New York City - A 48 Hour Gastronomic Weekend (ABC Kitchen)

Woke up Saturday morning to find the sun illuminating that amazing Central Park view and the seventh deadly sin of gluttony calling my name (we've grown quite fond of each other lately). That little birthday treat that the Mandarin Oriental left in my hotel room was staring me down and guess who won? The inside was a sinfully soft and fluffy chocolate mousse, rich and decadent, with a dollop of lemon curd and raspberries at the bottom. If only every day started like this:

Then when the guilt set in (i.e., immediately), I took the elevator to the 36th floor and went for a swim in the heated pool. Having a pool in New York City (with a view of the Hudson!) is a total luxury that not many properties can boast and I could not help but take advantage on this 32 degree winter morning.

I finally made it out the door, even though the beauty of this Mandarin Oriental property in the winter is that you can take the elevator to the third floor, and without ever going outside, be indoors at the Shops at Columbus Circle Mall, which houses many stores, restaurants (including the famous Per Se) and a massive Whole Foods in the basement.


I took a long walk around lower 5th Avenue, Madison Square Park, the Flatiron District and Gramercy areas and eventually found myself inside the famous ABC Carpet and Home store, where I love to get inspiration from all of the fabrics, colors, rugs, lighting and home imports from around the globe. But my real motivation for entering the store was to experience the currently hotter than hot Jean Georges Vongerichten farm-to-table restaurant on the first floor called ABC Kitchen.

The theme of the restaurant is sustainability, locally and organically sourced products and recycled materials. A truly cozy dining room, you feel as if you are walking into a french country farmhouse. Light white-washed wood floors, venetian plaster walls, ceiling beams transported from an old barn, locally handmade porcelain dinnerware, tree branch installations, salvaged wood tables, and handmade bread baskets from Patagonia all add to this warm "shabby chic" atmosphere. Placemats and menus come from 100% recycled paper and coasters are squares of cardboard from shipping boxes. Literally everything used in this restaurant either had a previous life, or will have a new one.

While ABC Kitchen is receiving rave reviews for both lunch and dinner (my friend Leigh sat next to Gwenyth Paltrow here three nights ago) I went for the morning brunch served on Saturday and Sundays. I had one of their homemade sodas with lemon and thyme and we all shared the glazed donuts with jam. Equally appealing were the warm and light buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd. And the grand finale was the colossal sundae with salted caramel ice cream, candied peanuts and popcorn, whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

ABC Kitchen also features a long bar and some high top tables in the bar area if you wish to go for a drink (cocktails, homemade sodas or a long list of blended super juices are on offer) or just a small bite, without ordering an entire meal. The restaurant is currently booking ten days out so plan in advance of your next visit. Pin It

New York City - A 48 Hour Gastronomic Weekend

Have a hectic couple of weeks coming up at work, including seven days in my office in Germany, so I thought I would use this weekend to relax and have some fun in New York City. I'm very excited to try all of the new restaurants I have been reading about, as well as re-visiting some old favorites. I went back and forth on the title of this entry. Yes, I am spending 48 hours in New York City, but what this blog entry should really be called is, "How to Gain 6 Pounds in 2 Days." This will be a gastronomic extravaganza. Anyway, while my waistline will be taking the hit, you can follow along calorie-free.

I got off the Amtrak Acela Express from Boston at 11am and checked into the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Columbus Circle and was so delighted to find that I had been upgraded to a Premiere Central Park View Room on the 46th Floor.

 Look at this amazing view of a snow covered Central Park and the New York City skyline from my room:

What I am most impressed by is the fact that the hotel remembered from our phone booking that I celebrated a birthday this month and this is the first chance I have had to get away and mark the occasion. I opened the door to my room to find this decadent mini birthday cake:

But the cake would have to wait until after my lunch at The Mark Restaurant by Jean Georges. The restaurant is housed within the Mark Hotel on 77th and Madison, and the hotel has come a long way since Johnny Depp and Kate Moss trashed their room there back in 1994. The hotel has undergone a complete overhaul and was redesigned using a funky and artsy decor by french designer Jacques Grange. Look at the amazing black and white marble floor lobby and the round ball wall art with mirrors:

At the helm of the restaurant is world-renown chef Jean Georges Vongerichten, who must have a fair amount of frequent flyer miles, as he rotates around his 27 other restaurants all over the globe. Once you pass by the cow-print chairs in the hotel bar, the entryway to the restaurant is flanked by an impressive wine cellar and gives way to a sizable bar with very comfortable high-backed bar stools and a cozy dining room:

(Second photo © The Mark Hotel)

The lunch menu features a raw bar, soups and salads, sandwiches, a few pastas, pizza, and burgers as well as some entrees, such as salmon and veal milanese. A good friend of mine suggested I try the Croque M, which normally means Croque Monsieur, but as this one had a poached egg on top, I think it actually qualifies as a Croque Madame. I can literally feel my arteries hardening as I write this, but the Croque M consisted of two slices of soft bread with ham and cheese inside, grilled hot and covered with a cheese/bechamel sauce and a poached egg on top with some mesclun greens on the side. It was truly delicious and washed down with a Pilsner Urquell.

After lunch I popped around the corner on Madison Avenue to the authentic Italian coffee bar and restaurant Sant Ambroeus (see my previous blog entry on this place) and bought some delicious butter cookies filled with apricot jam:

In order to feel less guilty about today's caloric intake, I strolled down the runway that is Madison Avenue. My favorite "fashion" siting of the day was an older gentleman in a knee-length leopard print coat and cognac colored mink scally cap, amazing! I am also a huge fan of the windows at Bergdorf Goodman and loved their salute to next week's Chinese New Year:

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