There are few places more beautiful than New York around the Christmas holidays. From the iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center to the incredible window displays in stores like Bergdorf Goodman, we spent hours walking around, enjoying the sights and the lights, and we certainly enjoyed a great deal of good — and pretty — food along the way. This post is a revisit of a blast from the past from 2011.
In case you haven’t noticed, the big thing these days is small — small portions, lots of variety. These individual gingerbread cakes were topped with whipped cream, then a thin, small slab of white and dark chocolate which had been melted together in an interesting design.
When the small dessert is a little more unwieldy, such as this scrumptious-looking pudding, it needs to be corraled into a bowl. Again, this was topped with chocolate pieces that had an interesting design applied to them.
These were pumpkin swirl desserts. The whipped cream is artfully added to the top, but it’s the little sprinkles that are the finishing touch.
This was a platter of artisan chocolates. They’re so beautiful that they almost look like glass Christmas ornaments, rather than something edible. The thin swirls of chocolate sauce on the plate below help communicate the “Eat me” message.
I get so energized in Times Square. The lights, the people, the nonstop excitement. I found it interesting that even the FBI was using billboard space to ask for the public’s help in catching its Most Wanted.
Don’t go to Radio City Music Hall hungry. As soo as you enter, you’ll smell the popcorn and I guarantee you will want some.
It’s not just desserts that are being offered in small portions. At the Ritz-Carlton’s club level, all of the food — from salads to salmon — were served in small bites. It was nice to be able to try things without “committing” to a large portion of something that might not turn out to be your favorite.
If a person was tempted by dessert (alas, no sugar-free or low carb), there were plenty to choose from.
What do you notice about the trays of food above? Each item is garnished with something edible in a contrasting color.
On some of the platters, it was all one things, whereas others had 6 or 7 different items, with a row of each one.
Did I mention that the auction of the Collection of Elizabeth Taylor was going on while we were there? It’s what we came for. One of the most exciting events ever!
It is a good thing that they had little signs by each of their platters, because sometimes it was impossible to tell what things were. You can try your hand guessing what’s pictured above.
The Ticketmaster area in Times Square features these illuminated red steps. I asked all around to try to find out if there was a purpose to them. Other than providing an interesting architectural feature to the middle of the pedestrian walkway (since they have closed off the street), and a great vantage point from which to see the city and take pictures, there really isn’t a special point.
I took this picture while standing on the red steps. See what I mean about it providing a great vantage point from which to take pictures?
Restaurant food! This was the Hanger steak I ordered at the Russsian Tea Room. I love the way they put a small amount of two different colored thin sauces on the plate to fill some of the white space and dress it up. The mixed vegetables are tucked behind the steak. The large sprig of rosemary dramatically tops off the dish.
The nativity scene within the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular was breathtakingly beautiful.
No visit to New York City would be complete for me without dinner at The Peking Duck House in Chinatown. They serve the duck with thin spears of cucumber, long pieces of scallion, a little Hoisin sauce, and duck that has been masterfully carved tableside.
So, no cooking for us while in NYC. The food was to good and time was too short! A good time was hadby all!
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