Mommy Happy Hour

MHH 20Hello weekend! Hope you all are having as glorious weather as we are in NYC. It’s pretty crazy how cool it is here, I even needed a jacket yesterday. Totally bizarre for August, but it certainly makes running around the city a little more enjoyable when you aren’t melting with each step. Rylan has finally adjusted to having just one nap a day, so we are now free to roam all morning long. You forget how nice it is not to have to rush home for naps. So far we’ve been to the zoo, a new playground, out for breakfast, and we actually got to use up the whole 2 hour allotment for childcare at the gym! I’m a big fan of that last one.

So here’s what we’ve been reading, eating, and loving this week:

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Run for the Parks 4-Miler Race Recap

Run for the Parks 2013 Race Recap by The Mommy Games

We are trying something a little different, so if you are here for the food and mommy talk, be sure to check back later in the week!

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m going to start touching on my running a bit here, so let’s kick it off with a race recap from a run I did with my husband yesterday. The last time I did this race was actually back in 2005 when I was in the city interning. It’s funny because most of my old race times are under my maiden name, so I got a clean slate when I officially changed my last name. I still like to look back and see how much I’ve improved though (especially since I was doing more partying than running back in those days and my times definitely reflected it!). The weather was a little chilly but an overall gorgeous day. NYRR had us all wear “I run for Boston” bibs on our backs, and tons of people were dressed in the blue and gold of the Boston Marathon. I was nearly brought to tears when the woman who sung the national anthem, a native Bostonian, started choking up. I think everyone felt the weight of what had transpired last Monday, and it was definitely an emotional moment. It felt good to be at the starting line, honoring Boston, even in the smallest way.

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October Restaurant Round-Up

**Just a quick note to say that we are so grateful to all the people who worked so very hard these past few days to keep us safe and comfortable. We are thankful beyond words, and our prayers go out to those who are recovering from the storm. 

This has been a pretty busy month for us, so we didn’t get out to many new spots, but we did hit up a few of our tried and true favorites.

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July Restaurant Round Up

   

Here’s where we visited this month:

Boulud Sud

Daniel Boulud has a whole slew of restaurants all over NYC, and this is his newest addition. It was so thoughtful of him to locate it just steps from our apartment on the UWS. The menu is mainly Mediterranean, but it’s pretty extensive so I’m sure anyone could find something they liked. The atmosphere is modern/minimal, and is more appropriate for a business dinner than a romantic date. The food was absolutely spot on. You must, must have the fried artichokes – I’m still dreaming about them. We all (there were 4 of us) had different fish dishes and they were all exceptional as well. Do yourself a favor and forgo dessert and just go around the corner to Epicerie Boulud and have the most incredible chocolate chip cookies (or one of their other amazing treats) and enjoy the views of Lincoln Center at night.

The Dutch

I don’t have too much to say on this one – it just didn’t live up to the hype for me. The restaurant is pretty large, and was only half occupied when we went. Granted it was on the early side (7ish), but the people there seemed like tourists – not a great sign for a NYC restaurant. We found shell (lots) in our crab appetizer, the entrees were so-so, and the dessert pairing of peanut butter pie and lemon granita was just gross. On a positive note, the fries were pretty awesome (they waiter told us they’ve actually won awards for them). Don’t think I’ll be rushing back anytime soon.

Telepan (brunch)

This is an awesome “white tablecloth” brunch. It’s not necessarily where you want to be nursing a hangover, but it is delicious, fresh and just fancy and fun for a weekend morning. There is a price fix menu that lets you choose 2 courses. I think this is just plain genius since I usually spend a lot of time trying to decide if I would rather have something sweet or savory for brunch – now you get both! Do not miss the bread basket, it’s probably the best selection I’ve ever had.

Milos Estiatorio

Oh Milos, how I love thee! We have been going to Milos for years and years, and it’s still my most craved restaurant – and that’s saying a lot! The restaurant is this beautiful open space that makes you feel like you’ve been swept out of NYC and dropped right onto the Greek coastline. The food is well, crave worthy. If you like Greek food, you must try this place. They are known for their tomatoes, so start with a tomato salad (it’s seriously bizarre how their tomatoes taste amazing even in the dead of winter), then have the Milos special to share as well. It’s thinly sliced/fried pieces of zucchini and eggplant piled high around the most delicious tzaziki. Oh, and the chunks of fried cheese on the side aren’t bad either. Then you have your choice of seafood, which is all laid out beautifully on ice for you to see. My husband and I generally split one serving of dover sole, which is plenty when paired with everything else. Finish with a piece of chocolate mousse and you have the most scrumdidliumptious dinner ever.

A bit of warning though, that the seafood portion of the meal will not be easy on your pocketbook. And the waitstaff definitely errs towards the pretentious side. Just be aware of this going in. Not necessarily rude, but not overly nice either – unless you are ordering for 10, expensive bottles of wine included. None the less, this is probably our most frequented restaurant in NYC and would be a great place to go to before a show as it’s not too far from the theater district.

Quality Meats

Steakhouses in NYC are practically as rampant as bodegas, but in truth, most are pretty excellent and will put your local Ruth Chris to shame. QM has a great decor – walls of wine bottles and a labyrinth type layout that is rather interesting to navigate. It has a trendy edge, but given the location, it will be packed with suits at 7pm on a Tuesday. The steak we had was amazing, and they make the steak sauce table side (it was excellent and unique as well, but the steak on its own was so good I didn’t even think it needed any sauce). They really pay ice cream its due in the dessert section and offer a ton of different flavors as well as house made ice cream cakes. Yum!

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