Girl by the Lake

nyc dining: saul restaurant

So, I’m really late on writing this post. Several weeks late, actually.

but since there’s no time like the present to type this baby out, here we go!

To celebrate Eric submitting almost all of his business school applications + our dating relationship hitting the one year mark, Eric and I devised a plan to spend an entire day in Brooklyn. We were going to start with Brooklyn Flea, then head to the Brooklyn Brewery. FINALLY, we were going to head to dinner somewhere fun.

The day of said planned trip, Eric shows up at my apartment sick. After I finish getting ready, I walk into my living room to find a sleeping Eric on my sofa. Since he’d been battling a cold for a few days, I decided to let him sleep a bit.

and there went our plans to visit Brooklyn Flea….

About an hour into Eric’s nap, I start feeling really strange. It takes me about 30 more minutes to realize what’s happening: a migraine.

bye bye, Brooklyn Brewery plans….

So around 4:30pm, Eric and I decide to pull a massive rally. We forced ourselves out the door to Brooklyn, and forty-five minutes later, we found ourselves sitting in a cozy little space called Saul Restaurant.

and that’s when the fun began…

nyc dining: lupa

You like Italian food? Great. Then you’ll L-O-V-E Lupa.

Lupa, owned by the famous Mario Batali, is one of Greenwich Village’s hidden gems. The food is delicious, the menu is edited (but provides a great selection), there are TONS of daily dishes, and it won’t break your wallet. This restaurant is rapidly becoming one of my favorite places to eat in NYC as a whole…admittedly, Eric and I have been there twice in the last three months. And that’s saying a lot for a foodie like Eric. ha.

Personally, I love Lupa because 1) I can actually see it from my bedroom window, and 2) it’s not ridiculously hard to get a table. AND, if you go early enough, and your party is small, you won’t even need a reservation.

The decor is warm, sophisticated and super cosy. I always get the feeling that I’m sitting in a family owned restaurant, given the look and feel of the furniture + the dimmed lighting. There’s also a long table for large parties…if that doesn’t scream family style, I don’t know what does.

NYC Dining: Flex Mussels

This past Tuesday, I was able to sit down and enjoy a LOVELY birthday dinner with some of my best girlfriends. The birthday girl? None other than the ever-so-talented Katzie Guy-Hamilton (I hope you guys are watching her on Bravo!!!!!). The place? One of her favorites: Flex Mussels.

I won’t go into a ton of detail about the food, because this night really was more about celebrating Katzie’s years on this lovely Earth. But all-in-all, the food was hearty, cooked well and the flavor was good. We started out with appetizers (salads), snacked on some amazing bread, and then out came the mussels. I ordered the Maine mussels:

NYC Dining: The Harrison

After weeks of dining silence, Eric and I finally ventured out this past Saturday. The Harrison has been on Eric’s radar for quite some time, but due to a few sub-par reviews from friends, we’ve continually picked other places over it. But now that we’ve finally tried TH, I must say my opinion has shifted dramatically.

The Harrison, situated in the beautiful Tribeca area of NYC, serves a simple, yet delicious New American menu. The prices are moderate, drink menu is substantial (yet not overwhelming), and service is what you would expect from this quality of restaurant.

So let’s get down to what we ordered:

Appetizers-

Wagyu Beef with Grilled Asparagus: this app was apart of the night’s specials, and it did not disappoint. In fact, after all was said and done, this dish was at the top of my list.
Grilled Fig and Pancetta: Eric ordered this and loved it. I tried a bite, and while I’m not a huge fig fan, it was really good.

NYC Dining: Morimoto

Good, solid, tasty food. Exactly what we wanted, exactly what we got.

After a crazy yet relaxing trip down to the South (family visits, beach, etc.), all Eric and I wanted last Sunday evening was food. I had no energy to cook, Eric didn’t want to order in, so we scoured our favorite restaurant search sites as we traveled on Sunday. We finally decided on Morimoto, a place neither of us had been.

Guys, this Chelsea restaurant interior is beautiful/amazing/incredible. I was so glad I slipped on some jeans right before I walked out the door….the design just has an element of easy “class,” if you know what I mean. Shorts would NOT have cut it.

The most beautiful decorative installation in the restaurant is the wall featured below: so freaking pretty.

Surprisingly, Eric hadn’t done any research on the menu (aka, we made the decision too late in the game for him to sit at home and read reviews….), so we had to rely on the server for suggestions.