Weekend Trip To New York City

For less than 15 dollars each way, Tyler and I decided to take a little trip up to New York to visit his sister. It was nice to get away from DC for a bit, and naturally I was very excited to explore the restaurants because the crowded, cultured city has every kind of food you can imagine!

Upon arriving, we decided to check out Chelsea. There is a building called the Chelsea Market, which my friend Maddie recommended. This building has a variety of shops, all with different specialities such as bread, juices, cheese, or soup. It is similar to the Ferry Building in San Francisco. We decided to stake out at Amy's Bread for an hour. This place had so many different breads, pastries, and treats.

Freshly baked breads at Amy's

We had a mini feast that consisted of Almond Brioche Toast, a Brie and Tomato Baguette sandwich with a little spicy mustard, ham and cheese grilled on a fresh cheese biscuit, and focaccia twists filled with anything from chocolate, to Parmesan, to herbs. It was a feast of everything you could come up with bread- but everything was absolutely amazing. The focaccia twists, for one dollar each, and the almond brioche toast were my favorites.

Tomato, Brie, Spicy Mustard on Baguette Sandwich

Almond Brioche Toast

After the Chelsea Market, we headed to Soho to do a little shopping and exploring. Next, we headed up town to his sister's work- which is at Fortune magazine!! It was really cool meeting the staff, exploring the building, and looking at the archives which goes back the the 1930s. We headed to the Upper West Side, and decided to do a casual night at one of Jessica's favorite places- Shake Shack.

Shake Shack is a casual burger joint known for its quality burgers and creamy frozen custards. I ordered a hamburger with the works and the Shake Shack sauce, with a chocolate frozen custard. The Hamburger was juicy, and the special sauce was delicious (for you west coasters- it was similar to In-N-Out's special sauce). The frozen custard was just like a chocolate milkshake, and I slurped it down quickly!

Shake Shack Hamburger

The next morning, we woke up and stood in line at Good Enough to Eat for brunch. The food was well worth the wait. The restaurant was adorable, as the tables were set inside a white picket fence and there were wire heart sculptures hanging from the ceiling.

Good Enough to Eat tables

We ordered a plate of eggs with onions and potatoes for the table, then we each ordered individually. Jessica had cinnamon raisin swirl french toast, Tyler had waffles, and I had the special of the day- Banana, Blueberry, and Granola Pancakes. The best part of the meal was the freshly made biscuits with homemade strawberry butter on the side. My mouth still waters thinking about this meal. The restaurant was true to it's name- as everything was (more than) good enough to eat!

Onion and Potato Omelette with a side of Biscuits and Strawberry Butter
Banana, Blueberry, Granola Pancakes with Strawberry Butter and powdered sugar

After brunch, we decided to wander around the busy streets of New York. We went to the Met, walked around Central Park, then headed down to the East Village. We stopped at a little cafe called Sweet Revenge to get some coffee and to avoid the cold. Then we ended up at a place Jessica heard of called Supper.

Fresh Ciabatta Bread served with a cannellini bean, olive oil, and red pepper flake sauce

Supper is a cozy Italian restaurant with communal tables. It was almost entirely lit by candle light. The kitchen is visible when you walk in, so you get to see them making all the pasta and various dishes. We sat down and pondered the menu for a while until we finally decided. For the table, we got an arugula, fennel, and Parmesan cheese salad with a lemon vinaigrette. For dinner, I had the Salmon Tagliata that came with a fresh pea relish on a bed of arugula. The relish was sweet and fresh, and perfectly complemented the salmon. Tyler ordered tagliatelle with prosciutto, tomatoes, and cheese. Jessica had bucatini with a pancetta tomato sauce with a mint garnish. Both loved their dishes.

Tagliatelle Pasta with Tomatoes and Prosciutto

Salmon Tagliata, with a seasonal fresh pea relish

Bucatini Pasta with Tomatoes, Pancetta, and a Mint Garnish

Restaurant Week Part 2: Agraria

I was apprehensive about going because Agraria did not have the best reviews, according to Yelp.com (My favorite review website, where I find all of my restaurants!). My friend, Ruth, assured me it would be delicious because she had been before. Agraria is a spacious restaurant on the waterfront in Georgetown. The atmosphere was nice as it was right in front of the Potomac River, and the tables were lit by candle light. Agraria offered the Restaurant week 3 course prix-fixe menu this week, but I decided to order off of the regular menu. I ordered the grilled salmon with sauteed mushrooms and wild rice. Ruth ordered off of the prix-fixe menu and she got fried green tomatoes, New York strip steak, and the carrot cake.
I tried Ruth's appetizer, and it was very tasty. She had the fried green tomatoes, which came with a goat cheese flan (which was essentially a cube of mild goat cheese), a creamy basil pesto, and a tomato jam. The tomatoes were coated in cornmeal and Japanese panko breadcrumbs (Side note: if you ever coat anything in breadcrumbs- try panko and you will never go back! They are the best!). I have always wanted to try fried green tomatoes, especially after seeing the movie, but this was my first time and I was very pleased. They were sweet and crunchy. My favorite combination was the tomatoes with the tomato jam and a bit of arugula on top. These filling savory bites are a must-have.

Fried Green Tomatoes with goat cheese, tomato jam, basil pesto, and arugula garnish

Moments later, our entrees arrived. My salmon had a very basic seasoning comprised of only salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of parsley. The salmon was satisfactory, but nothing to call home about. I like a kick in my food, whether it's sweet or spicy, but the only word I can think of to describe this salmon is plain. I wish it had another ingredient to make it a little more flavorful. It sat on top of wild rice and sauteed mushrooms and a creamy, white sauce. The rice was moist, but like the salmon I think it could have been better if it had a little more flavor.

Grilled Salmon with Wild Rice, Sauteed Mushrooms, and Cream Sauce

Ruth's steak was very juicy and enjoyable. It was served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a house steak sauce. The serving was huge! Ruth could barely eat half of it.

New York Strip Steak, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and House Steak Sauce

Overall, our trip to Agraria was a positive experience but not necessarily worth the steep prices. I would not mind going back and getting some of those tomatoes, but I do not think I would order the salmon again. This restaurant seems ideal for people, like Ruth, who enjoy simple uncomplicated dishes. For those of you like me, who like innovative variations of traditional dishes, Agraria won't blow you away.