The Cape Cod

{Courtney soaking up some sun}

{lots of front porch sitting, one of my favorite past times}

{it was very hard to leave this house...and its multiple wings, living rooms (4 to be exact) and fire places in each}

{I want this wreath}

{fancy cocktail concocting including aged tequila & different smoky bitters as well as the local favorite, dark & stormys}

{the most amazing cinnamon roll I've ever laid eyes (and lips) on}

{New England, you sure are a beaut}

{late afternoon cool down at Chatham Bars Inn...}

{...whilst watching a wedding going on down below}

{I really liked Chatham Bars Inn}

{these white hydrangeas were everywhere...and I dig them}

{a Sunday morning canoe sesh}

{watching the sun rise with a cup of coffee and this view also did not suck}

{rounded out the weekend with a quick trip to Provincetown before grabbing some lobster tacos and catching the ferry back to Bahston}

Well I guess it's about time I start catching up on the last two months I went dark on ya. Sorry about that, folks. Busy summer, too hot to carry a big camera, and other excuses for pure laziness. Let's kick things off with an awesome trip to Chatham, Cape Cod in mid-August. Man, did I love this place. All the beauty and northeastern charm as the Hamptons yet a fraction of the (ostentatious) people, traffic and cost. Sign me up. The photos above do a pretty thorough job of summing it up but other highlights / musts include: fudge from Candy Manor, oysters & steamers at Chatham Squire and last but not least, Provincetown if time allows. I need to go back. And am thinking about it for the Cranberry Harvest Celebration October 12-13th or the Wellfleet Oyster Fest October 19-20th.

Note: After being laughed at a restaurant, I learned that no one calls it "Cape Cod" but "The Cape"...therefore I made sure to call it "THE Cape Cod" from that point forward and continued to feign ignorance because that's just my stupid sense of humor. 

Afternoon in Chicago

Zara Jacket | Forever 21 Shorts | Aldo Sandals | Kate Spade Gold Bangle

Wore this little early summer get-up last week on the train ride up from my sister's house to Chicago. We had a couple hours to kill so headed to the West Loop to check out Little Goat for brunch. Oh mama, was it scrumptulescent. I highly recommend the Bullseye French Toast (which is filled with a runny egg and topped with little bites of fried chicken, strawberries and bbq maple syrup) and the Pork Belly Pancake (probably the best done pork belly I've ever had...and I'm a self proclaimed pork expert). We also had the Asian Shrimp Salad which was good if you're looking for something a little lighter. Overall, would definitely recommend the place and is a good substitute for its sister restaurant The Girl & the Goat, which is only a block away but significantly harder to get a dinner reservation.

{bullseye french toast}

{pork belly pancake}

Work Wear

Zara Blazer (old) & Top | J. Brand Jeans 

Just another work outfit because that seems like all I do lately...although I did manage to try out a bunch of new East Village restaurants last weekend, all of which I would recommend: L'Apico and Calliope (amazing, just go) for brunch and Acme for dinner. This whole 'work' thing is going to come to a screeching halt tomorrow at this time...when I will be on the beach vegging out for the remainder of the week. Serenity now.

Weekend Update - 1/28/2013

 

{peanut butter hot chocolate at chocolate bar}

You didn't honestly think I'd go a whole weekend without showing you everything I stuffed in my fat face did you? A Sunday movie marathon (Zero Dark Thirty and Silver Linings Playbook this weekend) just got in the way of getting my stuff together. I unanimously decided that all New Years Resolutions go out the window when it's below 20° (not that I ever really set any to begin with), therefore, I ate out a lot this weekend. Saturday started with brunch at La Bonbonniere with peanut butter hot chocolate for dessert at chocolate bar and ended at Pure Food & Wine for dinner. Sunday brunch was at Buvette...go to brunch at Buvette. It quickly jumped to the top of my list (tied with Recette). See photo round-up below.

{Saturday brunch of cheesy grits, poached eggs, avacado toast & bacon at La Bonbonniere - no Sarah Jessica Parker this go round unfortunately}

{king oyster mushroom scallops with brussels sprouts, miso glazed pecans, shaved radish and a shiitake broth}

{pear ravioli with smoked long pepper mouse, preserved lemon, maché, truffle honey, almonds and shaved burgundy truffle}

{zucchini and local green house tomato lasagna with basil pesto, sun dried tomato marinara and macadamia pumpkin seed ricotta}

{Sunday brunch at Buvette - if you live in New York...just do it}

{homemade country paté with caper berries - best I've ever had}

{belgian waffle breakfast sammie with proscuitto, sunny side up egg and cheese with maple syrup}

{steamed organic eggs, smoke salmon, creme fraiche & caper berries}

Weekend Update - 1/14/2013

{group birthday dinner at my new favorite restaurant, Exchange Alley - entire post on it here}

Had a pretty nice weekend this weekend filled with a variety of things. Stayed in Friday night due to a 6 am wake-up call Saturday to volunteer with the Red Cross for Sandy victims. After that went to the Hells Kitchen Flea for the first time and was not disappointed...may have broke my shopping ban for a $5 skirt. And finally had a group birthday dinner at Exchange Alley - new favorite restaurant - that I wrote a whole post about here and ended with drinks at The Grey Lady in the LES. Sunday wasn't feeling so hot so watched the entire first season of Girls and then Tina & Amy on the Golden Globes. Can we say lazy? Gotta have a day like that every once in a while I guess (excuse the justification). Hope you all had a great weekend!

{fringe bags at Hells Kitchen Flea}

{the flea market is your place if fur (on the cheap) is your thing}

{an old war vets booth}

{a fashionable little one with the most amazing sparkly boots at Saturday's American Red Cross volunteer event for Sandy victims}

Exchange Alley

So, I tried to spare all my instagram followers from posting a pic of every food dish on the menu at Exchange Alley this weekend...but is my new favorite restaurant in all of New York (bold statement, yes) so figured it was worthy of its own post. We had a group of 8 people so tried literally every last thing on the menu...all excellent. I managed to snap photos of most things and have what it is in the caption below. Definitely going back because not only was the food to die for, the wait staff was among the nicest I've ever met in my life (read: free champagne, appetizers and every dessert on the menu). Amazing.

{free champagne to start}

{followed by complimentary jambalaya balls w/ dirty gravy} 

{my favorite thing on the menu: spaghetti squash carbonara topped with a crispy poached egg & thick chunks of bacon}

{crispy beef cheeks, leeks, horseradish whipped farmers cheese}

{sea salt cod on a bed of almond/potato purée and olives topped with lemon rings}

{braciola with creamy semolina and beef pork marinara - amazing} 

{hard herb hanger steak cooked on the wood planked it's served on and (the most amazing) cauliflower au gratin}

{(humongous) chocolate cake}

{salty caramel tart w/ roasted peanuts...best of the desserts}

Weekend Update - 1/7/2013

{peanut butter & jelly pain perdue (like a stuffed french toast but better) w/ earl grey jam and fresh berries at Recette}

Spent the weekend doing what I missed the most while away for the holidays...eating out at NYC restaurants. The highlights of which included Recette in the West Village (probably the best brunch I've had in the city; salt cod fritters w/ lamb sausage ragu and curry aioli, pb&j stuffed french toast - unreal, grilled chorizo with cheesy grits and fried eggs - equally as good) and Zum Schneider in Alphabet City (see photo below, felt like I was back in Germany and loved it). Other than that, a birthday in Brooklyn, took down the Christmas decorations and caught up on sleep. Now bright eyed & bushy tailed for our newly scheduled Monday 9:00 am team meetings (not). Hope you all had a great weekend!

{Recette knows bloody marys (garnished with pork belly & tiger shrimp)}

{hearty German meal on a cold winter night: gulasch, schweinshaxe (bone-in pork with a thick, crunchy bacon-like skin ) & potato dumplings (my favorite) at Zum Schneider}

{all of New York...a Christmas tree graveyard}

{smashed avocado/tomato/mozzarella egg sammies at home on a lazy Saturday morning}