High and Low

Thanks to Gossip Girl, people have a certain image of New York, and that image is decidedly upper-crust. Some parts of New York are definitely like that, but not all of it. Sometimes, you just need a break, something casual.

If that's what you want, I've got just the place for you: Peanut Butter and Co. I discovered this place during orientation, and I'm so glad I did. It's located quite close to my dorm (shoutout to D'Ag), and it's a cute little blue box (shoutout to anyone who took Helen Scott for Contracts) with blue and white awnings. PB and Co serves only peanut butter sandwiches. Only peanut butter sandwiches.

And they are mind-blowing.

I got "The Heat is On," which features tender chicken, spicy peanut butter, and pineapple jam. It sounds like a strange combination, but it's delicious. Spicy peanut butter will change your life. You will never understand why you didn't think of it before. And for you basics out there, PB and Co. also has seasonal pumpkin spice peanut butter. You're welcome.

But when you don't want casual, I also have your back. I went to Casellula in Hell's Kitchen with a friend...and we finished a bottle of wine without even realizing it. Time flies when you're having fun, but wine flies when you're gossiping.

This place touts its wine and cheese pairings, but I'm all about the real, substantive food. I had read about the Pig's Ass Sandwich in various reviews, so I tried it and it was quite good. Meaty, but not messy. Greasy, but not overpowering. But the star here is the mac and cheese. This stuff is real mac and cheese, not the stuff out of a box. It's a blend of cheeses, baked in a little skillet. When it comes to the table, it's just a crust of cheese bubbling from the black skillet.

But we can't forget dessert. My eating companion and I were already quite full, but he knows I'm a dessert fanatic, so we went for the Drunken Grasshopper -- mint pearl ice cream with fudge brownie and creme de menthe.

Verdict:
PB and Co is somewhere you go for a quick and laid-back meal
Casellula is somewhere you go when you want to impress someone and/or break out your slightly more fancy clothes