Coffee Grinds 19: NYC’s Best Sips and Bites

Manhattan’s top latte meets NYC’s best bagels. Change my mind.

I am writing this instead of working on my book. I'm doing that because lately, my book is making me feel like i've just stepped off the Scrambler. You know the one. It’s that carnival ride that whips you round and round as if you're about to crash into the other riders while simultaneously crushing whoever is sitting on the inside of the cart. (Always me) When it’s over, you wobble off and go back to normal life as if nothing ever happened.

This was actually my favorite ride as a kid and despite the reference above, I have so many fond memories on it.

Lately, that's what novel writing feels like. I blame it on the revisions, the never-ending stream of ideas and changes, and trying to keep up with it all. I pity my beta reading group. Every time we send each other new chapters, what should be a simple email exchange of one, two sentences at the most, always turns into several paragraphs of my neurotic ramblings. Inevitably, I produce a very drawn out version of omg so sorry this is late, here are 55 things I've changed since we last spoke a month ago. Thanks, bye!🤦‍♀️

That said, I’m feeling pretty ok about the chapter I just submitted, especially considering it’s barely a newborn at just a week old. This means instead of spending weeks pouring over the same words, I had to be quick, efficient, and a little brutal with my edits. After a lot of consideration I’ve decided to frame it as a modern day Pride & Prejudice/ Bridge Jones’ Diary. It’s helped a ton to frame it this way and stop fighting the idea that’s always been in my head. So let’s see where it goes!

Colin Firth forever. <3

READING: Right now, I’m reading The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren, thanks to

Emily Gilbert

’s recommendation. I've read Christina Lauren before (The Unhoneymooners, Love and Other Words) and it's always a solid choice. This book is a little longer than my normal read and I’m a little nervous about it keeping up the pace. If you’ve read it, I’d love your thoughts!

EATING: Oh god what haven’t I been eating. We spent last week in New York and I ate my weight in pizza (white sauce, truffle), pasta (too many to list), chocolate, cake, and wine. I also got to FINALLY revist the very best coffee I’ve ever had, which is from Zibetto Espresso Bar. You know it’s good when it’s so smooth, so full of flavor, that you don’t even need a syrup to mellow it out. For my bagel fix, I went with a classic: Ess-A-Bagel. Was this a mistake? I thought they were pretty good, and my husband loved the chewiness but I still think Boston’s Exodus Bagels is the best bagel I’ve ever had. You tell me. Where should I try next?

Other places we ate that I reccomend:

JaJaJa (West Village/Williamsburg/Lower East Side/Hudson Yards): My second time at this vegan mexican resturaunt and, yup, I still love it. The nachos are honestly better than some non vegan ones I’ve had.

I loved that they offered both a vegetarian and non vegetarian option for the tasting.

Rezdora (Flatiron District//Michelin): My FAVORITE meal of the trip!! This is where we got the five course pasta and wine pairing and it was DIVINE. Highly highly recommend.

Little Cupcake Bakeshop: (Manhattan, Brooklyn) Stopped in here on a whim and satisfied my sweettooth. The sign outside said they were voted best chocolate cake by Food & Wine Magazine and I can see why. We had a piece that had been sitting out all day and it was still delicious. 8/10.

Ribalta (Manhattan) — home of that incredible truffle pizza I had. A must stop for sure.

Needless to say, this week I’ve been trying to get back on track with meal prepping but man, it’s a hard cycle to break. I just want to walk nine miles a day and earn my five course pasta dinner!

WATCHING: In addition to our regular dose of 90 Day Fiance and The Golden Bachelorette, we’ve been chugging along with Rivals and Le Maison (which I adore. It’s like French fashion industry Succession). Rivals is one of the silliest shows I’ve ever seen. It’s weird seeing David Tennant in a purely evil role! But he’s doing a great job.

LISTENING: I’ve been doing some work on audiobooks. I’m not very loyal to them if I’m honest. I bounce around a lot depending on my mood and narration style. A few I’ve been swapping between:

• Ina Garten’s Be Ready When the Luck Happens. I love her so much. Did you know I was once right by her house in the Hamptons and didn’t even realize it? And to think, we could have been BFFs!

• Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

• Once More with Feeling by Elissa Sussman

• My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan. This one I have two hours left and I’m struggling to finish. I like it, but it’s SO depressing.

Air fryers, and the lure of speeding up the process by

Francesca Specter

Save that for later #1: goodbye, october by

abigail

Notes On: How to Romanticise November by

Hannah Connolly

Fireworks/No Fireworks by

Livvie

My Closet Just Shamed Me Into Changing My Life by me!

Is it selfish to find joy when the world feels like it’s on fire? also me!

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Have you read any great articles this week? I’d love to check them out!