New Moon Friday

Don't get Miss Tea all wrong. She is not a cougar twi-tarte. But of course Miss Tea will go out tonight and see New Moon, the second book of the four-book Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.

The premise is basically this: Edward kindly dumps Bella for fear of putting her in danger with his vampire clan. Bella turns her attention towards the comforting Jacob of the werewolf clan. Miss Tea believes this is the fluff you have to get through in order to get to the good stuff (Eclipse and Breaking Dawn). Critics are panning this flick but that's okay because it's for the countless fans out there (Miss Tea included). And if you haven't figured out that there's going to be some hunk in the film, check out these posters!

Miss Tea has only one word: DAMN!

Boys didn't look like this when Miss Tea was in high school. Shoot.

New Moon opens Friday, November 20. Good luck getting a ticket! :o)

Tapas in Union Square

It's been awhile since Miss Tea saw her dear friend MLS and last night we finally met up! Of course, Miss Tea was in the mood for something new to dine and catch up. Big thank you to Miss Lala for suggesting Pipa Tapas y Mas, at Union Square. It's the restaurant that's part of the ABC Carpet store.

With an abundant amount of dimly lit chandeliers (and price tags hanging down in case you had an urge to splurge) spread throughout the room against the brick walls and dark wood, the restaurant is definitely 'muy romantico' and, judging from the crowd last night, definitely popular. Thank goodness Miss Lala told Miss Tea rsvp ahead of time.

The menu has a few sopas, a few ensaladas and a lot of tapas. Miss Tea and MLS both started with the Maiz Dulce (Hot) which is sweet corn and milk soup. MLS had the patatas bravas while Miss Tea nibbled on the crispy calamari with smoked paprika aioli, a little sweet but delish nonetheless. Miss Tea also had a glass of the Torrentes from Argentina.

Miss Tea definitely liked the vibe of this resto and wouldn't mind coming back just to hang out at the bar because of the Village crowd. Pipa is a welcomed addition to the list of USQ standbys: Heartland Brewery, Republic and Coffee Shop.

Incidentally, for those of you who have not heard, my beloved Pamplona hangout has closed. Wah! So Miss Tea must search for her next neighborhood hangout. Courage!

Visit www.pipa-nyc.com for reserverations, directions and menu. Ciao-ciao!

The Garden at Four Seasons NYC

Well, hello you!

That is probably what Miss Tea sounded like after a glass of the Ruinart champagne, served during the opening event of The Garden, the new restaurant and wine bar to hit the Four Seasons Hotel in New York. Luckily Miss Tea was able to bring a few plus ones to enjoy the event with her! Miss Lala, Rocky and Pdizzle were all in tow and mingled with the suits and high-maintenance chicks that cruised this "swanky party" (as Pdizzle would say). We also had the pleasure of meeting other people on the Manhattan Magazine circuit, and then some. ;o)

Aside from the bottomless glasses of champagne, we nibbled on serrano ham, machego cheese, goat cheese and flatbread crackers while waiters served passed apps of prociutto-stuffed and salami-stuffed dates, breaded risotto balls, spicy shrimp skewers and pate on top of toasted bread.

On top that, each of us got $50 off dinner to boot! How you doin'!

The Garden Restaurant and Wine Bar can be found on the lobby level of the Four Season Hotel.

http://www.fourseasons.com/

Random Stuff

Look! It's the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck!

Okay, so Miss Tea took this photo when it was much warmer in NYC and the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck was in hanging out in Union Square. Rocky Stillwell bought Miss Tea ice cream because she escorted him to the the discount Ricky's store that no longer exists...Lessons people: if you see anything that sounds like a good discount, or practically free, don't wait. Jump on that sh*t ASAP.

Anyhoo, Miss Tea got her vanila ice cream with peanut sprinkles (tastes just like the stuff from the straight ice cream truck but with much friendlier service) so she was satisfied with the trip to the Square. Clearly, she has the makings of a cheap date. (Shut up Rocky!)

Now, for Friday, October 16th, the movie Law-Abiding Citizen is coming out with Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. This is Miss Tea's goal for Friday night - to simply watch this movie. Though Miss Tea invited Natasha 98 and DRNY, she WILL watch GB with or without 'em. Ha!

Don't worry kids, this looks better than Gamer. Swear!

Tuesday Night

Sigh. Just when the unpleasantries of life get Miss Tea bogged down, along comes Tuesday night when Miss Tea's life is nothing but surreal.

It started with a slew of invitations (okay, not a slew - more like four invites) to step out in NYC. pubLiZity invited Miss Tea to cocktails at the Soho Grand Penthouse Loft where she would be with colleagues. There was also a pre-screening of the film "The Invention of Lying" starring Ricky Gervais, which is coming out on Friday, October 2nd. Then Miss Ivy came along with a chocolate and wine tasting at Equinox uptown, and an event at the St. Regis. It's so hard to choose when everything is free, which is usually how Miss Tea tiers her options. This recession has not improved for the Miss Tea just yet.

Anyhoo, Miss Tea chose to go with Miss Ivy tot eh St. Regis. Apparently Miss Ivy did not care to read the invitation or what she RSVP'd for. To our surprise, the St. Regis cocktail turned out to be dinner at Alain Ducasse's resto, Adour. Gasp!

After a few glaring, tight-lipped smirks at Miss Ivy, we engaged in conversation with out table host and two other gentlemen (not single). Miss Tea thought everything was fabu, and our companions were gregarious enough to ease the preliminary awkward silence.

This was my menu:

Citrus Marinated Hamachi

Hearts of Celery, Corander, Preserved Lemon

Tender Ricotta Gnocchi

Sauteed Lettuce, Wild Mushrooms, Crospy Proscuitto

Baked Loup de Mer

Baby Fennel, Zucchini, Rivera Sauce

Chocolate Leaf

Chocolate Cremeux, Ornage Sorbet/Ginger Sorbet

Wine:

Selection Alain Ducasse Champagne N.V.

Parr Selection, Chardonnay, 'Sanford & Benedict VYD,'

Sta. Rita Hills 2006

Betts & Scholl, Grenache, 'The Chronique,'

Barossa Valley 2006

Chateau Tirecul La Graviliere, 'Les Pins,'

Montbazillac 2003

To wrap up the night, out "goodie bag" was a Belvedere vodka box set in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Bloody Mary cocktail, which originated at the St. Regis New York in 1933.

How am I not on reality TV? All this, and I can sing better than Heidi Montag.

The Not So Fairy Godmother

Yes, it's been too long since Miss Tea scribbled down here. Sorry folks! But Miss Tea has some wonderful news: Miss Tea is a godmother to little Dylan Michael.

Just to give you, dear reader, a preview as to what kind of godmother Miss Tea will be, let me paint the picture of the christening. As we (me and four other godparents) stood over baby D, the priest lectures us on what it truly means to be a godparent.

"It's not about the money (Miss Tea smirks), or the gifts (Miss Tea smiles) or any of the materialistic things of this world. You are responsible for him should anything happen to the parents, to guide him spiritually (Miss Tea: hmmm) and as a person. You must help him, if he's hanging on the street, doing drugs, if he's drinking (Miss Tea: whoa, no drinking?! )..."

At this point, Miss Tea gets a terrible case of the giggles and covers her mouth with her hand, trying desperately not to laugh in front of the priest while getting evil eye glares from JR and the other godparents. Thank goodness there are five godparents in case one of us (Miss Tea) should fail.

Whatever. At least I've got the godmother title, giving me license to spoil him rotten. I'll be the cool godmother who gets him to all the hottest concerts. :o)

Do Some Good

Woo hoo hoo! Welcome back everyone! Hope you had a nice long Labor Day weekend like Miss Tea did! Now that the NYC kiddies are back in school and September is in full swing, it's time for you to do some good. So if you're going to be in the NYC area, check out Safe Horizon's A Night Under the Stars presented by the organizations Junior Council. Not to mention that this event will be held at one of Miss Tea's favorite joints - Empire Hotel Rooftop. Enjoy the weather while it lasts! Before you know it, we'll be shivering in our shoes...brrr. Well, maybe just you guys. Miss Tea is planning yet another adventure somewhere warm!