Feasting at Feast

I have wanted to eat at Feast in the East Village since it opened over two years ago. Feast is a seasonal America restaurant that offers a modern spin on the traditional dinner party. All plates are served family style. You pay a fixed price for a multi-course feast. 

It pays to know the owner, who created a custom Feast for my friend Kwabena's birthday celebration. Kwabena is the best of the best and it was an honor to be amongst his guests to celebrate. 

We started with a sip of Cava and a cheers to the birthday boy. 

The feast began with a salad and soup as well as bread. Simple yet luxurious. 

We watched in amazement as the table quickly filled. Fish, chicken, potatoes, and multiple vegetables including spaghetti squash, brussels sprouts and mushrooms littered our table. We ate until we were stuffed. Incredibly full and blessed. 

It's not a birthday without dessert. This is a butterscotch vanilla custard number that was melt in your mouth delicious. 

Happy Birthday Kwab. Hope it is the best year yet!

xoxo

naturally ginger

Tessa

Uptown Manhattan has taken on the sad reputation of being a "food wasteland". Though many try, none seem to come close to the finer fare of downtown (some critics say). 

Enter Tessa. A shinning star of a restaurant on the Upper West Side. This culinary treat has both the taste and price tag of a downtown delight. 

Mom came back in town and I knew we needed to give it a try. 

The interior from decor to lighting oozes Soho chic. 

We shared a French Chardonnay that paired perfectly with the meal.

 

Olive Oil or Butter with your Bread? Can't decide, why not have both. 

 

First, we shared a couple salads. Here is the Cauliflower Salad - a variety of blanched cauliflowers mixed with golden raisins, pickled red onions, roasted almonds, and a coriander vinaigrette. 

The second salad was the Tessa Mixed Salad special. This was a compilation of baby kale, tomatoes, pecan, acorn squash, pear and a maple mustard vinaigrette. 

Onto the entree. Mom did not want to share so we ended up getting the same dish. I could not resist, it sounded too delicious.  

Here is the Pan Seared Arctic Char. Arctic Char looks similar to a salmon but does not taste like it. They placed the beautifully seasoned filet over spaghetti squash and chunks of butternut squash. The plate was decorated with oyster mushrooms, butternut squash puree, baked kale and topped with a variety of herbs.

Tonight I could not resist dessert. This is their Dolce De Leche Cake with pistachio ice cream.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal at Tessa. I have to disagree a little with critics that Uptown Manhattan is a "food wasteland", but we do have a long way to go. Hopefully Tessa is the beginning of many more culinary treasures to come.

A trip down Freeman's Alley that turns Loopy Doopy

Celebration. Last weekend we celebrated my friend Toya. She's an incredible lady who I love a lot and was excited to partake in her birthday festivities.

The day started at Freeman's for brunch. Freeman's is a cozy little spot at the end of Freeman's Alley in the Lower East Side. When you step into Freeman's you are transported to a rustic log cabin in the back woods of North Carolina or Tennessee or somewhere else really southern. 

It was late enough in the day that I thought a cocktail would be appropriate.

The menu is "New American" with a southern flare. Most of our dishes were breakfast based, but Mer of course opted for the burger.

I got the Poaches Eggs and Roasted Tomato over Cheese Grits. It was delicious.

Toya and her mama opted for the Skillet Eggs.

Always the sweet tooth, Nat nibbled on the Banana Waffles.

Here we have a traditional Breakfast Sandwich - Biscuit with eggs, cheese and ham.

Bellies full, we headed out for a walk around town. Not before a group snapshot.

M is for Megan.

The birthday girl.

Let's talk about these shoes. They are from Dolce Vita. You can buy them here in multiple colors. Big thanks to Tanya for buying them first and showing them off. They are a great summer shoe.

I paired my new DV shoes with this t-shirt dress from ASOS. It is super comfy and loose fitting for those hot summer days. Loft has some great summer accessories this season. I snagged my necklace during one of their 40% off sales.

Now onto the night festivities. I did not bring my camera, but was able to grab some beautiful shots with my iphone. We hopped in our Uber (new favorite thing) car for the trip downtown to the rooftop bar Loopy Doopy. Located at the top of the Conrad Hotel, this small bar has an epic view. They are known for their Prosecco Popsicle Cocktails. They partnered with People's Pops to create these refreshing beverages. They have 5 boozy popsicle choices they plop into a big old glass of Prosecco. It's up to you how you tackle this treat. I decided to eat the popsicle first and then enjoy the drink. 

After the sunset we headed off for a night of dancing at Gold Bar. The festivities lasted late into the evening and I know the birthday girl felt loved and celebrated. Oh what a night!

XOXO