Bloomingdales "From Italy with Love" Pop Up Shop

I hope everyone is enjoying their October! I was in the city last week, and popped in Bloomingdales, my favorite department store. I have been shopping here since I was a little girl, and it just has a special place in my heart and soul. 

They have an amazing pop-up going on now, "From Italy with Love il Mercato", until October 26th in store and online until October 31st. I made some purchases online but visiting in person was just so wonderful. It's a fantastic display, and they told me this pop-up changes monthly which is pretty cool. Let's take a peek: 

Walking into the shop, I got very excited! It is on the first floor of the store. 

Is this not SUBLIME ? The cake is a candle!! 

Love all this so much, being full Italian, I wanted everything! 

The items in the cases are handbags. 

The little tarts are candles too! 

I just adore this whole display 

Okay, so the bling olive oil caught my eye. It is Balsamoro White Balsamic Condiment with Gold Flakes and costs $599.00. What a housewarming gift that would make! 

The box in the front are candles, as a set are $199.00 but you could purchase separately as well. 

Some of these items are heavy, so makes more sense to purchase online as I did an olive oil. (not the bling one!) It is just such a fun shop, and the items range in price as well. There is something for everyone! I hope you enjoyed this little shopping trip with me to Bloomies! 

Bloomingdales

Lexington Ave and 59th Street NYC 

Pop-Up Shop open until 10/26/2024 and items online until 10/31/2024

** THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST***

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Bistro Verde 2023

I cannot believe 4th of July is over! The time sure seems to be flying by! I wanted to give a shout out to a restaurant that I enjoyed prior to COVID and is still fabulous after COVID. Bistro Verde is located in the fabulous Nordstrom store at West 57th Street near Columbus Circle. I was thrilled to be back after a long break, and the food did not disappoint. It's a top notch choice if you are in this area for lunch or dinner. 

When I visited for Memorial Day weekend, I had a seat with a view of their new patio. I am not a fan of eating outside when very humid so opted to stay in the air conditioning. I had the Wild Salmon Oscar which was salmon with lump crabmeat on top. Their menu was very nice for dinner and their prices are affordable for NYC. It was so delish! 

I like the decor, it's very simple and folks are not on top of each other like in some NYC restaurants. It's a great spot for a break, either from shopping or just walking around the city. 

My trip in the middle of May, when I visited the Met, was good but service wasn't as great. They were not busy and yet it seemed to take forever for my order. The food was amazing as usual, this was Wild Salmon Nicoise, yes, I am a huge seafood lover! It was really so fantastic, I would get it again. The portions are very generous as well. 

The lobster bisque is something I have been getting each time I visit as it's just so tasty. 

I would highly recommend a meal here if you are in the area. Their pasta dishes are great as well and prices very reasonable. I can understand sometimes service is not 100% as they may have been short staffed that day. The service on Memorial Day weekend was spot on. 

You can place reservations on Open Table but if you are there on an off time, it's usually easy to obtain a table. Dining outside is lovely if you do not mind the heat in the summer months. 

Bistro Verde 

Nordstrom NYC 

225 West 57th Street

New York, NY 10019

212.295.2000

Mon-Sat: 11am-7pm

Sun: Noon-6pm

Please be sure to follow me on Instagram for lots of photos and activity of my travels to NYC. I would be delighted to see you there, be sure to say "hi" 

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Afternoon Tea in Felt Art

I had the pleasure of visiting felt artist Lucy Sparrow's exhibit in 2019 Lucy's Delicatessen on 6th and was totally blow away! I must say this post is in no way an ad but I needed to show you the wonderful art she has for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee! I found Lucy on Instagram and was so thrilled to see the exhibit in New York City a few years ago. When I walked through it, I just smiled from ear to ear. I totally feel in this time, with so much going on in the world, we need something to make us smile. Lucy's felt art does just that, and I have been ordering more items from her online store for my collection. 

Queen Elizabeth II has celebrated her Platinum Jubilee this weekend, 70 years on the British throne, more than any other British monarch. I do follow the royal family and it's history which I find fascinating. Lucy's current project is that of an Afternoon Tea in felt art. I was totally blown away so had to order immediately! The items are just so sweet and make you smile from ear to ear! After I had ordered, I found out she was going to be having an exhibit at the grand entrance of Buckingham Palace which is open to the public July 22, 2022 to October 2, 2022. If you happen to be in England during this time, I highly suggest you visit. You will not be disappointed. Now on to the inspect the art !  

The lovely little guys are sitting on a 3 tier cake plate from Royal Albert. The top consists of a Victoria Sponge Slice, quiche and French fancy yellow. 

Does this not make you smile ?? Sausage rolls, half scones with cream/jam, bakewell tart bottom layer: salmon sandwich, cinnamon roll (from another of her collections seemed to fit in here), Viennese swirl, jammie dodger and a black and white cookie from another collection. 

The tea cup with saucer is actually a real tea cup and saucer that the felt has been molded around. It is just so lovely and I added a lemon slice on the side. The tea cup comes off the saucer. 

I hope you have enjoyed seeing these wonderful pieces of art that are made with such love and detail. I will be adding more of Lucy's art to my home as it just really makes for a pleasant day! You can check our her website and follow her work on Instagram. If you do not purchase anything, but just look at the art work, it will still bring you so much joy. I think that is so what is needed in the world right now. I must thank Lucy for her wonderful work and her talent that we all have the privilege to enjoy!! 

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10 Best Chocolate Easter Shops in NYC

I don't know about you, but I am not sure where this year has gone! I cannot believe Easter is in about a month. Since many fast on chocolate and sweets for Lent, now is the time to enjoy all those goodies! I decided to give you a list of my favorite candy shops in the city, there are so many talented chocolatiers out there. The amazing combos they come up with really blow the mind! Vosges Haut-Chocolate is famous for their bacon and chocolate bar, I also love their Peanut Butter Bon-Bons. I am really quite a peanut butter egg lover myself! Royce Chocolates are very unique as established in Tokyo in 1983. They have an amazing selection of Matcha items that will blow your mind. 

You will make some amazing Easter baskets with items from the folks listed below, and, many of them do ship if you can't get to New York City by next weekend!

In no particular order, here they are:

1. Vosges Haut- Chocolate

2. L A Burdick Chocolate

3. La Maison du Chocolat

4. MarieBelle

5. Jacques Torres

6. Neuhaus Chocolate

7. Li-Lac Chocolates

8. Dylan's Candy Bar

9. Royce Chocolates

10. Economy Candy

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La Pecora Bianco NoMad

One of the spots I checked out in the city before the pandemic started was La Pecora Bianco in the NoMad district. Since that time, they now have locations in Midtown, Soho, Bryant Park and the Meatpacking district. This place is really wonderful for Italian food, and my friend and I enjoyed our late lunch. 

Everything tastes homemade because it is and you can really tell the difference. 

There is nothing like enjoying fresh pasta, it just melts in your mouth. 

Walking around the NoMad area, you see this wonderful view of the Gibson Girl and the Empire State Building against a very blue sky, all is right in the world. 

There are so many new spots opening up in the city that I will be telling you about, and this place is no exception. If you are in any of these areas, and desire great Italian fare, this is the spot for you!! 

La Pecora Bianco NoMad 

Midtown Location

Soho Location

Bryant Park

Meatpacking District

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2020 NYC Foodie Gift Guide

This is not a sponsored post 

I know so many of you are total foodies, and I just love the idea of sending friends and family food gifts especially from NYC! I really love giving gifts, I like to really surprise people with unique items. I really feel with the internet, there is no reason for a boring gift. It shouldn't exist! Here are some items for the foodie friend or family member that will make them very happy Christmas morning. All of these places SHIP their items, so in this year of COVID, it is very easy to send someone a fabulous gift right to their front door! 

Our friends at L.A. Burdick have the most amazing chocolates, including these mice! For the chocolate lover, they will be thrilled to receive any gift from this shop. They ship from their website, along with some chocolate penguins and snowmen! A very unique gift! 

Eataly is the Italian dream for the foodie lover. Even if you cannot get there in person, they offer gift baskets online. Another fun idea is to purchase one of the cooking classes for someone as a surprise. The big thing lately is not purchasing "things" but "memories" and that would be something very memorable. Eataly does have an online shop which I have purchased from and is very easy to enjoy authentic Italian foods! 

Veniero's is a fantastic Italian bakery which is in business since 1894. I was lucky enough to visit a few times and their cannoli is some of the BEST I ever enjoyed. They sell quite a few items online and in 2011 I ordered one of my Mom's favorite, Struffoli, which is fried dough covered in honey. My Grandmother used to make it, but my Mom never attempted but loved it. I also got a box of their rainbow cookies which were just so darn good! Wonderful way to support a small business and have tasty items delivered to your door or friends/family! 

My favorite, New York Gourmet Coffee, which has every flavor of coffee available in Decaf. It is so hard to find lots of flavored coffee in Decaf, and these folks do it right! They do have non-flavored coffee and flavored regular coffee available. Josh, the owner, is the nicest guy and I am always happy to recommend his coffee to everyone! This is the only coffee I drink! 

Our friends at Fat Witch Bakery ship most of their items from their website. Their brownies are like fudge, what a great gift for your friends and family! Gift boxes and gift tins (which are great keepsakes) are available,  logo mugs are fun and you can even send a Fat Witch cookbook! The brownies also freeze very well if you purchase in advance of Christmas to serve on the holiday. 

Fishs Eddy is a most excellent and fun shop! Whimsical designs, vintage pattern kitchenware at very affordable prices. Very unique gift ideas, great for the hard to buy person, and will give them a good laugh as well! I prefer purchasing online so I don't have to carry the items all through the city. This is one of the small businesses that has been really hurting with no tourists in the city. A wonderful way to support them and give totally fantastic gifts to your loved ones! 

Jacques Torres is known as Mr. Chocolate for a reason! His chocolates make a fantastic holiday gift. The hot chocolate and wicked hot chocolate are most memorable drinking by the fireplace on a winter night. The chocolate chip cookies are to die for as well as the mudslide for the chocolate lovers. My favorites are the chocolate covered cornflakes and cheerios. They make such a unique gift for folks young and old! There is a wonderful selection online for shopping safely. 

Baked by Melissa is just a really fun, fun gift for anyone! They make fantastic mini cupcakes, muffins and french macarons! They offer shipping on their website, and whomever receives these will be very happy, and will probably not want to share! My faves are the cupcakes and macarons, but the muffins are tasty too! 

Afternoon Tea is a wonderful experience especially in New York City. You can give your family or friend a gift card to take them to Afternoon Tea! This falls into the "experiences" part of a gift, which I feel are so much better than "things" because it is a memory they will have forever! I cherish the monthly teas my Mom and I attended as they bring back such happy memories. You can check out my top 10 Afternoon Teas in the city to make your choice. The Plaza and The Peninsula are my two absolute top favorites! In this year of COVID, you can provide a gift certificate for folks to use when it is safe to do Afternoon Tea in person. 

Momofuku Milk Bar birthday cake truffles are one heck of an experience. These make a fabulous gift, and you can have them shipped direct from their website. The assorted cookie tin is a good pick as well, and for the chocolate lover they have chocolate malt cake balls. Goldbelly has many items from New York City available for shipping to make a food lover so happy on Christmas Day! 

This is for sure not going to be like any other holiday season we have celebrated. But we need to enjoy as best we can and with a special food gift to family and friends, or yourself, it gives us something to smile about. I hope I have given you some ideas you may not have thought about for the upcoming holiday season. If you have any questions about shopping in the city for your favorite foodie or gourmet, feel free to send me an email. I will gladly help out any way I can. 

Please stay safe, wear a mask and social distance when you need to. We will get through this year stronger than we ever were before. 

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