Tags
Inside Park at Saint Bart's, Midtown Manhattan, outdoor cafe, outdoor scupltures, Park Avenue, Saint Bartholomew's Church, salmon with leeks and fingerling potatoes, violet cocktail
On the last warm day of Indian summer, I arranged to meet my beloved hubby for lunch at a wonderful outdoor café, where we could sit and enjoy the 80 degree weather.
The terrace of Inside Park at Saint Bart’s.
Hand in hand, we walked a couple of blocks from his Midtown office to Saint Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church.
Saint Bart’s amid the crowds and skyscrapers.
Why a church for lunch, you may ask yourself? Well, Saint Bart’s, as it is affectionately known, has taken advantage of its prime location on Park Avenue by having a small café inside its stone courtyard.
Bustling by Saint Bart’s
Originally, Café Saint Bart’s served sandwiches and simple small bites, like salads, however, in 2008, a new, full service restaurant opened in its place. Inside Park at Saint Bart’s has converted the Great Hall of the Community House into an indoor restaurant,
Inside Inside Park
but in summer, the buzz is all about the outdoor terrace and its delicious cuisine.
Relax on the terrace
Beloved hubby had been squiring clients there all summer and had even brought home a menu for my perusal. That’s when I decided to make it to Inside Park at Saint Bart’s for myself one day. And so, I did!
Looking up from the terrace.
Because we had no reservation, we grabbed a seat at the curved stone bar and ordered drinks. The bar overlooks New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
View of the Waldorf from our bar seats.
My drink, The Violet, was a beautiful light amethyst color with a purple pansy floating in it. It included the herbal liqueur Saint Germain as well as a violet liqueur, so it smelled divinely flowery and herbaceous.
Very delicious Violet cocktail.
For lunch, I ordered salmon over leeks in a cream sauce with fingerling potatoes. Simply perfection! Not too heavy, not too much starch. A creamy, subtle, multi-textured delight.
Salmon with braised leeks in cream with fingerling potatoes.
(Inside Park at Saint Bart’s is located at 109 East 50th Street at Park Avenue)
After lunch, I took pictures of the window boxes on the terrace,
Flowers on the window sill.
interesting architectural details,
An old church window.
and these small gardens surrounding the church.
A Small City Garden
A walled courtyard garden
As I walked back with hubby to the office, I stopped to snap these shots along Park Avenue in the sunshine.
Sculpture decorates the scene.
Gold sculpture glitters and glows.
A cool fountain shimmers and spouts in the sun.
3 dames delighted to be dancing down Park Avenue.
I’m glad I took the time out to enjoy our last day of warm weather with great food and even better company.
Wishing you every blessing,
Christina
Loving Life 
What a wonderful lunch & day. That violet drink looks so pretty but the salmon really caught my eye…now you’ve got me thinking that could be just what I feel like for dinner tonight.
Wow, could you make a leek cream sauce? I’m so impressed! The drink was pretty as well as delicious. I wish I could figure out how to make it. Maybe I’ll have to go back and try it a few more times until I figure it out!
I ended up running out to get salmon yesterday & made a lemon butter sauce – no leeks, so I used shallots then added some thyme, rosemary, & a little parsley. It was delicious! Oh…and I had enough sauce to put on top of fresh asparagus.
I think research on the drink would definitely be in order…maybe a nice tip and you could get their recipe. I’m always amazed at how helpful bartenders & chefs are when you compliment them & ask how they do it.
Are you posting your salmon recipe? I’d love to have it. And, thank you for your brilliant ideas about The Violet! I’ll make sure to tell my husband that you said more research was DEFINITELY necessary.
You know on that one I was just kind of winging it, but should write it down before I forget everything I threw in there. Good idea for a post & also so I can make it again because it was such a nice light dinner but very tasty.
Christina research is essential — that drink looked marvelous. It also looks like such a wonderful place for a lunch date. Your post reminded me that I haven’t been to the courtyard at the Worcester museum in quite some time & I hear tomorrow is (finally) going to be a glorious day here. Plus my daughter is coming home to pick up some winter clothes so it could be a nice little lunch date. Thank you for the idea.
You have a nice narrative style and equally original and involving photos to match. The cafe looks perfect for lunch. I really liked your posts and your photography. You should blog more often for clearly your love for life is worth sharing.
Wow! Thank you for that encouragement! My 95 year old mother-in-law who has Alzheimer’s disease lives with us, and I take care of her. So I don’t get as much time as I’d like to blog. But, I enjoy it so much that I try to make it happen once a week. I DO love my life and hope to help other people tap into their own joy in daily living. I find your blog fascinating because I enjoy traveling and seeing the world. Isn’t the world a marvelous place?
The World’s an excellent place and full of excellent people. Keep up the good work and your spirits.
You just made me smile. God bless you!