There really is nothing like New York at the Holidays. New York simply does it better than anywhere else. The lights, Rockefeller Center, the fabulous Christmas tree.
So every year or so, I get a great big dose of the the Big Apple at this time of year and it immediately puts me in the holiday spirit. And did I mention the food? Needless to say, there is anything and everything you’d ever want to eat in New York City, but I definitely have my favorites…
After a busy morning of strolling up Madison Avenue, we worked up quite an appetite. We were lucky enough to snag a table at Nello, a small Northern Italian eatery smack dab in the middle of all the designer flagship stores. Lucky that is, because within minutes of being seated, Nellos was packed and it was standing room only. It is easy to see why. Although the menu offers a broad range of appetizers, pastas and entrees, we decided to order from the daily specialities offered up by our waiter. It’s truffle and porcini season in Italy, so we took our cue. The homemade tagliatelle pasta with fresh porcini mushrooms was sublime. The grilled veal chop smothered with porcini, delicious. The creamy polenta with shaved truffle, ethereal.
Okay, so I’m really old school when it comes to New York. Yes, I admit that I like my old standbys in a town where there’s a new “it” restaurant practically every week. The Brasserie is definitely old school. Located at Lexington and 53rd street, the Brasserie has been serving up classic French fare for decades. This is French comfort food. You know, big bowls of French onion soup with melted gruyere, gooey raclette, and great baguettes.
I stopped in for breakfast and ordered off their prix fixe brunch menu. The roasted beet salad with Humboldt Fog goat cheese was perfectly composed with a lovely vinaigrette with just the right amount of Dijon mustard. The asparagus omelette with goat cheese was delicious and came with crispy pomme frites and a frisee salad. Nothing trendy here, just good reliable bistro food.
Other NY highlights included Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera, (the fantastic mid-century Lobmeyr chandeliers are to die for) with a nightcap and dessert at Boulud Sud just a short walk away.
Lobmeyr chandeliers from the Metropolitan Museum.