The Soundview Greenport

November 18, 2019May 26, 2021 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Today’s post is all about our recent stay at the Soundview Greenport along with a travel guide to Long Island’s North Fork (aka the NoFo). We decided to spend a night at the Soundview for a belated anniversary celebration. The Soundview is located directly on the Long Island Sound with absolutely beautiful views from every room.

The Soundview has an ideal layout for its location on the Sound. All of the rooms are water front which is awesome. I personally think this makes the Soundview a special place to stay. Even though the weather was chilly, it was so nice to enjoy the view from our room. I imagine it to be even better during the warmer months when you can sit on the patio {which was huge}. Even with the doors closed at night we could still hear the waves a bit.

The room was on the smaller side, but perfect for two with a queen bed and separate sitting area. I felt like the only flaw of the layout was that the entry door faced a main road, so it could be loud at times. If you are a light sleeper or traveling with children who will nap during the day, it may be worth bringing a sound machine. I did feel like it quieted down a lot at night once we went to bed.

Our room was recently renovated, clean and had a nautical decor vibe. We love that there was a Nespresso machine in the room along with Bridge Lane wine, North Fork Potato Chips and Tate’s cookies {for a fee}. Since we visited in November, we missed the peak season and got a more affordable nightly rate. However, I do think that it was still pricey for the off season, so I am not sure we would necessarily splurge on this spot during spring or summer. Although we opted not to bring Henry {this time} the Soundview is actually pet-friendly.

The Soundview has a bar and restaurant on site, but if you’re looking for gluten free options, I would recommend skipping the Halyard for dinner. Instead get a drink there before heading into town or stop back later in the night if there is live music. The view from the bar and restaurants is just as good as the view from the rooms. All in all, the Soundview is a great spot for weekend getaway.

For a gluten-free dinner in Greenport I recommend the restaurant First and South. It is located in town and less than a 10 minute drive from the Soundview. We had our car, but I did notice there were Ubers in the area too. Almost everything on the menu is gluten-free and they do not cross contaminate the fryers. I also felt that our sever was knowledgeable about their menu and gluten-free restrictions. Bonus points in our book for the awesome dog mural on the wall – if you haven’t figured it out already, we love dogs!

While you’re making your way to the Greenport here is where we recommend you stop on your way.

* Briermere Farms: Famous for their pies (not gluten-free) and jams (gluten-free). It is a must-do on the NoFo and a great stop for local produce.
*Baiting Hallow Farm Vineyard: A small family owned winery and stable. We love their Riesling.
* LIV: Gluten-free vodka and an awesome tasting room.
* Riverhead Cider House: Tons of gluten-free cider options and room for large groups.
* Bridge Lane Tasting Room: Small, cozy and some of our favorite wine ever. I recommend the white merlot and the red blend.
* Shinn Estate Vineyard and Inn: Beautiful indoor and outdoor seating along with our favorite B&B on LI.

Bridge Lane Outdoor Seating – August 2019

Wedding Welcome Bags with North Fork Potato Chips

May 22, 2019August 19, 2020 Red Rose & Honey1 Comment

Hi friends! The summer and wedding season are quickly approaching, and I could not be more excited. Today, I am thrilled to share a local company that I incorporated into my own wedding day. This is a great way not only to support local businesses, but it is also a fun way to add some unique touches to your wedding.

As you may know, I got married a little over a year ago. Sometimes I still have to remind myself that my wedding day has come and gone. I am the type of person that enjoys anticipating a big event like a holiday or vacation. Although I hit a few bumps in the road during wedding planning {or as my husband says, “the fews weeks I lost my mind,”} I really did enjoy everything about our wedding season. That being said, I know wedding planning can be overwhelming, so I thought this would be a great time to share some planning ideas with you all.

In this post I am giving you a better look inside my wedding welcome bags. These bags were placed in the hotel rooms for our guests the night of our wedding. There are so many reasons I love living on Long Island, so I really wanted to incorporate something special into these bags. A few months prior to my wedding I was in Southhampton with my parents looking at wedding bands. We stopped for lunch where I opted for a side of chips — North Fork Potato Chips. This was the first time I had heard of these chips, but instantly fell in love with them because they had such a good crunch! Then it hit me; these chips were the perfect addition to my wedding welcome bags. I knew these would be a lot more special than a regular old bag of Lay’s.

With all of the crazy details that go into a wedding, we opted to keep our welcome bags pretty simple. Sticking with our theme, I purchased craft paper gift bags, white tissue paper and a tag from Etsy which we simply tied with twine. Along with the North Fork Chips, we added a couple bottles of water, a few gluten-free [salty & sweet] snacks and Advil packets. For more details on my wedding planning, click here.

If you check their website, you’ll learn that North Fork Potato Chips is a family owned and run business on the North Fork of Long Island. Starting their business in the 1970s, the Sidor family has grown their company to offer seven flavors of chips, and all except BBQ are gluten-free. I opted for a mix of the original and sweet potato flavor in my wedding welcome bags. If you’re not incorporating wedding welcome bags into your day, North Fork Potato Chips would make a great favor, to-go gift {often left at the door as your guests leave} or after party snack.

When I placed my order for North Fork Chips, I remember speaking with Cheryl Sidor. At the point I spoke with her, I was losing wedding planning steam — so much so that I actually called their office about 10x in a row thinking my call wasn’t going through. Turns out, it was actually call waiting, and I was repeatedly “beeping into” Cheryl’s conference call. Hello bridal brain fog! Not only was Cheryl very sweet, but she made the process so simple. To ensure optimal freshness, she also made sure that the chips shipped at the right time.

As a kid, my parents often took me out to the North Fork, and I generally referred to it as the land of “farm, farm, vineyard, farm.” These day my day-job requires me to be in the city which makes me appreciate the farm lands and beaches of Long Island so much more. My husband and I love spending time on the ‘NoFo’ for the wine, craft beer and pure relaxation. Some of our favorite places include the Bating Hallow Farm Vineyard, Briermere Farms and the Shinn Estate Vineyard. We’re happy to add North Fork Chips to that round-up.

LI brides, be sure to check out North Fork Potato Chips to add a special element of LI to your wedding day. Also, ask for information on the bridal specials and let Cheryl know I sent you her way.

Thank you to Cheryl for sending me chips to recreate my bags for this post!

All opinions are my own and today’s post was not compensated.

Bistango at The Kimberly Hotel | NYC

December 15, 2017August 19, 2020 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

One of my favorite Italian restaurants in New York City is Bistango on 29th and 3rd {read my review here}. Everything on the menu can be made gluten-free. They even serve fresh gluten-free Italian bread. At the original location, the gluten-free tortellini with pesto is my meal of choice. On a recent trip into the city with my co-workers, we made reservations at Bistango at The Kimberly Hotel, a second location, opened in 2014.

Before heading to lunch we stopped a few must-see midtown spots to show a first-time New York visitor around. The library was beautifully decorated for the holidays, as is most of the city. A new stop for me was in Grand Central Station. I’ve been there many times, but I never knew about the Whisper Gallery. Downstairs near the dining area there is a corridor where you can hear whispers across the room. If you stand diagonally across from someone else, your voices will travel across the arched ceiling, and you will be able to hear their voice as if they were standing right next to you.

It was a really chilly morning in the city, so we were all looking forward to warming up with a good lunch. The restaurant is located on the first floor of the Kimberly hotel. It is small, but has enough seating for small groups and a bar over looking the open kitchen. It was cozy and decorated for the holidays too. I’ve heard the roof top bar at the Kimberly is beautiful, but it wasn’t open at the time we were there {another reason to go back}.

I opted for the butternut squash ravioli because I rarely have the option of eating them {welcoming gluten-free ravioli suggestions}. This was a super rich dish! The ravioli were in a brown butter sauce, filled with pureed butternut squash and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. As if that weren’t rich enough, the dish was topped with parmesan and salty peanuts. It was a great lunch.

If you are in NYC and looking for gluten-free Italian food, I highly recommend stopping at either location. Gluten-free or not, the meals do not disappoint!