out and about: nyc #1

1-3. Eataly in Flatiron, a Mario Batalli restaurant/store concept. I never knew there could be this many varieties of pasta.
4. New York Public Library at Bryant Park. I could photograph this building everyday.
5. IFB Con Panel
6-7. J Brand at IFB Con. Their SS12 leather jackets are super soft.
8. Aminta's arm party

count on me

I'm writing this as I listen to the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack - "Count on Me" in particular. I was standing in a bakery, enjoying a chocolate tea cup when I received the news of Whitney Houston's untimely death. Like most of the world, I'm stunned and saddened. While some people prefer to dwell on her drug abuse problems, there's one undeniable fact: this woman has made an indelible mark on American R&B music.

I was in 5th grade when "Waiting to Exhale" came out. As the sole Asian girl in a class of mostly black females, I bought this soundtrack as an effort to fit in. Because we didn't have cable at home, I could never engage in the recess conversation about Nick at Night or the Mickey Mouse Club. At some point, I must've said that I would damned if I was gonna be left out again. So, I trekked to my local Wal-mart, bought it with my allowance, and put this CD on repeat.

What began as an exercise in conformity turned into an obsession. While most of the tracks are mellow love songs typical of the 90s, I would jam and dance when Brandy's "Sittin' Up in My Room" blasted out of the speakers. One day, I started the recess sing-along with Mary J. Blige's "Not Gon' Cry" - a highlight of the year worthy enough to write in my diary. For our fifth grade graduation, we chose "Count On Me" as our class song, hoping to signify the close bonds we had forged as a class.

Today, I have little contact with my former classmates. But as I listen to this song, so many years later, I like to think that Amaka or Michael or Tabitha is out there, listening to it too.





Wearing: Johnny Hates Jazz sweater, Spicy Color pleated skirt, scarf from Korean market, brown riding boots from Korean boutique


Credit: Maria and Becca for the photos

Leila Shams FW12

I have two fashion addictions: 1) the color black (boooorrrrrinnnggg, I know) and 2) animal prints. And there is NOBODY who can do a killer animal print like Leila Shams.

Of course, there are other reasons why Leila is so appealing. First, she's pint size and super duper petite. You can't hate on someone so tiny - it would be like saying you hate Oprah and NO ONE hates the big O. Two, she has an unbelievable sense of humor and isn't ashamed to self deprecation. Thirdly, she's a reality star, who's been featured with one of the editorial faves, Joe Zee. (Joe and Grace Coddington are like the Oprahs of fashion editors - no one can hate on them. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Anna Wintour...)

But honestly, the clothes speak for themselves.










Sometimes, I wonder if Leila has a one track mind into the thoughts of bloggers. Giant, open mouthed monkey. Perfectly pleated leather skirt. Imperfect knits. Maxi dresses with a sequin panel. If your inner fangirl isn't squealing right now, you must be a man.

IFB Con - #ifbcon

Attending the IFB Conference today.
Follow me on Twitter for real time updates.



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this is bigger than us

Yes, the rumors are true. I'm here right now.*

Follow me on Twitter (@kittenmasks) for the day to day ridiculousness I'm seeing here.

*By here, I do not literally mean the New York Times. 

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Atlanta macarons: Alon's

Continuing from my macaron quest from 2011, I'll be adding more "gay food" to the blog agenda. Part of this stems from my genuine love of macarons, the other part is to feed the glutton in me. Just for the record, yes, I do consume all the macarons in one day. (And at 200-250 per macaron, it can get quite disgusting.)

Alon's Bakery has become an establishment in recent years. It's got an extensive gourmet condiment section, though you should definitely check out prices before doing a supermarket sweep. (The last time I was there, they were selling Illy Coffee for $21.99/can when Fresh Market had them for $13.99. I haven't seen price gouging like this since Katrina.) In addition to their olive oils and specialty mustards, they serve as one of the most popular lunch counters in the city - both locations in the Virginia Highlands and Dunwoody are packed during the weekdays and weekends. 

To be honest, I've only recently spotted their macarons. I suppose I've been skeptical that people in Atlanta could make them correctly. And although this has been my first foray into Atlanta's offerings, I'm pleasantly surprised.

Flavors: vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, raspberry, lemon, and mocha/toffee?

Verdict: My favorite was vanilla, with its slightly floral taste. It had a perfectly creamy center that mixed the right amount of sweet and tart. The biggest disappointment was pistachio, which wasn't nutty enough. The filling reminded me of creme fraiche. So forgettable. The chocolate was too sweet and tasted like cocoa powder, and I wasn't a fan of the mocha/toffee either. The lemon and raspberry were good, but nothing mindblowing. I think those are the two safest flavors to get if you're new to macarons. They tend to taste the most generic anywhere.

Price: $1.99 per macaron

l5p: the porter beer bar

The Porter Beer Bar is one of my favorite places in Atlanta to chill with friends after a long day at work. Located in grimy Little Five Points ("colorful," "homeless," and "bootleg" could all be interchanged to describe this area), TPBB has one of those super long beer lists with just about any beer you could ever want.  (I currently counted 29 on tap alone!) And to help make your drive home legal, they have an extensive offering of delicious pub food.





I like to start with an Allagash white to wash down the crispy Belgian fries, cooked in herb and garlic oil. You won't believe how much of an impact that oil makes. I'm also obsessed with their charred mayo sauce. It reminds me of the dipping sauces from Pomme Frites near NYU.



I can testify to the delicious of their shrimp and grits, and the fact that they were one of the first in ATL to use truffle oil to top the grits. But today, I opted for their black bean burger, made with quinoa and black beans. To counteract my vegetarian menu, Fifi got this monster concoction topped with delicious bacon. Mmm, pork.



The onions looked weird, though. I had a sudden flashback to my high school biology class, where a friend went crazy at the end of the pig dissection lab experiment and cut up poor Pepe's brains into tiny pieces. She later brought it to the cafeteria and attempted to pass it off as spaghetti. I'm still traumatized.