Country Roads Take Me Home

Well it's been over a month so it's about time I write about our 5 day get away to Virginia and West Virginia.

We headed out early Wednesday morning on the train to Charlottesville, Virginia. We arrived in the early afternoon and picked up our rental car. We don't have AAA any more, so we had to head to a gas station to get a map of the area. The rental car place handed us some kind of cartoon style map that wasn't going to get us across the street without getting lost! The weather was cool and rainy, but we didn't care - we were headed to West Virginia.

A few hours later we pulled in to the Lewisburg Super 8. We headed to the small downtown to find a place to eat. We had dinner at the Stardust Cafe, from the outside it looked like a typical diner - on the inside it was a very nice little bistro. It was lit with low lights and lots of candles. The menu was surprisingly sophisticated. Michael had this amazing Mediterranean salad that was served with rice.

Thursday morning (after biscuits and gravy at Bob Evans) we headed to the Greenbrier Resort. This is the home of the now decommissioned secret Congressional fallout shelter. (I think they are still doing secret stuff there, you can't take photos on the tour and the mysterious CSXIP company has blocked off many areas for private business, supposedly data storage - but that just sounds like a cover to me.)

The resort is very old and prestigious. The decor was over the top, and in some ways it reminded me of Hotel Del Coronado - just older elegance that isn't quite in fashion now, but you appreciate it's beauty and style regardless.

We started the day with the Bunker Tour. It was really fascinating to see how it was built and maintained. Parts of the bunker were actually used during conventions as exhibition space - so quite brilliantly some of the bunker was actually hidden in plain sight. It makes me wonder where the bunker is now, and what about the Presidential bunker - where is that hidden?

After the tour we explored the hotel. It was raining and pretty chilly, so we skipped walking the extensive grounds and just roamed the halls. Of course I had to check out a ladies room - the photos below are the 'sitting room' area.

And the best part, no paper hand towels - just nice thick cloth towels stacked neatly by the sink.

We left the Greenbrier and headed to Lexington, Virginia. Lexington set us up for a nice drive through the Blue Ridge Parkway Friday morning. We took our time driving to Lexington and drove on small back roads whenever possible. One of our favorite sights was an outhouse with the Confederate flag attached to one side. We didn't stop for a photo because I was afraid we might get shot - but it gave us a good laugh.

Downtown Lexington has that typical small town charm - cute store fronts that all close by 5pm. It would be a great place for a movie, since all of the businesses close so early you could film without disrupting business.

We found a pretty tasty spot for dinner, The Southern Inn. This time I won the meal lottery and my dinner was better than Michael's - a caprese sandwich with delicious fresh mozzarella cheese. After dinner we headed to Walmart and then the pool at the Sleep Inn. It was great - they had an indoor heated pool with spa that we had to ourselves all night.

In the morning we started our day with a hearty meal at Waffle House. I love Waffle House, we ate there several times when driving across country on the college graduation trip. The food is simple, good, and cheap - I had the fabulous pecan waffle, just as good as I remember. I could eat like that every morning (of course I would weigh 300 pounds, but I don't like to think about that side of Waffle House).

From Waffle House we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway - it's a two lane road that winds the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountain range. The scenery was breath taking. The weather was clearing we had blue skies and views for miles.

Very often we were the only car on the road. We had a pretty loose time line, so we pulled over at just about every lookout or view point.

This spot was beautiful - it told the story of the old logging railroad that used to run through the area. Luckily they had lots of signage to let you know spots with great views or historical significance.

The tracks don't go anywhere now, but they make for some great photos.

Farther along the trail these stairs took you up to a small creek and waterfall. I was hiking around in my Prada flats, so I wasn't too adventurous (you can take me to the country but I'm still all city).

Of course Michael used his new camera with the super zoom to get some fantastic shots of the scenery.

We exited the Blue Ridge Parkway in the early afternoon.

And wandered through some of the vineyards (and tasting rooms) in Western Virginia.

We tasted some really good wines. Some of the tasting rooms were small and well established while some were brand new and obviously built to also hold events like parties and weddings. All of them had a nice variety of wines available for tasting and the staff was very knowledgeable about what they were pouring. We came home with a few new bottles for the wine rack.

Friday afternoon we took the late tour of Monticello - home of Thomas Jefferson.

His home was an architectural masterpiece and a well designed working farm. Thomas Jefferson was incredibly well read and educated, he spoke 5 languages and when the British burned down the Library of Congress in 1812 he donated his 7,000 volume private library to begin building the new Library of Congress. For anyone that thinks our president should be a 'common man' - look at our founding fathers, they were the smartest most well educated men at the time and I think they did a pretty good job establishing the framework for our nation. (OK, I'm off my soapbox for now....)

Monticello had beautiful grounds that not only had tons of beautiful flowering plants but acres of vegetable and fruit gardens.

Saturday morning we met up with Michael's friend Bill and went to USC's first game of the football season vs the University of Virginia.

While picture was takeon on the UVA campus, the background might look familiar. Thomas Jefferson designed the school, there was actually a spot at Monticello (about 5 miles away) where he could sit out and watch the dome in the background of the photo above being built.

The campus was beautiful and many of the girls were little Southern Belles dressed in cute sundresses and strappy sandals.

The game was an easy win for USC and therefore a blast to watch. What a way to start the season!

Sunday morning we took one more tour through wine country and visited the small town of Crozet. It will only sound familiar to those of you who read the Sneaky Pie Brown mystery books - of course I have read them all and loved seeing the small town that is the setting for the books. We ate lunch at a small and pretty tasty little Mexican restaurant - well done Crozet. Then it was time to get on the train and head back to NYC.

Michael might be ready to move to West Virginia. He loved the country roads and small towns. As for me as long as we are close to a major airport and living in (or near by) a college town I'm good to go! I'm guessing we wouldn't get too many visitors though.....

I'm in love

with my new shoes - my first pair of Manolos!

They are a fabulous silver peep toe with Swarovski crystal buckles across the toes.


I tied to take a picture with no flash, to capture the crystal detail - it didn't exactly work, but you get a better shot of the buckles.


I haven't worn them outside yet, but they have been up and down the apartment for hours on end.

And of course there is a back story -

A few weeks ago I went to the big semi-annual Barney's Warehouse sale. It is legendary in the city. I cruised through the men's wear, home goods, and kids clothes before I hit the shoes. They were piled on to gray metal shelves and similar to Nordstrom Rack, only the right shoe is available for trying. When you finally decide on a pair you must go the the backroom area and hand your shoes over for a sales associated to find the mate and box.

They had shoe after fabulous shoes on the shelves - Prada, Manolo, and Louboutin and I tried them all. I discovered my Manolo pretty early on and wore it for so long they could have charged me rent. With every right shoe I tried I clung to that beautiful silver peep toe in my left hand. They were pretty pricey and after about two hours I decided I would 'hide' them in the shelves and go look at the clothes. I tried on a few items, but nothing really worked - so I went back to find my shoes. I had pretty much decided they were too expensive and too impractical but that I would get the mate and at least try on the pair. Well as I had them both on Michael called to confirm our dinner plans. I told him where I was and that I had on a fabulous but ridiculously expensive pair of shoes and I even though I loved them I was going to put them back (for some reason I was feeling a wee bit practical that evening). I was pretty sure he was going to back my decision and be a strong voice of reason - well lo and behold he asked me how much they were and offered to pay for half! I asked one more time 'are you sure?' quickly said thank you and hung up the phone! Score! They were mine! Bring on the shopping high.

As I was showing them off later that evening he said 'everyone needs to have a Cadillac in the garage' - so thanks to his generosity my Cadillacs are anxiously awaiting their public debut.

Beautiful Boston

Continuing with our American History tour - in early August, we spent a weekend in Boston. Wow, what a difference compared to Philly. Boston is a beautiful and clean city. It is sorely lacking a grid system, but with Michael's great sense of direction we managed to get around town just fine. We were lucky to get a great deal at the Omni Parker House, it's one of the oldest hotels in the area and it is right on the Freedom Trail. We were in the heart of the city, we walked everywhere. (The Parker House invented Parker House rolls and Boston Cream Pie.)

We took about a 4 hour train ride and were ready for cocktails with Bex, Pat, Joe, and Kathy on Friday night. We planned our visit when the Wades were in town as well. We had tour guides and hosts that drove in to the city Friday and Saturday nights and wait until you hear about Sunday dinner.

Friday night we headed to Fanueil Hall and then to some of Bex old haunts. Most of the bars in the trendy area had lines and DJs - too much for our mellow crew. We did find a great little place and enjoyed a few beers along with the Olympic opening ceremonies. We moved on to a cigar bar, a few members of our party were pretty happy with this turn of events.

Pictured below - Fanueil Hall during the day (it's home to shops and eateries, a fun touristy place.)

Saturday Michael and I were left to our own devices during the day. We started out with lunch at a pretty awesome Irish bar called The Black Rose. From there we walked up to the North End to enjoy some fine baked goods at Mike's Pastries. They are known for their cannoli, but we just enjoyed some pizelle cookies. The 'Big Dig' seems to be complete and there is a big open pedestrian walkway where there was once freeway.

We headed back down to Boston Commons and the Public Garden - along the way we stepped in to a historic graveyard and saw the grave of Paul Revere.



Did you know the Paul Revere's father was from France and his name was Apollos Rivoire. He was sent by his family to the New World and became an apprentice to a goldsmith. Eventually he opened his own store and anglicized his name to Paul Revere (it was better for business) - the same name he gave his oldest son. (The things you learn on the Freedom Trail!)

The weather was perfect on Saturday - not too hot or too humid. I thought the Swan Boats in Boston Commons were small pedal boats, I was all ready to rent one so we could ride around the lake. Well my memories of the boats were slightly off - just one boat operator pedals the boat for a slow 15 minute tour of the lake.




We passed on the boat ride, but did enjoy some great views of the lake from the shore.




After a quick break we headed to the Beacon Hill area for lunch and window shopping.

Beacon Hill was so quaint, we loved the brick houses and tree lined streets. Look at these great carriage doors.

I would love to have a walk up with this cute garden out front.

This is a close up of the same place but to the right of the stairs, love the weather vane.

The restaurants and stores all had great store fronts - lots of brick and lettered wood signs hanging over the doors. We enjoyed a quick lunch at a cute little place called Paramount. It was recommended to us, and the perfect spot for a light lunch. They have fabulous breakfasts too, but the lines are crazy. Lunch was quiet and quite enjoyable.

After lunch we headed down to the Charles River, on the way over we made a special stop just for Mel.

The 'Cheers' bar could quite possibly be her least favorite spot in Boston. The bar was used for the outside shots of the famous watering hole - but the inside isn't the same as the tv show. The bar used to be named something like 'Bull and Finch', apparently they figured out they could sell more t-shirts by changing the name (I imagine some kind of licensing deal had to be worked out as well). We didn't actually go inside, but I did insist on a quick photo.

The Charles River was packed with boats and wind surfers.

Saturday night we did a little pub crawl and went to some great bars with Bex and crew. It was a fun night that ended at a place called Kinsale, they had a huge outdoor patio and live music.

Sunday we were invited to a lobster feast hosted by Bex dad. We took the 'T' to the suburbs and met up with the Wade family on the Boston College campus.

Bex gave us a great campus tour and even arranged for us to walk on the football field. OK, I don't think she pulled any strings, but the gate was open so we were able to walk right on the field. She has all the photos, so we'll have to wait until she does her blog update to see us on the BC 50-yard line.

Now to the feast! We were totally spoiled by Bex and her family. We started out with chips and dips, and then moved on to two types of home made chowder - clam and salmon. Bex sister, Nancy, made the chowders, she didn't think the clam was her best effort but both Michael and I thought they were both delicious. We had to try both varieties, the clam chowder was our favorite.

After the chowder settled we were treated to fresh grilled swordfish steaks. Bex dad grilled the steaks and then served them simply by cutting them in big chunks. It was family style and we learned to not be shy, the food moves quick in that house.

Once the swordfish was long gone it was time for steamers. Fresh steamed clams with salty clam juice and melted butter for dipping. Even though both Michael and I have had clams before neither one of us had clams like this. They had a long neck and to eat them we had to peel the skin back from the neck. They were delicious.

And finally the main event - a 3 pound lobster per person!

Bex was the master of breaking down the lobster - each one was full of sweet, perfectly cooked lobster meat. There was so much meat you almost got tired of eating lobster!



Of course the drinks were flowing and there was an entire table of desserts. Jane made these amazing key lime pie bites - I could not stop eating them.

Thanks to the entire Wade family for not only inviting over to a great dinner, but making us feel warm and welcome. Feel free to invite us back anytime! ;-)

Phila-dump-ia

So we didn't exactly LOVE Philly. It has some great history, but for the most part the town is just a dump. From what we could see there is one very nice area (Rittenhouse Square), a pretty nice area (Society Hill) and the Independence Hall area is decent. The rest of the city needs to clean up. We did have a fun weekend and jam packed it full of the best Philly had to offer.

I finally had my cheesesteak. We went to the south side of town to the cheesesteak rivalry of all rivalries - Pat's vs Geno's.

The two cheesesteak vendors are right across the street from each other, both boast a huge fan following. Just look at the lines - they go in to the street, even at the lunchtime rush.

Geno's was bright, with lots of flair and a line that blocked the street.



Pat's has a more classic feel, and a line that wasn't quite blocking traffic.



We went with the shorter line and waited about 15 minutes for our tasty cheesesteaks. There is an entire ordering system, luckily they spell it out for on a big board. By the time we hit the window we were pros "two wit cheese" - that would be two cheesesteaks with onions and cheese. And you better have your money ready, no fooling around in this line.

The sandwiches did not disappoint - yum! As good as I remembered from my visit to Philly 15 years ago.



After all of that bread and cheese we did our best Rocky and climbed up the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. And even though every other person there did the classic Rocky cheer, I resisted and went for more of a classic KO pose.






And just in case you don't know where to stand - they have his feet in the cement. The view from the top is awesome, the skies were so clear it was easy to see all the way down to City Hall.



We spent Sunday doing our best National Treasure recreation. We hit up Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and Reading Market. This is the staircase Nicolas Cage took to get to the top of Independence Hall. The tour guide was sure to let us know it was all filmed on site.



And even more impressive would be this banister - it is original to the building, which means everyone from George Washington to Benjamin Franklin to me has touched this same piece of wood.



One of our final stops was the Betsey Ross house. Did you know George Washington wanted a 6-pointed star for the American flag? Betsey showed him it was much easier to make a 5-pointed star, practicality won and history was made.

We had dinner at a great Irish pub - they had live Irish music and a great starter platter with hummus, pita, olives, and cheese on a big 's' shaped serving dish.

C'ya Philly - thanks for a good time, but will you try and clean up a little before our next visit!

So Creative!

Check out these thank you cards Linda made - they are amazing.

This one is for her birthday present, she took a picture of the flowers I sent to her and used that as the focal point (nice touch) and of course the colors of the card are pulled from the flowers. (And yes, Mel the gig is up - you got the same floral arrangement.)


Gordy received a popcorn sampler pack, one of my new favorite snack items. This card is stamped and has pop-ups - I'm trying to figure out where she found the popcorn machine cutout.


Well done Linda!

What I Did This Summer....

It has been a busy summer - so many things to blog but so little time to blog.


This is going to be a bit of a catch up entry and I'll do some separate entries for the really good stuff.


In July Michael went to CA to visit friends and family. I took the opportunity to have a little KO Broadway weekend. Friday night I went to the play 'Boeing, Boeing'. The show is a revival of a French show from the 60's. It is about an architect living in Paris and juggling 3 flight attendants fiancées- of course one day they all happen to be in Paris at the same time. The cast was made up of 6 start studded actors: Bradley Whitford, Mark Rylance, Christine Baranski, Gina Gershon, Mary McCormack, and Kathryn Hahn (you might not know her name - but you know her). It was full of innuendo, physical comedy, and that cool 60's vibe. The best part is the curtain call; the entire cast comes out and dances the samba. I absolutely loved it. Miss Karen would love it - of course she has probably already seen it in Paris! During the show the cell phone of a woman across the aisle from me started ringing - of course it was one of those big loud long ring tones. While her husband gave her dirty looks she rummaged through her bag and finally managed to turn it off. No less than 15 minutes later her husband's cell phone rings! And he answers it!! He told the person on the phone he was at a play and would call him back, hung up and did not shut off his phone!!!


Saturday night I went with one of our neighbors to see the movie 'Mamma Mia'. It was just totally fluff and fun - I really enjoyed it too (even Pierce Bronson's singing).


On Sunday I went to a matinee of 'Chorus Line', starring Mario Lopez. He was great at the dancing, fine at the acting, and I'm pretty sure he didn't sing. It was a good show, but not one I would go back to see again. I had a couple of moms and daughters in the row behind me. They had visited the M&M store before coming to the show. The girls both had cellophane bags of M&M's they ate through the show - that crinkling plastic noise drove me crazy. They got the stink eye more than once. Ironically the movie theatre crowd was the most considerate.


When Michael came back from CA it was Summer Restaurant Week!


Of course we ate at some of our old favorites and had some amazing meals: Mesa Grill, Lure Fishbar, and T-Bar Steakhouse. But we did work in some new places - the most average meal we had was from City Hall in Tribeca. The service was horribly slow - at least 30 minutes between courses. The food was fine, but not outstanding - while we weren't disappointed we won't be heading back any time soon. We had a fabulous dinner at Tribeca Grill. It's a pretty trendy place that has pretty decent Zagat ratings. We both loved our meals and would definitely go back - even not during Restaurant Week. Two places we enjoyed, but were pricey and best enjoyed during Restaurant Week were Primehouse NY and Devi. Primehouse NY is an ultra cool steakhouse in the Union Sq area. Very hip and very expensive. Devi is high end Indian food. I had a prawn dish that was out of this world - the huge prawns were coated in some kind of spicy dry rub, I loved every bite. Now it's back to cooking dinner again! It's so easy to get spoiled during Restaurant Week.


We took the train out to Jones Beach one night to see the Maroon 5 and the Counting Crows perform. Jones Beach is a New York equivalent of the Coors Amphitheatre, but on the water. It was stressful getting out there because we were both busy with work, but we made it right on time.


I had a chance to see Madam Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. She spoke to a group of 200 at our local Y. She was completely inspiring. I was ready to being volunteering for the DNC, until I read her book. Unfortunately the passion she shows while speaking didn't translate to the written page. I would gladly go see her speak again, but I think I'll pass on her next book.


We made a few trips out to the beaches of Long Island - none of them are worth the blog space. Unless we go to Sandy Hook we won't be going to the beach any more this summer. It involves too many transfers on the train, not enough trains, and the last trip we were eaten alive by mosquitoes (especially the sweet meat of Michael).

I think that pretty much gets me caught up, except for our few weekend get aways - no 'staycations' for us! (I can't stand that word, and unfortunately it is the buzz word for the summer!)

Best Rumor I've Heard Recently

We have two new high rise condos being built in the 'hood. Allegedly one will have a Whole Foods and the other will have an H&M. All of my needs would be met within a 4 block radius of the apartment - that is such a happy thought!

Oh and it has been restaurant week - I will be writing out my reviews and posting as soon as possible. We've had a pretty good run this time with a good mix of new places and old favorites.

Most Awesome New Storefront in the 'Hood

Whatever could this be?

How about the second floor of a new yoga studio in our neighborhood.

It's hard to tell if the plants are real, they do look like they are planted in dirt - but that would be a ton of maintenance, so I have to think they are fake. I guess we'll know when winter rolls around. The longer grasses blow in the breeze, it is incredibly awesome. I haven't been inside, but my guess it's pretty awesome as well.

Roof Garden at The Met

During the summer the Met museum opens up the roof garden. They serve beer and cocktails and along with drinks, we get to enjoy some great views of the mid-town skyline.

This summer the roof garden has three sculptures by American artist Jeff Koons on display. They are whimsical and make the roof garden a fun spot to unwind on a Friday night.

The balloon dog is my personal favorite.

I'm not sure if this is a hear, an apple, or just a gift - but if you look closely you can see Michael and I in the reflection.

This last piece was very different than the other two - it was translucent, so even though it is large it didn't seem as imposing as the other sculptures.



Weather permitting the roof garden will be open until October - definitely worth a visit.

Movie Review: National Treasure - The Book of Secrets

Sadie and I watched National Treasure - Book of Secrets Sunday night.

She agrees with me that it was a bit contrieved compared to the first National Treasure movie - but it was ejoyable until the end. It was so suspenseful she couldn't bear to look.

Yay for Birthdays

Once again it was Michael's birthday - seems like it was just a year ago we were celebrating his birthday, oh wait it was!


Because of work and I don't know what else we decided not to travel for his birthday this year. After spending another birthday in the rain we will not be in NYC next July 5th!



His birthday kicked off early with cupcakes for the office. This time they were vanilla cookies and cream cupcakes with classic vanilla buttercream frosting and rainbow sprinkles.

The 4th of July was a drizzly day. We did go watch the huge Macy's fireworks display - but because it was raining we had our umbrellas open for most of the show. There is just something wrong about watching 4th of July fireworks from under an umbrella!

Finally it was Michael day. I tried to plan a full day of fun filled activities.

We started with lunch at craftbar - which I have decided is one of my NYC favorites. For the price point the food is excellent and the atmosphere is casual and comfortable. We began lunch with two excellent starters. Michael had the brioche with a soft egg, braised leeks, and white anchovies. While this may look like a hot mess in the photo it was amazing. The soft egg soaked in to the bread, but the bread still had a crunch to it. The leeks and anchovies added just the right amount of flavor to the egg and bread. I had chick pea fries with a black olive aioli dipping sauce. The fries had a very smooth consistency - I was expecting something similar to falafel, but they were almost like french toast sticks. The were slightly crisp on the outside and creamy but thick on the inside. The fries were dusted in course salt and the black olive flavor of the dip really added a bite to the dish. While my fries were tasty, Michael's dish was the clear winner of the meal.

For lunch I was debating between two sandwiches, I should have tried the more daring combination of spiced chicken, black olive, feta cheese, cucumber, and mint - but I went with the choice I knew I would enjoy but no new flavor combinations. My sandwich was market zucchini, mozzarella, balsamic onions, and basil. It was creamy from the cheese and all of the veges really worked well together, but I knew I could make that at home. Next time I will try something more adventurous. Michael had the orecchiette pasta with fennel sausage, oven-roasted tomato, and ricotta salata. The sweet sausage and tomatoes were a nice match with the bite of the ricotta salata. Because it was a holiday weekend and most New Yorkers know to leave town because of the weather the restaurant was quiet, it was the perfect way to start the day.

After lunch we headed to the high flying part of the day. I booked a short helicopter tour over NYC.

We took off from the Chelsea Piers area.

Then flew over Ellis Island

Next it was a fly by the Statue of Liberty

And then a circle over Governor's Island before heading uptown. Governor's Island is a former military base that has just been opened up for public use. It has a fort and bike's for rent and one of the newly installed waterfalls. You can see the waterfall in the front center of the photo - it is on the edge of the island and looks like a white smudge.

We caught quick views of midtown and Central Park before we set down. Our 12 minutes went by way to fast - it was a great way to see the city. (Oh and if you don't want to pay for the helicopter tour the Panoram of New York City offers almost the same views for $5.)

After the excitement of the helicopter ride it was time for Michael to unwind at a barber spa. He spent about an hour at The Art of Shaving getting a razor shave and scalp massage. It is a great guys only place that has a great vibe. I think he would go back any time I book an appointment.

http://www.theartofshaving.com/

After a bottle of wine at home we got all spiffed up and headed to Gramercy Tavern. Gramercy is a perennial New York favorite. It is always highly rated in Zagat and you really have to work to get a reservation. The founding chef was Tom Colicchio, the dining room is very comfortable and the service was impeccable. The main dining room serves either a 3 course menu or a 5 course tasting menu. We opted to do the 3 course menu and we both had things we never tried before. I must say some things were not exactly to my liking, but I enjoyed the experience of trying something different and expanding my palette.

I started with the black tagliatelle with lobster, mussels, and chorizo. The house made pasta was perfect – I’m not sure how it was colored, but the lobster was the star of the bowl. The appetizer was packed with flavor, but even with it being a pasta course it wasn’t too heavy. Michael started with the smoked trout. I really expected the trout to be like smoked salmon and be rather fishy tasting, but it wasn’t. It was light and delicate and not fishy – it was almost like a slightly smoky mousse, but it was a filet of trout.

For my main course I had the rack of pork and braised belly with baby turnips and fingerling potatoes. I was really curious to try pork belly; it was a key ingredient in many dishes this season of Top Chef. It was too fatty for my liking. It was like a big chunk of thick cut bacon, but with more fat than meat. I would have preferred the fat to be crispier. The rack of pork was very tender and lightly seasoned. The turnips and potatoes were mellow side dishes. Overall everything was well prepared and presented, but it was a little flat. Nothing really popped out on the plate. It was a very good meal, but I enjoyed my birthday meal at Gotham Bar and Grill more – that meal has become the standard all other great meals are judged against.

Michael had the striped bass with snap peas, mussels, and lemon-mustard sauce. Again it was delicious, but not the best.

For dessert I was having a hard time deciding – so many excellent choices. I finally decided on the blackberry streusel cake with blackberry lime sherbet. Our waiter was so nice he even brought me a scoop of their mint chip ice cream just because I was having a hard time choosing between ice cream and other desserts. The blackberry lime sherbet was amazing. The sweet blackberry mixed with a little bit of tangy lime was a perfect combination – not too sweet and not too bitter. The mint chip was also excellent, much like a Bryer’s or any other natural mint chip it wasn’t artificially colored green and the mint chips were high quality dark chocolate. Oh yeah, the blackberry streusel cake was good too. It was like a really good muffin with lots of berries and a nice streusel topping.

They spoiled Michael with his dessert - check out the presentation:

So much better than a group of waiters singing Happy Birthday while presenting you with a scoop of vanilla and a candle.

Micheal had the Grand Marnier mascarpone cheesecake with raspberry sherbet and garnish of fresh raspberries and pistachios. I don't think I had any bites of the cheesecake...hmm, I do know Michael ate everything on his plate except for the writing.

It was a wonderful meal and the perfect way to end the day.

Next year - Vegas!

Best Thing I Overheard on Saturday

Heard Saturdday night, riding to Penn Station on the Long Island Railroad

Lady #1 - cough, cough, hack, cough, hack, hack, hack, cough, cough, cough

Lady #2 - (presumably a friend of Lady #1 - hands over a bottle of water) Here is some water it should help your cough.

Lady #1 - (takes a big drink from the bottle and stops coughing) Thanks that helped, would you like your water back?

Lady #2 - No.

Post Surgery

Many of you have asked how Michael is doing post surgery - he is doing well.

But he did require some additional medication to help him through the recovery.

Best Thing I Saw on Monday

I'm walking in the building, and especially during the summer months, each evening there is a dog club meeting on our stoop. They are relatively polite to non-dog owners, but you know you are not part of the club.

Anyway I stop to pet Jed and Maggie (two small dogs who live in our building). As I pet Maggie she kind of jumps up and I notice she has red nails.

I ask her owner "Did you paint her nails?"

Her reply - "Oh yes, I need to do mine tonight" (as she shoes me her toes).

So you can mock me for having 4 cats, but I'm not in my apartment painting their nails!