Hey guys! I’m going to take a break from my insanely busy school schedule to give you a recap of the beginning of my week. A couple of weeks back, the beautiful Erin had contacted me to say that she was going to be visiting NY. To say that I was excited would be an understatement; we’ve been trying to meet up for over a year now, and I was beyond thrilled that we’d finally get the opportunity to! This past Monday and Wednesday, I was graced with her presence at what I now refer to as my second home- One Lucky Duck!

On Monday, I arrived at the restaurant a bit early to ensure that I wouldn’t hit much traffic on the way. I was craving a smoothie, and decided to go with the Nicks #7 Shake which is a yummy combination of fresh strawberries, cashew milk, fresh coconut, and cacao nibs. As expected, it was perfection. Sweet, refreshing, and decadent all in one. It reminded me somewhat of a chocolate covered strawberry in drink form!

While waiting for Erin’s arrival, I could feel my hunger slowly creeping up on me. Nothing cures a growling stomach quite like Blonde Macaroons do! I snagged a bag, and mindlessly popped about five in my mouth. They worked like a charm! Not to mention how incredible they taste; they literally melt in your mouth. Do yourself a favor, and order a bag. Like, now.

Soon after, Erin finally showed up at which point we engaged in a long embrace. It’s about time we met! We both sat down and immediately ordered our food, hungry girls that we are.

I chose a standby of mine, the Falafel and Tabbouleh which is served drizzled generously with a lemon tahini sauce and a red pepper hot sauce on romaine hearts. As usual, it was superb. The falafel itself is nice and hearty, and has such a genuine Middle Eastern flavor that pairs perfectly with the light and refreshing tabbouleh. Needless to say, the sauces provide an extra ‘layer’ of flavor that make the dish stand out.

In order to make sure she had enough room for dessert, Erin ordered the classic Sushi Rolls which contain marinated shiitake, asparagus, red bell pepper, avocado, scallion, and pignoli/jicama rice all wrapped in sheets of nori with a nama shoyu dipping sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi. Based on her initial reaction, I can say, with confidence, that it was love at first bite!

Okay, confession time- we went WILD when it came to dessert! And when I say wild, I mean it in the best way possible, obviously! We started off with two of these-

Almond Butter Sandwich Cookies

And then split one of these-

The Infamous Mallomar

And then split a pint of this-

Raw “Oh-reo” Ice Cream

Dessert coma much? Yeah, we’re beasts. Needless to say, everything was beyond incredible. Erin was blown away by all of this deliciousness. So much so that she couldn’t help but get one of these for the road-

“Oh-reo” Sandwich Cookie

Not only did we both share a wonderful meal, but we had such a great time chatting about everything ranging from shopping to gossip girl. Not such a huge range there, actually. Typical.

We had such a wonderful time that we both knew we had to do it once more before she (sadly) headed back to Florida on Wednesday afternoon. We decided to meet bright and early that morning for some last minute bonding. Before Erin made her way to the restaurant, I ordered a mini breakfast of sorts, starting with my absolute favorite shake from One Lucky Duck, the Spanking. Not only do I love it for it’s cheeky name, but it literally tastes like blueberry pie filling. Seriously. The Spanking is a glorious blend of fresh coconut, blueberry, banana, cashew milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. Hello amazing.

To complete this breakfast, I ordered a Fig Bar. I want to make it clear that a) I’m a freak, and am NOT on the fresh fig bandwagon like the majority of others, and b) I’ve never been a fig newton fan. With that being said, I’m absolutely IN LOVE with this fig bar! It just goes to show that 1LD can pretty much make me fall in love with anything, even things that I’m not generally fond of. I’m a believer!

Once Erin arrived, we quickly scanned the menu, and ordered our meals.

Erin started with the Bunny Brew, an absolutely delicious juice consisting of simply carrot, apple, and ginger. Erin was kind enough to let me have a sip, and I was in love; it was extremely light and refreshing, and had the perfect balance of sweet and spice.

For her meal, Erin went with the classic Caesar Salad served with hearts of romaine, nori, pignoli parmesan, lemon, and a luscious caesar dressing. I fully endorsed this choice, being that the Caesar is one of my all-time favorites! She seemed more than happy with her dish.

After much debate, I finally decided on the Taco Salad, which is a huge bed of romaine topped with a spicy taco crumble, pico de gallo, guacamole, cashew sour cream, and cilantro-lime dressing. I also requested the addition of their Cheesy Quackers being that they were out of tortilla chips. This was exactly what I was craving; it was absolutely divine! I’ve been on a major taco salad kick lately- it’s slowly but surely becoming a favorite of mine!

For dessert, we were lucky enough to be joined by the beautiful Caroline! I was so glad to see her being that the only time we generally run into each other is when she’s behind the counter! The three of us sat and talked for a quite a bit while Erin and I noshed on these two chocolatey confections-

Erin chose the Moon Pie, a creamy “marshmallow” filling stuffed between two layers of nut brownie, all covered in chocolate ganache…

…While I went with the classic Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart topped with a huge dollop of vanilla “cream.” Totally amazing. Obviously.

It was extremely sad having to say goodbye to Erin, but luckily she’ll be back in December! I’m already counting the days. Here’s a picture of the three of us, courtesy of Caroline’s camera.

I hope you all enjoyed reading about Erin and I’s escapades! I’ve got a lot of school work and studying to do, and I’m hoping to get a majority of it finished before Wednesday, which is my birthday!! I bet you all know where I’ll be celebrating (cough! Pure Food and Wine!)

Have a great weekend!