A Weekend Eatinerary

This weekend was the perfect New York City weekend. Sure the weather was beautiful and it was a long holiday weekend; but what made this weekend so spectacular was the immense array of food I consumed and experienced.

The weekend began at 71 Irving Place Coffee & Tea Bar. This quintessential coffee shop serves up much more than just coffee. Bagels, salads, paninis, breakfast pastries and a tempting spread of cookies and brownies. For lunch I had The Smokey Panini--smoked turkey breast, roasted red peppers, and mozzarella cheese grilled between two pieces of crusty bread. I hope to return and try one of the brownies or another sandwich, but right next door is Friend of a Farmer: a hopping brunch spot, set in cozy, country fare. Maybe after I try brunch here, I can stop in for a brownie after at 71 Irving Place.

After some strolling and shopping on 5th Ave, it was time for a late afternoon snack at the new Baked by Melissa shop in Union Square. The original Baked by Melissa is literally a window in the side of a building on Spring St., where you order their famous mini cupcakes. These cupcakes really are bite size; I could pop them in my mouth like popcorn. But do not be deceived by their small size. Good things really do come in small packages. Baked by Melissa's mini cupcakes pack great flavor and texture in that 1-inch diameter. The small size also makes them perfect for sampling lots of different flavors. This time it was mint chocolate chip, s'mores, and cinnamon. Of course I loved them all, but the s'mores were my favorite :)

After seeing The Social Network, which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend, it was time for dinner. We hoped to get pizza at Motorino's in the East Village. Motorino's has received a lot of hype recently--a couple friends have raved about it, and Rachael Ray claimed it is her favorite pizza on the Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate. Unfortunately, the wait was 40 minutes, and it was already 10 o'clock at night, so we decided to head to S'MAC right next door. S'MAC relies on a creative concept and no fail food: mac and cheese. The menu has several interesting variations on the traditional mac and cheese, or allows you to create your own combination with various mix-ins and cheeses. Tonight we tried the Napoletana (mozzarella, fresh basil, roasted garlic and tomatoes) and La Mancha (Manchego cheese, fresh fennel and onions). Both were sinfully gooey inside and crusty on top, but the Manchego cheese in La Mancha left me scrapping the pan for more.

The only thing that could possibly follow something as delicious as mac and cheese is something equally indulgent in sweetness: frozen yogurt at 16 Handles. This place has a constant flow of customers who proceed in a line to create their own dessert creation from a selection of 16 frozen yogurt flavors and an entire toppings bar. I'm usually a fan of real ice cream or gelato, but this frozen yogurt has great flavor and is so creamy. The Cookies 'n Cream and Peanut butter flavors are my favorite.

Could it be possible to top Saturday's eating frenzy? Oh yes, it is! The day started with a much anticipated cooking demonstration with Duff Goldman and the entire cast of Ace of Cakes at the NYC Wine and Food Festival. The event was filled with laughs, as Duff and his gang poked fun and raced to finish their famed Burger-Hotdog-French Fry cake. Bobby Flay even did a quick drop-by! As two foodies, my friend and I left quite starstruck.

Seeing all that cake built up both our appetites, so we headed to Angelica Kitchen--an all-vegan restaurant. I could never be a vegan. Ice cream, cheese, and chocolate are way too important to my survival. But Angelica Kitchen was a refreshing and healthy break from Saturday's indulgences. My favorite was Sunday's Salad: kidney beans, butternut squash, cauliflower and carrots in a Dijon mustard vinaigrette. This salad was so full of flavor that I almost forgot I was eating a vegan meal.

To continue with the vegan trend and in the spirit of trying something new, we capped off our weekend eatinerary with cupcakes at Tu-Lu's Gluten-Free Bakery. The cake was noticeably more doughy and less cakey than real cupcakes, but the vanilla frosting was still sweet and delicious. Tu-Lu's is a delicious option for those gluten-free, vegan folk out there, but I think I'll stick to my real cupcakes for now...

So if you have ever wondered how the food-obsessed spend their weekends, this is it. At the end of the weekend, I am full, happy, and thinking maybe I should go on a diet...until next weekend, of course.