In an earlier post I gave a whole schpiel about the process of loving yourself. Well, you can expedite that process by purchasing a pair of stilletos. Or in my case…two pairs. Hey, I’m young and I better show off these gams while I still have them.

Last night, the girls and I convened in the Meatpacking district to kick off the weeekend’s bachelorette festivities. As you may know, I rarely venture north of 23rd street and west of Broadway but I will make an exception for food. I even put on my stilettos. I can’t feel my toes today.

We met for drinks at Spice Market where I nibbled on those complimentary wasabi nuts and cried tears of spicyness. Then we headed to the temple of Buddakan for dinner.

Buddakan is kinda like Eurasian Disneyland for adults. It’s a sprawling, labyrinthine playground for bankers, aspiring actresses, and those who go there for the edamame dumplings… like yours truly.

Last year, my girlfriends and I went to Buddakan for girls night out and this group of guys approached our table and asked if we had boyfriends. I lied and said no (Hey, I never said I was an angel), besides it was all part of the harmless spirit of girls night out and also indicative of the hunting and gathering scene in the meatpacking district.

That was a year ago. The scene has definitely mellowed out but I’m not sure for the better. That’s the thing about New Yorkers. We definitley have restaurant ADD. But I’ll always come back if the food is more than decent. And despite Buddakan’s theatricality, it does offer really good food.

Like the edamame dumplings. I had no idea edamame could taste this good. Unless edamame is made of truffle oil and no one bothered to tell me. Then we shared the butternut squash dumplings (awesome!), tuna spring rolls, short ribs, taro puff lollilops, chili rock shrimp, kimchee cauliflower, lobster, mongolian lamb chops, hot and sour scallops the size of my fist and MY. FAVORITE. DISH. OF ALL. TIME…the wild mushroom chow fun.

The last time we were at Buddakan and ordered the mushroom chow fun, the waitress asked if we were done and if she could take it away–you know, doing her job– and I nearly chopped off her arm. I had it wrapped in a doggy bag and finished the leftovers on the cab ride home.

The meal culminated with two desserts. We shared the Chocolate Mille Feuille which is a fancy way of saying chocolate, banana, and icecream and then the kaffir lime tart which is a fancy way of saying “tastes like underwear”. Of course, I have never tasted underwear before and I’m assuming that you, dear readers, have never tasted underwear before…but lets just use our imagination, shall we?

So the evening was an auspicious start to our bachelorette festivities but not so promising for my bridesmaid diet.

I’m not allowed to eat anything until Mexico. But you bet I’ll be gourging on fish tacos and guacamole once I get there.