Well, I was not even going to blog about my daytime food today because I had nothing exciting planned. But, lo and behold, my coworkers came through! (Is anyone even surprised?)
You may by now be able to identify that photo as the delicious Dominican delicacy that is mangu! I had barely been at the office for 30 minutes (and had already had a very full breakfast and a mini-snack) when Nydia, Belkis, and Lillian lured me into the conference room with promises of that mangu and this avena dominicana:
Seriously, this Dominican oatmeal is sooo good. I had all the ladies (see below for more) at dinner tonight sniff the [empty] container it came in, and Diana accurately nailed the scent when she exclaimed that it smelled like a tub full of flan. After this breakfast #2.5, my coworkers could not finish the mangu OR the oatmeal, so they gave it all to me! I estimate that I drank another 1.5 cups of the oatmeal over the rest of the morning. And the mangu came back for an encore on top of my packed lunch salad:
Belkis also added some tostones to the mix (check out the piles of minced garlic all over them!):
I had one angelic slice:
My other food for the day was not that exciting or new — just know that there was a lot of it!
After work, I went right down to the East Village to meet Diana, Olga, Vani, and Emily for Brooklyn blogger meet-up part 3! Now, I know the Village is not exactly in Brooklyn, but some things warrant crossing borough lines. In particular:
Milon has been my favorite favorite favorite Indian restaurant since my freshman year of college, errrr, nine years ago. When I found out Emily had never been to “curry row” or even eaten real Indian food, I immediately pounced on the opportunity to drag her there expand her food horizons. I haven’t been to Milon in a couple years. Since I was last there, they have apparently begun to use their “gardenlike view” as a selling point. What is a gardenlike view, you ask?
I can almost see the tomato sprouts pushing their way up through the hot chili pepper lights?
Obviously, Milon is a super teeny, crowded, and chaotic restaurant that is a crazy experience in itself. It wasn’t all about the sight-seeing, though. Food clearly had to make an appearance.
We enjoyed our complimentary papadum and chutneys:
And I ordered the only thing I have ever ordered at Milon because it is heaven in a metal bowl: chicken tikka mussallum.
Also, Milon has caught up with the whole grain times and added brown rice to the list of rice options!
(The meal also came with cabbage and lentil soup.) I had tastes of everyone else’s meals, too, but you’ll have to check their blogs for more details! (Ohhhh, the suspense :-P)
Every meal at Milon inevitably involves a birthday celebration … or seven, depending on how crowded the restaurant is. I guess we decided to pretend it was my birthday tonight.
The complimentary candlelit mango ice cream comes complete with a birthday celebration of flashing lights and festive birthday music. And I was extra lucky tonight because still-vegan Vani handed her ice cream off to me.
Emily got cozy with our waiter:
This man has been at the restaurant forevvvvvvvvvvvvver. We’ve shared many a birthday dance up and down the aisle. I love how affectionate the staff here is!
And more little goodies arrived with the bill:
Happy tummies, and all for only $9:
I love how my day began in the Dominican Republic and ended in India! Where would your ideal day begin and end?
Tales of Expansion: Baby Butternut Edition 
what a great day and dinner sounds so fun!
i would love to start the day in Greece and end in Paris.
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HAHAHA fun stuff! If you like Indian, we need to do dinner in Jackson Heights too (Queens) – streets full of Indian restos and sari shops and bakeries – oh my! Seriously authentic. Maybe I’ll drag the roomie for extra authority. 🙂
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O0o I agree with Diana, let’s go to Queens! I’ve been to the Indian part there too and it’s awesome!
Great to see you Sarah! 🙂
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That restaurant looks so cool!
http://theidleloaf.wordpress.com
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I’ve seen bloggers mention mangu, but I’m still not entirely clear about what it is. Is it a fruit or a vegetable?
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Awesome post. Great pics, and MANGO ice cream? I gotta make some of that! Love the pic with the waiter, classic!
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I would say Madrid to Greece/Lebanon/Middle East! Sounds like a great dinner, $9 that is a steal!
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Start Greece end DR (my abuela made me mangu and scrambled eggs for dinner all the time)
The first thing I ever cooked were tostones and even though I sliced a finger it was the best experience ever!
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mmm tostones! I think my ideal day would start off in France for baguette/pastries, head over to India and then end in the Middle East–I love hummus/baba ganoush/falafel/anything with sesame seeds!
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Looks like so much fun! I love Indian food and now can say I have met a blogger and she was cooler in real life than I ever thought…am hoping there will be a blogger dinner in October when I am in NY?!
What’s the difference between Dominican oatmeal and regular? Do they use the creamy con leche milk? (I don’t know the proper name, just that Kozy Shack con leche rice pudding is amazing!)
my perfect day would start in France (fresh croissants and bowls of hot chocolate) and end…hmm…China or India? I don’t know if what I class as ‘Chinese’ food is what they actually eat in China!
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Great eats! I don’t think I’ve ever eaten half of that stuff! haha
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Amazing eats!
Hehe, love the ice cream with a birthday candle!
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That place looks like so much fun! And what a crazy ceiling! You always have such amazing eats.
My ideal day would begin AND end in HAWAII! hahaha. But foodwise? Hmm… maybe begin anywhere with oats, and end in the Middle East so I can eat falafel! Yum 😀
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wow what a great deal!!! i love all those lights. crazy overload but i still love it 🙂
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What a fantastic day of eats! My food rarely travels through so many different countries in one day!
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indian food is the key to my heart! so good. and wow only $9?! cheeeap. i usually spend $20 on indian. at least. those lights look so rad!
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9 dollars?!! Get outtaaa here Sarah! haha! That place looks like so much fun, I love all the decorations. A hectic atmosphere is totally my style! It’s so entertaining!
And yummm, I haven’t had legit indian food in forever! Everything looks great…and happy birthday! 😉
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Oh yum! What a spectacular day 🙂
I would like to begin mine in Costa Rica and end in Thailand… but I should probably mention that I would also be eating 6 meals that day. I’ll get back to you with the other 4 locations 😉
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What a great food day you had! I wish I could join you guys! Sadly, it would be a very long drive. 🙂
I love all food. I don’t know where to start or end 🙂
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Can I do that with my apartment’s ceiling? I love it. I’d probably hit my head on it constantly. Oh, I just caught up and I’m with you on those almond slivers. I love those Sunkist kind. Anyway, back to this post.
I think of you now when I eat at work. It’s like, nothing is off limits because it’s a) vegan b) not meat not cheese (which is the same as a), and c) it’s FREE! Just thought I’d let you know thatchyoo be runnin’ through my mind! You must be tired 😉
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id probably start in DR and end up in Cuba. i could live and die off spanish food. YUMO!!
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Oh Wow! I’ve been there! I stumbled into that place when I visited NY a few years ago. It was a crazy fun time. I’d recognize those lights anywhere 🙂
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I don’t think I’ve ever been to Milon without Twin, but I miss it! I need to have Indian food and Thai food soon. In PA, I can’t get either, at least not anywhere near where my parents live!
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