his carnival-game stand.  Shall I go on?

  

Some interesting eats here...crawfish, shrimp balls, fried every kind of seafood.  We passed on the tiny shrimpy lobsters, because frankly, crawfish scare me a little.  Instead we had fried calamri and a mozzarepa.  Mozzarepa = mozz + arepa (latin corn cake).  It's like grilled cheese in sweet corn bread.  Me gusta mucha!

A word about the fried calamari at San Gennaro.  Don't get it.  The first bite or so is good because, after all, it's calamari.  But then the dryness and over-cookedness gets to you and you realize you're just chewing show leather.  And suddently, that other guy's fried clams look extremely good.

 

FERRARA, one of the city most popular bakeries.  For the festival, Ferrara's spilled out onto the street, offering glass counters of their famous cannolis, fruit custard tarts, tiramisu, napoleons, mousses, and everything else. 

 

It was a tough choice, but we went with cannoli and chocolate-covered strawberries.  You could go to San Gennaro everyday during it's 10-day run, and not have the same thing twice.  But hurry....it ends this Sunday!

Ethiopian cuisine:  more than just a grain of rice and a bowl of steam.  Last week, for our 6th anniversary, hubbybubby and I opted for a new local dining experience, and Aida's Ethiopian Cafe in Bayonne was just the place.  Aida's is a modest charming little specialty spot in town owned by a sweet old Ethiopian lady named Almaz.  Almaz is the hostess, waitress, and chef.  She takes great care of you and even shows you the proper way to eat her food.

 

I started with a lovely fragant Ethiopian Chai tea, which was like hot apple cider.  Michael had a simple lentil soup to start.

 

My appetizer was an unusual helping of eggs scrambled with spiced peppers and onions on top of traditional Ethiopian bread called injera.  After presenting me with the plate, Almaz tore off a piece of injera, scooped up some scrambled eggs and wrapped it like a delicious blanket in her hands.  Then I thought she was going to feed me.  I almost leaned in and chomped on her hand.  But she just handed it to me and I fed myself. 

 

The whole night, we were the only customers.  It was very intimate, like we were personally invited for dinner at Almaz's house.  We were concerned about the lack of business for this poor old lady, but after an extensive chat with her, we realized she's doing just fine.  She owns buildings and other businesses, and doesn't need our pity....just our appetite.  That's a good thing too, because that's all I can ever give anyone.

  

Beef Tips
Lean cubes of sirloin steak are simmered in clarified butter with garlic, onions, peppers and fresh rosemary. Served spicy or mild.

Engudai - Special mushrooms
A chef's special of shitake and button mushrooms with vegetables simmered in our seasoned clarified butter, fresh herbs and spices.

I know....THIS is Ethiopian cooking?!  If so, then ship me off to Addis Ababa and change my name to Mobongo 'cuz I can live like this!

This is the proper way to serve this food -- each dish laid out in lovely lumps on top of the injera bread, with lots of extra injera on the side for ripping and wrapping.  There's some collard greens and mashed lentils to go with.  You peel the bread, wrap a bit of everything, and stuff in face.  It was all rather scrumptious!  We were absolutely stuffed (the injera bread expands in your tummy) and we now have a newfound love for EAThiopian food. 

Last last weekend we had korean soft tofu with mega foodwhore friends Julia & Jamis.  A week later, we returned with also mega eaters, Bennifer & P.diddy.  The place:  simply called Soft Tofu Restaurant, in Fort Lee, NJ.  The reason:  because it's TOFUcking good!  (if anyone is thinking of commenting "tofu...yuk!", please punch yourself in the face and do not even dream of leaving a comment here).

 

The Tofu:  from the picture, doesn't look like much.  But once it gets inside you, it's soothing goodness.  I expound on this goodness way below. 

The Restaurant:  from the outside, doesn't look like much.  But once you get inside, it's  a wonderland of uncomplicated eats all around.  You order one thing:  your own individual pot of soft tofu with your choice of beef, pork, oyster, clams, kimchi, or seafood.  I always go for the seafood because, well, it's seafood.  Plus, it's the only food with the word 'food' in it (well, angel food, marshmallow iced devil's food cake, fastfood....what's my point?!). 

 

lots of chopstick action.  All the tips are red from the kimchi, cold spicy cucumber, cold spicy radish....everything spicy...spice is nice.

 

Before we even made a dent in these appetizer dishes, Bennifer asked the waiter for more of everything.  He glared at us briefly, but obediently returned with more.  The bbq beef ribs (kalbi) were mmmmarvelous!  I keep saying this, and I'll keep saying this:  as good as these were, Julia's were so much better!

Back to the tofu.  Along with your choice of ingredient (mine had shrimp, clams and oysters), you determine the spice level:  Not Spicy, Not Too Spicy, Medium Spicy (my level), Very Spicy, AreYouFuckingCrazy Spicy.   Kidding on the last one...but not really.   We saw other tables with tofu pots that were fire engine red with spice.  Anyway, eating your pot of spicy hot tofu is simple, with a bowl of rice.  I like to spoon my tofu over rice and gradually eat, as the stuff in the pot takes a while to cool down.  bubbyMichael dunks a spoonful of rice in the soup and eats it.  Others eat the rice and tofu separately.  But the result is always the same:  empty tofu pots everytime.  The tofu soup flavor is indescribably good.  People all around praise this place as the best tofu of its kind.  I've never really had it anywhere else and I won't ever need to.  I could eat this every weekend, and I just might.

Wednesday night I went to the US OPEN with Yud & Rosa for some men's & women's quarterfinals action.  It was a fabulous night at the USTA tennis center in my hometown of Flushing, Queens. 

The tennis was phenomenal.  But first, we eat...

The conversation at the food court went like this:

Rosa:  Ja, what're u gonna have?
Me:  hmmm...well, chicken fingers sound great.  But I also want a crepe.
Rosa:  me too!  It's so hard to decide.  I want everything.
Me:  I know, me too.  Ok, why don't we do this -- we'll get one chicken fingers basket and a crepe, and we'll share.
Rosa:  ok!  Should we get a sweet or a savory crepe?
Me:  hmm...ok, let's get a chicken fingers, a savory crepe, AND a sweet crepe.
Rosa:  ok!  how about we get a savory crepe, a sweet crepe, AND 2 chicken fingers!
Me:  OK!!!

 

CREPES, Savory (ham, spinach, mushroom, cheese) and Sweet (strawberries & nutella). 

1 of 2 chicken fingers we got, with waffle fries.  Sometimes there's just nothing better than simple chicken fingers.

Oh, there was also tennis.  Venus vs. Jelena Jankovic, a 3 set tie-breaker thriller that went the veteran's way.   

 

Yud, Rosa, and Rosa's cousin Sherina. 

 

Look, it's Martina Hingis!  wait, no.... it's just Natalie Portman.  meh.

 

Jankovic was still delightful and charming even in defeat.  Venus was still beastly and fug even in victory.

To give you a sense of where we sat....we were so far up I could almost touch the Good Year blimp. 

Then, Roger Federer took on Andy Roddick.  And by "took on", I mean "demolished and left him to die".

 

After the first set, we tip-toed down to much better seats and felt middle-class again.  To Roddick's credit, he played as well as he could against the world's #1.  Plus, he lifted his shirt a lot.

 

And as usual, Federer had to out-do Roddick's shirt-lifting.  Rog flat out took his shirt off during a change-over.  Such a show off.  He would go on to dispatch Roddick in straight sets.  It was a Roddicksappointment. 

There were lots of celebs present, and the jumbo-tron captured each one.  There was Jerry Seinfeld & Larry David, Natalie Portman, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart (not sitting near Turmp, naturally), Andre Agassi, and....

WINTOUR!

I'm told Anna Wintour is absolutely in love with Federer.  As we were leaving the stadium, we ended up in a secret stairwell that intertwined with the exit route for the lower VIP sections. And guess who came thru the stairwell door just behind us. Yes, Wintour. She took off her trademark sunglasses, and she looked shockingly like an old wrinkly chihuaha.  I looked her right in the eyes, and I did not fear her.  And the devil didn't wear Prada....her dress looked more Kmart than anything.  Nonetheless, Rosa was enthralled with the Vogue editrix. She, not at all stealthly, fell back to "wait for" Wintour, and they descended the stairs side by side.  For a moment, Rosa was her second assistant.  At the VIP stair exit, Wintour went off to catch her limo while we walked a mile to our car.  We cackled the whole way.  

Crepes, tennis divas and dudes, stalking Wintour....this is US Open fun, bitches! 

My labor day weekend was food-filled, as is every weekend.  The only difference is, one extra day!  Unfortunately, with all the eating I did, I only have pictures from one meal.  But fortunately, IT'S LOBSTER!

 

Friday nite, we went with neighbors Rob & Diana to Bayonne's local Buon Appetito, an Italian restaurant known for their phenomenal vodka sauce, Saturday night family-style meals, and Friday nite Lobsterfest!  For $18.95, you get a 1-1/4lb lobster.  (For $27.95, you get two).  As I put on my bib and a beautiful broiled whole lobster sat before me, I realized that I've never ever worn a lobster bib before!

 

Another view of my succulent victim.  The hubbies, bubbyMichael and Rob, don't like lobster, so they had the steak and shrimp instead.  I know...hubbies that DON'T LIKE LOBSTER?!  It's ok.  I still love them to death.  (um....lobsters, that is).

(Like this needs any additional commentary?)

BACK TO COLLEGE....for cousin Jennifer, that is.  My brother and I drove 'Furfur' up last weekend to start her junior year at SUNY Bing.  Or, to the unknowing but curious -- that's State University of New York at Binghamton. 

 

The 3-hour drive breezed by with the help of Dane Cook ipod comedy and Dunkin Donuts lattes, and soon enough we were back on campus helping our little girl get settled in.  Her dorm of choice -- Hillside, up in the campus hills past the deer-infested woods.  (A tidbit right now:  infamous xanga stalker criminal Stylishgal once roamed the woods and hills of SUNY Bing herself back in the day...when buffalo roamed free on campus 1996-2000).

 

Furfur checks in.  Rather than wait in shame in the car during check-in, Yud and I took the chance of being mistaken for returning students...even though Yud hasn't been a student here since 1999.  And I've been out of college for 7 years (from NYU).  Although, we still look younger than the aging heffers (translation: fat white kids that look 35.  Doesn't anyone moisturize?) around campus.

 

Furfur's dorm is a nice set up.  She has a single room, and shares a common suite with 4 or 5 other (bitchy white) girls.  Isn't that always the case??  College dorm life is not complete without them.  Either that, or clingy doofus fobby asian girls.  Or a smelly Eastern European.  I can go on and on, folks.

 

After I queer-eye'd furfur's dorm room (rearranged furniture to maximize use and flow, consulted on organization and decor), we did some damage at Target for all the back-to-school essentials.  Then we did even more damage at IHOP.

 

Stuffed French Toast (stuffed with sweet cream cheese) and drowning in strawberry syrup.  Would you also believe I poured Boysenberry syrup on top of the strawberry syrup?  I fucking DID.  And I had to have eggs & bacon too.  The following conversation actually took place:

IHOP hick waitress:  "bacon, sausage, or ham?" 
ME:  "yes, please"  (yud & furfur laugh.  I'm confused). 
IHOPtress:  (thinks, wtf?)
ME: "Oh, I have to choose one?  Bacon then"

 

The common suite has a large living room, dining area, and kitchen.  Suite!  I mean....Sweet!

#1 cousins! 

 

Hey, look who it is!  Furfur looks out at us as we're leaving. 

 

Pointing out the obvious: "that's furfur's room, y'all"

once more, with feeling!  (SO GAY!)

On last week's Tennessee trip, we stayed in GATLINBURG, a lively tourist town that's big on eats & entertainment.  A half hour from Dollywood, 45-mins from bubbyMichael's parents....it was the perfect location.  Let me show you a bit of the eats & entertainment, with a strong emphasis on the EATS.

 

Our lodging was fantastic.  The new Crown Park Resort was home away from home, with a heavy winter ski-lodge feel.  I spent some time at the pool and jacuzzi. 

  

Our first nite there, I was inspired to take an after-dinner stroll thru town with hubby, and we encountered this Sky Lift ride up to the mountain.  It was a relaxingly slow & low-impact activity, and I had ice cream (more on this later) on the ride up.   Very tranquil.

At the top is a gorgeous view of downtown Galtinburg, our hotel, the space needle and all. 

A daytime view of the Sky Lift ride, from our hotel balcony via super camera zoom.

 

Allow me to get serious for a second here about Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, the national chain bourne out of "Forrest Gump".  Once upon a time when we saw Bubba Gump in Maui, my eyes rolled so hard they nearly fell out of the sockets.  In Gatlinburg, we gave it a try.  It is THE BEST FOOD!!!

 

Bubba's version of Hush Puppies -- fried dough balls, filled with mahi-mahi, shrimp, corn.  It was OMFGreat!  My entree was stuffed shrimp -- jumbo shrimp stufft with crabmeat, topped with monterey jack, in a lemon butter sauce with a scoop of jasmine rice.  It came with garlic bread for dregding the lemon butter.  This dish was very near and dear to my heart(attack).

 

Phil's Bourbon Mahi-Mahi sitting on a mound of smashed potatoes with strips of tortilla chips in the potatoes.  Michael's Mahi-Mahi fish & chips basket.  This was all SO YUMMAZING!!  The 3 of us went on a hog-wild feeding frenzy, sharing food, grabbing off each other's plates, dipping fries and garlic bread into each other's sauces, and moaning and moaning how phenomenally delicious it all was.

  

Not to be outdone, the drinks are equally phenomenal.  The waitress sold me on this Tennessee Blueberry Lemonade, made with Stoli blueberry vodka and blueberry puree.  Fuck mojitos... Stoli Blueberry Lemonade will be my new featured cocktail.  And wherever we go on vacation, I will be hunting for Bubba Gump. 

 

 

Gatlinburg is overrun with Ripley's everything -- Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies, Ripley's Haunted Adventure, Ripley's Wax Museum, Ripley's Mini-Golf, etc.  Flutterbies were everywhere.

 

Conveniently located just across the street from our hotel.

  

Corny to some, cute & cuddly to me. 

 

I had to have pancakes with blueberry syrup, naturally.  But I also needed some eggs...

 

...so I also had a B.E.L.C.T.  (bacon, eggs, lettuce, cheese, tomato).  Michael and Phil went for biscuits & gravy.

I was all about the bears of the Smoky Mountains, the predominant motif/mascot of everything in Gatlinburg.  Bears and bears and bears...oh my.

 

So that ice cream I was eating on the Sky Lift... BLUEBERRY CREAM PIE!  This was extraordinary!  Cream cheese ice cream with a blueberry swirl and sugar pie crust bits.  BLUEBERRY EVERYTHING!

Despite an insolent comment in my last entry attempting to impugn my being at Dollywood, I assure you that Dollywood was fabulous Tennessee fun fit for a fabulous xanga queen.  (In case you couldn't tell, I have a fucking great time wherever I go.....don't ever doubt that, bitches).  On with the fun, y'all!

  

 

 

 

Nosferatu awakes in his coffin for a day of sun & fun with the help of SPF70 in 90-degree heat.

 

 

  

big brother Jimmy and Michael.  Popper and the sons #5, 1 & 2.  Popper had the best ride in the whole park, and he didn't have to wait in line for it.  And while we were all huffing & puffing throughout the day, he was fresh as daisies outlasting all the youngin's.

 

We took the 5-mile choo-choo around the grounds.  Mom & cousin Christine -- the gals took care of all the Dollywood shopping.

 

This spinning death-trap looked fun, but I passed.  The death-trap pork rinds looked good, but I passed.

 

The Tennessee Tornado was truly wicked!  Sharp twists & turns, massive vertical drops, 3 consecutive upside-down loops...absolutely thrilling!!  My legs were quivering for a while afterwards.

 

Prize-winning show produce.  I love the south because they do things like this.  They worship the most basic forms of food!

Refreshingly, Dollywood gets down to the basics, like these good old-fashioned swing rides.  No characters, parades and spoiled children to get in the way.   In fact, I didn't really notice many children around.  That's magical.

 

 

 

Classic river rapids.  This sign really spoke to me.  My response:  DUH!

 

I'm a little lad that likes berries & cream

 

I'm a little lad that likes Funnel Cake.  A funnel cake finale to a fun family day.  I  DOLLYWOOOOOO!!!!!