After yesterday’s excruciatingly long post about something that only a small group of people can understand and appreciate, (that’s a great blogging tip– write long, drawn out posts that only appeal to a small sector of your audience. Take that to the bank) I thought I’d cleanse your palates with something a little easier to read with lots of pictures.

Last Wednesday I drove to Jersey City (where I was staying) to go to an Emerson College Networking event in NYC with my friend Jillian (go read her new blog, The Cool Kid’s Table). Now, the only thing I enjoy more than making plans with friends is when the other party breaks them last minute and I can get back into my Sad Dara clothes (garments with no shape and/or elastic waist band to aid in comfortable weight fluctuation), but this time I was all pumped up to drive 4 hours to the land of the Manzos.

Why was this time so different? Well, other than the fact that I was happy to see Jill, we had reservations at The City Hall Restaurant in Tribeca for their Restaurant Week 3 courses for $35 menu. Listen, I’ll drive up to two hours for something like Sonic tater tots–even if Jill cancelled, I would have shown up for my discounted gourmet food alone.

{NYC skyline from Jersey City}

{Blood orange margarita}

{Candy cane beet salad with fried goat cheese}

{Henry braised short rib with beans and an onion ring}

{Chocolate bread pudding with Nutella ice cream and cherry compote}

The trip was a success except for the fact that despite the networking event I still don’t have a job (turns out that at these things it tends to just be a lot of people who also don’t have jobs), and I did not see one Manzo or Laurita family member.