Wedding Weekend: A Review in a New York Minute

Last month, Justin and I went to New York for my friend Carmencita-Mia's (aka: Mia) wedding. We drove up on Friday, and met up with our friends Emerald and Tommy at the hotel. They came all the way from California, and it had been a while since I had seen them both.

That evening we decided to take a quick trip into Manhattan to try out Nancy's Pig Heaven.  This place had been featured on the show Rib Paradise on the Travel Channel.

We had to get the ribs of course...

And we also had the suckling pig, which was divine! Too bad they ran out of Peking duck! We really wanted to try it, but it worked out for the best considering our table was running out of space. As we were leaving, there was a band setting up.  We didn't get to catch any of their set because we had to get back to our parking garage; however, we chatted with them for a bit and they seemed like a lot of fun!

The next day, we opted to get bagels for breakfast before the wedding. Unfortunately, none of us remember the name of this place, but everything looked so good! I feel like it was called Brooklyn Bagel (and yes, we were in Queens, so go figure), but don't quote me! :) Unfortunately, I was on my paleo challenge at the time, so I couldn't partake in the bagely goodness.  Everyone got sandwiches, and each of them looked pretty good.

They also had a a ton of unique spreads, such as scallion, tiramisu, samoa cookie just to name a few...

After breakfast, we relaxed for a bit, and surprisingly Justin and I even worked out in the hotel fitness center. Unfortunately, we hit a little snag with our transportation to the church, but luckily we made it just in time!

 

The tables were decorated with personal pictures of the wedded couple. Below is a picture of the couple the night they first met. I feel honored to have been there upon their first meeting. The groom and I were at the bar celebrating our birthdays. :)



 

The flower arrangements were beautiful. Full of gorgeous flowers in various shades of orange (the bride's favorite color) and crystals galore!

 

Em and I with the beautiful bride!

 

Congrats Mia and Neil! Lots of love and happiness for your new life in Michigan!

Other things that I didn't get pictures of was our trip to Uniqlo (Japanese Gap FTW!), and our meal at Katz's Deli (delish!). I guess in the midst of all the Manhattan craziness, I forgot to snap some pics.  Oh well...

What about you? When was the last time you were in New York? Did you go for a wedding? Interestingly enough, Justin had never been to Manhattan before this trip. He had only been to the Hamptons and Brooklyn. Hopefully, we'll plan a longer trip to NYC sometime in the near future!

Brooklyn for the Day for the Barclay's Classic - MD vs. KY

Due to Hurricane Sandy, Justin and I were really worried about going to New York City for the Barclay's Classic. We were originally going to make it a fun Veteran's Day weekend in Brooklyn and Manhattan since Justin has never been. Instead, we opted to make it an overnight trip, to spare us from the gas shortages and additional expenses, especially since we had just returned from Europe last weekend (I promise my Europe trips posts will be up soon enough!). 

So we left on Friday morning to head up to our hotel in Park Slope, Brooklyn and while we were waiting for our hotel room to be ready, the concierge suggested we walk a couple blocks to 5th Avenue and explore the shops and restaurants on that street. As soon as we got there I saw the Chip Shop of Travel Channel's Deep Fried Paradise fame! That made our decision for lunch easy! Although we were just in London just a few weeks ago, I couldn't resist the opportunity for some deep fried goodness! Below is a picture of the fish and chips that I had. For dessert, we had the deep friend Snickers, which was delicious. 

With our hotel room ready, we barely had a few hours to get ready for the dinner reservation that lay ahead--Peter Luger Steak House! Yes, we would be eating again, which would be a common theme of this trip. Now this place needs no introduction, as it has been featured on several TV shows and is a Top Zagat's pick for several years running.

We started off with the thick-cut bacon slices, which were perfectly crisp, providing the right balance of meat and fat! Yum!

Our steak came out a perfect medium (as requested) and it was like "buddah"! The steak literally melted in your mouth, no joke! I don't know how they do it, but it was incredible! The pic below is the "Steak for Two" (with some pieces missing since I forgot to take the picture at first).

Although we were stuffed from the Chip Shop (a few hours earlier) and the huge steak, as I always say, "There's always room for dessert!" At the suggestion of our wonderful waiter, we indulged in their creamy cheesecake, complete with Peter Luger gold coins!

After our hefty meal at Peter Luger's, we caught a cab to the new Barclay's Center for the UK-Maryland Basketball game.  Because we had some time before tip-off, we decided to head over to the bar within the arena for a couple of pregame beers.  Low and behold, we run into Papa John himself, decked out in UK blue.  Justin immediately called for my camera to grab the photo op.  Papa John was happy to oblige, even though I was decked out in my Maryland red.

The game was closer than either me or Justin had predicted.  In the end, the Wildcats edged out my beloved Terps in the last minute, but the effort they put forth made for some optimism for this year's basketball season.  Justin spent most of the game "not so happy" with his team's rebounding; however, he was happy to take the win.  Here are a few shots of the game, including a shot of Digger Phelps and company during the halftime show:

 

At the suggestion of many who knew we were rolling up to Brooklyn/NY for the game, we found a nearby pizza joint to pick up some pizza slices.  After walking over 2 miles from the arena, these slices of pizza were a great idea.  We were just surprised that we were hungry, especially with all the food we ate earlier in the day, and the number of beers we drank during the game.  Starting clockwise, there is a white pizza slice, a "barbecue chicken" slice, a "lasagna" slice, and a pepperoni slice.  The "barbecue chicken" slice was more of a "General Tso's Chicken" slice; however, the slice was still pretty tasty.  The "lasagna" slice actually tasted like lasagna, but my favorites were the more traditional pizza slices we picked (i.e. the white pizza slice, and the pepperoni pizza slice.)

Unfortunately, our trip to Brooklyn/NY was only for the night.  Before we drove back to DC, we decided to indulge in one more notable food item of the area.  After searching Yelp for a nearby deli, we stumbled upon David's Brisket House.  What trip to the area would not be complete without a NY-style pastrami sandwich?  I opted for the "regular" pastrami sandwich, which was a beast of a sandwich.  The meat was great, being tender, moist, and full of flavor.  Justin got a brisket and pastrami sandwich, which towered over my own.  I don't know why Justin is squinting, but it may be the fact that he's overjoyed to finally have a real NY-style deli sandwich.  

Although our trip was for only one night, the two of us had a blast.  Even Justin enjoyed his first exposure to Brooklyn/NYC, and can't wait to visit again in the near future.  He still needs to see Times Square, the Empire State Building, and the Statue of Liberty.  In addition, there are a number of restaurants we both want to try out in Manhattan.  Anyone have any suggestions for our next trip to NYC?