per se

For Valentine’s day, Ken surprised me with tickets to Book of Mormon and then a dinner at per se. When we first met, Ken asked me about restaurants and I told him my favorite restaurant in New York was per se. He said he wanted to take me there for our first date (big talker, right?) and I explained that it was a really long meal and that it would be way too much for a first date. We did eventually go there for Valentine’s day for lunch once we had officially started dating and had a great meal there. (in case you’re wondering, our first date was at Corton).

The meal at per se started a bit late since we were rushing from Book of Mormon – we started with champagne and salmon coronets:

I started with the vegetarian meal – after all, Frank Bruni loved the vegetarian tasting when he was a food critic for the NYTimes – but I switched to the chef’s tasting menu after three or four courses because I wasn’t enjoying the vegetarian choices. Photos from the evening:

The “milee crepes” presentation of foie gras (my favorite supplement):

My favorite dish of the evening, sauteed atlantic cod:

The most tender butter poached nova scotia lobster:

When I interviewed at per se, I went through an evening of service and watched the chef throw away a preparation of the lobster because it was overcooked (I would have eaten it!)

Another supplement, the papardelle pasta covered with black truffles:

The blue gin dragonfruit dessert with violet gin granite:

An amazing bottle of wine that’s older than me:

The dessert spread:

Macarons, truffles and chocolates:

My favorite part of the meal is when the server comes and explains all of the chocolates. I was *stuffed* and told Ken I wasn’t going to ask for too many chocolates, but here’s my plate:

And here’s Ken’s plate:

Another great meal at per se; we were the last ones to leave (just like when we first started dating – we always have so much to talk about!) and since we’ve gone two years in a row right by Valentine’s day, it sounds like it’s becoming a tradition!

Tiffin Wallah

We like to switch it up for lunch sometimes – I suggested Tiffin Wallah so we walked to Curry Hill and enjoyed the vegetarian buffet:

I went back for seconds (of course) and enjoyed their desserts as well. Only $8 for a lunch buffet – definitely a place to visit again!

Pinche Taqueria

I’ve been craving fish tacos and eating them every day (very similar to the time I went to Potbelly’s for 18 days straight). Ken found Pinche Taqueria and we went last week to try out their fish tacos. I’ve walked by this place many times on my way to Soho but have never stopped inside because I’ve never seen people inside. The place is on the corner of Bleecker and Broadway and is located right next to the subway station:

They serve fried fish tacos (using mahi mahi) and also have other types of meat, but we ordered fish tacos on our first visit:

My fish taco craving has been insatiable (three fish tacos for myself!) and these definitely did not disappoint; the fish is freshly fried when you order and is perfectly crunchy. It’s also topped with an avocado cream, chopped onions, and lots of cilantro.

We shared an ear of Mexican corn:

And we also ordered our own tortilla soups:

This has been my favorite tortilla soup I’ve had in New York. It’s not very thick but has a nice spicy kick to it and is filled with chopped avocados, chicken, and tortilla chips. I craved it so much that I made Ken go there on Friday night (which he lovingly did!) The best part of the restaurant: it’s SUPER close to the 6 train and the buses so I can just go there anytime I’m in the mood for a fish taco or tortilla soup!

Chicago Wedding Venues

We have officially signed with a venue! Ken and I scheduled a trip to Chicago last month and the goal of the trip was to sign with a venue before we left that weekend. We lined up a ton of venues and diligently took notes on all of them and kept score on all of them as well (similar to my wedding dress scorecard that I mentioned in the wedding dress post). The scorecard definitely helped us pick a venue in the end because it was really close between two different venues and we turned to the scorecard to make the most unbiased decision. Some Chicago wedding venues:

The Chicago Illuminating Company

The space is a blank canvas and we’ve seen some really beautiful weddings produced here (Ken’s friend from high school, Nicole, got married there and they have an amazing video here). The problem with the venue is that it’s too large of a space for our wedding size and it was also too much white space; I wanted a space that already had some kind of character/decoration so I didn’t have to think about how to decorate it too much. Also, decorations cost extra and so do table rentals, food, and lighting. If you decide to have it at a place that doesn’t have the catering already, you will have to ask if they have preferred vendors (most places will have a list of preferred vendors). You’ll have to book that separately and there were too many options for us, especially since we’re not in Chicago.

The Peninsula, Chicago

As soon as we saw the Peninsula, we knew it was something special. The hotel has a beautiful entrance, has a slight Asian-feel (most of their hotels are in Asia and only a few are in the United States), and the ballroom was beautiful. We spoke with their planner, Jennifer Clarke, who was knowledgeable and showed us a ton of beautiful photos of the venue. They also have an outdoor space, which would be perfect for a cocktail hour after the reception. The flow of the wedding would have been a little clunky if it rained (reception hall for the ceremony, upstairs for cocktails if it’s raining, then back downstairs once the room has flipped for dinner and dancing). Perfect for 150 guests, which is what we’re estimating, but the flow was not ideal.

The Standard Club

I’d never heard of The Standard Club until I watched some amazing wedding videos from the venue. This video is beyond breathtaking – see photos of the venue and the video here. The chandeliers are the originals from when the club opened and they were just cleaned last year, which means they’re extra sparkly!

I asked some friends about the club and it turns out it’s a private club in Chicago. Luckily, John knows a very good member and he offered to sponsor us if we decided to have our wedding there. The location was absolutely stunning but it was very large (it fits up to 500 people) and the entrance way reminded me of a dark hotel. The space is quite dark, actually, and would take a lot of lighting special effects to make it seem as bright as the video.

Waldorf Astoria, Chicago

A stunning entrance with silk walls and an entire floor for the wedding party – this would have been great if we were having a wedding of just 100 guests. The space doesn’t allow 150 and if they made the exception, it would have broken up the dinner and dancing, which was a dealbreaker for us. Really stunning for photographs, though!

Ken and his mom in the lobby of our wedding venue:

Do you know where we picked? How did you decide your wedding venue?

Alta

For Ariel’s birthday, we went to Alta and ordered the whole shebang (the entire menu) and shared with his friends:

My favorite tapas dish: definitely the fried goat cheese balls drizzled with honey!

Ariel has been such a great friend since we moved to New York and I’m so sad that he’s leaving for business school! But, I’m sure we will make many trips to Boston in the future 🙂