Thanksgiving is every foodie’s top holiday and I am no different! Anytime I get to make eating my top priority for pretty much an entire weekend- I’m IN. Oh, wait… I do that every weekend in NYC… Oh, well. Speaking of which, this post combines the two most essential aspects of a Thanksgiving holiday: family and food. Enjoy and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Perhaps the best part of living in the city is sharing my city finds with visitors. I scurry around throughout the week exploring different neighborhoods and discovering interesting eateries and when the weekend rolls around, I get to share my finds. Sometimes it’s a hit, other times – not so much… but when I nail it- BAM!! It’s the closest I’ve come to feeling like I’ve achieved something since passing the bar. (Yes, I realize how pathetic this sounds but this year, I’ll take whatever minimal accomplishments I can get.) I especially love it when family comes to visit. The juxtaposition of their small southern town restaurant experience and the immensity of New York City is, for me at least, both entertainment and an education. We learn what works scheduling wise and what visitors actually want to see and do versus what we want them to see and do. Or in my case, what I want them to see and eat.

We had my parents up for a few days in mid-October and had a blast. We were totally exhausted by the time they left, bellies full and totally spoiled by their weekend in the big city. Robert and I spent weeks debating where to take them and by the time the weekend rolled around, we prepared what I thought was a spectacular plan for a Fall weekend in the city. Of course, like any true New Yorker, we had to start out the weekend by taking them on their first trip to the Hamptons.

a very southampton view.

how i love a farm stand! please excuse the ill fitting shirt...

a sweet surprise from the south!! my Gee's homemade fudge!

morning coffee.

cream cheeses from gold berg's bagels.

While I love the Hamptons any time of the year, Fall is definitely my favorite. No traffic, crisp, clean air, and the FARM STANDS!!! Fall in the Hamptons feels like you’re in a Currier & Ives print (Christmas is coming!!). Everything is picturesque and clean and there’s always something sweet to eat (ahem, TATE’S!).

We returned from our Hamptons venture still hungry and ready to brunch (yes, brunch is a verb here). This crowd LOVES a good bloody so, in typical New York fashion, we took them for a quick stroll on the High Line before making our 2:45 reservation at our favorite brunch spot in the city, Cookshop. We each sampled a different bloody, my favorite is the pickled but my parents enjoyed the original Cookshop Bloody best. Of course, R had to best all of us by ordering the green bloody Mary, which is the healthiest option and looks more like a green juice. My favorite time to go to Cookshop is in the Fall because the walls are filled autumnal colors, pumpkins, and branches dripping with Fall foliage. We ALWAYS order the seasonal beignets and the Cookshop scramble. Think: buttery, delicious southern style biscuit overflowing with scrambled eggs and prosciutto or broccoli and cheese (depending on the season). I like to humor myself by telling myself that we’ll work off our calorie intake with a brisk stroll post-brunch. Irony- we always end up strolling straight to the next bar.

happy family!

bloodies. a family affair.

check out what's cookin' in the cookshop kitchen.

and then there were none...

the BEIGNETS!

my view of the menu.

We hit all of our favorite city scenes: the BoomBoom room for sunset cocktails, the Beirgarten for after dinner drinks and a game of ping pong, Rosemary’s for a peek at the rooftop garden, and Locanda Verde for the dreamy ricotta and honey. To top off an epic weekend of eating, we had to share our favorite spaghetti in the city. Scarpetta-etta-etta (Rihanna, anyone?) has THE BEST spaghetti in the city! Lucky for you, Scott Conant felt the need to share this delicacy outside of just NYC so you can sample his tomato and basil perfection in Miami, LA, or Vegas. I know that you’re thinking, “seriously, spaghetti? I can get that anywhere.” But NO MA’AM!! You are wrong, my friend! Please don’t be offended because you wouldn’t be the first to fall prey to this skepticism- mis padres included. We also loved the yellowtail and crispy fritto misto to start.

Now that you’re probably craving Italian, I hope you enjoy my favorite American holiday! Happy Thanksgiving!

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