7.30.12 Lady Mendl's Tea

Today, I went to Lady Mendl's 5 course tea service at The Inn at Irving Place (56 Irving Place, New York, NY). It was lovely. All the food and the tea was absolutely delish!

On my way there, I noticed this plaque on the building across the street. Washington Irving lived here! I guess that's why it's called Irving Place. I never knew that ...

Washington Irving's house ... not so shabby ...

The pretty table setting at Lady Mendl's ...

The amuse bouche ... a delicious butternut squash tartelette ...

Second course ... Finger sandwiches ... I had the smoked salmon and egg salad.

Third course ... Cranberry scones with clotted cream and preserves.

Fourth course ... Layers of crepes with raspberry sauce. Delish!

Fifth course ... Assortment of cookies and chocolate covered strawberries

Afterward, I went home and changed my sheets. Exciting stuff.
Chewie is as excited as I am about our new lamb sheets.

7.28.12 Cocktails at the Waldorf and insanely good food at Txikito

My husband and I celebrated our first anniversary this weekend. Our actual anniversary is on July 24th, but my husband was away for work, so we celebrated a little late. First stop was Txikito - a Basque-style pintxo (aka tapas) restaurant in Chelsea. It's the best restaurant in NYC ... at least in my opinion. I'm transported back to San Sebastian every time I eat there. *sigh*
                          (Txikito is pronounced [chi-key-toe] as the "tx" is a "ch" sound in Basque.)

I'm happy because I know what I'm about to eat.

Lucas is also happy ... We ate the roasted peppers before I could snap a pic.

Kroketas ... boom chica bow wow ...

Pulpo ... heavenly.

Berenjena ... traditional Basque eggplant dish ... This might be the best thing I've ever eaten ... in my entire life. I almost ordered a second one. It was a special that night.

Pochas (this is my fave dish from their normal menu) ... Perfectly cooked mussels. Perfect.

Lucas had the lengua. He loved it.

Quesos for dessert and wine in proper Basque glasses. I die.

Cocktails at the Waldorf Astoria after a bottle of wine at Txikito ... oofah!
The Bull and Bear bar ... Admittedly, not as fancy as I had hoped, but just as pricey as I had anticipated. womp womp.

Manhattans for two ... Trouble. ;)

7.17.2012 Schiaparelli and Prada at the Met

I went to see "Impossible Conversations," the Schiaparelli and Prada exhibit, at the Met today. It wasn't quite the Alexander McQueen exhibit, but it was certainly fabulous. They didn't allow photography in the exhibit, so I couldn't snap any pics. It runs through August 19, 2012, so go if you can!

Here's the link to information about the exhibit online: http://www.metmuseum.org/impossibleconversations/

It was a dream come true; I got to see Schiaparelli up close! Too bad I didn't get to try any on. ;)
Elsa Schiaparelli outdoes Miuccia Prada in my opinion, but make up your own mind.

Videos in the exhibit are directed by Baz Luhrmann. Fun!

I purchased a poster to hang on the wall in my office when I finally open my private practice for psychotherapy. All the better to help visualize my goal ...

7.16.12 Madonna's UES Compound

Today, I met my friend Marc for breakfast at Penelope (yes, breakfast on a Monday ... ahh ... the joys of vacation).

Penelope serves breakfast from 8am until 11:45am on weekdays. I got the penny egg sandwich which was scrambled egg, american cheese, and pesto on an english muffin. It was pretty damn tasty, but $9? I'll recreate it at home next time. I also got the "soysage" and that was pretty good for just $1 more.

After Penelope, we went up to Central Park and hung out for a bit. It was nice to just sit on a bench while enjoying the weather. After the park, the plan was to go to the Met to see the Schiaparelli/Prada exhibit, but I forgot that the museum is closed on Mondays. womp womp. So, we made good use of our time by walking past Madonna's mansion on the UES. mu ha ha. She's not home; she's on tour. I felt her presence though; yes, I did.



I <3 Madonna!

7.10.12 The Cloisters

Today's trip was to The Cloisters at the tip of Manhattan. It takes a while to get up there because it's at the 190th Street stop on the A train, but the park up there is really lovely. It would be a great place to picnic someday.

So, I knew that the unicorn tapestries were there, but I had no idea that the Campin altarpiece was there! I LOVE that altarpiece. I'm a big fan of Medieval art, but I actually own a replica of the Campin altarpiece that I put out every Christmas. What a cool surprise.

Here's some of what I saw ... It made me want a little well-manicured potted tree. ;)



Below is a small statue base which features Eve and the serpent. Cool!


The Campin altarpiece! (crappy photo, sorry)


I ended the day at French class. I'm taking a few classes at Rennert International to brush up on my French skills. It was a nice way to end the day. I felt like I was in Europe at The Cloisters and then I got to speak my favorite european language that evening. :)

7.9.12 Yonah Schimmel's Knishery and Russ & Daughters

Today entailed a trip to the LES for a visit to the famous Yonah Schimmel Knishery and Russ & Daughters for some treats from the sea. I grew up in New Jersey and I've lived in New York City since 2007. I have no excuse as to why I'm just investigating these joints until now.

Yonah Schimmel's Knishery
In any event, Yonah Schimmel's knishery did not disappoint. I love carbs ... and I love spinach. Hence, I had the spinach knish which was delish. (ha). Behold!



Russ & Daughters
As a pescetarian (though part-time vegan), I enjoy an occasional treat from the sea. Today's score was some gravlax, French smoked herring (never had this!), and some whitefish roe (which I'll be enjoying with some cheese and crackers later tonight).


I walked over to Whole Foods on Houston afterward and got some Gardein goodies to enjoy later this week. Yum! Tomorrow, it's off to The Cloisters for the first time. yay!