Foodie-ville

New York City is a Foodie's paradise. Sure, you have the traditional fare that New York is known for like pizza, bagels and hot dogs from a street vendor. But when you dig a little deeper, there is a treasure chest of delicious cuisine on every corner. Literally!

Whenever I am up in New York I do my best to stay busy after work hours. I mean, who wants to sit in a hotel room and watch bad TV when you are in a city like New York. So I usually book myself up and spend quality time with friends and family. This recent trip was no different.

I rolled into town on Sunday and spent a wonderful evening by my lonesome at the Intercontinental Times Square (read about my stay here). On Monday, I was lucky enough to dine with 2 of my favorite TIA gals ~ Adrienne and Amanda. Adrienne booked us a table at Dell'Anima...a chic little Italian restaurant in the West Village. The food was delicious, (how could bruschette with home made ricotta and orecchiette with pancetta and broccoli rabe NOT be delicious!), but the company was even better. I love that I work with great people. What I love even MORE is that I can truly call these 2 girls (and some others ~ you know who you are) true friends. :)


One of the best things about New York is that the unexpected can pop up at any time, and that is where lunch on Tuesday comes in. My office is in a great part of town ~ 25th and Broadway which is an intersection that houses Madison Square Park and the Flatiron Building.


In recent years, the city has made it their goal to increase public space by creating pedestrian seating areas at major intersections. One such space exists right outside my building's doors and I was happy to see that Madison Square Eats was occupying the space during my stay. Essentially, a bunch of restaurants and artisans set up tents and feed locals for a month.


So despite the rain, I popped down there for lunch and picked me up a kafta arayes wrap from Ilili (a great place serving Mediterranean fare) and a cheddar cheese & truffle oil pretzel from Sigmund Pretzelshop. Words cannot describe the yummy-ness of these 2 items.


I love when street fairs pop up because it gives me a chance to sample different things from restaurants all around the city. It's one stop "stuff you face" shopping!


Dinner on Tuesday night was with Jim and Daniel at their abode in Forest Hills. Daniel whipped up a delicious meal (as per usual - great cook!) using an Anne Burell recipe as a base. Of course he added his own little zip to the Chicken Scarpiello. It was great as was the food coma that induced after we finished. :)

My final day in New York City found me with a lunch date ~ bestie Tulay. We hit up Tappo ~ a new pizza place that opened up around the corner. It is a sister restaurant to Vezzo - another amazing pizza place that Dina (work mom) introduced me to a while back. We shared their Shroomtown pizza which consists of Portobello, Shitake, & Button Mushrooms and White Truffle Oil. Can we say YUM?!


So as they say, that's a wrap. This foodie needs to detox for the next few weeks in preparation for my next trip. I'm sure there will be a whole new slew of hot spots to try out!

We're Back in Action Baby!

So it's been a while. A long while...sorry about that, but we are back in action. Life has been nuts trying to get settled in the new house. I am happy to report that we are about 98% unpacked and are close to having everything in place. There is still a pile of stuff that needs to be hung on the walls and my cookbooks are sitting in a neat little pile on the floor waiting for their new shelf to be purchased, but all in all we are in good shape.

We actually dug ourselves out of our house hermit hole and joined the world last weekend to help my good friends Tulay and Dave celebrate their wedding day. We hit the road late Friday night after dropping Lucy off at Grandma's and Grandpa's and made it to NYC in the wee hours of the morning (what's with late night traffic in Delaware - not cool!!). The first item on our NY agenda - breakfast at the "Eggery" aka Thomas' Ham and Eggery. This historic diner is our FAVORITE breakfast spot and we have become regulars - even now as we live in another state!! Tommy (co-owner and official "seater) greeted us at the door and Sharon (our favorite counter waitress) gave us big hugs. It was great to see them AND get some grub with Mom and Adriana!



As the food coma set in we popped over to see Ed's Dad (who looks great BTW) and then headed out east for a late lunch with friends Dave, Michele, Rob and best of all DOMINICK!! This adorable little monkey greeted us with giggles and smiles and was so huggable I didn't want to put him down!! We had such a great time catching up with everyone and pigged out on wings, broccoli poppers and yummy french onion soup. How we fit more food in our Eggery stuffed stomachs is still a mystery.

It was finally time for the main event - Tulay and Dave's wedding. It was a beautiful evening with perfect weather and an even more perfect sunset. The groom looked dashing and the bride was GORGEOUS!! The ceremony was conducted by good friend Lorca and I have to say, it was amazing. Literally brought tears to my eyes. Dave and Tulay are a wonderful couple and their unique touches on the wedding made it very special. The Douglaston Manor was the perfect venue, the sunflower centerpieces were gorgeous and the DJ was pumping amazing Turkish music that got the crowd on their feet. This was the first wedding that Ed and I have been to since our own so it was very special. Congratulations Tulay and Dave ~ enjoy your honeymoon in Jamaica!!!

This was the first wedding Ed and I attended as a married couple and I have to say it was pretty cool. I loved dancing with my husband while celebrating my friend's marriage. It was a special day for all. :)