Saturday, 12 April, 2014 – USA Food and Wine Tour

After a quiet breakfast, new menu with Eggs Benedict this time, we check out of the Wythe to head across to Manhattan. The four “sick people” take separate cabs. The remaining 11 are in the stretch limos again.

On the way we take a detour to The Bronx and the new Yankee Stadium.

We then drive back to town and go to a place called Eatitaly. It is a very large room with stalls all around selling various food stuffs. It is absolutely crowded with customers. The intent is that we grab tables in the middle and have some cheese and wine. As we prowl around the various stalls, Doug and Colin manage to find a table amongst the crowd.

Julie managed to grab a separate table for us as there are 11. Colin has utilised a very good waiter who is attentive and quite prompt in bringing us food and drink.

After that pleasant repast we walk to our new digs – the Gramercy Park Hotel. Apparently, Obama had had dinner in the Hotel’s restaurant the last night. When we get there it is completely different to the Wythe in Brooklyn. Old, but stylishly classy.

Neither Julie nor I could find the shower but the porter who brought our bags up showed us, it was behind the toilet. A quiet afternoon for me settling in, JV of course pranced around.

That night we take several taxis to La Esquina an original 1940s dining car.

We are here for Mexican food. Our table, after a bit of a wait, is in the basement which involves fairly steep stairs that put us in the Kitchen then winding through a rabbit warren to our table in the absolute back. There are Margaritas to start with – Plain, Blood Orange and Passion Fruit. Marg, as in Margarita, quite enjoyed the latter.

That was just the starters. They were followed by the Main Courses which for some reason were not as spicy as the Starters.

It was a really good night. It was a pleasure having Mexican food which was quite good. The young waitress looked after us very well. Taxis back home and crash.