Brooklyn – lifeofacitygal

Sweet Chick

Brunch always seems like a good idea to me. On Sundays, I normally try to venture out and find new brunch spots but on this particular Sunday I decided to do a repeat. Good ol’ Sweet Chick. I was first introduced to this chicken and waffle staple in Brooklyn, New York. Hop off the L train at Bedford Ave and just a few steps away is Sweet Chick in Williamsburg. Why not do a repeat while on the west coast?

Fairfax Ave is a trendy street/area in Los Angeles. You can literally stop for coffee, grab lunch, dinner and or drinks, stop at Supreme, check out kicks at Flight Club or grab brunch at Sweet Chick 😊. As you can see, I opted for the latter option. Sweet Chick is very popular and known for their take on chicken and waffles. You can get a classic waffle of course but why not try one of their many flavors like bacon cheddar, apple cinnamon or spiced pecan? I was torn between the shrimp & grits or chicken and waffles; from the luck of the draw I went with the apple cinnamon waffle and fried chicken. Probably the best decision I made on that Sunday was stopping for a bite to eat here. Something about the perfect crisp of their chicken that gets me every time. Not to forget, the three butters they serve with the waffle; regular, vegetable/herb and like a raspberry one I believe. Try them all if you haven’t before. Each offers a different taste that will not disappoint. There are a ton of other entrees too that I still need to try So if you’re ever in LA and are looking for a good brunch spot, stop on Fairfax and try Sweet Chick. Tell them I sent you 😊

It’s a Caribbean ting

Caribbean cuisine is very popular in NYC. So when my friend left the ball in my court to pick the place for our catch up dinner, I was delighted to try Pearl’s. Pearl’s is nestled comfortably in Williamsburg and is a very nice and quaint restaurant in this Brooklyn area. Upon entry, you automatically get that island vibe from its decor and Bob Marley tunes that flows throughout the place. I already knew what I planned to order before coming here. There’s a specialty dish called the Bake and Shark. I’d never heard of this but after through research came to discover its a popular Trini street or fast food dish that’s very flavorful, especially once you add the sauces. Sauces are key. I also saw popular reviews for the stuffed crab backs and wanted to try those as well. Sadly, they were out that night; I guess they’re a bit too popular :-).

So to start I tried the calypso guacamole and chips along with the Trini rum punch. You can’t go wrong with either guac or a nice drink on happy hour right? Just an FYI, happy hour is from 4-7pm during the weekdays. As mentioned above, I went with the bake and shark as the main entree and their sweet plantains. Let’s just say they’ve nailed their rendition of this classic Trini dish. I couldn’t get over how sweet and delicious the bread was! Simply amazing. The sandwich consists of fried shark with tamarind, chadon beni and garlic sauce, pickled slaw and mango chutney. The shark was fried perfectly and the mix of ingredients was the perfect combination to exude the intense flavors of this sandwich. Pearl’s offers a few more sauces you can add to your sandwich to your liking; my favorites were the garlic and hot pepper sauces.

For a split second, I was able to remove myself from the hustle and bustle of NYC and mentally took a trip to the islands for about 2 hours. Pearl’s is definitely a place to try and I highly recommend their bake and shark. Take a quick trip to the islands with me by going through the gallery below.

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Graziella’s

Clover Club

Sometimes you just want to go out and grab a good drink. Clover Club has been on my list of places to try for quite some time and I finally made it. Located near Cobble Hill on Smith Street, this is a stellar cocktail bar that must be visited if you’re in the area. The dim setting and overall ambiance is great. Very relaxing and inviting to have nice conversation over some of their many fancy concoctions. Although we only came for drinks, I’d been eyeing a few food items I wanted to try as well. I went with the deviled eggs and the mac and cheese. With the deviled eggs, you received four all topped with something different. Toppings included were crispy bacon croutons, smoked paprika and garlic bread crumbs, smoked trout and mushrooms duxelles. All were delectable and almost made me order another round but I remembered I had the mac and cheese to indulge in as well. The mac and cheese was cooked with several cheeses and also included bacon. Anytime there’s bacon involved, I’m overjoyed. I’ll have to re-visit to try the fried oysters and the bread pudding. I wish I could of tried everything all at once but this gives me a reason to definitely come back.

As for the drinks, there’s a huge selection categorized perfectly for an indecisive person like myself. Some of the categories were punches, tiki, beat the heat and brain freeze just to name a few. Clover Club was definitely a hit for me and it worked even better that it’s right in Brooklyn. Be sure to check them out if you’re ever on Smith Street and looking for a nice cocktail bar. Check out more pics below.

The Endless Summer Tour

The Endless Summer Tour headlined by G-Eazy and Logic was definitely a good summer concert to partake in. The tickets were very reasonably priced and the show included both Memphis’ own Yo Gotti and Mr. Bompton himself, better known as YG. I am definitely a fan of the latter 2 artists and figured the price was a steal so why not. I didn’t know what to expect at this concert so I went in to enjoy the experience. Unfortunately, I missed YG opening the concert but caught Yo Gotti. He performed a good line of music including the summer classic ‘Down in the DM’ and even gave a verse from a new song entitled ‘Wait for it’. Luckily, YG came back out to join G-Eazy to perform the remix for the ode to Donald Trump. We all know the title by now. Glad I was able to catch a performance by him.

Logic then came out to keep the crowd’s hype going. His new project, Bobby Tarintino, also had just dropped so he was able to perform both old and new tracks. I was astounded at the crowd’s response. Singing line for line, never missing a beat. After the response I saw Logic received, I couldn’t wait to see how it would go for G-Eazy. Man, it only got better. I heard a couple of songs from G-Eazy and was glad to hear them live including the popular songs like Me, Myself and I, Order More, and Drifting. G-Eazy also made sure to bring out special guests including Jadakiss, Ty Dolla Sign and Marc E. Bassy. All performers were great that night and I have a newfound respect for them, their craft and artistry. From seeing fans that had traveled several times to see both Logic and G-Eazy in concert and hear their stores, to Logic giving a special birthday shout out to the twins that were at the Barclays Center that night, to rocking the crowd the way they all did. Kudos to all of the performers. I love expanding my music catalog and experiencing a great concert. The Endless Summer Tour was a great way to keep the flow of summer music vibes in NYC. Enjoy some of the video footage I was able to capture and check out the new music from all of the artists mentioned.

Brooklyn summers

Summers in NYC are made for a nice tee and shorts on a perfect day. Here I’m wearing a New York edition tee made by The Hundreds and I paired it simply with denim shorts. To add a bit of color, I decided to wear my comfy slip on sneakers by Steve Madden. The rose gold compliments the black and white nicely. Also to add a little flair, I used a black bandana as a headband and made a cute little fun bun for a hairstyle. You also never know what an NYC night can lead to so grabbing a long sleeved shirt or light jacket is never a bad idea, even when it’s 100 degrees out. Just tie it around your waist and head out! More full outfit pictures below.

Greene St Vibes

Living in New York, you come to learn that dressing comfortably is key. I eyed this t-shirt dress from H&M for awhile and finally decided to just grab a small and see how it fitted later. To my surprise, this dress fit perfectly! A great investment for the summer and definitely worth the $14.99. I paired it with a quilted rose gold patterned ‘Van-like’slip on shoe from Steve Madden. These shoes are pretty comfy as well. Pairing these with all black seemed to highlight the shoe more in my perspective and went well with this street comfy style. I was Soho ready with this look. Check out more pics below.

Summer 16′ Must Haves

It’s finally warming up in NYC and I am completely overjoyed. It took quite some time this year seeing that it’s now June but I can live with that. Rompers and comfy shoes are must haves when living in New York. You want something quick and cute to throw on and if you’re going to do a bit of walking, which is expected here, comfort is key. I purchased this romper at Urban Outfitters a couple of years ago. Being a huge fan of animal print since way back when definitely worked in my favor. The shoes I’m wearing are mules that I happened to find at Old Navy. These shoes have to be some of the most comfortable sandals I’ve owned. I conquered a full day in NYC in these with no problem and to top of it off, they were only $10.99. Definitely a steal! In my opinion, rompers and a nice comfy sandal are must haves for this summer. More full outfit pics below.

Who loves Dallas? Dallas BBQ that is

I absolutely love love love Dallas BBQ. This was one of the first restaurants I went to in Times Square after moving to NYC and it never disappoints. I’m not sure if they are more famous for their frozen drink concoctions or the actual food. Either way, I always seem to indulge in both. I decided to venture here over the weekend and have the infamous sticky wings and a drink of course. I can say that the sauce used for the wings is absolutely amazing and the fries are always a good side to compliment the wings. For the drink, I went with a new one called ‘beach bomb’. Perfect for a mental getaway seeing that NY weather is still pretty cold. The drink consisted of pina colada, pineapple and blue Hawaiian all mixed, which together created quite the drink if I say so myself. There are several locations for Dallas BBQ and this was my first time dining at the Livingston Street location. Overall, great food and service. The music videos that played from the early 2000s genre til present-day and mini cupcakes they give you towards the end of your meal were a nice touch too. Check out more pics below.

Flex your mussels

I’ve been in New York for quite some time now and was on a quest to find good mussels. I have to say the mussels at Bedford Hall have been the best I’ve had thus far. If you’re ever in the area, please give them a try. The dijon cream mussels are what’s pictured below.