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maybe someday I met my friend Kate at Five Leaves for lunch on Wednesday. It was her last day in New York; turns out she was starting her week-long cross country road trip and move to Seattle that night. As I get older, I realize I rarely see most of my friends on a regular basis. I’ll meet up with different individuals for brunch or dinner here or there, but there are few that I see more often than once a month. It’s just the way life goes, I suppose. Besides, we’re so connected via Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook, is there such a thing as not being in touch anymore? I only saw Kate every couple of months, but I was still surprised and a little sad when I learned she was leaving not the following week, not after the holidays, not later, but in eight hours. Unexpected as it was, it was also refreshing to be reminded that you can change your mind, life and neighborhood at any time. I asked Kate if she had friends or family out in Seattle and she said no, and mentioned she didn’t have Christmas plans either. To her it wasn’t bleak at all, but exciting. After all, how often does one get the chance to start anew? When I think about it now, days later, I am still amazed at the size of her balls. Most people would make any excuse to keep their routines. Then there’s Kate with bags packed, heart open and arms outstretched for the west coast. She ordered the mushroom toast. I had the Five Leaves burger stacked with grilled pineapple, beet, harissa mayo and a cheddar cheese-smothered medium rare patty topped with a fried egg. It was just as good as I remembered it from writing about Five Leaves for offManhattan three years ago. Some things don’t change and it’s for the better. For the most part, however, we’re lucky that things - and people - evolve and move and grow. Five Leaves, 18 Bedford Ave. Greenpoint, Brooklyn (646) 510-6467 Photo taken with Olympus PEN E-PM1

maybe someday

I met my friend Kate at Five Leaves for lunch on Wednesday. It was her last day in New York; turns out she was starting her week-long cross country road trip and move to Seattle that night.

As I get older, I realize I rarely see most of my friends on a regular basis. I’ll meet up with different individuals for brunch or dinner here or there, but there are few that I see more often than once a month. It’s just the way life goes, I suppose. Besides, we’re so connected via Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook, is there such a thing as not being in touch anymore?

I only saw Kate every couple of months, but I was still surprised and a little sad when I learned she was leaving not the following week, not after the holidays, not later, but in eight hours. Unexpected as it was, it was also refreshing to be reminded that you can change your mind, life and neighborhood at any time.

I asked Kate if she had friends or family out in Seattle and she said no, and mentioned she didn’t have Christmas plans either. To her it wasn’t bleak at all, but exciting. After all, how often does one get the chance to start anew? When I think about it now, days later, I am still amazed at the size of her balls. Most people would make any excuse to keep their routines. Then there’s Kate with bags packed, heart open and arms outstretched for the west coast.

She ordered the mushroom toast. I had the Five Leaves burger stacked with grilled pineapple, beet, harissa mayo and a cheddar cheese-smothered medium rare patty topped with a fried egg. It was just as good as I remembered it from writing about Five Leaves for offManhattan three years ago.

Some things don’t change and it’s for the better. For the most part, however, we’re lucky that things - and people - evolve and move and grow.

Five Leaves, 18 Bedford Ave. Greenpoint, Brooklyn (646) 510-6467

Photo taken with Olympus PEN E-PM1

Donuts And A Show After months of hearing praises for Peter Pan Donut, I finally made it to the venerable Brooklyn doughnut shop with my friend Kristin yesterday. Turns out, it was the first time for many others too - those who’d just read about doughnuts in a particularly popular New York Times article last week. Beside Kristin and me sat a couple who insisted on grilling the server: Did you see you guys were just in the Times? (Nope.) How could you not have seen it? It was one of the most emailed articles this week. Did you see the picture slideshow? Have you seen an uptick in business in the last few days…? “I’ve seen an uptick in business in the past five years,“ replied our semi-amused server who later told us his parents have owned the place for nearly two decades. The scene unfolded while I went to work on my cream-filled yeast doughnut and asked for four more to go. Five doughnuts, five dollars. Kristin had a black coffee with her “old-fashioned” cake doughnut. Two dollars for a sweet snack and hot beverage. That’s less than a subway ride in New York! As the couple got up to leave, the man flippantly apologized for leaving a mess of crumbs. I looked up to see scattered chunks of doughnut on the counter looking like dirt flung from the earth. Maybe they wouldn’t have missed all the good parts had they eaten with their mouths closed. Read A Flowering of the Doughnut Arts in the New York Times. Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, 727 Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718) 389-3676

Donuts And A Show

After months of hearing praises for Peter Pan Donut, I finally made it to the venerable Brooklyn doughnut shop with my friend Kristin yesterday. Turns out, it was the first time for many others too - those who’d just read about doughnuts in a particularly popular New York Times article last week.

Beside Kristin and me sat a couple who insisted on grilling the server: Did you see you guys were just in the Times? (Nope.) How could you not have seen it? It was one of the most emailed articles this week. Did you see the picture slideshow? Have you seen an uptick in business in the last few days…?

“I’ve seen an uptick in business in the past five years,“ replied our semi-amused server who later told us his parents have owned the place for nearly two decades.

The scene unfolded while I went to work on my cream-filled yeast doughnut and asked for four more to go. Five doughnuts, five dollars. Kristin had a black coffee with her “old-fashioned” cake doughnut. Two dollars for a sweet snack and hot beverage. That’s less than a subway ride in New York!

As the couple got up to leave, the man flippantly apologized for leaving a mess of crumbs. I looked up to see scattered chunks of doughnut on the counter looking like dirt flung from the earth. Maybe they wouldn’t have missed all the good parts had they eaten with their mouths closed.

Read A Flowering of the Doughnut Arts in the New York Times.

Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, 727 Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718) 389-3676