Pat got a coupon for 20% off at Seamless on "cyber Monday," so we decided to splurge with Bobby Van's, in the Financial District. I got lobster ravioli. They were okay, nothing remarkable. They came with a pile of spinach and a solitary rock shrimp, both of which were nice touches.
Pat got seared sesame tuna and said it was good. We also got a combo plate of deep-fried potato chips, zucchini sticks, and onion rings. The chips were the best.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Carnegie Deli, 854 7th Ave., Manhattan
At some point after college, Christmas ceased being fun and turned into a yearly stress. It is a bummer. Maybe having a kid will help bring back what I used to love about it when I was little. I still remember what that was - to sum it all up, it was listening rapturously to Christmas carols alone in our living room, which was lit only by the lights on the tree, eating gingerbread cookies and eyeballing all the sparkly wrapped presents underneath in giddy anticipation.
Guided by nostalgia, I guess, I still long to recapture some elements of that vision at Christmastime, which is why I pounced on a Groupon for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. It is not a show, people: it is a Spectacular, with a capital S. It might be hopelessly cheesy, I was aware, but there was only one way to find out. And the movie "Annie" was a large force in my childhood, so I have always been predisposed to appreciate the Rockettes.
My friend Erin accepted an offer to go with me, and we went first to Carnegie Deli in Midtown, as if the Rockettes weren't enough touristy cliche for one evening (I had been to the Deli once before, in 2000 - as a tourist!). I had a pastrami sandwich and it was awesome. It was simply a gigantic pile o'pastrami with a sort of an afterthought of rye bread on either side, not enough to even come close to covering the meat. Mustard on the side was its only accoutrement, which is fine by this carnivore. I ate half of it, somehow (baby must have been pulling her weight), and got the other half to go. We were stuffed. And then we ordered a massive slab of cheesecake, incomprehensibly. And we made a good dent in that too. And then I got the rest of that slab boxed to go as well.
I should mention here that despite it being a tourist destination, the experience at Carnegie was very pleasant. We were seated immediately (at 6:30 or so), and our waiter was uncommonly nice. They put multiple parties together at the same table but we had no one next to us for most of our meal, and even after some tourists were seated there, it didn't feel intrusive.
Erin heroically hid my leftovers in her large bag when we went to the theater, for which I am even more grateful having just polished off said leftovers for lunch. To leave them behind would have been a tragedy.
The show was as anticipated: a mix of glitzy fun and schmaltzy boring. The numbers with the Rockettes were mostly great. I particularly enjoyed their "12 Days of Christmas" routine, and "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," which is apparently a staple from the original 1933 show and features them wonderfully falling down like dominoes in slow motion. The 3D movie bits didn't add anything (and hello, isn't it already 3D when you see a show live?). A story about a mother looking for a gift for her daughter was at the same time deeply annoying, yawn-inducingly boring, and appallingly syrupy. Dancing Santas were fun; one Santa making transitions between songs was awkward. I liked the splendor of the nativity scene at the end, which also dates to 1933 as I understand it.
Guided by nostalgia, I guess, I still long to recapture some elements of that vision at Christmastime, which is why I pounced on a Groupon for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular. It is not a show, people: it is a Spectacular, with a capital S. It might be hopelessly cheesy, I was aware, but there was only one way to find out. And the movie "Annie" was a large force in my childhood, so I have always been predisposed to appreciate the Rockettes.
My friend Erin accepted an offer to go with me, and we went first to Carnegie Deli in Midtown, as if the Rockettes weren't enough touristy cliche for one evening (I had been to the Deli once before, in 2000 - as a tourist!). I had a pastrami sandwich and it was awesome. It was simply a gigantic pile o'pastrami with a sort of an afterthought of rye bread on either side, not enough to even come close to covering the meat. Mustard on the side was its only accoutrement, which is fine by this carnivore. I ate half of it, somehow (baby must have been pulling her weight), and got the other half to go. We were stuffed. And then we ordered a massive slab of cheesecake, incomprehensibly. And we made a good dent in that too. And then I got the rest of that slab boxed to go as well.
I should mention here that despite it being a tourist destination, the experience at Carnegie was very pleasant. We were seated immediately (at 6:30 or so), and our waiter was uncommonly nice. They put multiple parties together at the same table but we had no one next to us for most of our meal, and even after some tourists were seated there, it didn't feel intrusive.
Erin heroically hid my leftovers in her large bag when we went to the theater, for which I am even more grateful having just polished off said leftovers for lunch. To leave them behind would have been a tragedy.
The show was as anticipated: a mix of glitzy fun and schmaltzy boring. The numbers with the Rockettes were mostly great. I particularly enjoyed their "12 Days of Christmas" routine, and "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," which is apparently a staple from the original 1933 show and features them wonderfully falling down like dominoes in slow motion. The 3D movie bits didn't add anything (and hello, isn't it already 3D when you see a show live?). A story about a mother looking for a gift for her daughter was at the same time deeply annoying, yawn-inducingly boring, and appallingly syrupy. Dancing Santas were fun; one Santa making transitions between songs was awkward. I liked the splendor of the nativity scene at the end, which also dates to 1933 as I understand it.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Bleecker Street Pizza, 69 7th Ave. S., Manhattan
Many moons ago, when Pat and I were zipping around Manhattan with a broker named Greg, looking for a place to live, we went past Bleecker Street Pizza, in the West Village, and Greg opined that it was the best slice in New York. I have always been meaning to check it out, but never did until this very day.
I had a piece with mushrooms and pepperoni. and was indeed mightily impressed by the very thin and crispy-delicious crust. The crust is really what it's all about with this pizza. They got it just right. The place is very small but with a few tables, and we got one. "We" was not just me and Pat, but also one of Pat's former colleagues from back in the day, Ben, visiting us from Chicago. Ben is very funny. We have been having a good time with him.
We wandered around the West Village and SoHo after lunch. We had dessert at Grandaisy Bakery (73 Sullivan St.): Ben had a tart/pie sort of thing; Pat had bread pudding in slice form, and I had a chocolate cookie sandwich with cream cheese filling. All were good old-fashioned bakery treats, meaning they were not showy nor overly rich but they were solidly yummy. After a bit of shopping we went for hot chocolate to Allessi (130 Greene St.), which is a store with its own Tarallucci Cafe. I had been here before, during a day of shopping with friends very early into my NYC experience, and it is very cool. The hot chocolate is thick and intense, and not too sweet. The place is very modern and artistically chic, sort of Euro-futuristic.
We have now reached a stage, 8 months in, where we don't check out new places as rabidly as we did when we first got here. We now have some tried-and-true favorites, both for delivery and eating out. Also it is getting colder, which I hate, and pregnancy doesn't really make a person want to get out and hit the town.
Also, I have more of a sense these days that I have things to get done. I have lined up some very short-term consulting while I continue to look, albeit more hopelessly with each day of ballooning bigger, for a job. I am participating in NaNoWriMo. Pat bugs me frequently about making a slipcover for our loveseat. I've been working from afar on finding a new home for my mom and figuring things out for her future. We are hosting Pat's family for Thanksgiving next week. Pat has been very busy with the end of the year approaching at work. And I like to keep the apartment in tip-top shape for our many visitors.
Some things aren't as fun as when we got here and everything was new, but other things are just as good or better. Our apartment is now just about perfectly how we wanted it. I think all the time about how happy and lucky I am to be with Pat.
I had a piece with mushrooms and pepperoni. and was indeed mightily impressed by the very thin and crispy-delicious crust. The crust is really what it's all about with this pizza. They got it just right. The place is very small but with a few tables, and we got one. "We" was not just me and Pat, but also one of Pat's former colleagues from back in the day, Ben, visiting us from Chicago. Ben is very funny. We have been having a good time with him.
We wandered around the West Village and SoHo after lunch. We had dessert at Grandaisy Bakery (73 Sullivan St.): Ben had a tart/pie sort of thing; Pat had bread pudding in slice form, and I had a chocolate cookie sandwich with cream cheese filling. All were good old-fashioned bakery treats, meaning they were not showy nor overly rich but they were solidly yummy. After a bit of shopping we went for hot chocolate to Allessi (130 Greene St.), which is a store with its own Tarallucci Cafe. I had been here before, during a day of shopping with friends very early into my NYC experience, and it is very cool. The hot chocolate is thick and intense, and not too sweet. The place is very modern and artistically chic, sort of Euro-futuristic.
We have now reached a stage, 8 months in, where we don't check out new places as rabidly as we did when we first got here. We now have some tried-and-true favorites, both for delivery and eating out. Also it is getting colder, which I hate, and pregnancy doesn't really make a person want to get out and hit the town.
Also, I have more of a sense these days that I have things to get done. I have lined up some very short-term consulting while I continue to look, albeit more hopelessly with each day of ballooning bigger, for a job. I am participating in NaNoWriMo. Pat bugs me frequently about making a slipcover for our loveseat. I've been working from afar on finding a new home for my mom and figuring things out for her future. We are hosting Pat's family for Thanksgiving next week. Pat has been very busy with the end of the year approaching at work. And I like to keep the apartment in tip-top shape for our many visitors.
Some things aren't as fun as when we got here and everything was new, but other things are just as good or better. Our apartment is now just about perfectly how we wanted it. I think all the time about how happy and lucky I am to be with Pat.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Karahi, 118 Christopher St., Manhattan
Karahi was not actually the intended destination when Pat and I had dinner with friends Lindy and Jess. We'd headed to the West Village planning to eat elsewhere (I can't actually remember where) but that place was fully booked, so we went a few blocks away and found ourselves at tiny Karahi.
As appetizers, we had shrimp in a fried batter, which I thought were kind of bland but Pat liked, and samosas, which were very delicious. My entree was chicken tikka masala and I was very happy with it.
I appreciated that we were there for a long time (watching many others come and go!), sharing stories and laughs, and that didn't seem to bother the staff a bit. They were all-around very accommodating.
As appetizers, we had shrimp in a fried batter, which I thought were kind of bland but Pat liked, and samosas, which were very delicious. My entree was chicken tikka masala and I was very happy with it.
I appreciated that we were there for a long time (watching many others come and go!), sharing stories and laughs, and that didn't seem to bother the staff a bit. They were all-around very accommodating.
Del Posto, 85 10th Ave., Manhattan
Pat and I love high-end restaurants, but we don't splurge all that often. One of the things we love about New York is the endless low- to mid-priced restaurant options. Last weekend, however, some foodie friends visited and we were delighted to make our first visit to one of NYC's best restaurants, Del Posto, in the Meatpacking District. It was a hell of a great evening, lasting almost 4 hours! The menu has five- and seven-course price fixe options and we chose the former. Some of the courses you choose individually and some as a table. Literally all of it was marvelous.
I had a lobster and seaweed appetizer that featured a veritable mound of lobster meat chunks. Our collective first course of a pasta filled with oozing taleggio was perhaps a little one-note but at the same time so divine, I could have stopped there and been content. It was followed by more pasta and by the time I got to my main course, a seafood soup, I was dismayed to find I was already full! I couldn't finish it, and barely touched its interesting accompaniment, a toast with shrimp. Man, just the thought of seeing all those succulent shrimp come and go, uneaten, makes me grieve a little.
Our waiter was quite charming, an older gentleman whose ability to deliver exactly what we needed was gracefully natural. There were calls to take him home with us.
Obviously I was not drinking so I will have to blame the very late hour, and the fact that my stomach was no doubt diverting blood from my brain, for my inability to remember what exactly I ate for dessert. I do remember that I finished it and it was great. Also we were treated to a little cheese grater drawer filled with miniature sweets inside and on top, and I ate those too, goshdarnit. Make no mistake, Del Posto is expensive. But for a special occasion, it was worth it.
I had a lobster and seaweed appetizer that featured a veritable mound of lobster meat chunks. Our collective first course of a pasta filled with oozing taleggio was perhaps a little one-note but at the same time so divine, I could have stopped there and been content. It was followed by more pasta and by the time I got to my main course, a seafood soup, I was dismayed to find I was already full! I couldn't finish it, and barely touched its interesting accompaniment, a toast with shrimp. Man, just the thought of seeing all those succulent shrimp come and go, uneaten, makes me grieve a little.
Our waiter was quite charming, an older gentleman whose ability to deliver exactly what we needed was gracefully natural. There were calls to take him home with us.
Obviously I was not drinking so I will have to blame the very late hour, and the fact that my stomach was no doubt diverting blood from my brain, for my inability to remember what exactly I ate for dessert. I do remember that I finished it and it was great. Also we were treated to a little cheese grater drawer filled with miniature sweets inside and on top, and I ate those too, goshdarnit. Make no mistake, Del Posto is expensive. But for a special occasion, it was worth it.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Asian Fusion on Stone St., 11 Stone St., Manhattan
You learned from my last post that Pat and I have been on a fruitless hunt for top-notch Thai within delivery distance. I was once again underwhelmed by our delivery from Asian Fusion, in the Financial District, but Pat thought it was pretty good, and suggested that perhaps my tastebuds remain warped by pregnancy. It is possible.
In any case, I was looking for more of a sweet/sour taste from the pad thai with shrimp, although in all other respects in was fine. As far as the Pad See Eue with chicken, this hit the spot because it was ridiculously greasy, and the flavor was good. I (or the fetus?) was in the mood for grease. It is not something I look for frequently. I'm not sure where that leaves us.
In any case, I was looking for more of a sweet/sour taste from the pad thai with shrimp, although in all other respects in was fine. As far as the Pad See Eue with chicken, this hit the spot because it was ridiculously greasy, and the flavor was good. I (or the fetus?) was in the mood for grease. It is not something I look for frequently. I'm not sure where that leaves us.
22 Thai Cuisine, 22 Maiden Lane, Manhattan
The Financial District's 22 Thai Cuisine slide a menu under our door one day and we fell for the ploy, ordering from them via Seamless. We're always in search of that elusive, superior Thai restaurant. 22 Thai Cuisine is not it.
The Pad See Ew had an overpowering sauce flavored like soy sauce. The panang curry with chicken was blah.
I despair of ever finding that perfect Thai restaurant within delivery distance.
The Pad See Ew had an overpowering sauce flavored like soy sauce. The panang curry with chicken was blah.
I despair of ever finding that perfect Thai restaurant within delivery distance.
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