I had the opportunity to make the just over an hour trek...by plane, to New York City with my sister for a whirlwind weekend. That's right, 48 hours only. When I told my friends they were puzzled as to why I was only going for two days and then wanted to know what I'd be up to. I was going to attend a pre fashion week event that my sister- The Dazzle Diva, was involved in. But of course, it all boils down to food. Typical. I knew my constant and probably unhealthy obsession with the Food Network would come in handy one of these days so naturally I had a list of places I'd heard of and seen on the Food Network ready and waiting for me when the opportunity came my way. Well it was knocking and I was going to answer that door if they had to roll me on the plane home.Arriving first thing in the morning gave us the prime time to find some breakfast. Being very sleepy, greasy diner food would probably hit the spot. Our first stop was just that- 7A. A short walk through Tompkins Square Park and there it was! Buried underneath scaffolding was the small diner filled with the smell of flat top eggs, strong coffee, and hipsters. I'm a pretty simple breakfast girl, so bacon and eggs it was. Oh and it came with a side of fries. OK! When the food came out it was quite a sight, the bacon was so crispy looking I wasn't sure if it was going to melt in my mouth or crack my teeth, the over easy eggs were just begging me to give them a little poke to release the creamy orange yolks, my English muffin slathered in butter never looked so good, and the fries, well, they were fries! The plate smelt and looked like a heart attack and I couldn't wait to dig in. It was a pretty cheap and ideal way to start a long day in the chilly big apple. Also I'd like to say I walked off this meal and more during the weekend so it's ok, right?
After breakfast was your typical tourist day ducking in and out of the subway, FAO Schwarz, 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Center where I was secretly looking for Liz Lemon, and Grand Central Station among other hot spots. This day out had to end a tad early because of the event that brought us to New York in the first place. As we made our way back to the dreaded million stair walk up apartment we stopped for an early dinner at S'Mac- a literal hole in the wall dedicated to one of my favorite foods ever: macaroni and cheese. YES PLEASE. These personal sized bowls of gold come in all kinds of flavor combinations and sizes. There's no small, medium, and large in this place. It's nosh, munch, and mongo. I felt a bit like I was at Starbucks not knowing how to order... ummm do you have just a medium regular coffee back there? The menu serves everyone, I wanted to eat it all, but I had to stop myself because I remembered I had to fit into a dress later that night and no amount of Spanx would help me if I ate a truck load of mac and cheese. So I decided on a nosh 4 cheese- Cheddar, Muenster, Gruyere, and Pecorino. Needless to say, it was delish. Some strong coffe, hairspray and a few drinks later we were off to the show! After the show it was still pretty early...ish. The night was young and so are we! What can we do in the city that never sleeps? Coyote Ugly of course! My only experience up to now of this place was of course the movie- I was half expecting half naked girls and dancing on the bar to Def Leppard . Well, the evening didn't disappoint. It's just as I expected but overall a good time. When it was time to head back we thought we would grab a slice of pizza, how New York of us, I know. We stumbled upon East Village Pizza and Kebabs and I had one of the best pieces of pizza I've ever had! I had myself a slice of white pizza, the flavor was so intense but there was hardly anything on it! It was a crunchy buttery crust topped with ricotta and garlic. Lots of garlic. I wasn't kissing anyone soooo bring it on. I ate it so fast I didn't get a picture, but please imagine this piece of heaven in your mind. It was a perfect end to a long day!
Day two meant more walking, sight seeing, and food of course! This morning we went for a more Sex and the City-esque meal. A short walk away was Cafe Mogador. For anyone who knows me, I'm sort of a picky eater so I was kind of apprehensive when heading here, do I like Middle Eastern food? Now I do! Approaching the restaurant was like being transported to some far off land. A step through the heavy jewel toned velvet curtains was another world. You were immediately slapped in the face with the smell of spices, coffee, and all things exotic. Families, 20 somethings, and even grandma and grandpa were enjoying a bite to eat and a fancy coffee- so cool to see so many different people. Nooks and crannies were all around filled with dining tables, an espresso bar with the most beautiful glassware I've ever seen, and carafes filled with juices so fresh you felt like you were sucking on an orange in some field in Florida. Again, the menu had all kinds of things to offer- I decided on the Country Breakfast: eggs that I had over easy, Arabic salad, labneh, and za'atar pita. Labneh? Za'atar? What the whaaaat? What are these things and what do they taste like?! The food came and oh my goodness it was amazing! I currently have a can of za'atar spice mix in my pantry if that's any indication of how much I liked it(it's great on pizza, breads, all sorts of things)! Everything was great and I pretty much had to be stopped from licking my plate, I was in public after all. Classy Meaghan, classy.
Walking out of there with the sexiest waddle you've ever seen, it was getting late and we needed to get back to pack up and get to the airport, sad face. On our way back we stopped for one of my favorite foods and another place I had on my list- The Big Gay Ice Cream Shop! I had my heart set on a Salty Pimp and I wasn't going to stop until I had it in my mouth. That came out wrong, but you know what I mean. It looks like a simple ice cream cone, however, it's anything but. A vanilla cone swirled and jabbed with dolce de leche and sea salt finished off with a dip in a fudge hardening shell. It was the perfect balance of salty and sweet- the best flavor combination of all. They have other crazy ice cream treats of course, next time I come back I'll have to try more and then walk a million miles.
The time had now come to get to the airport and catch the flight back to good ol Maine. This trip was so fun, busy, and filling! Hopefully I'll be able to return soon where I plan on eating all of Brooklyn and hitting every food truck I can find. Big thank you to my cousin Barb and her husband Larry for being our New York City tour guides and leading me wherever my mouth wanted. I'm sure I gained a few pounds even with all the walking, it was worth it. I am now realizing that this post has made me sound like the biggest fat kid but it's not like have access to these things every day! Don't hate.
Until next time New York you big beautiful tasty thing you.
-Meaghan
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