Meatopia X and #NYCWFF

Oh my goodness was this past weekend was exhausting. It pretty much takes me one full day to catch up from the week with cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping. By the time that is done, I am wiped out. This past weekend I tackled everything on Saturday because we had a special day planned for Sunday.

This year for the New York City Wine and Food festival we decided to switch things up a bit from our usual Grand Tasting event to a more specialized tasting. When we were perusing the options one immediately jumped out at Mr. J. It was Meatopia. As you can imagine it was all things meat.  And they all had to be cooked over open fire. Since Mr. J's birthday is in October we decided this would be his birthday celebration. 

Of course we bought these tickets before I knew I was or was going to be pregnant.  And although I need my iron intake, this meat fill event was a bit much for me.  That being said I had plenty to eat and truly enjoyed myself. 

As I said, this was all things meat. Every where you looked there were animals.  The photo above was from Range @BryanVoltaggio booth.  It was the biggest bone I have ever seen. 

Half of the event was held outside to accommodate all of the open fires. My jacket still smells like campfire. The other portion was in a tent.  The main highlight was the 1,000 pound steer. They carved this right up in front of you.  It was slow cooked for 24 hours and served with Madeira, prunes, mashed potatoes and thyme.

I stuck to more basic dishes like the anchovy buttered ribeye. Mr. J enjoyed a bit more exotic plates like the beef heart below. His favorite was the tripe and yellow-eyed pea stew with blood sausage from Toro NYC @Jamiebiss. 

Another one if his favorites was this pastrami sandwich from the Glen Oak Club.  It was a Dr. Brown's Cream-soda brined smoked short rib pastrami sandwich with homemade rye, vegetable pickles and mustard horseradish. 

The event hosted chefs from all over the world and they were clearly artisans of meat.  The food was fantastic all around. We always enjoyed the Grand Tasting event but if you are looking for some really amazing, unique experiences an event like this is what you need to attend. We are already planning to so another specialized tasting at next year's festival.

Weekend Edition:NYC with a Baby

This weekend my parents came to Connecticut and we took the train into New York City to meet my brother and his family.  My SIL has never been to NYC and we wanted to show her the city.

Central Park was a bit past its prime for foliage but I thought it was still pretty.

Dinner was mussels and fries from Bar Americain.  Bobby Flay restaurants are the best.

The sun was out a bit in the morning before it unexpectedly went away in the afternoon.

Despite the scenery my nephew liked the leaves the best. 

Lots of shadow.

And then the sky got cloudy....

In case you missed it here is what I was up to last week...

• What I am reading lately...
• WIAW: More Travel
• cinnamon oat streusel pumpkin muffins

• double chocolate pecan brownies #chocolateparty

NYC Food and Wine Festival 2012

  
I feel like the very bad friend that is about to let everyone down.  Instead of avoiding the situation I am just going to get it out there.  I didn't take pictures at the Food and Wine festival. 

This year it started at noon.  Noon is lunch time.  When we were let in Mr. J and I got right down to business and did a quick lap grabbing whatever looked best.  The first hour is the best hour. Those who haven't gone before normally go to the first demonstrations of the day and others just don't show up until later. Thus the first hour is the least crowded time all day. By three you are like a can of sardines barely able to squeeze through.

So we ate and drank....it was good.  Sorry no photos.  At 2pm, we decided to take a bit of a break and saw Anne Burrell make homemade pasta.  I now need to have the KitchenAid pasta maker attachment. She was very funny in the most inappropriate way, laid back, and was a great show.  I plan to make her pasta recipe as soon as I get my attachment. 

After her demo we headed back in for a few more laps of wine samples and our favorite food options.  In the four years we have gone, there seems to be a switch from restaurant based booths to food venders.  I am not sure how I feel about this change.  We had our fill by about 4pm and headed back to the hotel to rest up. 

During an evening stroll through Union Square we spotted, along with everyone else, a huge hawk.  These pictures aren't the best but this thing was massive.  We were surprised the little squirrels were still running around below him. I ducked for my life when he flew from the light post to the tree.

This morning we woke up and Mr. J refused to eat the Hampton Inn breakfast.  Now, its not the best thing in the world but I am perfectly happy with some cereal and coffee.  We do stay at Hampton Inns quite a bit though and after a while they get old.  Mr. J had his fill. I however, the practical one didn't want to get breakfast in the city when we could have it for free.  Eggs are like the cheapest things to make but in NYC you pay $20 for eggs, bacon and toast.  

Our compromise was breakfast at Le Pain Quotidian.  It's a Belgium chain I love.  Mr. J didn't like the whole coffee in a bowl idea.  

But he was happy with the eggs, bread, and meat we ordered.  
 

Some day I will need a lesson in how to eat a soft boiled egg.  Neither of us had any idea. 

Mustard for breakfast? Or pickles? I had two.

I wish we could have stayed longer but I think we would have broke the bank.  Now its back to the real world...errands and packing for next week's travels.