friday snacking. part 2.

After eating all afternoon, our 2.5 hour walk led us to the conclusion that we needed some real food. Pomme Frites.

We shared a Double and 3 dipping sauces: War Sauce (Mayo, Peanut Satay, and Raw Onion), Parmesan Peppercorn, and Pesto May0.

This is a tiny store. Full of charm. Not a lot of seating. But enjoyable and oh, so good. The menu is full of sauces. And all they sale are fries. Double fried fries. Belgium fries.

Fat, full, and happy, we waddle over to South Street Seaport. First goal? Find a restroom. It was a worthy goal. One that seemed to overwhelm us this day, as we were up and down Manhattan, with only Popeye's and McDonald's which required purchases to pee. (Urinetown reference, my friends.)

So a free restroom (Hallelujah), and then purchasing our play tickets from TKTS. Funny thing? We also hit the Gap. The shopaholics that we are, children's Gap clearance in NY is awesome. $5 skirt, $5 dress. And then %25 off of that??? What? And if we were to find something like that in Utah - there would be nothing left for us.

On to SoHo. We had a little time to kill before our evening show. Why we headed to SoHo, I cannot remember. But we ended up at a small shop, recommended by our travel guide. Vosges.

This is where I will admit that our snacking went a bit too far. Vosges sales chocolate. Thinking that we could get through the show without dinner, we grabbed a drink.

I ordered the Elixir Couture Cocoa: ancho & chipotle chillies + Ceylon cinnamon + Madagascar vanilla bean + dark chocolate - this is spicier than it looks. Or sounds. I didn't hate it. But I also wasn't wanting spice. What was I thinking?

Clin ordered the Bianca Couture Cocoa: Australian lemon myrtle + lavender flowers + vanilla + white chocolate. He liked this. I did not.

And then their ice cream sucked Clin in. Naga Ice Cream: sweet Indian curry + fresh young coconut + creamy custard ice cream.

So imagine - I combined my spicy chocolate drink with curry ice cream. At the time it seemed right. And then we walked out and I realized it was wrong. So wrong.

We headed to our evening show. August: Osage County. The only thing that I knew about this play was that it entailed 3.5 hours and two intermissions with a dysfunctional family. Oh, and it won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize.

I went in thinking that my mind would wander. I left knowing that this would be my favorite performance of the trip. It was amazing. The acting was exceptional. There is a scene at the dining room table, with the sisters and their mother, toward the end of the play. I loved it. My favorite. Throwing dishes, yelling, swearing, awesome.

And Estelle Parsons, the actress who played the mother, blew me away. And she is 81 years old. And she performs 8 times a week. And she is in the play a lot. I'm in awe.

3.5 hours felt like 1.5. And it made me feel something. It made me think. It put me in a state of thought. Wonder. Enlightenment, maybe. A place that I used to find a lot. When I was in high school. But a place that isn't found so easy now. And it was nice to visit.

After a day of snacking, we were hungry for something substantial. Not a morsel. Or a taste. But a meal. So we hit the Burger Joint. The intrigue of this place? It's hidden. It's in the lobby of a fancy hotel. Behind a curtain. No one will tell you where it is. There is no sign.

Once you walk behind the curtain? It's a loud, messy, New York burger joint. And the food is so good. And the people behind the register only want cash, and they want you to order now.

We sat next to a man who knew the owner. He received a free pitcher of beer. Barely drank it, and offered it to those around him when he left. We stuck with our milkshakes, listened to the loud music, and tried to decipher the famous signatures on the walls.