Guest Post / Simple Manhattan

For today’s Fab Friday post, I’m excited to have none other than my best friend, Nikki take over Brooklyn Bliss for the day.  Nikki’s a NYC real estate agent, so if there is anyone who’s aware of all the newest, fun stuff to check out in Manhattan it’s her. She blogs over at Simple Manhattan, so be sure to check out her site if you’re looking for more fun stuff to check out on the island of Manhattan.

When I first heard about the Highline Park – about 2 years before the first section opened – I was ecstatic and intrigued. I voraciously followed all the coverage on Curbed and other real estate obsessed sites. I marked my calendar for the opening weekend. And once that weekend finally came, I dragged my visiting European friend out to see it with me (since he was the only one of my friends that weekend who was willing to stand in line just to get into a public park :)).

My expectations were not disappointed, and I have been in love with it ever since. Now that the second section is complete, I have 10+ more blocks of Highline Park to wander aimlessly. I do quite enjoy being aimless whenever the opportunity strikes 🙂

I think the Highline Park is one of the most amazing repurposings of an old relic to happen in a long time. It shows how you can take something that was once old, forgotten, even an eyesore, and make it into something beautiful and cherished. What’s even better – it’s there for EVERYONE to enjoy and a whole swath of people from all over NYC (and beyond) come out to enjoy it.

I realize this post is full of mushy stuff and flowery language. But I just can’t help it!!!!! I LURVES this place!!! Pics below. Enjoy 🙂

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Purume

My BFF Nikki at Purume

A few weeks ago I met up with my BFF Nikki for dinner at Purume, a now fully vegan eatery in Union Square.  This restaurant is the restaurant above Karaoke Cave (formerly Lemongrass) for those of you karaoke freaks who might be familiar with it.

The restaurant was very spacious, and the decor very “zen”, which didn’t really surprise me being I’ve heard of the place for their macrobiotic cuisine.

Nikki and I both ordered the same thing.  We started with the miso soup, which was absolutely delicious and highly recommended.  After we had their tofu entrée, which again was really, really good.  The tofu was marinated and very flavorful, and the presentation was better than I’m used to at most vegan eateries.  The only disappointment in the dish was that the portion size was on the smaller side, and I was hungry that night so it wasn’t really sufficient for me.

For dessert, I opted for their apple tart a la mode.  The tart though it looked amazing was a bit of a let down.  I had expected them to have vegan vanilla ice cream to accompany it, but they didn’t so the next best choice besides green tea was chocolate, which was a bit odd.  The filling of the tart itself was very good, but the crust was hard as a rock and basically inedible.

All in all, while I enjoyed my meal there I’m not sure it was worth the price tag.  The prices for the portions served was on the high side.  Then again I’m spoiled with all the vegan options available to me in Williamsburg and it’s not that often I go out to eat in Manhattan, so it could just be I’m a bit out of touch.

If you’re looking for a good, quick, vegan macrobiotic bite and are in the Union Square area, I’d recommend checking Purume out.

Willburg Cafe

My husband and I are always on the lookout for great places for brunch. After a crazy hectic week at work, we love being able to catch up and start off our weekend days over some caffeine and breakfast.

Finding places that have great vegan options isn’t too hard in Williamsburg, but my husband not being vegan does appreciate going to places where he can get what he wants to eat occasionally. I love hitting up Willburg Cafe on Grand Street for this purpose. I can always depend on a great tofu scramble or bagel and tofu cream cheese, and my husband can still get his eggs benedict. This makes for a very happy couple and a great start to the weekend.

One of my favorite things they do here is when you get your check, it comes out in a mini treasure chest. How cute is that?

Now that it’s summer and the weather has been great, I noticed Willburg Cafe has opened up some sidewalk seating. Perfect for bringing your dog and grabbing a quick bite while enjoying the summer breeze. We can’t wait to bring Portia with us!