Mom's Labor Weekend Visit Days 2 and 3

And we're back....so I just dropped my mom off at her hotel. It's been a very busy two days since the last time I've blogged, as this is the first chance I've gotten to actually sit down, upload my pictures, and create a post! So without further ado:

Saturday
Saturday was a very long and tiring day. My mom and I woke up at around 9 am and proceeded to explore lower Manhattan, seeing as it was her first time in the area. We then had brunch around 1 pm at a Thai fusion place called "Sura." It was amazing because they were having this lunch special: appetizer and entree for only $8!!! That's right, 8 buckarooos!!!!

* Appetizers: my mom's appetizer was chicken and shrimp dumplings.
my appetizer was a nice chilled lemongrass soup with basil and cilantro. It had nice flavor and the right amount of spiciness. Bueno!

* Both my mom and I got the chicken with spicy basil and peppers. It was cooked deliciously! The great thing about this lunch was that I gave my mom my egg (since I don't like the egg yolk), and she gave me about a third of her chicken! Great success!!!

For dinner, we went to a very delicious restaurant at South Street Seaport. For those who haven't been there, the place is along includes renovated original mercantile buildings, renovated sailing ships, the former Fulton Fish Market, and modern tourist malls featuring food, shopping and nightlife, with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge. It overlooks the East River...and creates such a beautiful imagery that you can't help but get caught up in the moment. In lay men's terms, it's pretty much paradise...for New Yorkers.

* Such a beautiful view!!!

 * calamari! Definitely fresh, succulent, one of the better calamaris I've had in a long long time!

 * my dinner: seafood spaghetti with herbs and garlic in a white wine sauce. Note that it had garlic...so of course the dish was AMAZING!!!

* mom's dinner: fish and chips. Now, I'm not too fond of the dish, basically because many of the other variations I've had tend to over fry the fish...thereby allowing the fish to lose its flavor! But not this one. This one was very tender and delicious! I'd definitely order this in the future!

Sunday
On Sunday, I took my mom for brunch...seeing as Manhattan is famous for its numerous brunches. I took my mother to a Mediterranean joint called "Bodrum." And no, it definitely did not disappoint! They served us one of the most delicious breads I've ever tasted. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it...but never fear, the next time I go, I'll take one for sure!

* This was a Turkish omlette...minus the cheese. It had a delicious Mediterranean sausage and diced up tomatoes. Healthy and tasty...a winning combo.

* Mom got poached eggs with home fries. It sits on top of SAUTEED SPINACH WITH GARLIC. My mom was very nice to me; she gave me half her spinach! What a nice woman!

* This was a mushroom omlette...>___<. Gross.

For dinner, my mother and I met up with angela's family at a place in Flushing....once again, I forgot the name...but it was delicious! I was soo hungry, and the food was so scrumptious, that I forgot to take pics of all the food. Here are the ones I managed to take:

 * Delicious fish.

 * Healthy shizzz

 * Beautiful fruit display. So pretty that I actually ate the fruit! I never eat fruit usually.

* Steeaaaaak!!! It was flown in from Australia, so you know it's Grade A Quality! Flushing does it no other way!

Now here are some random pics of everybody at the dinner:

 * From right to left (bottom to top): Angela's Mom, Angela's Dad, Angela's grandmother, me, Brian (Angela's brother) and Angela! We're good looking :)

 * From left to right: Mom, Angela, her mother, her grandmother, Mr. Lau, me, and Brian!

* The young guns...the future generation...the awesome wonders...you get the idea!

The dinner was a super fun event. I'm really glad my family gets along with Angela's family so well. I even ordered a lychee martini...so out of character for me. I'm not afraid to show my true self: the self that is actually in love with fruity, girly cocktails.

Today 
Brunch was at a place called "H Life Bar and Grill." What a cozy place. There were tvs lined up along the walls, comfy booster chairs, and let's not forget...the amazing fooooood!!!!

* That, my friends, is an egg-white omlette with ham and onions. It's accompanied with home fries and mixed greens. This omlette was delicious and fluffy. The home fries were very delicious. The only problem I had were with the mixed greens. I'm not a huge fan of salad dressing...nor wilted greens. Oh well, two out of three ain't that bad!

Dinner was at Loeb Boathouse, which is situated in Central Park. It was sooo tough to find! The three of us (mom, Angela, and myself) had to walk all the way from 82nd street to  72nd street. Seems easy right? Except in Central Park, there's no road that takes you straight down 10 blocks. Instead, you get taken on this Junamji meets Jurassic Park-esque type of journey, complete with winding paths, narrow paths, wildlife devoid of humans....and tired limbs! But fear not, the incredible trio eventually made it to their destination...with 2 minutes to spare for their reservation! And the great thing was that all the walking we did (about 30 minutes) was worth it in that the food was amazingly delicious!!!!

 * creamed spinach. For creamed spinach, it was edible. That's all I'm going to say about that.

 * Mom's rissotto. It smelled and tasted very good. Job well done, Mr. Chef.

 * Angela's Rigottoni with Bolognese sauce. For the uncultured, bolognese is an italian word for "Meat Sauce." What differentiated this was that the dish was spicy. Not too mild, but not too burning that the mouth was suffering; just a nice kick to the dish.

 * My dish: A bone-in ribeye with garlic basil butter. Sooo delicious! I'm soo glad I ordered this place....and walked all those miles...because I definitely needed the calories that only this dish could afford me.

And now, for some pretty pictures of the scenery:

 * view from our table. Soo romantic...just my mom, Angela, and me. You get the picture...

 * THAT WAS A VERY ADORABLE TURTLE. HE KEPT CREEPING HIS HEAD UP BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE FEEDING HIM. It was funny because the water was very still and seemed devoid of all life...and then BAM, all these wonderful creatures started appearing out of nowhere!

* TUUUUURTLE

 * Mama Lee and me

 * There was an orange fish! Sooo awesome! I think it was a salmon, based on my extensive travels.

* Evan and his girlfriend.

Whew, I'm actually really tired from the past few days, so I will update with more pictures later. Thanks for keeping up with me!