The Best of March

Why don’t they make sky bridges anymore? Nothing better.

• I compiled the best tweet tweets/threads of the month over here.

• I finished up Winter Wednesdays and started Spring Sundays.

• I heard a tip for making extra crispy wings: sprinkle them with baking soda and then dry them out in the fridge before air frying. Well, I went a bit overboard and added too much and they tasted like metal. Probably the grossest thing I’ve ever made. It was honestly a little alarming that Nathan still ate them all? Sometimes I think I’m a great cook because of how much he likes my food, but then something like this happens and I think… oh no.

• I had a happy hour drink at Castell Terrace in midtown (remember when a $12 drink was the not-happy-hour price?) and the service was better than the ambiance, but I’d go again if I found myself desperate in Times Square.

• Another new midtown find: Dutch Fred’s. Uncomplicated and not expensive.

• Loving my new spring seasonal plates (as shown below by Irene).

• I went to Malaparte in the West Village and I think I’m done with village restaurants at 7:30pm. The noise level in here was ridiculous. The food was fine, but my head throbbed from how loud the space was. Never again. I really can’t tell if this is just a “welcome to your 40s” situation (it is) though because I looked around and every 20-something year old looked like they were also in hell.

• The chicken salad cup from Daily Provisions is a perfect small lunch, how am I only learning this now.

• I took Nathan to Kim’s Video because everyone who loved video stores should go and it made me realize how much I miss browsing for movies.

• Nathan and I saw Dog Day Afternoon with Jon Bernthal on its first night of previews and it was fantastic. Nothing that man can’t do.

• So you know how I like to peruse the cookbooks at Barnes and Noble for recipes (sometimes I buy, I swear), well the cookbook for Levain Bakery is sealed up in plastic. So of course that filled me with a special kind of rage to now stay away from the company.

• I went on a tour of the Woolworth Building and it was everything that I wanted it to be and more. Had no idea that it was Woolworth who basically invented the whole "five and dime” concept for a store.

The full post can be read here.

Fall Fridays Vol. 1

Welcome to Fall Fridays! After the mild success of my Summer Saturdays series (and by mild success I mean that it made me happy), I wanted to start the weekly roundups again. There are too many things that go on this season to wait until the end-of-month post. Here’s what went on this week!

BAKING/COOKING

Making these sweet & spicy chicken (sometimes turkey) meatballs on rotation.

CRAVING

I might bite the bullet and buy this spooky front door wreath. $10 for some autumnal joy? Completely justified.

DRINKING

I made this pumpkin spice coffee syrup for my iced coffees at home and it’s heavenly. (If that seems like a ton of sugar, just use less - it still tastes great.) And if you prefer a creamier texture, then just add a bit of milk/half and half to it.

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Ingredients for pumpkin spice coffee syrup

EATING

Currently obsessed with sriracha, soy sauce and garlic-drenched rice noodles.

EXPERIENCING

I met R.L. Stine! He did a book signing at Barnes & Noble and it was the best. I grew up on Goosebumps, so this was a big deal. Man’s a living legend.

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A post shared by Liz Heather (@lizheather)

LISTENING

Currently updating and making the very best autumn playlist on Spotify.

LOVING

Global News in Canada interviewed my dad for celebrating his 100th birthday this year, which was very cool. Shoutout to my mom for keeping my glamour shot on the wall in the background when they taped it.

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SHOPPING

Okay, so I may or may not have bought the Frosty Goes Ice Skating moving figurine for my Christmas village because it’ll be my first moving figurine and it’s important to find small pockets of happiness while we barrel towards death?

WATCHING

Nathan and I watched The Black Phone and WOOF. What a bad time. I like Ethan Hawke, but this was atrocious.

WEARING

One day I’ll stop wearing this Aritzia 1/2 zip sweatshirt daily, but I can’t give you any information on when that will be.

Also I’ve created an autumn highlight reel on my Instagram and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.

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The Best of March

“Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom.”

— Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Sometimes I write these monthly posts and think, “How the hell did I do all of that in one month?” I mean, obviously I love it but sometimes it just seems bewildering that I get to do all of these things that make me so happy. I wish I could go back in time and tell kid Liz what a sweet life she’ll have. She’d never believe it. Anywaaaay, maybe that paragraph should’ve been a diary entry…? Here’s what went down in March, babies.

• The best tweets of March can be found over here and here.

• I recapped what I did from my winter list of things to do.

• I made a spring list of things I want to do.

• I wrote about the fashion exhibit on now at The Met (In America: A Lexicon of Fashion).

• I tried out the new Vicks bath salts and they are incredible. I know that all bath salts hit hard, but these? Just beyond relaxing. I also tried the Vicks scented Puffs tissue paper and oh my god. Take all my money, Vicks. Such a genius idea to incorporate that smell when you blow your nose.

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Puffs with Vicks

• I went to the downtown location of Eataly and it’s less chaotic than the Flatiron one. And I don’t hate Eataly, but you definitely have to know why to go here. It’s overpriced and terrible if you’re going for a sit down meal or even their pre-packaged meals. But if you’re going for high quality dried pasta, incredible canned tomatoes and specialty items like anchovy paste and canned seafood, then it’s a cook’s dream.

• I dyed my hair even blonder and… I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to natural. I love this look so much. I think my goal this year is to… become… untouchable?

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• The New York Times had a piece on the former mayor of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion!

• Sometimes I like to sit in Barnes & Noble and peruse the cookbooks for inspiration and meal ideas since one day B&N will definitely go bankrupt and cease to exist. I give it ten more years, max. So in the meantime, I will take advantage. I looked through The Pepper Thai Cookbook (Chrissy Teigen’s mom) and it wasn’t anything special. I swear, her and her daughter make 90% of their recipes with fish sauce. And look, fish sauce is great when used sparsely, but it’s enough already. I also looked through The Milk Bar cookbook and again, nothing special.

• I got coffee at the fancy coffee place Felix Roasting Co. and yes it’s a pretty space, but they really need to clean the fabric of their booths because they look ROUGH. I can’t stand it when a business puts so much effort and time into creating a different, beautiful space and then there is zero upkeep. Why spend all that money up front and then get lazy with the actual management of the place? It’s such a waste. And not to be a bitch, but the Starbucks flat white is better than whatever they’re serving here. Never again. And if you’d like to see the most pretentious coffee shop menu of all time, gently look below.

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$15 for a S’MORES LATTE? We’ve entered hell on earth.

• I can never find them, but damn those North Fork BBQ potato chips are everything.

• Kind of over-the-moon in love with this Levi’s x The Simpsons collab. God, that cloud vest is perfect.

• Obviously, you know how Ulta & Sephora give you a birthday gift during your birthday month, so add Kiehl’s to that list now too. Got their pear scented lip balm for free.

• My brothers and I all surprised my mom and came to Canada for her 70th birthday and it was so nice. Can’t believe it actually happened.

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The Heathers, March 2022

• I bought this fake suede green coat from Zara that is the absolute softest and will be completely ruined if it rains.

• I tried the new croissant croutons from Trader Joe’s and they taste like little butter cubes. Just an insane amount of butter in these. They should’ve crumbled these up and sold them as a croissant breadcrumb instead. But what do I know (other than everything).

• Every single time I go to Mimi Cheng’s, I remember how much I love them all over again. Not really for their every day items, but their monthly specials are always incredible. In March they had French onion soup dumplings that were so intensely flavourful, they didn’t even need a dipping sauce. Love this place.

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• My best friend Harmeet was visiting, so we had drinks at The Palm Court at The Plaza before going over to see Plaza Suite on Broadway (her idea to do both, a genius one at that). The play was too good. When did they start letting you order a whole bottle of wine to take to your seat? Love that. And Sarah Jessica Parker was magnificent, but Matthew Broderick? Not so great! He just seemed… tired. Or unenthusiastic. Which seems weird because doesn’t he have tons of Broadway experience?

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• I had my steak Diane at The Dowlings at The Carlyle and it was divine. Ordered the raviolo carbonara, the wedge salad and the table-side flambéed steak and what a glorious night it was. The Carlyle is such a beautiful hotel, I love that they still have mail chutes prominently shown (below).

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I love embossed butter (at Dowlings At The Carlyle, NYC)

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Appetizers, Dowlings At The Carlyle, NYC

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Mail chute at The Carlyle, March 2022

• I had lunch at Robert for the first time and it was perfectly all right. The food/service/view were all good, but who decorated this place? Bit of a yikes situation with the colour scheme.

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Robert dining room, NYC

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View onto Columbus Circle from Robert, NYC

• This week in things that are too beautiful + too expensive:

  • This gorgeous Marchesa Notte Greer Gown

  • This breathtaking neon Coach purse

  • I would wear this to fill my bird feeder

  • Oh my god, THE BEADING
    

• I’ve mentioned my love of Bread Alone bakery (they always have a stand at the Union Square farmer’s market), but I hadn’t tried their oat chocolate chip cookie until now and it’s even better than the basic chocolate chip one. They also have incredible whole wheat sourdough.

• I saw the Harry Potter play (SPOILERS) even though I’ve never read the books nor cared about the movies, so maybe that’s why I didn’t love it. One standout part, though? Those damn dementors, they were WILD. Do not see this play high. The effects of them were true insanity and if you liked the series even 1%, this is the main reason to see the play.

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• I love the spring collection of colours that Essie puts out and my favourite colour right now is definitely their Well Nested Energy.

• I had the Vallata lunch special ($29 for a pasta & glass of wine) which was really, really good. Especially for that price. In 2022. Couldn’t believe it. I’m sure it won’t last.

• Sweetest Irene treated me to birthday dinner at Rezdôra (I’ve been dying to go here for ages) and it was phenomenal. We had the Cacio E Pepe in Emilia, this puffed up prosciutto thing and some toasted bread to start and then for our entrees, the truffle Raviolo (the giant raviolo with black truffles), the Grandma Walking Through Forest in Emilia (the green pasta), and the Maccheroni al Pettine with duck ragu (truly heaven on earth). NOTE: I just noticed on their new, updated menu that the duck ragu is gone and replaced with a sausage ragu! I’ve already sent out an email to those in charge questioning this decision. I’ll do everything in my power to get it back on that menu.

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Cacio E Pepe in Emilia, Rezdôra NYC, March 2022

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Truffle Raviolo (the giant raviolo with black truffles), the Grandma Walking Through Forest in Emilia (the green pasta), the Maccheroni al Pettine with duck ragu, Rezdôra NYC, March 2022

• Things I’ve Watched:

  • To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday: Okay, I watched this because I was turning 37 this month and I thought “that sounds fun” so of course it wasn’t. Spoiler but Gillian IS DEAD. She died on her 35th birthday! I had no idea the whole movie was about the grief of her death, so obviously this wasn’t a fun watch. Also, all the gross flirting with minors was… a lot.

  • Malice: Okay, do you know anything about this movie? If not, don’t look it up. Just watch it. I was ON CLOUD NINE watching this one. So many twists, there’s a great Alec Baldwin monologue in it, it’s just a party of a movie. Especially if you love early 90s semi-sexy psychological thrillers, WHICH I DO. Such a great movie.

  • Impeachment: Great watch. Started watching it at the airport out of boredom and then it really picked up. Fully recommend.

• I tried these great Vicks-like patches called Salonpas that you can stick on any area that needs pain relief but without the stickiness of an ointment.

• I visited Argosy Book Store (one of the oldest book stores in NYC) and it’s wild that this place has managed to stay alive.

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Argosy Book Store, March 2022

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Argosy Book Store, March 2022

• Did you know that every night at 11:57pm, fifteen screens in Times Square shut down at the same time and display art for three minutes? It’s called the Midnight Moment.

• This Welsh restaurant in Astoria Snowdonia has started to do tacos on Tuesday that are beyond incredible, especially the lamb.

• I’m over the moon that Manhatta finally reopened, so Nathan and I went for my birthday and it’s still as beautiful as ever. So thankful they were able to reopen.

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Cocktail menu at Manhatta, NYC, March 2022

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View from Manhatta, NYC, March 2022

• So my dear friend Diana and I had brunch together and I found potentially my favourite burger (au poivre) in all of NYC at Raoul’s and I can’t recommend it enough. They only serve it for brunch on the weekends and then a limited amount at the bar on week days. Find this burger. Eat this burger. This is your only option. Christ, it’s a revelation.

• Since when did Tim Hortons bring back the apple fritter? So messy and good. Not better than San Remo’s, but a respectable alternative. Now all they need to bring back are the salted caramel Timbits and I’ll stop complaining.

• I made this lemon orzo with peas and parmesan and it tasted so flat, it was weird. I love all those ingredients in it, I was just confused eating it. It’s like when you meet someone you think is so gorgeous and you talk to them and there’s zero chemistry. Like, what the fuck… we coulda been something here.

• I made this crazy easy lasagna (with jarred sauce instead of tomatoes) last minute and it came out great. Love a fast lasagna. No one has time for a béchamel sauce.

• One of the best dishes I’ve eaten in a loooong time: the roasted corn and couscous risotto with parmesan from Glass House Tavern. Holy hell, was it good.

• I made scallops for the first time at home and they tasted so ordinary. They might just be one of those dishes that taste better when somebody else makes it.

• Some spring inspired recipes I’d love to make soon:

  • Caprese Pesto Orzo Bake

  • Couscous Bowls with Lemon Feta Vinaigrette

  • Truffled Garlic Bread with Ricotta

• So I saw one of the best plays I’ve ever seen on Broadway: Birthday Candles with Debra Messing. I wrote about it here, but oh my god. I laughed, I cried, I can’t believe how good it was.

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Things I’m looking forward to: I’ve gone to the open galleries in Chelsea on Thursdays but I didn’t know that on the third Thursday of every month most of the galleries on the Lower East Side remain open from 4pm-8pm so I’m definitely going to do that if the weather’s nice, I’m excited for all the rain that’s coming (does this sound insane?) because it’s a known fact that spring rain is the least depressing rain, and I really want to make a dent in my “movies to watch” list.

If you have any interest in reading what went on in February, come on over here and you can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.

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First of the Month Checklist

I love the first day of the month. There's just something about starting a new month that makes you feel like you can get tons and tons of stuff done. And whether that's true or not, the idea behind it makes me hopeful. Is it just me who feels that way?

The one thing I do every time this day comes around is check off my list of monthly things that need to get done. I really think that everyone should have one of these lists. How else are you supposed to stay on top of things? And if you're unsure of what types of things should be on this list, feel free to take a glance at mine.

My Monthly Checklist

1. Clear out any old food from the fridge and clean the shelves. 

2. Choose my next book to read.

3. Set a goal of how many times I expect myself to go to the gym (this varies depending on the season - I go less in the summertime since I'm outdoors more compared with the winter when I need to up my gym dosage since I spend so much time indoors, not moving as much).

4. Set a spending budget (which takes into consideration birthday gifts, holidays, etc.)

5. Clean out my car (this was, obviously, for the times when I had a car).

6. Check Barnes & Noble for any author events that I might want to go to.

7. Buy greeting cards if there are any family or friends' birthdays this month.

8. Wash the bed sheets (should I be doing this more than once a month? Hope not. That's a lot of work).

9. Clean and polish any shoes that are looking rough.

10. Go through emails and respond to anything that's ridiculously late.

That's it! Pretty good list, eh? I think so.

You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.

Barnes & Noble Author Events

Have you ever gone to a Barnes & Noble event? It's kind of amazing that they're even offered. They're usually free, too (sometimes they make you buy the book of the author who's appearing, but that's still a sweet deal). I've only gone to a few of them, but haven't had a bad experience yet. You could meet a president! Anyway, if you're in New York City especially, you'd be a weirdo not to glance at their upcoming guests list every few months or so. 

I met (the handsome) President Carter this morning and honestly he's as nice as he was on The Simpsons. #barnesandnoble #bookoftheday

A photo posted by Liz Heather (@lizheather) on Jul 7, 2015 at 12:26pm PDT

Things To Do In July in NYC

There are always so many "What To Do In July" posts that always have the same, summery suggestions that I see every year (go to the beach, have a picnic in the park, see the fireworks, blah blah blah). So I thought I'd write a list of stuff that I'd actually like to do (and most of it I will do! Not all, 'cause of budgetary restraints, but most). Off we go.

Wednesday July 1st (Canada Day) - What better way to spend the holiday than by watching Alive, which arrives on (American) Netflix today?! (Okay, there are probably tons of better ways to celebrate the day - but I really can't wait to watch this movie again. I only saw it once when I was a kid and I feel like it might be a good time?) But if that's not up your alley, I recommend getting a poutine from Mile End to celebrate the day.

Wednesday July 1st - Today also marks the re-opening of the Guggenheim Museum's Kandinsky collection, which has been closed since April 1st and features some of the most important woodcuts and paintings in the artist's entire body of work. The exhibit re-opens today at 10am at the Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Ave, Manhattan, admission is $25 (or you can wait until any Saturday to go since it's Pay-What-You-Wish from 5:45pm - 7:15pm on Saturdays).

Saturday July 4th - Astoria Greenmarket has re-opened for the season, so I'll definitely be heading over here for the best goddam corn-on-the-cob OF LIFE. Open from 8am - 4pm.

Monday July 6th - Saturday July 11th - Lincoln Center Presents: Danny Elfman's Music From the Films of Tim Burton (!) - I know the tickets for this are a little steep since it's at Lincoln Center ($90+), but there's a sale right now where they're $49/per person over at Goldstar. 

Tuesday July 7th - Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is having a book signing & reading at Barnes & Noble (555 Fifth Avenue store) to promote his new book, A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety. You can arrive at 9am to purchase the book and receive a wristband for the 12pm event. 

Tuesday July 7th, Tuesday July 14th, Tuesday July 21st, Tuesday July 28th - Stargazing on the High Line - There are telescopes set up and anyone can join in for free. From dusk until 11pm at West 14th Street.

Sunday July 12th - Bastille Day in NYC - Held on three avenue blocks closed to traffic, the day offers French classics like crêpes, cheeses, macarons & more as well as musicians and other French-centric activities. East 60th Street between Fifth Avenue and Lexington Avenue, 12pm - 5pm.

Tuesday July 14th - Astoria Bookshop is celebrating the release of one of 2015’s most anticipated books, Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee, with a Southern-inspired cocktail hour from 5pm - 7pm.

Sunday July 19th - Barkfest - It's basically a dog block party of sorts. Kind of sounds amazing or terrifying, I can't decide. Runs from 2pm - 9pm.

You can see more posts like this on my latest newsletter.

The Charming Richard Lewis

Have I ever mentioned how much I love Richard Lewis? Not just 'cause of Curb Your Enthusiasm - I've loved him since Once Upon A Crime. 

There's just something about him I've always liked. He was at Barnes & Noble recently promoting his new book and I was fortunate enough to meet this babe of a man. 

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Myself, Richard Lewis & Carl Titolo

Not only was it such a treat to meet him, but I will literally treasure this inscription he wrote way more than is socially acceptable.

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Eeeeeeeeeeeee!

“Can someone start putting Chapters and Barnes and Nobles in airports? ‘Cause the book selections in any “Hudson’s” currently fucking suck. Who’s running this world? Put a real bookstore in an airport! I swear you’ll make a lot of money!”

— #lizadvice