"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well."- Virginia Woolf

Scouts Honor

One thing I don't regret looking back on my childhood is joining the girl scouts. Everyone talks about the brownies and their fucking green vests, but I was too cool for that shit. I will give them one thing, their cookies are insane! When I see those little girls hiking up to my door with their order forms, I go running to my mom's wallet. Well there's some competition in town girlies, a new Girl Scouts Cookies pop-up shop was opened in New York City on 43 West 23rd Street. Whatever genius thought of this I would like to know. Props to you. The pop-up shop runs until May 5th. Better go & get your grasshoppers before they're sold out!

Fraterize

When I saw this, I without a doubt knew it had to be blogged about. A student at the University of Virginia was hospitalized after having to eat "dog food, matzo balls, gefilte fish, and soy sauce." for fraternity hazing. I'm sorry....yes, dog food is gross, but put gefilte fish in front of me [Zabars Only] and I'm about to blow your frat away. I would pull some MVP pledge shit there, take one for the team and eat every one's gefilte fish. Some people can't stomach gefilte fish, but I appreciate the true beauty of this smooshed up fish ball. Wonder which Jew frat thought of this beautiful hazing tradition? 

Give Me A Break

Who the hell needs Fage with a side of fruit anymore now that this has come out on shelves! Walking around the food market today, I came across Nestle’s new invention: Kit Kat Yogurt. This obviously stopped me in my tracks. Whenever I see anything Kit Kat I stop. In this case, I stopped and I stared...

Vanilla yogurt and a side of Kit Kat bites to mix in? Hello breakfast heaven! Again, I wonder why things like this come out in Europe, but not the US....what else is Nestle hiding?? 

Being that I was in a rush to class, I didn't have time to buy anything, but I'm making sure I'm picking this up next time I'm in the supermercato!

Osteria Delle Tre Panche

For those who have ever received a Jap Guide from fellow Jews who have gone abroad in the past, I am confident in saying, one will always find Tre Panche under where to eat in Florence. The mystery of Tre Panche though is its location. All of the guides say that you must cab it there, so I took it upon myself to Google Maps it. Not surprised at all, it turns out that Tre Panche is in my neighborhood. The restaurant is a 5-minute walk from my door, most definitely no cab needed for me! The truth is, unless you're lazy, live over the Ponte Vecchio or are wearing heels, there is really no need to cab it here. Just walk 25 minutes straight up Borgo Pinti [past Giostra and past The Four Seasons] and it's right there!

 What's so unique about this little osteria is not only the food they feed you, but the fact that it is literally only tres panches [three benches]. Get ready to make new friends because you sit and eat with complete strangers, mostly who are all Italian. 

We started off our meal with chicken pate crostinis [my new favorite Florentine speciality]. The stuff tastes like chopped liver, but almost better. From there we got...

tagliatelle with artichokes

artichoke ravioli with walnuts

penne with spicy pomodoro sauce

ravioli with truffles

cheesecake

I think it’s pretty clear through these pictures just how fabulous our meal was, but all pasta aside, the cheesecake, which they are famous for, was out of this world! It was unlike anything I have ever eaten. Besides the fact that it was light and fluffy, it was also heated up, gooey, and fantastic! I dream of it...

Looking back on the meal, I can't decide if my favorite part was my friend falling off the bench and everyone in the entire closet of a restaurant laughing or when the owner asked if we wanted him to call us a cab. It's a toss up.