Markt 401 West 14th Street @ 9th Ave.

Friday was such a beautiful day that my co-worker (and friend) Kevin and I decided to jump a train downtown and have a walk and lunch out. He’d never seen the Chelsea Market (which is fantastic and deserves a listing all on its own) so we walked through from 9th to 10th (I purchased Pine Nuts which I needed for Pesto) and then out and down to 14th to check out the new merchandise at Jeffrey (449 West 14th). As always the store knows who it’s buying for and the selection was superb. It did however seem more expensive than in the past which I can only attribute to the crap exchange rate dollar to Euro. Looks like I’ll only be shopping there on sale this season. We window shopped passed Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen but stopped in Bodum where I purchased a set of 3 nested mixing bowls that have handles and spouts and retail for $19.95 and are fantastic! I used them repeatedly over the weekend and highly recommend them. We ended having lunch at the café sidewalk at Markt which is a French/Belgium restaurant. I’ve been eating there for years and have never been disappointed by either the food or the service. This Friday was no exception. I wanted the Salad Nicoise but as I’ve had it almost every time I’ve eaten there for lunch I decided to branch out and ordered the Vol au vent (chicken with mushrooms in puff pastry), exquisite! Kevin enjoyed the burger which was lean and perfectly cooked as it has been when I’ve had it in the past. Markt can still be a bit of a scene at night time but for lunch it’s filled with the same great food, interesting to beautiful people, and no wait. Plus there is no greater pleasure on a brisk spring day than sharing a good meal with a great friend at an outdoor cafe with the sun on your face, trees just starting to bloom and everyone that passes by seems to have a smile just for you.