Time with your friends to unwind, share, and laugh is necessary for you to stay connected to those you care for. Unfortunately, due to hectic schedules both personally and professionally, we often put this on the back burner. I’m ashamed to admit that it had been five months since my last Girls’ Night so this past Saturday was long overdue.

After an unexpected delay due to train issues, one of my dearest friends and I arrived at DBGB a few minutes after our reservation. DBGB is one of Chef Daniel Boulud’s restaurants and is described on their website as “where the French brasserie meets the American tavern.” Here you can find 14 different types of sausages, more pork than you can imagine, burgers, and lots of seasonal dishes. This trendy yet casual downtown spot where most of the staff is wearing chucks, exudes cool so expect a full house on most nights.

As I mentioned, we were a few minutes late but it wasn’t a problem at all and the host was actually very pleasant, which can be a rarity in hot NYC restaurants. We made our way to the bar for a cocktail before sitting and again were greeted with smiles from friendly bartenders (where did they find these people?!) They do not carry my cocktail of choice these days, vanilla flavored vodka, but do offer a house-infused vodka which, with a splash of Sprite, made for quite a refreshing beverage. We ordered the Chop-Chop Salad and the Asparagus and Fried Egg to share for our appetizers and both were delish (the asparagus is a can’t miss). For my entrée, I got the Amish Chicken and she got the mussels in a wine sauce, light and perfect for summer. I know ordering chicken when their specialty is sausage and pork isn’t the bravest move, but I’m working, albeit slowly, on changing my boring palette to include more than poultry and pasta.

After dinner we headed over to Chelsea to check out Avenue, a restaurant/lounge/night club. We arrived around midnight and there was no one there. I’m talking ghost town status. Our waitress assured us that it would get busy and eventually it did but not until close to two. Geeze! Maybe I’m getting old-er (not old, never say old!) but two seems kinda late to get the party started, no? The decor was very pretty and the music was ok- a bit too heavy on the hip hop and not enough dance music for our tastes. Plan on getting a table or not having a lot of room to dance (see above photo for an idea of the layout). The crowd was beautiful and trendy and I enjoyed taking in the NYC fashion scene (dress shorts with heels= extremely popular choice).

All in all, my friend and I had a great night catching up and enjoying the city and the warm weather. If you only do one thing this week, plan a Girls’ Night with one of your closest friends. Find the time, make the time, get something on the calendar. Nourish your friendships and in return your friendships will nourish your soul.

xo,

Tanya