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Food Blog: New York City January 2014

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I could travel to NYC every weekend just to eat. The beauty of NYC is that you could go through your whole life without eating at the same restaurant twice. In 2008, the New York Times estimated that there were about 25,000 restaurants in NYC. This means you could try a new spot every day for nearly 68 years! (Exciting, right?)

Below are a few of my favorite spots I highly recommend you visit during your next NYC trip. I ate at most of these restaurants/cafes over the course of two days for New Years week! All of these are places have been introduced to me by friends who live in the area – you know who you are. This blog post is dedicated to them :o)

1. Cafe Habana

This is a Cuban restaurant located on 17 Prince St. in SoHo. I fell in love with their Grilled Corn “served Mexican style with cotija cheese, chilli powder and lime.” 

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2. Turkiss

 Most of us are familiar with the late night eats on MacDougal & Bleeker (Mamoun’s, Kati Roll, Masala Times) where we are welcomed at until 4am after long nights out partying. This past weekend, I tried a new Lebanese spot which in my opinion was a classier version of Mamoun’s in terms of quality of food. Next time you’re craving the late night munchies, go here instead of/after/before Mamoun’s. My favorite was the falafel sandwich with the special hot sauce they provide. 

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3. La Churreria 

Need a sugar rush? Check out La Churreria (“Churro Shop”) in Nolita, 284 Mulberry St. where you can indulge in Churros and Chocolate! They also have sandwiches, tapas, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. I came here this past weekend with some friends for a late afternoon snack – perfect spot for a cold wintery day. 

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5. Cafe Mogador

Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisines are always a hit with the vegetarians. This fantastic restaurant is located at 101 St. Mark’s Place in East Village. It’s a great brunch spot for a just a few or large group of people. The mixed platter and hummus falafel platter were delicious. They give really soft pita bread which I cut in half and turned into a falafel sandwich. Don’t forget to try the breakfast potatoes – soo good. 

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6. Rubirosa

This is a family-style Italian restaurant located on 235 Mulberry St. between Prince St. and Spring St.  I came here with a few friends for lunch and we sat in the back dining area where they can fit larger parties. The flatbread Arugula Pizza was excellent. The Ricotta Ravioli was very tasty as well. The best part about Rubirosa is that you leave feeling light and healthy – always a bonus!

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…more Food blogging to come soon! Stay tuned 🙂

Movie Review: Dhoom 3

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4_VfrsNYv0

* Note: I will never put spoilers in my reviews – so don’t hesitate to read below. *

Finally saw Dhoom 3 last night! As expected, every single Indian person in Massachusetts was there celebrating Christmas Eve watching Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra strut their stuff in the much-awaited release of Dhoom 3. I was lucky to have my brother, Umang, sitting next to me narrating every shot that was filmed right in front of his apartment in Chicago.

First the positives:

1. The movie begins with a very intriguing intro scene starring Jackie Shroff (Iqbal Khan), who is definitely showing his age on screen. Child actor, Siddharth Nigam, plays young Sahir who grows up to be Aamir Khan (Sahir Khan). Siddharth is not mentioned in many reviews, but he is absolutely stellar as a young actor, and very cute! I’m certain he’s going to be pretty famous in Bollywood soon.

2. Aamir Khan never fails to give his best performance. He is THE reason to see this movie. His acting is flawless, his body is ripped, his dancing skills at his finest (see ‘”fun facts” below).

3. Katrina Kaif (Aliya) is as hot as I’ve ever seen her be. After seeing this movie, it’s certain she has the best-sculpted body amongst all Bollywood female actresses in my opinion. Her killer song is “Kamli,” in which she auditions to be part of the “Great Indian Circus.”

4. Abhishek Bachchan (Jay Dixit) is entertaining as expected, and very tall. He towers over Aamir the entire movie. Uday Chopra (Ali) was his same stupid-funny/goofy self. He gave a few laughs here and there but overall pretty corny and unoriginal.

A few negatives:

1. The movie is TOO long (almost three hrs) and could have been done easily in two hours.

2. The intro scene supposedly takes place in 1990…but whoever scripted this was definitely confused with the 1930s….

3. The Americans (Victoria, the blonde police cop and Anderson, the banker) have the WORST acting in the entire film. Why does this always happen in Bollywood movies?

4. I think Katrina should have been given more lines/appearance but it was clear she was just meant to be the item girl.

5. Some of the action sequences are outrageous – too many Matrix-like shots that are getting old and predictable. There is this one scene where police cars were crashing into each other for about 5 minutes – what the heck?! I was not a fan of Abhishek and Uday’s intro scene that took place in India – the scene was too lengthy and not what I had expected as their intro.

Overall, though, definitely a must-see film. With that being said, go with low expectations. It does contain the right amount of “masala” for a Bollywood movie. My recommendation is to leave your brains at the door and just go for the ride. If you get bored, just gawk at Aamir/Katrina’s body and dancing. Never been to Chicago? No worries – Dhoom 3 will take you through every hot-spot and side street there is of the Windy City.

5 Fun Facts about Dhoom 3:

1. Katrina and Aamir learned how to acro-dance within just a few weeks and were taught by Cirque-du-Soleil performers. There were no safety nets placed during the climax song “Malang.”

2. Yeah, so Aamir is no Hrithik when it comes to dancing, but did you know that Aamir spent three weeks in Australia learning how to tap dance for his intro song, “Dhoom Tap Instrumental” ?

3. Dhoom 3 is the first Bollywood film made in IMAX format

4. My brother’s friend, Ravi Shah, helped cast the background dancers for the film

5. Good news for you Dhoom series fans – there are rumors of Dhoom 4 releasing within the next 2 years – stay tuned!

Acting: 4.5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Costumes: 5/5
Choreography: 5/5
Sets/Filming Location: 5/5
Songs: 3/5
Eye Candy: 5/5
Special Effects: 4/5
Length of Movie (too long!!): 1/5
Action Sequences: 4/5
Overall: *** 1/2 (3.5/5)  or 7/10

Key:
* = flop, don’t even bother
** = time pass, you’ll live if you don’t see it
*** = worth a watch
**** = A hit, see it in the theater!
***** = Bollywood Blockbuster

Related links:

Making of Dhoom 3 “Malang” where Aamir and Katrina learn acro-dancing

Behind the Scenes filming in Chicago

Top 10 Bollywood Songs of the Week | December 22-29th 2013

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1. Lahu Munh Lag Gaya… Ram Leela

2. Nagada Sang Dol… Ram Leela

3. Tooh… Gori Tere Pyaar Mein

4. Chingam Chabake… Gori Tere Pyaar Mein

5. Gandi Baat… R…Rajkumar

6. Saree Ke Fall Sa… R…Rajkumar

7. Dhoom Machale Dhoom… Dhoom 3

8. Blue Eyes… by Honey Singh

9. Dil Ka Mizaaj Ishqiya… Dedh Ishqiya (new movie starring Madhuri Dixit)

10. Hamari Atariya… Dedh Ishqiya

Welcome to Priyanka’s Blog!

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Welcome to Priyanka's Blog!

Hi all,
Many of you have been requesting me to start a blog about my views on movies, music, Bollywood, and dance. So here it is! I want this to be an interactive portal where my friends can contribute their thoughts as well. So don’t be shy – post away about what you think about my top 10 song picks of the week or my review on a movie. Don’t hesitate to share an awesome find you have – I will always give credit where it’s deserved :o)
Happy Blogging!