instagram famous nyc courtyard & affordable Michelin Star Restaurant

Saturday was yet another gorgeous fall day here! i was dying to visit this incredibly beautiful courtyard i have seen in some blogger's photos. after some research online i found the location of it and our saturday plans were set. i've also been wanting to try a Michelin Star Restaurant since we moved here. i've been wanting to, but always figured it would have to be a big splurge on the wallet to do so, so maybe eventually for a special occasion we would go to one. i also felt, from what brief research i had done on Michelin Star restaurants before here, that we'd have to be very dressed up to go to one, and also that we'd have to be prepared to be served by only waiters/waitresses in very expensive, stuffy looking suits--i hate restaurants with this vibe. there's nothing more uncomfortable. Then i got to thinking, gosh being in the Michelin Star capital of the world, i wonder if there is actually an affordable Michelin Star restaurant here, and if there were i bet the vibe inside them wouldn't be so super stuffy. And so i searched some more. after checking restaurant after restaurant after restaurant on the coveted MS list, I finally found one that from the pictures didnt look incredibly stuffy, and to boot the prices were reasonable. I am really not a foodie at all but i still wanted so badly to experience this coveted level of food. the coolest thing i experienced from going to this restaurant was that with each shareable tapa-esque meal that came out (kind of the style here), i would take a bite and really be focused on the flavor and taste-simply because of where i knew i was eating. anyone else guilty of eating because you have to and not actually thinking about each bite of food and how good it tastes? I know i am. eating at a Michelin Star restaurant in my opinion forces you to pause and slow down and enjoy and savor every bite. both because you know where you are eating, and, because the tastes and flavors really are that exceptional that you notice them each and every bite. The restaurant name is Nix, and it's in Union Square which is north of Washington Square Park and Greenwich Village and south of Madison Square Park and Chelsea. the address is 72 University Pl, New York, NY 10003. for those wondering our meal total (without tip) was $120. We each got a cocktail so we could have easily spent $100 and been just fine with no cocktail. Being at such a nice restaurant i actually thought the portions would be smaller than they were so i was impressed with this as well. Lastly, the vibe was as expected--only one gentleman at the front welcoming you with a suit on. Everyone else dons the same casual, flowy, non-intimidating, top. the restaurant is small and reservations fill up quickly the day of so make your reservations the day before to ensure you get the time slot you want. Or if you're not reservation people (like us) eat at the bar. more casual that way anyway and they serve the full menu there.

at NIX

Grove Court

We started the day off at the beautiful "instagram famous", "pinterest worthy", courtyard which is located at 13 Grove St, New York NY 10014. It's also called Grove Court. Be advised that even though i have seen a couple bloggers inside this courtyard in their pictures, you can't actually go in! so sad! private trespassing and there is a gate. I have no idea how the blogger i saw got in there, but kudos to her. Just something to be aware of if you plan to visit but still worth going to in my opinion. at halloween time they have three dozen or so carved jack-o-lanterns lit up for the public's enjoyment inside the courtyard. we will try to catch this next year, but honestly the courtyard on it's own is just lovely as it is. Side note that the "friends" cafe is right down the street from Grove Court. It's the Little Owl restaurant, 90 Bedford St, New York NY 10014 (the outside of the friends cafe of course, inside filmed on a set in LA). From here we walked to Washington Square Park and up to Nix in Union Square. here are some pictures from our day!


"friends" cafe


playing in the leaves

same


Okay and seriously last comment, since visiting Nix, I have heard of two other Michelin Star Restaurants here in nyc that look even less expensive than the one we went to. if you can believe it only TWO dollar signs $$ on their google page when you look them up online! (Nix has three $$$) Cafe China (chinese food obviously) and Unlce Boons (thai food). Sooooo excited to try these and will definitely let you know once i do! Leave a comment if you've had any experience with Michelin Star Restaurants good or bad, I'd love to hear!



is it just me or does the Washington Square Arch make me look thin.



i just love seeing people walking and holding hands in nyc! nothing better than being in love with the backdrop of nyc! :)