This year was a great year of “getting the bread“. What I mean by that is that I had set goals for myself, and having worked hard each and every day, I can close off the year with a sense of satisfaction as I happily reminisce on 2018’s biggest milestones. Early in February, I committed to Indiana University, and as committing to a college is a big deal for any high school senior, I was happy to have made it official early on. As for the second half of senior year, it sped by in the blink of an eye; classes got easier as springtime came around, and my classmates and I got exponentially lazier as we neared graduation. Between promposals and the increasing hype for college, my friends and I had the time of our lives. The sparkly magic of Prom and the inevitable pre-Graduation jitters made all of our hard work throughout senior year, and high school in general, so worth it. Spending the last few weeks together in our high school’s halls, my friends and I enjoyed every moment before walking across the graduation stage and receiving our diplomas. As for my summer, I spent (really early) mornings watching the sunrise, afternoons soaking up the sun, and evenings relaxing at dinner on the bay. As soon as August rolled around, I quickly packed up my life and moved halfway across the country to Bloomington, Indiana. As soon as I touched down in the Midwest and college had started, I hit the ground running. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to become an Indiana Hoosier, despite never having thought I would end up anywhere far from the beloved east coast.
So yes, this year was great. And it’s only the beginning of the rest of my life.
As for recent food I’ve had since my last post, there have been quite a few notable meals.
In Bloomington, Indiana, I’m always on the hunt for the best eats in my college town. I recently found Social Cantina, a modern and chic Mexican taco and tequila bar. Of course, I’m most interested in their tacos, all of which are a-la-carte and unique with different flavors and seasonings. Naturally, this place also has fabulous guacamole, so I’ve made the effort to return to this Bloomington restaurant a few times since my first outing.
Another great place I found was Darn Good Soup, a little shop that has, well, soup! One cold day, my friend and I got some hearty soup and quite frankly, it was darn good! We both split the corn chowder and the black bean chicken soup. In general, I highly recommend any kind of soup for the upcoming cold months.
Additionally, I love to keep up with my favorite classic Btown spots. Mother Bear’s Pizza and Baked by Bloomington cookies, as mentioned in my last post, continue to satisfy my late-night cravings, especially during finals.
Once final exams ended (AMEN!), I traveled home to New Jersey to finally eat something other than dining hall food. Between Thanksgiving and winter break, I have truly embraced and appreciated every homecooked meal and Northern Jersey favorite restaurant outing.
Starting with delicious meals in Jersey, I recently had a poké bowl from Poké Crew in Englewood, blueberry pancakes from the Tenafly Diner, and my favorite salad from Patisserie Florentine in Closter.
Regarding brunch in the city, aka my favorite thing ever, I went to Cookshop in Chelsea with my parents a little bit ago. I got the Frittata, accompanied by a mimosa and good company. Nothing gets me going quite like brunch in the city.
Just yesterday, I went to the city to meet up with a longtime friend. We met in Bryant Park right before lunch and decided that dessert was the way to go before our big meal. We found the DŌ kiosk in the park and got a scoop of their edible cookie dough. Even though it was barely noon, this sugary pick-me-up was so necessary.
My friend and I then made the trip downtown to Jack’s Wife Freda, one of my favorite spots in the city. Vibrant cantaloupe juice and colorful entrees create the perfect experience. Below on the right is a closeup of my meal; I had the breakfast bowl which is spaghetti squash topped with tri-colored quinoa, kale, roasted tomatoes, avocado and poached eggs. Obviously, my cantaloupe juice makes an appearance, too.
For the second dessert of the day, as if my friend and I didn’t have enough food already, we went to the Flour Shop as we were wandering around SoHo. This colorful dessert shop features cakes of all colors, sprinkles and flavors. We got cake balls to share; one of them had a rainbow filling, and naturally, that really got me excited. This was genuinely a very magical experience.
Finally, I made my way down the shore to Margate City, New Jersey to roll in the new year. I got to go to the famous Steve and Cookies By The Bay; this classic Margate dining experience was featured on OpenTable’s poll as being one of the nation’s best restaurants. I can’t begin to describe all that Steve and Cookie’s embodies as a great restaurant and institution, so I recommend trying out the place if you’re ever in the area (and if you can finagle a reservation!). Additionally, though I don’t have pictures of my grain bowl from Enlightened Cafe down the shore, my sweet potato hash bowl with roasted brussels sprouts got me feeling very ~enlightened~.
This year was full of meeting so many new people, traveling to new wonderful places, like London and more, and leaving my mark wherever I go. With that in mind, I look forward to sharing and spreading more love and positivity in 2019 and beyond, no matter how hard college gets or how broke I am that I can’t afford a good meal outside of a dining hall (haha). There are lots of good things coming in 2019… just you wait!
As for new things that are happening, I am happy to introduce my Simone Says Food brand expansion to Facebook and Instagram! Feel free to check out and either Like or Follow my pages: Simone Says Food on Facebook, and @SimoneSaysFood on Instagram!
This is Simone, closing off another great year with a bang!
xoxo
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