Palma: Best of Brunch

Where: Palma, 28 Cornelia Street, West Village

What: Walking through the crowded streets of the West Village, you imagine most places to be small and cramped. At Palma, the opposite is true. Their restaurant offers a large garden seating area in the back complete with a glass roof, plants, and seasonal decorations. This Italian restaurant has lunch and dinner, and also offers brunch on the weekends. We went for lunch on a chilly weekday afternoon.

We walked through the front seating and bar area into the back garden. There was also an event space behind the garden area. The walls were lined with fresh pines, roses, and other plants. There was a Christmas tree and holiday decorations throughout. We were handed the menus which had cute floral designs and offered appetizers, sandwiches, pastas, and salads. We ordered the smoked salmon sandwich and the ricotta spinach ravioli. We were served delicious, warm bread. The sandwich came with a salad and was a large portion for lunch, but the ravioli was a smaller serving and not as filling. The sandwich had salmon, cheese, capers, and greens between soft but crunchy bread. The ravioli was cooked perfectly al dente and was rich in cheesy flavor. While seated, we even saw fresh sauce being transferred from the kitchen to the serving area.

Palma is the perfect place to take out-of-town guests to a meal or to host your next party or get-together.

Union Square Holiday Market: Is It Worth the Hype?

 

Where: Union Square Holiday Market, Union Square

What: From November 20th to December 24th, the Union Square Holiday Market takes over the southwestern corner of Union Square in a celebration of holiday spirit. With tons of vendors to choose from, you’re bound to find the perfect gift for anyone on your list. But, they also have lots of food, which is why we went to see if it’s worth the hype. The food options included Momofuku Milk Bar, Sigmunds’ Pretzels, Bar Suzette, and many more.

We made a beeline for the Wafels and Dinges tent. They didn’t offer any of their savory options or a few other ingredients that are offered on their food trucks. Nonetheless, we still had trouble choosing. We decided on “de throwdown wafel”, which included spekuloos spread and whipped cream, and “de turtle wafel”, which was chocolate, walnuts, and caramel. Both were lightly topped with a dusting of powdered sugar. The waffles were served warmed, making our treats extra gooey and delicious. The walnuts in “de turtle” added a nice crunch to the chewy waffle and the spekuloos was spread in a generous layer. We sat in the park to eat our waffles, but the cold temperatures were almost too much. We suggest walking with your food to see the other booths.

After finishing our waffles, we walked around to check out the other stalls. There were many jewelry, home, and mens and women’s shops. We enjoyed seeing unique items and vendors that carry products you won’t find in other stores.

Once you’ve hit all the big-name stores on nearby 5th Avenue, head over to Union Square Holiday Market to grab some unique gifts while sampling an array of NYC’s fun food options.