Natural High

My cousins Pat and Paulina are visiting from Canada to spend the holidays with us here in NYC. On Friday my other cousin Abbie, my sister Dana, and I, showed Pat around the city. We went to The High Line in Chelsea. The High Line is absolutely beautiful. It's a railroad turned park. It's nothing like I've ever seen. It's the perfect place to read, eat, and chill. Afterwards we had lunch at Chipotle and dessert at 16 Handles on the Upper West Side. And OMG! Where do I even begin with 16 Handles. It deserves its own post so I'll be blogging about it later.
xx Denise

Festive Nails

Christmas nails ("Bordeaux" Essie)

New Year nails ("Multi" Love & Beauty)
One reason why I love the holiday season is because it gives you an excuse for everything. An excuse to shop, an excuse to eat, and an excuse to paint your nails in festivity. For the past few days, I've been obsessed with painting my nails that I've changed my nail color too many times to even count. Above are my Christmas nails and New Years nails. Do you paint your nails according to the season?
xx Denise

Photos taken via Instagram (@denisedanielle)

Gyu-Kaku

It's no joke how much I love Japanese food so here goes another Japanese restaurant post. During Christmas Eve, my family and I headed to Midtown East (beside Lexington Ave.) to eat at one of our favorite resto, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ. It's not just another Japanese restaurant with the usual Sushi and Tempura. Gyu-Kaku allows you to be your own chef where you BBQ/grill your own food on a gas briquette burner in front of you.

I LOVE the atmosphere and decor of the restaurant. The decor is modern with dark wood and everyone is seated at booths (thumbs up for privacy). I love the low lighting and the view of city buildings.

Gas briquette burner
The service was fast and efficient. The servers constantly replaced the grill and consistently came back to ask if everything was okay. The food was delicious! The portions aren't that expensive but they're small so you'd need to order more. My family ordered various of meat and I ordered salmon and shrimp.

Uncooked Kobe Kalbi Beef

Cooked Kobe Kalbi Beef

Hot Oil Seared Salmon in Citrus Sauce

Everything was perfect. Just remember to keep track of what you're cooking or you'll end up with burnt food haha and don't forget to leave some room for dessert. Their dessert menu is amazing! They have smores (where you also make yourself on the gas briquette burner), sorbet, ice cream, and more. I ordered Green Tea ice cream and it was perfect.

Green Tea ice cream
I recommend everyone to go to a Gyu-Kaku or other restaurants where you can be your own chef. It's a guaranteed fun experience. Especially if you're looking for a place to show some off-towners or if you're looking for a venue for a special occasion/event.
xx Denise

Merry Christmas

1) Christmas evening stroll at Rockefeller Center with visiting cousins from Canada and mom.
2) Bath & Body Work's Twilight Woods from Aleaf and Urban Outfitters leather bustier and shorts from Johanna and Jen.
3) Urban Outfitters gc and a Diana from Aleaf and Angelis.
4) NYC's infamous Swarovski covered Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.

Above are a couple of photos of a few presents I received from my best friends and a couple of photos of how I spent Christmas. I couldn't be any happier with the presents I received and how I spent Christmas. Christmas began a little rocky for me but it all fell into place and I'm so thankful for everything. 'Tis the season of giving, appreciating, and EATING. Wishing everyone the time of their lives with love ones. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
xx Denise

Photos taken via Instagram (@denisedanielle)

Lady Liberty

[Scarf - Paco Rabanne, Coat - Anthropologie, Bag - Forever 21]

Went on a school trip to Ellis Island today. I was hesitant to go because I'm not fond of school trips. School tends to kill all things fun. I use to love museums until we had trips to museums where we were given assignments. But I have to admit today was quite fun. Above are photos of The Statue of Liberty and Battery Park. I've been to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty before but I never appreciated it. When you live in New York, you tend to take all the things it has to offer for granted because it's just always there. But trips like these makes me realize how much I LOVE NY.
xx Denise

'Tis The Season

[Scarf, shawl & jeans - Forever 21, Coat - Esprit, Shoes - Doc Martens]

Our family friends from Los Angeles are staying with us for a week. Wore the following outfit on Sunday where we took them to the city. It's the holidays which means brisk weather hence layering but maybe I've taken layering a bit too far because my family said I can pass as a homeless person haha. Nevertheless I think it's the perfect outfit to wear during the winter. We went to Times Square to watch New Years Eve (really good movie) and Rockefeller Center afterwards to see the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree and ice skate. New York City is truly the best place to spend Christmas and NYE. It's hard to believe there only 12 more days until Christmas! 'Tis the season!
xx Denise

HaruHana

If you had to ask what my favorite type of food is, I would answer without hesitation that it's Japanese food. From Tempura and Teriyaki to Katsu and Sushi, you name it and I'll eat it. There are so many reasons why I love Japanese food and one of the reason is that it's a healthier option in comparison to fast food and chain restaurants. Another reason is the variety of seafood dishes they serve because I don't eat meat. For 3 months now I've tested the waters of pescetarianism and so far so good but that's besides the point. My all time favorite Japanese restaurant is HaruHana. It's THE best Japanese resto in NYC and this is coming from someone who's eaten at plenty. There's a Cherry Blossom theme carried throughout the restaurant (even into the bathroom) creating a friendly atmosphere.

Cherry Blossom themed menu

My sister ordered the Pork Katsu while I ordered the Fish Katsu. We were both given a choice of Miso Soup or salad for appetizer and we both choose Miso Soup. And to kill time, they give you sesame seeds to grind so you can later put it into the Katsu sauce.

Sesame seeds

Katsu sauce
My sister loved the Pork Katsu! It was crunchy, tender, and moist. It comes with curry and rice on the side.

Pork Katsu (pork cutlet)
I loved the Fish Katsu. It was cooked to perfection. It comes with tartar sauce and rice on the side.

Fish Katsu (fish cutlet)
The serving size of all the meals are generous. I was immediately full but of course gluttony happens. HaruHana is located at Korean Town in 32nd st. It's across the street from Pinkberry and Red Mango which is another plus. HaruHana will surely satisfy all your Japanese food cravings!
xx Denise