Estela

My Dad and Stepmom were in town this week. With only one evening for a dinner, I made sure to pick a winner. Estela has been receiving a lot of good press lately (check out articles here and here), so I was excited to take it all in. 

Estela is located in the Nolita area of NYC just off of Houston & Mulberry. It is the brainchild of former Blue Hill Stone Farm beverage direction Thomas Carter and James-Beard nominated chef Ignacio Matos. This small plates style restaurant is meant to be enjoyed with others. The dishes are creative, full of flavor and extremely unique. 

First came Burrata with Salsa Verde over Charred Bread.

Next came Beef Tartare with Sunchoke. The Sunchoke was chopped up with the Beef which created a lovely contrast of crunchy and tender.

Moving to the heavier dishes we nibbled on Lamb Ribs with Charmoula and Honey...

...and then Quail with Grapes, Parsley and Ajo Blanco.

If we did not have enough, two more came. Here is the Ricotta Dumplings with Mushrooms Pecorino Sardo. The round disks on top are thinly shaves mushrooms.

And finally, Mackerel with Butter Beans and Nettles.

Needless to say we were stuffed. The food was delicious and the staff was extremely helpful and knowledgable. They also have an on sight sommelier available to help you navigate the expansive wine list.

Love catching up with family over a great meal. Estela is a wonderful place to splurge and order a lot or to share a dish at the bar with a friend over a glass of wine. 

Bon Apetit! 

Brooklyn Sunsets and Cafe Ronda

I have a dream that some day I will be able to live in an apartment that has access to an outdoor space. Don't get me wrong, I love my apartment, but on those perfect summer nights, I would trade anything for a rooftop with a view. 

When dreams aren't a reality, it is nice to have friends who share their blessing. It was a lovely evening to catch up with Cara before she headed to South Africa for a couple months.

Her apartment is in Williamsburg. The view of the city is sick; the sunset never looked so good.

Wine, cheese, meats, a sunset and great friends...nothing better.

The next morning the Frans and I rolled out of bed and popped over to Cafe Ronda for brunch. Cafe Ronda is a Spanish Tapas Grill on the Upper West Side. I've been a couple times before but only for brunch because of their delicious baked eggs.

You can order the eggs baked or as an omelette. We each decided on a different version. Nat chose the Spinach and Portabella. Her's came out a little off so she sent it bake for the omelette version.

I chose the Black Forest Ham Baked Egg. It was packed with Spinach and Mozzarella. I opted for the home fries as the side.

Mer had the Argentinian Sausage Baked Eggs which included peppers, onion and cheese.

It was a lovely morning catching up with the Frans and a lot of scarfing down food. Mer and I spent the rest of the day wandering around the Upper West Side. We ran into a friend who just moved back to America, and got to catch up over coffee for a bit. We then proceeded to run into people we knew walking home.  I love when that happens, it make the city seems so small. Overall, it was a very lazy relaxing day in NYC.

Heading home for the next week, can't wait to share some South Carolina adventures!

Derby Dayz & Central Park Picnicking

Days like this don't require many words. 

I love being busy. As much as I might pretend I don't, I love having a million things to do and seeing how God always increases my capacity. I don't like busy, though, when I don't ever get a chance to rest. As an extrovert, I recharge by still doing things, but taking it easy; by being around people out in the world soaking in life. After a full on week, I was ready to recharge. When Hannah suggested a picnic in the park I signed up immediately. I was going with or without the Frans.

We decided to meet up at The Great Lawn. For those of you not from NYC, The Great Lawn is a large grassy space in the middle of Central Park that you can enter from the east or the west in the 80's. I love The Great Lawn because it doesn't get as crowded as Sheep's Meadow, and the crowd is usually more calm and family oriented. 

The Frans did not disappoint and came out in full force.

What's a picnic without cheese, meat and wine? 

We nibbled on Salami and a variety of three cheeses - Stilton with Apricot, a creamy French St. Andre & Goat Cheese rolled in Herbs.

Hannah really surprised us with these homemade roasted vegetable sandwiches. She grilled squash and eggplant, tossed in some sun-dried tomatoes and basil, then spread goat cheese on like butter. They were delicious.

They also smelt like a fresh vegetable dream.

Lindsay popped by to say hi and brought along a little bubbly.

Sleepy from too much food and the warmth of the sun, we were in full lounge mode. 

This little princess was killing it flying that kite. I was very impressed.

Halfway through the afternoon we realized it was Derby Day!  The Kentucky Derby is an American institution and tradition. There were events all over the city to celebrate the race. We decided to participate in the festivities at The Red Rooster.

Located in Central Harlem, The Red Rooster boast a menu full of comfort food that celebrates the local American tradition of the neighborhood. People were out in full force to watch the derby, wearing hats and sucking down Mint Juleps.

The big screen to watch the race was located outside, so everyone moved that way to watch as the start neared. 

I've only had one Mint Julep in my life so I figured I'd give it another go. Not my favorite, too sweet, but when in Rome...or on Derby Day.

And they're off!

California Chrome, the favorite to win, ended up winning. I'm always one to root for the underdog, so the race was anticlimactic for me. I also find it amusing that the race only lasts two minutes.

Overall, it was a GOOD day...a very good day indeed. Cheers.

xoxo
d.eileen