Eating in the dark - Aussie style

This weekend has been a roller coaster of events, and as a result, I am on a six week cleanse. To put it more clearly, Burning Man finally caught up with me, and I realized that I have been partying non-stop since I got back from Nevada.

But, I guess I have to explain why I came to this conclusion , and folks, it ain't pretty. I'll start with the lovely date I had on Friday, and he was super cute and fun, but I should have gone home afterwards, instead of ending up at Rebel for the Fever Party and drank so much, I don't remember getting home. Yeah, tres pretty.

Then, after a painful hangover that lasted all day on Saturday, it was off to Dining in the Dark that night which was actually one of the greatest experiences I've had dining out in the city so far. The Ace Hotel, a lovely boutique hotel located in the Chelsea area, had partnered with Opaque, a dining group that offers dining in the dark experiences all over the world. It was the fist time they were making an appearance in NYC.

dinner

 Imagine sitting in absolute darkness, where your waiters are visually impaired, and you can't see your dining partners or the food carefully placed in front of you. Each morsel becomes a discovery of unusual spices and tastes, where other senses over-compensate with surprises hidden within each bite. We forgot about using utensils, feeling better prepared to eat with our fingers, and truly tuned in to what our companions were actually saying, losing ourselves in the all consuming darkness surrounding us. It was a thrill.

After dinner, it was off to Grotto for the once-a-month underground party madness, and I really wanted to stay and enjoy the music, but for some reason, I don't know WHY, I only wanted to go home and get some sleep. And I tried to sleep, for hours, but I had a headache, my senses were off, and the sounds of my beloved city prevented me from getting any rest.

So, Sunday brunch had a shaky start, and it was slowly dawning on me that I truly needed a break, and just be. I think I also realized I was smoking like a crackhead, I had actually smoked two packs of cigarettes in one day, and my inner parts, especially my throat and lungs wanted to crawl outside any opening of my body and just walk away.

A decision had to be made, that I needed to stop smoking. Since drinking makes me want to smoke, I needed to also stop drinking, at least until the thought of smoking no longer made my mouth water.

And so it was, that I arrived at our boozy all-you-can-drink brunch on Bondi Road, where drinks and food cost $18.00, with a decision to stop smoking and get on a detox plan towards healthy-dome.

Bondi Road was great, BTW. They offer fantastic Benedict's, with salmon and avocado, all you can drink Mimosas, Bloody Marys and Bellinis, complete with hash browns, side salad and lots of toast with butter. I was surrounded by my lovely crew of friends, who were nothing but supportive of my decision to be drink-free for six weeks.

It was pretty funny being in an all-you-can-drink spot while being seriously on the wagon, but trust me, my bod is in need of a break, and it was not complaining at all.

Let's see how long it lasts, and as long as I can stop smoking , that would be one small step for my lungs, one giant step doing healthy.

I figured I've done everything else, I might as well do healthy for a while. Can ya digg.

After Bondi, we cruised around for a while, till i made it back to the crib, for a seriously great nite's sleep.

BRUNCH #35 - LES

PLACE: Bondi Road

EATS:  Queen Adelaide Eggs Benedict, with Salmon and Avocado, Omelets and Buttermilk pancakes.

DRINKS: Moomosas, Moo Mary's, Greyhounds and Screwdrivers - but none for me!
TRACKS : Devo - Whip it
OUTSTANDING QUOTE OF THE DAY: Im doing healthy now
OUTSTANDING WORD OF THE DAY:  Whippit