Following Rabbits Blog — eat it

photo courtesy of The Modern

Let me start out this post by saying I'm so thankful I have foodie friends. I am so not adventurous when it comes to food, and sometimes I can be downright picky. I have several friends though (they know exactly who they are) who drag me into restaurants without paying any attention whatsoever to my whining over a menu. I must say, 9 times out of 10, I absolutely LOVE my meal- so it's nice to have people who push me to try new things. Thanks, guys!

Javier and I went to MOMA today, and his friend works at The Modern- the restaurant inside the museum. She had recommended that Jav try it, so he suggested we go there for my birthday lunch. I always look at menus online before I go somewhere, because of my aforementioned skepticism over menus. I'm going to admit- I was a bit scared. There was a short wait, so we got a glass of champagne to toast my turning 27 (which really better be a fabulous year!). The restaurant is very nice- we ate in the bar room, which has a lounge vibe. The menu is divided into 3 pages- the first 2 are appetizer-sized plates, and items on page 3 are half-entrées. I got the saffron tagliatelle pasta with mushrooms, baby zucchini, and cider-braised rabbit (o_O). It was delicious!

I also had the beef tenderloin with wilted spinach and garlic flan... sooo good! Jav had a poached egg (in a jar) with lobster and asparagus, and braised pork belly with sweet pea puree. 

It was seriously the best meal I've ever had in NYC. Wow. We managed to split a dessert- a chestnut sundae that had Irish cream and chocolate hazelnut ice creams with a butterscotch type sauce, yum! A cup of tea and I was most satisfied. Absolutely check this place out- it's great. A super-huge thank you to Jav for taking me out! I would never be able to go somewhere like this otherwise, so it was a fabulous treat!

NYC was hot hot hot today! Temperatures reached 90* in the city, and the last thing I wanted to be doing all day was sitting in a cubicle. I wasn't too keen on rushing back to my apartment either, so I went for an early dinner at Guantanamera. This Cuban restaurant on 8th Avenue (at 56th Street) has become one of my favorite places to bring out-of-towners for a "New York" dining experience. They have live latin music Tuesday-Sunday nights starting at 8:30p (think bongos and boys that make you want to shake your hips) and they make really great red and white sangria. Ocassionally you'll catch Marcos sitting in the front window rolling complimentary cigars for the restaurant's patrons. Depending who I go with and how hungry they are, I like to split the chicken empanadas to start. The pinchos (marinated skewers of beef, chicken and shrimp) are delicious too. I must admit when I find something on a menu I really love, I usually don't stray from a sure thing... I always get the arroz con pollo when I hit up Guantanamera- it's just so good! Served in a banana leaf, it's always steaming hot and fresh tasting. If I'm feeling up to the task, they also have really great desserts. (Try the chocolate cake with ice cream!)

photo courtesy of Guantanamera

If you plan to go later in the evening or with a party larger than 2, I would suggest making a reservation. The place isn't huge and I've encountered a long wait there. They also do takeout! (212-262-5354).

There's a truck named Sugar that parks a block from my office on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from which a cheery Miss wheels and deals delicious cookies, rice crispy treats, and brownies. The sweets are baked in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and the truck is parked at different city locales throughout the week to spread the sugary goodness! Today we had such beautiful weather in the city, so I took a little walk on my lunch break. The line for the Treats Truck was pretty long, but I didn't mind standing for a bit in the sunshine sans jacket. (Besides- the cookies are so worth any wait you could encounter there!) Kim Ima, Treats Truck owner/driver extraordinaire, was serving up the sweets today, and I snagged two caramel creme sandwich cookies. They're $1.75 apiece for these babies, but trust me when I say they're ahmaaazing. (I gave one to Brian, and he agrees.) Next time the weather bids you away from your desk or PowerPoint's got you ready to commit computer homicide, check the Treats Truck schedule and get yourself a little pick-me-up!

Last night I went out to dinner at the Bryant Park Grill with my coworkers. As the name suggests, it's located inside Bryant Park, on the east side of the park (5th Avenue) at the corner of 40th Street, behind the Public Library. I commute to the Bryant Park subway stop, so I walk by the park in the morning and evening every day. I love it there! I've always wanted to eat at the Grill, since it's just so pretty inside the park. They have a large outdoor patio that would be divine for Sunday Brunch on a warm day. Yesterday was a bit chilly after dark, so we ate inside. There were five of us, and we each got drinks, an appetizer, entree, and dessert. We changed our reservation last minute, showed up 20 minutes before our new reservation time, and they sat us without an issue. The service was impeccable, and the menu-while not extensive- still offered enough variety to suit us all.  The food was good, not amazing for the price, but it's certainly one of the restaurants in NYC where you pay a bit extra for the atmosphere. Which I'm okay with, provided the atmosphere really is great (see: Battery Gardens). I started with a caesar salad (boo anchovies) and for an entree I got the grilled chicken with garlic whipped potatoes and sauteed green beans. (Hellooo comfort food!) We were there for a while talking and laughing up a storm, and each got dessert. The chocolate cake was very good. I'm taking a look at their menupages menu and the dessert menu is different. It lists a "Cake & Shake: blackout cake, vanilla milkshake" - wow, that sounds amazing! I would go back, but on a warm night in the summer when I can eat outside and enjoy the surroundings more. (And perhaps they'll reinstate the milkshakes in time for outdoor summer dining!). 

I went to brunch at Alice's Tea Cup today. I absolutely love it there! I went to the one on Lexington and 64th, and ate upstairs in the fairy room. I got birthday tea (natch, it's my fave) and crepes with strawberries and blueberries. Their tea menu is overwhelmingly huge... pages and pages. I usually get their birthday tea, but I also love their Phoenix Dessert Blend. My mum and I went there last year for my birthday, and we split "Alice's Morning Afternoon Tea"- which is a 3-tiered breakfast of crepes, granola and fruit, and roasted asparagus and pears with all the tea you can drink. Delicious! Their granola is the best I've had. Ever. The wait for a table for breakfast or brunch is usually over an hour, but you can get any of their teas to go, and they make fantastic scones and muffins to carry out.