Stonebarns Getaway

 Visiting Dan Barber's Blue Hill at Stone Barns this past weekend was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous fall weather and a friend's birthday. We hopped a train out of the city and got lunch at Blue Hill Cafe. The food at Blue Hill (restaurants in both Tarrytown and Manhattan) is sourced from the Stone Barns farm and a few other local farms. The cafe where we grabbed a picnic lunch was an affordable way to enjoy Blue Hill's delicious and exclusively seasonal food, especially since the main restaurants are pricey, though worth it for what might have been the best meal I've ever had (a blog for another time, if I'm lucky).

Lunch feast complete with iced coffee for one of the last hot days of the year. 

Barbara in front of the veggies

 We shared delicious baked goods, vegetable salad, soup, and frittata and then walked around to check out all the piglets!

Cuddling pigs
toward the end of our hike (read: stroll) we were ready for naptime too!

We all feasted that day.

All in all, a successful day-trip and terrific birthday extravaganza.

 

Highline Park Walk

NYC's High Line is a unexpected way to view the city in a historical and environmentally forward Park. From a unique vantage point, it offers gorgeous views that you can't get in a high-rise or from the street below. Earlier this summer, the second part of the park opened up, so you can now walk from Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District up to about 30th Street. In addition to enjoying the view, walking up and back is about 2 miles, and will burn you about 200 calories.

Get there hungry to enjoy some of the awesome vendors along the stroll--including my newest favorite, meltbakery. They have a variety of tasty cookie ice cream sandwiches, including Molasses with Pumpkin ice cream (middle) just in time for fall, and a classic Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Ice Cream (right).

Jeffrey's Grocery

For a laid back atmosphere with to-die-for dishes from start to finish, try Jeffrey's Grocery in the West Village. A close former New Yorker friend and I stopped in Saturday night for bar-side dinner. I often find myself more impressed by appetizers than entrees, and although I wouldn't take back a single bite of the starters,the hangar steak was a force to be reckoned with as well. As we looked around, we kept ordering--that's how good everything looked and tasted. We luckily saved room for the bartender's dessert recommendation and a tasty bottle of red wine on one of NYC's first fall-like weekends. Stumbling upon this restaurant was one of the weekend's highlights. Go hungry!

Octopus special with potato salad and zucchini ribbons.
Best dish of the night!

Tomato and Watermelon salad, conveniently split for 2. 

Hanger Steak (what was left anyway...) and chips with market crab dip.

Berry Shortcake a la mode to finish. 

Dancefloor Workout

I've had a couple amazing weekends recently. For the past 2 weekends I've been away at dear friends' weddings. After the ceremony is done, cocktails and dinner have been had, and the couple has had their first dance, my favorite part begins--the dancing. Just 30 minutes of vigorous dance floor breaking it down burns can burn up to 200 calories, or enough to compensate for a shared piece of wedding cake.  

Check out the sweaty dancefloor from a hot summer night
at a beautiful and clearly outrageously fun Charlottesville wedding!

Fish Tag

I recently had a delightful date night at Fish Tag, a new restaurant on the UWS opened by the same owners as the delicious Kefi Greek restaurant. Our favorite dishes were the appetizers and cheese plate that followed dinner.

Grilled Prawn, Feta, & Spicy Chilies Bruschetta

Chilled Sweet Corn Soup with Maine Crab Meat
(Our favorite dish of the night)

Smoked Octopus
Perfectly done--not chewy at all!

One of the other novel concepts about this restaurant is the layout of their menu to support perfect wine pairings--they even offer wine by the half glass, full glass, half bottle and full bottle to help you have the perfect wine with each bite. I had a great glass of rose, which was perfect for a hot NYC summer night.

Here's just part of the wine list as a preview. 

It was a great night out, and comes highly recommended!

Salsa 3 Ways!

Salsa is a great party pairing to delicious cocktails. Skip the jarred stuff and impress guests with a fresh batch of your own--it's quick, easy, and better tasting especially with summer produce! Try any of the three variations below, or use the STARTER and get creative with your own add-ins!

START WITH:
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1-2 minced jalepeno peppers (depends on how spicy you like it!)
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & Pepper

ADD-IN #1: Mango-Avocado

1 mango, diced
2 avocados, diced1 Tbs red wine vinegar1/4 cup chopped cilantro






ADD-IN #2: Peach and Heirloom Tomato
3 Peaches, diced
1 large heirloom tomato
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbs chopped fresh mint
Juice of 1/2 lemon

ADD-IN #3: Blueberry!
1 cups fresh blueberries, chopped
1/2 cup whole fresh blueberries
1  bell pepper (red, yellow or orange)
1 Tbs fresh ginger, grated
2 Tbs fresh cilantro