Good Karma comes in small bottles

Scenario 1: You've got five minutes before you have to jump in a cab to meet Mr. Perfect for your first dinner date. You're nervous. Let's face it: You're not the type of girl who's going to down a shot of tequila before a first date, but you're also not the type of girl who can nervously muster up a sober conversation so soon after a long work day. What are you going to do?

Scenario 2: You're on your way to meet the dreaded in-laws for a post-brunch museum exhibit (after a debaucherous night on the town) in no shape to walk around a refrigerated space the size of an airplane hangar while commenting on modern art (pretending to act/know like you care). Top that off with two of your least favorite fans, and it's the perfect mix for the Sunday from hell. How will you cope?

Luckily for you, my friends, good Karma does come in small bottles. Recently, while vacationing in Southern California, I ran in to a charming market in search of something bubbly that would cost under $10. Could I find such a thing that wouldn't have the numbers, "40 ounces" written after the title? With a positive attitude, and clearly some good karma, I headed strait for the wine/champagne isle, where a kind store employee led me towards a sleek bottle of Karma Sparkling Wine. I was skeptical by the bottle's appearance, as it resembled more of a fancy bottle of spring water than something bubbly. But for $6.99/bottle, I figured, "Why not?"

Having chilled the small Karma bottle in the fridge for a couple of hours, I was ready for a much-needed glass. My first thought was, "I love how I can just twist off the top of the bottle instead of shooting someones eye out trying to pop the damn cork, like more traditional sparkling wines/champagnes. Low maintenance is so cool." The color of the beverage was a crisp golden raisin, not as dull as a Sancerre, but not as yellow as a Chardonnay. The pour was delicate and subtle and the bubbles resembled tiny dancers as opposed to grand bouquets of balloons. There was also no foamy head, which I liked.

For $6.99, the sparkling wine was a masterpiece. Though crisp and dry, I tasted undertones of peach and the overall essence of the summertime. What a delightful treat! I can't wait for Karma to arrive on the East Coast...As I only have one purse that is too small to carry its bottle with me from soiree to date, etc. For those of you on the West Coast, don't wait for good Karma to find you, seek it out for yourself!

The Lunch Belle's famous burger recipe

With the 4th of July rapidly approaching, I felt like today would be the perfect day to release my recipe for my outstanding beef-burgers, thus giving you plenty of grocery-shopping time.

It's up to you to decide how to top and dress your burger, but may I suggest that you sandwich the patty between either a buttered, then grilled: onion roll, potato roll, soft ciabatta bread...But for God's sake, PLEASE don't throw this burger on some cheap, 2x2 inch bald bun that is sold by the half-dozen! (If you don't know what I'm referring to...Do yourself a favor and stop reading this recipe now)

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. fresh/thawed ground beef, with an 85/15 meat to fat ratio (trust me on this)
• Alouette® Spreadable Cheese, Garlic & Herbs (6.5 ounce container)
• 1/3 cup chopped white onion (I prefer Vidalia/Maui onions, myself. They're sweeter.)
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• Freshly ground black pepper, sea salt, garlic powder (to taste)

Place all freshly ground beef in to medium-sized mixing bowl. With a knife, draw a line down the center of the Alouette Cheese, and scoop one half of the cheese in to the mixing bowl with the beef (set the rest aside, as you won't need the remainder for this recipe). To the meat and cheese mix, add the chopped white onions, ketchup and seasonings.

Now is the fun part! Are you ready to get dirty? Roll up your sleeves and make sure to wash your hands, now mix all of the ingredients together...With your hands! This sounds barbaric, but it's the easiest and most thorough way to really get all of these components to blend together perfectly!

Once you feel that you've successfully "mixed it up," wrap the top of the mixing bowl with foil and place in the refrigerator for at least one-hour prior to cooking. This will allow the ingredients time to "get to know each other" and really make for a tasty burger.

When you're ready to grill, form your own patties with the mix you just made. This recipe makes about 5-7 burgers, depending on your size preference. Enjoy!

The Lunch Belle's latest "roll-your-eyes" moment

Males, typically under-the-age of 30, who feel the need to purchase a Wall Street Journal or Financial Times newspaper and pretend to read it while riding on the subway every morning. Hey, if you really do find the articles interesting, fine...But I'm hard pressed to believe that 99% of you fools just carry them dern papers around to prove to every other schmuck on the train that you work, or pretend to work, on Wall Street.

Oh ya, and one more thing, skinny guy...Your suit's too big for ya!

Street Eats...Live from 28th & Broadway: An interview with a Mexican food breakfast vendor

What could possibly be more soothing to a hungry Texas ex-pat than purchasing a delicious, authentic and inexpensive breakfast from a friendly husband-and-wife duo extraordinaire who specialize in Mexican food? Perhaps only the fact that they set up shop on the same corner that I catch my train to work from every morning! Proximity and convenience guide me, but Guadalupe's outstanding tamales con queso y rajas keep me coming back for more.

After falling in love with this culinary couple hailing from the Pueblo region of Mexico, I asked if I could interview them and take a couple of pictures. They gladly accepted. Please read our interactive conversation below, and most importantly...Get yourself over to the corner of 28th and Broadway before you head out to work one morning...You won't regret it! If you work the Wall Street hours, don't worry...Shop is set up by 6 a.m.

The Lunch Belle: How long have you all been selling breakfast on this corner?

Guadalupe & Co: 5 years

The Lunch Belle: You mentioned that you live in Upper Manhattan. How come you all bring your business downtown? Why have you chosen this particular corner as your home base?

Guadalupe & Co: The neighborhood where we live is very residential. The only building that isn't comprised of apartments is an elementary school. This location, 28th and Broadway, is very commercialized and we can count on a consistent flow of customers and traffic from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., though we're not here that late. Plus, there's plenty of Hispanics in the area, and the Chinese folks love our food, as well! We've made so many wonderful friends during our five years here.

The Lunch Belle: So just to reiterate, you all just serve breakfast, correct? And if so, until what time?

Guadalupe & Co: Yes, that is right. We serve breakfast until we run out of food, or before 11 a.m.

The Lunch Belle: What is on the daily menu? Also, what is the highest priced item?

Guadalupe & Co: No single item will cost you over $2. We serve:

• Arroz con Leche (this loosely translates to "rice with milk," which is a sweet drink served piping hot)
• Tamales: your choice of pork with mole poblano (red) sauce, chicken with salsa verde (green) sauce, or queso con rajas (cheese with onions and mild green chile peppers)
• Gorditas: your choice of chicharrones (pork rinds marinated in a savory sauce) or chicken
• Condiments to accessorize your food including: shredded lettuce, queso fresco, pico de gallo salsa

The Lunch Belle: Where do you purchase your ingredients?

Guadalupe & Co: There's a wonderful Spanish market in Passaic, NJ. where we are able to buy everything in bulk.

The Lunch Belle: Is there anything about your food that you'd like for me to tell my viewers and your potential customers?

Guadalupe & Co: We make our food with high quality ingredients. Our standards are very high; if we wouldn't eat it, we won't sell it.

A book launch party at 1Oak: Jasmin Rosemberg's "How the other half Hamptons"

Being one to always have the latest copy of US Weekly in hand, when I asked my friend Teddi what venue the book launch would be held at, she replied, "1Oak. You know, the club where Lindsay Lohan supposedly stole that supermodel's fur coat a couple of months ago." Sadly, I knew exactly what she was talking about.


As we approached the building's solid-wood facade surrounded by velvet rope, I felt a rush of adrenaline and butterflies, as I knew that this would be an amazing experience. We announced our names to the pristinely-dressed PR reps and stepped in to a magically dark, dramatic and gorgeous space. While I couldn't tell you off-hand who was DJ'ing that evening, the music was fantastic (and by fantastic, I mean recognizable and danceable). Teddi and I approached the bar with full intentions to pay for our drinks, but learned that everything was "on the house." Jasmin's book, "How the other half Hamptons" was showcased all around the club for guests to grab, and potentially have her autograph their copy. As an added personal touch, Jasmin had 3 special drinks of the night, which included a mojito, a champagne with orange juice and a vodka concoction. No expense was spared on the alcohol or expertise used in creating these outstanding beverages, even as masses of guests clamored for a drink.

Teddi and I grabbed a seat and not minutes later, Jasmin began making her rounds. She approached the table directly in front of ours, and after she was done greeting those guests, Teddi tapped her shoulder and they said their hello's. We snapped pictures and gave her our congratulations and praises. After she went on, we couldn't help but gush about what an inspiration Jasmin's life was to us two blogger's. Teddi writes a fantastic website called, http://www.jgiwc.com/, or "Jewish Girl in Wasp's Clothing." I promote it on my site, but if you haven't yet been, you must check it out now! Of course, any blogger's dream is to become famous, write a novel, have the most fabulous launch party, etc. Jasmin, the book's author, has written for the NY Post, appeared on VHI...And get this, she went to the University of Pennsylvania and studied Economics! Could this girl be any more perfect?

I must say that this evening was one of the most magical, motivational, awe-inspiring nights/events of my life. Jasmin, you go girl...You're every hard working, twenty-something-year-old-female's hero! Keep making us proud!