A Day in the City
| May 25, 2010 | Posted by admin under Uncategorized |
When I first got my driver’s license I really enjoyed a good road trip whether it was a weekend in Vermont for some skiing or heading towards Ft. Lauderdale for some sun. So now that I have been driving for many years why should that change? I packed up my car and plugged in 2 east 55th street NYC, my destination, the St. Regis Hotel. Just because the idea of a nice drive hasn’t changed doesn’t mean that my accommodation requirements can’t. For this trip, the endurance would not be in the drive but in the dining. The overall weekend scenario is Saturday leave by 1pm, Dinner 1 at Travertine 6:30 pm, Dinner 2 at the Modern 10:30 pm. Sunday’s plan: walk the Brooklyn Bridge by noon, brunch at DBGB 1 pm and dinner 5:30 pm at Ma Peche. Leave for home 7 pm. Here’s how it unfolded.
Got to the Lincoln tunnel by 4:30 pm and it took another hour to get to the hotel. Checked in, changed and hailed a cab to Travertine. Met with friends over cocktails then dug into apps, Hearts of Escarole Salad and bone Marrow, then pastas, Gnocchi and Pici, a duck entrée and finally desserts, rhubarb tart and buttermilk panna cotta. The hand rolled Pici with fennel sausage was my favorite and the escarole a close second. Now it’s time to hit the 6 train uptown. We arrive at the Modern around 10 PM and are greeted with a couple of glasses of brut rose and escorted to a great table by the windows looking into the sculpture garden. Three hors d’oeuvres start us off, the piquillo pepper sphere, chilled asparagus soup with smoked quail eggs and a foie gras and pheasant terrine with truffles. Perfect in every way. Next was the butter poached lobster with morels, again on point. Entrees hit the table squab and licorice caramelized hamachi, man do I love squab especially when it served with foie gras. For dessert a baba grand marnier, caramel parfait and a chocolate palet. All were exceptional. It’s midnight and time to head out, but not before the chocolate trolley arrives with an unspeakable amount and variety of chocolates from candies to toffee. How can you resist? Then came the ice cream cone. At the door saying goodbye and here’s a raspberry brownie for the walk home. At this point I must say I am full but so appreciative of everything I tasted in the previous six hours.
Sunday morning comes around quick, a French press, some grapes and a banana set me right for the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. This was the first time I had done this and was a very good time but with all of that physical exertion it’s time to find lunch so off to DBGB, Daniel Boulud’s market style restaurant. Lamb sausage, veal sausage, a chop salad, house made ham omelette and cheese blintz all washed down with a nice brown ale. I’m starting to realize that my time here is coming to an end as we head back towards the hotel to have a couple classic cocktails before dinner in the Regis bar. I sampled the Red Snapper, it’s the original bloody Mary invented in that same bar. Our last stop Ma Peche, David Chang’s newest restaurant in the chambers hotel. Beef tartar, asparagus salad, chicken pate, pork ribs, fried cauliflower and rice noodles were my final dishes eaten on this trip.
This was a whirl wind trip and was well worth the 9 hours spent in the car. I’m still full!
