New York, New York! Eating & Drinking

I find deciding where to eat and drink in New York daunting. There are just so many options in so many areas how's a gal to decide? Well luckily we did some legwork which we'd like to share with you.  

It started with a little whiskey and some Vogue at Terminal 2 in Dublin, well of course it did!!!

After that we boarded a longer than usual flight to JFK, checked into our hotel and ran for a table we had booked at Pure Food and Wine. The restaurant was very accomodating. We had reserved a table for 3.15pm but called when our flight landed to say we were running late. The lovely lady said that even though the kitchen closed at 4pm if we made it close to that she'd make sure they stayed open. We made it by the skin of our teeth but boy was it worth it! I think this was my favourite meal during our trip. Myself and Caroline have been eating a paleo diet (no grains, sugar, gluten, additives or preservatives) for a few months and we wanted to stick to this as much as possible while in New York. 

Pure Food and Wine is a raw, organic restaurant and even though that doesn't sound too appealing it was yummy scrummy and we washed it all down with a much needed bottle of organic prosecco! 

After our meal we walked straight across the road to Dear Irving a plush cocktail room with four themed rooms. The differing interiors echoed 1960s era, Great Gatsby, Lincoln and Marie Antoinette styles. We relaxed in the latter and a had an amazing Christmassy spiced cocktail. We would have loved to have lounged around for longer but it had been an exhasuting day so trotted back sleepily to our hotel for the night. 

Day 2 was just as busy and we had to cajole ourselves from our hotel room for a reservation in the Oyster Bar in Grand Central station. Grand Central is such an iconic and beautiful building we couldn't miss it this trip as it wasn't too far from our hotel. There are endless places to eat in New York and you don't have to make a reservation but to avoid a wait time it really is better to call or email ahead of time. 

The Oyster Bar had a real mix of visitors from totally fabulous extroverts to tourists and people calling in after a hard days slog. It made for fantastic people watching!

We're all big seafood fans and this place was buzzing! Look at that huge seafood platter...get in my belly!

Day 3 we were up super early again, hello 6am! We took a taxi over the Brooklyn Bridge and walked back in the bracing cold. It was a gorgeous day for the walk and I'll get back to that in my next post. After our long stroll we were freezing and high-tailed it to The Bowey Hotel for a warming and moreish mulled cider. This hotel had an elcectic, opulent grandeur. Oh my, it was wonderful! The fires were lit and it was so warm and inviting we could have stayed all day. But, team Dirty Fabulous was on a mission so after only one, yes one drink, we were off again! 

After a quick stop off at the hotel we grabbed a speedy bite at the paleo friendly Dig Inn. This place was hopping and had a million staff members! It's a really popular place for New Yorkers to grab a quick and tasty lunch and we thought it was smashing. It's very informal with more of that industrial cool that we love. 

That night we rocked up to one of our favourite haunts, Death and Company in the Lower East Side. (Sorry no pics it's too dark inside!) This is a place were they take the art of cocktail making very seriously! They'd just introduced a new cocktail menu so they were shockingly busy. We added our name to the list on the door and were advised to go to Amor Y Amargo a few doors down. 

Well we nearly didn't leave this teeny tiny, unexpected find. Another cocktail bar, this place was super cool and really vibey. I had a scrumptious Old Fashioned and Caroline had a Sharpie Mustache which was served in a cool little glass hip flask. Everyone in the bar was so enamoured with it they all ordered one the next round!

After that we went back to Death and Co. and savoured a delicious vintage egg nog which set us up again for the land of nod!

On our final day we hadn't planned to eat anywhere, we just knew we needed a really nice brunch to say goodbye to New York! Whilst wandering towards Bryant Park we happened across the Archer Hotel.  The menu in the restaurant Fabrick looked tasty and I have to say this was by far our best breakfast/brunch. Breffni had the most gorgeous french toast any of us had ever tasted, It was crispy on the outside with a light and fluffy inside. I'm drooling just thinking about it. Caroline and I had eggs benedict which came with some lovely garlicky spinach. 

The service, atmosphere and interior were all so impressive that we agreed The Archer was going to be our base for our next trip!

The weather whilst we were there had been very cold but we'd avoided the snow the people in Buffalo were enduring and on the last day it became unexpectedly warm. We decided we needed to sit outside in the sun before going to the airport. 230 Fifth came to mind as it was only two streets away from our hotel and handy for collecting the bags.
230 Fifth is definitely a tourist spot but it has an absolutely sprawling roof terrace with jaw dropping views of the Empire State building. If you're chilly on the roof they provide red fleecy robes and hot, alcoholic drinks. It was exactly what we needed to bid farewell to New York city!

Hello Mrs Claus!

I hope you find this helpful if your planning a trip to NYC. It's hard to go wrong but a little research can help you wandering endlessly from place to place.

Next up what to do while you are there...