This past weekend my friends Kelley and Alice visited the city from Virginia. After a harrowing journey via the midnight Chinatown bus to New York, they were greeted with an under construction F train which subsequently led to a trip through Brooklyn on the wrong train, followed by several layovers to good old Queens.
And all this at 6am. Sounds like some adventures I've had before...
Never the less, they made it! And I'm quite proud of their determination despite the evil MTA powers at hand.
So they slept all day and I went to work until dinner time. When my shift ended, we made plans to meet up for food and headed towards my favorite sandwich shop near Union Square.
Grey Dog's Coffee is a cozy cafe with delectable breads and beers, tucked into a pleasant, eclectic space on University. We walked into the small restaurant and per the usual, were greeted by some cute, semi-trendy guy. Embarrassingly enough, Alice, Kelley, and I all ordered the same exact thing - but you CAN NOT go wrong with the infamous Number 7. Brie cheese, and turkey melted together, combined with juicy Granny Smith apple slices and topped by a raspberry mustard sauce on two thick slices of cranberry bread. No. You can do no wrong.
All the sandwiches look amazing. This is the Number 1 with tomato instead of apple. Photo courtesy of Robobby on Flicker.
But our food binge didn't stop there...
The next morning we woke up and made plans to try a French cafe in Astoria. We donned our boots and grabbed umbrellas, undaunted by wind or rain. You see, rumor had it this place served a brunch under fifteen bucks that included croissants and Nutella.
Swinging open the door of the Pomme Cafe, I was greeted by a warm Parisian wood-panelled den, lined with wine bottles and picture frames. "Three for brunch?" the hostess said as we nodded and were whisked away towards our table.
Oh and were the rumors blissfully true! Croissants and Nutella appeared before our hungry eyes, as well as coffee and a box of teas to chose from. There was also a complimentary Bloody Mary, Bellini, or Mimosa with our meals, so I tried with homemade tomato juice mix and was not disappointed in the slightest. But this ceremony of treats was all before our food even arrived. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...
Bloody Mary that came with brunch.
My buttermilk biscuit with pork, eggs, and hollandaise sauce.
Kelley's fruit-filled French toast.
Alice's zucchini and squash omelet.
The day progressed with much walking thus our glutenous appetites were not yet quite appeased. Yes, you know what comes after brunch... dinner.
Down to the South Seaport we went, stopping into Salud around 4pm, just in time for the $5 Mojito happy hour special. After two orders of drinks, two orders of plantain chips, and one order of a three-course tapas meal to split, we were finally feeling delightfully full. A little steak, the seafood platte, and a rice pudding dessert occupied our minds as we hid from the perpetual rain in this candle-lit restaurant by the Hudson.
$5 Mojitos are unheard of in the city. These three guys were fabulous - and usually $11.
Love me some plantains and bean sauce.
The rest of the evening was enjoyable and I finally saw the Oscar-wining movie, "The Kings Speech." For good measure, let's not discuss the fact that we dove into chips and salsa after the film. Nope - no mention of that.
But of course, by Monday morning, we had been without food for nearly 7 hours. It was grazing time again! Now we craved the ever-present man in my life: Mr. Brooklyn Bagel. Kelley, Alice, and I ordered a schmorgasboard of different bagel flavors and cream cheeses, leaving us all full to the brim.
Now finally we fasted. I saved half that bagel all day, eating pieces here and pieces there. After my internship and late night at Bloomies were completed, I met the girls and David at Rudy's Bar and Grill around 9pm. If you've read these posts before, you know what we do at Rudy's... Besides dance with Louie Prima Jr. and run away from Indian men who try and curse you... yes that's right! FREE HOTDOGS.
And did we devour those! Plus the bartender gave us free drinks and somehow we managed to score free fries from the bartender's cousin. I know, I know... how could I lower myself eating scavenged fries and hotdogs after such fabulous foods all weekend?
I'll tell you. Eating food? Well it's fine. But wining and dining with great company? Enjoying conversation over a fancy Mojito or a $7 pitcher of cheap beer? Whether it be at a Parisian cafe or a dive bar in Hell's Kitchen - those moments with friends sharing stories and snacks; those moments are to be forever engrained into my bottomless stomach. Those moments are precious.
Now aren't you hungry?
Grey Dogs Coffee - Photo courtesy of Alice Ricks.
Pomme Cafe - Photo courtesy of Alice Ricks.