This NYC Restaurant Has An Interesting Iowa Connection

A trip to the Big Apple ended with me sitting in a little known film spot that has a pretty cool link to the Hawkeye State.

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A few days before New Year's, I made a trip into New York City. My alma mater, Syracuse University was playing in the Bad Boy Mower's Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium. They ended up losing to the Minnesota Gophers, but that's a devastating story for another time...

I came into the city via train through Grand Central Station. It's one of the most popular hubs for public transportation in all of New York...actually probably the entire country. However, a restaurant located right across from the famous station is what caught my eye.

Before catching my evening train and heading home, a friend and I wanted to grab a quick drink close by. I spotted this cute little bistro right across the way and insisted we check it out.

The eatery is called Pershing Square and just so happens to be the location of a sort of Iowa adjacent movie moment.

Do you remember in 2011 when two semi-identical movies came out starring Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis? These films had the same exact concept...

...a pair of young adults are not looking for love, so they enter into a "friends with benefits" situation with someone but they end up falling in love.

One of them starred Iowa native Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman called 'No Strings Attached.' You can check out a clip from that movie down below!

The other stars Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake and is entitled 'Friends With Benefits.'

I have to be honest...Mila's movie is MUCH better! 

More than a decade later, Mila and Ashton are happily married with children. They have admitted that their own love story kind of imitates their two separate movies.

What's that phrase that people say? Life imitates art? Well, this proved to be the case with their initial FWB situation at the start of their relationship.

Kunis shot the final scene of her movie in New York City. The grand gesture that is paramount in any romantic comedy took place in Grand Central Station. Timberlake's character organized a flash mob in the famous location to win Mila over.

Now we're wondering what sort of over the top romantic gesture Ashton Kutcher might have done to seal the deal with Mila?

After this big flash dance scene, the couple ended up going to Pershing's for their first official date. There is a brief scene where you can see the two sitting inside of the little bistro.

You can check out some more cool pics down below!

The Iowa actor grew up not too far from Cedar Rapids in Homestead. A few years ago, Kutcher made a return to Iowa to help revamp his childhood home.

You can check out his parent's home renovation down below!