NY State of Mind

My weekend actually started on Wednesday night. I celebrated National Dessert Day with a delicious brownie sundae and kicked off my long weekend with an apple cider whiskey sour [recipe here]. I wish I could say it was amazeballs, but it was just "meh." I think maybe it needed more apple cider. Either that, or I'm more of a 2-ingredient or less type of drinker. 

brownie sundae before/after, and apple cider whiskey sours

Thursday morning I was up and out early-ish with a 3-hr road trip up to the Hamptons. Though it's mostly known  as a beach/vacation spot, I obviously wasn't going for the beaches. Blue's friend has a house in East Hampton, and I was looking forward to some leaf-peeping on the ride and a relaxing weekend getaway, and it was just that. (I didn't take any pics of the house, as it's a private residence and all, but it was ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. 180 degree jets in all the showers, a wading pool, Jacuzzi, fireplace inside and firepit outside, an open floor plan with huge windows allowing sunlight in from every angle, with an ornate back-splashes in the kitchen matching the frame of the fireplace, and soothing colors: a pale blue in the bathroom, a soothing light green in the living areas all around. Oh, and books stacked/lined sporadically throughout the space. Not to mention a downstairs apartment just as lavish and modern as the upstairs area.)

Montauk Brewing Co., random windmill, and Montak Point Lighthouse

Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not on board with my leaf-peeping aspirations. (Honestly, I just really like the term "leaf-peeping." Though it sure does get pretty in New England if you can catch it at the right time.) Everything was mostly green, which is why there are no tree pics. Being that we were farther in New England territory, I was craving a lobster roll. Much to my dismay, the place I wanted to go, The Lobster Roll, was closed due to... filming? It looked like there was definitely a movie being filmed there- trailers and ginormous spotlights included. So we made our way over to The Clam Bar, which was divey and casual in the best possible way. We had a wonderful lunch outside and it was absolutely perfect. After filling our bellies, we headed over to the Montauk Point Lighthouse. It was supposed to be open until 4:30, but when we arrived around 3, everything was locked up. We took a mini hike up a back route thanks to Blue's friend, snapped some photos, and continued on to Montauk Brewing Co. 

my first growler and apple cider donuts

The building itself was very quaint. It was small inside, with only a few bar stools by the taps and maybe 3 cocktail tables. Outside there was much more seating, with several picnic tables (that were surprisingly full for a random Thursday afternoon). Everyone was very chill, and the weather was perfect for trying some new craft brews. We shared a flight that included the Summer Ale, Driftwood Ale, Blonde Ale, Session Ale, Harvest Ale, and Eli Canning Ale (which was such a witty name, but was absolutely horrible, just FYI). I've been to several breweries, but these guys seemed to not understand that a tasting is just that- not full glasses, just a taste so we could decide what we liked/didn't like. Though they paled in comparison to the Greenpoint Harbor Brewing Co., I was super excited to purchase my first growler! I've been wanting one for a long time, and can't wait to refill it with even more local brews (right now it's got the Harvest Ale from Montauk in it). 

lobster roll and beer at The Clam Bar, leftovers from Harvest on the Pond, and Clerks

We made a quick stop at the grocery store and our host made us burgers and sweet potato fries for dinner, and I finally watched the new Vacation movie, and Clerks (finally). Blue's friend is a huge beer aficionado, so we shared Brooklyn Brewery's Quintaceratops and The Buery's Autumn Maple, along with some Jack'O Traveler's Pumpkin Shandy. Oh, our host is also attempting to make his own ice cream. He made us a Manhattan flavored one at Blue's request, complete with year-long bourbon soaked cherries. (I didn't take any pics of the ice cream, because honestly it didn't look very appetizing- think a dirty vanilla color- but it was boozy and amazingly similar to an actual Manhattan.)  It was absolutely delicious. We stayed up late into the night just talking around the firepit. *Bliss.*

craft beer collage

On Day 2, we got a late start but then headed out to Sag Harbor. We checked out the small shops along the main drag, and had lunch at Lt Burger. This place was so cute. It looked like an old-school burger and milkshake shop, and the menu matched the surroundings. The specials were listed on the white tile walls, there were celebrity signatures on another wall, not to mention the bar stools, industrial style lamps and fans overhead, and the neon light signage. I opted for the "Mexican" burger, complete with a perfectly cooked burger, possibly the best chili I've ever had, fresh jalapenos, and a delicious avocado-mayo spread, lettuce, and tomato. It was so thick that I actually couldn't fit it in my mouth (heads outta the gutter!), and had to use a fork and knife to eat it, but it was phenomenal. 

LT Burger

It was so good that we needed a nap afterwards, so we took one. It's SO nice to be able to take a nap when you want to. Afterwards, we got ready and prepared to stuff our faces again, this time at the farm-to-table, family-style restaurant Harvest on Fort Pond. I had an amazingly fresh asparagus, mushroom and Parmesan pasta dish. The cheese was gooey, the sauce was creamy, and even the penne was cooked perfectly. I also liked that though the place seemed a little fancy, overall it was semi-casual, and they even offered a $20 wine bottle list. We closed out the night with some more drinks and finally watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High (another first for me). 

On Saturday our host wasn't feeling very well and we didn't have any definitive plans, so Blue and I left early. We came home, had leftovers, took a nap, then got ready for the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze at the Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, NY (in the Hudson Valley). I wish I could apologize for the following pic collages, but I'm not sorry. I'm only sorry that I didn't create more... there were just SO many cool things to see, but I didn't want to overload you guys! If you ever get a chance, I would DEFINITELY recommend you checking this event out! (Prepare for photo dump...)

Blaze pics

The Mummy/Dracula/Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein

ghoul and fire/ CHOO CHOO train/ ornate Irish Celtic carving

awesome grandfather clock with moving hands/ arachnophobia spider webs and mini spiders/ LochNess 

tunnel of stars/ up close star pumpkin/ ceiling

skeletal pumpkins and sunflower field

possibly my favorite scene of the night- witches and their fiery cauldron

On Sunday, we rested. It was the first time since 1999 that three different NY teams were playing on the same day- the NY Rangers, NY Jets, and the NY Mets,... not to mention the Walking Dead. It's also in the 40's outside, which means I'm already in hibernation mode (where I'm writing this from... and finishing up my growler contents- with some help). 

Rangers and Jets games, simultaneously

So... how was your weekend?

Linking up with the lovely Biana!