Weekend in NY and Philly (Ippudo and Philly Cheesesteak)

Another epic weekend in the life of urkangaroo.

I watched the dark knight rises (again) and this time i actually remember the entire movie whereas the last time, even though it was in IMAX, going out and drinking did not help my brain to fully comprehend the movie. especially when i haven't seen batman begins or the dark knight. one day i will watch the dark knight since apparently it's soo much better than the risen version.. but joker kinda freaks me out right now.. but one day....

As a birthday dinner in NY, I was surprised by J, H, and P, and was taken to Ippudo! Over 3800 reviews on yelp with a 4/5 star rating.. crazy! but apparently they don't take reservations, so H went 2 hours early to put our name in! <3 when we were being directed to our table... i thought the restaurant was like a maze! there wasn't really one big dining room, but it was more narrow rooms/halls that just kept going.. (i realized when we were leaving that it was actually just a square.. and that i was maybe high on something thinking it was a maze..)

everyone must try these pork buns at least once in their lifetime. wait the 2-3 hours to get seated here and eat it! light puffy clouds with a fall apart, perfectly marinated pork belly. DELISH!!!

Niku-Miso Cups. miso glazed pork in an edible cup. eh. unimpressed compared to the pork buns.

Karaka Men: ooo yummy ramen! wasn't too spicy. just enough to keep things interesting. and the little ball in the middle is a ball of minced ginger. that also kept each bite interesting. I got mine with a poached egg. i was so full after eating all the noodles. i can't believe H drank all of her soup as well!

J got the Shiromaru Hakata Classic ramen. probably a ramen one could eat over and over and over again and not get sick of it. i prefer spicy but this one was good too.

Cake cake cake cake cake cake cake. yummy! i forgot what the bakery she got it was called but a crazy layered creme cake with fruit and dark chocolate. i ended up blowing out my candle as well as the table candle haha oops! they immediately took it away and lit it again (the table candle) one of the best cakes i've had!!

we then went out for the night to debauch and dance haha ended up at a club/lounge in St. Marks called Solas. such cheap and strong drinks! i have yet to find someone who remembers leaving Solas that night.. we ended up going to k-town for some awesome korean fooood. though i'm pretty sure i remember a lot of people asleep with their head on the table. thankfully not in the food. :D successful night!

the next morning (groan) J and i helped J's sister J move her stuff to her new apartment in Philly to prepare for her first year at Wharton! so smart! so anyways. i passed out in the car with my mouth open and woke up with my mouth as dry as the sahara... sooo not sexy. picked up J's cousin and his girlfriend and went to get philly cheesesteaks! since it was my first time. I have heard about the Geno's vs. Pats Cheesesteak rivalry and I finally got the see it for myself! Geno's is very flashy. i wish i could have seen it at night when it was all lit up. Pats was very grungy and low-key right across the street.

 we ended up going to pat's just because the line was shorter.. i think.. just a spur of the moment decision i guess. there is this whole ordering system too. gotta say it right. "wit" and "witout" onions, type of cheese, and type of sandwich. i just got the classic i guess you can call it. cheesesteak "wit" onions and cheese whiz.

they so fast! and they so rude! (i guess it does say on the instruction wall to have your money ready but they were rushing me and i was still trying to decide what i wanted. booo. oh well w/e. i guess that's the tradition here. the cheesesteak was OK. probably wasn't the best idea for my digestive system and especially after the night before of debauchery... it was an experience though (though not one i would want to repeat). and i can say i've had Pat's philly cheesesteaks.. maybe ill try Geno's next time to compare.. (or is that frowned upon?)

The day ended with the drive back to NY with J after dropping sister J off at her awesome looking apartment.. J's flight out of NY got delayed couple hours because of a "thunderstorm" that i did not see at all.. but i'm not complaining cuz i got to hang out with him for longer :D and then my drive back to the good ol' fruit. all in all a great weekend :)