Pages

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

september new york visit and bento

Visiting my mom last week involved lots of foodie fun. The afternoon I arrived, she prepared a wonderful bruschetta with eggplant and fresh mozzarella and garlic-tomato confit, the perfect snack to enjoy outdoors on a gentle bright afternoon:
Yummy hearty breakfasts this time included blinzes with fresh figs, Greek yogurt and apricot jam...
and a really delish omelet with three cheeses and croutons fried in olive oil
On our day in Manhattan, we checked out the always fun Chelsea Market and newly opened Italian food emporium Eataly. The Chelsea Market is inside the creatively refurbished former National Biscuit Factory building... the pretty old items on display:
 The market today houses an intriguing collection of independent food shops and restaurants, including a great Italian specialty shop with ground pistachios from Sicily, all manner of specialty cheeses, truffle honey, salt and oil
and Sicilian marzipan, so vivid and detailed!
You might also enjoy some yummy avo-sushi rolls at a seafood place across the way
Here's a view of the creative architectural re-purposing of the former factory space with exposed brick walls:
Wildly cute cupcakes at a sweet bakery...
As if that was not enough yumminess, we were determined to visit the recently opened, huge emporium of things edible and Italian, appropriately named Eataly. Dotted throughout its enormous space are cafe/ restaurants with specialized seafood, vegetable, pasta and pizza, meat menus...no surprise, we selected the seafood option. The frito misto or mixed fry of fish and shellfish was really light, crisp and lovely...
As we had lunch we watched fresh pasta being made. I loved the shape and name of these Fiori di Zucca ravioli...so I bought some to cook and bento!
There are goodies everywhere you look...fruit-mosaic pastry:
Mmmmm, nougat with almonds
Bright produce--I took home excellent fresh tarragon, parsley and green figs...
As a lover of fresh, filled pastas these agnolotti caught my eye!
I liked how this packaging evokes Italy's ancient role as a link between the Mediterranean and East:
"Rustic Fig Bread" 
At the recently re-opened NYC coffeeshop chain Chock Full O' Nuts, a nostalgic taste of a childhood favorite--date nut bread sandwich with cream cheese, slightly caramelized just as I remembered it...
Yum!
Hydrangeas changing color in Madison Square Park
Japanese maple in early morning sun, first day of autumn
My visit bento included some of the delightful butternut squash ravioli with pine nuts, red onions and prosciutto, portabella mushrooms, fresh figs and sugar snap peas...

26 comments:

megan said...

i have said it before but will say it again: you truly have a gift for capturing the sights (and tastes!) of places in a unique and breathtaking way -- even my own city looks different through your eyes.

love chelsea market, but haven't tried eataly yet -- will need to hit the stuffed pasta section asap ;-)

gorgeous bento, the wrapped fig looks amazing.

Bentobird said...

thank you my NYC bento sister, you really inspire with such great comments! eataly is pasta central, you may have a blast exploring it.

Hope we can meet up next time I'm up your way...so happy you live in the living cornucopia of the city :D!

Lia Chen said...

WOW! Pictures really tell a lot of story ... Is great to see all your journey in New York through this post. Lots of yummy foods, and can't get my eyes away from those beautiful marzipan, veggies, and pasta. Wonderful bento in that round box! (^.^)

Bentobird said...

Dear Lia its really a pleasure to share this journey with you! I'm still dreaming of that marzipan, I'll need to pick some up next visit!

Happy Little Bento said...

What a magical journey! You manage to find the most exquisite gems everywhere you go. LOVE the marzipan cuties, and the luscious pasta... and your bento with the fig in a blanket --- SO sweet!!

tofugirl said...

What beautiful photos! I love the Chelsea Market, so much yummy food. I haven't made it to Eataly yet, but the market concept seems to be taking off here--Todd English opened a market in the Plaza Hotel, and there's a Jeffery Chodorow-related one called Food Parc. Will have to check all of them out when I have a chance.

Also, flowery ravioli! Sweet :)

Emily Ng said...

Everything is sooooo beautiful! Foods are delicious and pretty...oh...can't get my eyes away from those photos...make me feel hungry and hungry.

OhayoBento said...

That looks like an amazing trip! I love being able to travel through your photos. The rustic fig bread made my stomach growl, oh I bento it's fantastic with just a dab of olive oil. Yum!

Angeleyes said...

That was really a really great trip! How I wish I could fly there now! Love those flower shaped rivoli and those cuppies!!! My son saw the Elmo and Cookie monster and said he wanted them!

Bentobird said...

hi sherimiya! aw, your comments have put quite a smile on my face this morning! "Fig in Blanket Bento" would have been the perfect name for this one, LOL!!

Bentobird said...

hi Carol! many thanks and what great new market tips you've shared...excited to learn more! will be interested to hear what you think of eataly. wishing you a fantastic fall in the city, pal :D

Bentobird said...

hi Emily! so glad you liked these pics, thanks for your support!

Bentobird said...

hi Heather, thanks so much for coming along! the fig bread looked really good, wish I picked some up...next time, tee hee. have a great day :D

Bentobird said...

Angeleyes, thank you dear! Yay Cookie Monster :D!

Robin O said...

The warmth and delight you find in your lens shares a delectable adventure. What fun you were having!

Bentobird said...

aw, thank you for such thoughtful comments Robin! foodie explorations make me happy, pleased this came through in my little photo tour!

Lexi said...

Looking at that beautiful bruschetta, I can see where you get your magic touch with food!

Bentobird said...

hi Lexi, how are things? so sweet of you, thanks! is it getting autumnal chilly in the UK yet? seems like we were just talking about getting excited for spring....

Susan Yuen said...

Gorgeous bento and beautiful pictures! I love everything in your bento especially the squash ravioli!!!

Bentobird said...

Hiya Susan! thanks for your comments! its good to be coming into squash season.. have a GREAT weekend :D!

Kaimono888 said...

Having good food and wine ~ indeed a wonderful time spending with your family!

Enjoy your weekend, my friend :P

Kari said...

I love your blog! It's so colorful. :) I passed the "Versatile Blogger Award" on to you, you can read about it here. :)

Bentobird said...

Thanks dear Kaimono888! It's sunny and cool here today and so pretty. Hope your weekend is fun too, "see" you next week!

Bentobird said...

Many thanks for the award, Kari! I enjoyed visiting your site :D!

Lexi said...

Jenn, it is chilly in the mornings, but we have a little blast of autumn sunshine today :) I do love autumn!

Bentobird said...

Nice, Lexi!