the ch!cktionary

5 Oct 2009
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$15 For $30 Gift Certificate At OM Restaurant & Lounge

Possibly the only legitimate lounge in Harvard Square, OM manages to serve artfully presented, Asian-inspired cuisine alongside its alcoholic offerings. The yummy cocktails (better than the food, in my opinion) are too overpriced for a standard night out, but today’s deal from Living Social puts OM a little more in reach of a college budget. Given a $30 gift certificate for half-off, which lush or foodie could pass up a deal that tempting?

OM Restaurant & Lounge
92 Winthrop Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 576-2800

Photo credit: OM Restaurant

29 Sep 2009
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$20 Boston Symphony Orchestra Tickets

The Boston Symphony Orchestra 2009-10 season opened last week, and this year, they’re running the same <40 = $20 promotion. All patrons under 40 years old are eligible to purchase tickets (first-come, first-served) for only $20. I went to a few shows last season and got pretty decent orchestra seating each time, which is to say, you get a lot more than what you pay for.

In the next few weeks, I’m going to be experience major Beethoven overload since he’s the man of the month at the BSO. Over three nights, I’ll enjoy Symphonies Nos. 1-7 live for the first time. (Patrick is seeing the complete symphonies, but there was only one ticket left for the Symphony No. 8 & 9 performance and he is quite frankly much more invested in classical music than I am.)

The BSO deal should be on for the rest of the season, but stock up on tickets now. Seats go fast!

12 Aug 2009
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JetBlue's $599 One-Month All-You-Can-Jet Pass

If you plan on multiple trips between September 8 and October 8, check out the All-You-Can-Jet Pass, a Jetblue promotion that offers you unlimited travel (domestic taxes and fees included!) to any city where the airline flies. If you’ve already booked a flight for that time period, you can call Jetblue to upgrade it to a pass by paying the difference. Last day to buy the pass is August 21.

16 Jun 2009
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A parking lot converted into a beach? Only in New York.

On our way back to Boston, Jason and I stopped by Williamsburg for a doggy pick-up (taking care of two Frenchies for the next week) and the Lower East Side for dinner at Antibes. Afterward, we wandered into the backyard beach bar at The Suffolk, a hidden hangout in the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center. The “beach” is made of nine chaise lounges, tiki lamps, bizarre shellfish decorations, and 5,000 pounds of sand (according to New York Magazine). There’s only beer and wine served, but they supposedly make awesome sangrias and in keeping with the theme, there’s also a grill with burgers (kosher, I believe) and other beach-friendly snacks.

Lower East Siders must check this place out. It’s hard to find, but totally worth it.

The Suffolk (at the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center)
107 Suffolk Street
New York, NY 10002
(212) 260-4080

9 Jun 2009
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Genki Living: Japanese Street Food In Los Angeles

I just realized that my favorite food find from my LA trip last month has gone unblogged … until now! Living in Boston, I have two major culinary complaints:

1. Dim sum is not an event here.
2. The only Japanese food readily available is sushi.

I’ve come to terms with brunch replacing my standard Sunday dim sum outing, but I can literally count on one finger the number of non-sushi places that serve Japanese food. (Hint: All of these places are within the Porter Exchange Mall in Cambridge.) I yearn for reliable Japanese curry and deep-fried balls of octopussy goodness. Most of my East Coast-dwelling friends don’t even know what Japanese food is. An informal poll using the question, “Can you name one Japanese dish besides sushi?” resulted in the following responses: ” uhh… ” and “soup”.

Curry potato croquette: flaky, fried, and full of seasoned potato mush, topped with sweet mayo

I took advantage of my trip back home by scoping out the Japanese street food scene. I’ve never actually been to Japan, so I can’t attest to the authenticity of the below items, but I have it on good authority (from people who have visited) that the offerings at Genki Living, a local chain, are pretty good approximations of the real dishes. The takoyaki, at least, impressed me. I know “octopus balls” sounds unappealing but these do not involve testicles, just greasy, tentacle-y deliciousness.

Takoyaki: fried dough balls with pieces of octopus tentacles inside, topped with bonito (dried fish) flakes, a mayo sauce, and a sweet/tangy okonomiyaki sauce

In general, Los Angeles with its huge Asian immigrant population has solid options for Far East eats. The best places in LA for Japanese street food lie beyond the San Gabriel Valley in Little Tokyo where teeny eateries and food carts offer all the food-on-a-stick you can handle.

My friend Johnny strikes an Asian tourist pose in front of a wall at Genki Living.

Genki Living also has taiyaki (not to be confused with the previously mentioned takoyaki), a waffle cake filled with chocolate, red bean paste, or anything your little heart desires. Typically, taiyaki is sweet but Genki also has varieties with ham, cheese, and corn. Also, taiyaki is shaped like a fish. Yeah, the Japanese are f’ing weird.

(Left) Fried squid balls: deep-fried, breaded balls of squid paste topped off with a sprinkling of seaweed — a 3 Buck Bite! (Right) Me posing with the telephone booth that inexplicably resides inside.

Other items at Genki include: okonomiyaki (a crepe-like pancake with savory fillings), sweet crepes, oden (a Japanese stew of fish cakes and daikon), all your typical Asian drinks, and for the really unexperimental, fries. Everything on the menu is priced like it’s on the street. I don’t recall anything over $8, including the more robust items like crepes. The squid balls (eight per order) rang in at $3.99 and the huge takoyaki were $5.79 for an order of four. Quick, cheap, and super yummy, Genki has pretty much stolen my heart. I can’t wait for my next visit home.

Genki Living
651 West Duarte Road
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 447-5116‎

6 Jun 2009
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Haymarket For Beginners

The less you wear, the cheaper your groceries will be.

That’s the general rule of thumb at Haymarket, where produce is over-ripe and sellers are oversexed. In a chaste white button-up paired with short-shorts, I was the recipient of a ni hao ma, several propositions, and the best bargain I’ve ever encountered: 20 tomatoes for $2. It was enough to temporarily silence my inner feminist when the large, Italian man before me heaved, “Oh my god, oh my god, look at you.” Then he asked me where I was from and I snapped, “California.”

At regular grocery stores, I can’t afford more expensive items like berries or peppers. At Haymarket, I could obtain enough of the former to open my own fro-yo shop. Today’s loot: two pounds of mushrooms, a package of celery stalks, two packages of baby carrots, a bag of onions, 10 red peppers, and the aforementioned 20 tomatoes. Grand total: $13. I’m making two pots of pasta sauce that will last several two-person meals.

Bring cash. But not a twenty unless you’re catering a party, because $10 is already enough to get you a bushel of fruits and veggies. Literally a bushel. (Trust me, I asked a farm girl.)

Another reason to not bring twenties: you will get your change in dollar bills. Hold on to them tightly. The throngs of both tourists and locals who flock to Blackstone Street each week present a ripe opportunity for pickpockets.

Mold is not acceptable. Expect, however, for what you buy to look ugly. You will encounter misshapen peppers deemed too unsightly for suburban consumers. They are perfectly edible, even if unaesthetic. Remember, this is not a place to be a snob. Real chefs don’t shop at Haymarket, where grocery store cast-offs and rotting goods are sold for a quarter of the original price or less. They go to real farmers’ markets, like the one at Copley, which is mere steps from L’Espalier. But for young and broke home cooks like me, Haymarket is Mecca.

There are plenty of options, so don’t be hasty in settling on price or quality. The entire market is two short blocks. Browse the entire selection with wallet closed. Allow yourself to be tempted only if it appears stock is nearly out (but don’t be fooled if it’s early in the day). Show up later and you’ll get better deals as merchants attempt to unload the remaining goods — most of which won’t make it to next weekend.

Some sellers will get aggressive, even grabbing you by the arm. Others will be impatient, practically rude. Don’t take it personally. Be quick, be cordial, get in, and get out. Dwaddling and indecision are impolite.

Last piece of advice: haggling is encouraged. But if you wear a crop top, you won’t have to.

4 Jun 2009
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InternBar in New York Summer 2009!

Let’s face it: your hopes of landing a finance gig are next to nada, even with a summer internship under your belt. The best you can hope for is some eleventh hour nepotism that works to your favor. In the meantime, drink your worries away at Internbar with other nervous underaged kids experiencing New York City for the first time.

InternBar, which is being run this year by my lovely friend Nan, is a series of Ivy-centric bar/club nights that take place each summer in Manhattan (because bankers don’t live in Brooklyn, obvi). Join the Facebook group and you’ll get updates on each week’s events and the accompanying drink specials. The kickoff event is this Friday night:

Pranna NYC
Friday, June 5th at 10pm
79 Madison Ave #2
Manhattan, NY

16 May 2009
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Nationwide Complimentary Kérastase In-Salon Treatments and Blow Outs (May 20th Only)

Salons throughout the country are offering free Kérastase treatments (with blow dry!) on Wednesday, May 20th. This is easily a $100 value in most major cities, and for girls who dye their hair, it’s worth even more because it’ll help you keep color longer. I’ll actually be in New York on Wednesday and will be heading to Michael Angelo’s Wonderland Beauty Parlor.

Make appointments now, because these will book up fast. For Boston-area chicks, it looks like the majority of participating salons are on Newbury Street. I’d recommend my salon, Avanti, as well as Salon Marc Harris, which I’ve also heard good things about.

(Don’t forget to tip!)

15 May 2009
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After a heated debate over AIM about bar options for Thursday evening, Evelina and I agreed on the Rooftop Bar at The Standard in downtown Los Angeles. This is us on one of the water bed pods.

Things to know before you go:

There will be a line. Expect to wait. We cut straight to the front, because some Saudi guys wanted us to stand with them (presumably because it would boost their chances of getting in?) I would not normally suggest doing this unless you’re okay with getting beat up by the 90 people behind you.
On weekends (Fridays and Saturdays), there’s a $20 cover. Thursday night was packed and free, so that might be a good alternative for broke kids like me who don’t believe in cover.
Cocktails will be $10+. Did I mention I also don’t believe in buying my own booze at bars? I will buy it for other people and will accept booze if I feel like drinking, but I never feel like paying a 800% markup to consume crap I don’t even like.
The crowd (from what I could tell) was mostly people in their late-twenties and early-thirties. We were definitely some of the younger patrons there.

11 May 2009
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$20 Brazilians for Manhattanites

Receive a bikini wax (Brazilian or completely bare) or sculpted spray tan performed by a New York state-licensed esthetician-in-training at Completely Bare’s downtown training school. Available dates:

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 from 1:00pm - 9:00pm
Wednesday May 13, 2009 from 1:00pm - 9:00pm

There is a $20 service fee. Schedule with a friend and the service fee is only $10. Call 212-366-6060 for an appontment.