Lunchtime Links for September 26th, 2018

• Table for Two: Pan-fried sesame garlic tofu.
• Bakerella: The Museum of Ice Cream.
• Two Peas and Their Pod: Chicken and dumplings. 
• The Kitchn: Fall foods at Trader Joe's.
• Gimme Some Oven: Magic garlicky tofu.

Seattle Visit - Hello Kitty Exhibit

While I was in Seattle back in December, I had the chance to check out the Hello Kitty exhibit at the EMP museum, which was really fun and had SO many pieces of Hello Kitty history to look at!

From the EMP museum site: Hello! Exploring the Supercute World of Hello Kitty invites you to explore Hello Kitty’s colorful history and influence on art and culture in the first-ever exhibition of its kind. Organized as part of Hello Kitty’s 40th anniversary celebrations, Hello! showcases rare and unique pieces from Sanrio’s archive alongside mixed media works from contemporary artists around the globe inspired by Hello Kitty and her world.

Gain a new appreciation for the evolution of this transcontinental icon, and learn about the critical role she’s played in bridging Japanese and American cultures in the US. As Hello Kitty always says, “You can never have too many friends!”

They did an amazing job putting SO many Hello Kitty related items together in a cohesive collection - from the early days of developing the Hello Kitty character, to all of the modern items with the Hello Kitty face on them.  They even had the dress made out of Hello Kitty plush dolls that Lady Gaga wore for a photo shoot!

This Hello Kitty exhibit runs until May 2016 so be sure to check it out before then if you are in the area!

Seattle Visit - Modernist Cuisine Photography Exhibit

Normally when I visit my parents in Seattle, a lot of my time is spent at home relaxing, with a few planned outings to downtown Seattle in between.  This past Christmas I wanted to check out the Modernist Cuisine exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, and I'm very happy that we had a chance to go.  

This was also my first time visiting the Pacific Science Center, and while the majority of the exhibits were geared towards children, it was educational and pretty fun haha.  There were tons of people there enjoying the interactive sections of the vast science center. 

But the best attraction for me what definitely this photography exhibit.  Beautiful photography + amazing looking food, what's not to like?  The ones with the split appliances especially were so cool to see, and such a unique way to look at cooking methods.  According to the website, it looks like this exhibit will be traveling to other cities starting in February - so if it come anywhere near where you are, I would definitely recommend checking it out! 

Newseum - Anchorman Exhibit

As soon as I heard about a new Anchorman exhibit opening in the Newseum, I knew that I HAD to go ASAP - it's one of my favorite (and most quotable) movies!  I loved the idea of this crazy movie being in such a legitimate (and often serious) news-themed museums, haha.  My friend R and I checked it out before Anchorman 2 came out, as a nice little warm up to the sequel. 

The exhibit is small, but packed full of movie memorabilia, and it was so fun to see everything in person! The way that the Newseum's guide takes you around the exhibits puts this one right at the end of the "tour", which I thought was a really good idea.  All of the serious and educational exhibits are great, but the Anchorman section was a nice breath of Sex Panther - I mean fresh air, haha.  If anyone is a fan of the movie and is in the DC area I would definitely recommend checking out this exhibit while it is around!

Anchorman: The Exhibit in DC

One of my all-time favorite movies has a special exhibit in the Newseum starting today!

Anchoman: The Exhibit sounds like a super fun exhibit for anyone that is a fan of the movie.  Of course, my favorite part of the description has to be - "I'm literally trapped in a glass case of emotion," said Burgundy about his inclusion in the museum's exhibit.

This exhibit is scheduled to be at the Newseum until August 2014, so be sure to jog (with a soft J) on over to check it out before it closes! 

Shake Shack - F Street Opens Today!

Woohoo, a new Shake Shack location in DC opens today! This one is in the International Spy Museum complex, right by the Gallery Place/Chinatown metro.  I already frequent this area for movies, Verizon Center events, and meals, so I am super excited to have a Shake Shack join the area. This really means that I have an even better chance of trying the monthly custard flavors, haha. I look forward to seeing their location-specific concrete flavors like they have for their other restaurants!!

Shake Shack - Abstract Espressonist Custard

As soon as I heard about a collaboration between Shake Shack and DC's Phillips Collection, I knew I had to go check it out!  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with something called the "Abstract Espressonist" aside from it having coffee in it, haha.  

Thankfully the sign inside Shake Shack helped me out (above): Inspired by Alfonso Ossorio featuring espresso frozen custard blended with chocolate butter toffee and cinnamon marshmallow swirl.

If you're a fan of coffee ice cream, you would LOVE this custard. The small bits of chocolate butter toffee added some texture, and although I couldn't really detect any obvious marshmallow swirls I could taste the cinnamon throughout.  This was a delicious and fun collaboration, and I look forward to trying the other flavors! 

Lady Gaga's Meat Dress

Here it is folks - the real deal Lady Gaga Meat Dress from the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards!

The infamous dress is a part of an impressive collection of female artists' clothing, personal items, and historical memorabilia as part of the "Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power" exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts.  In addition to a few pieces from Lady Gaga (including her childhood piano), there are lots of stage outfits and other pieces from artists ranging from Billie Holiday to Taylor Swift.  It's a great exhibit and a fun opportunity to see these pieces up close and in person!

And for anyone that is still wondering - yes, real meat was used to make this dress. And yes, it has been preserved for display purposes, haha.

Seattle Visit Photos

To round out my Seattle visit posts - here's a few final photos from my trip:

My mom and I went to the Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibition which was really impressive to see in person!  The pieces were huge and the fact that it was all glass was really amazing. 

The exhibition is right next to the Space Needle, so you can check off a few tourist spots in one trip if you'd like, haha.

My parents and I went to dinner at Shiro's, which I had "been to" once before during the Belltown food and drink tour.  The highlights of this meal were definitely the soft shell crab tempura (in the background) and the sashimi!

Finally, a few new items filled up my suitcase heading back home, but I wanted to share these cute cupcake earrings I got at Nordstrom :o)

Lunchtime Links for September 9th, 2010

Happy birthday to my friend D, who finds himself a participant on many of our cupcake/restaurant adventures and doesn't complain too much about it...usually...haha.

• The Kitchn: Lasagna cupcakes.
• Lady Gaga: Will be immortalized in wax form, haha. 
• Budget Babe: A look at Forever 21's Love 21 collection. 
• One Bite At A Time: Albondigas recipe.
• Prince of Petworth: Yola (yogurt bar) coming to Dupont.

More NYC Weekend Photos

 

Fancypants

Just thought this was so random, but sorta cool also.  A public bathroom in the Time Warner Center provided me some CNN embedded in the mirror as I'm washing my hands, haha.   

  

Cuuuuuuuuute

I've seen some of the Cupcake stuff at Borders before, but not this cake tray- so so so cute!  I sorta wish I had gotten it, since I haven't seen it around the Borders here lately :o(

  

Lots of theme M&M mixes!

I wouldn't normally go to Times Square but since it was nearby, I strolled around a little bit and found myself at the M&Ms store.  Love the wall of specialty mixed M&Ms!  Each one had a specific theme/name, like "NYC Taxicab", "NY Knicks", and lots of others.   

  

Ummmmm...

Errr..yeah.  Those are men's boxers.  Family-friendly, not so much?  Or am I just that immature? 

  

Museum of Modern Art

  

  

I also strolled around the Museum of Modern Art for a little while- it was not terribly crowded, which was v. nice.  Lots of great pieces- it's so easy to find yourself in there for hours without realizing it!  

  

Hi puppy!

Finally, we came across two adorable French bulldogs in a boutique store, and I just had to snap a pic.  This one was extra-super-cute thanks for to its little hoodie :o)

Mini Review: Cop Out Movie

I recently had the chance to attend a free advanced screening of "Cop Out", again thanks to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment.  Honestly, I had pretty low expectations for this movie, but figured I'd go cus it was free, haha.  Mostly because Tracey Morgan sort of annoys me, and I knew he was a major character in this film. 

Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie.  It was pretty funny for most of the film, and everyone in the theatre was laughing pretty much through the whole thing.  It still has the usual "buddy cop" plot points so there probably won't be any surprises for most people.  Still, the story was interesting enough and like I said, was funnier than I expected it to be.  I was surprised to find out that Kevin Smith directed it, but it makes sense cus it was filled with pretty crude jokes, and had Jason Lee in it, haha. 

I'm not going to tell you all to run out and see it, but if you're in the mood for something light and silly, go for it, haha.  "Thank you!" to the museum for the chance to see it! The movie is out nationwide this Friday, 2/26. 

Review: Shutter Island Movie

I recently won passes to check out an advanced screening of "Shutter Island", thanks to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment in DC.  I have to admit, I probably wouldn't have gone out to see this movie myself, since I am terrified of all horror/thriller-type movies.  However, it was free, and I figured that it would still be a good movie, being a DiCaprio/Scorsese combo and all.

Well, I'll be honest- the movie scared me a lot at times, haha.  But it was definitely an interesting film with great use of flashbacks.  The music was v. dramatic and led the mood of the scenes a lot.  It was more of a mental thriller vs. a gory-scenes based movie, in case you prefer one over the other.  I think this movie will reach a v. wide and varied audience, and it seems to already be doing well based on this past (opening) weekend.  Definitely check it out if you're in the mood for it, or put it in your Netflix queue :o)

Shutter Island Swag

One random but nice surprise was the swag bag I received when I went to pick up my passes at the museum.  It contained a copy of the book "Shutter Island", hat, 2 plastic cups, and a bumper sticker/bookmark?  The sort of creepy thing is when you put all the items together like I did for the photo, all you see are Leo's "pensive/creepy?" face looking at you like 4 times at once, haha!  A big "Thank You!" to the museum for the goodies and a chance to see the movie for free!  

Pittsburgh Links!

Had a fantastic time visiting B & K in Pittsburgh this past weekend... photos to come later, but for now, links to some of the places we hit up over the weekend:

• Vanilla Pastry Studio: Cupcakes, cakes, etc. Cute store with yummy cupcakes.
• Pittsburgh Popcorn Company: I don't even like popcorn but the smell (and samples) were omgunbelieveable.
• Eat n' Park Smileys: Of course we couldn't leave without some of these cookies.
• Heinz History Center: Includes an extensive sports museum (surprise, surprise).
• Primanti Brothers: Got these at the Pirates game, not as good as the restaurant but still tasty (love that coleslaw!).