Lindsay's List: January 2025

Where I had a perfect anniversary dinner, my new favorite karaoke spot and a vodka sauce pasta recommendation from me, a born-and-raised Jersey girl

Feb 03, 2025

∙ Paid

It’s the coldest winter I can remember in a long time. Between the cold and a very bleak state of the world, it’s been hard to not let myself fall into the winter trap of never leaving my house and dreaming about the future instead of just focusing on the present. I don’t know if it’s the semi-recent development of my frontal lobe or the desperate need to feel like I have some sort of control in this crazy world, but I’ve been surprised with how I’ve been able to show up for myself this month.

Here are some of the things I consistently did this month to help battle the winter blues, and frankly, try and get my shit together:

Grocery shopped and cooked more
Prioritized low-spend weekday plans with friends, like trivia, karaoke and game nights, to get me out of the house
Embraced the cold by layering well and not letting the very low temperatures stop me from living my life
Started a difficult journey to spend less and attempt to save more, which is not an easy thing to do for a girl who loves to spend and lives in Brooklyn… but I have to start somewhere!!!
Hosted a party with many of my closest friends
Started to go to the gym — and it has been a game changer for my mental and physical health (shocking, I know!!!)

This first month of the year was deceptively long and hard, but I was also lucky enough to get to experience so much good that I actually had a hard time narrowing down my favorites this month. I hope you enjoy <3

The Favorites:

Cafe Mado
Location: 791 Washington Ave in Prospect Heights
Transportation: Eastern Pkwy - Brooklyn Museum 2/3/4; Botanic Garden S or B45 Bus
Cost: Varies depending on what you order (inclusive of tax and a little more than 20% tip, my half of the check, which I split with Claire, was $108.20)
The vibes were high at Cafe Mado
This isn’t the first time I’ve written about a Redwood Hospitality spot, so it’s no surprise that Cafe Mado is at the top of the list this month. Claire and I had a lovely evening celebrating our 7-year anniversary (!!!) over some of the best restaurant food I’ve had in a hot minute. The menu changes daily, but don’t miss the Le Caesar — now one of my top salads in the city and seemingly always on the menu — or the sunchoke pasta (if it’s on the menu). Beyond delicious food, the restaurant is stunning, had an impeccable playlist during our dinner and service was top notch. Plus, Redwood Hospitality always handles special occasions so tastefully with a handwritten note and beverage to start. I’m still thinking about the grand fir non-alcoholic beverage they started us off with.

Yin Yoga
Cost: Varies depending on the class
Arguably my favorite thing about the gym is the yin yoga classes that I’ve been taking. Yin is a style of yoga that focuses on deeper connective tissue stretching and holding poses with nearly complete stillness for ~5 minutes, allowing the body to full relax into each position. If you know me in real life, you know I’m not the type of person who is easily able to be zen or sit comfortably without movement, but practicing yin has helped me lean into relaxation and letting go on the yoga mat and beyond.
Ordering Hot Tea at Restaurants
Cost: Varies depending on the restaurant, but tends to be less than $5 a pot in NYC
Jasmine tea at Sal Tang’s
As I continue to drink alcohol less, ordering hot tea has been a wonderful alternative for a fun drink to sip on when dining out, especially as way to keep warm during this brutally cold winter. I don’t know why but there’s something so chic to me about ordering a pot of tea and being able to enjoy multiple cups of something hot throughout a meal.
Rigatoni Vodka Sauce with Chicken at Randazzo’s Clam Bar
Location: 2017 Emmons Ave in Sheepshead Bay
Transportation: Sheepshead Bay Q or B4/36/49 Buses
Cost: $23.95
Quite possibly the most massive bowl of pasta of my life
They just don’t make restaurants like Randazzo’s Clam Bar anymore. No frills, no fuss and really delicious Italian American food — it’s no surprise the place has been open since 1932. Despite clam being in the restaurant’s name, this vodka sauce (recommended by the waitress, bless her) with ample amounts of breaded chicken cutlet pieces was the most nostalgic and comforting bite of food I had this month, instantly transporting me to my New Jersey childhood <3. I’ve fallen victim to more tiny portions of $20+ pasta than I’d like to admit in Brooklyn, but this is the exact opposite of that — Claire and I each got two meals out of this bowl. Is this the most innovative and groundbreaking dish in Brooklyn? No, but it’s a pretty damn good bowl of a god-tier Italian American dish.
Thursday Karaoke with Christian at Loafers Cocktail Bar
Location: 517 Court St in Carroll Gardens
Transportation: Smith-9 Sts F/G or B57/61 Buses
Cost: Free (but you should buy a drink and tip well!!!)
Defied gravity with Molly at the coziest bar with a killer banana daiquiri
If you find yourself in Carroll Gardens on a Thursday night, you should also find yourself at Loafers, a newish cocktail bar “for the gays” that started hosting a very fun weekly karaoke night this month. The karaoke is hosted by Christian, who is lively, funny and extremely musically talented, and in my humble opinion, singing karaoke with friends is the perfect way to spend an almost-weekend weeknight. And at Loafers, they serve cocktails that are actually good since it’s a cocktail bar first. What more could a girl want on a Thursday night!?
Ellen’s Chocolate Caramel Pecan Tart
Cost: Varies depending on ingredients
Pecan-studded perfection
I had this tart on New Year’s Day and I’ve honestly thought about it for a majority of days this month. It was made by my friend Ellen, who (along with my other friends Jaida and Dani) so graciously hosted us on NYD and served us an ridiculous amount of amazing food. The most notable dish was this tart, which consists of a tender, buttery crust filled with the most decadent chocolate ganache and topped with a gooey caramel-pecan mixture. It’s as good as it sounds, and because of the bittersweet chocolate, it isn’t too sweet. Ellen was gracious enough to share the recipe with me and if you want it, just hit me up and I’ll send it your way!
The Flops:
Lowkey…the whole month of January: Woof. That’s really all I have to say. Devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, the truck attack in New Orleans, multiple fatal plane crashes, the beginning of increased attacks on the rights of many Americans — it’s been a really hard month to feel optimistic. Despite prioritizing my physical and mental wellbeing more than I have in years, I still found myself sinking into more Bad Thoughts than I’d like to admit this month. I’m definitely looking forward to warmer weather and longer days.
The downfall of DEI: Meta, Target, Amazon and Walmart are just a handful of companies that have announced their plans to rollback or eliminate DEI initiatives this month. As someone who lives in one of the most diverse cities in the world and constantly benefits from this diversity, it’s hard for me to imagine what actual positive things could come out of making any place less diverse and equitable.
Focaccia flop: I’ll preface this by saying that Radio Bakery is one of my top three bakeries in the city, but I was quite disappointed by their shakshuka focaccia on my most recent visit. While the harissa and tomato flavor of the bread was incredible, the egg inside the focaccia was hard boiled (I thought it would be soft boiled for some reason), and the texture was off-putting and made the area around the egg soggy. But I think at the end of the day, I just regretted not opting for the everything bagel-seasoned focaccia with scallion cream cheese and lox, which I can now confirm is the far superior of the two options, and one of my favorite breakfast sandwiches in the world.