Karen took the Acela from Boston for a visit to the big apple. It was so nice to see her - it had been WAY too long. Karen only had 1 request - to stop by Kate's Paperie, and then to meander around NYC. We found the one near Union Square, and spent time looking at lush cards, papers, boxes and ribbons. Karen stocked up on pretty papers and cards :)
Karen kindly took us to lunch at the Union Square Cafe - a popular spot owned by Danny Meyer, a famous NYC restauranteur. We had a gorgeous dry white with tuna salad sandwiches and home made potato chips, with so much food that I took home what most people would consider 2 whole tuna sandwiches :)
We went from lunch to the Union Square Farmers Market, and poked around. We did a little wine tasting, and Karen bought a beautiful Savignon Blanc from the North Fork of Long Island.
We decided to head toward the apartment, and meandered up Park Ave. We passed Barbounia and it had an inviting feel so we stopped in. The bartender let us know they would be closing in a half hour or so for a private party, but we were welcome to have a cocktail in the mean time.
Next we f
ell in love at Brasserie Les Halles. 
I've walked by this location many times thinking that it' very cute and adding it to my list of places to try. When Karen suggested we try this place, I was enthusiastic :) We sat at the bar and asked for a wine that would be like Pinot Grigio. The bartender made suggestions, which we took. Then he let us know that it was essentially the same price for a bottle of wine as for 2 glasses. Well, that was a no brainer! The La Vigne D'Argent from Bordeau was light and crisp and very enjoyable.Apparently every Monday there are
50 wines that are 50% off for the bottle. The bottle we had was $18. We were getting closer to dinner time, so we asked for some nibblies, and again the bartender came through with this beautiful fruit and cheese platter and some bread. Delish!I'm looking forward to returning to Brasserie Les Halles again soon! Hopefully Karen will come again so she can join me :)
