destination: NYC!

My first time in New York was 2 weeks ago. Wow. So fun!

I will try to not post a ridiculous amount of pics and will focus mostly on food. And to be honest, I didn't take pics of everything I ate this time around -- but just flat out enjoyed the food.

First, our hotel was fabulous. We stayed at the Conrad Hilton in the Financial District, which is by far, the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in. Way to go, Mark (hubby)!

Our first food stop was Buddakan, an upscale Asian fusion restaurant in the Meatpacking/Chelsea area. It was recommended by a family member of one of my best friends and was completely spot on. We only took one picture there, oddly enough of the item we liked least of what we ordered. We decided to split dim sum/appetizers to try several different items, and the entire experience, including the server bringing out the items in "waves", was incredible. We split: Cantonese Spring Rolls, Hoisin Glazed Pork Belly, General Tso's Dumplings, Boneless Spare Ribs and Chinese Sausage Fried Rice.

Yes, it was a ton of food, and yes, our server told us we may need to order more. Not necessary.

All in all, it was the best meal in NYC. Below is a pic of the Chinese Sausage Fried Rice, and although it was our least favorite, it was also the last to arrive. On a normal day, I would have devoured this as well.

The next day we had some yummy pizza at Adrienne's on Stone Street as we walked around the Financial District, Battery Park, Wall Street area, etc. We ended up in Little Italy, had a drink and snack at a cute little bistro and rested for a bit. Later in the evening, we went to a place we were most excited about, Craft. As a huge Top Chef fan, we had to, of course, hit up one of Tom Colicchio's restaurants. We had actually filled up on pizza earlier in the day and decided to split several appetizers including a salad not pictured below. The food was great, and the atmosphere was really nice. But, the doughnuts were the best part. Please see below for drooling photos.

Appetizers:

Crispy Bacon and Pickled Ramps (in front of plate) - No, I did not know what ramps were, and yes, I love them, pickled at least. They are now going on the "ingredient" list to try.

Pork Ravioli (in back of plate)

Desserts:

Sugar and Spice Doughnuts

S'Mores Tart with Bourbon Pecan Swirl ice cream

Although I was full at the end, I genuinely wanted to stick the doughnuts in my purse as I couldn't stand to waste such goodness.

I didn't.

It was a success.

Saturday's food choices included an NYC hot dog for Mark. He thought he was getting a Gray's Papaya dog, the recommended hot dog place by his sister, but he ended up at "Papaya Dog" ... it seems not quite the same experience. I had a random cafe sandwich, and we ended up doing more of the Times Square/Theater District this day as we went to see The Lion King (amazing!) Saturday night. We also also had spaghetti at Harry's Italian Restaurant close to our hotel about 11:30 PM. Gotta love being on NYC time.

It was raining on Sunday, so we didn't quite get the Greenwich/West Village strolling and shopping day that I had hoped for. We did find a cute, random little place for brunch called Philip Marie. It was okay. No complaints at the time as it was a dry place to sit down. We took a cab to The Plaza and Central Park and stayed around that part of town for the afternoon.

The last "food" stop I didn't quite make it to as I was in a rush to get to the airport. Mark tried Shake Shack, which was right around the corner from our hotel. He said it was awesome, and rumor has it, Atlanta is getting one too. I guess I'll just have to wait until it opens here to taste that fabulous burger.

Can't wait to visit NYC again!