Weekend Update

This photo has nothing to do with food and nothing to do with my weekend ... but it does contain a chipmunk. Mrs. Chipmunk, I believe, she and her husband live here in the drain pipe at the back of Mama and Papa Diva's house. Isn't she sweet? Papa Diva takes very good care of them too, he feeds them cracked corn. Life is good in the burbs.

And life was very good here in the city this weekend too ... though, oddly enough, that life didn't include any cooking on my part. We hit the beach on Friday - Lido Beach on Long Island, to be exact. It was spectacular, though I did burn the hell out of my shins. Don't ask me why or how. I guess I was too busy frolicking to carefully apply sunscreen. Ouch!

After a day of fun in the sun, we hit The Buoy Bar in Point Lookout and sipped on some delicious margaritas while watching the sun set from their deck. It was so lovely I never wanted to leave ... and we may, in fact, return this weekend if the weather looks good.

On Saturday night, we popped into the recently opened Gus & Gabriel, for a truly delicious meal. Owned and operated by Chef Michale Psilakis of Kefi fame, Gus & Gabriel is an American-style gastropub featuring foods designed to appeal to the kid in all of us. What does that mean? It means you're going to want to order every single thing on the menu. I'll be writing a full review at some point, but suffice it to say the meal was extraordinary. You can view most of the menu here, though, sadly, that link does not include the dessert offerings ... and they were spectacular.

The husband chose the peanut butter and jelly cupcake, which was a very grown-up cupcake indeed. A rich, peanut butter cake, filled with homemade strawberry jam and topped with the most outrageously decadent peanut butter frosting. Wow! As if that weren't enough, my friend and I split the "Chipwhich and Shake" combo ... and, honestly, it left me breathless. The "chipwich" in question boasted a deeply flavored caramel ice cream pressed between two decadently rich, dark chocolate cookies. ~swoon~ Its partner in crime was a luscious vanilla shake that had been spiked with a shot of Jim Beam. Are you kidding me?! Why didn't *I* think of that first?! Honestly, it was amazing.

I have a lot more to say about Gus & Gabriel, but it will have to wait for another visit ... a visit wherein I remember to tote along my camera, for instance. :)

After that lovely feast, we repaired to Chez Diva, mixed up a batch of spiked blueberry lemonade, then hit the roof of my building to watch the fireworks. They were wonderful as always, and made so much better this time for the lack of crowds and the private party.

We capped off the weekend on Sunday with a trip to the stadium to watch the Yankees beat the Jays. Needless to say, its time to get back on track. I hit the pool this morning ... hard ... and now I'm off to the kitchen to create some culinary magic of the dietetic sort. Expect a healthy recipe tomorrow ... heaven knows I need it, I've got to fit back into that bathing suit come Saturday!

So, how did you spend the holiday weekend? Curious Diva wants to know.

Bon appetit!