New York! - First Meals

I'm currently in Montreal visiting my boyfriend (aka the Yeshiva Dropout/YD), whom I haven't seen since early October. The first weekend I was here, we ran off to New York for a trip we've been hinting at since around the same time last year (we had planned to go for Reading Week, but because of my internship, my break wasn't at the same time as everybody else's), and because he had some admissions exams to write at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

We rushed out of the apartment, a little stressed and bleary-eyed last Friday to catch the bus at 7:15. YD had the foresight to make us some sandwiches to eat on the way there; he is no chef, but there was just something about the combination of crisp cucumbers, tomato basil turkey, and mustard that just lifted my spirits at the Albany bus station. I was seriously in love again.

After spending nine hours or so nodding in and out of sleep, we arrived in New York and dropped off our bags at Chelsea Hostel, where we were staying.



The sandwiches that we had eaten on the bus weren't enough to sustain us, and we were starving. Knowing that we had a late supper date, we decided to slip in a little snack, and walked the block or two to Murray's Bagels.



We both opted for our respective favourite fishes in salad form - I got the baked salmon salad on a poppyseed bagel, and he got the herring salad on a garlic bagel. The bagels were filled and filling, though I thought the baked salmon salad was a little too salty for my taste. YD's herring salad, however, was surprisingly not salty, but had a sweet, almost pickled flavour which reminded me of Japanese food. I was a little bummed that I only got a bite of it.

Our supper date was at Bocca di Bacco with my friend Cara, who I've known since junior high. Unfortunately, shortly after the boyfriend and I arrived, I received a text from Cara that something had come up at work and she wouldn't be able to join us. We decided to stay for dinner anyway, but kept it simple because we were still full from the bagels that we had just hours ago.

YD ordered the Bresaola e Pere salad, an arugula and pear salad with bresaola, an aged, salted beef. YD didn't seem to enjoy his salad, saying it was "weird", and it was only after a little more pressing that it wasn't the spicy arugula he didn't like, but just something about the bresaola. That's too bad.

I ordered one of the specials, a porcini risotto, which didn't look too appetizing at first because it just looked like a grey pool on my plate. Beyond the appearance, however, was a creamy risotto packed with mushrooms that was deliciously filling.

The service at the restaurant was top-notch despite the fact we weren't spending a lot of money and didn't order any wine from their extensive wine list, or their cocktails that cost as much as their appetizers. The wait staff were attentive and helpful, and despite the fact that we kind of got stood up, it was a good experience.

We walked the 30 or so blocks back to the hostel, soaking in the sights along the way.



We actually went to Murray's Bagels again later on in our trip for breakfast. This time I opted for Spinach Dill Tofu on Whole Wheat, while he got an Egg and Cheese Breakfast Bagel (not pictured).



I could taste the tofu at first, but then the dill came through and the bagel was delicious. I also got a "spicy" chai latte which was a little too sweet for my taste (as almost all commercial chai lattes tend to be), but reminded me of gingerbread cookies. I did sneak a bite of YD's bagel, which was really just scrambled eggs and a processed cheese slice, but the way the cheese was semi-melted when he pulled his bagel in half looked really delicious.

Murray's Bagels (Chelsea)
242 8th Ave
New York NY 10011
(646) 638-1335


Bocca di Bacco
828 9th Ave
New York NY 10019
(212) 265-8828