Greg and I considered this trip to be our big 10th year anniversary present to each other, even though we are approaching the 12 year mark. It was our first trip together, without our little "Lovelies".
Upon arrival at LaGuardia, we met up with Moe, our driver, who escorted us to our "home away from home", The Waldorf=Astoria. We were so blessed to have the opportunity to stay at such a beautiful hotel. Minus the fact she was a prostitute, I did feel like "Vivian" in Pretty Woman, for the majority of the trip. Once we settled in, we hailed a taxi down to the Flatiron District, where we had brunch reservations at Mesa Grill. Since anything goes when you're "brunching", we ordered the Goat Cheese "Queso Fundido" to start, followed by the Spicy Chicken and Sweet Potato Hash and a Mesa Burger. And since we are good Southerners, we couldn't resist sampling Bobby's "housemade grits". These were not your typical grits, y'all, but they were amazing! It's funny how our southern staples keep showing up on the menus of famous Yankee chefs.
After that incredibly rich and "full of everything bad for you" meal, we decided it was time to "hit the streets". We walked around the Flatiron District and happened upon Mario Batali's Italian Emporium, Eataly. Since we were stuffed to the gills, there were no tastings, but it was neat to explore. Next, we strolled through Union Square, where a Farmer's Market was underway. Here, we witnessed real New Yorkers in action. I won't go into detail about what we witnessed, since it did involve a good bit of cursing, or "cussing" if you prefer.
Later that night, we attended a welcome reception where we reconnected with several of Greg's coworkers and spouses, and also had the pleasure of meeting a few new friends. After the reception we headed across the street to The National for dessert. It was here, where my "foodie crush" on Iron Chef Zakarian, launched to a whole new level. And it wasn't from the pot of yummy, chocolate mocha "whatever" I ate.
On Sunday, I really wanted to worship at Brooklyn Tabernacle, but since I would be forced to journey that on my own, I decided to join the "tour of day" around Midtown. Our stops included Grand Central Terminal, Rockefeller Center, and Top of the Rock.
After Greg's morning meeting, we headed to Chelsea Market, where if I lived in NYC, it would be a must to live in walking distance. I LOVE this place!!! It's a foodie's dream come true. There's everything here, including the Food Network! Need I say more?
After some sushi from the Green Roll and a little chocolate from Jacques Torres, we headed to Chinatown and Little Italy, then back to rest and spruce up for dinner. After watching the Food Network for years, one begins to favor certain chefs or personalities. On top of my list are Iron Chefs and Chopped judges, Alex Guarnaschelli and Geoffrey Zakarian, who both have restaurants in NYC. Butter, Chef G's place is closed on Sundays, so we opted for Chef Z's, The Lamb's Club, which did not disappoint. I called and spoke with the maître d about a week earlier to set our reservations and to also inquire about the odds of meeting the famed chef, to which I was told "slim to none" on a Sunday night. Although I did not get the chance to meet him, the food was astronomically "out of this world"! Can I say that, or is that redundant? Since moving to Huntsville, I feel the need to use a lot of space idioms. Really, I can't even begin to describe how great this food was. Once again, channeling "Vivian". Just as she probably never imagined herself eating escargot, I never imagined I would find myself eating duck rillette and loving every single morsel! I mean, what is duck rillette? I still don't really know, and don't care, but I would highly recommend it. No one knew that night, that I was pretending to be a Iron Chef judge the entire time I was there, except maybe my husband!
