Tuesday, March 29, 2011

In A New York Minute

I adore New York City more each time I visit! We spent a lot of time wandering the streets of Chelsea before and after Sleep No MoreI definitely took some random photos on our walks. HEALTH IS WEALTH!I had some fantastic eats in NYC and I had a blast with my friends. Even thought the food and drink get all the attention in this post, the people were definitely the highlight of the weekend. On Saturday afternoon we wandered into an eclectically decorated low key pub called Bunga's Den on 137 West 14th Street in ChelseaDrink of choice: Sofia Coppola Mini Blanc de Blanc. Champagne in a can. With a straw. Brilliant.
Before the show we met up with more friends and commenced the evening with dinner and drinks at The Half King. Drink of Choice: Framboise Lambic - effervescent Raspberry Beer in a champagne glassThe Half King prides itself on serving pub food done right. The burgers are house made from scratch using top grade ground sirloin. Almost everyone at the table ordered a burger and was extremely pleased with it. I had the Mexican Burger ($14) - pepper jack cheese, guacamole and salsa on a back yard style bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, a sour pickles and fries.
After the show we wandered into BillyMarks West located at 332 9th Avenue. Random posters line the walls and sports trophies fill the nooks behind the bar of this Manhattan dive, while a neon juke box and a dart board provide entertainment.
Drinks of choice: Miller High Life Bottles | White Russians
The Champagne of beers and the "Baileys substituted for milk" (amazing) White Russian.
Once we tired of the crowd at BillyMarks we stumbled into O'Reilley's Pub at 54 West 34th Street. I drank another beer here. It was around 2:45 am and I was feelin' it. Feeling ready for bed! Adam and I spent the night at our friends apartment in Hoboken. We took the 3:15am train home. The Path to be precise, just a short ride across the Hudson. Trains that run until 4am?! I feel spoiled.

Good Morning Hoboken, New Jersey. This marks my first visit here! A quick visit at that, we had brunch plans back in NYC. I had a serious juice craving ever since I woke up and two minutes later we walked right by: Don't you love it when the universe answers?It was meant to be. I ordered a Sunrise ($3.95) - fresh squeezed orange, apple and carrot juices. Back across the river (shot taken from our friends 11th floor hotel room) we reconvened and set out for brunch.
Resto is a laid back neighborhood bistro specializing in approachable Belgian food with a New York influence. Located at 111 East 29th Street in Gramercy Park - it was a leisurely walk from the hotel.We were greeted by a black iron window pained façade displaying through the glass some lush greenery of succulents and jade plants. The interior with weathered wood floors and a marble bar was a charming combination of both homey and modern. The space was packed. Luckily we had a 12 pm reservation and were seated a few moments later. Resto's Bloody Mary's are not to be missed. I highly recommend ordering one off the Bloody Success menu. I went with the Flemish Mary ($12).
First, can we talk about these garnishes? A pickled anchovy wrapped around a caper-berry was a jolt of saltiness that melted on your tongue. I wasn't sure how to go about eating that large hunk of fennel so I let it sit as a decoration as I sipped on my amazingly spicy and robustly flavored drink. I wish I could say the BM was the highlight of brunch. But alas it was not. This was: And I'm now convinced all Eggs Benedict ($10) should be served over Lardon Leige Waffles. Best thing to happen to my favorite breakfast entrée! Slightly sweet, mildly crispy on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside, the traditional Belgian waffle cradled two perfectly poached eggs delicately coated in hollandaise. The Benedict was complimented by lightly dressed greens and thinly sliced homefries mingling with caramelized onions.A plate of Beignets ($5) with chocolate sauce were ordered for the table. Yum! I was also enamored with the toast presentation. Well done.I understand there are so many amazing places to brunch in NYC, but next time / if ever you're in the neighborhood, I'd highly recommend Resto!
And that wraps up my eats and drinks in New York City! Back in Boston this week I enjoyed a North End Restaurant Week dinner at Bricco and a visit to the new 5 Napkin Burger. Today I hope to break out the slow cooker and tomorrow I'm finally checking out Bergamot in Somerville. There's no shortage of good food around here, the only shortage these days is finding time to blog about it all.

16 comments:

  1. Gosh I haven't been to ny in foreverrrr! I miss it (and the food) like crazy!

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  2. It looks like you had a FANTASTIC time in NYC and Hoboken!

    It was great to see you last night and I totally agree - so much great stuff going on and not enough time to blog about it!

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  3. Wow. That brunch looks fantastic! Look at those plump eggs. Yum! Glad you had fun!

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  4. I love nyc! the canned champagne is brilliant!

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  5. Oh my gosh! I want to find that champagne in a can. I feel like it would be an awesome bachelorette party thing!

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  6. wow, what a fabulous trip to nyc :) i am also digging that brunch!!

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  8. haha im LOVING that random old school bon jovi poster ;)

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  9. OMG I lovelovelove Resto!! I didn't know they do brunch too but my first meal there was just so amazing (http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/restaurants/resto-nyc) I am going to NYC again in a couple of weeks and already looking forward to the eats ;) Looks like you had such a fabulous time!

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  10. I love your pictures of the city. My favorite part of going to New York is just walking around and taking it all in! Thanks for the glimpse of your trip, it looks like it was such a fun time!

    (And eggs benedict on waffles?! That sounds like it was wroth the trip on its own!)

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  11. Could you hear my stomach growling from there? The waffle and beignets look amazing. And champagne in a can with a straw? Brilliant.

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  12. Oh lord! They totally took eggs bene to the next level. WINNING!

    I wish I was a BM lover. I could barely stomach reading that drink menu!

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  13. that looks like so much fun!!! i love New York too. the city is just so huge and fascinating.

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  14. Yay for NYC - glad you had such a fabulous time! Their 4am trains make me so jealous too!

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  15. this is amazing! ...the EB ontop of that waffle looks like it was made for you!.. not sure about the anchovy -cant believe you did it! any whoo i am sure that sunrise cured any lingering headache-hope you had a fab time. def looked like you did :)

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  16. My favorite city is New York because this city is amazing and full of colors.

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