Learning to Be Zen

Even though Sarni and I have lived in NYC for several years now, own an apartment, and just generally feel like "real" New Yorkers (with all due deference to the "real" New Yorkers born and raised in Manhattan), there are some major "New York" restaurants that we've never been to.  Buddakan is one of them.  So when our old friend AK came to NYC for business, this is where we decided to meet him for dinner.

For such a large-scale (it's cavernous!) meatpacking district restaurant, the food was - maybe surprisingly - good.  We had spicy yellowtail sashimi (above) and General Tso's dumplings for apps, sizzling short ribs (yum), glazed alaskan black cod (double yum) and roast duck noodles for mains, lobster fried rice (plentiful but a bit plain) and veggies with thousand-year tofu skin (strange) for sides.

And for dessert, harkening back to Sarni's British roots, we had apple bread pudding (above).  Oh, and we saw Heidi Montag having drinks in the lounge.  Sarni is skeptical whether it was her, and AK couldn't have cared less, but I know it was her guys!  I know it!  She was sitting there, looking all plasticized.

After dinner, we continued our Buddha-themed night by grabbing drinks at Ajna (formerly Buddha Bar).  Here's a shot of my Black Buddha.  It had pomegranate juice in it, so it was healthy.

Here's a shot of one of the buddhas lining the entrance.  I took it on the way out, so you can blame the fuzziness on my Black Buddha.  Those suckers are deceptively sweet but secretly lethal.


Meatpacking District.  On Canon Powershot.