Equipped with the entire series of Gossip Girl, 4 episodes of GIRLS season 3, a repertoire of Seinfeld, club recommendations by Stefon, and a list of restaurants we were off to New York City. The trip flew by and I documented it as best I could with my trusty iPhone.  If you’re interested read through; if not scroll to the food pics and start drooling.  [note: In my attempt to reduce length I did this diary style entry in point form and I split it up]

day 1:
-woke up bright and early, walked to Porter Airport, and flew into Newark
-i voted to take a shuttle into NY but Mike insisted that the train would be the fastest. Enhhhh WRONG [this set us back at leaf 1hour on my agenda]
-checked into our hotel: SIXTY Lower East Side [and they said hotel rooms were tiny in this city]

 
-we were both starved and since we were already off schedule we had to nix the 1st place on our list and head straight to Rubirosa; a 10min walk from out hotel
eat stop #1: Rubirosa Ristorante
cuisine: Italian
neighbourhood: NOLITA
location: 235 Mulberry St. [between Prince + Spring]
we ate: prosciutto + fig + mozzarella bruschetta, Rubirosa Supreme Pizza
We were definitely NOT disappointed as both items were delicious and EXACTLY what we were craving.  As a lover of cured meats, the prosciutto was amazing and obviously paired well with the fig…and then there was the cheese…sooo melty and stringy!  The pizza was thin crust and o so flavourful.  It wasn’t too meaty and the roasted garlic melted my heart.  The perfect 1st taste of NYC!

-post pizza, we wandered through the cast-iron buildings of SoHo [shopping stop: ACNE Studio sale!]
-we wanted to squeeze in a snack before heading back to the hotel but we were still full
-headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening before the humidity turned into a short period of rain
-off to Bergdorfs [I’m convinced it’s where dreams are made and where unicorns live] to look around and have a pre dinner cocktail

site #1: Bergdorf Goodman
neighbourhood: Midtown Manhattan
location: 754 5th Ave.
where you’ll find: beautiful things magically merchandised + a restaurant overlooking central park designed by Kelly Wearstler + captivating street window displays

 [pic fr newyork.com]

eat stop #2: Betony
executive chef: Bryce Shuman [former Exec. Sous of Eleven Madison Park]
cuisine: Modern American
neighbourhood: Midtown Manhattan
location: 41 west 57th St. [3min walk from Bergdorfs]
we ate: EVERYTHING
The dinner style was more fine dining; meaning our water glasses never went below 1/2 + a sommelier paired wines with each meal + our table was crumbed between courses + every trip to the restroom was accompanied by a napkin folding.  It was our “nice” dinner as it was after all our 2 year wedding anniversary.  The dish portions were smaller so we ordered several items on top of which the chef sent out 2 extra courses in honour of our celebration. The cocktails, the wine, and the food were all amazing.  We spent quite a bit  of $$$ but i’d say it was well worth it; attentive service [though a bit slow at times…i think we gave off the vibe that we were “that couple” who likes to sit and chat- but I swear we aren’t!] a nice atmosphere, and delicious food.  I would go back.

ok, get ready for the roll out…

Fried Pickles | ramps, aleppo yogurt
Foie Gras Bonbons | cashew, black pepper [drool]

Pig’s Head Terrine | mustard, salsa verde

Hen’s Egg Tagliatelle | ham hock [perhaps one of the most delicious dishes I have eaten!]

Sautéed Skate Wing | cucumber, green curry -courtesy of the chef; THANKS!!!

Grilled Short Rib | artichokes, lovage

Poached Lobster | asparagus, almond

Rose & Pistachio Frozen Macaron + Strawberry & Black Pepper Taffy + Sour Cherry & Coconut Truffle

-barely able to move, but in attempt to walk off dinner, we made our way to Times Square in spitting rain then called it a night

…to be continued