Gotham Gal

Seasonal

My Mom went to the Seasonal restaurant for dinner and raved.  Needing a place to eat in that neighborhood, as friends came from the UWS, we figured this was mid-point from my neck of the woods.  Seasonal has opened to great reviews and I completely understand why.

Not sure I get the location as I get a little bit foggy above 23rd street.  A clean chic restaurant serving modern Austrian fare.  With a modern environment comes modern food.  A nice long sleek bar to the right when you walk in with about 10 seats.  Light colored wood, small booths, lots of low light, creates an austere yet warm vibe.

The wine list by the glass ( small carafe ) is really great.  Many Austrian wines which you rarely see on a menu in such depth.  There is a tasting menu as well and many appetizers and main courses to choose from. 

Although I did not eat a lot, what I did eat was delicious, well thought out and brilliantly prepared.  I started out with the Ziegenkase Salat.  Pumpkin seed crusted goat cheese sitting at the bottom of a white porcelain bowl with a wide brim.  Over that was a mixture of fresh greens and tiny sliced salted baked yellow and red baby beets with a shallot elderflower dressing.  A wonderful refreshing combination of flavors. 

For a second course, I went with another appeitzer.  Too late too consume a lot of food.  I had the Schweinebauch.  A heavily scored pork belly confit with a crispy flavorful skin on top of a confit with braised spring onions sitting in a riesling caraway jus that was foamy (the nouvelle cooking coming out).  It was excellent.

The bread at the table was also hard to resist with a pumpkin seed butter.  The mise bouche was a thin sliced piece of salmon wrapped with some chopped tomatoes.  All good.  There was even a small dessert plate that came out for a taste.  One walnut pastry, and a light lemon filled cake.  Each the size of a thumb nail.  Delicious.

If it definitely a restaurant I will return to and try other things.  Good to know about in a neighborhood where I am generally at a loss if I need to find a good restaurant.  Also, the chef came over and asked us how everything was.  He was later hanging by the bar when we left and made sure to wish us good bye.  Near enough to City Center to make the short walk.  I will be back. 

I promise

Went out to the Hamptons this weekend.  Just so nice being out there and relaxing.  I made 27 jars of Strawberry Jam which is always a treat.  When I go out there for a short period of time, like 2 days, I find we just go out to eat because it is easier.  I am looking ahead to the summer months and plan on spending long extended periods of time out there, cooking.

This weekend, food wise, we hit up 3 different places.  Rowdy Hall, which happens to be really good and probably one of my favorite places out there because my expectation is always low and they make a fantastic burger.  We also went to Nick and Toni's.  Walking in reminded me of why we don't go there.  The scene is not one I enjoy.  I could be on the Upper East side of NYC.  Also, if you aren't in the know, they really don't take care of you.  The food is mediocre.  We even had one of the things I think they make best which is the whole fish and it just was okay.  The salad, escarole, large beans and a pistachio dressing was nothing to write home about.  We opted for dessert, a pecan/pine nut tart which was so sweet it was too sweet.  This morning we went to Babbette's for brunch.  Ridiculously overpriced and not good.  Big omelette's, crappy coffee, sour orange juice and bad tasting turkey sausages on the side.  Get this, 3 omelette's, 1 cup of OJ, 2 coffees and 2 double expressos ( the coffee was undrinkable) and a side of turkey sausage.... $100 with tip.  Insane.

I have ranted on this before.  Josh said it best, overpriced mediocre food defines the Hamptons.  I am only committing to a few places to eat out there.  Clam Bar, La Fondita, Mary's Marvelous for muffins, Goldbergs for bagels/flagels, Hampton Chutney, Rowdy Hall ( after the movies ) and perhaps a once year summer stop at Dave's Grill.  I might give the new Mezzaluna a try when and if it opens and on occasion Meeting House if I am forced to. 

Otherwise, I really need to either starve or fire up the grill.

Eric Lewis at Stephen Talkhouse

Growing up, I took about 8 years of piano lessons.  I also took guitar lessons and taught guitar lessons to little kids in HS for some extra cash.  I can actually still play both and once a summer, I do grab a guitar and strum along on the beach, generally alcohol induced.  As a kid and an adult, I always find that I am drawn to the music and have a hard time remembering a lyric. 

I made (yes made) all the kids take some type of musical instrument growing up.  Jessica stuck with piano for many years (had a year of guitar in there somewhere) but made a decision herself that she really didn't care about it after 5 years.  Totally respect that.  Emily took everything from violin, guitar and piano and had little interest.  Josh took drums ( piano for a brief moment in time ) and has really stuck with the drums and enjoys it.  My Grandfather, on my father's side, who I never got the opportunity to meet as he died when my Dad was about 13, was a composer.  He actually hung out with Gershwin and wrote stuff.  His parents were not that into that career move and pushed him to become a lawyer.  At least that is the family lore.  I have seen some of his music that he wrote which is quite cool.  So, who knows where that gene pool might show up one day.  So far, I am not seeing it in Jessica and Emily and not convinced that Josh has it either.

Although I took lessons all those years, I lost my enthusiasm when I started meeting people where the   ability to play music just came naturally.  I do believe that playing an instrument is more difficult and more of an art than singing because you either have a great voice or you don't.  Yes, I still prefer going to concerts when there is a voice involved but this weekend we went to see Eric Lewis at Stephen Talkhouse ( the best venue in the Hamptons). 

Eric, basically plays popular music that he likes and creates his own interpretation with a jazz twist.  He had 3 other performers with him on Saturday night.  A violinist ( who was unbelievable ), a guitar player and a drummer who also played the trombone.  What is just incredible about all of these performers and particularly Eric is that the music lives inside them.   You can watch them just hear the music in their head and start to jam out.  My guess is that they rarely play anything the same way twice.  It is completely free form.  Lewis is a master of the piano.  It as if he is in a trance while he plays.

Total respect and appreciation for the music they perform.  It is people like Lewis and his group that made me stop playing.  Perhaps it is the competitive nature in my me when I realized that I could never just free form like this because the music isn't living inside me.  I wish it was but I really believe that is something, like a fantastic set of pipes, that you are just born with.

Another culture day

Culture Day has become an annual outing with me and the kids that we do the day after school ends.  We generally hit up 2 museums and a few exhibits, have a nice lunch and then Fred meets us for another excellent meal at dinner.  We have now been doing this for about 8 years.  The day began when I realized that even though we live in the city, the kids day to day gets bogged down with school, sports, friends, etc., and they really don't get to experience one of the beautiful things about living in NYC.  So, I created culture day.

A few things have come out of the day.  One is that the girls (more than Josh but I assume that has to do with age) have really pursued culture on their own.  They go to exhibits that interest them whenever they can.  Josh even created a culture day for him and his friend this past fall.  That is really rewarding to see each of them have an interest in the arts.

This year, I believe the kids really did culture day to just make me happy.  Maybe it is like this for everyone but for me, it is as if I just woke up and my kids were in a completely different world.  As we raised them to be completely independent, make their own choices, question authority, work hard, etc., and also created an environment to be open, transparent and honest about what is happening in their lives with us.  It really has happened but in some ways I feel as if I have been lost in the dust.  I enjoyed the life where we were like 5 peas in a pod.  Believe me, I have no interest in returning to the days when the kids were younger but I am in the stage where I need to adjust.  Not sure what that adjustment is.  I feel as if I am walking on egg shells.

There are times when I look around and think, wow, I have just spent the last 18 years keeping focused on everyone but myself.  That isn't completely true because I certainly have a lot of stuff happening but perhaps not enough.  A few years ago, a very good friend recommended that I start looking at my day to day and giving each segment a color.  So, put in Green for the family stuff, Red for the kids stuff, Blue for my stuff, etc., and see where the majority of my time is spent.  It was pretty enlightening.  I spent a lot of time on family and bullshit so I started to make changes so that I did not find myself with a huge hole in my life down the line. 

This years culture day, was so different than the past.  Neither good nor bad, just different.  Everyone is what we wanted them to be, their own person.  Maybe at the point where everyone really comes into their own is just a time when everyone figures out how to embrace each other while still maintaining their individuality.  I respect that completely.  Just interesting to experience and watch.  Lonely on one hand but certainly wonderful on the other.

So, in a quick upshot on what we did as I rambled on, we hit up the MOMA and the MET.  I took the kids to see an exhibit at the MOMA I had already seen, Selections from the Judith Rothschild Foundation of Contemporary Drawings.  It was even better the second time around.  An incredible exhibit of drawings of many artists that generally do not use that medium.  We also checked out the Music, Side 2.  Two rooms devoted to the origins of punk rock with music, art and such.  Very cool.  We lunched at the Grilll Room at the Modern which is always good and a nice treat.  Then then headed up to the MET.  The Francis Bacon retrospective is also excellent.  Simply done, big haunting paintings tied to different segments of Bacon's life.  We also checked out the Pictures Generation which captures the art emerging from 1974-1984.  My friend, who owns a gallery, said that this exhibit is really meaningful and it is.  Then we made our way to Yasuda for dinner with Fred.  It poured all day so I got a car service to schlep us around town so I didn't have to hear the complaints.  It was the way to go.

All and all, a nice day, but a confirmation of movement in all our lives. 

Minetta Tavern

I used to walk by Minetta Tavern daily when walking with the kids to school.  Total old school tavern.  Always open and always some form of drinking going on.  The ownership changed hands after god knows how many years and now Keith McNally has added Minetta Tavern to his downtown empire. 

When I first read about the transition taking place, I didn't jump in quick enough to get a reservation.  Jessica did and loved the place.  Last night, I got the opportunity to finally go.  First of all, I have watched McNally's empire grow as other NYers.  Each restaurant is a tad different but all genius and all packed.  There isn't a McNally restaurant that I don't like.  The food is always good and some dishes are fantastic.   As my best friend is gallivanting around Paris this week, I felt like I got my fix last night at Minetta. 

The place is packed to the brim.  Small and old school.  Although the menu reminds me of an old time Parisian bistro the vibe is something out of either 1940's Paris or 1940's Berlin.  The walls are packed with old black and whites from the original owner, Mr. Minetta himself.  A long bar on the left when you enter the long corridor with seats on the right.  The back room opens up with a fresco on the upper wall.  The kitchen has a window that just lets you know where the chefs are. 

The food is really good.  We started with the bone marrow.  2 long split bones, makes it easier to scoop up the marrow, served alongside a small bowl of chopped sauteed onions and crisp thinly sliced long baguette pieces.  Your cholesterol level shoots up through the roof but it is a very decadent delicious dish.  We also split a special of the evening which was thinly sliced white fish and tuna over asparagus and shaved mushrooms.  It paled in comparison to the marrow.

For dinner, although I was tempted to order the burger ( gives me another reason to return ), I went with the NY Strip.  It is a huge piece of meat, a tad salty but perfectly cooked and so flavorful.  Fred went with the special of veal sausage that was really good and like an old school French dish. 

We just split a small order of sorbets for dinner.  Not a lot of food which is a direction I need to start going in.  There is no doubt that I will returning and hopefully when it is a little less crowded this summer.  My only issue is the noise level is through the roof.  Even our server had a hard time hearing us. We all noted that it would have been nicer to see each other in a quiet setting.  We will get together this summer when the only noise might be the crashing of the waves in the background. 

Minetta, another winner ( no surprises ) for Keith McNally. 

The Highline

 Last night we went to the First Party on the Highline.  It was a fundraiser, which will happen annually, in order to raise funds to maintain the Highline  The room was packed.

We have been involved with the Highline for the past few years.  I remember going up there, entering near the Jacob Javits Center, on a cold day about 3 years or more ago.  At this point, we were asked not to take pictures or blog about what we were seeing.  Even as a rundown railway that had been basically left by the city to rot, it was still inspiring to think about what this could become.  To walk above the city and get that birds eye view was incredible.  Both Fred and I knew immediately this was something we had to support.

Walking around the Highline last night, in the dark, was just beautiful.  Joshua David and Robert Hammond were the dreamers behind this project.  They took a dilapidated train track that was just begging to be ripped down and converted it not only in to a beautiful park but a piece of New York City that will be here for generations to come and share.  It is unbelievable that they were able to get it done.  In a city that can sometimes be overwhelming, daunting and full of ridiculous red tape, they were able to literally change the neighborhoods of the West side between 14th and soon up to the Jacob Javits Center.  You really can't appreciate the significance of what they have done and created until you take a stroll up to the Highline.  It is really incredible.

Besides the Highline there were a few things about last night that were great.  We had a fun table.  The people watching, particularly the women's outfits and shoes, were a serious treat.  But as we were walking out from Chelsea Piers to stroll over the Highline, I saw Danny DeVito standing alone tapping out a message on his iPhone.  I walked up to him and asked if I could be his stalker of the evening.  He replied, as he looked up at me.  (keep in mind that I am only 5'3 and was wearing flats ) and said, I always had a thing for taller women.  I asked him if he twittered, he said he didn't.  I said, you should.  He lives in LA and grew up in NJ but somehow was there last night. which I questioned him on.  He liked the Highline.  It was a hilarious interaction, at least for me.

Grain salad

I love a good salad and am always making new ones.  I had something similar to this the other day and tried to recreate it for dinner.  It is really simple and tasty.  I made this for 4 people as a side.

1 cup of farro ( or more depending on how many people )
1 bunch of asparagus, cleaned and cut into 1/4" slices
Ricotta Salata cheese, shaved
1 lemon
olive oil

Cook the farro in advance and let it cool.  1 cup of farro to 2 cups of water.  Make it like rice.  Toss in a tad of red wine vinegar when done and let cool.  When the asparagus is cleaned and cut, toss in boiling water for about 2 minutes and drain, rinse with cold water.  Mix the asparagus with the farro.  Shave some ricotta salata cheese over the top.  How ever much you want.  Squeeze a lemon and put in a little bit of olive oil and of course kosher salt to taste.  I like it lemony so I used an entire lemon but it is purely your taste.

Enjoy.  If I had fava beans or even edaname, I would have added that in too.  This is a great base for a summer salad.  I had it at the restaurant with some tiny squares of red and yellow beets too but Fred and Josh don't like beets so I passed.

 

Museum and a few movies

Yesterday we made our way uptown to the New York Historical Society.  I put on an event there many years ago and have always been a fan of the building and their mission.  They basically present programs and collect information that is dedicated to the history of New York City.  I am sure they have a treasure trove of goodies in their basement. 

The exhibit we went to see was called Harlem In Transition.  Photographs by Camilo Jose Vergara who has been photographing Harlem for about 40 years.  He has documented areas with before and after pictures.  For instance, he had taken one picture, the same angle and same spot on the corner of East 165th Street in 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2006.  Those aren't the exact dates but you get the gist.  It is really unbelievable how Harlem has changed over time.  The violence of the 70's to Clinton moving his office there after his presidency.  An exhibit really worth seeing.

Then we made our way downtown and caught 2 movies.  Away We Go directed by Sam Mendes.  A very cute indie film about a couple who are about to have their first baby as they go in search of the right place to put down their roots.  The relationship between the couple is really wonderful although many of their friends are wacky.  John Krasinkski and Maya Randolph play the couple but some of the stand out performances were small roles played by Jeff Daniels and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The other film we saw was Hangover.  Fred and I roared through the entire film.  I think it is the best of this genre.  Better than Knocked Up, Forty Year Old Virgin, etc.  I can't even come up with my favorite scene because there are so many.  Make sure to stay through the credits.  I am laughing just thinking about some of the scenes right now.  I'd even consider seeing it again.  Totally hilarious. 

Wallse, Lupa and La Esquina

Friday night we walked over to Wallse and had dinner.  During the warmer months, they put small tables outside for parties of 2 - 4.  It was a beautiful night.  Also, that particular corner (Washington and 11th) is quiet with just a few people strolling around which makes it even better.

I have always been a big fan of Wallse and last night was just as good if not better.  First of all, Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed ( who are big regulars ) were sitting a few seats down from us.  Even though I live in NYC, seeing the local celebs is always an added bonus.  What can I say? 

I had lightly roasted asparagus with a very light vinaigrette with chopped shallots and tiny peas on top.  Next to this on the plate was a small round portion of chopped tuna tartare.  Simple, delicious and perfect for the weather.  For a main course, I had 2 deep fried soft shell crabs with a mango salsa.  Absolutely perfect.  Fred and our friend had a poached tail of lobster in a rich almost sweet tasting cherry broth.  It was like having dinner and dessert at the same time.  Not a big portion but perfect for how rich lobster is.  We bagged dessert but they brought out chocolate dusted almonds and 3 tiny squares of layered chocolate cake.  I could go back again tonight.

After the movies on Saturday night, we walked over to Lupa.  Fred loves Lupa and I know many others who do but I have never been that wowed.  We sat at the bar.  The Saturday night crowd is interesting.  I am not sure how many people there actually are from the city but more tourists and people in for the night on the town.  Interesting.  During the week it is probably a tad different.  Regardless, we had some really excellent things and some okay things.

We began with a combo of appetizers.  A small plate of prosciutto which was out of this world, a bowl of sliced octopus with a spicy creamy sauce which was also excellent.  The last antipasti we had was artichoke halves with a mint and citrus coating.  This didn't wow me.  We split the special pasta.  A duck ragu over spaghetti which was excellent.  Lots of flavor and chunks of pulled braised duck breast.  We also split the skate for last which didn't knock me out.  I have always thought the key to Lupa is the pastas and antipasti.  They also have a great selection of wine by the carafe.

Lunch today we in Soho.  We dined outside at La Esquina.  The tacos and upstairs menu is the best part.  I wouldn't eat downstairs in the dungeon but stick to the upstairs.  They also have a nice cafe on the side of the building now and you can also take out.  I had a chicken salad, mexican style.  The boys had tacos.  The food is okay but sitting outside on the street and watching the world go by is always a delight.

Sesame Crusted Tuna

This months Food and Wine is a good one (July).  A variety of recipes from their pick of new chefs.  Hosea Rosenberg, Top Chef champ, shared one of his all time favorite recipes.  I made it this week with just a few changes. 

vegetable oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced ginger
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbsp. mirin
2 tbsp. white
1 tbsp. Sriracha chile sauce ( great thing to keep in your refrigerator at all times )
1 cup heavy cream
6  - 6 ounce 1 " thick tuna steaks
1/2 cup sesame seeds (roasted or plain)

In a saucepan, cover the bottom of the pan with oil (not too thick).  Add the ginger and onion and cook over a medium heat until softened.  Add the vinegar, oj, mirin, wine and chili sauce until the liquid is almost evaporated.  About 10 minutes.  Add the cream and simmer until reduced in half and gets a tad thick.  Strain the sauce, season with salt and pepper, return to the pan.  Keep warm until serving.

Season the tuna with salt and pepper and coat the sides with sesame seeds.  In a nonstick skillet, coat the bottom with vegetable oil, and add the tuna when the oil is hot.  Let the tuna sit for about 2-3 minutes, flip and then do the other side.  Slice the tuna about 1/3 " thick before serving.

Vegetable Stir Fry

1/8 cup of vegetable oil
2 tbsp. sesame oil
6 ounces of sugar snap peas cut into thin matchstick pieces ( about 2 cups )
2 small carrots cut into matchstick pieces
1 red pepper cut into matchstick pieces
1/2 yellow onion (use the other half from above) thinly sliced
1 small zucchini cut into small matchsticks
4 scallions thinly sliced
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. orange juice

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil and sesame oil.  When hot, add all the vegetables, stir fry for about 3-5 minutes or how crisp you want your vegetables.  Add the rice vinegar and orange juice, continue to stir for about 2 more minutes.  Serve.

On the plate is the veggies, white rice, tuna and the sauce.  The sauce was delicious and there is more than you need so keep it for further meals.