Soho and Williamsburg

Before Mat and I headed off to Greece, we first flew into NYC for Mat's work stuff.  While Mat was working, I got an opportunity to spend time with one of my besties, Ryann, and my other buddy, Steve, who happens to be the ultimate tour guide of the NYC area.  He really knows where to go and will even give you a thorough explanation about the history of a place, how it started, and why it is the coolest!   I wanted to share some of the great spots I got to go to over the course of one day.

I first started the afternoon stopping by my favorite shops in Soho.  When I was strolling around, I had to hit up AllSaints.  It is a UK based store and has some truly beautiful pieces in it.  Why do the Europeans always do fashion better?  They are always like a couple years ahead of LA or NYC.  I found a gorgeous sequined dress that I just adored but they were out of stock in my size.  Boo....  I'm glad that they have a store on Robertson and you can buy their stuff online.

I had my friend, Steve, meet me in Soho and I had him take me to Lombardi's to get a slice whole pizza.  It is located in Nolita and they bake their pizzas in this ancient coal burning pizza oven and it turns out perfect every time.  I swear it's the oven that does the trick.

Ooey gooey melt in your mouth pizza.  This totally hit the spot after shopping in Soho.

For something sweet, we stopped by the Van Leeuwen's ice cream truck.  Mat and I always have the same food rituals when we are in NYC and this is definitely one of them.  This time around he was so busy with work stuff he couldn't make it but we always get the earl grey flavor together and share.  It is actually what inspired us to get the Cool Haus ice cream truck for our wedding because they also serve the earl grey ice cream flavor. 

They were completely sold out of a few flavors but they still had the earl grey.  Yay for me!

In the late afternoon, Mat met up with us and Steve took us all the way to Brooklyn to show us some unique spots.  It was Mat and my first time in Brooklyn and I had no idea the area was so charming and up and coming!  Steve first took us to the Williamsburg flea market and I wish I had a fantastic flea market like this near us at home.  We really need some more furniture in our house and this would be perfect for unique finds. 

The flea market also had great food!  What a delightful surprise.  There was a whole row of vendors dedicated to serving food.  Mat saw the frozen bananas and you can easily guess what happened next. 

He ended up getting the chocolate covered banana with nuts and sea salt.  No surprise here.

Out of the blue, it started pouring like cats and dogs.  I recognized the McClure's Pickles van right away even in the crazy rain. We waited for the rain to stop before we headed into the next stop. 

Sadly, I don't remember the name of this place but it was bustling with people and lots of beer.  Fun place!  I would definitely come here again. (**Edit:  I figured it out.  The name of the bar is Radegast Hall & Biergarten)

Steve insisted on stopping by this place for bbq after the beer stop.  He didn't hype this place up for us.  He just said to try it.  In hindsight, I understand exactly why he did that for us.  He didn't want us to anticipate anything.  When we walked over to the bbq place, I instantly recognized the name of the bbq joint.  Fette Sau.  I had seen it showcased on Food Network.  

I loved how the place was so casual and funky.

While we were waiting in line, I studied the pork chart on the wall to memorize all the different cuts of meat.  That is the true nerd in me.  I'm really a nerd inside and I am not ashamed.

They served their beer in jugs and mason jars.

Steve got us a sampling of all the bbq that they had.  They had the most delicious baked beans and pork belly and I really enjoyed their flank steak.  It was probably the best bbq I had ever tasted.  Really.  I'm not a bbq connoisseur and I'm not trying to be any sort of food critic because that isn't my thing but you have to try it if you are in the area.

Later in the evening, I left the boys and met up with my girlfriend, Ryann, in Astoria to end the weekend festivities. We caught up and chatted away for hours over small plates and wine at a local wine bar.   It was awesome.

Something about rain always makes me feel cozy inside.  It was a perfect way to end the weekend and start our European adventure the following morning.  Mat and I love NYC so much.  We will be back again soon!