NEW YORK CITY: Babymoon Pt.1

Last week, the hubs and I set off to New York City for a last "husband/wife" honeymoon before our second child is welcomed this winter; also known as a babymoon. The trip was originally intended for work, but by extending the trip a few extra days Chris flew me in and we made a long weekend vacation out it! YAY! I was so excited to spend these short days just me and him. We try to have a date night often, but a small trip was just what we needed.

Although, I have to admit my initial separation from Audriana usually gets the best of me. It's not but a few minutes after dropping her off at my parents that I get a knot in my throat, and the tears commence. Thanks to technology, we had FaceTime chats every morning and night!! Yes, I know this was a romantic weekend for me and my husband, but Audriana is still a part of us that is never put aside. Yet after the first day went by, I found myself finally able to enjoy the trip without choking up every time I saw a little family with their kids - yea I'm that sensitive, and the pregnancy hormones don't help.

I decided to divide this trip into two posts. Although I may have been able to cram it all into one, I didn't want to have an excessive amount of photos and dialogue for one entry. So here I'll be sharing Day ONE & TWO of our special babymoon adventure.


DAY ONE
Our hotel sat right on the corner of Time Square. Talk about a view! As soon as you stepped out of the lobby, on your right shined the brightest lights of the city.

The distance between us and great restaurants weren't far in between. We found a few great spots for lunch, and the best part was that they were only a block or two away - walking! Avoiding the cab rides was at the top of my priorities for the weekend. Not only do they resist the urge to stop at lights - or for pedestrians for that matter - but my back suffered tremendously from the consistent stop & go movements. Ouch.

Our first night we met up with one of our bestest friends, Sammy, at a local spot in SOHO. He made reservations at a nice, old fashion Italian joint and no words could explain my excitement for this occasion! Not only am I in New York City, but throw in some traditional Italian cuisine and I'm a happy camper.


Evening came and after a loooooooong (1 hour) car ride, we arrived to our destination to Osteria Morini in SOHO, NY. Majority of the hot spots in New York seem to be extremely intimate, so if you're not comfortable sharing your meal back to back with your neighbor then this isn't the place for you.  I decided to snap some shots of our meal to share in this deliciousness. Too good for words. For apps we got the Prosciutto, Squacquerone, and Piave Vecchio Extra Aged; aka meat and two cheeses. My entree was the delicious Stracci (wide noodles, with mushrooms in rosemary oil) and for dessert I endured the absolutely amazing Coffee Gilati, no translation needed.

DAY TWO
After wrapping up the night before, we found ourselves a little sluggish the next morning. Although that didn't mean we weren't up and at it. Unfortunately, Chris had some last minute work to catch up on for the day so I spent an hour of my morning in the fitness center - doing what I can.

After cleaning up, Chris and I headed out on the town to find some lunch. We found this neat self-serving-deli buffet of EVERYTHING you can think of; hot/cold, mexican/chinese/italian, spring salads/tuna salads/pasta salads, you get it. No pictures to share, but indeed I did take some. Sadly, due to the lack of focus, they are blurry. I guess you could say that was a result of the embarrassment I felt with all the staring eyes on me while taking such pictures - "has this girl never seen a buffet before?". Right?

Anyway, later that afternoon the hubby and I ventured down Fifth Avenue for a daily shopping spree. It wasn't a bank breaking kind of spree, but we may or may not have been dangerously close to buying a second suitcase for the trip home.

That evening (around 6:30) we met up with some old hometown friends that have been residing in New York these past couple years. Needless to say, it was GREAT to see them. I was sad - like really sad - after our departure when I realized we didn't capture one photo together. How could we not document such a rare moment; not knowing when I'll be back again. Eventually I got over my saddness, because it was special seeing them regardless of a photo. I was grateful for that in general. :)

Sadly we had to cut our visit short, and head on out to dinner (reservations at 9:45, yikes). This evening, joined by other friends, we had reservations at a Mexican restaurant, Toloache. Again, very intimate seating type of atmosphere. Nonetheless, it was DELICIOUS. Probably one of, if not the best, guacamole I've ever tasted. Mmmm. I did try to capture some of the deliciousness, but the exposure was so low it wasn't even worth it. After filling ourselves to the brim, we made our way back to our hotel and took some classic photos in front of Time Square.

The view from our hotel lounge was pretty neat as well. Worthy of some blogging photo documentation. Although from our seats I couldn't get the direct view out of the window, but it faces directly into Time Square. We were told this room was once rented out by Bruno Mars for a New Years Eve party, given its spectacular view. I could definitely see why! Gorgeous.

Oh! And I noticed you could see our hotel lounge when I was watching GMA. The black space in between the two jumbo screens. That's us! Haha. 

Well that concludes Part 1 of our NYC Babymoon!!! It's looking like two separate entries was definitely necessary to avoid a potential snooze fest.  

To be continued...

The Three B's

I'd say my ideal morning, would consist of something like this; a little breakfast, blogging, while catching up on a few Food Network recipes. 

Breakfast, blogging, and baking.

Perfecto. 

 

Yes, that's just about the perfect combination of a good day's beginning. 

While thumbing through my monthly catalog of yumminess, a few recipes literally jumped out at me. With fall around the corner, there's nothing better than these traditional flavors to spice up the season!! 

Homemade Apple Butter

You can never go wrong with apple butter. Plain and simple.

Caramel Apple Cake

This one played tricks on me. Although it looks like your traditional caramel apple, it is not. I'm not sure I'd ever be up to challenge this greatness, but I wouldn't mind just for the simple taste. You KNOW it's delicious.

Apple-Berry Pie Pops 

These are certainly not your everyday dessert pops. After the thrill of baking my cake bites a couple weeks ago, I am anxious to dig into some more baking recipes. 

And then there was this... 

Really? 50? ... Gold mine!! We're talking yogurt, smoothies, pancakes, cream cheese, grilled cheese, even mustard... pumpkin mustard! Strange, but incredible. I'm a sucker for anything pumpkin, so this section is about to get torn through. 

Last but not least, I must give thanks to our sweet, Jan. She knew my love for cooking and, as a wedding gift, she decided on this monthly subscription for us. Could she have not nailed it on the head??? :) I'm so grateful, and appreciative of her kindness. And Chris' stomach thanks her, as well.  

Iron Chef: Edward Lee ...made us dinner?

Chef/Owner of our local restaurant 610 Magnolia, and 2010 winner of Iron Chef America - Edward Lee - honored us with a special four course cuisine; selections deriving from his very unique menu. To say it was extraordinary would not do it justice. 

The evening began with fresh pizzas, handmade in an outdoor stone oven - which he highly recommended each one of us purchase at some point in our lifetime... right. As you can imagine, the aroma was quite delightful.  

 

More outdoor scenery views can be seen here; it's worth the peek! 

First course:

-venison

- wild mushrooms

- caramelized brussel sprouts (umm, amazing)

- homemade marinara

- mozzarella & parmesan cheese.   

 Then came the entertainment...

---- Jason, an exceptional volunteer; providing his hidden talents. ----

 

Inside the Wine Studio...

Fresh flowers, picked daily.

And following with some more deliciousness:

- goat cheese & crumbled pistachios

Oh, hello! ;) The ladies and myself, ready to begin the feast! 

  (not quite ready for the picture, thanks hubs.)

Here we go!

Second course:
 - citrus smoked salmon atop spring mix
- goat cheese
- glazed with a roasted garlic & lemon vinaigrette

Main course:
- beef rib-eye in a roasted red wine reduction sauce
- soft grits
- heirloom cauliflower

 Dessert: - a trio of delicacy:
- chocolate mousse
- blueberry & walnuts
- white chocolate ganache gel

1...2...3... breathe!  

Well, there ya have it! That was our evening. Opportunities like these don't come often, so we were grateful to have had experienced such an event; along with an autographed recipe book - not being released for another week.

 Better time than not, everyone... meet my husband, Chris! :)

To learn more of Edward Lee's biography, head on over to this interesting article; discussing everything from how he began in New York, to becoming our own local Iron Chef of America.