I had the opportunity to attend the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards this weekend in Tampa, FL. For those unfamiliar, IIFA is an annual awards ceremony to honor the Indian film industry and is essentially the Bollywood equivalent of the Oscars. The awards are held in different exotic locales every year - previous locations include Macau, London, Bangkok, and the Maldives. As someone who grew up on Bollywood movies and ardently follows the latest Bollywood gossip, you can imagine my excitement when I heard that the awards were organized in Tampa this year! My friends and I bought our tickets in early January and had been eagerly awaiting the show for the last several months.

View from the hotel room in Tampa

The awards show was on Saturday night but we reached Tampa and got the party started on Friday itself. The beautiful sunny weather and amazing beach views from the hotel set the perfect mood for the weekend.  As we were wandering around downtown Tampa, my friends and I walked past the Hilton, where the Bollywood stars were residing. We joined the hoards of fans outside the hotel and got a glimpse of Boman Irani, Parineeti Chopra, and Mika Singh!

While I would have liked to meet more celebrities in person, the IIFA Awards show itself delivered a great experience. In true Bollywood fashion, the event was organized with much pomp and excitement, with energetic dance performances, colorful stage design, and great fashion (Also in true Bollywood fashion, the show started 2.5 hours late on IST [Indian Standard Time]). Here were some of my favorite moments from the show:

Snapshots from IIFA, Source: Shruti Tiwari and Indian Express

• Ranveer Singh’s Energetic Performance: There’s something about Ranveer Singh that oozes swagger and mischief. His bold entrance onto the stage riding a motorcycle wooed the audience as did his moves to “Tattad tatted” (from the movie Ram Leela).
• Frank Underwood’s Lungi Dance: Kevin Spacey attended the show and was somehow convinced by hosts, Shahid Kapoor and Farhan Akhtar, to don a lungi and dance to the Chennai Express song. It was awkward and hilarious at the same time!
• Best Actor and Actress Awards: Deepika Padukone won awards for Entertainer of the Year and Best Actress. The icing on the cake was when the award was presented to her by rumored beau, Ranveer Singh. Meanwhile, Farhan Akhtar won Best Actor for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.
• Madhuri Dixit’s Graceful Performance: Madhuri was hands-down the best performance of the right. The icon performed to all her hits, from Ek Do Teen to Dola Re, and reminded me of my childhood again.

Overall, it was an exciting weekend that has left me with many fun stories...until next year's show!

Summer, a time for enjoying outdoor street festivals, rooftop bars, and movies in the park…a time for eating gelato, sipping iced coffee, beach bumming, walking around in shorts and flip flops, and mini getaways. Speaking of mini getaways, the hubby and I took a lovely trip to Fire Island with some friends over the long weekend. Fire Island offers a very accessible beach escape at just about an hour’s drive from the city. Compared to the more uppity Hamptons, Fire Island has a decidedly more relaxed and casual vibe. What’s more, this 31-mile barrier island has wide sandy beaches (not rocky), and most of them are accessible to the public. There are several different communities within the island and you can get around with bikes, water taxis, or by foot. We spent our time at Ocean Beach, Sailor’s Haven, and Cherry Grove, and each one offered a different experience!

The weekend is coming and one of the plans we always make with friends is to meet for brunch. Brunch is the best meal one can have - it is at that in-between time of day that you can have sweet or savory, eggs or sandwich, mimosa or coffee, and no one can judge you. Nothing spells the weekend more than enjoying french toast with a side of gossip with your best friends.

Source

To gear you up for the weekend, here is a list of what we think are the best brunch spots we've been to in DC and NYC. Boasting of a strong brunch culture, both NYC and DC are a mecca for brunch spots for all types of budgets and tastes. We easily have a list of 6-8 brunch spots that we'd consider our favorites, and the list seems to keep growing the more places we try. But since this is meant to be a comprehensive post and not a Zagat report, here is our abbreviated list!


DC

1) Scion
Scion became famous in DC after President Obama lunched there with his supporters and signed the menu. A lovely neighborhood brunch spot in Dupont, this is my go-to place when I want to indulge in a scrumptious meal but am unwilling to walk more than 5 blocks. I enjoy the cute outdoor patio and the modern décor, but more importantly, the food is of high quality. The menu offers a range of a la carte egg options. My favorite, though admittedly calorie-laden, is the huevos rancheros.

2) Bombay Club
If you’re looking for delicious and high-quality Indian food in DC, Bombay Club is the place to go. Add unlimited champagne on Sundays and you’ve got the perfect brunch! They offer buffet style Indian food, with vegetarian and meat options alongside sweet Indian deserts. Whenever my friends go, we definitely take advantage of the unlimited food and drinks, and probably overstay our welcome. But how can you not with this place?

3) Tabaq
Tabaq does its brunch basics well, offering delicious crab cake benedicts (my favorite brunch dish), omelettes, waffles, French toast, and $3 mimosas. I also love the floor-to-ceiling windows that provide a great view of U street and rest of DC.

NYC

1) Crema
A relatively unknown gem in Chelsea, I'm almost hesitant to share it with the world! Crema has an amazing Mexican style brunch, complete with breakfast style Mexican omlette, chicken chilaquiles, quesadillas, and chile relleno. Everything on the menu is just superb and delicious. The unlimited mimosa brunch offering doesn't hurt either! Crema is also one of those rare places that doesn't need reservations - you almost always get a table right away. That's a big bonus for a brunch spot in the city!

2) Friend of a Farmer
Located in the posh Gramercy area, Friend of aFarmer offers a contrasting rustic style setting. Made to look like an English countryside home that serves up hearty breakfasts, this place reminds you of what a wholesome meal is all about. I love the French press coffee here, and I literally die after their assorted bread and muffin basket. This place serves up several different types of omelette preparations as well, so there is something for everyone's omelette-seeking tastes.

3) Beauty & Essex
Nestled in the Lower East side, Beauty & Essex is almost missed if you walk by it. The exterior of the restaurant is a pawn shop that sells vintage jewelery and other eclectic items. Walk further inside and you'll be surprised by the swanky restaurant interiors and even the bathrooms. One might think it's all a gimmick. But the food is quite exceptional. I just love their soft, fresh-out-of-the-oven pumpkin and blueberry scones, their refreshing kale and apple salad, and brunch pizzettas. Be sure to make reservations well in advance for B&E! We've written about this place in a previous post here.

Now that you know our top selections, we'd love to hear what YOUR favorite brunch spots are in your respective cities. What are your top spots and what places do you suggest we try?  

Happy Thursday everyone! The weekend is almost upon us and, if you’re anything like me, you start thinking about what your weekend plans will be. I’m actually MEGA UBER SUPER excited about what lies ahead for me this weekend. I’ll be visiting my “adopted” hometown of Austin, y’all! I lived there for several years before moving to New York, and I truly love everything about Austin (hence, I “adopted” it as my hometown in the US – though nothing replaces my hometown of Bangkok!). I am pumped about catching up with all my Austin friends, gorging on Tex-Mex food, absorbing the heat and the Texan pace of life. In between all of that, I will also be attending the 3-day Austin City Limits Music Festival, which I used to attend every year when I lived in Austin. More details to come after I return from my trip next week!

But enough about me, let’s talk about what YOU will be doing this weekend. Here are some recommendations of some goings-on about town:

Madison Square Eats

Imagine a land far, far away where you can enjoy Indian, Mexican, Italian, Lebanese, Chinese, and a number of other cuisines all in one sitting. Well, that land is actually not that away. Nestled in the triangle between Fifth Ave, Broadway, and 24th Street, Madison Square Eats offers a gastronomic haven from food trucks and well-known restaurants around town: Momofuku, Mexicue, Ilili, Graffitti , Hong Kong Street Food, Wafles & Dinges, etc. With the weather getting chillier, your days of hanging out outdoors are numbered. So take advantage of this small and cozy outdoor food festival . Last weekend, my friends and I ended up having a 2 hour dinner there, chatting away over wine, falafel, dumpling chaat, truffle oil & honey pizza, black bean tacos, crepes, and lord knows what else! Get there before it ends Oct 19.

Toshi’s Lounge

After a satisfying meal at Madison Square Eats, my friends and I randomly wandered into Toshi’s Lounge just a few streets away. What a great find! This place has live music every night and is reasonably happening without trying too hard. It hit the perfect equation of “Not too hipster + not too dimly lit + not overly loud = Being able to see the person in front of you and having a decent conversation with them”. I can definitely see this place becoming a frequent hangout spot.

So check these places out and let me know how you liked them. I’ll be back from Austin next week and maybe we can exchange stories from our weekend shennanigans?

Hi everyone! It’s Monday and we know you don’t feel like working. Especially after such a beautiful weekend, right? Our weekend was pretty action-packed. With the promise of good weather and great company, I started my Saturday with Embassy Day in DC! For those unfamiliar with Embassy Day, this is an annual celebration of different cultures, where embassies across Washington, DC host an open house and organize activities that present their traditions. These open houses range from offering the country’s traditional food and drink to showcasing dances, skits, and national products from the country. My friends and I visited the British Embassy, where we toured the luxurious gardens, posed next to Bentleys, and indulged in some whiskey! After that, we visited the Italian Embassy, where I promptly made a bee-line to the food court to get some pasta and tiramisu! Embassy Day is an immensely popular event that can easily get crowded, but it is a great way to learn about different cultures.

Ferrari shopping in Italy!

I think we all agree that weekends fly by way too fast. Often times, we get so caught up with doing chores and running errands that before we know it, it's Monday again! It's nice when you can press the pause button and do things you want to do instead of just things you have to do. It was a gorgeous, sunny weekend in NYC, the kind that reminds you of why weekends (and life in general!) is meant for living. My simple (and all too-obvious) recipe for a good weekend: