saturday slope, things you could be doing.

Dave, Tara & Vadim drove down from Connecticut: met up at my apartment, ate some salad, nuts, crackers and snap peas. Dave and Tara are vegans, a piece of themselves that coaxed them into gently insisting that we take a full meal at The V Spot. "Do you know what it's like being a vegan in Connecticut?" Dave pushed. I do not. We walked down Fifth Avenue, took a
seat.


Vadim and I shared the Empanadas and an Eggplant Panini with hummus and salad. Tara requested the (soy) Chicken Burrito, Dave the Chipotle Burrito. At first glance: the portions are large, the ingredients fresh and colorful.


Dave gobbled down his burrito, Tara came in second. I offered up some of my food, I'm a slow eater. The Empanadas were delightful and surprisingly hearty. Inside I found a well-spiced compote of corn and black beans. The guacamole and salsa garnish was quite excellent with its unexpected tartness. The Eggplant Panini was decent. It seemed to be on par with something you'd pick up at a deli on your lunch hour, but with the signature slightly-off texture of vegan bread. Really, a good sandwich, for what it was. Baked vegan foods can go in very wrong directions, but I really couldn't complain. The V Spot understands how to work with these alternatives. The salads balanced well and were quite generous, as a side. The citrus vinegar dressing added a little variety to the plate that certainly kept me engaged.


I couldn't resist this: the irony of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged on the shelf, and adjacent to On the Road, to boot! An interesting spectrum. I suppose another lesson in not pigeon holing, or perhaps some Park Sloper's giggle.


After finishing up our late dinner, we jetted over to Union Hall for the 10:30pm Queen Killing King's show. A childhood friend, Joe, of the Connecticut crew's new band ( of whom just signed a record deal!!).

Vadim greeted Joe, they hugged it out. Then split to let Joe start working over that guitar.

The talent of the band is undeniable. Surprisingly enough, I felt that their live performance sounded better than the tweaked cuts from the studio. A treat, to be sure. I would definitely recommend checking them out for future shows.


After the last set, we scaled the Slope for a less crowded bar (Union Hall was on par with a Tokyo metro car at rush hour). We settled in at Miracle Grill. Not ready for a beer puncuation, I ordered the Satsuma Cosmo special, my company each had a local brown ale. My cocktail proved lethal in it's sweet, smooth flavor (or perhaps in comparison to the Maker's on the rocks I was drinking at Union Hall, it was child's play?)