Our First Date Night Post-Baby

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Can you tell that Bo and I enjoyed our first date night together since Katie’s arrival? Last night’s date night was a perfect opportunity to reflect on the past 18 week since we became a family of three and remember the strong foundation we had as a couple before her arrival.

Many of our friends and family members recommended that we plan a date night sooner versus later. Luckily, our dear friend Heather, who happens to be pregnant, offered to babysit for us a few times before she and her husband welcome their own child. Heather was a nanny during college for a young child so we felt very comfortable in her ability to watch Katie. Since it was our first time leaving Katie alone, we decided to leave for our date night after Katie went down for the evening. Heather arrived at 7pm so she could keep me company during Katie’s bedtime bottle and also become comfortable with the nighttime routine and our nursery. While feeding Katie, I walked Heather through our typical routine in the chance that Katie woke up while we were gone. At this point, once Katie falls asleep around 7:45pm she typically doesn’t wake up again until 7 AM. However, if she does wake up, it tends to be within an hour of falling asleep and often times it’s due to a wet diaper.

At 7:55 Bo and I hopped in an Uber towards Red Hook, a Brooklyn neighborhood just ten minutes from our house. We wanted to go to dinner somewhere close, in case there was an issue. The only other request I made to Bo, before we chose a restaurant, was that we tried somewhere new. Luckily, the Michelin Guide’s 2017 Bib Gormand list was released this week – perfect inspiration for finding a new restaurant. In case you haven’t heard of it before, the Bib Gormand list features their favorite restaurants where guests can enjoy two courses plus a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less. One of the restaurants, The Good Fork, stood out to us as it is Korean New American food and located in an area of Red Hook we haven’t visited before.

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The intimate restaurant seats 30-40 people max and we were lucky to be seated at a cozy, corner booth in the front which provided us the perfect venue to watch the people and food go by throughout the evening.

We toasted with an Old Fashion and Dark & Stormy to celebrate our date night and then got to business, studying the menu. The menu is smaller than most, with six appetizer options and eight main course options. This allowed us enough choice without overwhelming us. We decided to share three of the appetizers so we could taste as many dishes as possible, and then ordered the entrée that they are best known for and which has been on their menu since they opened in 2005.

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We started with the homemade dumplings and scallion pancakes before enjoying the farm salad, which included whipped stilton cheese and roasted fall squash. The pork and chive dumplings were crispy yet light thanks to the delicate dough wrapping that didn’t overpower the other flavors.

For our main dish we shared the Steak and Eggs Korean style which was served kimchee rice, fried egg, arugula and apples. The dish was delicious and reminded us of bibimbap. IMG_8570

Last but not least, we shared two of the desserts although we were too full to finish them. Steve’s Key Lime Pie which is a local favorite from a nearby bakery was tart and sweet but I personally thought the crust was a bit much. In my opinion the S’More’s Ice Cream sundae was the winner though just two bites nearly put me in a sugar coma.

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And yes, we those parents who took a break during our date to sneak a peek at our sleeping daughter on the Nest camera.

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While our date night was only two hours, it was the perfect amount for our first time away from Katie. Our goal is to enjoy at least one date night per month, leveraging family and Heather until we are able to find a local babysitter.

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A Delicious Night with Gilt City and La Palapa Mexican Cocina

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Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting a blogger dinner with Gilt City and La Palapa.   I was the only person who knew everyone at the table so it was fun to see so many friendly faces and introduce everyone to each other while enjoying delicious food and a warm, festive environment.

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Heather, me, Diana, Theodora, Christine, Nicole, KatieAlanna, Evann, Meaghan (not pictured), Arielle (not pictured), and the owner of La Palapa, Barbara

The goal of the evening was to bring together health and wellness bloggers in New York City and introduce them to the healthier side of Mexican food as well as the wonderful partners that Gilt City has on their platform. Barbara, the owner of La Palapa, put together a seven-course dinner for us along with three different refreshing drink pairings. As you can see from the menu below, the dishes were all very unique and unlike anything you’d find at an Americanized Mexican restaurant. Born and raised in Mexico City, Barbara taught us that many of the dishes we grew up enjoying in Mexican restaurants are special dishes often only enjoyed during large celebrations or weddings – not on a daily basis.  Since 2000, her goal has been to serve delicious, fresh, flavorful Mexican cuisine to New Yorkers!  The drinks and dishes focused on fresh, seasonal flavors and Barbara prided herself on ensuring that nothing had added sweetener or unnecessary ingredients. She used herbs and seasonings to enhance the flavor in a healthy way. la palapa

La Palapa menu

She definitely succeeded in amazing us!  Her passion for food came through in the way she described each of the below dishes before serving us each course. As she answered our questions and interacted with us, she would be inspired to add items to the evening, including pan-friend crickets! Only two of us were brave enough to try them. I don’t think I’ll do it again but suffice it to say – they are crunchy.

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Four three hours, food and drinks flowed to the table while we laughed and caught up. Most of us focused on the food instead of the cocktails since it was a Monday night, but I tried a sip of each one and especially enjoyed the pineapple and nopal margarita.  By the end of the evening, my favorite dishes were the chalupas de mesa verde with platanos con mole negro, fish tacos, squash tacos, and the guavas with saffron.

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Want to tasta La Palapa’s delicious food and cocktails for yourself? Save up to 55% by taking advantage of the La Palapa deals on Gilt City which include a weekend brunch, dinner for 10 or a four-course dinner for two!

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Your turn: What is your favorite Mexican dish? 

Thank you to Gilt City NYC and La Palapa for hosting us for a delicious and fun evening. Thank you also to Heather who provided some of these pictures. 

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Café Des Federations–Lyonnaise Cuisine

On a small little street in Lyon sits a culinary treasure – Café des Federations. Suggested to us by one of my dear friends in Geneva, Lauren Collins, who is a talented free lance writer for the New Yorker magazine, this restaurant was nothing short of amazing.  IMG_4597The small space is ornately decorated with posters, pictures and memorabilia from the region while the noise carries from table to table as people coo over the delicious Lyonnaise cuisine.

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Lyonnaise cuisine refers to the cooking traditions and practices of Lyon, brought the the region in the 16th century by Catherine de Medici. She brought her cooks to the court and requested that they prepare dishes using the local produce while still leveraging their Florence training. Since then the cuisine has become known across the world and it had since helped put Lyon on the map as the ‘’world gastronomy capital”.

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The common dishes include coq au vin, Lyonnaise potatoes, poached eggs in red wine, pistachio sausage, charcuterie, and Beaujolais red wine.  Sharing a bottle of wine at lunch felt like such an abnormal treat as it isn’t often that mom and I have wine with lunch, much less sip our way through an entire bottle!

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Their lunch menu is quite simple, which after a few overwhelming menus this weekend was a welcome change. The classic menu, which is 19.50 euro per person, included the following delicious dishes:

  • Delicatessen Lyon
  • Caviar de la Croix Rousse
  • Salad of the day (lentils)
  • Rillette herring
  • A hot dish of our choice – Stewed pork cheek, crayfish dumpling and chicken liver

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There really is no way to describe the lunch other than to say that every dish was absolutely incredible in a rustic, French way that left us craving more but too stuffed to think of having another bite. The staff, including the owner, was so sweet and hospitable that we found ourselves laughing and making conversation with them. It didn’t hurt to see that for once we had planned accordingly, thanks to Lauren’s guidance, and made reservations. In the two hours that we sat enjoying our meal more than 40 people walked in, trying to snag a table to no avail.

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When in Lyon, go to Café des Federations. We just discovered that they also serve dinner which will be a no miss destination on our next trip. Until then,  when in Lyon, do not ask questions, do not question the menu, do not think about a diet, but instead indulge and enjoy everything they serve or offer you. It will be incredible and you’ll remember the meal for ages.

Bon appetite!

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