FYI, my computer issues make it impossible to edit my photos without crashing my blog, so these are all straight from my iPhone. I apologize for the poor quality, but hopefully I'll have things back up to par soon. Thanks for your patience.

The morning after NYC was a lazy one. We had gotten back pretty late and slept in as well as you can with a small child sharing the couch. Charlotte and I would be heading home the following day, and we really wanted to relax on our last full day of vacation.

We puttered around the house, watched some HGTV (our favorite), and had breakfast before heading to the Laundromat to help Mom with her weekly chores. Her one bedroom rental house is pretty cute, but it doesn't leave much space for a laundry room. I've done my share of public laundry folding, but this was like an exciting adventure for a 3 year old. When we arrived, Charlotte walked around looking at all of the equipment, asking about a zillion questions. Is it just me or is 3 the age of inquisition? This kid notices and studies everything. Even the most mundane of tasks turns into a college course. She wanted to know how everything worked and got mad if we didn't allow her to help with every single load. I'm going to remind her of this when she's 12 and doesn't want to help me wash clothes.

Two hours and many, many quarters later, we dropped the laundry off at home and made our way to Cranford, NJ for some snacks at our favorite little juice bar, Fresh Press Juice Co. Lauren from Naturally Lauren introduced us to FPJ two years ago on our first trip, and we've been back every time. I've even befriended one of the owners on Facebook. They're always so friendly, and you know how I love meeting like-minded individuals. One of my favorite things about them is that they offer banana whip, basically banana ice cream, but it's made with a special machine. They offer a variety of toppings, from vegan chocolate chips to nuts and fruit. The day we went, they even had vegan hot fudge! Guess what I got? ;-)

The perfect pair:  Green juice and banana whip with fudge. — The perfect pair: Green juice and banana whip with fudge.

Along with my whip, I ordered a "Healer" juice with apple, celery, cucumber, parsley, lemon, and ginger. It was delish, of course. Charlotte also got a whip, hers with chocolate chips. She shared my juice, like she always does, and said it was "super yummy." We hung out and chatted with one of the owners for a bit, and before leaving, I grabbed some energy balls from the prepared food section. If you live in the area, Fresh Press Juice Co. offers cleanses, as well as daily food specials, and other prepared items such as kale chips, granola, hummus, etc. It would be a great lunch stop for the health-minded consumer. The energy balls were made with dates, almonds, coconut, cacao, and all kinds of other goodies that made them amazeballs. (See what I did there? Amaze BALLS. Ha! Corny jokes aside...) They were quite enjoyable. FPJ never disappoints.

With my balls in-hand (Sorry, couldn't resist.), we headed back home to get ready for a big night out.

That evening, we had reservations at a VERY nice, upscale restaurant in West Orange, NJ, Highlawn Pavilion. Mom and Gary had both said it was a favorite of theirs, but I wasn't sure what to expect. Mom eats mostly vegetarian, but she loves to eat sea creatures, and Gary is a pretty hard-core meat eater who enjoys teasing me about what I eat every chance he gets. Of course, with it being the kind of place that has an actual chef in the kitchen, I figured it wouldn't be too much trouble to get a decent vegan entrée. Just to be sure, though, I looked up the menu online and saw that they offer a "vegan dish." The menu has been updated since our trip, but at the time it didn't say what that entrée actually was. Whatever, man. I like to play roulette.

We got all gussied up and headed out, picking my mom's friend, Donna, on our way. I'd heard many stories about Donna, but hadn't met her before. As it turns out, she's a hoot! Great lady for a dinner companion. I can see why she and mom get along so well.

When we arrived at Highlawn Pavilion, the first thing I noticed was the view. It was incredible! The building sits upon the Eagle Rock Reservation and overlooks New York City off in the distance. Interesting fact: Eagle Rock Park was used in the filming of the first ever motion picture, "The Great Train Robbery."

According to their website, they source their produce from Pleasantdale Farm a mile away, which grows pesticide-free plants, and they use microbiotic composting for food waste. Good for them! I also read on the back of the menu that the water they use is sourced from a spring right on the property. So cool! I always like to see people taking an interest in the environment. Maybe someday they'll realize the effect that animal agriculture has on the planet and become a vegetarian restaurant. A girl can dream, right? For now, at least they're making a conscious effort which is more than 95% of the world.

We were seated at a large table near the corner, and the dining area was surrounded on three sides by large pane-less windows. There wasn't a bad view in the place. And this was one very nice restaurant. One of those where the waiter wears a cloth napkin over his arm and changed out the silverware between courses. Thank God Charlotte wasn't a wild child that day! We had dinner watching the sunlight slowly fade over NYC and the street lights begin to reignite the city. I understand why Mom and Gary like it so much. Our meal began with cocktails, as we like to do in our family. I had a lovely glass of red wine, although I can't remember what it was now. Just trust me, it was REALLY good. After looking over the menu, I ordered a green salad with vinaigrette for my first course and the vegan entrée for my meal. Charlotte and I planned to share everything, since they didn't have a "kids menu," and I wasn't going to order a $25 meal for her to pick at and waste.

When the salad arrived, it was beautifully presented, and contained the cutest little tomatoes I've ever seen. I don't think I've ever encountered that variety, but they looked like little teardrops, some no larger than my pinky fingernail. The salad was perfectly dressed, generously, but not overpowered. We both enjoyed it thoroughly. I thought it was a decent sized salad for a fancy restaurant, as well. I can't tell you how many times I've been let down after paying $14 for a salad the size of a baseball. This one was enough to share and still feel like I ate something.

The dinner entrée had be pretty excited. I had asked the waiter and knew it involved lentils and root veggies, but I had no idea what to expect. Well, guys, it did not disappoint. My plate arrived and was beautiful. French lentils cooked with carrots, onions, and garlic in the center, surrounded by some of my favorite things: mushrooms, asparagus, red & yellow beets, and artichokes, with stuffed roasted red peppers. It was all lightly cooked, not overdone, so everything retained its gorgeous natural color. It wasn't a large amount of food, but I was completely satisfied because everything tasted amazing. My favorite part of the meal was the mushrooms. They serve shitake and oyster mushrooms, which are my two favorites. They were marinated and perfectly cooked so as to retain a firm texture but not chewy. The roasted peppers were ratatouille-stuffed and bursting with flavor. They looked so humble on the side of the plate, but man! did they prove me wrong. It was a perfect meal. I mean, really... the service was impeccable, the food was incredible, and the views couldn't be beat.

You know the best part about a gourmet dinner where the portions are European sized? It leaves room for dessert! I asked our super helpful waiter if any of the desserts were vegan, and he informed me that they had fruit sorbet, a few flavors. I chose blackberry. Can you go wrong ordering blackberry sorbet during blackberry season? Hell no! Charlotte requested berries for dessert, and they obliged, bringing her a gigantic bowl of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. That was one very happy kid. I expected my dessert to be small after the meal portions, but when the bowl arrived, it was four large scoops. Lawdy, help me! They definitely "Americanized" their dessert portions. I took one bite and realized that I was gonna eat the entire bowl and not regret a minute of it. It was SOOOOOO good. Quite possibly the creamiest sorbet I've ever tasted. I was in heaven. The rich color and flavor was exactly what I was craving after my savory meal. Definitely a thumbs up!

As we left that evening, happy bellies and smiling faces, I captured the NYC skyline lit up like Christmas. The sky was completely clear and the quarter moon was perfectly visible. Such a beautiful night. I only wish the iPhone camera could've done it justice. It was the perfect ending to an amazing meal with the people I love and a wonderful vacation.

I know one thing for sure, I'll be begging to come back the next time we're in New Jersey. I highly recommend planning a special night out at Highlawn Pavilion. It struck me as a great place to ask a big question, if ya know what I mean. It's pricey, but worth every penny.

This post was not sponsored in any way. All opinions are my own. I just really love great food. ;-)