Okay, so it has been a little while since I posted anything, but I'm back and soon we'll all be caught up. I am in New York, of course, having made a graceful exit out of the store on a record sales day. Friends ran down the street trying to get in a quick good bye, but I wasn't having it- it was time to go! On Friday there was one last dinner at the 13 Coins Restaurant near the airport. We ate and drank until it was time for me to go to the gate, so I was with people I love until the last moment. Felt great. One of the best nights I've ever had, actually.
And now? Now my life is mostly taken up with commuting to work ( I am at a temporary office in New Jersey- this is called 'reverse commuting). I take two subways and a bus and it takes about an hour. Unless, of course, it starts to SNOW, and then it takes all damn day. Now that I have been fully immersed in the World of Snow in New York City, I have this to say: the snow in New York is exactly the same cold, white, wet powder that falls on the rest of the Earth. It is just as magical, and then, just as irritating as it is in the rest of the world. My neighborhood looks a little prettier than others because I face Central Park, and that's very pretty. Otherwise, it's alot like living in Russia. We are all wearing every article of clothing we own, much of it is at least ten years old and very unfashionable. We all have the same grim, determined look on our face as we march off to the Gulag, otherwise known as the subway. The long, shadowy concrete tunnels that connect Manhattan's subway stops are lit by long tubes of florescent lights, or, occasionally a lone single bulb swaying in the breeze. There are eerie sounds, too- whistling winds, random screams and shouts, and the roar of the trains. Sounds like prison to me! I have been on the perpetual lookout for the 'Subway People'- you know-the ones that supposedly live under the subway tracks, but so far, nothing. Thank goodness! In addition to the Proletariat- style weather and clothing, there is the inevitable potato knish, the official cold weather street snack of New York. See, whenit snows, the pizza guys and the hot dog guys all have the sense to pack it in, but the knish people quickly replace them. You stand in a long line, curious to see what it is that so many people are huddling around for. once you are in front of the cart, you are given a waxed paper bag and you give them a dollar. The bag contains a knish- something that I have long fantasized about. After all, it consists of two of my favorite things:potato and pastry, and combines them into what I was sure was going to be an orgasmic treat. Well, here's the rub: they give it to you COLD! That's right- cold mashed potatoes in a soggy, crumbling crust with no seasoning. This is what we were waiting for? Yikes!
Fortunately, a gal like me has other dining options, so I'll forgive New York the knish and get to the business of desribing Union Square Cafe, one of Danny Meyer's restaurants. This charming spot looks like " Trattoria meets Spanish Villa"- it is three stories, has large square ceramic floor tiles, a mix of Important Modern Art, white linens and tiny chairs. I couldn't tell you for sure what is on the menu because it was too dark to read it. I ordered the first thing I could see, which was rack of lamb. It was beautiful. My dining companion had the special, Lobster Pot Pie, which was also glorious, although it was a nightmare to pick out a wine for this meal. We decided to drink the best wine on the list, which in our opinion was the 1994 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. So good, we drank TWO bottles- never a good idea but a common pitfall once you get rolling it is hard to stop .I really think that all fine wine shoud come in a one-liter bottle- it's just a better size!
Duty calls- there's no easy way to say 'that's all for now' , but there you have it. Tomorrow I go to Jean Georges!!!
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