Sunday, April 24, 2011

I'm Back, Back in the New York Groove

And it feels like we never left ...


On Friday morning we were up at 3:30 a.m. to get ready and head to the airport.  I had a turkey sandwich for breakfast, and then didn't eat again until we landed in New York around 1:30.  Needless to say, I was on the hunt for food.  The hubby and I snagged yogurts from Starbucks while waiting for the shuttle to take us to our hotel.


After checking into our hotel and getting oriented, we quickly scoped out a sit-down restaurant for dinner.  We ended up at Trattoria Dell'Arte where we were blown away by the service only minutes after walking into the restaurant.  We were greeted by plenty of smiles and a cheery "welcome".  Bread was brought out instantly, and it was superb.  The crusty bun loaded with olives was my fave.


We started with the bowl of meatballs.  They were tender, and melt-in-your-mouth.  
The sauce had a bit of kick to it, and was a perfect dip for the crusty bread.


The hubby ordered the 101 Layer Lasagna (which actually has more than 101 layers), and I had the pepperoni pizza (which was seriously the size of the table).  I barely put a dent in the ridiculously flavourful pizza.  We had some of the leftovers for breakfast this morning, and we still have more for tomorrow!


We declined dessert, but the waiters still brought us out a plate of goodies.


Then they came around with a cookie sheet full of fresh-baked mini chocolate chip cookies, and offered us one to try.  Like I said, the service blew us away.


After dinner we wandered around town, made a stop at Whole Foods and a beeline for Pinkberry before crashing in bed after our very long day.


We started our day out today with the New York Easter Parade - which was just as delightful as it was last year.  I love people watching!  I donned my Easter dress and then we headed out.


We saw some new faces and hats ...


Some festive shoes ...


We even saw some familiar faces ...

Easter 2011
Easter 2010

Easter 2011
Easter 2010

HAPPY EASTER!  

How did you spend Easter Sunday? 
Which restaurant have you had the best service at?


10 comments:

Simply Life said...

Looks like a great trip so far!

Unknown said...

Dang, that is just way too early to be heading to the airport! The parade sounds crazy fun though!

Vanessa @ Gourmet Runner said...

Amazing service at that restaurant!
There is a restaurant in Hong Kong called Grissini..amazing place. They bring out fresh warm breadsticks every 5 minutes or so. If you haven't eaten the last batch, they quickly throw them away and replace them. Of course it costs an arm and a leg since it's in the Grand Hyatt but it is delicious!
:)

Kacy said...

SOOO jealous! Looks so fun!

Anonymous said...

Your Easter dress is so pretty! Looks like your vacation is off to a great start... thanks for reminding me to track down some Pinkberry!!

Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) said...

I've never been to New York so I loved reading this. That Easter parade looks hilarious for people watching.

Yelena said...

I'm so glad you are enjoying your trip! NYC is one of a kind, huh? Glad you got your pinkberry- it's halfway there to self serve yogurt but much better quality, I think.

I am loving your dress- so unique and pretty.

Enjoy the rest of your time girl!

Jessica @ Dairy Free Betty said...

that's so funny you saw the same people!! :)

Looking forward to more recapping!!

~ Diana ~ said...

when are you going to levain? I can't believe you saw the same people!! hahahah too funny!! I'm gonna look up that restaurant you went to!! Looks like GOOD food and good service is hard to find!

Lisa's Yarns said...

Yum. that meal looks like it was TO DIE FOR. And the service? Wow. Impressive.

I can not really think of a time that I've had THAT great of service... I am wracking my brain and nothing stands out. But I also can't think of many times that I have had poor service either, which is a good thing!