Cafe Lalo
April 2, 2012
Famously known for Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’ meeting in You’ve Got Mail, the Upper West Side’s Cafe Lalo has always been a favorite of mine, and quite honestly am surprised I’ve waited this long to feature it. Not only do they have great brunch options, but their large selection of cheesecakes and other desserts makes it a great late night stop as well. With it’s Euro-feel, it’s the perfect spot to go on a warm spring day when the floor to ceiling windows are open, and you can people-watch the sidewalks below.
Coffee
Steamed eggs with Bulgarian feta cheese, olives and herbs served with roasted potatoes and a Mediterranean salad
Mediterranean salad
Breads
Purple Potatoes
A Day in D.C.
March 20, 2012
This past weekend I had a wonderful time visiting friends in Washington D.C. Saturday was spent partially at Clyde’s, a pub in Georgetown to cheer on my alma mater, Syracuse, in the NCAA basketball tournament and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and the other half was spent enjoying the beautiful sunshine around the neighborhood’s quaint streets. We started off the morning with delicious chive and goat cheese biscuits from Baked and Wired, followed by their best-selling cupcakes, a vanilla cake with fresh strawberries folded in the batter and finished with a swirl of pink buttercream. It’s never too early in the day for one of these! We filled our appetites in the afternoon at Clyde’s with their top recommendations– wings, Bloody Mary’s and a crab tower. Lucky for me, with the early spring temperatures, I was even able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful cherry blossoms around the city’s sites.
Chive and Goat Cheese Biscuit
Georgetown
Chive and Goat Cheese Biscuit
Baked & Wired
Best-selling strawberry cupcake
Baked & Wired
Cupcakes & the Capitol
Cherry blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial
Strawberries
An afternoon snack
Wings from Clyde's
Is it Summer Yet?
March 14, 2012
Last night I was strolling around the neighborhood in short sleeves after I thoroughly enjoyed a dinner at the New York Historical Society. The streets were buzzing, the restaurants overflowed onto the sidewalks and the smell in the air was that of a summer evening. Whether it’s here to stay or not, I’m daydreaming of the months to come, especially for those weekend trips out to the Hamptons. Here’s a little taste from Donna D…
Last April the bf, babies, and I headed to the Hamptons for a weekend of rest and relaxation. It was one of our first times experiencing the far East-end of Long Island and it was the perfect escape from the craziness of NYC. I am quite happy that we chose April because it saved us some major money and it wasn’t crowded with all the cool kids that come during the summer. The weather was also perfect despite forecasts of rain. We stayed at the charming Hampton Beach House and spent the weekend playing on the beach, eating good food, and touring the many dog-friendly wineries. Some of the highlights of our trip included breakfast at the Mexican inspired Estia’s Little Kitchen, sampling wine at Paumanok, Duckwalk, and Pindar vineyards, shopping for our picnic lunch at the The Village Cheese Shop, and watching the beautiful spring sunsets on the beach.
Paumanok Vineyards & Pindar Vineyards
Owner, Rosemary, putting together the cheese for our picnic at the The Village Cheese Shop
The Village Cheese Shop
Owner, Rosemary, preparing a sample of cheese at the The Village Cheese Shop
The Village Cheese Shop
Lunch
Duckwalk Vineyards
Paumanok Vineyards' wine & Bread, goat cheese, fig jam, and olive
Blueberry Port at Duckwalk Vineyards
Bread, goat cheese, and fig jam
Pindar Vineyards
Picnic Lunch
The Cook at Estia's Little Kitchen preparing our breakfast
Sophie’s Crab ‘n’ Eggs with avocado on an english muffin at Estia's Little Kitchen
Guacamole, chips and salsa at Estia's Little Kitchen
Morning coffee at Estia's Little Kitchen
Spring sunset on the beach
Sunset
A Meli-Melo Morning
March 11, 2012
This cute little créperie in Greenwich, Connecticut has always been a favorite spot of mine when I’m visiting the area. Enjoying an afternoon there this weekend, I opted for the Sweet Tooth, a crepe with fresh kiwi, strawberries, mint leaf, home-made chocolate sorbet and chocolate sauce. And you can’t leave without trying one of their signature fresh juices to quench your thirst.
Sweet Tooth crepe and fresh pear, kiwi, coconut juice
Dessert for lunch
Crepes and juice
Ski Scene
February 24, 2012
For a local New York ski escape, Hunter Mountain isn’t too bad of an option. I recently hit the slopes for a taste of winter– and a taste of Scottie’s Summit Lodge’s delicious chili, chicken noodle soup and grilled turkey and cheese sandwich. Housed in a circular lodge boasting beautiful views of the Catskills below, I could very easily curl up by the fireplace amongst all the antique skis displayed from various years. With outdoor seating for warmer days, it’s a great change of pace from the lively base lodges and perfect to warm up before that next run. Happy Friday! x
Snacks & Scenery Combo
Grilled Turkey and Cheese Sandwich
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chili
Foundry Café
February 21, 2012
This welcoming café in the heart of Cold Spring was a perfect last stop of the day to warm up with a cup of freshly ground coffee and grab a slice of their cheesecake for dessert. If I wasn’t already too full from brunch, I would have loved to try out some of their quiches or soups. I suppose I can save that for next time. With an acoustic, rock ‘n roll flare, this café doubles as a music outlet for small performances, open mic nights and some great nostalgic photos and albums for visitors to check out.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Foundry's Original Cheesecake
Foundry's Original Cheesecake
Flashback to ACK
February 8, 2012
Although we haven’t had too much of a winter here in New York, I couldn’t help but feel inspired to plan a summer holiday when Donna shared these photos with me. Check them out for a flashback to Nantucket that will leave you with a craving for a warm ocean sunset.
Last summer the bf’s family graciously hosted us at their beautiful home on Nantucket. Every day we ate ice cream and went swimming at one of Nantucket’s many beaches. If it weren’t for the cold water, Nantucket would have my all time favorite beaches; but regardless, this place is amazing. We were there in the middle of July and pretty much had the entire beach to ourselves. There aren’t restrictions on ball playing, dogs, alcohol, or even driving onto the sand. And you don’t have to pay to get onto the beach **cough cough** Long Island.
One of the highlights of our trip was spending an evening at TOPPER’S Restaurant. They are located in the luxurious Wauwinet hotel. A quintessential New England seaside setting that offers views of both the Nantucket Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The food was good but the sunset, ambiance, and complimentary boat rides aboard the Wauwinet Lady made the evening.
Lobster Bisque with poached lobster and truffle cream
Romaine lettuce with white anchovies, parmesan, pesto croutons, and creamy roasted garlic dressing
Sitting room in the The Wauwinet & Wagyu beef burger with aged Vermont cheddar, caramelized onions, and Bartlett Farm tomatoes
BVI Pusser’s British Navy Rum, Orange Juice, Coco Lopez, Pineapple Juice and Nutmeg
Poached lobster & summer corn
Wine & Tart flambée with onions, bacon, and crème fraîche
Hand-cut fries with parmesan, herbs, and truffle aioli
"Pain Killer" & Caesar salad
Bread and butter & Nantucket lighthouse
Lobster bisque with truffle cream & Ice water with lemon
Romaine lettuce and red wine
Sunfish sailing on Nantucket Bay
The finale at La Finestra – Prague Part 6
February 2, 2012
Before I said good-bye to Prague I had to cross just one more restaurant off my list, La Finestra in Cucina. The restaurant features an open kitchen where you can observe Chef Tomáš Černý whip up some classic Italian dishes. He also offers cooking and sommelier classes which if I had more time I would have loved to try. Instead, I enjoyed buttery tender short ribs. No knife was needed and the mustard sauce that accompanied it offered the perfect tang to undercut the richness of the meat. Besides mastering the short rib, La Finestra also makes a mean crispy fried zucchini. When you bite into it there is still a slight crunch and the batter doesn’t fall off (a big pet peeve of mine with fried food).
My trip to Prague was an unforgettable experience filled with good food and company. Thank you for checking out my trip!
Slowed cooked beef ribs with gratinated pecorino onions and mustard sauce
Hradčany
Crispy fried zucchini
Statue of Saints Norbert of Xanten, Wenceslas and Sigismund on Charles Bridge
Organic breast of chicken cooked in sousvide with parmesan - egg yolk potato mash and morel sauce
Prague sky
La Finestra's open kitchen
Cooks in the kitchen & Prague Castle
Chocolate muffin with berries
Prague at sunset
A fairytale afternoon – Prague Part 5
January 31, 2012
As the clock struck 1, two Jewish princesses from New York City stared at the Old Town Hall’s astronomical clock and tightly gripped their Nikons as they sped off to the Francouzska Restaurace. Gold chandeliers, sparkling crystal glasses, and fresh flowers embellished the interior of the most beautiful Art Nouveau building in all of Europe. As the piano played in the background, they dined on smoked duck, veal tenderloin carpaccio, roasted scallops, and grilled beef tenderloin. The afternoon ended with warm molten chocolate cake and two white knights a AAA cab, driving the princesses back to their castle the Czech Inn.
Municipal House & Roasted scallop with fine Bourdin noir, caper-raisin jam and sauce of sparkling apple cider
Smoked duck breast
Bridge of Legions
Alfons Mucha painting & Veal tenderloin carpaccio with foie gras shavings and hazelnut oil
Green field salad with smoked duck breast, orange dressing and Comté shavings
Grilled beef tenderloin with potato confit in thyme flavored olive oil and black truffle sauce
Interior of St. Vitus Cathedral
Chocolate cake with melted chocolate, mango coulis and cacao sorbet & Stained glass
Taking a dip in the Charles’ Bath – Prague Part 4
January 28, 2012
I was lucky enough to meet up with my best friend’s boyfriend, Martin, at U Pinkasů restaurant. This traditional Czech pub is just a few steps away from St. Wenceslas Square and serves up some belly filling food. The type of food that warms your soul and gives your love handles some extra love. After eating the biggest meal it was only appropriate to head over to the biggest club in Central Europe, Karlovy Lázněl, also known as Charles’ Bath or the 5 Story Club. We danced the rest of the night away in attempt to sweat off all the potato dumplings and duck fat.
Dancing & Roasted pork ribs, in honey marinade with mustard and horse-radish
Old Bohemian riveted plate – smoked neck, baked pork neck, sausage, a quarter of duck,variety of dumplings, red ´n´ white cabbage
Karlovy Lazne & Cucumber salad with wine dressing
a camera in the kitchen 