Phase 3 of Reopening in NYC

If there is one thing that I am grateful for about phase 3 of reopening, it would be services such as the salon and eyebrow threading place. At the moment, I don't need a haircut but my eyebrows are happy with the treatment that they received. Unfortunately, the place I liked going in lower east side that is supposedly closer to my work had closed down so I have to commute half an hour to get to another place that does eyebrow threading. I am grateful. I made sure to tip properly in support of local business. 

Also.. just the fact that I made it this far during the pandemic without any illness is something to be grateful for. It truly sucks being in the healthcare field during these trying times. It's so crazy that the shelter in place started four months ago and yet here we are. It is sad reading about other states that are now going through an increase in cases. 

Indoor dining is still now allowed so I find it interesting that restaurants found ways to be creative about their outdoor dining setup. Along with a shade, the current weather makes it such a great experience. As customers, we just need to keep in mind to to wear a mask especially when talking to a server and bring a hand sanitizer. Of course you can remove your mask to eat haha. Be kind. 

The whole set up about outdoor dining works and brings some kind of normalcy for some of us who likes to eat out. I haven't seen a lot of what outdoor dining entails in the other parts of the city, but while I was in lower east side for my sisig and turon fix, I was able to pass by a lot of food places and their outdoor dining. I wish I took a photo but I was in amazement most of the time. 

Food has kept me sane, clearly, and pursuing cravings is something that I take quite seriously (haha). Ube cheese pandesal has been such a quarantine Filipino food favorite that even people are learning to make it and are making businesses out of it. I doubted for a moment about NYC having it (haha) but of course, they have it! The "hype" is definitely real about these delicious ube cheese pandesal. 

Ube cheese pandesal from Kape't Torta in Queens! Lovely bakery.

In addition to the ube cheese pandesal, I got my mango shake fix and it reminds me so much of the homeland. I feel that the best mangoes for me are the "Manila mangoes."

I also crave for some pastel de nata. My first pastel de nata experience was from a bakery called Frankie's Portugal and it was a delightful experience. Unfortunately, the place is closed (at least according to Google) and I've yet to verify if this is true. I found a place just as good, maybe even better, called Joey Bats Cafe. 

Some would compare them to Chinese egg tarts but there is definitely a big difference. I have no preference but some days would make me crave for one over the other. 

I made a list of cuisines that I want to try and Uzbek cuisine is at the top of the list. Brooklyn has amazing options for Uzbek cuisine and that is another thing that I will be grateful about NYC and moving here -- the food options are endless. There are 11 cuisines on the list and NYC has them all! This will be fun. 

Another work week will start and I can only hope for some improvement about this pandemic. Stay safe, all.