HappyTummy              

Sisters are the greatest. Especially my sis. She’s five years younger than I am, but people often think we’re much closer in age, if not twins. It’s probably because we’re best friends, we talk on the phone numerous times a day, we say the most random things at the precisely the same moment and we think almost exactly the same way. It’s really fun having a built-in best bud.

One of the best things about my sister is that she, like me, is obsessed with food. That makes for some pretty fun times when we get together. Whether it’s cooking, scouring a menu at a great restaurant, planning a fabulous cocktail party or watching Food Network, we’re always talking or thinking about food together. So on my most recent trip out to visit her in NYC, we of course planned our weekend around all things food.

First stop: Ronnybrook Milk Bar at the Chelsea Market, mainly for its ice cream sandwiches, but, oh yeah, lunch too. :)

Ronnybrook Milk Farm is owned by Ronnybrook Farm Dairy, a family farm located about 100 miles north of Manhattan. The milk their cows produce is all natural, with no hormones, antibiotics or additives. Maybe that is why their ice cream is so loved?

My sister and I had just finished a six-mile run, so we were pretty hungry. At the same time, we knew we had dinner plans with our grandmother in the early evening, so we wanted to keep it light. And boy did we take the right route ordering a golden beet salad and free range chicken sandwich to share. If you’re not a fan of beets, you most certainly will be after you try this. They were meltingly soft, seasoned lightly with just salt and olive oil and accompanied by a mint relish and goat cheese. The sandwich had cheddar, avocado and bacon…and what isn’t good with bacon?

Of course, eating a light lunch meant we could indulge a little, and we didn’t hesitate to try one of Ronnybrook’s ice cream sandwiches. My sister had just read a review on Serious Eats about the city’s top 10 ice cream sandwiches, and Ronnybrook’s had made the list. We tried the combo the article suggested: ginger crème brulee on oatmeal raisin cookies, and were not disappointed…except for the fact that we had gotten just one to share between the two of us!

The other great thing about the Chelsea Market is that it’s home to the Food Network’s studio kitchen! It’s where recipes for many of the network’s shows are developed. I’m pretty sure Throw Down with Bobby Flay is taped there too. My sister has seen Morimoto strolling the hallways before, and we kept hoping to run into a celeb chef, but alas, no luck. Instead, we browsed some Food Network products.

The Manhattan Fruit Exchange is also located in the Chelsea Market. Everything looked so fresh and plump and big…I’ll bet the food they use on all the Food Network shows comes from this place. Everything is also so neat and orderly…love it.

Last on our list of places to visit that day was the Union Square Greenmarket, the perfect place to stroll on a perfectly sunny summer day. If you know me, you know I love markets of all kinds, and always try to visit the best markets in every place I visit (Seattle’s Pike Place Market, Athens Central Market). The Greenmarket was bustling with people on a Saturday afternoon, haggling with vendors, proding the produce and nibbling on all-natural baked goods. Markets always make me feel so happy…like I’m doing something good for my body and soul.

It’s amazing how many varieties there are of each fruit and vegetable. We counted no less than five different types of radishes on one table. And the heirloom tomatoes–who knew there were so many different shapes, sizes and colors, let alone tastes?

And finally, I leave you with this shot of a gyros stand, taken in the middle of one NYC’s many summer street fairs. Having just returned from our vacation in Greece a few weeks before, where we ate our fair share of gyros, I couldn’t pass this up.

B, this picture is for you–now stop drooling! :)