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I’m not gonna lie. One of the things Megan and I were most excited for in New York was the food. However, we didn’t want to spend a whole lot on food so we made the promise to only have one nice meal a day. Everything else would be more inexpensive. However, this didn’t turn out to be much of a problem. With the hustle and bustle of New York, we didn’t want to have sit-down meals. We mostly opted for picnic meals instead. Fast and convenient, not to mention beautiful. It was great.
Day 1
This was our first meal in New York and probably our best. We went to the cafe, Pret A Manger in the Rockefeller Centre and it exceeded my expectations. Apparently this chain is all over the US so make sure to check it out if you haven’t already! All the food is fresh and made daily and it’s healthy! It’s a win-win! I got the Maine Lobster Salad which was probably the best salad I have ever eaten with huge chunks of lobster, avocado, and tomato with Tahini yogurt dressing. What could be better. Then, me and Megan got the Avocado and Roasted Corn Salsa Flatbread Wrap which was equally as good as the salad. And Megan had the Southwestern Chicken and Avocado Power Lunch with quinoa and roasted corn salsa. All of her favorite things!
For supper, our dream was to have a picnic in Central Park, so that’s exactly what we did. I have heard all the hype surrounding Chipotle so when we hit the US, I knew we had to try it. Don’t get me wrong, it was absolutely delicious, but Burrito Libre here in Canada might still be better. I got the Vegetable Bowl with A TON of guacamole and Megan got the Sofritas bowl (a kind of tofu) with NO guacamole (or cheese or sour cream, she’s no fun).
Day 2
This meal was absolutely amazing. We went to the Williamsburg Smorgasburg Food Market and it was one of the best places we have ever been. It’s held every Saturday afternoon in East State Park with like 30 food vendors. It was a struggle deciding on what to get but I finally decided on Mac and Cheese with mushrooms and carmelized onions from the Milk Truck. You might think I’m boring for getting Mac and Cheese in New York but if you tasted this, you would immediately retract that. It was the best damn Mac and Cheese I have ever tasted. I also got a Mango Lemonade to drink. It was the perfect combination of sweet and sour. Megan went her typically healthy route and got a kale and sweet potato salad. At first I made fun of her for always choosing the healthiest possible thing but once I had a bite, I realized that she made a very good choice. It was amazing.
This meal was definitely the worst of the whole trip. If I hadn’t of been so hungry, I would have eaten a bite. Instead, I ate the whole thing. On this day, it was pouring outside, so we spent the day in museums and decided to have our supper at the Met museum’s cafeteria. All of the food was incredibly overpriced, so I got the cheapest thing on the menu, chicken tenders. I thought chicken tenders would be a safe option. Boy, was I wrong. The chicken tenders were soggy yet tough and lacking any flavour. I was legitimately eating cardboard. At least I had fries that didn’t totally suck. Megan was smart and got a cheeseburger which was a thousand times better. Go Megan, you smartie!
Day 3
On the way to the subway station from our apartment, we would always pass by the cutest cafe ever called the Boulevard Cafe and I would occasionally get a fresh squeezed orange juice. On this day, we finally decided to get a proper brunch. I got a yummy avocado and mozzarella croissant. Can you tell that avocado is the theme of this New York Trip? And Megan got a spinach and mushroom omelette. Both dishes were absolutely delicious and we continued to pop into this cafe daily so Megan could get her fresh squeezed juices, including one called the Liver Cleanse juice with apple, grapefruit, spinach, lemon and beets. YUM.
When we were in Soho, I was so excited about trying a Georgetown Cupcake and they sure didn’t dissapoint! Ever since watching the show on TLC, I knew that I had to try these cupcakes. I got the Marble Brownie Fudge Cheescake cupcake and for some reason, I didn’t pay much attention to the name. It didn’t occur to me that the actual cake would be a cheesecake. It was amazing. It even had a brownie base. It was the best cupcake I’ve ever tried. Megan got the Vegan Apple Cinnamon Cupcake. Even when she’s eating cupcakes, she’s healthy. 😉
For supper, we were desperate for somewhere to sit down to eat. We had just experienced a long day of shopping and ran right into the middle of the Pride parade so there were people everywhere and we were exhaused. All we wanted was somewhere to put our heavy shopping bags and experience a little bit of quiet. Every restaurant we passed was packed. We had no idea what restaurant would be good or bad. So we just stumbled into this one, called Park. It was a 25 minute wait but we sucked it up. We shared the smoked chicken pizza with asiago cheese and topped with a cracked egg. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it was the best pizza we’ve ever had. We devoured this thing.
Day 4
I feel like it’s absolutely mandatory to get a pretzel when in New York. Like aren’t pretzels the defintion of New York? Yes, yes they are. We got this cinnamon sugar pretzel after the ferry ride from Staten Island and it was so good. It was warm and soft and perfect. It made us very happy girls.
We were on our way to the Brooklyn Bridge and decided to stop into this lunch eatery on the way. Everything on the menu sounded so good and we decided to share the Eggs Benedict. I am always a huge fan of Eggs Benedict so I definitely wanted to try the New York version. I have never been more disappointed in a meal. Everything about this sucked. I’m still crying looking at this picture. The egg was filled with water, the spinach was soggy and flavourless and the‘hollandaise’ sauce was basically lemon custard with pepper. It was unbearable. But, once again, because we were so hungry, we ate it all. It filled my stomach so I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. But still, I shouldn’t have bad meals in New York.
After the worst lunch ever, me and Megan were determined to find a nice treat to change the mood around. We stumbled upon the Shake Shack right by the Brooklyn Bridge and I finally got to have my New York milkshake. I had been craving a milk shake all week. We ordered the Black and White milkshake. It’s vanilla ice cream with hot fudge mixed in. It was absolutely spectacular. Quite possibly the best milkshake I have ever had.
For supper, we found ourselves back near the Rockefeller and we couldn’t resist the chance to visit Pret A Manger again. So for our last dinner in New York, we decided to end it the same way we started, with a meal from Pret. This time I had the Spinach and Tomato Mac and Cheese that was so yummy. It even had broccoli in it. It was great. Megan got the Slim Garden Greens Sandwich with kale, pomegranate seeds, and avocado. And her soup was a Moroccan Lentil soup with carrots and caramelized onions!
Day 5
This meal was definitely bitter sweet. Before we went to the airport to catch our plane back to Edmonton, we decided to have brunch in New York. We took the subway to Williamsburg, our favorite part of Brooklyn and picked the cutest restaurant we could find. This one was called Station because it was right beside the Subway station. Coincidence? I think not. Now, from what you’ve heard about Megan, you’re probably assuming that the yogurt and bowl of fruit are hers and mine is the burger. Well, guess what? You’re all wrong. We surprisingly switched roles. I was such a good influence on her. She got a pulled pork burger with a fried egg and I got yummy granola and yogurt with a scoop of gelato and tons of fruit. I was so sad eating this meal, knowing that when I finished we would have to collect our luggage, get into a cab and begin our journey back to Edmonton.
I am way too hungry writing this post. Can someone please take me back to New York and feed me? Kay thanks.