Good morning! 😎
I just got back from a glorious 3-mile run in the hotel gym. You might think I’m weird when I say this, but I love exercising when I am on vacation. There’s just something about a new place/new city/new surroundings that motivates and inspires me to get moving– even a hotel gym. 😉
So, I bet you’re wondering what my secret trip to Philly is all about. Well, I was invited by the folks of New Harvest to attend a complimentary weekend focused on Omega-3 and heart-healthy vegetarian alternatives. New Harvest is a totally new source of EPA Omega-3 that is a true vegetarian alternative to fish oil with no lead, mercury, or PCBs that can appear in fish. My blogger buddies and I will be the first to get an in-depth look at New Harvest. Sounds pretty interesting, right?
The New Harvest Weekend kicked-off with a cocktail party, where we got to meet the New Harvest people and the other bloggers invited to the event.
I started my evening with a dirty martini. I’m working/on vacation, right? 😉 (I love my job!!!)
With a drink in hand, I went off to mingle!
There are so many great bloggers on this trip, including Tanya and Monica! These two ladies have been my “internet” friends for ages now, so it was awesome to finally meet them in person.
After the cocktail hour, we headed to dinner at Square 1682. We actually had our own private room. Fancy.
During dinner, I drank a couple of glasses of wine, but I made sure to pace myself with plenty of water. I must have left the table 2-3 times to use the restroom over the course of the evening! I really didn’t want to feel hungover in the morning.
We started the meal with a bunch of family-style appetizers for the table:
Roasted Vegetables with baba ghanoush, tabbouleh and olives with grilled artisan country bread
Bloggers in action! 😉
I think this was the Noodle-Less Vegetarian Lasagna. I can’t remember!? We also ordered an Artisanal Cheese Plate with nuts, fruit, and bread, but I guess my camera ate the photo. Of course, I dominated the cheese.
Chilled Shellfish Platter with stone crab claws, alaskan king crab legs, oysters and poached shrimp with chipotle aioli, salsa verde, sesame mignonette
This dish was intense! It had crab legs sticking out everywhere!!!
Lemon Scented Hummus with herb and garlic naan bread
More wine!
For my entree, I ordered the Beets, Endive and Frisée Salad with house made duck prosciutto, poached egg, and cranberry vinaigrette. Mmm! It was exactly what I wanted after eating a million appetizers!
I didn’t think I wanted dessert until I took a peak at the dessert menu. Holy temptation!
I ended up ordering the Apple Cider Fritters with Madagascar vanilla bean ice cream and apple cider caramel, which was a fabulous choice. I practically licked my plate clean! 😉
Dinner and drinks were the perfect way to start the weekend. I loved meeting everyone, and I’m looking forward to learning more about New Harvest later today.
Off to breakfast!
Disclaimer: New Harvest provided me with a free trip to Philadelphia to learn more about their product, but the views I express on my blog are totally honest and all my own.
