Popular Post Randomguy Posted February 28, 2022 Popular Post Share #1 Posted February 28, 2022 So the girlfriend and I started the day with a light snack and a lazy morning that includes a shower, because we are civilized people. Then we got on the train to start the day. First, it was to REI to get a seat for the gf's spin bike that she bought used last weekend. The REI was fine, found a decent enough Bontrager seat that will be better (for her) than the narrow stock seat that was on the bike. Anyway, she needed a new seat, and got one. She thinks actual bike shorts are an unnecessary idea, and I bet her a dollar that she will have several pairs by the end of summer. She won't spend enough to get decent shorts, though, and I wonder if she will stick with it. Then we start walking to where our restaurant choice is, a Ukrainian restaurant I have never been to. I wanted to go to a Ukrainian restaurant because I wanted to know what they ate when they weren't being attacked, the gf could not argue that logic and she was in. Besides, I imagined that some of the employees would be sending money to relatives in the Ukraine somehow, and I wanted to help stick it to Putin in my own very small way, even if it just was for moral support. On the way, though, we see McSorely's, an old, old bar that opened in the 1850's. They didn't used to let women in, there is sawdust on the floor, and if you order one beer, they bring you two. Also, your beer choices are limited to "light or dark". It is a famous place here, and I had last been in it with Wilbur long ago, so I told the gf we had to go, since she had never been inside. You can read about the place here, it is interesting. We settled in and got a table and ordered a beer each. I had forgotten that they bring you two beers when you order one beer, you see, so we had four beers. The beers come in mugs and they fill until the foam hits the top and they stop, so each mug has 6-7 ounces of beer and some foam, and it works out to $3/ mug. The bartenders/waiters bring eight beers in each hand, and deal with lots of volume. It is fun to watch one bartender carry and dump 16 beers at big tables without spilling a drop on the tables. We stayed for two rounds (4 mini-beers each) and chatted with some folks who had been coming there since the 1970's, they told fun stories about the place. After McSorley's, we went to a very authentic Ukrainian place called Streecha, it was really cool and as weird as you would expect a Ukrainian restaurant to be. Here is what the menu looked like almost exactly: They apparently make the food they are gonna make and then close when it sells out. This happened when we were there, so I missed out on stuffed cabbage and sausage, but we got pierogies and the chicken special of the day, borscht, and a jelly doughnut. It cost $16 total, which was good because they only took cash and we had $18 in between us. When we got our food, the guy behind the counter waved his arms and told any people entering that they were closed in either Russian or Ukrainian. There was no hint outside that there was a restaurant inside, and no English signage. A significant number of folks wore traditional Ukrainian outfits, and only a couple of folks spoke in English. It was very cool. After eating we walked until the gf tired of walking, so we just got on a random bus that took us to the east side of Central Park. When there, we walked to "Cleopatra's Needle", which I had read about only last week. It is the oldest manmade object in NYC (that isn't in a museum) at 3,900 years old. Then we got home and watched "Only Murders in the Building" on Hulu, ate some thawed lasagna, and went to bed. It was a fun day The end. 5 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted February 28, 2022 Share #2 Posted February 28, 2022 Sounds like a nice day. I spent most of the day cooking. I made a perfect Thanksgiving spread. I was very proud of the outcome. Especially since I don't often cook turkey, stuffing, etc. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirby Posted February 28, 2022 Share #3 Posted February 28, 2022 Sounds like a fun day! What was the chicken special? I might have stuck to just eating the jelly donut. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsnip Totin Jack ★ Posted February 28, 2022 Share #4 Posted February 28, 2022 What a great day, I know of McSorley’s from one of my homebrewing books. They gave a write up on the history and a recipe for one of their beers. Owl have to visit there sometime. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share #5 Posted February 28, 2022 17 minutes ago, Kirby said: Sounds like a fun day! What was the chicken special? I might have stuck to just eating the jelly donut. The chicken was special! The pierogies were also probably the best I have had. The jelly donut was weird. It tasted like a dry potato doughnut and the jelly was super thick and oddly flavored. The borscht was fine, but I don't think I would get it again, and no way on the jelly donut again. I will go there with you if you every find your way down to the city, just let me know. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parr8hed Posted February 28, 2022 Share #6 Posted February 28, 2022 Nice. Not many Ukranian places in my little corner of Indiana. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share #7 Posted February 28, 2022 4 minutes ago, Parr8hed said: Nice. Not many Ukranian places in my little corner of Indiana. You would tear that place up, McSorley's, too. There is one other Ukrainian place I have been to before, but it was way Americanized, enough so that I couldn't consider it anything other than a diner. There is another old-school style Ukrainian place that I have not been to either, but it is on the list of places to eventually check out. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted February 28, 2022 Share #8 Posted February 28, 2022 I don't think they allow many foreign places here. Sounds nice that you have all of that in New York City. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted February 28, 2022 Share #9 Posted February 28, 2022 49 minutes ago, Randomguy said: Then we got home and watched "Only Murders in the Building" on Hulu All of a sudden you're watching ALL MY SHOWS Choose your own, commie-lover! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted February 28, 2022 Share #10 Posted February 28, 2022 Was sexy time had in the shower? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share #11 Posted February 28, 2022 14 minutes ago, jsharrwick said: Was sexy time had in the shower? No. I am too large to fit in a shower with another person, unless the shower is bigger.. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingstar Posted February 28, 2022 Share #12 Posted February 28, 2022 Alberta historically had alot of Ukrainians settle and farm the land in late 1800's into early 1900's. There are quite a number of Ukranian churches that dot the landscape. There is a full blown Ukrainian heritage village with 2 different church styles, grain elevator, piggery, etc. on sizeable acreage. It's about 300 km. north of us. Then in the capital city of Edmonton, in front the provincial legislature, there are art scultpture figurines which commemorate this group of people. This heritage is obvious to me, as someone having lived in other regions in Canada. So all sorts of perogy variations. I don't know the local premiere Ukrainian restaurants since for me, we would go to a farmers' market for Ukrainian lunch and there, to a local supplier that makes about 8 different types of perogy fillings. (savoury, fruit choices). Best things about these perogies are, the skins are just the right thinness and hold in boiling water without bursting, the stuffing is really stuffed. I've had other perogies where it was too much dough vs. filling. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airehead Posted February 28, 2022 Share #13 Posted February 28, 2022 This sounds like an excellent day. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeman564™ Posted February 28, 2022 Share #14 Posted February 28, 2022 Nice. That bar sounds awesome 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted February 28, 2022 Share #15 Posted February 28, 2022 Looking at Google (sorry @Philander Seabury), it seems we have more Russkie restaurants than Ukranian ones I wonder if the governor is gonna force them to stop selling Russian food? Or maybe require them to rename their menus? Chicken Kiev must mow be Chicken Київ? Or Freedom Київ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted February 28, 2022 Author Share #16 Posted February 28, 2022 46 minutes ago, bikeman564™ said: Nice. That bar sounds awesome It is! I went there many years ago when I first moved here with a friend, but it was so packed it was hard to get a sense of it, We tried to go a couple of times prior as it was on the way to some fancy-pants beer bar that he liked a lot. Not sure how Wilbur and I ended up going there, but it was a lot of fun and the night was a blast. I recommend hanging with Wilbur if he comes to your town, he is a lot of fun in person and has cool stories and has been everywhere. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted March 1, 2022 Share #17 Posted March 1, 2022 7 hours ago, Randomguy said: No. I am too large to fit in a shower with another person, unless the shower is bigger.. The smaller showers are more fun when you shower together. If you are actually trying to get clean you might want to take another shower before or after your shared shower. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur ★ Posted March 1, 2022 Share #18 Posted March 1, 2022 7 hours ago, Randomguy said: It is! I went there many years ago when I first moved here with a friend, but it was so packed it was hard to get a sense of it, We tried to go a couple of times prior as it was on the way to some fancy-pants beer bar that he liked a lot. Not sure how Wilbur and I ended up going there, but it was a lot of fun and the night was a blast. I recommend hanging with Wilbur if he comes to your town, he is a lot of fun in person and has cool stories and has been everywhere. That was a fun place and night. Maybe except the Sangria because that didn't taste good after beer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randomguy Posted July 18, 2022 Author Share #19 Posted July 18, 2022 We went to the Ukranian place again on Saturday around 10:30 in the morning, it was still fun and still very cheap. Less people in this time, I think I had gone the other time when the war had just started. They had the stuffed cabbages and kielbasa this time, so we did, too. Maybe not so healthy but tasty comfort food. We were too stuffed to go to McSorely's after. but we walked a bit and then went to a rooftop bar that had a happy hour from noon - 3:00pm. Cheap margaritas and $1 tacos, but we skipped the tacos because of all the food we had. It is now seeming like a fun day when you eat Ukranian food in the morning. There is another Ukranian place I want to check out eventually, too. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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