We had arrived in New York City and all of a sudden it was less dining and more snacking. There was simply not enough time to sit down properly for meals. It felt more like grabbing food along the way. And when we did want to sit down, there was usually a long line like at Katz’s Delicatessen. So more often than not, we settled for something else entirely. My New York experience started with a huge smoothie on the way to The High Line.
juice and smoothie stall @NYC
Everything looked fresh and of good quality, so I ordered a large ‘Cool Island’ (pineapple, orange, strawberry). A good choice in hindsight, since we didn’t manage to eat anything else that day. Would I get this combo again? Probably not, the pineapple wasn’t blended properly.
smoothie @NYC
Before heading up to The High Line we stopped for coffee at Think Coffee. My iced Americano was delicious and full of flavor.
iced Americano @Think Coffee NYC
Stop 9: Breakfast at Café d’Avignon – NYC, New York
Breakfast at Café d’Avignon was quick. It seems to be a pop-up inside the Moxy Hotel Times Square, where we were staying, and we received a coupon for it each day. Coffee was good, as were the granola and the croissant. I was less enthusiastic about the busy atmosphere and the takeaway style of all food items, despite the available indoor seating.
breakfast @Café d’Avignon
The hunt for a Reubens sandwich: Everyone knows or at least I do that if you are in New York City and want a Reubens sandwich, you go to Katz’s Delikatessen. And so does everyone else, thanks to ‘When Harry Met Sally … ‘. When we arrived there, the line was long and it was raining. Without an umbrella, we tried Russ & Daughters just up the street. The sandwiches looked amazing, but there was no Reuben on the menu and no tables either.
So we walked on to to Sunny & Annie’s, where Reubens were listed but again, no place to sit. In the evening we gave it another try, this time at Stage Door Deli near the 9/11 museum. Online it said they closed at 8pm, but in reality the doors were already shut at 6pm. In the end, we settled for a “Reuben” at O’Hara’s Restaurant. It turned out to be nothing like the Reuben I expected or any Reuben I know. I suppose I’m spoiled from Montreal, where I’ve had smoked meat sandwiches at Schwartz’s Deli.
Stop 10: Lunch at Gruppo – NYC, New York
Instead of a Reuben, we ended up with a large thin-crust pizza and a Caesar salad to share at Gruppo. Both were excellent. We were all starving, especially the teenagers who had skipped a decent breakfast before our Circle Line Cruise, so the food was gone before I thought of taking a picture. Lovely service, really good food!
Stop 11: Dinner at O’Hara’s Restaurant – NYC, New York
I only managed a picture of the bar, not the food. That might be for the best, it wasn’t memorable anyway. The beer was good, the service friendly, and we had a nice time, but I wouldn’t come back.
bar area @O’Hara’s Restaurant
Stop 12: Drinks at Magic Hour – NYC, New York
For views, Magic Hour worked its magic. For drinks, not so much. My first cocktail ‘We Were on a Break’ was forgettable. My second, a gin & tonic, was much better but served without finesse, mixed with generic tonic, and overall disappointing. At least the view made up for it.
Cheers to Gin Tonic and our trip @Magic Hour
Stop 12: Lunch at The Refinery Rooftop – NYC, New York
We wanted to bring the teenagers up to a rooftop bar, which was the only reason we booked The Refinery Rooftop for lunch. With its minimum consumption limit for reservations, we ordered plenty of drinks and food. Unfortunately, neither food nor service lived up to the name. The service was inattentive and sloppy, while the food got mixed reviews.
The eggs Benedict were disappointing, the grilled cheese too fancy for the teenager (it was made with Raclette cheese), although we adults liked it. The kale salad was by far the highlight of the meal.
eggs Benedict @The Refinery Rooftop
actually quite tasty kale salad @The Refinery Rooftop
grilled cheese with fries @The Refinery Rooftop
The Bloody Mary was excellent, I almost wish we’d just come for drinks.
Bloody Mary @The Refinery Rooftop
But since the view was underwhelming, this is not really a place worth spending money on. The bill was exorbitant compared to the quality of food and service.
In a nutshell the food in New York City was the worst of the whole trip, ironically, since it’s the city with the most variety. We were simply too busy sightseeing to research proper eateries. Next time, I’ll have to plan that in advance. Yours, Pollybert
