When I left PSI, my lovely colleagues got me a great going-away present: a gift certificate to Supper, in the East Village. It was a generous amount so we had waited to herd some friends along before we redeemed it.
Brian and Becca were those lucky friends. Pat and I had an appetizer and drinks (me Coke, him wine) at the bar while we waited for them to arrive. The veal meatballs were great, and there was plenty for two. Pat was tickled by their entry on the menu: "baby veal meatballs." It meant, of course, that they were small, but he liked to picture the meatballs coming from "baby veals," which put us in mind of particularly youthful calves.
Supper has an interesting and marvelous policy with wine: you can order as little of a half-glass of any of the (mostly very expensive) wines on their menu, and they're happy to open a bottle, and when you leave they will charge you for just whatever portion of the bottle you drank. But Pat and Brian managed to just about polish off a whole bottle!
My entree was pappardelle with mushrooms (very good - I just finished the leftovers!) and I had tiramisu for dessert, which I'd call excellent. The entrees were very reasonably priced - really good value. I have to say I was not delighted with the physical space. I was on a bench that didn't offer much of a cushion (covered in plastic, no less!) on the seat, and no cushion at all on the back - by the end of the night I was squirming in discomfort. And it was quite loud, which probably wouldn't have bothered me before I became so darned old and crotchety.
The bar is actually 2 doors down from the restaurant, and I liked it better in there, really. You can order from the full menu there, too.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Bagel Basket, 618 Amsterdam Ave., Manhattan
I was on the Upper West Side yesterday for a haircut, for which I had a Groupon. It was at a salon called Bodre. Don't go there. Enough said. Happily, a haircut is not forever.
The Bagel Basket was not my intended bagel destination after that; I had been heading for Barney Greengrass, recommended by NFT. Alas, Barney Greengrass was closed. So I found myself at the Bagel Basket, a couple blocks north. It was not so great. The bagel was ordinary, and the salmon & scallion cream cheese had too-big chunks of salmon and scallions. I will say that the woman who served me was very nice, and you don't see that very often, so bonus points are due.
The Bagel Basket was not my intended bagel destination after that; I had been heading for Barney Greengrass, recommended by NFT. Alas, Barney Greengrass was closed. So I found myself at the Bagel Basket, a couple blocks north. It was not so great. The bagel was ordinary, and the salmon & scallion cream cheese had too-big chunks of salmon and scallions. I will say that the woman who served me was very nice, and you don't see that very often, so bonus points are due.
Yorganic, 275 Greenwich St., Manhattan
It was actually a couple of weeks ago that I ordered from Yorganic, in Tribeca, via the Seamless website. I felt kind of sick (pregnancy....ugh) and only a smoothie sounded palatable for dinner. I chose the Tropical Bliss Smoothie and a juice that I threw in just to meet the dollar minimum for delivery. The smoothie was good, although nothing special, but the real story here is that it arrived just 18 minutes after I placed the order! Honestly, you cannot do better than wanting something and having it show up at your door 18 minutes later. Instant gratification.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Kitchenette, 1272 Amsterdam Ave., Manhattan
I am looking for a job, and I've been doing a lot of networking. I was in Morningside Heights one afternoon last week talking to the head of AVAC, an HIV prevention advocacy organization, and turned to my trusty NFT afterward for a recommendation for an early dinner. Kitchenette was just a couple blocks away.
When I walked in, my eyes seized upon three cakes in domes on the counter. They looked moist and naughty and I hungered for them. But I'm eating for two and it would be wrong to forsake some genuine nutrients for a piece of cake, so I did the sensible thing and ordered real food: a biscuit with eggs and cheese. I'm not saying it was healthy or anything like that. But at least I got, you know, protein and calcium and whatnot. Also, it was unholy delicious. That biscuit was decadent, and a perfect complement to the copious scrambled eggs with cheddar melted in.
And then, having checked the "real meal" box and feeling pretty full, I nonetheless ordered a piece of cake, naturally. It was the right move. I chose the lemon cake. The crumb was spectacular, the taste angelic, the frosting tart and somewhat jelly-like. Baby would not have wanted me to miss it, I'm sure.
When I walked in, my eyes seized upon three cakes in domes on the counter. They looked moist and naughty and I hungered for them. But I'm eating for two and it would be wrong to forsake some genuine nutrients for a piece of cake, so I did the sensible thing and ordered real food: a biscuit with eggs and cheese. I'm not saying it was healthy or anything like that. But at least I got, you know, protein and calcium and whatnot. Also, it was unholy delicious. That biscuit was decadent, and a perfect complement to the copious scrambled eggs with cheddar melted in.
And then, having checked the "real meal" box and feeling pretty full, I nonetheless ordered a piece of cake, naturally. It was the right move. I chose the lemon cake. The crumb was spectacular, the taste angelic, the frosting tart and somewhat jelly-like. Baby would not have wanted me to miss it, I'm sure.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Ellen's Stardust Diner, 1650 Broadway, Manhattan
Last weekend Pat's college friend J.D., his wife Michelle, and their 8-year-old son Trey came to stay with us from Baltimore. This was Trey's big New York debut.
We took an amusing trip to the Central Park Zoo, a place Trey has long wanted to visit because of the movie "Madagascar" (Trey also wants to visit Rio de Janiero, because he has seen the movie "Rio," obviously). I was impressed by the tropics building, and, despite its atrocious smell, the penguin building.
We went to FAO Schwartz after that; it was my first visit. That place rocks. You could literally get lost in it. A parent would have to be pretty brave to take their kid there and not expect to drop some serious cash on all the fun stuff.
Soon it was dinnertime, but lunchtime had taught us that one must choose wisely for Trey, who had rejected two brunch menus earlier that day, innocently exclaiming, "isn't there ANYWHERE to get lunch in New York?" To find a dinner winner, J.D. googled "fun restaurants" on his iPhone and thus it was that we found ourselves at Ellen's Stardust Diner, in Midtown, a place where I might not otherwise have been caught dead. Ellen's, it turns out, is where aspiring actors wait tables and serenade dining tourists while hoping for their big break on Broadway. Some of them were quite talented, actually. Our favorite was a waiter who hammed up a cheesy Brian Adams song. You could picture some of these folks on the Great White Way (others, not so much).
However spirited the atmosphere, the food was dismal, and absurdly overpriced even had it not been dismal (which, to reemphasize, it WAS). I had a milkshake that passable at best, and a hamburger that was like a sawdust patty. But we were not there for me! I believe Trey enjoyed himself very much, and even liked whatever it was he ate. Mission accomplished.
We took an amusing trip to the Central Park Zoo, a place Trey has long wanted to visit because of the movie "Madagascar" (Trey also wants to visit Rio de Janiero, because he has seen the movie "Rio," obviously). I was impressed by the tropics building, and, despite its atrocious smell, the penguin building.
We went to FAO Schwartz after that; it was my first visit. That place rocks. You could literally get lost in it. A parent would have to be pretty brave to take their kid there and not expect to drop some serious cash on all the fun stuff.
Soon it was dinnertime, but lunchtime had taught us that one must choose wisely for Trey, who had rejected two brunch menus earlier that day, innocently exclaiming, "isn't there ANYWHERE to get lunch in New York?" To find a dinner winner, J.D. googled "fun restaurants" on his iPhone and thus it was that we found ourselves at Ellen's Stardust Diner, in Midtown, a place where I might not otherwise have been caught dead. Ellen's, it turns out, is where aspiring actors wait tables and serenade dining tourists while hoping for their big break on Broadway. Some of them were quite talented, actually. Our favorite was a waiter who hammed up a cheesy Brian Adams song. You could picture some of these folks on the Great White Way (others, not so much).
However spirited the atmosphere, the food was dismal, and absurdly overpriced even had it not been dismal (which, to reemphasize, it WAS). I had a milkshake that passable at best, and a hamburger that was like a sawdust patty. But we were not there for me! I believe Trey enjoyed himself very much, and even liked whatever it was he ate. Mission accomplished.
South Brooklyn Pizza, 122 1st Ave., Manhattan
Pat and I stumbled on South Brooklyn Pizza (no name on the outside! a delicious secret!) in the East Village many moons ago, when we were already stuffed with Luke's Lobster, and he gazed dreamily into the window and told himself he'd be back. Today was the day.
We were in the East Village because we went to see hordes of dogs dressed up for Halloween in a nearby park. I like dogs. I don't necessarily like them better when they are wearing lobster or cowboy or Dorothy costumes, but it doesn't hurt. We found ourselves a railing to lean against right where the dogs were coming and going from the costume contest, so it was prime viewing territory. It was fun.
Afterward, we partook of margarita slices at South Brooklyn Pizza, nearby. I felt that the crust was incredible. It was crispy and flavorful. The single vacant-looking employee overdid it a bit with the olive oil on top, but that crust! Pat, who is a frequent consumer of slices, was surprised at the high $4 pricetag on these babies. But have I mentioned their delicious crust?
Unrelatedly, here is a picture of me with minus-five-months-old Baby Girl Aylward. She likes pizza too.
We were in the East Village because we went to see hordes of dogs dressed up for Halloween in a nearby park. I like dogs. I don't necessarily like them better when they are wearing lobster or cowboy or Dorothy costumes, but it doesn't hurt. We found ourselves a railing to lean against right where the dogs were coming and going from the costume contest, so it was prime viewing territory. It was fun.
Afterward, we partook of margarita slices at South Brooklyn Pizza, nearby. I felt that the crust was incredible. It was crispy and flavorful. The single vacant-looking employee overdid it a bit with the olive oil on top, but that crust! Pat, who is a frequent consumer of slices, was surprised at the high $4 pricetag on these babies. But have I mentioned their delicious crust?
Unrelatedly, here is a picture of me with minus-five-months-old Baby Girl Aylward. She likes pizza too.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
SouthWest NY, 2 World Financial Center, Manhattan
Pat and I still haven't exhausted our supply of Foodie Registry gift certificates that we reaped when we got hitched, and now's the time to use them, before an infant makes dining out more of a circus (or, indeed, altogether inadvisable or impractical. Not really sure what to expect.). So a couple weeks ago I phoned Pat at work at the end of the day and informed him that not only had I changed out of my pajamas into real clothes (hey, I'm unemployed, remember? You secretly wish you could spend all day in your PJs if you want!), but I also did not feel like puking, so we should sieze the day and go out for dinner.
We went to SouthWest NY, in Battery Park City. This certificate was courtesy of my college roommate Sarah and her husband Chuck. It is right by Pat's office, and we sat outside next to the harbor on the Hudson and had a very pleasant time. My SWNY sliders were surprisingly good - basically one big ol' patty in a perfect soft bun, cut into four pieces, a little spicy, with some crispy onion thingies. Delicious.
We went to SouthWest NY, in Battery Park City. This certificate was courtesy of my college roommate Sarah and her husband Chuck. It is right by Pat's office, and we sat outside next to the harbor on the Hudson and had a very pleasant time. My SWNY sliders were surprisingly good - basically one big ol' patty in a perfect soft bun, cut into four pieces, a little spicy, with some crispy onion thingies. Delicious.
Amelia's Bistro, 187 Warren St., Jersey City
I still have alarmingly few friends in New York, so it is with sadness that Pat and I had a sort of a goodbye dinner for his fun coworkers Jen and Brian last night. They are moving to London. Which means there will still be opportunities for us to see them, but they will not be part of our small crowd of New York friends any longer. I sigh wistfully, but obviously we wish them the best, and they deserve it.
For this dinner I made my first ferry crossing of the Hudson River, to Jersey City. It was cool. Much cooler than a subway ride. The ferry ride back, after dark, was particularly cool because we got to admire the lit-up New York skyline for 8 whole minutes. Quite romantic for Pat and I and the ferry's one other passenger at 9:40ish PM.
Amelia's Bistro is a neighborhood favorite of Jen and Brian. It was Monday Lobster Fest, which meant a $20 whole lobster for Pat (normally $25). I wanted lobster but also wanted pasta (still feeling nauseous at 16 weeks of pregnancy, which is not the way it's supposed to work....grrrrr), so I got the lobster fettucine. It was satisfying, although I wish the sauce had had more flavor. Brian and Jen both had the fried chicken, a previous winner for them, and we all enjoyed an appetizer of funky mozzarella sticks with some sort of meat wrapped in a kind of an eggroll wrapper, sort of.
For this dinner I made my first ferry crossing of the Hudson River, to Jersey City. It was cool. Much cooler than a subway ride. The ferry ride back, after dark, was particularly cool because we got to admire the lit-up New York skyline for 8 whole minutes. Quite romantic for Pat and I and the ferry's one other passenger at 9:40ish PM.
Amelia's Bistro is a neighborhood favorite of Jen and Brian. It was Monday Lobster Fest, which meant a $20 whole lobster for Pat (normally $25). I wanted lobster but also wanted pasta (still feeling nauseous at 16 weeks of pregnancy, which is not the way it's supposed to work....grrrrr), so I got the lobster fettucine. It was satisfying, although I wish the sauce had had more flavor. Brian and Jen both had the fried chicken, a previous winner for them, and we all enjoyed an appetizer of funky mozzarella sticks with some sort of meat wrapped in a kind of an eggroll wrapper, sort of.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Capital Grille, 120 Broadway, Manhattan
Armed with a gift certificate, Pat and I roused ourselves from the couch on one of our laziest Saturdays ever, last weekend, and travelled the couple blocks east to the Capital Grille, in the Financial District. This is an outpost of a Washington restaurant so it had the ring of the familiar to us.
I was delighted with my lobster- and crab-stuffed shrimp. The leftovers were equally satisfying the next day. Pat was not thrilled that his steak and lobster had a creamy sauce on it, but he did finish the whole plate, so evidently it didn't slow him down. We had a side of creamed spinach that was plenty creamy (and also functioned as a nice next-day leftover).
It has gotten a little more difficult to maneuver around the FiDi since the protesters took up residence, a few weeks ago already. I have spent weeks being unclear on their message, and then someone pointed me to their laughable list of "demands." I am predisposed to loathe any and all protesters, because I feel like my own sanity and schedule are always collateral damage when they get a bee in their bonnet that has nothing to do with me. Years spent in Washington meant years being annoyed by protesters. So maybe it's not saying much that I find these particular protesters to be clueless, but I wanted to put it out there anyway.
I was delighted with my lobster- and crab-stuffed shrimp. The leftovers were equally satisfying the next day. Pat was not thrilled that his steak and lobster had a creamy sauce on it, but he did finish the whole plate, so evidently it didn't slow him down. We had a side of creamed spinach that was plenty creamy (and also functioned as a nice next-day leftover).
It has gotten a little more difficult to maneuver around the FiDi since the protesters took up residence, a few weeks ago already. I have spent weeks being unclear on their message, and then someone pointed me to their laughable list of "demands." I am predisposed to loathe any and all protesters, because I feel like my own sanity and schedule are always collateral damage when they get a bee in their bonnet that has nothing to do with me. Years spent in Washington meant years being annoyed by protesters. So maybe it's not saying much that I find these particular protesters to be clueless, but I wanted to put it out there anyway.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Rice Thai, 311 7th Ave, Brooklyn
Some time ago I joined the Prospect Park Track Club. I ran a few of their races and the people are always so friendly, and I like them. They have regular (monthly?) meetings that I haven't attended before, but since I have stopped running for the winter, I decided to go to last night's meeting just to stay current and maybe get some human interaction. Such is the life of a new, unemployed New Yorker: I will go all the way to Brooklyn, in the rain, for human interaction.
The meeting was quite short and I didn't see anyone I knew there, so I didn't have a conversation with anyone, but that's okay. On the way home I stopped randomly for dinner at Park Slope's Rice Thai. I had a Thai iced tea and red curry with tofu. I have decided it's time to start trying to observe Meatless Mondays again, in the interests of saving the planet. Back when I did this "regularly" I was never very good at remembering it was Meatless Monday before getting halfway through, say, a roast beef sandwich, but at least I was trying, and I intend to start trying again.
The curry was good, but nothing special. Rice was a dollar extra, which I always find kind of annoying. The steamed tofu in the curry was perfectly fine, and it had the requisite bamboo shoots and basil (although why were eggplants added?). I wish the green bell peppers had been red instead.
The meeting was quite short and I didn't see anyone I knew there, so I didn't have a conversation with anyone, but that's okay. On the way home I stopped randomly for dinner at Park Slope's Rice Thai. I had a Thai iced tea and red curry with tofu. I have decided it's time to start trying to observe Meatless Mondays again, in the interests of saving the planet. Back when I did this "regularly" I was never very good at remembering it was Meatless Monday before getting halfway through, say, a roast beef sandwich, but at least I was trying, and I intend to start trying again.
The curry was good, but nothing special. Rice was a dollar extra, which I always find kind of annoying. The steamed tofu in the curry was perfectly fine, and it had the requisite bamboo shoots and basil (although why were eggplants added?). I wish the green bell peppers had been red instead.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)