Thursday dawned bright and early. Way too early after that short night on Wednesday. Grandma looked amazing. I looked like something the cat had drug in out of a rainstorm. Bryan looked….well dear man, he looks gorgeous no matter how much sleep–or lack thereof– he’s had.
The plane trip to NYC wasn’t too painful. We arrived around 5:30pm Eastern Standard Time. Took the train from Newark to Penn Station. Wandered the few blocks to the Roger Williams Hotel. Checked in, got some free drink tickets for the lounge (sweet) and after “freshening up” went out for dinner.
I claim the prize for picking the best restaurants during our trip and the one I selected for our first night in town was a definite winner. Cask Bar and Kitchen is sandwiched between a few non-descript businesses on Third and Lex with fabulous mood lighting, exposed brick walls and a very energetic vibe. Their signature burger, lamb with tahini and cucumber sauce was delicious. We also tried their Truffle Mac n’ Cheese, the portion so large I couldn’t even finish half but the flavors so tasty that I desperately wanted to. The beer on tap wasn’t exhaustive but they had a few good IPAs which made Bryan happy and I enjoyed a pint of both Goose Island Matilda and Ommegang Rare Vos. This spot was the perfect introduction to New York, crowded and buzzing with the chatter of dozens. To get back to the tables you had to squeeze through the narrow space between the wall and bar which was packed with people.
New York City or not, it had been awhile since our last full night of sleep so we headed back to the hotel after dinner and crashed pretty early.
Wow, Cask looks fantastic! I’m jealous!