Then we were off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to see the Picasso exhibit and the American Woman exhibit. Both exhibits were good, and the museum itself has so much to see that it’s almost overwhelming. By the early afternoon, the sun was shining and we decided to walk through Central Park because I wanted to see Belvedere Castle. The view from the top was amazing, and look who I could see when I zoomed in with my camera?

But then, it was most definitely time for lunch! We headed to Fig & Olive, which turned out to be an excellent choice. We ordered wine, a cheese tasting plate, a vegetable tasting plate, and gourmet crostini. The cheese plate included goat cheese, Gorgonzola, Fontina, Machego, and Rocchetta, accompanied by fig jam and olive tapenade. My Mom and I liked all of the cheeses although my sister favored the Fontina and Manchego. We all agreed that the fig jam was amazing though! The crostini that we chose included one with eggplant, one with Manchego and fig, and one with mushrooms and Parmesan. My favorite was the roasted eggplant, and there was more roasted eggplant on our vegetable dish.

One of the more interesting items on the vegetable plate was this orange scented fennel. I had never tried fennel this way, so it was a new experience, although I am not sure I liked the licorice flavor. My Mom and my sister both loved the roasted peppers on the vegetable plate, and we all liked the balsamic artichoke hearts. It was such a great meal, full of small bites and wonderful flavors. There were many bottles and jars on the walls, but unfortunately there was no fig jam available for purchase.