Eating NYC

What do you do after working two overnight shifts in New Jersey, finishing at 6:30 a.m. Friday?  You sleep for a couple of hours, get on a train, and head to New York City.  Why go back home when a glorious three-day weekend beckons?

I had a jam-packed and thoroughly excellent time in the city.  Allison was kind enough to serve as my hostess.  Via her recommendations, suggestions from other friends, and a little solo scouting, we crafted an ambitious plan of attack.  I've spent some time in NYC before, so I wanted to dig a little deeper.  Or, at least, make a slightly deeper scratch on the surface of all the city has to offer.

Our schedule included too many activities to cover here: lots of walking, exploring various neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan, street fairs, flea markets, a farmers' market, Prospect Park, a marching band performance, two terrific Martin Rivas shows at the Red Lion and Rockwood, The High Line, the fantastic Whitney Museum for the 2010 biennial.  But there was one thing our weekend really focused upon.  And that, my friends, was food.  

The centerpiece of the weekend's eating was an amazing dinner at Restaurant Daniel on Saturday night with Allison, Mart, Patti, and Paul.  Can I even pick out highlights?  The sautéed foie gras of my appetizer was rich, melty, light (yes, light!) and bursting with flavor.  The red wine braised short rib on celery root purée was a revelation.  When our waiters brought out warm, freshly baked madeleines toward the end of the meal, I nearly begged for mercy.

Daniel was incredible, but it wasn't the only highlight.  I am proud to present to you this list of places (or vendors) from which, over three full days in the city, I managed to either eat, drink, or buy something:

Porchetta
Sundaes and Cones
Luke's Lobster
The Red Lion
Café Angelique
Brooklyn Greenmarket
Gorilla Coffee
people's pops
Billy's Bakery
Restaurant Daniel
Buttermilk Channel
Roebling Tea Room
Zocalo

It was a successful trip, to say the least.  This only leaves a thousand or so places on our "want to go" list for my future visits!