4/6/13 - Mets Game and the Spiciest Thing I've Ever Had

Sorry that I have waited so long to post about last weekend. I blame the release of Age of Empires 2 HD. Anyway, my friend Elliott visited on Saturday, April 6th and we had quite a day. We made plans ahead of time to go to a New York Mets game, and get dinner afterwards. I had never been to a Mets game before, but had heard good things about Citi Field, so I was very excited.

The Mets played the Miami Marlins in a day game, starting at 1:10 pm. The subway was packed with other people going to the game, and the stop is very convenient to Citi Field. We had beautiful weather that weekend, making it a great day to see a baseball game. Our seats were in the first row of the upper deck in left field, which gave an excellent view of the field. Obviously they weren't the best seats, but they were perfectly good for just enjoying the weather and some baseball. Elliott enjoyed seeing all the airplanes landing at LaGuardia Airport, as he is a bit of a flight aficionado. The upper deck provided an excellent view of that.

A beautiful day.

For lunch at Citi Field, we got sandwiches from Blue Smoke, a delicious barbeque place. My pulled pork sandwich was excellent, with a great tangy sauce that left me wanting more. The seasoned fries were very solid as well, though they left me wishing for garlic fries from Grounder's at Safeco Field (can't fight my Seattle bias). The game was fairly uneventful until the Mets scored 3 runs in the 7th inning and 1 run in the 8th to win by a score of 7-3. On a beautiful day like last Saturday, going to a Mets game is a great way to spend the afternoon.

Yum.

After the game, we stopped at Jamba Juice near Times Square before taking the subway back to Brooklyn. We decided to go to the Brick Lane Curry House for dinner, at the Lower East Side location this time. I first learned about the restaurant from Man vs. Food, which featured an insanely spicy curry challenge that the host managed to finish. The "phaal" curry has 10 different kinds of chili peppers in it, including the dangerous Thai chili. I was debating with myself whether or not I should attempt the challenge the whole way there.

When we got to the restaurant, I had to make my decision. Because I was feeling adventurous  being an idiot, I decided to go for it, ordering a mango lassi to help with the spiciness of the curry. After ordering it, I immediately thought, "What have I done?" I knew it wouldn't be easy. The curry came and I let it cool for a couple of minutes. The first bite immediately hit me hard, and my mouth felt like it was burning up. My face was sweating and my eyes were tearing up, much to the amusement of Elliott. After a few bites, I would take a break, only to take a few more. The mango lassi provided some temporary relief, and the water provided the tiniest bit of relief, but it was really just a matter of sheer determination. Slowly but surely, I managed to finish all of my curry. My mouth felt like it was burning up afterwards, but I got my certificate of completion and a free mango lassi (on the house).

Worth it? I say so.

After we left the restaurant, I felt extremely full and sick to my stomach. I felt like I was going to throw up, but somehow I managed to hold it all down. After we got back to Brooklyn, I had to go get some Pepto Bismol to help calm my stomach. Despite all the discomfort and suffering, I think it was worth it. I have a story to tell for a long time. The day ended with me saying goodbye to Elliott, who was headed back to New Jersey. We managed to pack a lot into the day, and have the story of the time I ate all of a spicy curry from hell.