my new favorite store

mike and i actually got to take a date night in honor of his birthday a couple weeks ago by virtue of our old sitter, Allie. she's now a pharmacist completing a residency at methodist hospital and is uber busy, but she offered to come watch the boys so that we could get a night out. that was the most unbelievable (and unbelievably-needed) gift we could've gotten. it was the first meal we actually got to SIT DOWN all the way through in a month and a half (the apartment has only a small table that sits all 3 boys, so mike and i have stood and eaten 3 meals a day for over a month now). we went downtown to eat sushi at miyabi 9 in the east village area and had a lovely meal. the best part of the whole evening was that the night allie offered to baby-sit coincided with the annual holiday promenade in the east village area of downtown. so there were fireworks and all the shops were open until 9pm. it was like a dream; not only did we get to eat an adult meal, but we felt like we were actually out on a friday night, doing fun things in a hip area of town ;) all the shop owners were dressed in cocktail wear and had alcoholic beverages and incredible desserts to give out. it was like a multi-street grand opening celebration. i couldn't believe how many people were out and about that chilly night, not to mention how many had their young kids with them. it was so nice to NOT be toting strollers or babies in carriers that night.

wandering around downtown also allowed me the chance to see new shops that i didn't know existed, and i happened upon one that is now my favorite store. it's called allspice and sells flavored vinegars, infused olive oils, and a myriad of spices that was so incredible, it was mind boggling. they just opened, but their inventory was fabulous. the best part was that all the vinegars and olive oils were in giant jugs with spouts and you could sample them out of little cups. this was a foodie's dream. i sampled grapefruit white vinegar and porchini infused olive oil, as well as an 18-yr aged balsamic vinegar. i purchased a container of berebere spice (an african seasoning) that we enjoyed tonight on grilled chicken, and which i frequently relish as a seasoning to my nightly plate of nachos. they sell gift sets which i'm taking advantage of this holiday season for fellow foodies, boxed in sets called "cluck" (seasonings for cooking chicken), "splish" (for seafood), "oink," "moo," "salts of the earth" (did you know there is such a thing as hawaiian black rock salt?) and many others. i've got my eye on the chili collection. oh, this place is dangerous. i don't buy myself clothes or bags or music or toys...but i could spend a bundle on all things food-related. imagine how poor we are now that trader joes moved in down the street...