I spent the weekend in NYC with three of my favorite people; Sarah, Candice, and KP. We did much. But to begin with (since this will require multiple posts) I’m going to chronicle our gastronomic adventures!

It started with lunch with a woman at my summer internship company…at a fabulous little place called V-Cafe. I didn’t take any pictures (somehow I thought it might not be appropriate?), but I must say it was delicious, and pretty affordable for NYC.

Dinner was at Isle on Bleeker (a short walk from my summer digs–as in less than a block); a delightful little Thai place.

Dessert was at Grom. An incredible gelateria also in my neighborhood. Living in Greenwich Village is going to be awesome…and very, very fattening.

The plan for Saturday was to go to Brooklyn for lunch at The Good Fork, a fabulous dumpling place featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. However, when we looked at the site online to find the address, we discovered that The Good Fork isn’t open for lunch. So…Max Brenner it was! Eventually, I will make a trip to NYC without a visit with Max, but really I didn’t mind at all. And really, the spinach and goat cheese omelet…amazing!

Kelly got a yummy panini with fantastic waffle fries.

Why yes…that is chocolate on my biscuit. Thank you for asking!

As if chocolate for brunch wasn’t enough, we made a quick stop at Levain Bakery on the way home. Seriously, Sarah brought KP and me a few of these delicious cookies when we were all in Chicago last month. They were incredible. But fresh? No comparison. My favorite is the Double Chocolate Chocolate Chip. No shocker there!

Ahh, and then there was a late night feast at Junior’s. We went after seeing Guys and Dolls (more to come on that later). Totally enjoyable! I love a good Reuben! I didn’t necessarily need the milk shake. But it was good.

But my absolute favorite of the weekend? Pommes Frites, authentic Belgian fries. For those of you who don’t know, I spent a semester in Belgium when I was a sophomore in high school. There is nothing like Belgian fries. Another “for those of you who don’t know”, fries are actually Belgian, not French. And these fries? Totally authentic. They even had European mayonnaise (they call it fry sauce at Pommes Frites). I know that mayonnaise with fries probably sounds disgusting, but I assure you, it is not.

I have often tried to explain how the fry stands in Belgium were, and I don’t think I’ve ever done them justice. This place? Exactly how I remember them (not the look, but the process). For anyone visiting NY (who also enjoy fries), Pommes Frites is well worth a visit. There isn’t much room for sitting, but it’s supposed to be a fry stand, not a restaurant.

Notice the cone in the guy’s hand (above). This is how the fries are served.

And in this picture, you can see the different sizes.

And finally…Doughnut Plant. We got there late, so the selection was limited, but still fabulous! My favorite? The Creme Brulee. Normally I’m not really a filled doughnut fan, but this was incredible! (The pictures with the borders were taken by KP and her fabulous fish eye lens.)

Oh wait…and finally, frosting shots and cupcakes from Babycakes, a vegan bakery. Really, I’m not gonna lie, this was not my favorite of the trip. Maybe if I was vegan and needed something like this to satisfy my sweet tooth, I’d feel differently, but…I’m not and I don’t. Hallelujah! Oh well. It happens. I will say that I didn’t bother wasting the calories once I realized that I didn’t like any of their stuff.

Thankfully, I had another doughnut to end the trip on a satisfying note! Wouldn’t that have been sad? A whole weekend of gourmet eating, only to end with some less than great cupcakes.