Grub Street Diet: Carlina Rivera

"After I got my haircut, I met up with my friend Matt at a bar, standing outdoors, bundled up. We went to Donnybrook on Clinton. It’s been there for a while now, and it happens to belong to my friend Meghan. We met when we were on the community board together. I got a bourbon, Four Roses. Matt complimented my haircut, so we got off to a great start. We had a couple bourbons, probably too many."

"My husband and I got takeout from this place called Solo Pizza on Avenue B. We ordered penne alla vodka. I know it’s a pizza spot, but we found this one pasta dish that we love and we absolutely crushed it in front of the TV, trying to recover because I’m kind of a lightweight."

"I hadn’t visited the new location. They have a cute vintage photo booth in the gift shop. They have a Diego Rivera exhibit up now, and they also have other Mexican artists. They have one of Frida’s self-portraits."

"I grabbed a coffee at a café nearby called Kava Cafe and then we walked the High Line. I hadn’t been there in a very long time. There’s more art there now."

"We walked to the East Side and had a very, very early dinner at Upland. And I mean super-early, like four o’clock. My husband got the cheeseburger, and I got cacio e pepe. It just seemed right."

"Do you know that place Dallas BBQ? There’s one on St. Marks and First Avenue. Whenever I eat that early, I always think about how my family would celebrate major family events with the early-bird special at Dallas BBQ because it was cheaper."

"We stopped by Iggy’s bar, a few blocks from my apartment, because my sister bartends there. Our schedules really conflict, but, you know, when I see her it always feels like a small party."

"My husband’s a small-business owner — he’s a minor partner in a café called Citizens — and we always talk about the types of things in his lease or making payroll or property tax, so I found a way to think of how we can support these owners and operators and pass legislation to temporarily suspend the enforcement of personal-liability provisions."

"I hadn’t been since I was in the fifth grade. Oh my God, don’t forget that there are serious hills. It was a beautiful day, and I was totally winded at the entrance. And all I could think was, Okay, let me just get in. I haven’t climbed a hill in like eight months."

"That night, we had Scarr’s pizza. Ugh, they’re so good! How did Scarr figure it out? I’m so proud of him. Whenever I go there, I’m just a little bit mad because it’s so crowded, but I’m also really happy for his success because he’s from the neighborhood. We ordered a Sicilian pie and got the vegan Caesar. I also got a Henny Colada because, you know, cognac is queen."

"On my birthday, I went to Russ & Daughters to get a very special bagel. I got a variation on the Fancy Delancey. It’s cream cheese and smoked fish on a plain bagel. My husband got a classic everything bagel, and we bought dried figs, dried Turkish apricots, and some rugalach."

"I got a coffee at Wafels & Dinges, and my husband got hot chocolate at a stall called No Chewing Allowed! They sell chocolate truffles that melt in your mouth — literally no chewing — so we bought some of those to eat too."

"We went to the Tyger in Soho. It was still raining a little bit, and they have a very nice outdoor setup so we stayed dry the whole time. This is where it gets fun. I got a cocktail called the Tyger Stripe Slushie. It’s a place to share plates, so we got some oysters and eggplant curry, a fried-chicken dish, fried rice, and prawn curry. For dessert, we had the egg-custard tart, which came with a candle. I made a wish."