Just a Crazy, Cool, Awesome Weekend

So I spent a great weekend with my sister and nephew down in their part of NYC. It was something of a 'girls' weekend' together as my brother-in-law was business-traveling to India. So I wanted to help her out and have some fun.

Friday night got me to the city in one piece. I actually dragged my packed Vera Bradley duffel and purse and pregnant self up and down the subway stairs and to their home. I then flopped on the couch and caught my breath for the next half hour. We just relaxed Friday night - ordered in some Italian food and oohed and ahhed over my delicious nephew. He's just the smiliest baby. Seriously. He's only upset when he's a.) Hungry b.) Wet c.) Uncomfortable in some way. But he snuggled up to me all weekend and let me kiss and hug him as much as I wanted. He's also a busybody. He NEEDS to know what's going on around him. He cranes his neck to see what the ceiling has going on and looks at everybody. Too cute.

So I crashed early Friday night. Saturday we putzed around, reading the NY Times sections, poking fun at the wackos who submit their wedding photos to the "Style" section. I forgot how great the Sunday Times is, all the goodies in there. I might have to start picking it up. (Annie got those parts Saturday since she's a subscriber - what a good NYer she is!) But in reading the Book Review section I found some books to order from my library. We ventured out - chilly but sunny - and had a nice day. Brunched at Silver Spurs - a diner I've always wanted to try but never got around to. Somehow, on a Saturday at 2pm, we were seated almost immediately. I had a wrap with scrambled eggs, mozzarella, roasted tomatoes and avocado. It was the avocado that pulled me in. Delicious. Accompanied by a vanilla egg cream, the perfect brunch type dish.

Then we walked around a little, searching for the Dessert Truck. Luckily we found it. If you don't feel like following the link to find out more, it's a truck, much like an ice cream truck that is run by a former pastry chef for Le Cirque (Le Cirque!! A four-star restaurant!!!) and an MBA student from Columbia. Talent meets genius. What a brilliant idea. I had the chocolate bread pudding with the bacon creme anglaise. Annie had the chocolate cake rimmed with sea salt. It's probably the closest I will come to a 4-star meal! But it was just fun. The chocolate bread pudding was heavenly. Like a souffle.

Sunday was a nice, relaxing day as well. Just hung out kissing and hugging my nephew. We were able to get Annie a much-needed haircut. Lunch was at Southwest NY which again was tasty, but also nice and quiet - not many people there. Had the best chicken tortilla soup ever. Then home again where I relaxed a few before catching a cab back to Penn Station. A really really nice weekend. When else would I eat four-star desserts and read the Times???

Easy Like Saturday Morning

I'm cozy. I've got a warm laptop on my, well, lap. I've got two monkeys snuggled up to me. I've got a spinach and artichoke souffle from Panera Bread await me to devour it. And I've got the movie, "Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte" awaiting me to restart it. I've got a matinee in about 6 hours or so, but it seems so far away that I feel like I have a whole day to go before it comes.

I finished "Service Included" about a waiter's 2 years spent working at the famed Per Se restaurant in the Time Warner Building in Manhattan. I've been devouring food writing lately. (Yes, pun intended) It's comforting, it gives me ideas. I like reading about restaurants I will with almost certainty never step foot in or experience for myself. It gives me a little glimpse into a world that I can experience on a lesser level. A $25 three-course prix fixe dinner at Gabrielle's in Rockville Centre, NY may not be equivalent to the $250 nine-course tasting menu offered by Thomas Keller at Per Se, but for me, it's good enough.

So after finishing a book about truffles, caviar and extravagant menus, I felt it necessary to treat us to a nice breakfast. Panera may not be quail eggs in an omlete, but it's a nice way to celebrate a Saturday morning. Besides, how can you go wrong with a croissant reshaped into a bowl for eggs, spinach and artichokes?

A French, Delicious, Donald Fagen Birthday

My birthday came early this year. Two days early in the interest of being able to celebrate on the weekend. I was lavished with gifts this afternoon: Donald Fagen's "Kamakiriad" and "The Nightfly" and Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature." I'm swooning. I love it. I love how Nightfly sounds so throwback-ish - he's channeling the soft jazzy loungish sounds he grew up with in his childhood. I love how Kamakarind is this little journey. And I love how Two Against is just Steely Dan. But the best part of my gift was the card from Tommy, it always is.

Then we got all gussied up and set off for Bistro St. Germain, a French restaurant I've wanted to try since passing it while running an errand before a dinner dance 2 years ago. We drive aaallllll the way there and *POOF* it's gone! Signs removed, dusty interior. I was aghast. I had gone to the OB's office a WEEK ago which is on the same block and viewed people enjoying lunch there! So we thought quickly, and made a hasty phone call to Gabrielle's in Rockville Centre and snagged 6:15 reservations. We were told we'd be seated at the bar. (Which made me a little apprehensive but worked out nicely.) We make it to RVC (which really, is just a cute town, so I was glad we were there) were able to park and find the restaurant. It's decorated beautifully and we have a lovely, very private booth in the bar area, which is dead since it's only 6:00. It was comfortable, and when I went to the ladies' room, I noticed it was much nicer than the tables in the dining section. So we scored. It's a restaurant with a prix-fixe menu; appetizer, entree and dessert for $25. A steal, if you ask me. They had specials for which you could tack on an extra $10, or $3 for a special dessert.

I started with a delicious crabcake. It wasn't a lump crab cake, but one where the crab and stuffing were completely blended so that the cake was this moist co-mingling that was pan-grilled, so it was ensconced in a slightly crisp outside. And the "tartar" sauce it came with was very herby - more like a dressing. I was in heaven. I actually exclaimed gleefully, "This looks like something they'd make on Top Chef!" Then, for my entree, I had hangar steak grilled which was served over creamed spinach and grilled gnocchi in a bourdelaise (?) sauce - a red wine sauce. Which was savory, but not heavy. I still tasted the garlic in the spinach. The steak was buttery, it almost melted in my mouth. And the gnocchi - it soaked up the wine sauce, but still kept it's potato-ey taste. And good creamed spinach is just a naughty pleasure. I had to have 2 pieces of my steak and some of my sides wrapped up to take home for fear that I wouldn't have room for dessert. I upgraded. (Hey, it's my birthday!) A small chocolate lava cake was presented to me. It was delicious. A crisp, but not hard outside hiding the treasure of gooey chocolate on the inside. Even Tommy, who's so not a chocolate guy took a taste and got wide-eyed. You know it's good when it's rich but not off-putting. It was a perfect meal. The service was great, the restaurant is beautiful and it's a great value if you want something a wee bit more special - exactly what a birthday dinner should be.