Eating around the world

I have one last post to write to wrap up our wild New York weekend. We ate our way around the city and around the world.

First stop- Pret a Manger. I *love* this place. Found it first when I visited London many moons ago- it's just a sandwich shop but it's so fresh and they're dedicated to quality products.




We enjoyed two small bites- I got a tomato and cheese and Nick enjoyed a bacon and egg. So simple and so good.


Got hungry while we were at the Met. That place is a racket! We split a sub-par turkey sandwich, drink, and chips. I was unimpressed, but better food was on the way.


We feasted on some sushi at Umi Sushi. Reasonably priced and fresh! We had a cucumber/avocado roll, spicy tuna roll, california roll, and....a deep fried roll! Also pictured is the free and tasty crab salad they give you. Two thumbs up!





A trip to NY would not be complete without a bagel. We tracked down Murray's Bagels and split a pumpernickel bagel with lox spread. Chewy and flavorful- how do they do it? Bagels really are not as good outside of the Empire State.

Post-bagel noshing included a trip to Chinatown.


Can you believe we actually did not get pork chops here? Sacrilege!


I got the mushrooms over rice. This had a funky texture- something was UP with these shrooms.


I also got the world's BIGGEST bowl of hot and sour soup. Pretty good.


These spicy dumplings ROCKED. I *heart* dumplings.

Dessert was a trip to the Cafe Roma for cannolis and espresso. There was something special about these cannolis...ginger, maybe? Gosh, these were good.



We also ate some Salvadoran food in the Bronx- no pictures 'cause we ate too fast!

Gotta love traveling and New York...even when you stay in one city, you can still eat your way around the world.

Valentine's Day for one

Better late than never, right? Totally my life motto.

This is how I spent my Valentine's Day. The husband had a late night at work (hopefully his last for a while- woohoo new job!) so I treated myself to some of my favorites.

Enter: wine, pizza, and cake.

Wine: a very sophisticated, mellow Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon...also known as Two Buck Chuck. Delicious, no matter what the price.

Pizza was easy peasy- pita topped with chunky tomato sauce, zucchini, red bell pepper, artichoke hearts, and monterey jack cheese. Broiled 'til crispy and melty. YUM!


Red velvet cupcake courtesy of a local pastry shop- yay cake!

I ate by the light of my laptop catching up on back episodes of GLEE. Not a bad way to get some quality alone time.

You make me feel so young

I keep waiting to feel like a grown up. Am I the only one?

I do all types of grown up things like pay a mortgage, save for retirement, go to bed early.

But my favorite food is marshmallows! That can't be a good sign. Shouldn't I be into foie gras by now?

My inner child got all kinds of play time in NYC.

We saw Mary Poppins- it totally rocked! Mary P is such a bad ass. Plus, you get rum punch in a sippy cup at the theatre- SCORE!


We visited the Lego store.

What up, Atlas?

We posed with silly objects.



I pretended to meet Matt Lauer.
It's not looking good for me and adulthood. I may be perpetually 12 years old on the inside. At least I'm fun at a costume party.

This would be my interpretation of the cupcake, as shown on New Years Eve 2010.

A Tale of Two Cupcakes

Some people travel to see art and immerse themselves in another culture.

I travel to eat.

All that other stuff is great and I do that, too. But really, I move around this world in search of my next great meal. This weekend in New York City definitely delivered some seriously tasty eats.

First up- cupcakes.

We stumbled upon the Rockefeller center location of the iconic Magnolia Cupcakes. These cupcakes were made famous by the gals of Sex and the City. Do they deserve their reputation??















Well....yes and no. The bakery is adorable and smells AMAZING. The staff were super friendly. The pumpkin pecan cheesecake with gingersnap crust rocked- it was creamy and spicy. The chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream...meh. The frosting was a bit stale and had a hint of...dare I say it? Crisco. The cake lacked true chocolate flavor and was so fluffy it fell apart. My socks were not rocked, though obviously we managed to eat all of both treats. Troopers, I tell you!

Next up- Crumbs! We didn't go looking for this cupcakery either, but found it on our walk home from the Met. Survey says....?





We have a winner! The staff were also super friendly and rooted for me when we farkled (rock paper scissors) to choose the cupcake! I won. SO yum. Out of all of the delights, we chose the Oreo cupcake. Extra chocolate-y cake, sturdy enough to handle all of the uber-buttery cookies and cream frosting. Hooray for cupcake victory!

New York State of Mind

The empire state and I are colliding all week.

First, my BFFLTDDUP (best friend for life til death do us part) rode in to town on Saturday all the way from Long Island. I wined her and dined her on the Potato and Mushroom Gratin and the husband treated us to a beer tasting. We sampled Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti and Don de Dieu. Major chocolate flavor in the Yeti- that is a stout that will put hair on your chest. If you're into that sort of thing.

The Don de Dieu was tasty, but better on tap. We first tried it at The Publick House- they serve french fries in a paper bag! You must go.

Bought both beer a few weeks ago at the Craft Beer Cellar. That place totally rocks! They have tons of beers on the shelves and a wide selection in the fridge. The ladies there are super knowledgeable, but let you browse at your own pace. I see more beer in my future.

After all that beer drinking, we needed a day of moderation and healthy living...NOT! We ate mad brunch at the S&S Deli and then feasted on cheese and chocolate at The Melting Pot. Do I know how to feed a girl or what?

The good times will continue to roll this week when the husband and I take Manhattan! We're staying in style at the Holiday Inn Express- holla at ya free breakfast! Then we'll skip over to the Bronx and crash with a friend there. Shows will be watched, pizza will get ate, walking will be had by all!