Ahhh NYC

I love my rural paradise. Really, I'm grateful for the green land and the fresh air and the slow(er) pace. But sometimes there's a disconnect between my inner metropolitan vibe and the space around me. After growing up in semi-urban New Jersey, I struggled with the transition to the Midwest. I've grown to love it -- it's now how I define myself. Yet, as any immigrant knows, there's always a deep part of your heart that cannot abandon the roots which grounded and shaped you from the start.

I'm lamenting as I am finishing up a surprise birthday weekend in Manhattan (without children; props to the husband!)... I'm not wanting to return to the routine & the hustle and bustle of my life. You should understand something about the anxiety of my days if the streets of Manhattan are calm in comparison.

Allow me to reminisce as I jostle around in a yellow cab on the way back to LaGuardia.


Le Bernardin. Friday night.
Eric Ripert is Poseidon. Every morsel of his is otherworldly.
The tuna carpaccio draped over foie gras and toast -- I will never forget this.


Green market at Union square. Saturday morning.
Makes Ann Arbor's farmer market look malnourished. I shouldn't covet what I don't have, but the bank of gourmet farmers and producers is clearly more abundant here than back home. Feeling the need to support some seller, but not needing fresh produce, we share a cup of raspberry cider.


ABCkitchen. Saturday brunch.
Ramp and goat cheese toast. Spring pea soup. Frites tossed with herbs and sliced garlic aside a mushroom panini. Wild mushroom pizza. Authentic farm to table in the middle of the city chaos.



Del Posto. Saturday dinner.
Mario Batali dresses up the rustic regional Italian flavors in the setting of an elegant 1920-30s dining room. It's Mario in a tuxedo. Highlights of the evening are seeing the Man himself, orange clogs and all. My father, declaring there's nothing to lose at 67, shouts out to him even though he clearly is not in the frame of mind to talk to the common people. Instead we are offered a kitchen tour by the chef de cuisine. An amazing way to end a birthday meal.

Bouchon bakery. Sunday morning.
Raspberry almond Croissants for breakfast and TKOs -Thomas Keller Oreos- for the little ones back home.

Eataly. Sunday late morning.
More Mario. An Italian marketplace in Madison Square Park. Although I wish I could shop there every week, I realize that between Zingerman's, Plum market, Morgan and York, and Cantoro's in Livonia, I can have this all back home. That doesn't stop me from buying loaves of bread and jars of capers to bring home for my babies.

Yep, those are all mushrooms..

(finally) street food. Sat and sunday mornings. Jefferson market. Madison square market (running from 5/6-6/1) pizza, shaved ice with homemade cherry syrup. And last but not least, a gyro at Columbus circle for Saturday lunch. Heaven.

Location:W 32nd St,New York,United States

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...