JoJo

I rarely make my way to the Upper East Side lately, but when I do, good food is always involved to justify long walks in New York's prolonged winter. Keen and I made our way to JoJo's for an extended brunch this Saturday (can you believe it was actually snowing on my way there?). Situated in an adorable townhouse with beautiful windows, JoJo was a perfect relief from the New York winds that day. We shared the pancakes, eggs benedict and had the peekytoe crab to start. I loved the combination of the mango, mustard and crab as a refreshing starter. We rounded off the meal with a few too many desserts, but then again how can you choose when you have these options on the menu? We had the molten chocolate cake, passion fruit pavlova and the butterscotch pudding with creme fraiche and sea salt. My favorite, as always, was the salted butterscotch pudding, I only wish I could have had more of it.

Park Avenue Winter

The first time I ate at Park Avenue, I was about 14 years old and the restaurant was still located on the Upper East Side. It was also Park Avenue Autumn at the time, so this was a completely different experience. Every season they change the entire interiors and the menu, creating a beautiful seasonal experience. I'm looking forward to coming back to try out the brunch menu when they move on to Park Avenue Spring. I ate here last week with Tamara and Carissa and we had such a fun time catching up over lunch. One of my favorite things about Park Avenue is the warm bread they serve at the beginning of every meal. I love the lobster and avocado salad, the chicken and the scallop toast.

Find them here:

 

Jetlag Journeys

I've been traveling quite a lot lately and am often up pretty early in the morning because of jetlag. Last week I grabbed Kevin and went out into the snow storm around 6 AM to take pictures while the streets were still empty and the snow still pristine. I love creating these short visual stories around New York and wanted to share my cold weather style favorites with you below! What helps me get through New York winters are definitely my Hunter Boots (especially when it gets slushy out), high socks, big scarves, hats and cozy coats (my Thakoon coat is on sale btw!).

Shop the links below:

Chalait Matcha Lattes

The first time I had a matcha latter, I was mildly taken aback by its earthy taste.

Now I call myself a complete convert thanks to the amazing lattes at Chalait (they even have matcha cortados, how amazing is that?) coupled with the delicious food, perfect for anytime of day. When I went with  Carissa, we shared the avocado toast (which comes with hard boiled eggs and radishes) and the Muesli toast (which is serves with greek yoghurt, almonds and berries). They also have an incredible matcha hot chocolate and a nutella baguette with sea salt and pistachios that I have yet to try. Conveniently nestled on the corner to some of my favorite West Village streets for a post breakfast stroll.

Find them here:

 

Dirty French

Lately, I've been loving surprises. And when I say surprises I'm not referring to birthday party surprises (my friends tried to throw me a surprise birthday party and I completely ruined it by falling asleep on the couch and refusing to go to dinner), but I'm talking about surprising flavor combinations and interesting fusion restaurants. It also helps that I love the name of this restaurant, Dirty French. While they probably wouldn't describe themselves as your typical fusion restaurant, I loved the global influences like Indian and Vietnamese combined with classic, French cuisine. When they started us off with some naan bread to share, I instantly knew this place would be a keeper. Other great dishes included Banh Mi sandwiches with foie gras and duck confit and spicy tuna tartare with salty crepes.

What are your favorite fusion cuisines?

Find them in the heart of the Lower East Side:

 

Sunday Snapshots - Financial District

I rarely ever make my way down to Financial District, but I really love the little old streets around Delmonico's restaurant, especially in the late afternoon when all the lights turn on. I'm currently in Austria on my skiing vacation, but I haven't had much time to take pictures as of yet and I wanted to share these ones I took on one of my walks last week. You can follow along on current adventures on instagram as always!

Wishing you all a lovely and restful weekend!

Brooklyn Heights Snapshots

As you guys read this, I'll be up in the air somewhere high above the Atlantic Ocean, on my way home for the holidays. I'm really going to miss New York, but I'm excited for my time in Europe and Asia over the next couple weeks and I hope you guys will follow along on my adventures. Have a wonderful and restful weekend preparing for the holidays.