Picking up where I left off...
Remember...I was in NYC last week...
By Wednesday things were getting done and it was starting to come together...just not quickly enough and most of that because of the inevitable "hurry up and wait" on the contractors. Lots of excuses/ineptitude made it all the more frustrating because WE had our game ON! It became clear that I was gonna have to hold over for a day and arrangements were made by early Thursday.
At lunch we walked a dew blocks to a nifty little pan-Asian place called Kelly & Ping where I had a luscious noodle bowl with DUCK! Duck broth, chunks of duck, mushrooms, wonton, egg noodles and greens (bok-choy if I am not mistaken). Add a ginger beer to that and you have a happy John. Sam's "lunch box" is seen behind my bowl.
After lunch was a bit mellower, but still a lot of waiting. By the end of the day, we'd managed to get a lot of BIG things out of the way and wound things up a few minutes before I needed to leave for my dinner with friends. For those of you who are familiar with Anthony Bourdain, you'll know that PRUNE is a favorite of his. It's a tiny place so reservations are always recommended!
Rick and Rachael, friends from New Haven, made the afternoon train into town so that the three of us could experience this (made me sad that my
weremonkey could not join us). I arrived a few minutes early after a brisk walk from Soho to the Lower East Side and was greeting my friends soon after. We were a little early, but they were able to seat us right away. YAY! Rick and Rachael mugging for the camera...
Boy...JACKPOT! We started with some small plates...shrimp toast (ok, but not my favorite), grilled lamp sausages (amazing...and almost gone by the time I remembered to take a picture) and radishes with butter and coarse salt. The radishes were a total surprise and one of my favorite dishes.
But next...yeah, I ordered the marrow bone! We also ordered veal hearts, a big grilled sea bass and a delicious potato/cabbage concoction. The marrow bone was...very subtle. Not sure that it was what I expected and I would not choose to have it on a regular basis, but it was heartily enjoyed by all of us. The veal hearts...tasted like beef. A little iron-rich, but not quite the adventure that I'd hoped for. The Sea Bass was very tasty, but I am not the seafood type. The potato dish was delish.
What a grand restaurant! But wait, there's more! DESSERT! Steamed lemon pudding with blueberries and RICOTTA ice cream with caramel croutons and caramel sauce. The former delicious, the latter AMAZING! The ice cream was satiny in texture and the croutons were sweet/savory and managed to stay crispy...while they lasted. Oy vey, my heart...
Our time together was too short as they needed to get the train back to CT. We headed for the subway and I rode along with them even though I should have taken the C train. A quick hug goodbye @ 42nd street and I traveled solo to 59th where I got off and walked across town and ultimately along Central Park arriving @ Columbus Circle in about 45 minutes. It was a slightly damp, somewhat chilly walk and it was, in a word, beautiful!
Taking a break for a few minutes...stay tuned for Thursday!
By Wednesday things were getting done and it was starting to come together...just not quickly enough and most of that because of the inevitable "hurry up and wait" on the contractors. Lots of excuses/ineptitude made it all the more frustrating because WE had our game ON! It became clear that I was gonna have to hold over for a day and arrangements were made by early Thursday.
At lunch we walked a dew blocks to a nifty little pan-Asian place called Kelly & Ping where I had a luscious noodle bowl with DUCK! Duck broth, chunks of duck, mushrooms, wonton, egg noodles and greens (bok-choy if I am not mistaken). Add a ginger beer to that and you have a happy John. Sam's "lunch box" is seen behind my bowl.
After lunch was a bit mellower, but still a lot of waiting. By the end of the day, we'd managed to get a lot of BIG things out of the way and wound things up a few minutes before I needed to leave for my dinner with friends. For those of you who are familiar with Anthony Bourdain, you'll know that PRUNE is a favorite of his. It's a tiny place so reservations are always recommended!
Rick and Rachael, friends from New Haven, made the afternoon train into town so that the three of us could experience this (made me sad that my
weremonkey could not join us). I arrived a few minutes early after a brisk walk from Soho to the Lower East Side and was greeting my friends soon after. We were a little early, but they were able to seat us right away. YAY! Rick and Rachael mugging for the camera...
Boy...JACKPOT! We started with some small plates...shrimp toast (ok, but not my favorite), grilled lamp sausages (amazing...and almost gone by the time I remembered to take a picture) and radishes with butter and coarse salt. The radishes were a total surprise and one of my favorite dishes.
But next...yeah, I ordered the marrow bone! We also ordered veal hearts, a big grilled sea bass and a delicious potato/cabbage concoction. The marrow bone was...very subtle. Not sure that it was what I expected and I would not choose to have it on a regular basis, but it was heartily enjoyed by all of us. The veal hearts...tasted like beef. A little iron-rich, but not quite the adventure that I'd hoped for. The Sea Bass was very tasty, but I am not the seafood type. The potato dish was delish.
What a grand restaurant! But wait, there's more! DESSERT! Steamed lemon pudding with blueberries and RICOTTA ice cream with caramel croutons and caramel sauce. The former delicious, the latter AMAZING! The ice cream was satiny in texture and the croutons were sweet/savory and managed to stay crispy...while they lasted. Oy vey, my heart...
Our time together was too short as they needed to get the train back to CT. We headed for the subway and I rode along with them even though I should have taken the C train. A quick hug goodbye @ 42nd street and I traveled solo to 59th where I got off and walked across town and ultimately along Central Park arriving @ Columbus Circle in about 45 minutes. It was a slightly damp, somewhat chilly walk and it was, in a word, beautiful!
Taking a break for a few minutes...stay tuned for Thursday!