Hi, guys!

I just got back from having lunch with Ellie Krieger. No big deal.

Lunch

This afternoon, Kris, Karen, and I met Ellie at Cookshop for lunch. (Kris and Karen are the PR folks from the California Grapes Commission.)

Cookshop was a great spot for lunch. The restaurant itself was open and bright with clean lines and simple, colorful décor. The menu was creative, interesting, and featured many seasonal and sustainable ingredients.

When Ellie arrived, the four of us chatted for awhile before we placed our orders for lunch. Ellie was so friendly, well-spoken, and down-to-earth. She seemed like a regular person—not a famous television host and cookbook author. As cheesy as this may sound, chatting with her was like talking to a friend. She’s also really pretty in person!

Fun facts about Ellie:

• She’s an optimist.
• She once witnessed a wildebeest birth in the wild.
• There’s a photo of her NYC kitchen in this month’s issue of Better Homes & Gardens.
• Her newest cookbook was published in October.
• She read my blog this morning and said she liked it!

For lunch, I ordered the Chicken Breast Salad, which was served with green and red cabbage, carrots, celery root, toasted walnuts, and dried cranberries with a sherry vinaigrette. I didn’t totally love the salad part of my meal (it was a little bland), but the chicken was absolutely amazing. So yum! I’m actually really picky about chicken, so I was happy that this piece was cooked so well. It was incredibly tender and flavorful. It was actually the best chicken breast I can remember eating in a long time. 

After lunch, I enjoyed a salted caramel (from Kris).

And a soy cappuccino. (Two espresso drinks in four hours = I’m buzzing!)

Breakfast

For breakfast, Kris, Karen, and I headed down to Chelsea Market. It’s been years since I’ve been there, so I was excited to visit this morning. A lot has changed!

First stop: Ninth Street Espresso!

I ordered a soy latte, which was outstanding! It was so creamy, so bold, and, oh, so delicious. I was actually sort of sad when I took my final sip. I didn’t want it to end!

With lattes in hand, we headed to Amy’s Bread to find some eats.

We ended up sharing a smorgasborg of pastries among the three of us. We had a croissant, Applesauce Doughnut, Almond Brioche Toast, and an Oat Scone with raisins and walnuts. I liked all of them, but my favorite by far was the Almond Brioche Toast. Holy yum! It was thick and sweet with crunchy slivered almonds on top. I actually wish I had another piece to eat right now. I wonder if I could make it at home? I need to Google it!

I have a little downtime before dinner, so I’m going to get ready and pack up my things to head back to Boston in the morning. I can’t believe how quickly this trip flew by! You know what they say!

Ahhhh! I’m so excited to be here!

The Electrolux people hooked us up with an amazing hotel called the Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District, and I’m totally obsessed! Well, actually, I’m obsessed with every fancy hotel that I encounter!

I’m going to sleep like a baby tonight!

Love the silk robe! I’ll definitely use that!

Swag!

The view from my room!

After spazzing out with excitement, I met up with Sabrina for lunch.

We walked over to Chelsea Market, a funky enclosed food court, to find some eats.

Sabrina and I walked around and checked out our options before deciding on Friedmans Lunch.

Friedmans Lunch serves traditional American food in a laid-back, cozy setting. I loved the decor– an open kitchen, dark wood tabletops, chalkboard menus, and vintage wallpaper.

With lunch, Sabrina and I drank water from an old wine bottle. It was very hip.

For lunch, I ordered the Vegetable Sandwich on sourdough. Inside was lots of veggies– carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouts– and a nice thick layer of hummus.

The sandwich was served along side some field greens and a delicious pickle.

It was an excellent lunch!

After lunch, we headed back to our hotel. Our first stop was the roof deck that overlooks the city. Check out this view!

Randomly, we ran into Meghann up there, so we took the opportunity to snap a photo together.

I’m going to squeeze in a quickie workout then get ready for a cocktail party!