Gourmet Food Delivery from 19 Charles Street

Like most New Yorkers I'm quick to order in for dinner after a long day at work, but I actually love to cook and prefer a home-cooked meal to any takeout. I enjoy pouring myself a glass of wine and cooking from a recipe out of one of my many cookbooks. Problem is I don't always have the right ingredients on hand and who has time to decide on a recipe, then go to the store, then come home, then prep the ingredients ... by then I'd rather just pick up the phone. That is until I found the solution ...

I was introduced to 19 Charles Street via DailyCandy and I've been a fan of the company ever since. Launched earlier this year, 19 Charles Street is a "members-only, recipe-specific gourmet food and farmers market delivery service in NYC." They're an excellent resource for the home chef interested in trying gourmet recipes (like me), but with little time to go to the farmers market/butcher shop/cheese shop to source the best ingredients yourself (also like me.) 19 Charles Street does it all for you - crafting gourmet recipes, purchasing local organic produce and meats, packing items into the right portion size and delivering it to you ready to cook a meal for one or more.

Here are some things you should know before you order:

• The site is members-only so you'll have to request an invite to join.
• Every Monday four new recipes are offered up to members. You have one week to place an order for delivery the following week (they only deliver on Monday's and Wednesday's.)
• This service is not at all cheap, but quality never is. Meals cost $30 per serving, though the servings are substantial, so be prepared to shell out big bucks if you're ordering for a dinner party.
• The recipes may seem complicated, but they're actually fairly simple and generally take under an hour to complete. If you know your way around a kitchen then you have nothing to worry about, but I'd probably save it for a weekend project if you barely know how to boil water.

Whether you want to impress a date or have a girls night in or even if you just want to treat yourself to a great meal, 19 Charles Street is a great option.