National NYC

Hubby had a rare 2 days off in a row Friday and Saturday (he always gets 2 days off a week, but never in a row), so we decided to take a last minute trip to NYC to harass visit his sister. One habit Hubby and I have gotten into when in NYC is to visit Iron Chef's restaurants.  Hubby loves analyzing the food, I love analyzing the decor (and may enjoy the food a bit too).  Last time it was Morimoto's and Butter, this time, The National owned by Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, and it's definitely our favorite so far.  Not only was the food amazing (although I would expect nothing less from an Iron Chef), but we both loved the vibe of the restaurant.

NATIONAL-Rockwell-1

It's sophisticated and polished but still has a relaxed vibe in both the atmosphere and the decor.  We sat at a small round banquette that felt more like a piece of furniture and I loved the blend of traditional (herringbone wood floors, picture frame mouldings, etc) with more funky elements like antiqued mirrors and Edison bulbs.  I actually liked it more in person than in the pics on their website.  The pics seem a bit more formal than it actually is.

To show that they definitely don't take themselves too seriously, they gave us the check paper-clipped to this charming little postcard.  How cute is this half-bird, half camera? I say very.

The-National-postcard

Hubby and I must be a good team, cuz we both had the same idea- Frame it!  Luckily I'm a hoarder and happen to have several frames hanging around just waiting for a pretty picture to fill them.

framed bird

Such a cute little keepsake from a fun mini-vacation.

I hope you had a great weekend too!  Any impromptu vacations or treasure hunting?  I'd love to hear!

The National pic via their website here