With the holidays behind us and the January lull in full force, we decided to brave a quick three day break in the city. The goal was to get out of the house for a change of scene. Yes, it was a challenge to plan things out with the pandemic, the cold, as well as work schedules in mind. Add to that the fact that most restaurants are either operating on a lean schedule or were temporarily closed and that we had to cater to our dietary constraints (low sodium, gluten free) — it was a fun few hours spent on Google!

Planning Ahead

Given that we were four of us in the family with different sleep patterns (!), it made sense to keep breakfast plans to the room. The key was to make sure we packed a few things from home. This was our list:

• Quaker Oats instant oats
• Dry roasted walnuts and raisins
• English breakfast tea
• Handy 1 cup water heater (since US hotels don’t believe in electric tea kettles in the room)
• Kosher and Lo Salt (with the 1/8 tsp measuring spoon)
• Mrs. Dash seasoning (just in case…)
• I am not listing the obvious masks/gloves/wipes/sanitizers etc.

Also, as soon as we got there, the first thing I did was hit up the Whole Foods nearby to pick up some milk (Lactaid and Oat milk), Chobani yogurt, and fruits.

Day 1

Since it was a working day, my daughter and I decided to head to The Metropolitan Museum of Art while my husband and other daughter worked from the hotel. After a quick breakfast of oats in room with tea (non-negotiable!), we bundled up as we prepared to head out into the cold.

The Met is a vast complex and we never seem to do justice to all the exhibits. This time, we agreed to focus on the grand yet serene Temple of Dendur and the South Asian wing with a little bit of the Modern collection thrown in.

While we lunched on a quick snack from Starbucks, my low sodium husband got himself a custom salad from the ETC Eatery. This has been our default option for a guaranteed low sodium meal – we control every element of the salad and get a basic olive oil on the side with lemon wedges.  

Dinner was a new experience – eating in a private bubble (who knew it could be so fun and cozy?!). A huge shoutout to Suprema Provisions in the West Village for excellent service and really listening to our dietary needs. The no-salt-added pappardelle pasta with mushroom and black garlic sauce was absolutely fabulous with a delicious bottle of Albariño. I had them make me a gluten-free pasta bolognese which was a perfect way to warm up from the inside! My daughter declared that her black truffle gnocchi was the best she’d ever eaten. A grand endorsement indeed! We will definitely be back.

Full disclosure: we were enjoying our meal so much, we forgot to take pictures. These were found on Suprema Provisions’ instagram (@supremanyc). Our dinner looked the same – I promise!

Day 2

Another working day with no grand plans for the morning!

Tip: When you are on a specific diet, you have to learn to take the time to explain what you want and you will get it (most of the time!).

Since we were still on the workday schedule, the non-working members decided to go shopping to Herald Square. I have to say the city is super easy to navigate right now since there are no tourists or even locals and everything just works!

By group consensus we agreed to do a takeout for dinner in the room. After a long conversation with the staff at Saar, we ordered Bhindi Masala (Okra), Aloo Gobi (Potatoes and Cauliflower), Lasuni Kababs (Garlicky Chicken Kababs), Butter Chicken with Rice and Naan. Since a lot of the Indian curry sauces are made ahead of time and cannot be guaranteed to be salt-free, we just ordered a bunch of dishes that would make everyone happy. Sometimes, you just have to go with portion control to manage the sodium!

The Mega Millions lottery jackpot for Friday night was a whopping $520 million! We managed to get some tickets just before the cut off time but sorry to say – no luck. Not even a $10 win!!

Day 3

Happy 30th Anniversary to us! We had plans for lunch as well as dinner so we decided to start the day slowly with oats and tea in the room amid calls from family. It also gave the girls a chance to sleep in!

Lunch was a fun experience at the Refinery rooftop with lovely ambience and great drinks! I asked about non-alcoholic cocktails and they made me a lovely virgin mojito! The low sodium beets salad with grilled chicken and dressing on the side was yummy! Only issue was that the chef decided to liberally sprinkle parmesan on top which we had to carefully dust off the lettuce and endives. Something to remember to tell them when we order! I had the gluten-free flatbread with cauliflower crust, peppers and onions and cilantro/arugula. So good!

By dinner time, the temperatures had started to drop and the wind picked up. We had already polished off an excellent bottle of Sancerre in the room (pre-gaming!). We wanted to try Playa Betty’s on the Upper West Side for some Cali-style beach food. They only seat you on a first come first served basis so prepare to wait. The 30 minutes went fast but it was COLD!! The outdoor heaters could barely keep up with the 34F temperatures and the wind but we did not give up! This family does not quit when the going gets tough!

We landed up ordering the burger with avocado and corn tortillas on the side (a bit on the plain side but could not risk the sauces for sodium). Our original plan to ask for custom fajitas failed since they don’t do fajitas!! But hey at least it was low sodium! I got something new to the American restaurant scene – jackfruit enchiladas!! Remember me telling you about my favorite vegetable in my earlier post on jackfruit burgers? Well this one will be reworked in my kitchen for sure!

Day 4

Our last day in the city! We had to go to Sarabeth’s for brunch before going home. The heaters worked better here than the night before! The 4 flowers smoothie (orange, fresh pineapple, banana and pomegranate juice) and the no-salt 3-egg garden omelette with some hot tea really hit the spot! Only salt came from the eggs (210mg) and half of the English Muffin (homemade so no sodium count!).

Stuffed and happy, we went back to the hotel to pack up and head back home. As soon as we got back and dumped our bags, my husband remarked that he felt like he had been on a wild and exotic holiday! We are happy with so little these days. Mission accomplished!