New York, New York

LL and I have just returned from a completely amazing overnight trip to NYC! We actually started planning this trip a while ago. Our great friends from Mississippi (who have since moved to Louisiana and now Texas) decided to take a "Babymoon" trip to NYC before the arrival of their second sweet baby girl this summer (you can read all about their adventures on their blog, here. It's one of my favorites!) And, comparatively speaking, NYC is right next door to us! How could we NOT go meet Tiffany and Andy? :o) LL was able to get Wednesday off work, and my awesome SIL Taryn and LL's mom tag-teamed watching Collette for overnight, so we were able to go on this amazing little get-away!

We left Wednesday morning and drove into NYC. Luckily, we were able to get a hotel room at the same hotel the Harris' were staying at, Distrikt Hotel. And even better, it is on the closest side of the city to us, so we (well, actually, LL. I get nervous driving in NYC traffic) got there in no time! 3.5 hours flat, to be exact. Through the Lincoln Tunnel, two turns, and we were there. AND they had a very reasonably priced parking garage! Bonus!

Our room was on the top floor--the 32nd. We had a great view! (Just pretend from this poor picture! Ha!)


If you know LL (ok, let's face it, me, too), it's absolutely no surprise that this trip was ALL ABOUT THE FOOD. Seriously. LL and I are total Food Network addicts. One of our favorite shows, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, featured the Toasted Marshmallow milkshake from Stand. (You can see the clip HERE) So of course, our first order of business in NYC to was to Stand for lunch. And yes, I take lots of pictures of food. :o) Here is our incredible lunch:


Stand also has the best onion rings LL and I have ever tasted.

And here are the milkshakes! I got the Toasted Marshmallow, and LL got a Honey Lavender milkshake.




After our 5,000 calorie lunch, we took a water taxi tour ride in Manhattan. It was a little chilly (hence my hat in a lot of the pictures) but soooo fun! We got to see a lot of famous NYC sights:

Brooklyn Bridge:

Ground Zero Memorial being built:

Ellis Island:


And of course, who can resist a photo op at the Statue of Liberty?





When we finished the boat ride, we decided to go to Eataly, Iron Chef Mario Batali's Italian marketplace (if you are counting, this is our second Food-Network inspired stop).


Eataly is a huge place and awesome--there are a variety of shops and restaurants inside. We had some fun coffee chocolate drinks (it is, after all, chocolate month!):


And ate cheese and crackers, and bought some food staples--coffee and chocolate! :o)

Luckily for us, Eataly is right night to the famous Flatiron Building, so we had to get some pictures there, too. :o)




When we finally finished at Eataly, we headed back to the hotel and got ready for dinner! We ate at Marc Forgione, the newest Iron Chef's restaurant (yes, Food Network shop number three!) It. Was. The. Best. Meal. EVER!! You can check out their menu HERE.

Our amuse bouche (the one-bite hors doeuvre given by the chef):


Appetizers:
Tiffany and Andy started with Tortellini de Avanzi, Truffle Balsamic Vinegar, Pierre Poivre, Trumpet Royale (background)and LL and I had the BBQ Baked Olde Salt and Hummock Island Oysters, Aromatic Sea Salt, Bacon Powder (foreground):


For the main course:

Tiffany:
Beef Short Ribs, Pommes Dauphine, Roots, Herb Crust, Thyme Reduction


Andy:
LI Duck Elvis Presley, Bacon, Banana, Pinenut Butter, Foie Gras, Sumac


LL:
American Kobe Skirt Steak, Gruyere, Steak Sauce, Mushrooms a la Greque, Bone Marroe Fries


and my dinner:
Pork Tenderloin, Bacon, Curry, Apples, Sweet Potato puree


And of course, we had to split desserts!

Tiffany and Andy split Gianduja Ice Cream Sandwich, Fudge Brownie, Coffee Hazelnut Ice Cream, Nutella:


and we split the Meyer Lemon "Pie" Sundae:


Everything was amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal,and it was the perfect ending to an incredible day!