Frolicking in Flatiron

Everyone knows Madison Square Park for Shake Shack, but I've fallen in love with its beauty on a summer's eve. It was my boyfriend's birthday last week and we had a bit of photo fun after dinner at Primehouse. I have a thing for sunset lighting :)

I love open space anywhere on this island.

The sheer fact that this building was built when 

Teddy Roosevelt was President astounds me.

You can never not know the time in MSP.

The Empire State Building will always 

steal some attention.

Having some fun with the public art.

More fun. In a past life maybe they were cousins?

Let it be known that, without even a dime, you can find awesome in this city simply by walking around and occasionally looking up. I'd love to hear where you find it. Leave a comment and let me know.

3-Course Dining

There are two weeks of the year I love the most in this city, not only because my birthday happens to fall in between the two of them, but because it is Restaurant Week in New York City.

For two weeks, more than 200 of NYC's top dining establishments offer special 3-course lunch and dinner menus at an attractive price - $35 for dinner and $24.07 for lunch. I have had the pleasure of participating in 2 dinners and one lunch, and I must say that my palate is more than satiated.

It started last week with dinner at Fig and Olive in the Meatpacking District. The urban Mediterranean vibe that echoes throughout the restaurant transposed itself right to the plate. We were able to taste not one, but three different olive oils to go with our bread, which was a memorable feature. We started with the steak tartare, which I had never had before but definitely will again, and the zucchini carpacchio. The portions were good-sized and very tasty. I had the Tuscan style cod with root vegetables for my entree and again, the portion was quite large, which is surprising because I've often experienced smaller sized meals for special menu deals. For dessert we split the strawberry shortbread cookies and the chocolate pot de creme. The cookies disappeared in about two seconds and I'm ashamed to say we couldn't quite finish the chocolate, it was very heavy. The service was attentive and fun, they even brought us each a glass of dessert wine when they realized they forgot to bring spoons for our dessert. I would return here when I'm in the mood for a  trendy dinner in the future.

Yesterday was my boyfriend Mike's birthday. This guy could eat so I wanted to take him somewhere he wouldn't leave hungry. Enter Primehouse in the Flatiron district. When we walked into the main dining room, I was almost taken aback by the decor. The tall marble walls, black and white geometric patterned floors and fabrics and lit-up wine display cases truly make a statement. The food did as well. Mike started with the pork belly appetizer. I know pork belly has been all the rage on menus lately, but I had yet to taste it. I did, and I can't say my life wouldn't be complete without it (I'm not one for lots of fat staring me in the face), but it was tasty. I had the gazpacho with crab meat and it was very refreshing with a poblano pepper kick. We both had the NY Strip Steak entree. Honestly, the best way to make the most out of Restaurant Week is to order a steak. The NY Strip is generally $45 on the regular dinner menu, so you've  already got more than your money's worth. For dessert, I ordered the strawberry shortcake (it seems to be a theme) and Mike got this amazing chocolatey/smores/cinnamon creation that I ended up eating half of. Hey, he's lactose intolerant! What I thought was the sweetest though, was when the waitress brought out an additional birthday dessert - warm doughnuts with three squirt bottles of chocolate, strawberry and caramel sauce for dipping, all with a candle. I would definitely recommend this place for birthdays after that.

Then there was lunch today. In retrospect, I should have planned my schedule better as some coworkers and I made reservations at the historic Delmonico's for a nice steak lunch. It's rare that I eat red meat, but yes, I did have steak two days in a row, but it was damn delicious. Restaurant Week is a great idea for lunch, not only because it's cheaper, but because it's more of a treat. How often do you eat a 3-course lunch? Most of us all ordered the same items - Snap Pea and Corn Soup with Crab, Steak Frites and Chocolate Peanut Butter Mouse. The one thing I will say is that their version of medium rare is my version of the cow is still mooing. I did have to send it back, but the service was polite and returned my steak cooked perfectly. The dessert was heavenly as well, although I went back to my office in a bit of a food coma. Let's just say I'll be eating a salad for dinner tonight.

Paradou it!

I've heard it said that it would be impossible to ever try every single one of the city's restaurants even if you ate out 4 meals a day; there are just too many. Now that's heavy competition.

One of the things I love most about New York is the originality that abounds. A restaurant must be creative if it wants to get people in the door. This was the case with my Supper outing a couple of days ago, and this is the case with a little French bistro called Paradou in the West Village. Paradou is super creative in that I have never even been there and I'm already hooked.

 It all started with a Grub Street posting I came across. The owners of the establishment had been advertising that after 9 years of running their business, they were in need of some honest to goodness feedback from the people who really mattered, their customers. For those who email their comments in, a $20 coupon will come their way. 

So I decided I had to check out the restaurant's website. Since I'm a sucker for contests, the first thing I noticed was "Sign up for our newsletter and enter our weekly drawing to win a $100 gift certificate." So of course I sign up. The next nice surprise was an email in my inbox thanking me for signing up and offering me a  complimentary glass of wine. But that's not all! On the restaurant's Yelp page, it lists a "Free Wine Mondays" special - just mention "Wall Street" when making your dinner reservation for a Monday night and you get a free bottle of wine with your meal. At this rate I'm going to have a feast on the house! 

But you know if it's good, I'll go back. And so will others. That's why they are smart cookies in my book. 

So if you're looking for a new cute little French place to call your own, I'd definitely check it out.  

Wine Dreams

I was waiting to post about New York Vintners until I attended another class and then I could go through the whole kit and caboodle of how wonderful the experience was, the wines we tasted and the foods we ate. But no, you need to act now and fast.

One of my all-time favorite ways to spend a weekend afternoon in this city so far is taking a 2-hour wine class at the wine store turned event space with a full kitchen, New York Vintners. Today Groupon is offering a choice of one class for only $25, that's half off!!

You won't be sorry after taking this class. In fact you will be smarter, more apt to figure out a complex restaurant wine list, and, if you're lucky, perhaps slightly more inebriated than when you woke up that morning. It's all for the better, I promise you.

Classes I highly recommend are Wines 101, Sake and Mediterranean Flavors, and Biodynamic and Organic Wines. Check it out now and buy one or two (or three!) before it's too late and you're kicking yourself.

Supper Time

Before the Hollywood festivities of last night, I had the pleasure of visiting a gem of an East Village restaurant. Through, Twitter, I have been privy to (and the winner of) many a contest. I recently started following @suppernyc, the twitter account of Supper Restaurant on 2nd Street and Ave. A. It turns out, every weekday at 2 p.m., the restaurant, and their sister establishments @lilfrankies at noon and @frankrestaurant at 1 p.m. do a twitter food giveaway. The first follower to retweet the posted message wins the entree of the day.

Just my luck (which is good if you were curious), I won the Grilled Polenta entree. The catch is that you have to either have it delivered or pick it up that day during a specific time period. Since the delivery area is limited to the E. Village, I figured I would swing by on the way to the premiere.

Even with my two years in the city, I'm ashamed to say I haven't truly explored the East Village, but I am working on it! Walking east on 2nd Street, I saw the cutest boutiques and some wonderful happy hour deals. What I found when I walked into Supper though, was perhaps the most fantastic. Several rustic outdoor tables greet you at first and then you walk inside to what reminds me of a log cabin with a bit of an edge - almost an rural chic feel, if such a thing exists (if it doesn't, I just created it).  After telling the hostess that I was there because of the Twitter contest, she presented me with a glass of house red while I waited for my entree. I took a seat at the large wooden bar, checked in on Foursquare (have to spread the online love!), and began to drool over the rest of the menu I looked over.

Supper offers a different risotto for every day of the week - could this be a more perfect place for me?! The most appealing, although I'm not sure if it is more of a dessert than an actual dinner, is Monday's Vanilla Bean and Mascarpone. I better clear my upcoming Monday schedules!

What seems like their signature dinner option is called the "Simple Supper." From Mondays through Wednesdays from 4-7 p.m. you can get an appetizer and an entree for $15.95. You can add on a glass of wine or beer to that for just another $4. Their weekend brunch menu also looked very appealing; the Molly's French Toast with fresh fruit raspberry butter, toasted pecans and real maple syrup was highly recommended.

In my haste to make it to the premiere, I know that I did not do my dish justice since I had to eat it on the subway. I didn't even get a chance to take a picture. However, I will take my sweet time describing it here. The polenta was among the lightest and most flavorful I've ever had, topped with fennel shavings and pieces of fresh Parmigiano cheese. It was accompanied by mouth watering Prosciutto di Parma and a small container of aged Balsalmic vinegar and olive oil. The crunchy-on-the-outside-but-soft-on-the-inside Italian bread that came with the meal was perfect for sopping up the extra oil and vinegar. With each bite, the subway car practically melted away and I felt like I was sitting outdoors at a table next to an Italian farmhouse, just watching the cows in the meadow and the sun setting over the hills. Needless to say, I didn't want the dish to end!

So what are you waiting for? Follow these restaurants on Twitter today and tomorrow you could have a wonderful supper waiting for you! Keep in mind you can only win these giveaways once every 30 days, but you can bet that I'll be first in line in a month.

AWESOME ALERT: Hollywood on 54th Street

I did something very L.A. tonight. I know in a blog about New York, this would be quite the contrarian thing to say, but it’s true.

Thanks to the Young Members Circle at the Museum of the City of New York and a generous soul at Paramount Pictures, I was invited to a screening of the new Steve Carell and Paul Rudd movie, Dinner for Schmucks. At least that was what I was told. Turns out, it’s the PREMIERE of the movie! Having never been to a movie premiere before, even after spending the first 17 years of my life in SoCal (you know it’s been a while since I’ve lived there because I call it SoCal), I truly did not know what to expect. Do I get to walk the red carpet? Do I get to meet all the stars? What about free popcorn? Well, no there is a side entrance for non-stars, no, but I did get pretty close to Michael Scott himself and actually, yes it was quite tasty.

Steve Carell with the paparazzi

Christine enjoying the free popcorn

My guest, Christine, and I marveled at the ornate setting of the historical Ziegfeld Theater while munching on popcorn and waiting for the film to begin. The crowd buzzed when Steve Carell in a sharp blue blazer entered the theater, Paul Rudd with a rather robust beard caused quite the stir as he took his seat and flashes popped when Zach Galifianakis, who cleans up rather nice, greeted fans already seated. The film’s director Jay Roach (think Meet the Parents and Austin Powers) introduced the film saying that it contains the work of “perhaps 16 to 20 of the world’s funniest people.” (Um, excuse me, but when has a movie EVER been introduced to me by its director in person!?).

Inside of the Ziegfeld Theater

Christine and I before the movie

The movie was highly entertaining, and in fact I’d recommend you all go out and see it. Steve Carell fulfilled his typecast but wonderful “schmuck” of a character and Paul Rudd was his charming self, but perhaps the most comical part of the evening, was the fact that I was not even expecting it. That’s the beauty of life in this city. Opportunity is in fact everywhere, and I love running into it.

Dinner for Schmucks opens everywhere July 30.

A Knack for New York

New York is a complex city. Complex in so many ways that you start to doubt how complex it really is. Some become frustrated and leave before ever getting the chance to really experience it. Some come and go, all the while knowing magic exists here. Some never leave, maybe not even knowing how they got here in the first place, but staying all the same. After two years, I can attest to the magic.

Have you ever done something so amazing that you have no words to describe it? No words except for that one.

Awesome.

It says so much without saying much at all. Maybe it’s the New York magic, but I seem to having a knack. A knack for finding awesome.

Whether you just moved into your 5^th floor walk-up, or you’re on your 78^th monthly Metrocard, do yourself a favor. Check back, read about my experiences, find and share your own awesome in this city. It only flourishes by being passed along.