Late Friday nights usually equal late starts on Saturday mornings, which was indeed the case for us gals. I guess it didn't help that the air mattress I brought was squeaking like hell every single time A or I tossed and turned. Sorry girls. We were all quite tired when we dragged ourselves up and out the door. Nothing a good brunch wouldn't cure though. We hit up Euro Diner on 3rd Ave. between 36th St. and 37th St. for some some stomach satisfaction. I was looking forward to a $1 hot dog from Ikea later so I had a light lunch of French Toast. Nothing spectacular, to be honest. It came with a side of strawberries which I ended up liking better than the dish. M's Chicken Gyro order was delish, however, and I kept stealing jealous glances at her plate and shooting my plain, innocent french toast some angry glares.
We made our way over to Borough Hall station in Brooklyn to catch a quick shuttle to Ikea. After an hour or so of perusing the aisles of one of my top 10 all-time favorite stores, I was itching to head over to the café to get me my hot dog! I was ravenous at that point and had to refrain from completely pigging out and getting not only TWO hot dogs but a cinnamon bun and a soft-serve cone. Somehow, I managed to keep my wits about me and indulged in just the one hot dog. Oh, and a bag of chips...but it came with the combo! Anyway, we lugged our purchases to the shuttle, back to Borough Hall, back to Manhattan, and walked a couple of blocks back to R's place. I should mention that Saturday -- and in fact, Friday AND Sunday as well -- were extremely humid days. By the time we reached the apartment, we were parched, sweating and sore. That didn't stop us from putting together the coffee table and lamp that were newly bought. I love Ikea.
We cleaned up and showered off the sweaty evidence of our schlep to BK and made our way over to Inoteca for dinner. Luckily, they were hosting some kind of private party that night and we would have had to wait for an hour and a half just to get a table. I say "luckily" because we ended up at Coppolla's East, located at 27th St. and 3rd Ave. I'm going out on a limb and saying that this might be one of my top five favorite places to eat ever. While pricey, the decor was subtle enough that it didn't yell "Ambiance!", which let the food speak for itself. Nothing on the menu seemed out of the ordinary, at least in comparison to the multitudes of Italian restaurants in the city but such is the charm of Italian dining that the classics are like comfort food. I drooled instantly upon reading the description for the Farfalle con Salmone and knew that that dish was the one ending up in my stomach that night. Boy, was I right. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente, a requirement of any good Italian eatery. The cream sauce was not too heavy and certainly not at all runny and it was so zesty, tangy and savory. The pièce de resistance was definitely the salmon; it was the most delicious piece of salmon I have ever tasted in my life. Not only was it seasoned extremely well, the smooth texture was a joy in my mouth (yes, yes, That's What She Said). I also picked off of M's plate; she had ordered the Tortellini Daniela which was also molto bene and super flavorful and savory, and that's saying a lot because I don't usually like filled pastas such as tortellini and ravioli. The fantastic dishes coupled with the great service by our jovial and good-natured waiter made for a delightful dining experience and I must say that Coppolla's will certainly be frequented by me in the future.
The party that night was at 21st St. between 5th and 6th Ave, at Taj Lounge. It is a beautiful venue, although it seemed like the bartenders and bouncers were bit on the snotty side. Then again, we were up in midtown where a lot of clubs, lounges and bars can be a bit on the frou frou side. The DJ was great, as he played a lot of songs from back in the day like Next and Total, which was totally a blast from the past. It got really, really crowded towards the end of the night so it was a relief when we left. It was quite a long night of partying and I was desperately happy when my head finally hit my pillow at 6.30 the next morning.
Finally, it was time to go home. Before that, we somehow mustered up the energy to crawl to Anita's Cafe and Delicatessen over on 34th and 3rd Ave., where I ordered an egg, bacon and cheese on a roll. While it was tasty (despite the bacon being burnt), I am so spoiled by the breakfast delights from Bageltime back home in Jersey, that it was nothing that really impressed me.
It was a lovely, lovely weekend but playtime in New York wasn't yet over. Stay tuned for Part III!
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