When in the Meatpacking District...eat meat.

To both celebrate and mourn the last of my summer Fridays, Mike & I took a trip to the new Highline park. Beginning above the cobblestoned streets of the Meatpacking District, the Highline is a great way to check out Manhattan's west side views, without having to sit on the patio of an overpriced cafe with a stiletto quota far too high for 1pm. Back to the point here, the Highline is laid out in a sleek, modern style, with carefully inserted foliage, and natural mediums which extend the trendiness to sky level, but leave the attitude at ground floor.

Knowing that we'd avoid the cafes below, and that only a picnic could ensue, I eagerly got to work on our BYOM (Bring.Your.Own.Meat.) lunch on the eve of. I wanted it to be hearty, since we'd be seeing the movie 500 Days of Summer (you gotta see this!) afterwards, upon exiting the park in Chelsea. And I wanted it to be something that we could easily assemble, and that would be able to hold up to the Hudson's breeze. A take on Giada's turkey meatloaf seemed just the thing. Except I'd make it into a sandwich because that just seemed too fun and picnic-like to resist.

I made Giada's meatloaf on Thursday night and let it cool before slicing it on Friday morning. I packed up a bag with:
- sliced meatloaf
- 2 sliced semolina buns (these seemed like a nice fit, texturely, for the meatloaf. But use any kind of sandwich bread you like)
- a container of ricotta spread (combine ricotta, chopped parsely, some olive oil, salt and pepper)

For the meatloaf, I used grated parmesan rather than feta because it's what I had on hand. Because fresh feta adds lots of moisture to the meatloaf, I added in an extra egg and about a tablespoon more of milk. I sliced the meatloaf about 1/2 inch thick, as unlike with a steak sandwich, it's pretty easy to bite into while working your way through the bread. And it works great with the ricotta shmear! In fact, we kept on shmearing more as we went along.

A picnic demands lots of planning...and tupperwares. But it's well worth it when you can enjoy a table for two in a public park rather than a table for two in one of the private establishments just below.