The Boston girls eat their way across Manhattan

RRR, Mitch, Queenie and I started off our Saturday with lunch at Patsy's Pizzeria, one of my neighborhood standbys for takeout or a casual meal. The pizzas are delicious with a thin crisp crust, hearty tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella cheese and a host of fresh toppings. The salads are equally fresh and delightful, with the arugula salad being a personal favorite. Pastas stand out as well and are a great item to order when you are itching for some Italian but can't control your portion size like I can't - I especially enjoy the linguine frutti di mare.

But as usual, I digress --- this Saturday afternoon we went with a mushroom pizza, insalata siciliana (green salad with mozzarella, roasted peppers, black olives, capers, anchovies, carrots, tomatoes, and artichokes with Italian dressing) and penne alla vodka which included some bits of smoky hearty pancetta. We didn't stop until we hit the bottom of our bowls!

Now that we were carbed-up we headed uptown for a visit to Crush, a wine shop that is part of Drew Nieporent's Myriad Restaurant Group. The variety was impressive, intriguing and well-priced. I walked out with a 2004 Vacqueyras from Domain de Montvac ($15) and a 2005 Primitivo from Villa Fanelli ($8) in Puglia. I'll let you know how these wines fare in a future post.

Later that evening before we hit our dining destination we stopped off at Vino Vino in TriBeCa for a glass of wine. And what's wine without some munchies so we ordered some cured meats and cheeses from the bar. The interesting thing about this charming spot is that the adjacent wine shop sells the wines offered at the cozy yet spacious wine bar. Keep in mind wines here are not cheap, but if you are looking to impress while being able to see and talk about what you are drinking this is a great option.

Then it was on to the main event and my favorite restaurant in New York City, The Harrison! We made a pit stop at the bar where we were treated to some of their delicious cocktails. My French Martini was smooth and not too fruity but the standout cocktail belonged to RRR & Queenie's wonderful "apres ski" made with white cognac and cassis. Wow!

We each chose an appetizer. RRR picked ricotta cavatelli (braised rabbit, escarole, mint, and natural jus), peeky toe crab with avocado, grapefruit and mustard oil for Mitch, Queenie went with the pumpkin salad with toasted pumpkin seed dressing and I chose the day boat scallops with endive, vanilla and a blood orange vinaigrette. I hope the wait staff was amused by our "take a few bites and pass the plate around" method of eating our first course.

The ricotta cavatelli was amazing! The rabbit was braised for hours and so tender that it absorbed into the rich tomato sauce and the pasta was al dente and toothsome. Rabbits might have to be on the lookout for me in the future if this dish was any indication of rabbit meat (somewhere a duck is very happy to hear that!).


The scallops were also excellent. They were perfectly seared and tender without being chewy and had a refreshing citrus flair without being tart.

Our mains were:
RRR - grilled wild striped bass olives, potato, marinated onion, white anchovy sauce
Queenie - swordfish with gnocchi, spinach, chorizo, and a preserved lemon sauce
Mitch - breast of duck with quark spaetzle, duck confit, bing cherry sauce (I was jealous but hey, I ust had duck last night)
Foodie - almond crusted skate with creamy savoy cabbage and apple cider sauce

We also ordered the house specialty brussel sprouts with brown butter, toasted hazelnuts and shallots along with a butternut squash risotto to accompany our fantastic dishes. The risotto was good but our palates were tainted by the fantastic risotto we had at Del Posto the previous evening. These phenomenal brussel sprouts are a staple of The Harrison's menu and if you claim to dislike this underappreciated vegetable then you haven't had these brussels!

What I love about The Harrison is that the staff is welcoming, knowledgeable, unpretentious and friendly. The cocktails are outstanding and the food? Well, the food is new-American elevated to a whole new level. The seasonal ingredients inspire the menu and the inventive preparation along and congenial neighborhood atmosphere makes this a place you just want to keep coming back to; even if you have to travel from New England!