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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New York City - Madison Avenue Nibbles

With the opening of 17 new boutiques in the last six months, such as Lanvin, Derek Lam and CH Carolina Herrera, Madison Avenue has reconfirmed it's position as New York City's de rigueur  shopping destination. And everyone knows that after an intensive shopping workout, there is always need for a little nibble. Having worked on 67th and Madison for almost two years, I have literally sniffed out every single 3pm workday snack attack location (sweet and savory) in a one mile radius. Here are my favorites:

Lady M: Blink and you miss this tiny little tea house, and therein fact lies its charm (we're talking 600 sq. ft). A beautiful architecturally designed 24 ft. refrigerated quartz and glass pastry display with delicious cakes such as Gateau aux Marrons, Flourless Chocolate Cake and Green Tea Mousse Cake, to name a few, await you upon entrance and then gives way to about 8 small tables.

But trust me, the piece de resistance at Lady M, and the reason I keep going back time after sinful time (thank you to whomever was at the forefront of bringing elastic waistband leggings into current fashion) is the Lady M Mille Crêpes. The Mille Crêpes is Lady M's own take on the traditional Mille Feuille: 20 ultra thin handmade crepes, each one layered with sweet custard cream, so light and delicious it literally melts in your mouth.

                                                   (all photos © Lady M)

If you don't anticipate being in New York City any time soon, fret not, Lady M delivers their cakes all across the U.S. And for those of you without a sweet tooth (I'm sorry but I just can't relate to you) try Lady M's ham and cheese sandwich on crusty baguette or goat cheese salad.

Via Quadronno: A neighborhood favorite, saunter in and feign complete disinterest when your favorite celebrity is standing at the bar taking a shot of espresso. The flying boar, Via Quadronno's logo, will lead you to some of the best cappuccino and espresso in the city. They are also well known for their panini and cured meats and serve salads, sandwiches and hot dishes at both lunch and dinner.

The cozy atmosphere plays host to my favorite breakfast treat: brioche filled with apricot jam. Via Q is the only place outside of Italy that I have found brioche this authentic, but arrive early, as they do sell out, and sadly, the word has finally spread about this great place, it's crowded at peak hours. Italian biscuits and lots of treats, like tiramisu, fruit tarts and gelato round out the sweet offerings. So don your biggest pair of paparazzi flashbulb-proof black sunglasses, swagger up to the bar, order a cappuccino and take part in your own little walk-on role in La Dolce Vita.

         (all photos © Via Quadronno)

Sant Ambroeus: I spent every morning at the bar at their outpost in the Hamptons on my vacation this past August, and even had a dinner of Spaghetti alla Bolognese outside on the sidewalk one night. Watch the UES (that's Upper East Side) ladies who lunch at this Madison Avenue location. Feels like you are stepping into an authentic Italian cafe (in fact, the original Sant Ambroeus is in Milan). Sant Ambroeus features gelato (my favorite is hazelnut), biscuits (take some to go in pretty pink wrapping), cakes (Sant'Abroeus Chocolate Mousse is delish), cappucino and espresso as well as a full service restaurant for salads, sandwiches, pastas, risotto, meat and fish. Pricey but worth it for the ambience.

Mitchel London Foods: During the work week, I used to buy lunches of mixed vegetables, half a sandwich or quiche and sumptuous chocolate chip cookie and carry it out to go sit in Central Park for an hour. This is a great gourmet take-away spot for breakfast treats, out of this world baked goods (including some of the best cupcakes in the city, Magnolia who?), sandwiches and hot meals. Inviting your in-laws over and can't be bothered to cook? Mitchel London will cater an entire home cooked meal for a dinner party, holiday, weekend picnic, you name it.

                                                                 (Photo © Mitchel London Foods) Pin It