There's something about New York City that is unmatched by any other city in the United States. You feel it the minute you step off the plane or train. Go for fun, go for work, go for love - New York has it all. And you can find anything there - any time, any day, any night. What I found on my end-of-summer jaunt to the big city was food. Yes, FOOD. Amazing food. Sinfully good food. Thank goodness for all the walking or I would have returned a much larger version of my former self! Five days and although I caught some sights and a couple of shows, what I honestly did was ate my way through Manhattan. Thank goodness I brought my appetite!
First, there was the infamous Katz's Deli on the Lower East Side. Can you say mouth orgasm!? Seriously. Remember the infamous scene in When Harry Met Sally? (it was filmed there) Yes, I had what she was having and I am ruined for all other sandwiches. Have the pastrami. It's to die for. Go there. Order it. Enjoy it. Next, Chinese food. We were Midtown and directed to a place off Lexington. The ambiance was a tad pretentious but Mr. K's offered the most delicious and the biggest prawns I have ever had! Cooked to perfection in a shitaki mushroom reduction, these suckers satisfied every craving I was having that night! It was truly a sublime experience and my taste buds were definitely the better for it. Little Italy, of course - any and every restaurant. We took our appetites to several different places and I can't begin to say which was the best. The streets were lined with dining options, little restaurants serving up the most amazing fare - lobster ravioli, chicken rollatini, sole stuffed with spinach, veal parmegian - it was all stupendous, phenomenal, unmatched anywhere. I think they all had an Italian grandma hiding in the kitchen just waiting for our order. And of course, the pizza. One word - Lombardi's. The birth place of New York pizza. It absolutely lives up to it's name. The thin crust was like a party in my mouth. Unbelievable and unforgettable. But do yourself a favor, don't overdo the toppings. Savor the simplicity of it. Eat it as it was meant to be eaten. Enjoy the real deal.
As my plane touched down back home, I missed NYC already. It was truly a culinary trip beyond gastric expectations and I didn't even hit the tip of the proverbial iceberg! So for now it's back to the gym and many, many salads. But I'm already planning my next New York City visit. Bright lights, big city, brilliant food. Salute!
image courtesy of http://blogs.ebay.co.uk/richard1rst/archive/2009/03
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