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New York City

New York City Winter 2011

Last week was such an incredible whirlwind of excitement. I was in snowy NYC for a two-day launch party thrown by I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, where they unveiled their new celebrity spokesperson. But more on that later! As a sometimes rather dawdling Alabama girl, I’m completely enamored with the hustle and bustle of NYC, so a few of us gals decided to get there a few days early and make the most of our trip. The darling Maria from Two Peas and Their Pod and I were the first to arrive, and we had a blast running around on our first day in the city.

New York City Winter 2011

We consulted the giant weather-forecasting mirror the hotel had by the elevators on every single floor for how to dress. I got such a kick out of this thing! We bundled up like snow bunnies for what turned out to be the coldest day in NYC since 2005.

New York City Winter 2011

Our first stop was breakfast at Clinton Street Baking for some of their famous blueberry pancakes. Talk about scrumptious! Loved the warm maple butter for drizzling. Or in our case, dunking.

New York City Winter 2011

Did I mention it was cold?? After breakfast we popped into Jacques Torres for some hot chocolate to warm up. Oh my gosh, check out how completely rich and decadent this was.

New York City Winter 2011

Warmed up and on a sugar high, we found our way to a charming cupcake shop, Sweet Revenge. I nearly fainted when they brought these out to the table.

New York City Winter 2011

LOVED these gorgeous cupcakes. Here we have their signature cupcake, the Sweet Revenge. A Peanut Butter Cake with chocolate ganache center and peanut butter fudge frosting.

New York City Winter 2011

The Raspberry Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. I really liked this one.

New York City Winter 2011

And the Mexican Vanilla Cake with Mexican Vanilla Buttercream.

New York City Winter 2011

I’ve never had anything like these cupcakes! They were so incredibly dense, totally reminded me of buttery pound cake. The Peanut Butter Cake was definitely a favorite.

New York City Winter 2011

Such a cute place, definitely check them out if you are in the area!

New York City Winter 2011
For lunch I was dying to try a falafel sandwich. Can you believe I’ve never had one? Maria took me to Taïm, voted by Serious Eats as the best falafel sandwich in NYC for a roasted red pepper falafel. I think this was one of Maria’s favorite meals of the trip!

New York City Winter 2011

Right next door was The Roasting Plant, famous for their chocolate chip cookies. You know we had to check it out.

New York City Winter 2011

When we got there I absolutely could not resist trying the Vanilla Hot Gelato Shake. I’m not sure what all they did to it, but I did see them steaming it in the espresso machine to warm it up. Tasted just like a vanilla hot chocolate!

New York City Winter 2011
That afternoon we made our way over to City Bakery. I’d been dying to try their pretzel croissant since the last time I was in NYC.

New York City Winter 2011

It’s got a delicious, salty, crackly outer shell, with a decadently soft and buttery croissant interior. Goodness gracious, this was heavenly!

New York City Winter 2011

We also stopped by this totally fun little cupcake shop called Baked by Melissa.

New York City Winter 2011

Check out how tiny they were! Loved this place, they had a Chocolate Chip Pancake cupcake that changed my life. I could’ve eaten quite a few of those bad boys.

New York City Winter 2011
Maria and I walked all over NYC. I absolutely loved these gorgeous, snow covered streets.

New York City Winter 2011

We were making our way to Chelsea Market, but got distracted by these cute cakes!

New York City Winter 2011

When we got to Chelsea Market we met up with Dorie Greenspan at Sarabeth’s Kitchen. Last time I was there I got some heavenly Strawberry Raspberry jam. Strawberry jams are my weakness. Dorie introduced us to Sarabeth herself, such a pleasure to meet these two precious ladies!

New York City Winter 2011

We also got to sample a few of Sarabeth’s treats!

New York City Winter 2011

I don’t remember what this sugary, buttery, flakey muffin was called, but it sure was dreamy.

New York City Winter 2011

Dorie gave us a wonderful list of bakeries, cookies, cupcakes and restaurants to try over the next few days on our NYC adventure. I treasured this sweet handwritten note.

Dorie has cute handwriting.

Dorie is an excellent speller.

I’m not sure I would’ve been able to handle all those French names without the internets.

______________________________

New Feature

Starting with this post, you can click on any of the photos to view the EXIF data for that image. It’ll tell you what camera I used, plus the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Not that this is particularly life-altering information here. But it might be nice to have at some point. Just in case.

See you tomorrow!

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64 Responses
  1. Kari Hasson

    I am so glad you added this extra info! I was just looking through some of your pics of food and thinking … “I wish there was a way to know what settings she used!” It makes me very happy!!

  2. funwithnancy.blogspot.com

    I love the parchment paper cupcake liners. They just make you want to rip them off to get to the cupcakes. Do you think they are premade or do you think the bakers make them?
    Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Makes me feel like I’m there too!
    Nancy

  3. Tracey

    Did you ever make it to 1 girl Cookies? Dawn is besties with my sister! If you are ever back in NYC, tell her I told you about her! She is a geat person!!!! Love all the food pics, I cant imagine how much I would weigh if I ate all those yummy treats! I shudder to think! How do you do it???

  4. Amanda

    Hey Amanda! We seem to have extremely similar tastes…not to mention the same fabulous name lol!! I have that exact same purse from Charming Charlie! I spotted it while in the store and I heard it just calling my name! I love it…so colorful and yet so easy to match with!

  5. Jenni Roseland

    yes, i wanna know the secret that so many of these other peeps are asking as well!!!! you are so skinny, what are you doing to keep yourself that way after you are eating all of these sweet treats?! whatever it is, i want in on it! you are gorgeous!!!

  6. Jennifer

    Amanda, I love ya, girlie! Thank you SO MUCH for adding the EXIF!! I can’t tell you how many times I’m scratching my head, trying to duplicate something in my newbie-ness. You make food look heavenly and I love reading about your adventures.

    Can you tell me, what kind of camera bag are you toting in your 2nd shot? I feel like we have similar taste, and I have yet to find a bag that suits me. Perhaps yours will do the trick….

    Thank you, thank you!

    1. Amanda

      Thanks Jennifer! It’s the same purse that’s in the first photo, from Charming Charlie. Kevin got it for me last year for Valentine’s Day and I have loved that thing to death! :)

  7. Cookin' Canuck

    This post reminds me why I have to get back to NYC. We lived in Manhattan for about 3 years and how I miss all of those specialty food shops, tucked away in every corner.

  8. Larissa

    I was just thinking the same thing as some of the other commenters…just LOOKING at all these delicious cupcakes, pastries and desserts makes me gain weight! How do you manage to stay so thin?! Please share your secrets :)

  9. Michelle

    OMG, your pictures need to come with some kind of advisory/warning..LOL. Here in Michigan, there was a Jacque Torres chocolatier/bakery that opened 2 yrs ago, but closed late last year..dang!! Their cookies and (of course) the hot chocolate were out of this world!

  10. amber

    I have enjoyed your blog for years now. I love all your tasty, tempting posts. I appreciated you sharing your weight loss story, ans I have a similar one as well, except you got skinnier then me ;) And, I have referred back to yours often. Question though: How do you maintain staying looking so great eating all this sweet delights?

  11. Leslie

    Wow! I am so jealous, all of those treats look amazing. I have to ask you….I read your weight loss post, I book marked it, and I refer to it often. What an inspiration. I have been following it for a few weeks now and have started to see results! Thank you! Anyway, do you really eat these treats?

    I have a total sweet tooth and I love to bake. I also love to travel and I spend hours researching restaurants and dessert stops before we go to any new city. We are getting ready to go on a trip in a couple of weeks and I’m so afraid all of my progress is going to be for nothing by the time we get home. How do you keep the weight off?

  12. Jacquelyn

    Love NYC pictures! Especially food ones. :) I only lived in NYC for one FULL winter, and it was that winter in 2005. Now, anytime friends (or I) go to NYC in the winter I prepare them for the worst. Then they’re all “oh it wasn’t so bad”. I often jokingly blame moving back to Oklahoma on the brutal winters. So, I am sort of glad that they’ve had another one so people don’t think I’m a wimp. :D

  13. Jody Rogers

    It’s a good thing you walked all over New York, otherwise you’d be as big as a good ole Alabama barn! LOL. You are too cute! I love getting your emails. Just glad you didn’t get stuck in NYC!

  14. LAURA

    That’s what I want to know too! How can you eat ALL these decadent desserts and delicious foods and stay thin? What’s the secret?

  15. Kindra Hill

    Is all the travel you do job related? If so, what is your occuapation and how can I get a job like yours? I would love to travel as much as you and I need to know your secret!

  16. Patti

    Oh.My.Goodness. I am almost tripping over myself to book a trip to NYC to follow your itinerary.

    And you got to spend time with darling Brooke! I’m so jealous. Even though she created my incredible blog banner, I have yet to give her a big hug in person.

    And loved the weather report – was this at the Paramount?

    Love your blog!!

  17. Lynisha

    I am just DROOLING over this post! The next trip I go on, I’m going to plan it all around food… And I know where I can go to research it! =D

    Also, LOVE the new EXIF data feature!

  18. Erin

    Oh I am so jealous of the food you get to eat! How do you stay so skinny? Do you work out like crazy? Please let me know your secret!

  19. Tami

    You are awesome. Thanks so much for the EXIF info you are adding, I’ll bet that is a lot of work. I mean, I’m lucky if I can remember *any* of my camera settings. :) Thanks for helping me learn the photography ropes!

  20. Alisha

    This looks like so much fun! But it’s cruel to my tummy to see all that delicious-ness after I just had a Special K bar for breakfast – ha! I need to know where you got your adorable boots (in the magic mirror picture). This Texas gal is headed to Boston in two weeks and I need something snuggly for my toes! :)

  21. Amy

    Amanda, how do you keep your figure while eating all these yummy treats? Please share your secrets! And thanks for sharing your adventures with us. :)

  22. Jeannette P

    Oh MY Gosh!!! Those cupcakes make me want to take a trip to NYC. How do you find such fantastic places to eat at & what kind of food budget do you take on your trips? You always make my mouth water with the fabulous pics you take of the scrumptious food finds.

  23. Chere

    Amanda,

    Love this post. Our son lives in NYC and we visit often. I will check out some of these places soon. We will be there in April.

    Thank you so much for listing your camera settings and equipment used. The shot of the street is wonderful. I am sure you used a wide angle lens but now I can look.

    Thanks a lot of this extra step.

    Chere

  24. Tara

    One last comment if you please and this could be to any of the posters: How to some commentors have their photo next to their comments. I love this idea as it gives a face to them. I would love to add this to mine as well.

    Cheers!
    Tara

  25. Tara

    Good Morning Amanda,
    Love the shots of NYC. Looks like you both had a lovely time. As I was looking through these I started thinking to myself how wonderful it would be if you shared what photo settings etc you used to take your shots. Just to get to the bottom of the post to find out you had done the exact thing. Brilliant!

    I would like to make one request as an addition; would you add what lens you used as well?

    Of all of your grab-n-go lenses which one is your “VISA – never leave home without it”?

    As always thanks for the beautiful inspiration and palate temptations.

    TLC

    1. Amanda

      Hi Tara! I tried to add the lens info (that’s the number one thing I wanted to add!) but WordPress won’t automatically fetch it for me, like with the other info. Bummer! However the lens I’m using 99% of the time is the 24-70mm f/2.8, especially on trips and I can only take one or two. Love this lens!

  26. Stephanie

    I am so envious of you, getting to travel so much! :) I always enjoy looking at all your photos and will live vicariously through you. As a true Midwesterner, I probably would feel lost in New York, but some day I would love to see it, and go to B&H or Adorama, as well. LOL Thanks for sharing your trip!

    1. Hershel

      Stephanie,

      Thank you for your kind mention of B&H Photo. If you are a customer of ours, on behalf of all of us at B&H Photo, please accept our warm thanks and deep gratitude for your patronage. We look forward to earning your trust and continued business for many years to come. I invite you and your fellow readers to check out our new informative and entertaining blog at http://www.bhinsights.com

      All the best to you and yours.

      Hershel K. Waldner
      Supervisor,
      Online Marketing Department
      B&H Photo-Video-Audio
      212-239-7500 ext. 2893

      P.S. When you make that trip to NYC, let me know and perhaps I can arrange a VIP tour of our superstore and extensive support facilities just for you and your traveling companion(s).

  27. jeny.tyler

    Very lovely pictures. NYC seems like the perfect place to be in winter. Reminds me of all my favorite movies. My question is the same as Beverly. What hotel?

  28. terri

    I didn’t think I had any plans to visit NYC any time soon, but after reading all about the bakeries you found, I’m starting to reconsider!

  29. Jessica

    You look like your dressed for our area. I love that bag you have in the first picture. where ever did you get it? Glad you loved your trip. My Hubby and I are flying to New York the end of April to go shopping and can’t wait to eat there.Take care and stay warm

  30. Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)

    I love the EXIF info! and this “Not that this is particularly life-altering information here. But it might be nice to have at some point”- LOL but so true!

    Jacques Torres — yeah, I’ll take ANYTHING from there :)

    Your pics and time with Maria and the whole trip…awesome!

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Meet Kevin & Amanda

Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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