When I wrote my post about traveling to New York City with our younger daughter back in January (click here to reread), I mentioned I had returned with my husband for a subsequent weekend and would write about that in the future.  Well, this week I am writing about our culinary stops.  Some of them you may already know about, but hopefully there are one or two new places to check out on your next visit to the Big Apple.

My husband and I have been visiting New York during the cold month of February for as long as I can remember. Our time there coincides with the Toy Fair because one of his clients is a toy manufacturer!  The Toy Fair happens to fall around the time of Valentine’s Day which is close to my birthday, so it wraps up a bunch of celebrating in one package.  Lucky me.

Thankfully, during this past visit we were graced with unusually unseasonal weather which meant we were able to walk around the city without freezing, something that happened just last year when it was one of the coldest weekends of the month.  As I’ve mentioned in past travel blogs, walking everywhere is something my husband and I love to do together when we are away, sometimes to the point of exhaustion because it helps us really understand the layout of where we are and provides us with our daily exercise!

So, let’s get started with the places we visited for some delicious meals and bites.

First up, Cosme, a restaurant that was recommended to me by my friend, Marta.  Located in the Flatiron district, Cosme is the first U.S. based restaurant for chef Enrique Olvera, the famed chef and owner of Pujol in Mexico City.  Olvera was actually featured in one of my favorite Netflix documentaries, Chef’s Table during Season 2.  Olvera was classically trained here in the states before returning to his native Mexico to open Pujol.  When he set out to open his first restaurant here, he spent much time researching and analyzing what was important to the dining experience for New Yorkers.  As a result, Cosme is a restaurant that is city chic that serves beautiful food inspired by the flavors of Mexico.  Don’t expect to find any enchiladas or burritos here, however.  And you may leave with a small hole in your wallet, but one dish makes the experience totally worth it.  Lastly, Enrique is the only chef with two restaurants in the World’s Best 50 Restaurants.  Pujol is listed as #20 and Cosme is #40.  Wow.

Marta had insisted that the duck carnitas were out of this world so we knew we would order that dish.  As to the other dishes, I relied on a fabulous yelp reviewer that broke down what a good menu for 2 might be.

Cosme’s menu is set up with 3 sections.  The first is mostly raw presentations, the second is vegetable/bean/cooked fish preparations and the third has more entree style selections.  With the exception of a few dishes meant for sharing, everything is fairly similarly priced.  The dishes are plentiful, however and are very easy to share.

First up was Cobia Al Pastor.  Tender slices of cobia were served with a pineapple puree, fresh pineapple, jalapeno and herbs.  Served with the most delicious house made corn tortillas, this dish was a perfect start to our dinner.  I think we ate some of the cobia with the tortillas and then chose to eat some without to really appreciate the flavors…

Next up was Lobster served with shiso, ginger mojo and brown butter (the foam).  Beautifully plated with large pieces of delicately cooked lobster, this dish was also outstanding…

And then, tada!!!  The infamous duck carnitas.  Brought to the table in a cast iron skillet fresh from the oven, this dish will make you a fan of duck if you are not already (I am not a big consumer of duck, but prepared this way I would eat it anytime). Also served with fresh tortillas and a few sauces, this dish is an absolute do-not-miss if you go. The duck was crispy on the outside…

And shredded so easily for serving.  The rich flavor of the duck was incredible…

The next day while my husband was with his client, I met up with a friend for breakfast and did some errands and shopping.

In all my visits to New York, I had never been to the iconic Sarabeth’s so that is where I met my friend near her home on the Upper East Side.  I had a lovely Vegetable Frittata, but it was more about the company for this meal…

One of my stops was the Stark Carpet showroom.  They were very kind to let me in even though I am not “trade”. Look at that gorgeous rug hanging up.  I was definitely inspired for a few projects I am working on at home…

For our next dinner, we chose to visit Raoul’s, a fixture in SoHo since the mid-seventies owned by two brothers who came to the U.S. from Alsace, a place close to my heart.  Walking into the cozy, dark restaurant, it felt like stepping back in time and directly into a typical French bistro.  Tables are tight so if you don’t like rubbing elbows with your neighbors, this isn’t the place for you.  However, we loved it and the food was excellent so it’s a strong recommend from me if you haven’t already been (and you probably have since they have been open forever)…

Bigeye Tuna with avocado, blood orange and yuzu citronette…

Another view so you can see the layers.  The lighting was really challenging unfortunately…

My husband enjoyed an escargot appetizer that I believe was on the chalkboard of specials that was wonderful…

For dinner, I had a piece of halibut that was served with baby bok choy atop a celeriac puree…

And my husband’s dinner was a Schnitzel, also served with some baby bok choy and topped with a fresh arugula salad…

We splurged on dessert with my favorite profiteroles that were a perfect ending to a wonderful meal…

We woke up to the most gorgeous and unseasonal February morning so we put on our walking shoes and headed to Brooklyn to do some exploring.  We took the subway downtown, but from there we walked.  Among our stops was the Damascus Bread & Pastry Shop where we purchased some paklava for our daughter who we were going to see later that evening.  If you are in Brooklyn Heights, check this place out.  Their store is small, but packed with fabulous looking Middle Eastern ingredients and prepared foods.  Yum…

After walking a literal half-marathon, we were back in Nolita and hungry.  I had two places I wanted to try and suggested them both to my husband to see what he was in the mood for at the moment.  I was surprised when he said, why don’t we do both?!  Cutie pie.  We went for a few dumplings first at Mimi Cheng’s.  If you haven’t heard about this little place, you must give them a try if you are a dumpling fan…

Owned by sisters Marian and Hannah Chang, Mimi Cheng’s has two locations in Nolita and in the East Village.  The menus are just slightly different, but each location offers their homemade dumplings, soups, a cucumber salad, scallion pancake, and some noodle and bowl options.  Recipes are inspired by their Taiwanese heritage and their mother’s home cooking.  Check their website for more detail…

We ordered 6 dumplings.  Three were their Reinvented Classic consisting of pasture-raised pork, baby bok choy, cabbage, scallions, ginger and other secret ingredients.  Three were their Mighty Veggie consisting of organic kale and zucchini plus shitake mushrooms.  Both were delicious although the Classic was definitely our favorite…

The star of the whole show was the Secret Sauce that was so delicious, you could dip almost anything in it and be completely happy.  Consisting of soy, vinegar and chilies (yes, I asked), the sauce was tangy, salty and spicy all in one…

We thankfully had to wait about another hour for a table at the very popular Rubirosa that is located fairly nearby to Mimi Cheng’s…

We kept it simple by ordering the Pizza Fresca with fresh mozz, tomato and basil.  What is better when it’s done well as it was here?  We were seated in the very back of this sliver of a restaurant, near the pizza oven, so my only complaint is that it was a little hot!  Otherwise, the service was prompt and it would be a fun place to come with a group…

We also sampled their crispy brussels sprouts appetizer that were very nice, but think we could have done without the extra cheese…

So, there you have it – another New York wrap up.  Check out these places if you haven’t already next time you are in the city!

I do not think I will be posting next week so I will see you again on Friday, June 16th.  Until then, enjoy the start of summer!

One Year Ago:  The Best Blueberry Muffins

Two Years Ago:  A Time of Transition

Three Years Ago: Black Bean Burgers with Lemon-Yogurt Sauce