This One Time in New York

Last month Fisher Nuts flew all of the #thinkfisher ambassadors to NYC for an event at Butter with Chef Alex Guarnaschelli

It was such an incredible experience.  It’s been more that 20 years since I was last in NYC, and while I remember NYC being big, I don’t remember it being quite so BIG!

The first night, Jenny and I met up for dinner and spent a bit of time walking around Times Square people watching.

There’s no place that equals people watching quite like New York City.

The next day Jenny, Lori and I did a bit of shopping in the rain, took totally touristy pictures in the rain, and had a blast riding the 3 story ferris wheel in Toys r Us, shopping at Swatch, browsing the Hard Rock Cafe, and marveling at the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Jenny and I hopped over to Eataly,where we met up with Carrian for some shopping, snacking, drooling, and gasping at the gorgeous array of food, fresh fruits and veggies, fresh seafood, meat market, sandwiches, Cheeses and more. If you’re ever in NYC – block a couple of hours and go check out Eataly.  It’s a smorgasbord for the senses – FOOD! everywhere! Every corner you turn is a delight for the senses.  I could have spent all day there!

After Eataly we returned to the hotel for a quick lie down and then it was time to get ready to meet Chef Alex at Butter, her restaurant in New York.

Fisher Nuts really went all out with the funky touches, the fun atmosphere, and making us feel welcome.

 

 

 

Chef Alex is incredibly down to earth, funny, quick witted, and just so very easy to talk to.  She came around and introduced herself to everyone personally, shook our hands, and chatted with us.  Chef Alex is one of those people who just makes you feel at ease; you immediately see that while she is a ‘celebrity’ she’s also a mom, a woman, a lover of food… she is passionate about what she does, and I respect that immensely.

She walked us through each of the dishes we sampled that night, showing us step by step what she did, and her thought process behind each recipe.

Chef Alex told stories with each recipe she made – she talked about her family, growing up Italian, her first experiences with certain ingredients, and even shared that some days nothing works.  Some days, you just have to know when to say when, and start fresh the next day.

Every single one of us in the room was nodding along and muttering our agreement – it was so refreshing to hear her say that she has days where nothing works.  Can I get an Amen?

Hands down, the most incredible dish of the night, in my opinion, was the Walnut and Fontina Macaroni and Cheese – they had to bring out 3 or 4 different trays of the mac and cheese because it kept disappearing. It’s good, y’all.

 

After a couple hours of snacking on yummy things like the Walnut and Fontina Mac and Cheese,  Spicy Walnut and Chickpea Hummus,  Almond and Asparagus Crusted Grouper, and Walnut Stuffed Tomato Halves all while  talking, laughing, and soaking in the atmosphere.. we took a couple more pictures, and then we were left to our own devices.

 

Jenny, Aggie, Carrian and I headed out together

First stop was going to visit Joanne and then we channeled our inner New Yorkers by hailing a cab like some pros

We took the cab to Chelsea Market, and y’all, if you ever have the chance to go to Chelsea Market – do not hesitate! GO! Immediately!  We walked around, we sampled some food, we bought some trinkets, and we chatted, laughed, and enjoyed our time together.  It’s a wonderful gift to spend time with people who get you, people you’ve known online and in real life, people who share your passion, love what they do, and get it.

Here’s where we went:

• Los Tacos 1 I highly, highly, highly recommend the Carne Asada loaded and the Adobada (pork with smoky adobo sauce) These are legit tacos, y’all
• Friedman’s Lunch the B.L.A.T. sandwich is out of this world and the herbed fries – yes!
• Fat Witch Bakery y’all, if you ever get a chance to food tour a city with Jenny – GO! She is the queen of knowing where the most amazing treats can be found.  These brownies, y’all – these brownies.  Holy cow.

 

This was such a wonderful trip.  I got to spend time with friends, meet people I’ve admired for years, eat incredible food made by a Food Network chef, and spend time in a truly amazing city. 

Thank you so much Fisher Nuts for sending me on this trip!  I am a #thinkfisher ambassador and have a long term partnership with Fisher Nuts. I have been and will be sharing recipes using their nuts on my blog as part of their Fresh Thinker Network.  Thank you Fisher Nuts for supporting A Southern Fairytale and helping me to share recipes and stories with my readers.