The moment December 1st strikes, it’s all hands on deck and no rest for the wicked. There’s wrapping up actual work and sending the “let’s circle back in 2026” punt to party hopping to survive the darkest season. Between holiday festivities, mandatory corporate gatherings, belated friendsgivings and just going out dancing for serotonin purposes, we’ve been there, done that and are still doing it.
In no particular order at all, here are some of our favorite moments from this past wintery season.
Sunday Afternoon Tea at the Wythe Hotel. Winter light hits their rooftop restaurant, Bar Blondeau in a way that makes you feel like a cat lazily sunbathing. The afternoon tea experience was delightful and the array of pastries are impressive. We enjoy savory more than sweet so loved the sandwiches but loved the scones with jam. Our only call outs - wish there was clotted cream and we had more choices of tea to choose from.
Le Veau D’or - if you are able to snag a reservation, highly recommend coming in the winter time. Originally established in 1937, this place has that je ne sais quoi that new restaurants will never have. It’s so old school New York, the best French food you can get and the vibes are immaculate.
The simple but memorable combination of stilton and pears.
Meetinghouse Beer in Philly - Rebecca swears it was her best meal of the year.
Whipped coffees and pastries at Caffe de Martini in Prospect Heights
Borgo!!
This is not so much a rec but a word of caution - we used to be big Lafayette fans, it used to be a great spot to walk in to with a high success rate but the food itself has gone severlyy downhill. The gem salad tasted like it was depressed, the NY strip steak was severely under salted, wait staff acted like it was their first day on the job AND after watching 2 tables get their disruptive sparklers on a fake 3 tier cake as a birthday treat that looked worst than a fast food chain production (and I love fast food..) that was the icing on top that convinced us to never return. Sad because we are a fan of Andrew Carmellini but Lafayette feels like a ghost of its former self.
Happy holidays xo
Angel and the busboy team