Into the Cold

Out of the warm and into the cold.

Welcome to NYC Baby!

It’s actually not that cold. I mean, nothing a few layers and a good pair of boots couldn’t handle.

At least one of us came prepared for the cold weather.

No gloves AND no hat?

I’m in love with a Florida boy. What can I say?

First things first.

Much better. $5 well spent for this Florida boy.

One of my favorite things about traveling to a big city is that everyone knows it well and has millions of suggestions on where to eat and what to do. After one quick twitter shout out for suggestions for a good lunch spot in the Union Square area, I was hounded with over a dozen choices.

A quick googled search had us narrowing those choices down to one: Curly’s Vegetarian Lunch

Curly’s was a cute tiny little vegetarian restaurant off of 13th street with about 8 tables and a huge menu of sandwiches, burgers, and mexican eats.

I was in the mood for something light to lunch and assumed the ‘vegetable plate’ would be light. My bad,

This massive plate of grilled veggies, rice, black beans, and gravy was placed in front of me. It wa good (really, really good) just a little heavier than I was expecting. I could barely manage half and gave the rest of the plate to Derek.

Derek ordered the 400 Million Pop Burrito and just about licked his plate clean. Give the man black beans and he’s a happy man.

After lunch we did a little shopping and a little exploring.

I’ll never forget the amazing Hot Chocolate I had at the City Bakery the last time I was in New York City. It was an experience I knew I had to recreate with Derek during this visit.

It’s not your traditional hot chocolate. This hot chocolate is rich, creamy, and tastes like pure melted chocolate with the most amazing homemade marshmallow floating in the middle.

Between the two of us, we still had problems finishing the cup of chocolatey goodness.

So good, but so rich.

We had dinner plans this evening with a few of my favorite NYC girls at Candle 79 for birthday dinner round 2 (3?).

The internet makes a small world even smaller. Case in point, our dining companions for this evening: Jacquie (who I stayed with last July in DC), Gabriela (who was just In Orlando last month), and Dori ( who I ran the Giridiron 4 miler with a year ago this week).

All four ladies are current NYCers, but thanks to the internet we’ve crossed paths once or twice in the past. It was great to see all of them again and it was nice to finally introduce them all to Derek. See ladies, he does exist!

I’ve heard nothing, but rave review after rave review about Candle 79, so I was really excited about this evening’s dining plans.

I’m usually not one for mixed drinks, but when everyone else was passing around the cocktail menu I couldn’t help, but take a peak. The Apple Hot Toddy definitely spoke to me.

Wow. The drink was basically Hot Apple Cider with a shot of run. It’s the kind of drink that grows hair on your chest. I was definitely a fan. However, I preferred it hot. When the drink cooled to room temperature the intense flavor just wasn’t the same. :/

Before anything arrived a taster was delivered to the table compliments of the chef

Black Bean Puree with a delicious Pineapple Salsa that had just the faintest hint of cilantro to it.

To start the five of use decided to split two appetizers.

The Vegan Nachos (served with seitan, this dish was phenomenal)

And the Onion Rings (light and crispy and not the slightest bit greasy)

Candle 79 has an amazing, creative menu and it was very, very tough to pick just one option for dinner. Everything sounded wonderful and f it were up to me I would have asked for one of everything. In the end the Avocado Salad was what really captured my attention.

The salad was a nice break from my previous meals during the day. It was light, airy and very refreshing. I was a huge fan.

Derek ordered the Chillian Seitan and was impressed by the flavor and filling portion of the dish.

I had a couple of bites and was equally impressed with the ‘meaty’ texture and flavor of the dish.

When dessert time rolled around I was told to save room because it was going to be good and they weren’t kidding!

Our table shared the

Cannoli

Loved the ice cream, but the cannoli filling needed a little work

Mexican Brownie

My favorite of the three! I was particularly a fan of the candied nuts on top.

Peanut Butter Mousse

I loved the rich chocolate, but wished the dish would of had a little more to it.

I went to the bathroom and returned to find the other girls cleaning the plates with their fingers and spoons. Good to the last drop, right?

So much fun!

It’s late and I have a 6:30am spin date. Time for bed.

Good night!!