AWESOME ALERT: Free Food Tomorrow 8/6 from the Stonefire Food Truck tour

There is not a single person on this planet that does not like free food. And Awesome's got your back with this hook up tomorrow at the Flatiron Pedestrian Plaza (right outside Eataly).

Join celebrity Chef Marcel Vigneron of Top Chef and the Stonefire Food Truck tour for some gratis samples of delicious, easy-to-make, plant-based recipes featuring Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads and Naan Crisps. The event will run tomorrow, Thursday 8/6 from noon to 6 pm and will also feature live entertainment. For updates on what is happening throughout the day, you can follow Stonefire on Facebook or Twitter.

Satisfy Your Crustacean Craving at Ambrose Beer and Lobster

Last month the Seaport got a new venue that has our vote for awesome summer hangout spot. Ambrose Beer and Lobster (18 Fulton Street) hosted a fun-filled event featuring the longest lobster roll I've ever seen, music by DJ Kalkutta, and an appearance by Dashca Polanco from Orange is the New Black.

 First things first, we headed for the bar. Vaction-y drinks we sampled included the Starboard--Absolut Mango, watermelon juice, and Saint Germain--and the Shipwreck--Sailor Jerry rum, Malibu, Bacardi, lime juice, and grenadine. Just add sand :)

Ambrose Cocktails

The decor is great. Very shipwreck meets fun times. There's even a giant lobster!

The food was just want you'd want while sipping a beer outside on the cobblestones. We tried the giant pretzel with spicy honey mustard and cheese sauce, lobster avocado lettuce wraps, truffle fries, and the aforementioned lobster roll. Can you tell they like their lobster here? Dascha Polanco likes it too (see below!).

Giant lobster roll!

Look who we met!

Lobster roll

Dascha Polanco loves the lobster roll too!

Lobster lettuce wrap

Giant pretzel

Truffle fries

Check out Ambrose Beer and Lobster for a warm summer evening of fun and let us know what your favorite menu items were!

Calling All Danica Patrick Fans!

Big news for NASCAR fans...Danica Patrick is scheduled to appear at the TISSOT new 5th Avenue flagship boutique (666 Fifth Avenue) this Wendesday 10/29 from 1-2pm! Everyone that attends will be entered to win a new watch and have the chance to meet Danica.

Brunch With the Stars at Gallow Green

So many of my favorite things are coming together for brunch tomorrow: 1) BRUNCH! 2) Bryan Greenberg (I'm still reeling over the cancellation of How to Make it in America) 3) Emmanuelle Chriqui 4) Gallow Green, and 5) raising money for charity!

Join Microsoft, Bryan Greenberg, and The Olevolos Project tomorrow 5/3 for brunch at Gallow Green (530 W 27th St) at the McKittrick Hotel (Home of Sleep No More) from 12:30-4pm and help them raise money to support the educational and affiliated needs of disadvantaged and orphaned students from the Olevolos Village of Tanzania. Founded in 2007, The Olevolos Project continues to nurture a passion for learning and helps develop young village leaders through formal schooling, tutoring programs, and extracurricular activities. 

The star-studded host committee includes Alex Gannes, Alexis Nataf, Ambyr Childers, Andrea Szempruch, Delroy Lindo, Dory Gannes, Eddie K Thomas, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Geoff Stults, Hilarie Burton, Hill Harper, James Lafferty, Jamie Chung, Jamie Hector, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jonathan Azu, Justin Danko, Kelly Brady, Margo Gannes, Matt Levine, and Victor Rasuk.

DJ favorites Mel DeBarge and JUS SKE will be spinning the tunes throughout the brunch on the rooftop. The event will feature raffle prizes and a silent auction; all proceeds from which will be donated to The Olevolos Project.

Tickets for the Brunch Party are $150 per person (includes buffet brunch, unlimited cocktails and a gift bag) and VIP tables can be reserved for $2000.

Mick Rocked the W

Wednesday nights for me are typically fairly quiet. A zumba class, maybe a new episode of Modern Family, occasionally the raucous happy hour that ends by oh 9 pm. However, after winning tickets to a VIP preview event of the new Mick Rock photo exhibition at the W Downtown and a night at the hotel, I knew this was going to be a different sort of Wednesday night. 

All dolled up and ready to party, my boyfriend and I arrived at the W in the pouring rain last night to find a heated tent set up behind the hotel and a line of people waiting in the cold. After we checked in to our room on the 15th floor with an awesome view of the 9/11 Memorial (still haven't been down there to see it!), we were able to skip the line (I was not waiting in the cold with no jacket!), grab our wristbands and head up to the Living Room Lounge on the 5th floor. We got drinks (open bar, of course) and tried to weave through the crowd to view the photos of rock 'n roll legends. I loved one of Madonna from 1980 and a more recent image of Bono and Lady Gaga.

View from our room

Living Room Lounge W Downtown

Madonna 1980

Bono and Lady Gaga

We spotted Stephen Baldwin in the crowd as we headed downstairs to the tent and although I'm sad we didn't see them, I read that Betsy Johnson, Chace Crawford, Penn Badgely were all in attendance.

Penn Badgley and Chace Crawford (photo courtesy of Chace Crawford's Facebook page)

Mick Rock (photo courtesy of Metromix)

The musical guests for the event included the band Phantogram and DJ Mark Ronson. Although I'd never heard of Phantogram, everyone seemed pretty pumped when they started playing. Ronson's mixes were a lot of fun. I always like hearing music I already know in a whole new way.

Phantogram

Phantogram (photo courtesy of Metromix)

DJ Mark Ronson

For a Wednesday night, I got a taste of the rockstar life and it was exciting. Heck, it was probably more exciting than my last several Friday nights. For a Thursday morning, waking up in a plush W Hotel bed and taking a shower in which the water can be turned into a head massager was definitely a (necessary) treat. Before checking out of the hotel and checking back into my normal Thursday life, I snapped one daylight photo of the 9/11 Memorial. Then it was onto the 4/5 and back to reality. Until next time...

For more photos of the event, visit Guest of a Guest and Metromix.

Sushi Omakase Style

If I was stranded on a desert island and had to pick one food to eat forever, it would probably be sushi. It's just so good. And New York City offers unlimited options for planning a raw-fish dinner. In my neighborhood, I usually head over to Chinatown East for their fresh, $1 a piece sushi option or for a nicer meal, my boyfriend and I will make a reservation at the Gramercy gem, Azuki Sushi for an affordable meal with free hot sake. 

I love trying new places as well. So when the lifestyle site Daily Candy offered a Tasting Menu for four at Haru Gramercy for $60, I gathered three girlfriends and we had a Wednesday night outing. Ever since taking a sake class at New York Vintners, I can't get enough of the rice-based brew and I love sharing my knowledge with friends. I started with a flight which included four sakes -- Reiko, Nigori, Karatumba and Suishin. If you've never tried Nigori, it's basically unfiltered sake so it has a cloudy appearance but is full of flavor. I'd highly recommend. One of my friends ordered a sake cocktail called the Momotini. With sake and peach puree, this drink is a little awkward to order, but luscious and relaxing to enjoy.

Sake Flight

The Momotini

The meal was served omakase style, basically Japanese for chef's choice. We started with sushi fish tacos. Served with lime, these tacos were a nice fusion dish that brought back wonderful memories of family vacations to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico while fulfilling my desire for excellent texture and succulent flavors.

Sushi Fish Tacos

Next, our server brought out a platter of different appetizers -- Crispy Calamari with spicy peanut sauce, Grilled Spicy Garlic Shrimp marinated in hot chili sauce, Tuna Tataki seared with avocado salad and spicy soy vinaigrette, and Shrimp Spring Rolls. With four of everything, we didn't have to fight over any of the food and still were able to try a bunch of different things. The shrimp were delicious, served with soba noodles. The avocado served with the tuna was perfectly ripe, just the way I like it and the tuna was so fresh, it could have been swimming yesterday. The calamari was light, unlike typical fried and breaded calamari. I think the pieces could have been coated in panko instead of batter. The spring rolls were full of flavor and I was happy to have some veggies with this meal.

Appetizer Platter

After clearing our appetizer plate, our server brought out this beautiful and colorful platter of sushi. With a mix of traditional tuna and salmon sushi pieces, we also got two unique rolls. The first was the Kiss of Fire Roll -- with super white tuna, salmon, jalapeño peppers and wasabi tobiko wrapped around crunchy spicy tuna and more jalapeños. This was definitely spicy, but super innovative, again bringing in the element of fusion. The second roll, although I don't remember what it was called, was filled with crab and topped with two different kinds of roe. This was a nice compliment to the other roll as it calmed the spice.

Sushi Platter

Not to end the night without a New York moment, we spotted Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern sitting alone at the sushi bar clad in a neon orange winter hat and surely eating something exotic.

Celebrity Spotting: Andrew Zimmern at the sushi bar

For $15 a person, this meal was a spectacular deal. The quality of the food was top notch and the service was attentive and personable. With several locations throughout the city and in Boston and Philadelphia, it's nice to know that an excellent sushi meal is just around the corner. Have you been to Haru? What do you think?