Tuesday, March 31, 2009

mani-mani

Oh sure, you may have heard of the mani-pedi, but how 'bout the "mani-mani"??. Well, since this blog is all about sharing, I thought I'd share something you may not think about when Food Network is giving you great food-face ... the host's nails. Manicures to be exact. Lemme tell ya, when I was hustlin' and working hard in radio ... which was really more about working difficult hours than anything, there's nothing more I loved after a full week of working on air and hosting parties in nightclubs until 4AM than a mani-pedi from my fave spot on 23rd Street. I'd sit for a few hours and just think. Think about everything, but it was great thinking time.

Back then I had fake nails, not long and crazy, just fake. As soon as I began to work on getting a gig at Food Network the first rumblings I heard were about nails and how fake ones just don't come across as sanitary and stuff. So, me not really being attached to them, I soaked them off like within a day of hearing that. Like really, my nails are NOT gonna slow me down lol. Funny to me. Sometimes I felt going in for a mani-pedi was one of the few times I could also get actual work done. When I worked at a magazine for a bit, I found myself doubling up on editing while sitting around getting my nails done. Now, look, I tell you this not to brag, but really hopefully to get across how much I enjoyed it and it was an escape.

Fast forward a few years and getting my nails done regularly is now dun-duh-dun-dah-duuuuuuuun ... work. Yep, before every run of taping shows I get a little reminder from my culinary team to go get my nails tightened up for their close up. A low trim, cuticles pushed back--not cut, square with rounded edges and a buff, no polish, sounds like I'm ordering a cocktail, eh. Well this time around, we had a lil weekend break in taping followed by almost a full week left of shows. My cursory one-time manicure turned into the need to go back and get a second one so my nails/hands/cuticles would hold up for another 4 days. Not that I didn't want to get my nails done for a second time in 1 week, but when you are taping and other business still has to get done, squeezing in a visit to a nail salon is hard.

Wanna know something else? It's hard to go into a nail salon twice in one week without explaining yourself. The second time I went, I could feel the eyes of the nail techs I've seen regularly since 2001 looking at me confused perhaps thinking "what was wrong with what you got done to your nails the other day?!?!". All I could do was smile because who wants to say "it's for work"?. Sounds very corny. Well, suffice it to say ... I can always find a silver lining ...

Street Food!!!!

So, the first mani visit, my dude ... acting allergic to nail salons took a stroll in the 'hood while I got hooked up and came back with a huge smile on his face. Behind the smile was his spotting of a street food vendor, my fave kind of treat ... and not the typical hot dog, shwarma or knish guy ... the WAFFLE truck!!!!! Ahem, "wafel". Well, needless to say I was pretty happy then and especially happy I always go polish-free so there would be no drying time between me and my fluffy piece of heaven. Now, in all the years I've been to this nail salon, there has never been a food truck within walking distance, so this was a great treat. The guy in the truck said he'd be there for a week as he changes locations throughout the city and I thought to myself "That is wack, because I'll be busy taping for more than a week and won't be able to get back out here for round 2". Well, like I always say, just ask and sometimes it can actually manifest ... when I got the request from my team to go back in for a weekend manicure touch-up, all I could think about was seeing if the waffle truck was there ... and it was!!! Take a look ...


His wafels & dinges truck has done some serious biz, take a look at one of the guys hookin up my vittles ...


I'm surely not first to the party judging by the newspaper clippings and stuff on the truck's side, but OMG ... was this a perfect specimen. Crisp outside and chewy inside. My dude got the pulled pork one on the first go 'round and me, well I stuck to the same thing both times ...


That's what I'm talkin' bout! A mani-mani and a wafel-wafel ... all in one week! If you are a New Yorker lookin' for a sweet street treat, visit the site and stalk the truck, it's worth it! Stick around, I did some dining in honor of Brooklyn Restaurant Week and have good news to report about a new spot I tried. I'll share a flick ... just one really says it all.

24 comments:

Christa said...

NKOTB is sooo my generation. Can't believe you left a comment on my blog...now I'm definitely reading yours. Ha ha. Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment, and I'm sooo with ya on the banana pudding. Out of a box just doesn't cut it.

But I do love me some diet soda...don't tell a soul, k?

:) Christa

Christa in St. Paul, MN said...

P.S. I must have one of those wafel-wafels NOW!

Sunny Anderson said...

christa, i'm glad to 'meet' another foodie! keep in touch ... and i don't mind a diet soda either, need it :-) dr. p is pretty yummy. maybe i'll do a waffle recipe or something on a future show. ever make them from scratch? pretty easy, i fluff the whites and fold em in at the last second. hmmm i have an idea. thanks!!!

Christa said...

I would definitely make those...my guy is crazy about waffles, (especially my from scratch banana-walnut ones) so I think he'd be pretty excited about those, too!

Here's to fellow foodies that occasionally enjoy a Diet Dr. Pepper!
:) Christa

The Duo Dishes said...

Let us find out you can get a waffle on the street in NYC!! Here in LA we've got bacon wrapped dogs with mayo, tamales and bangin tacos/burritos, but no waffles as far as the eye can see. We need a Jet Blue trip to the East right away! Also: Big ups to Hot 97!

Mrs. L said...

Alas, we don't have any waffle trucks out here in Silicon Valley that I know of but you can find some awesome Vietnamese and Mexican food on them (but now I want 'wafels'....)

Sunny Anderson said...

christa, yeah, waffles, pancakes and french toast are all sunday brunch stuff for me! wake up lazy, make a huuuuge spread and pig out carb-style!

the duo dishes, i know right?! i know about taco stands in la, the one on the corner of la brea just down the street from roscoe's is bangin'! was it la brea? pretty sure, the 24 hour spot with the verrrry low window, must be for people with convertibles and 2-seaters lol ... ahhhh cali ...

mrs. l, oooooohhhh, get you some pho! and if you are lucky some bubble tea is around somewhere!

Sunny Anderson said...

the duo dishes, just google mapped it, it was at the corner of pico and labrea, i ate there about a thousand times, i say ate there, but it's a drive thru and i'd order and end up eating all my food on i-10 driving home to rancho cucamonga, long drive to resist that smell! if you haven't been, trust me, worth it. i'd find excuses to leave the i.e. just to get some tacos ... and roscoe's is right up the street ... a battle my belly would lose many days. i'd do roscoe's, run errands until i was hungry again, then do the tacos and go home lol. omg ... i'm such a glutton. ick. i'm gonna chug some water now ...

Dylan Jay Smith said...

Looks seriously tasty. Mmm strawberries <3

tengo hambre said...

hey girl,
your wafel looks great but i'm also feelin the pulled pork idea....never had that before. so what newspaper clippings were on the side of the truck?

Sunny Anderson said...

dylan jay smith, thanks! i think strawberries are my fave fruit or at least the ones i buy the most ...

christina mitchell, it was yummy, so yummy i think i'm makin waffles soon. my dude said the pulled pork was pretty good, just didn't like the pre-packaged cole slaw piled on top. there was something from the times and the post and then a picture of i think the today show (probably some video out there) and a few little logos from other press stuff.

Darius T. Williams said...

OMG - For real?!?! I need to get me a cupcake truck going - that's what I'm gonna need to do - lol. I felt so fat this past weekend in Michigan - I ate everything darn thing I could - lol. If you and I were together, we'd tear some stuff up!

suiteSTL said...

I would move to New York today if I could wake up to a Waffle Truck outside my place every morning. Great blog although I haven't been by in a long time

SIDE NOTE: Darius if you get a cupcake truck can you drive to STL...you know I would be so grateful...lol

The CDM said...

Sunny, announcing to Darius that you're coming to Chicago doesn't guarantee he'll show up. This is kind of an inside joke between me and D, Sunny.

Sorry Darius, I told ya I am legally obligated to give ya all sorts of hay-ell, now didn't I?

Sunny Anderson said...

suitestl, ok!? really, i had block envy when i saw the truck twice in one week. i actually used to live in that area of manhattan when i first moved to nyc, so some of my favorite spots are in that area because it was my first hood. and ditto dtdub, i'm in line for a cupcake ... i bet that would soooo work here too, in the biz districts, i know i'd get a cupcake at lunch. we used to have them delivered at my radio gig from a place up the street! even the girls on a diet would cheat those days!

complaint dept. mgr., teeheehee ... dtdub a no-show? you do know darius, i'll neva forgive ya if you promise a meal and then disappear :-) ... i've seen the pics, i want some vittles ...

Dylan Jay Smith said...

Speaking of strawberries, last night for desert I made a coconut cake, butter cream frosting, with fresh sliced strawberries all over the place.

Slamming :)

Sunny Anderson said...

dylan jay smith, that sounds pretty good. i think all the talk of strawberries forced me to pick a strawberry n rhubarb dessert for dinner last night when i was out to dinner! it was good, but not as good as your cake sounds, i just bought some coconut too, think i'm gonna play with it this weekend and do something for the show. i feel like baking too!

Eric said...

I'm down for manicures too, I read in book somewhere, that ladies love a guy with well manicured hands, so ive been getting them done ever since.. But most importantly, Did they have pecans available for the waffles?? if so, that wouldve been somethin' serious! On that note, this makes me want Waffle House tomorrow :)

Dylan Jay Smith said...

Awesome, let me(us) know what you were working on with the coconut, I feel like doing something fun with it now as well, haha.

ken said...

hey - u- birthday girl....

happy happy-easter...congratulation on your continue success....sunny aka (waffle-chick)...happy happy birthday to you you you and may the good lord continue to bless you and yours....love to like you...ken aka your amigo....

Deltagirl said...

Sunny I am sooooo diggin the waffel man. Where is he located? In Brooklyn? Now that I live in Raleigh NC I can taste that pulled pork waffle. I'm waiting to read your write up on the restaurants in Brooklyn so I can check out a new place when I come home to visit.

Keep up the good work and keep those nails done! That's our one place for peace and sanity. Not sure if you've heard of Smithfield's chicken and BBQ but it is the best. Also we have a great farmers market here in Raleigh. Come down and check us out.

Sunny Anderson said...

eric, yeah nice nails on dudes is a plus. no pecans on at the wafel truck :-( and omg, stop braggin ... you live close to a waffle house?! i used to have a theory that every waffle house sign is missing the light on at least one letter ... true for yours? and i love how they all say hello and greet you when you walk in.

dylan jay smith, cupcakes most likely. i'll keep you updated

ken, thanks, backatcha!

deltagirl, wafel guy was in manny hatty, i'll put up some info about the brooklyn spots real soon. my fam is from nc and it's a farming fam, so i know all about the cool nc farmin!

Deltagirl said...

Sunny, Just wanted totell you about a pretty cool place in Brooklyn, Bed-Stuy area called Solomon's Porch. I hear the food is good and the entertainment is even better. They have live jazz, gospel and poetry nights. Real cool place.

Sunny Anderson said...

Deltagirl, thanks, i'll look it up. poetry night?? i used to go to footprints, ever been there? food is bangin! all the cooks must be graduates of culinary school, which isn't to say non grads can't cook (duh, i'm untrained), but it's neat because usually spots like that are helmed by untrained cooks. the food is beautiful too. they have a comedy night and a jazz night, sounds familiar!