2 French friends + 2 French meals = a good start in NYC

I'm fortunate enough to travel to NYC every couple months, but it's been nearly four since my last visit. So, it's good to be back, even for just a quick overnight. (Sorry that the photos suck. I just got a new laptop from work and didn't realize that photo-editing software was overlooked.)

I like to stay in the Bryant Park area (Garment District) in midtown Manhattan, and my hotel is sandwiched between a three-story BCBG (sigh) and a nail salon. What more can a girl want? (Yes, Phil, I left BCBG with my wallet unscathed...for now.)

My visit overlapped with a trip planned by my French girlfriend from work, Caroline, and we were fortunate enough to catch up over lunch at The Modern at MoMA because we've been too busy to do so in Cleveland.

The Modern has two dining sections: the Dining Room (prix fixe menu) and the Bar Room (tapas) and obviously is of contemporary decor. It's so "modern" that I couldn't figure out how to turn off the sink in the unisex bathroom. Apparently, I'm more of a small-town country girl than I'd like to own up to.

Caroline and I ate in the Bar Room. Before arriving, she left me a VM to say she was running late, and I swore she said she was bringing her dad (who lives in Paris, so it seemed a little strange), so I asked the server to seat us for three. Turns out she was bringing her bag (as in luggage) since she was headed to the airport afterward. Damn French accent.

I started with a fantastic wild mushroom soup with toasted chorizo ravioli wontons, and we each ordered the spice-crusted lamb with cheese gratin and pomegranate. Wonderful! We shared an apple streudel that was so good, I completely lost my train of thought during our conversation once I tasted it.

We parted ways, and I headed to meetings with reporters at Family Circle and Dow Jones. At Family Circle, I showed off a DIY cookbook I made for my Grams that's comprised of our Italian family recipes and photos. You design the album online and then Creative Memories (a client) binds and prints the book for you. I had a hard time prying our family Easter bread recipe from my grandma for her surprise gift. I believe her direct quote was, "Honey, you're not ready for it." Ouch. It does make 12 loaves, though...

The Dow Jones reporter I met with recently by-lined a story that appeared Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal and quoted one of my clients. Hooray! Turns out he's dating a fellow PRer. He confessed that she's inspired him to return e-mails more often. :) I was glad he returned mine because we had a nice cup of coffee.

By the end of the day, I was dragging, so I stopped for a quickie mani next to my hotel before heading to dinner to meet up with my new French friend, Jeremy, whom I met on the Eurostar from London to Paris.

Jeremy suggested a dive in SoHo, Cafe Noir, and we shared French-Moroccan inspired tapas. My favorite was a creamy spinach and shrimp dish. He promised to host me next time at their home in the upper west side. This time, I didn't miss the last train back to my hotel.

Go Louisville!


This dude's sign: "Tell me off for a $1"