On Sunday, we decided to spend part of our day outside Astoria in the big city! We rarely head into NYC on our days off so it was time we took advantage of the short subway ride.

The number one item on our agenda for the day was a Cheese 101 class at Murray’s Cheese. Here we learned about 7 different classes of cheese like fresh, bloomy, and my personal favorite bleu. We were given a white and red wine to pair with our cheese to learn about all the different flavor profiles. There were also nuts and dried fruits for additional pairings. The class is $75 a person and if you are a cheese lover, it is worth every penny.
After filling our bellies with cheese, we decided to walk around the west village checking out antique shops. In one store we even found a touch of Disney Magic.
For an afternoon snack, we stopped into one of my favorite cafes, Sweet Revenge. When they were open (sadly they closed earlier this year), they paired cupcakes with beer and wine. The food was amazing and it was just a really cool place to hang out. They also made a mean latte.
Back in Astoria, we had a nice dinner at ViaVai. This cute little contemporary Italian eatery is located on 23rd Ave and they serve up homemade pasta! The first item we ordered was the meatballs. Tom and I have a silly goal of trying all the meatballs in Astoria and these did not disappoint. For our entrees, we both opted for pasta. I ordered the fantastic Angello (house-made pappardelle with white lamb ragu, aspargaus, and truffle oil) and Tom had the Bolognese (fresh fettuccine with a delicious meat sauce).
After dinner, we went home for another night of tea and movie watching while Tom got over his cold.