10:00 - Hours: Covert Sunday Brunch...

Sunday Brunch was the last outing of our 24-hour trip in NYC. And this is where things really get interesting (read with shifty eyes.)

Clearly the brunching options in the city are as plentiful as sand on the beach, but we may have stumbled on something special here folks. I was a little taken aback at first by Laura’s hush hush-ness surrounding this place on the Upper East Side. Maybe she was afraid I would blog about it and tell the world (whoops!)?

I mean, I get it. Once you find the Hope Diamond of brunch places in NYC you may want to keep it to yourself. It’s not necessarily that no one has heard of this restaurant, but it seems that it might not be your first thought for brunch. For the sake of preserving the best meal of the weekend for our NYC buddies, it’s with great discretion that I report about our final culinary locale: the Parlor Steakhouse. Now that I uncovered the name of this top secret place - how many people have been here? Is this like asking someone from Topsfield if they’ve been to THOP? Either way, what a great choice for brunch.

We checked out of the Paramount, taxied it up to the Upper East Side, and settled in for the long haul at the Parlor Steakhouse.


The Parlor Steakhouse offers a great brunch prix fixe: your choice of a brunch item (great selection), coffee, and a brunch cocktail for only $25 a piece. But, if you ever make it to the Parlor Steakhouse for the brunch prix fixe, please read the fine print. Each guest is allowed a maximum of five cocktails if she desires, for this one set price. Now this is getting exciting and pretty amazing considering NYC prices. Mimosas, Bellinis, Bloody Mary’s…oh my!! If your plan is to go for a long leisurely brunch, just remember one thing: NYC law dictates that bar service starts at 12:00 PM. This may be one case where the early birds DO NOT get the worm.

Arriving slightly before go-time, we sipped bloody Mary mix and OJ while we enjoyed the first half of our brunch – with one eye on the clock of course.

Jen chose the Malted Buttermilk Pancakes which were topped with bananas, walnuts, and raisins. I never would have guessed banana pancakes for Jen :) .

Nicole and I both had the Eggs Benedict on a biscuit. Wow, something I had to try. The biscuit was quite large and slightly dry, but the eggs were perfectly poached and the hand-cut bacon a tasty change from the more traditional Benedict-style Canadian bacon.

Laura enjoyed the Brioche French Toast with caramelized apples, mascarpone cheese, and vanilla.

Eventually we were served our drinks. Now we’re under the gun – our bus home was scheduled to leave at 1 pm. What’s a girl to do? It would only be natural to wonder: Jaime, did you have enough time to finish your drinks? Was it really the deal of the century? Were you able to keep your composure as you always do ? Did you make your bus home? All good questions and the detailed answers will have to stay within our inner circle. Let’s just say that we may have quite literally dove into a cab and were driven “professional driver on a closed course - style” back downtown.

And we’re back in Boston today. What a trip!

21:30 Hours - Never too many cooks in Hell's kitchen

An easy walk from the Paramount Hotel is Hell’s Kitchen’s 44 and X , located on the corner of, you guessed it, 44^th and 10^th street.  This restaurant, another great suggestion by Laura, was a perfect choice for a late dinner close to the hotel while avoiding the chains located near Broadway and Times Square.

The menu at 44 and X is described as “New American,” with many comfort food items up for grabs.   Even though buttermilk fried chicken and waffles along with mac and cheese make an appearance on the menu, I wouldn’t call it a traditional comfort food place.  The theme at 44 and X is heaven and hell…like a little bit of heaven in hell’s kitchen….get it?  The interior of the restaurant has a modern, clean feel and is decked out in white - floor to ceiling.   There was also a beautiful (and spacious) outdoor patio section.   So, pretty much heaven in NYC!  And the food and wait staff would suggest the same!

I was tempted to try the fried chicken and waffles, but there wasn’t a meat eating buddy to be found.  For some reason it only seems right to eat comfort food in groups.  Power in numbers I suppose.  But honestly, the fried chicken and waffles are better saved for Hen House Wing ‘n Waffles.   There were so many dishes on this menu that a little fried chicken and waffle match-up couldn’t hold a candle. 

We started with a couple of salads and appetizers.  I had a fried oyster salad that was absolutely divine.  Yes, when you have something like this, the one and only word to describe it is divine.  The perfectly fried oysters were served on a bed of frisee salad mixed with pancetta and smothered with a sweet and rich buttermilk ranch dressing.  The bitter greens were an amazing pair with the rich pancetta and ranch.  My mouth is watering just talking about it. 

Laura and Nicole went with the Mediterranean Chopped Salad:  Boston lettuce, hearts of palm, avocado, feta cheese, chick peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted red AND yellow peppers, and shredded mint.  Wow.   The 44 and X webpage also shares recipes, including the recipe for the chopped salad, so give it a try!

Jen went with the goat cheese and pistachio soufflé starter with Asian pears and pomegranate jus.    

What a decision when it came to dinner.  As always, I could have had almost anything on the menu.  I opted for something a little lighter after the fried oyster bonanza:  the spring split pea bisque.  The bisque was topped with crispy salsify, Japanese rice crackers, and a carrot crème fraîche.

What is salsify you say? I don’t blame you.  I asked the waiter myself.  It’s a vegetable.  Well, for those interested, it’s technically a vegetable in a genus of flowering plants called Salsify, Tragopogon   or Goatsbeard.  For those REALLY interested, well, this is where my Wikipedia reserach ends - appologies.  Overall, sounds pretty appetizing, huh?  Well, I'm not so sure about that.   Unfortunately, I didn’t find the salsify and Japanese rice crackers as tasty as they are interesting.

Nicole and Laura both ordered the mac and cheese with Vermont cheddar.  Always a good choice.  The portion was absolutely huge which gratefully lent to sharing.

Jen went for the spinach and wild mushroom raviolo with gruyère cheese and coconut poblano emulsion.  This dish is also offered with a Maryland crabmeat option.  The raviolo is like an unsealed ravioli.  It was more like two stacked pieces of flat pasta with filling in between.  The coconut poblano emulsion gave the dish a bright yellow color.    

As usual, too stuffed for desert, we called for the check.  To our surprise, we were rewarded with a complementary piece of chocolate cake.  Despite our previous resistance to desert, this one was gone in 2 minutes flat.  The desert was so unexpected, so delicious, and gone so quickly that we didn’t even think of snapping a photo for the blog.   

If you do anything after reading this post, please just do me one favor.   Check out the 44 and X menu online.  You’ll certainly be day dreaming in culinary heaven.  And then if you get a chance, get down to Hell’s Kitchen and try out this little bit of heaven for yourself. 
 

17:00 Hours - A pop into Bobo

After the Standard Hotel we took a stroll into the West Village to digest.  Stopping into Magnolia was not an option.  Even though we may have overdone it earlier at the Standard Grill, we still declined due to the line wrapping around the corner.  This has been going on consistently for how long now?  Amazing.  I mean their cupcakes are good, but are they that good?  Discuss…

The weather was spotty and a quick-onset rain storm found us seeking shelter in Christopher Square’s Bobo.   Maybe we were attracted to the pretty multi-tiered brownstone nestled among a bunch of rather normal looking storefronts? Maybe it was the name - Bobo - Matt's old-school nickname? Or maybe it was a tip from Nicole, as this has become one of her favorite NYC destinations.   Either way, we loved it.  Still completely stuffed, we weren’t able to eat; however, we had to partake somehow.  Not doing so would be downright rude, not to mention completely uncharacteristic :).   So, we ordered some drinks.   No arm twisting involved.   We made ourselves comfortable in the dimly lit "Den".  The bar staff was more than accommodating and were quick and spot on with creating the “lemonade with a splash of vodka” that I ordered.   They got right to the point:  “Do you seriously want a ‘lemonade with a splash of vodka?’…or…” Ok they got me there.  They served me the opposite  and I was quite happy with the result.  I was also happy with their eagerness to please and make us feel comfortable. 

After a quick Internet search, it seems like the reviews of the food at Bobo are mixed.  But one thing seems consistent, the upstairs dining room is beautiful and the ambiance charming.   I may have ventured upstairs for a looksee, but I was just too comfortable.   If you’ve eaten at Bobo and have thoughts, let us know!  We’ll certainly head back and make a more complete review of our own. 

14:00 hours: The Standard Hotel

Jaime here and finally getting around to writing about our adventures in NYC.

Our first stop was the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking district for a late brunch.  The Mod-style architecture doesn’t resonate with some, but if you’re the Mad Men-loving, Manhattan-drinking, Beehive-sporting type, this might just be the place for you.    Personally, I do find the vast amount of concrete hanging in the sky an artistic and engineering marval, but I think that the interior décor of the hotel trumps the exterior design.    This is one of those places where I would choose to live.   Like that movie with the little girl that lives at the Ritz – well this would be my choice for a home – not that I would turn down the Ritz – but I think you get the point.    



photo from http://www.vanityfair.com/



In true NY style we had a bit of a wait getting into the Standard Grill.  With about an hour or so to burn we started walking down the street.  It was with great surprise that we stumbled upon the Standard Biergarten.  Seriously ?  This is amazing!  This pretty authentic Biergarten was a treat and reminded us of our trip together to Munich years ago. 

Back then: we could hardly finish two sips of a beer/lemonade mix and were more interested with finding the closest H&M (they were only in Germany back then.)

Now:  Well, the beer went down much easier and with great pleasure and even though there was likely an H&M within a couple mile radius (after all, it is NYC ) we were too excited about the company and atmosphere to care.   

Once you're in the Biergarten, each eight dollar ticket gets you a beer, a pretzel, or a sausage – your choice.   Heaven!  One cautionary note: think twice before ordering something other than the Standard trifecta of Beirgarten fare.  You know you’re in trouble when the bar tender rolls out financing options for a glass of vino.

We were so deep into dreams of lederhosen and spaghetti ice that we missed the cell phone call announcing that our table was ready over at the Standard Grill.  The hostesses were tall and model-esk.  And with that typical runway nonchalant-ness, they gave very little mind to our argument that giving away our initial table was completely and utterly unjust.  They calmly sat us at the next available table in the indoor café-like section of the restaurant.  The Décor is fabulous and feels rustic French bistro.   The ambiance alone was enough to quench the collective fire about losing our first chance at a table.  It was love at first sight for me and I hadn’t even laid eyes on a menu!   We found the waiters to be great and the food out of this world.   Talk about having to make some tough meal choices  - everything looked great. 



photo from: http://www.standardhotels.com/

We started with a couple of drinks from the Brunch Cocktail menu.  Most cocktails were a mix of fresh fruits and vintage liquors.  Notice the Bloody Mary.  That was mine.  Bloody Mary mix muddled with fresh hand-cut  rosemary, thyme, and sage.  Now my typical Bloody Mary mantra is "go big or go home",  but the top gun here was Bloody Mary mix with beef bullion.  I just couldn’t up the ante this day folks.  Yech. 

For brunch I chose the creamy polenta with broccoli rabe, fried egg, and sausage.   All the best things in my world. Loved it. 

Other choices include:

Baked eggs Florentine with gruyere cheese in a cute cast iron dish with a side of toast;

Chilled Carrot Soup with cardamom and orange-maple yogurt (sweet china, right?);

And last, but certainly not least, the Vegetable Panini with grilled eggplant, roasted tomato, and smoked mozzarella cheese.  

We skipped desert but opted for a selection of artisan cheeses and home-baked, sea-salted rolls for the road.  Together with the bottle of champagne that we brought along for the ride (here’s hoping oversize bags will never go out of style!) we took our take away desert on a High Line adventure.  We took in the city and the Hudson at bird’s eye level as we feasted on savory cheese and bubbles.   

Doesn’t get much better than that!   

1 day = 24 hours = 1,440 minutes

Jen and I recently spent a 24-hour period in NYC that would make even Jack Bauer proud.  While void of gunfire, assassination attempts, biological attacks, and corporate conspiracy (well at least we weren’t involved…), our trip to the city was a successful and relaxing weekend with friends.   

Our original plan was to take the Amtrak train (yes, a legitimate choo-chew trip), make the most of the food cart, and blog about our culinary adventures in the city.  But, ultimately, we were lured in by the inexpensive and world-renowned (slight exaggeration) Bolt Bus.  Forty bucks later (round-trip per person) and we were pulling up to the Tick Tock Diner in one piece and thirty minutes ahead of schedule.  For the record we were passed by the Fung Wah. We were greeted by Nicole and Laura and the gang walked a couple of blocks over to the Paramount Hotel – our NYC digs.    

Our mission:  In exactly 24 little hours, help Laura bid adieu to the Big Apple, welcome Nicole back stateside, and of course eat and drink our hearts out.  The Paramount Hotel, Chelsea, Lederhosen, the Highline, champagne, the West Village, Laura (flexing her New Yorker muscles) arguing with the cabbie about traffic patterns, torrential downpours, Hell’s Kitchen, unlimited mimosas, and a close encounter with Aziz Ansari.  Wait, did I say West Village? I like to think we didn’t disappoint – mission accomplished. 

With our free time on the bus, we took the opportunity to enjoy a little Daniel Tosh, catch up on all things US Weekly, and also managed to hit up the facebook world for NYC restaurant suggestions (what an exhausting bus ride!).  As expected, we got a ton of wonderful responses to our inquiry and we’re planning a trip back soon.   We finally decided on The Standard Hotel, Bobo, 44 and X, and the Parlor Steakhouse.   Because an aggregate NYC post would be just way too intense for this blog :), I’m going to share our thoughts on one of these places each day over the next few days.  I promise to omit the gory details of my ongoing search for Bethenny Frankel. 

Hope you enjoy!

-Jaime

from standardhotels.com

Sangria Spectacular!

So it appears my birthday revolved around Sangria again this year. Honestly, I'm the least bit surprised. Some say Summer is all about Sangria, but I say - why wait! Spring surely starts Sangria Season - try saying that 5 times fast after a few glasses!

Sangria (white or red, pick your poison) is definitely one of my Spring/Summer go-to drinks. (Yes, many of you are thinking - I thought that was Margaritas. But for the sake of this post it's Sangria! Stay tuned for my Margarita recap later this summer.)

Before heading up to Gloucester on my birthday, Matt and I hit up the North Shore Mall for some birthday shopping. We were striking out left and right and decided to call it quits somewhere down the Nordstrom wing. Unsuccessful shopping and parched palettes called for drinks at Burtons.

Choo-Chew Tip #14 - Grabbing drinks at a new restaurant is a great way to check out the scene, before committing to a whole evening out.

And I'm so glad we checked out Burtons! We bellied-up to the bar and had some great drinks. I tried the Berry Sangria - amazing! There is a cozy lounge and gorgeous dining room. John, the manager, treated us to a round and we promised we would be back for dinner!

Other great Sangria Stops you must check out -

Cuchi Cuchi - a couple birthdays back we celebrated with Sangria and tapas at Cuchi Cuchi. Their White Sangria is full of fruity yumminess. You must check it out!

NYAJ - Sarah and I kicked off Spring a few weeks back with a couple of Mani/Pedis and a couple pitchers of Sangria for the perfect liquid lunch! Here's a recipe for their Strawberry Rhubarb Sangria.

15 Walnut - After a long evening out (see above picture), we headed to 15 Walnut for their late-night cure. The bartender felt I also needed to taste-test their Sangria (totally unprompted, I swear!). I will definitely be heading back for an adult-sized glass!

As mentioned in our Gloucester post, the Franklin's Sangria is Choo-Chew Approved!

Where do you go to sip Sangria?

Gloucester - I hardly knew her!

Jen here!

I celebrated my birthday a couple weekends ago and it validated my appreciation for the most important things in life – family and friends! To me, there is nothing better than sitting around a table with your besties – eating, drinking and laughing. The week-long celebration was a true birthday success!