Birthday Girl

This past monday, January 4th, was my Birfday. Shame on you for forgetting it . Don't expect me to remember yours. I had a really really fabulous day thanks to the very best friend a girl could ever have, we went to my favorite fancy lunch spot and these pictures are of my lunch and our dessert. My lunch was simply fit for a queen. This lovely and aesthetically gorgeous repast can be enjoyed at Takishimya's Teabox restaurant. Takashimaya or "Tak" is a very high end Japanese department store on 5th avenue and 53rd street in Manhattan. The Teabox restaurant is on the lower level and they serve fantastic lunches as well as having a wonderful afternoon tea service. My lunch was a bento box which consisted of the most delicate and flavorfully juicy grilled wagyu beef, curried salmon mixed with baby greens, sweet potato with rice, tofu BBQ, egg custard with chicken and shrimp, curried crab roll and potato salad. Every mouthful was absolutely perfect and so delicious. They also have a vegetarian version as well if you do not eat meat. Trust me when I tell you that eating here is an experience. I always leave feeling like I've had the perfect amount of food and it is all light, tasty and healthy. They also have an extensive list of specialty teas and I have been choosing the plum cinnamon lately. It is brought out to you in a small ceramic pot so you can have it throughout your lunch as you desire. The dessert bento box was filled with a delicious assortment of mixed fresh fruits, a spiced creme brulee, green tea ice cream, a deliciously moist chocolate cake, two delicate buttery tea cookies filled with roasted almonds and chocolate and a green tea truffle. It was all to die for. Whenever I eat here I usually spend most of my time between bites exclaiming "OMG, wow, yum, OMG, what is in his? Mmmm, wow, oh my, etc etc". If you are in NYC and you are doing some running around and want to find a quiet, peaceful oasis from the maddening crowds, this would be it, I highly recommend it!

The Teabox is open M-Sat. Lunch is 11:45 to 2:45 so if you want the Bento box you need to get there before 2:45. Even if you do not choose the Bento box, everything served is delicious! Afternoon tea is from 3:00 to 5:30. It's not cheap(Bento box was $21, worth every penny) but there are plenty of places just as $$ that are nowhere near as good as this and it is a wonderful calming oasis in a crazy city! Check out all the beautiful perfumes on the first floor and the wonderful body butters and bedroom accessories on the 3rd floor!

That's all for now! :)