the north fork.

We went to the North Fork in Long Island last weekend to spend a relaxing 2 days away from the city. In between wine tastings were a few great meals and some down time at a great B&B.

Lobster Roll at Love Lane Kitchen --- Champagne at Sparkling Pointe. 

Home-made granola and blueberry preserves at the Farmhouse Bed and Breakfast

5-star 3-course meal at the North Fork Table & Inn.

Sight-seeing in Greenport before taking a pit stop at the brewery.

fruits of little labor.

"Galette" is far too fancy a word for what this actually is. "Galette" is hard to spell and implies complexity. But this could not be more of the opposite. I returned to Food 52 for dinner ideas and this post caught my eye. If you choose to not count the water, this was a 5-ingredient deal. 

I'm usually turned off by instructions that require blending flour and butter until the butter pieces are "about the size of a pea." Even if I could afford a lemonade-yellow KitchenAid standing mixer, let's be honest - I live in New York and would have no where to put it. So in my case - it's a hands on job. And to my surprise - hand mixing the butter down to pea-size wasn't all that difficult. Especially if your butter is really cold. 

While your dough is chilling - prep the fruit of your choice. In reality it was Josh's choice so that meant blackberries and peaches. 

Grab a wine bottle and roll out your dough. Note: It doesn't matter how hard you work to layer the fruit in an artful way - because you're just going to fold the dough over most of the design, anyway. Brush the newly formed galette with egg-wash to get that golden crust-look then sprinkle the whole thing with sugar before baking for 45 minutes.

TRY not to eat the entire thing in one night. I promise the last piece is worth it for breakfast.

lately.

Peonies. That is all.

Delicious, homemade ricotta cookies with a lemon glaze. Sent all the way from Florida in an old white tin. I have the best, most optimistic little sister who trusts in the US Postal service enough to ship her baked goods with a "fragile" sticker on the box. 

 Cocktail bar downtown by the South Street Seaport where we spilt an egg sandwich at the bar.

Damage done at Anthropologie on silk pants that are sure to become a wardrobe staple. 

A "Bit o Brit" cranberry almond scone at Sweet Revenge last Thursday morning. Ordered with an iced coffee and I might have found myself a new routine.

al freco NYC.

What I should really title this post is where to drink in New York this summer. Or, if you're a southeast native like myself, where to drink when the weather is nice for a hot minute and maybe even get some sun on your shoulders. Dig your sunglasses out from the bottom of your bag and hydrate - because there are plenty of places around this island to soak up the summer:

(Top photo) - Central Park. Living uptown, I have my "spot" in the park. It's the hill right off the entrance just south of the Met, off of 5th Ave. I usually bring a book that I get about 2 minutes into before dozing off and waking up to the sounds of Mister Softee. If you like dog watching and are looking for some quiet time, this is the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon on Sunday.

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The Blue Ribbon Beer Garden. Just north of Houston across from that restaurant called Prune I've been wanting to try. Also, right by someone's favorite bagel & lox shop. It's a covered, fan-powered chill oasis on the 2nd story of a hotel. Drinks aren't too pricey and they serve boiled peanuts! Great place to meet a friend before dining out in the area.

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Jones Wood Foundry - UES. We stopped by the back patio last weekend. The landscape back there is not much to look at, but those fish and chips were SO GOOD. Not pictured is a cheese plate, English "biscuits," and 2 very cold glasses of sancerre. This is a nice little spot if you are an Upper East Sider or happen to find yourself uptown. Easy-going vibe and good food. 

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The Wythe Hotel - Williamsburg. The view the view the view. Now I know why people move to Brooklyn. Your ears might pop as the L train is going under the East River. And the people you are with might roll their eyes, scoff and say "Brooklyn" with a tone reserved for their mother. But, come on, it's a right off the Bedford stop. And maybe you are lucky enough to have a friend with a Williamsburg roof top, steps away from the Wythe where you can kill two views in 1 trip. 

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The roof at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Arrive shortly before sunset - maybe around 7:45ish this time of year. Head towards the ticket counter on the left and make your "donation" (AKA cover charge). Ask the man in the stuffy suit how to get to the roof. A quick stroll through the Africa wing later and you are overlooking the park and all of Manhattan below you. There are 2 bars up there so you won't have to wait too long. A nice place to take in the sunset before dinner and breath in fresh green air atop my favorite museum.

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Smorgasbar at the South Street Seaport. You heard me right. Not "burg" - but "bar." The folks over at the Brookyln Flea keep outdoing themselves. This is a quaint little street blocked off for the Smorgasbar in the Seaport area. I wish I had known about the food halls to choose from before we got lunch in the West Village. There was pizza, tacos, and the Milk Truck. The trip to the edge of Manhattan is worth it to catch some sea air, sip on some ice cold drinks and take in the colonial feel in that area of downtown.

Have the happiest of hours this summer!