My Encounter with Bobby Flay

Or… not.  But since the wedding was on a Friday, Robert and I decided to make a fancy weekend out of our trip to Manhattan.  We started our Saturday by having brunch with the happy couple and my future mother-in-law.  Robert, his mom, and I walked to the Waldorf-Astoria where the newlyweds spent the night.  I couldn’t help but snap a few pictures of the beautiful, historic hotel.

Beautiful, right?!  From the Waldorf, we caught a cab and ventured to Sarabeth’s by Central Park… where we saw Kevin Jonas and his wife!  But since they were there, the table forbid me from taking a picture of the restaurant… and the Jo-Bro.  They didn’t want to make a big deal out of it or something… psssh.  But trust me when I say that 1) Kevin Jonas’ wife is beautiful and 2) Sarabeth’s is SO cute, and so delicious.  Definitely a great place for brunch in NYC!

From brunch, we all went our separate ways for a while.  Robert and I relocated to the Flatiron district to the Marcel at Gramercy; a boutique hotel by Gramercy Park.  Check out our cute room!  Apparently the Marcel hosts resident artists during the year, and all of the rooms are unique!  I loved it.  There was also a great rooftop deck and lounge with a great view.  I could have spent all day up there!

PLUS the hotel was right down the street from a little place I’d been dying to try…  Pinkberry!  I convinced Robert to stop in, and we both got originals.  I think I squealed when I discovered I could top my frozen yogurt with CAP’N CRUNCH!!!  I devoured the whole thing.  Robert wasn’t as big of a fan.  Probably because he didn’t add Cap’n Crunch  

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring this new (to me!) part of the city. 

Before we knew it, it was time for dinner.  We had this dinner planned for weeks – it was 95% of the reason we wanted to stay another night in NYC!  Since Robert and I are huge (HUGE!) Food Network fans, we have wanted to go to Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain since forever.  We got all dressed up, collected the new bride (her groom was sending off his irish relatives!) and headed out.

The restaurant was so cool!  We sat upstairs, and got to watch all the swanky action below.  And the food… the food really was amazing.  We were expecting to be underwhelmed, but I was honestly blown away.  I started with the Chopped Asparagus Salad, which was light and lemony.  I wish it had a few more pieces of asparagus, but the rest of the ingredients more than made up for it.  I also had a few pieces of a grilled pizza with bacon and garlic.   And when I say bacon, I mean BACON.  Not that crispy breakfast type, but thick, salty morsels of deliciousness.  My mouth is watering while I type it!  I would go back tomorrow, just for that pizza!  Robert tried the Bar Americain take on a Philly Cheesesteak (yes, we were in New York… I gave him a free pass!)  It was a steak smothered in grilled onions and a provolone cheese sauce.  It was divine!   I highly recommend Bar Americain – please go and eat that pizza!

We finished off the night in Robert’s sister’s Manhattan apartment.  We had such fun gossiping and laughing and talking about her wedding.  And her apartment is so cute, I could have stayed there all night! 

It was a great day in the city, and a perfect follow-up to the wedding. 

What would be your perfect day in Manhattan?

Nice Day for an Irish Wedding

Once upon a time, a beautiful young lady went to Ireland to visit a friend.  This friend took it upon herself to introduce the beautiful young lady to a handsome Irish fellow – and they fell in love.  As months went past, the beautiful young lady saved her pennies to visit her handsome Irish fellow, and in turn he would come to the states and visit her.  Eventually they decided that it was time for the handsome Irish fellow to move to the united states with the beautiful young lady, and soon later they were engaged!

As the year went past, there were several celebrations for the beautiful couple.

But none were quite as amazing as the wedding between the beautiful young lady and the handsome Irish fellow…

The wedding was on June 4, 2010 at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park, and I can’t imagine a more picturesque location!

The food was amazing (think: seared tuna and filet mignon!)  and the DJ was terrific.  He kept us dancing all night… in fact I’m hoping to book him for our wedding!  And with plenty off family  and friends to celebrate with, there couldn’t have been a more perfect evening!

In the end, all anyone could talk about was how perfect the beautiful young lady and the handsome Irish fellow were for each other.  I couldn’t be more happy for them, and am so excited for my future sister-in-law!  I’ve never seen such a beautiful bride!  Congratulations!