Tuesday, August 28, 2012

New York State of Mind: Day 1


One of my favorite things about traveling is about sampling the best of what the city (or country) I'm in has to offer.  Perhaps no other city in the US has more offer than New York City.

New York is a city that I enjoy visiting but one I find very overwhelming.  Boston is a big city, but pales in comparison to NYC.  In NYC, there is just so MUCH going on - the people, the traffic, the lovely aromas of the subway. It's a place that I can take in small doses. Just like Las Vegas.

Recently, a friend and I traveled down to NYC for a weekend.  Just a little break from work and Boston to spend some time in the City that Never Sleeps.

This time, I decided to take the train down from Boston to NYC.  Price was a bit more expensive than a plane ticket but the total travel time worked out to be about the same, if you factor in airport security, actual flight time, cab from the airport, etc.



Plus the train is comfortable and has free wi-fi, people. Oh and large windows, which for a gazer like me, is great.  I could just pop in my headphones, gaze out the window, and watch the New England coast fly by me.

After arriving in NYC, I made my way to the Hilton New York, where I had booked a room for $133 a night through Priceline's Name Your Price tool.  If looking for a 3 or 4-star hotel in a certain area (and not a specific chain of hotels), then I highly recommend this option. I've used it twice (NYC and San Francisco) and each time the hotel has been great, both in location and price.

While waiting for my friend to arrive on her train (and to escape the cool weather), I dashed in between the raindrops to Bar Americain, one of Bobby Flay's restaurants, for a bowl of French Onion Soup.


After my friend arrived, we made our way out to explore the city.  Stops included:

Times Square - oh the tourists.  Everyone needs to visit Times Square at least once in their life. But that is it.  Otherwise, it will just annoy you with the tourists and the lights and the commercialism.



Forgive the hair. Humidity is evil.
Union Square

Strand Book Store - I'm a book nerd. I love books and bookstores and if left on my own, could probably spend hours wandering the stacks.  Strand is a bibliophile's heaven.  Books from (where book nerds like me could spend HOURS)

ALL OF THE BOOKS!

East Village & The Redhead NYC ( read my review [here] ), with a photo op in front of a restaurant of my people!  



Glass of wine Bar Veloce with its funky sunglasses lamp.


We ended our night by walking to the nearest subway station and navigating the labyrinth that is the NYC subway system back to our hotel. After a night cap at the hotel bar, we collapsed into our beds to get a good night's sleep, ready to explore the city the next day...

To be continued...

Scotch, scotch, scotchy scotch scotch...


Monday, August 27, 2012

Restaurant Review: The Redhead NYC

Two words.  Soft pretzels.  Two more words. Beer cheese.

Put them together and you have one of many culinary gems at The Redhead in New York's East Village.  This small, bustling eatery with a very understated store front is anything but understated when it comes to the food coming out of its kitchen.

On a recent visit to NYC, I was determined to try this place, which I'd first seen featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  After walking the four long city blocks down E. 13th from Union Square, I was greeting with this.


So, of course, I had to go in. 

My friend and I arrived about 6pm and although we didn't have a reservation, we didn't have to wait long for a table.  The bar was busy but not crazy, although I would think that making a reservation for a later time is definitely recommended.

The restaurant is small, mostly with tables of 2 or 4, with seating for a larger party across from the bar or in the back corner. The decor is warm with wood and deep red cushions.

We immediately ordered the homemade soft pretzels with the Kentucky beer cheese - this is the reason why we came, after all.  This little pieces of heaven were warm, chewy, simple delicious.  Everything you want a soft pretzel to be.  Just the right amount of salt too.  And the beer cheese was creamy and cool - the perfect accompaniment to the warm pretzel.

hello gorgeous

My friend ordered the fried chicken, which she promptly proclaimed to be the "best fried chicken" that she'd ever had. I tried the cherry lambic-braised pork ribs.  The ribs were tender and fell of the bone.  I wasn't crazy about the taste of the whole cherries, but the meat itself was well complimented by lambic.




For sides, we order the traditional biscuits and honey and fried green tomatoes, and the not-so-traditional watermelon with chili and lime.  

The biscuits and tomatoes were excellent but it was the watermelon that really caught us off guard.  The coolness of the watermelon paired with the tartness of the lime and heat of the chili was delightfully unexpected and refreshing.  Although summer is almost over, I definitely recommend trying this dish for your next BBQ or party.  


The aftermath....


Slowly, we began drifting in a blissful food coma.  To avoid the embarrassment which would come from us curling up on the velvet cushions and nodding off to sleep, we decided to skip dessert in favor of an after dinner walk.  The Redhead does offer a few options for your sweet tooth, including a bacon peanut brittle, which is quite popular and available for purchase to take home with you.

Next time you find yourself in the East Village and in search of a warm, inviting restaurant with delicious comfort food, you know where to go.

The cool peeps will be waiting for you.

The Redhead is located at 349 E. 13th (at 1st Ave)
Follow them on twitter at @theredheadnyc