Wining & dining in NYC

I spent the past weekend in New York City with my boyfriend, visiting a couple of our friends and semi-celebrating my birthday. I wanted a very low-key weekend, where we could just relax, shop, and naturally – eat.

Below are a few snapshots of what I happily indulged in. Ironically, no wine shows up in these, but rest assured – the weekend did involve a bottle of wine and quite a few cocktails.

We started with brunch at The General Greene in Brooklyn, as we were staying the night with our friends who live there. I got the biscuit and eggs, which was this massive, fluffy creation baked into a little cast iron skillet. What made it even better? Cheddar cheese and an herb aioli. Yum.

No photos from the rest of the evening, although a mini tour of Williamsburg involved drinks at the Commodore ($8 cocktails in New York? Please and thank you.), darts at the Levee, and a final stop at Radegast Hall & Biergarten, which I loved.

Dinner on Saturday night took me and the boyfriend to Il Violino, close to Lincoln Center. I had asked my boss for some restaurant recommendations, since she spent a number of years in NYC, and this is one of her favorite spots. Turns out, she has good reason to love it: this was the best. pasta. EVER. They hand-make it fresh each day, and the orrechiette and broccoli rabe were deliciously swimming in a light, garlic sauce – perfection. We finished dinner with said bottle of wine and a plate of crunchy chocolate biscotti.

The next morning brought us to Le Pain Quotidien for a quick breakfast. I wasn’t feeling great, so I settled for the brown rice pudding, which was pretty good. The boyfriend had organic oatmeal with bananas, pecans, and a smart addition of maple syrup for added sweetness.

The rest of the day we spent the hanging around Soho, with a pit stop for cannolis and coffee, then finished off our little food tour with lunch at Burger & Barrel. A mash burger topped with caramelized onions, pickles, bacon jam, and finished with two onion rings on top kept us happy (and full) for the bus ride home.

And don’t worry all – I survived the whole trip without a single stomachache. Mission accomplished.