weekend recap

This past weekend, our college pal M ventured north to be with us. To ensure that we showed him an as much of NYC as possible while he was here, we painted the town.

Here is a short list of some of the highlights from our fun-filled weekend. We are still recovering...

1. BLT Burger, West Village

This casual, American offering from famed BLT restauranteur Laurent Tourondel has become our favorite burger stop in NYC. The food is out-of-this-world delicious.

Start with fried dill pickles or the hottest jalapeno poppers you'll ever eat (poor S).

Next, get serious with your burger selection. The "BLT" has bacon, the "Great Hills Blue" has blue cheese, balsamic onions and mushroom and "The Stripper" comes without a bun. Also worth a try? The Yellowfin Tuna burger.

By the by, May is National Burger Month. Finally, an excuse to indulge!

(images courtesy New york mag)

2.Katz's Deli, Lower East Side

The boys left me hanging at the office on Friday while they frolicked all over the city. No fair. Their favorite stop of the day? Katz's Deli for bite of their famous pastrami sandwich.

Go meat! Looking at this photo for more than a few seconds makes me want to do a juice cleanse.

I've never been to Katz's, but let's get real. Salty meats aren't my thing. I only want to peek inside because it's the place where Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal shot the famous "I'll have what she's having" scene in When Harry Met Sally.

(images courtesy graveyard shifts, flickr and riding with the top down)

3. Schiller's Liquor Bar, Lower East Side

(images courtesy remodelista and flickr)

Before this weekend, I'd only been to Keith McNally's LES offering for a super late night cocktail (the menu cleverly divides them into 3 sections: "cheap," "decent" and "good") and an order of nachos. The nachos were good, but aren't all nachos good at 3 am?

Having said that, we decided to give the dinner menu a chance. The food was yummy and super casual. I had a Cuban sandwich and several of our companions opted for the fish and chips. The star of the show, however, was AK's beef strogonaff. Who knew?

The lively scene at this place is grand. The black and white floors, white subway tiled walls and soft lighting make for a warm, happy meal.

4. Sheep's Meadow, Central Park

Saturday may have been one of the most beautiful days of the year so far. After a fun night out, the weather made for a great excuse to laze about in Central Park and...have some ice cream?

(images courtesy ysk and just desserts nyc)

5. The Gutter Bowling Alley, Williamsburg

Part bar and part bowling alley, The Gutter has become our new favorite place to bowl (which we weirdly do a lot of these days...). Tucked away on a fairly bleak stretch of warehouses in Williamsburg, this alley's casual, retro vibe is where it's at.

Cheaper and usually less crowded than big name alleys like Brooklyn Bowl and Bowlmor (don't even mention Lucky Strike), this place is perfect for a little friendly competition between pals.

P.S. They have great deals on pitchers of beer!

(images courtesy tap that ny and the gothamist)