NYC food diary

I'm writing not to report about my Easter weekend meal successes::

A. Good Friday

• salad of mesclun greens and grapefruit sections, topped with fried goat cheese medallions and grapefruit viniagrette
• pan seared halibut with fennel fronds
• quinoa with roasted cherry tomato, roasted fennel bulb slices & pine nuts
• creamed wild mushrooms

B. Easter Sunday

• grilled zucchini and feta mesclun salad with lemon garlic viniagrette
• asparagus coins with roasted red pepper cream
  
• russet potato cambozola gratin
  
• crown roast of lamb with rosemary rub and stuffed with red onion
• fresh hot buttermilk biscuits with roasted garlic butter
• caramel flan
  

But instead, this is meant to serve as my food diary of NYC, a little bit for your sake, but even more for mine, in order to help me to remember all of the loveliness. This list is why New York is New York. I have grown to adore Ann Arbor and its foodie gems, but when it comes down to it, there is a reason New York is the culinary capital of the country or maybe even the world.

I think that I did pretty well, considering the fact that I had four kids in tow the whole time. I did not see any other parents as brave (read: crazy stupid) as me.

MONDAY
lunch :: salmon burger & greens @ Orsay
dinner :: foie gras, celery, capon terrine, then black sea bass with syrah sauce -- two courses of three prix fixe before a family hiccup @ Daniel (full disclosure - kids were not at this)

TUESDAY
breakfast & lunch :: large Dunkin Donuts iced coffee (it was a long night in the ER - plus they say America runs on it!?)
snack :: french macaroons from Bouchon Bakery (thanks to Whitney)
dinner :: (phenomenal) vegetable antipasti & truffle-guanciale-egg pizza @ Batali's Otto
dessert :: red velvet cake ice cream and cream cheese frosting ice cream swirled (A.M.A.Z.I.N.G) @ Milk Bar - Momfuku

WEDNESDAY
breakfast :: cappuccino at small shop on pier 16 before Circle line boat ride
lunch :: straight up authentic dim sum @ Oriental Garden (Chinatown)
snack :: various treats for the kiddos @ Dylan's candy bar
dinner :: cornbread madelines, boston lettuce salad with poached egg and blue cheese, and gulf shrimp and grits appetizer, hot potato chips with blue cheese dipping sauce, various desserts @ Bar Americain (Bobby Flay was IN DA HOUSE - I thought I could taste something extra special)

THURSDAY
breakfast :: real friggin' NY bagels @ Zabars
lunch :: spiedini romano & caesar salad @ Pellegrino (Little Italy)
dessert, otherwise known as even more lunch :: cannolis, tiramisu, gelato all around @ Ferrara's Cafe
dinner :: better than average take out pizza from Serafina back to hotel room; kids have now been away from home for too long and are starting to show vacation fatigue

I would love to go on eating like this forever, but know that after only a couple more days I'd be able to feel my pants tighten. So I'll gracefully take my leave of the big city, and drive my clown car of little ones back to the midwest tomorrow, and dream about my next culinary adventure...