Sunday Sandwiches

As you may remember from Italy, Chloe and I had the tradition of waking up late on Sundays and going out to get sandwiches. We missed it and realized that we didn't need to stop our tradition just because we left Italy! There is a block in the West Village nicknamed sandwich alley that offers a bunch of new places for us to try, and it also gives us the chance to explore our new neighborhood. First up - Murray's Cheese Shop. A cute, slightly expensive, specialty store (there are display cases packed with meats and cheeses). I ordered the Dude - short ribs, onion jam, horseradish mayo and comte. Yum! It was a deceptive amount of food, but left me full for hours. It was a great way to start Superbowl Sunday. I went to an apartment in Harlem to watch it with some pizza and beer. I was rooting for the Ravens, so needless to say I was happy with the outcome!

Eating my way through Florence

With the time winding down, I've just been chowing down. The food speaks for itself:

1 & 2. Turkey, brie, spicy sauce and roast onions, Antico Noe

3. Stuffed chicken, mozzarella, rose sauce, Antico Noe

4. Cappuccino and chocolate croissant Il Magnifico

5. Pizza with anchovies and capers, Gusta Pizza

6. Cranberry and brie grilled cheese, Homemade

7. Nachos, Ristorante Messicano Tijuana

8. Chicken and spicy sausage quesadillas, Ristorante Messicano Tijuana

9, 10, 11. Dough rolled in cinnamon sugar, Santa Croce Christmas Markets

12. Truffle gnocchi, Osteria Santo Spirito

13. Mac & Cheese with peas and bacon, Homemade

Sunday Funday

Sundays in Florence are my favorite. Everyone is out milling about and wandering the streets. I've been in Florence for two Sundays in a row and have already developed a routine. Chloe and I go to All'antico Vinaio and wait in line anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes. It's completely worth it though.  The deli is on one side of the street and the bakery where they get their bread is on the other! Occasionally you'll see a man carrying a stack of steaming hot loaves from one side to the other. This past time I told the man behind the counter to make me whatever he wanted. I'm not exactly sure what I got, but I think it was homemade sausage, truffled cheese (does that exist?) and some type of other spread. It was amazing! Places like All'antico don't have menus where you can chose from premade sandwiches, they don't even have a menu telling you what there is. You just point to things and occasionally ask what something is.

After that we made our way over to H&M. I didn't buy anything, but I didn't try on the amazing coat pictured above. I know it's just a comforter, but since I spend the majority of time in my bed I feel like I need this. Obviously, for one million reasons (one of them may or may not be that it's 250 euro...) I did not and will not ever get it. A girl can dream. Realistically if I did ever own something like this I wouldn't be able to sit anywhere without falling asleep which would be awkward for all parties involved. Then Chloe and I go food shopping, followed by homework and laying in bed.

The picture of the vat of cheese was from dinner on Saturday night with David. We made our way over to the other side of the river and spent a solid hour and a half wandering around looking for this fondue restaurant. We eventually found it, but it didn't open for another thirty minutes so we spent our time walking up and down the banks of the Arno. When we got there we realized how expensive it was, but we had made such a big deal about it we couldn't not go! We got cheese fondue with fresh and toasted bread, apples, pears and potatoes. It was so much fun to eat! David is really terrible at judging how much food he can fit in his mouth and it resulted in us cracking up the entire meal, we were definitely NOT fancy enough for the atmosphere. After eating an entire vat of cheese we got gelato and walked back across the river.

Friendly faces, fancy food

My lack of posting has been due to visits from home! My father and Leslie joined me in Florence for the weekend. Our time together was spent catching up over delicious meals and walking around the city. I bought my first Florentine leather purse! It's the perfect size and it feels like butter. We had high noon tea at their hotel, the St. Regis and a dinner that left me in a meat-coma for the remainder of the night. Our time together went by in a second, I didn't know time could move so fast!

Purse purchase