EVENT: Jay-Z in Conversation With Charlie Rose x DECODED @ Brooklyn Museum

On Thursday Night, I was lucky enough to witness Jay-Z being interviewed by Charlie Rose about his new book, Decoded at the Brooklyn Museum. It was a full house with some familiar faces in the audience from Hova's circle such as his Mother, Beyonce and Steve Stoute. As always, Jay-Z was a pleasant interviewee as he answered Rose's question with finesse and humor. I've witnessed Jay-Z once during a live taping before (VH-1 Storytellers) and he's really a humble dude in my opinion- down to earth and is known to crack jokes to put you at ease. He even had Charlie Rose laughing as Jay-Z corrected his pronunciation of "Tupac" as "two-pack" which ended with chuckles and a fist bump. He spoke briefly about growing up, selling crack at a young age in Marcy Projects, his lyrics and song writing, and his life after "making it". After the taping, Jay-Z also participated in a Q&A with the audience where devout fans asked a mix of intelligent and some ridiculous questions and he was gracious enough to answer all without stumbling. I think my favorite part of the Q&A was when a young lady came up and was telling Mr. Carter how proud she was of him and out of nowhere, Jay-Z told her to sing and she started to sing "What's the meaning... what's the meaning of life..." and we all realized that she was the woman who sang the hook to his song, "In My Lifetime (Remix)" which was the one of the first records Jay released under Roc-A-Fella Records. It was an amazing night and always an honor to hear Mr. Carter speak. Stay tuned to the Charlie Rose show for its air date.
Check out some images below:

 Photograph by William Yan

Check out this video of Jay-Z as he chooses his Top 5 MC's for a ultimate cipher:

DESSERT: Little Cupcake Bakeshop in Bay Ridge

Since my favorite bakery in Staten Island was closed on Monday, I headed over to Bay Ridge in Brooklyn to try Little Cupcake Bakeshop. I wanted to get a cake for my birthday but decided that buying individual cupcakes would probably best. I figured, if I have a whole cake in my fridge, I'd end up eating it all and that's not good! Hah. So I picked up some after dinner goodies:

My Picks!

Carrot Cupcake

Chocolate Cloud Cupcake

Red Velvet Cupcake

Blue Velvet Cupcake

Vanilla Cupcake w. Chocolate Buttercream

Old-Fashioned Banana Pudding

Out of the five, I chose the Chocolate Cloud Cupcake. The fluffy merengue icing enticed me to pick this one. The icing definitely makes this treat delicious. However, the devils food chocolate cake wasn't great- I definitely had better ones than this one. I felt like it was too dry and the cake felt too hard. I'm used to moist and fluffy cakes. However, I also tried the Banana pudding and it iss to die for! It was very rich, creamy and buttery. The nila wafer cookies in between balanced the richness of the heavy cream and added some texture to every bite. This one is so far my favorite from the Bakeshop.






The location is great and the cupcakes are mediocre for $2.75 a piece. If you're looking for plain dessert but not mind blowing then Little Cupcake is your spot for dessert and hot or cold beverages. But in all honesty, the bakery is reminiscent of Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street from the decor, the lay-out and even the staff dress (which I prefer- sorry!). Supposedly another location will also open on Prince Street in Soho for all you Manhattan dwellers to try if Bay Ridge is too far from your reach.


Little Cupcake Bakeshop
9102 3rd Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11209
718.680.4465

www.littlecupcakebakeshop.com



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

EATS: Cebu Bar & Bistro in Bay Ridge

I celebrated my Birthday dinner with my family last night and we decided to go to Cebu Bar & Bistro in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to try something new. I remember going to this location when it was Mambo Italiano back in the day which was an Italian family restaurant that we loved going to... but I'm glad this new eatery replaced it because its gourmet bistro food is simply amazing! You have the option of dining in or enjoying a drink or two at the bar. Cebu Bar & Bistro has a great menu with much to offer.

The Entree Menu for the evening. 

The Appetizers:

Complimentary Bread with Remoulade Dipping Sauce

Grilled Steak Skewers with Dijon Dipping Sauce - This appetizer was so delicious. The Steak was soft and cooked medium rare and the Dijon sauce was a little tangy and spicy. SO GOOD!

Fried Calamari with Marinara and Tartar Sauce - it was perfectly fried and lightly battered.

The Entree(s):

Dad ordered the Seafood Paella. The Rice was perfectly cooked and the seafood was fresh. It had
Calamari,  Clams, Mussels , Shrimp, Peas and Chorizo. I think the best part of this dish was the Spanish Chorizo because it was nice and spicy. The dish portion is HUGE (enough for 2)!

Mom ordered the Striped Sea Bass with Mussels on herb broth on a bed of Spinach with Cherry Tomatoes and a side of Toast. This dish was light and the fish was perfectly cooked. The chef also added wine to the herb broth which made the sauce very flavorful!

My Brother Lorenz ordered the 10 oz. Steak Frites Au Poivre.  The Fries were crispy and the meat was delicious in its medium rare form. The heavy cream based sauce was a good touch of flavor for such a meaty dish.

Mr. Fox ordered the Double Cut Pork Chop with Grilled Hot Cherry Peppers, Asparagus and Roasted Peppers. The Pork Chop was delicious and tender but the Hot Cherry Peppers overwhelmed the dish a bit because it became too spicy after awhile. The Roasted Potatoes were tasty and was baked to perfection.

I ordered the Chipotle Chicken. The dish came with two lightly fried Chicken Cutlets with Creamy Mashed Potatoes slathered with a Chipotle Cream Sauce. The sauce was great and was definitely the star of the meal! It a little spicy and rich in heavy cream. The Chicken was fried to perfection and was not too thick. The mashed potatoes were buttery and creamy was able to tone down the spiciness of the Chipotle sauce. I loved my dish! The portion was just a little too big for me so I ended up with a doggy bag at the end of my meal.

The table shared a side of Mac and Cheese. It was perfectly cheesy and baked in the oven with a crunchy breadcrumb topping. It was DELICIOUS. This is how Macaroni and Cheese should be done!

The Desserts:

Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich - Yes, you saw it correctly- that's a Pound Cake my friend! Not a cookie! This dessert is pretty amazing in theory but was way too rich for me. A Pound Cake is too much in my opinion and should be enjoyed by itself. Perhaps if it was a little thinner in slice then it would've been enjoyable. 

The Chocolate Molten Cake - this dessert was so delish! A perfect ending to my meal. The Chocolate Cake was warm, sweet, and gooey and the Ciao Bella Vanilla Ice Cream just made it better with every bite.  It was addicting and soooo good!

Overall, the food was delicious! You bet that we were really stuffed at the end of the night with all the food that we ordered. It's a bit pricey but from experience I know that an entree dish is good for two people to share. Lighting was also a bit too dim for my poor eyes and the food wait took awhile to arrive which made it a mediocre experience. Nevertheless if you have time and you want to try something different from the usual Italian restaurants in Bay Ridge, then this place is for you. Also heard that they have affordable and amazing weekend brunch... I'll have to try it out one weekend! 

Cebu Bar & Bistro

8801 3rd Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11209
718.492.5095

www.cebubrooklyn.com

p.s.

Thank you for all the Birthday wishes via phone call, text, Twitter and Facebook! :)

TRAVEL: New York Aquarium - Brooklyn, NY

It was beautiful in New York this weekend so Mr. Fox and I had to take advantage of Summer's last hurrah by visiting the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn. I haven't been here for years and going back as an adult gave me a different perspective on how much I enjoy marine life. Here's some pictures from our visit:

The Aquarium is just an amazing place to be. It's fun and educational- great for all ages. I really enjoyed my visit. My highlight was the walrus and the penguins. I was kind of upset the touch pool was closed, but nevertheless it was great seeing marine life up close. We also viewed the 4D Planet Earth: Shallow Seas show (additional $4) which was pretty cool. There's several exhibits and attractions to see. The New York Aquarium is a great place to visit if you're willing to wander out of Manhattan- plus, the Coney Island Boardwalk is just next door if you're looking for a fun-filled day!

New York Aquarium

602 Surf Avenue

Brooklyn, NY

718.265.3474

www.nyaquarium.com