NYC Tastes

Mr. T and I enjoyed our Easter brunch at Zum Schneider so much last year we’ve decided to make it an annual tradition. It was especially gorgeous this Easter Sunday and we soaked in the rays along our walk down to Alphabet City. After a quick stop at Venerio’s for some Easter Egg bread and mini desserts we were ready for some beers! Zum switched up their beer list and now offers four different Hofbräuhaus Traunstein beers. We both started with the Helles and perused their specials menu. Just like last year Zum had a special Easter Ham and Easter Lamb dish. Since we got the lamb last year we decided to try the ham this year instead. Easter Ham!! Nice thick slabs of succulent ham were covered in light mustard gravy with a heaping side of mashed potatoes. This dish was right up my alley. I loved the crispy skin on the outer edge of the ham and the gravy was especially delicious. It came with a side of greens beans that were tasty but not as crispy and delicious as I remember l...

I’ve probably walked past this little shop on 1st street about a million times before and not once did I think about stopping inside. However absolute starvation and a little bit of frustration lead me here and I’m so glad it did. I’m not going to get into the story- it’s the food that counts- but basically it was 4:30 in the afternoon, I hadn’t eaten a thing all day except a devils on horseback and I had already shared a bottle of champagne with three friends. It sounds alarming but it really just boils down to a friends birthday visit in the city and me standing on a corner waiting for her for over a half hour while her cell phone was off. I was waiting at 1st and 1st and I just couldn’t take it anymore. My stomach was literally groaning and my head was starting to hurt from the champagne buzz wearing off. I ran into Tuck Shop- ordered up a Pulled Pork Pie and a Coopers Sparkling. Man oh man! Look at this glorious meat pastry! A heaping pile of spicy pork was topped off with a ...

Well that’s it folks- a full week of Eataly I hope you enjoyed. Whether it be for the fabulous cheeses, the vast array of espresso drinks or the constantly changing assortment of fresh fruit and veggies- Eataly has it all. Including a special Easter treat for Mr. T! Look at this beautiful Chocolate Easter Egg! Little does he know there's a special treat inside! Eataly makes these eggs right in front of your eyes and offers to put mementos in for a surprise. Yeah- this is what I put inside for Mr. T. I got laughed at a bit but the process was awesome. He placed it inside and then melted the chocolate on that silver warmer. After about a 5 minute wait it was done. Voila! A chocolate Easter egg! What a great place. I have so many more Eataly photos I could truly do another straight week right away. But I'll hold off- there's too much other great food and drink to be had.

Happy Saturday! Eataly Week is almost over and I hope you've enjoyed every second of it! I saved the second last day for a glass of Prosecco Rose and their Peanut Tiramisu. Is it a match made in heaven. At least this is what my little slice of heaven feels like. We'll end tomorrow with a special Easter Eataly treat and lots of wishing and hoping for the beer garden to open up soon!

Obviously I’m obsessed with the desserts and coffee at Eataly but I probably spend most of my time here buying our groceries. Eataly has some of the best fruit and vegetables going and some really rare finds as well. Just the other day Mr. T and I went shopping for strawberries and came out with a plethora of other items. Three different types of apples, two new kinds of pears, blood oranges, expensive but amazing dried cherries and strawberries and some weird Andes Fruits. Look at these things. Mr. T and I had no idea what we were supposed to do with them but they were pretty darn tasty. Another delicious buy is the Roast chicken from the Rosticceria. For around %10.00 you get a whole chicken that's unbelievable tender and ridiculously moist. However skip the rosemary potatoes as a side. They're tasty but expensive for the amount you receive. Last but not least one of the most affordable and delicious things at Eataly I’ve never discussed- the Focaccia. Mr. T t...

I’m almost down to the wire. I think after this I have one more dessert to try and then I’ve had them all. I have to say I think I saved one of the best for last with this one. This is the Amar Dus- a Raisin Brioche with Chocolate Mousse and Almond Bavarian. Why in the world did I wait so long to try this! The Bavarian creme in the middle was so rich it was positively decadent and along with the smoky almonds and salty raisins it tasted utterly amazing. The Coffee Panna Cotta on the other hand was only so so. It tasted okay- like coffee and crème, almost like my Cremespresso actually, but it was boring. Not big flavors jumping out here. But that little Amar Dus, OMG just thinking about it now makes want to run over to Eataly right now and get one. Actually I will- Bye!

Le Verdure is Eataly’s restaurant that focuses on fresh produce. Now although I love salad and brussel sprouts, etc. I’ve never been to a place that is known solely for their vegetables. I’m a protein person for sure but Le Verdure really intrigued me. So I stopped the other day and got a seat at the bar. Now since I would be feasting on some produce I figured a light, bubbly Prosecco would go well with whatever I ordered. Eataly has a couple to choose from but my favorite is the Flor Prosecco Rose. The waiter came over and told me about the specials for the day and then helped guide me through the menu. He had a lot of recommendations and after much deliberation I finally decided on the Pinzimonio Bagna Cauda. Bagna Cauda I came to find out is an Italian sauce made with garlic and anchovies. When the waiter described it I immediately thought of a Cesar dressing so I gave it a shot. I’m so glad I did because the sauce was fantastic. It had the same elements of a Cesar b...