Taking a Bite Out of the Big Apple

New York City, here I come! Tomorrow morning my friend Melissa and I will be jetting off to spend 5 days with our good friends Leslie and Annika, eating and drinking our way through the Big Apple.

We’ve got a full itinerary ahead, including stops at Gramercy Tavern, Paris Commune, and The Spotted Pig, amongst others. But the highlight of the trip, actually the #1 reason we’re making this trip, is our a very special dinner with a certain celebrity chef, Tom: Tuesday Dinner.

Back in the fall when we heard the news that Tom Collichio was opening the private dining room next to his Craft restaurant to personally cook for a select group of diners, we wanted in on the action. Melissa and I have been swooning over Tom for many seasons while watching Top Chef so the thought of being within just a few feet of him as he prepares our food…well, I’m not sure how either of us will behave. This once in a lifetime opportunity is worthy of a blog entry of its own, so stayed tuned next week for more!

Now before I go start packing, I’d like to mention one last item on the agenda. When I saw this story on Serious Eats a couple of days ago, I got a good chuckle. Next week The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck is rolling out for business in West Village and Chelsea. Yes, the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. Doug Quint, a professional bassoonist working on his doctoral degree, is joining his friend Andrea (a flutist) in building her ice cream empire by becoming an ice cream truck driver. (Click here to read an interesting New York Times article about how Andrea got started.)

In addition to rainbow sprinkles, toppings will include olive oil & sea salt, nutella, toasted coconut, crushed pretzels, and bacon –how can I resist? You better believe I’ll be scanning the horizon and keeping my ears peeled for the sound of cha cha music.

Have a great weekend and don’t forget to check in with me next week as I share all of our adventures!

Photo credit: apple bite by owaief89