A brief run-down of my first day in New York: I had my first NY-legit bagel (fortunately, it wasn’t my last, as I forgot to take photos then). Kimberly and I cleaned up. We hopped in the car with Robin, Kimberly’s mom, and Cassie, the Wachtlers’ adorable golden retriever. I took the backseat so I could snuggle with Cassie. Come to find out, she’s so terrified of cars that she literally draped herself across my lap for the entire duration of the car ride.
We finally got to Kimberly’s grandparents’ house, which is spectacular and comfortable (and filled with golden retriever paraphernalia), with a gorgeous view of… a body of water. I think it’s the Long Island Sound. Regrettably, I am not intimately familiar of Long Island geography and topography, so I cannot be too sure.
Another thing the property boasts is a generous garden that is host to all sorts of shrubs and flowers and, most importantly, vegetables. Lettuce bursts forth from the soil in giant green tufts, and zucchini the size of newborns litter another corner. Raspberries and blueberries grow in neat rows. Armed with gardening scissors, the three of us raided the garden and plucked our perfect produce. We then went home with our loot and prepared a lunch to nibble as we rested up for the 24-course dinner that laid ahead…
Soft, buttery leaves were the foundation of our salad. Kimberly roughly chopped a cucumber, some carrots, and a delightful orange bell pepper, as well as balsamic-roasted chicken that we’d picked up from Grace’s Marketplace. I was worried the chicken would be dry, as chicken often seems to be when you pick it up pre-cooked at the grocery, but each bite was tender and had the added bite of aged balsamic. Dressed with oil and more vinegar, then topped with sheets of parm, it was exactly how lunch salads should be: fully satisfying but light, colorful and well-rounded. Not at all a New York staple, but so much fun — from picking the greens to eating the last bite.
