New York City, New York - Day Two of Fun

Day two got off to a slow start as I spent the whole morning on my blackberry trying to coordinate my factory, the press release, the invites and press party logistics, the photo shoot fabric for international design magazines, and so many other things for the launch of our furnishing fabrics range at Liberty in London! It is all finally happening next week, so more on that to come. I did make it for a 1pm carb-filled lunch at Cipriani Downtown in Soho. It was another 90+ degree day in the city and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the Harry's Bar specialty: a chilly peach bellini. 

Lunch consisted of a fresh spring pea tagliatelle pasta and eggplant parmigiana ... 

... followed by a giant slice of zabaglione cake. From the Harry's Bar Cookbook: "I always call this a Venetian cake because of its fantastic appearance and also because zabaglione is the main ingredient of another well-known Venetian speciality, tiramisu, which means "pick-me-up." Our zabaglione cake has a similar taste to tiramisu, but it is much lighter".... Ariggo Cipriani. For the recipe click here. 

These biscuits came with the bill, so I dipped them in my tea. Why not? 

The next stop was Bryant Park to meet up with my dear friend Mario, who now resides in the Bahamas and was also, luckily, in NYC for the same two days as me. He is the personal assistant to someone I obviously can't mention, but suffice it to say his pay check is signed by someone whose title begins with H.H. (His Highness). We met up for a cool drink and some chilli spiced watermelon on the rooftop of the Bryant Park Grill. 

What I'm Wearing: Dress Theyskens Theory (buy here), Flower Pins Chanel, Sunglasses Chanel

Chanel pins and Essie nail color: Nice is Nice

From there we made our way to the Upper East Side to The Surrey Hotel, a posh little lodging with a celebrity clientèle that includes Oprah as a regular. We headed to the 17th floor private roof deck garden with its beautiful view framed by rows of lavender (entry is exclusive to guests of the hotel).

BASIL BLEU: Stoli Blueberry Vodka,fresh blueberries, Rose champagne, basil, simple syrup ... 

Make your own muddled fresh lemonade. Choose from a variety of fruits, herbs, spices and alcohol and the bar will muddle them together for you. Mine was lemonade, lime, mint and lemongrass: 

A shower (gosh it was HOT in NYC!) and an outfit change and onto the next stop: the Polynesian-inspired Hurricane Club. Created in partnership with designers AvroKO and Fourth Wall Restaurants, the 10,000 square foot space includes dining and lounge areas, and five private dining alcoves. The dramatically lit space transports guests from the streets of New York into an elegant South Pacific supper club, filled with curiosities. 

Go for the amazing interior design, festive (loud!) atmosphere and pre or post dinner cocktails, but skip the food, trust me. They have a great rum selection, so many inventive tipples, and if you are a small group (with no communicable diseases, ha ha) the shared drinks served in whole watermelons are fun. 

Drinks to share: The Watermelon: Vodka, fresh lime, mint, rhubarb 

Thank you New York City, I had a blast!  Pin It

New York City, New York - Day One of Fun

While home in Boston this month I grabbed the train down to NYC for two days of fun with old friends in the city. Upon arrival my first stop was lunch with a former coworker at SD26, owned by the famous Tony May of San Domenico Central Park fame. I ordered the Il Quadrifolgio, which is described as "a nutritionally balanced one course meal comprised of four individual recipes designed to provide all the necessary ingredients to stay energized throughout the remainder of your work day without compromising the pleasure of the senses." It was a tasty meal for $26. 

Sicilian spaghetti with olives, capers and eggplant to start, followed by chicken breast with slices of pear and a mustard glaze, and to finish a rucola and tomato salad and some refreshing cantaloupe melon

Some lovely home-made biscuits came with the check at the end of the meal

After lunch, my friend and I met up with another of our former co-workers for a little reunion trip back to our old office at the Italian Trade Commission where we all first met. My first job out of college, I was a Marketing and Promotions Officer responsible for promoting the food and wine from all of the various regions of Italy on the US market. I ate very well those two years!! 

Some history on the building: Nestled on a quiet and highly coveted street in Manhattan’s fashionable Upper East Side, this magnificent townhouse is a luxurious retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. The rare 35’ wide building has windows on 3 sides and was built in 1910. It has been meticulously maintained and has served as the home to the Italian Trade Commission for over 20 years.

• 18,789 s.f. includes english basement
• 6 finished floors, 1 sub-basement floor
• 6 marble fireplaces
• Original detail and hardwood floors throughout
• Continuous rail spiral staircase from 1st-5th floors

Here we all are reunited in the hallway of our old floor (with Michelle's daughter Ella Rose Victor Hugo - Ella's father is the well-known chef and award-winning cookbook author, Florian V. Hugo, who is a descendent of Victor Hugo).

What I'm wearing: Dress Cynthia Rowley, Cardigan JCrew, 
Shoes SE Boutique from DSW and Bag Hermes Birkin

One of the little luxuries I miss from NYC living is a manicurist shop on every single block. In London, unless you go to a pricey hotel spa, it is difficult to find a good, affordable manicure. So before dinner, I headed for a relaxing half hour manicure on Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side.

Taxi cab shot: Nails, Essie Nice is Nice

After a quick shower and outfit change, I headed downtown to Rivington and Bowery to meet a friend for drinks and dinner at Freeman’s. At the end of a seedy little alley, Freeman’s is a very hipster restaurant made to look and feel like “a rugged clandestine colonial American tavern.” Indeed it is a cosy and inviting space, with dark walls and uneven rustic wood floors with taxidermy animals adorning all of the walls.

Seared filet mignon, sweet & sour onions, mashed potatoes and horseradish cream

Daily fish special of salmon and native american corn with rucola

We ended with a sinful dessert of Bananas Foster with rum butterscotch, but after half a bottle of red burgundy, I forgot to take a picture :-). It was a jam-packed and fun-filled day. Stay-tuned for day two! 

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