dating in NY is a tricky activity. on-line and app dating even more so. if you make it over the initial hurdles of initiating conversations and maintaining a level of interest in someone that you have yet to meet (and i am a lazy texter and e-mailer. i text and e-mail the bare minimum to my friends, let alone a complete stranger), the next obstacle is the first in-person meeting. you negotiate about activity (drinks, dinner, coffee, museum, park, movie), then the location (public of course, but where? east side, west side, uptown, downtown. we all inevitably want something convenient to us).
more often than not, i tend to pick Union Square as a primary option, due to its key access to numerous subways and close train ride to my apartment. but there's only so many dates you can have at Coffeeshop or Lillie's or Rye House. so i'll throw a new option into the mix: Linen Hall.
to give you a little more background, my date was on a saturday night at 8 p.m. Linen Hall is on located on the stretch of 3rd Avenue that it littered with bar and restaurant options. but if you're looking for something in a more general, all-American theme, then look no further.
the place has the old-fashioned wood bar with dark ambient lighting, so a great set-up for a date. not too crowded in the early stages of a saturday night. my date and i both got good seats at the bar, and comfortably enjoyed them for about 3 hours before the place started to get into full-swing saturday night in the east village. attentive bartenders and not too loud. just loud enough for you and your date to lean in and talk to each other, without having to shout.
and if it's food you're looking for, the menu has a nice variety to satisfy any food craving (assuming you're not looking for fancy crudos or upscale dining). my date and i only snacked, but the Disco Fries ($7) we ordered were the perfect bar fodder: crispy waffle fries topped with melted cheddar cheese with a hot side of gravy for dipping. i may not know what the future holds for me and my date, but i know he will always remember those fries. he actually told me so 2 days after our date.
Sunday, November 30
Friday, November 14
feeling French
BlackSesame and I always try and find interesting and good meal deals so we can try out restaurants that we may not usually go to. this time, i had purchased a Travelzoo voucher for Mon Petit Cafe, which is a small french bistro. i mistakenly thought it was located downtown (as so many small french bistros are), but turns out it was located in midtown east, which was super convenient for me to get to after work.
when i arrived, there were mylar balloons decorating the restaurant. apparently they were celebrating their 30th anniversary and was serving their original 1984 menu, along with their regular menu. due to the voucher, i didn't get to see their original menu, but it was a great concept.
the restaurant is tiny and can get cramped very quickly, but that can sometimes be the charm of a bistro. the service was generally good, although there was a significant lag time in the arrival of our appetizers, although we had ordered before other tables that had received theirs. this hiccup aside, the service had a very homey, neighborhood feel to it.
BS and i shared appetizers of the Tartar de Thon (tuna tartar)($16) and the Escargots Maison (unshelled snails in garlic butter and Pernod) ($13). the tuna tartar was light and refreshing, with a sweet balsamic undertone. the 3 ridge chips served with it were soft and stale, so i recommend skipping those. the escargot was served piping hot, as BS quickly found out, and was very rich and savory from the garlic butter. both were good, but not particularly memorable.
for entrees, BS ordered the Hachis Parmentier de Canard (pulled duck confit with two root mashed potatoes) ($27). BS was pleasantly surprised when he found out that the 2 root mashed potatoes were regular white potatoes and a sweet potato mash. the duck is served in 2 ways, one with the regular mash and cheese on top and the other with the duck atop the mashed sweet potato. it offers a nice contrast of flavor, and, if you didn't know the dish was to be served that way, a very nice palate surprise. the duck was also very tender and aptly described as pulled duck confit. the only thing i would note is that as an entree, this could be considered a little heavy, and the sweetness of the duck's flavor may become overwhelming over time.
i ordered the Steak Frites (grilled NY Strip Steak with a choice of sauce and fries)($30) and opted for the bearnaise sauce (go big=go fat for me). this ended up being very very good. the steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and was the right amount of tenderness. the bearnaise sauce was served on the side, which allowed me to choose exactly how much, or how little, i wanted with my steak and fries. the fries came unsalted, but that was easily remedied by the small salt shaker available on the table. overall, this was the surprising hit of the night for me. usually, Steak Frites can be throw-away french bistro fare, done acceptably, but not well. Mon Petit Cafe did this dish very well.
all in all, including the bottle of wine, this was a very good deal for the meal we received. we both left with a fully satisfied, which doesn't always happen, unfortunately. and if ever in the neighborhood, and feeling a little french, i would consider dropping in for meal.
when i arrived, there were mylar balloons decorating the restaurant. apparently they were celebrating their 30th anniversary and was serving their original 1984 menu, along with their regular menu. due to the voucher, i didn't get to see their original menu, but it was a great concept.
the restaurant is tiny and can get cramped very quickly, but that can sometimes be the charm of a bistro. the service was generally good, although there was a significant lag time in the arrival of our appetizers, although we had ordered before other tables that had received theirs. this hiccup aside, the service had a very homey, neighborhood feel to it.
BS and i shared appetizers of the Tartar de Thon (tuna tartar)($16) and the Escargots Maison (unshelled snails in garlic butter and Pernod) ($13). the tuna tartar was light and refreshing, with a sweet balsamic undertone. the 3 ridge chips served with it were soft and stale, so i recommend skipping those. the escargot was served piping hot, as BS quickly found out, and was very rich and savory from the garlic butter. both were good, but not particularly memorable.
for entrees, BS ordered the Hachis Parmentier de Canard (pulled duck confit with two root mashed potatoes) ($27). BS was pleasantly surprised when he found out that the 2 root mashed potatoes were regular white potatoes and a sweet potato mash. the duck is served in 2 ways, one with the regular mash and cheese on top and the other with the duck atop the mashed sweet potato. it offers a nice contrast of flavor, and, if you didn't know the dish was to be served that way, a very nice palate surprise. the duck was also very tender and aptly described as pulled duck confit. the only thing i would note is that as an entree, this could be considered a little heavy, and the sweetness of the duck's flavor may become overwhelming over time.
i ordered the Steak Frites (grilled NY Strip Steak with a choice of sauce and fries)($30) and opted for the bearnaise sauce (go big=go fat for me). this ended up being very very good. the steak was cooked perfectly medium rare and was the right amount of tenderness. the bearnaise sauce was served on the side, which allowed me to choose exactly how much, or how little, i wanted with my steak and fries. the fries came unsalted, but that was easily remedied by the small salt shaker available on the table. overall, this was the surprising hit of the night for me. usually, Steak Frites can be throw-away french bistro fare, done acceptably, but not well. Mon Petit Cafe did this dish very well.
all in all, including the bottle of wine, this was a very good deal for the meal we received. we both left with a fully satisfied, which doesn't always happen, unfortunately. and if ever in the neighborhood, and feeling a little french, i would consider dropping in for meal.
Tuesday, August 5
something sweet and salty
i'm supposed to be watching what i eat.
and for the most part, i have. but on a recent lazy weekend, i found myself craving something sweet. like pastry sweet. and i realized how long it's been since i indulged in a true dessert.
considering the abundance of italian bakeries in my neighborhood, i figured i'd take a leisurely stroll down court street and peek my head into the shops and see if anything hit my fancy. around 11:30 a.m. (and it took all my willpower to wait that long), i rolled out onto the sidewalk on my mission for dessert.
first i rolled past Union Market. apparently 12 pm is too early for the market to be set up. none of the free samples had been set out (i love trying out their cheeses) and the displays for each food section hadn't been set up yet. it was a little like peeking behind the curtain while a performer's getting ready.
so i moved on to Court Pastry Shop. except 12 pm is too early for this bakery as well. i always thought bakeries were open at ungodly hours of the day, but it turns out i was wrong. when i walked into this small bakery, only 2 trays of pastries were displayed, and a bunch of cookies. the pastries didn't appear very enticing, and cookies, while delicious, is no pastry substitute. so i politely smiled and meandered on my way.
almost directly across the street was Caputo's Bake Shop. would they answer my pastry prayer? alas, not. they too suffered from the late-bakery-riser-symptom. i had just exited the shop to return home, a failure when i noticed a constant and fast-moving line of people purchasing bread. so i consulted with my trusty yelp app and discovered that Caputo's is well known for their lard bread and decided to take a leap.
and what a leap it was.
although i grew up in an italian suburb of New Jersey (Sopranos was filled 1 town over from me-that's how italian it was), i'd never heard of lard bread. clearly i was missing out.
the loaf given me was still warm and slightly crispy on the outside but soft and doughy on the inside. the pieces of ham (?), bacon (?), whatever it was, gave it a perfectly salty seasoned taste to it making it great to eat on its own, or with the burrata and tomatoes i later ate it with. the whole loaf cost $4.75 and lasted me the entire weekend (well, Saturday afternoon and Sunday brunch at least).
and for the most part, i have. but on a recent lazy weekend, i found myself craving something sweet. like pastry sweet. and i realized how long it's been since i indulged in a true dessert.
considering the abundance of italian bakeries in my neighborhood, i figured i'd take a leisurely stroll down court street and peek my head into the shops and see if anything hit my fancy. around 11:30 a.m. (and it took all my willpower to wait that long), i rolled out onto the sidewalk on my mission for dessert.
so i moved on to Court Pastry Shop. except 12 pm is too early for this bakery as well. i always thought bakeries were open at ungodly hours of the day, but it turns out i was wrong. when i walked into this small bakery, only 2 trays of pastries were displayed, and a bunch of cookies. the pastries didn't appear very enticing, and cookies, while delicious, is no pastry substitute. so i politely smiled and meandered on my way.
almost directly across the street was Caputo's Bake Shop. would they answer my pastry prayer? alas, not. they too suffered from the late-bakery-riser-symptom. i had just exited the shop to return home, a failure when i noticed a constant and fast-moving line of people purchasing bread. so i consulted with my trusty yelp app and discovered that Caputo's is well known for their lard bread and decided to take a leap.
and what a leap it was.
although i grew up in an italian suburb of New Jersey (Sopranos was filled 1 town over from me-that's how italian it was), i'd never heard of lard bread. clearly i was missing out.
the loaf given me was still warm and slightly crispy on the outside but soft and doughy on the inside. the pieces of ham (?), bacon (?), whatever it was, gave it a perfectly salty seasoned taste to it making it great to eat on its own, or with the burrata and tomatoes i later ate it with. the whole loaf cost $4.75 and lasted me the entire weekend (well, Saturday afternoon and Sunday brunch at least).
Thursday, May 8
Subway Shamed
i am by no means a skinny girl. and i blame no one except myself. i don't have any reason for not being skinny except for my love of food and loathe of exercise.
but am i fat?
sometimes yes, sometimes no. (i think) every woman, at least once a week (and that's being generous), feels fat at some point. whether it's because a shirt/pant/skirt/dress is a little too tight that day, or after eating a ginormous meal, or just catching an unflattering angle in the mirror, but everyone feels a little unfabulous sometimes.
and then, other times, you just feel like a big fat heffer.
which is what happened to me this morning on the subway. there were no seats when i got on the train, so i shifted into the middle of the train and stood in front of the bench on the 4/5. within 10 seconds, a woman at the end of the bench waved at me and offered me her seat. i shook it off as someone being polite. "perhaps she's getting off at the next stop," i thought. then the gentleman next to her also offered me his seat. again, i politely rejected it, but i started to get that sinking feeling... then the skinny, 23+ year old woman sitting directly in front of me looked at me and said, "oh, here, have my seat. i'm sorry, i didn't see you."
and that's when i knew. all these people thought i was pregnant (which i am most definitely not).
by the third offer, too much attention had been drawn to me and i was too ashamed not to accept it.
but am i fat?
sometimes yes, sometimes no. (i think) every woman, at least once a week (and that's being generous), feels fat at some point. whether it's because a shirt/pant/skirt/dress is a little too tight that day, or after eating a ginormous meal, or just catching an unflattering angle in the mirror, but everyone feels a little unfabulous sometimes.
and then, other times, you just feel like a big fat heffer.
which is what happened to me this morning on the subway. there were no seats when i got on the train, so i shifted into the middle of the train and stood in front of the bench on the 4/5. within 10 seconds, a woman at the end of the bench waved at me and offered me her seat. i shook it off as someone being polite. "perhaps she's getting off at the next stop," i thought. then the gentleman next to her also offered me his seat. again, i politely rejected it, but i started to get that sinking feeling... then the skinny, 23+ year old woman sitting directly in front of me looked at me and said, "oh, here, have my seat. i'm sorry, i didn't see you."
and that's when i knew. all these people thought i was pregnant (which i am most definitely not).
by the third offer, too much attention had been drawn to me and i was too ashamed not to accept it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)