Category: Restaurants

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Late WinTer

Sun warmed longer days as clocks click ahead. Hotel Giraffe’s roof mid-afternoon. Delectable late winter root vegetables and pork offal at Washington Square’s Blue Hill. Braised hake the winner. Birthday treat to remember.

Tiger took charge of the last tourney on the original ‘blue monster’ at Miami’s historic Doral. Trump is blowing it up for redesign. Sightings… Johnny Depp on West 14th. Jim Parsons Park Avenue South. He and Alan Alda dined at Ciano.

My final four picks. Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Gonzaga. Huh? Or, is that il Papa.

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Mad Memories

Dreams of my father. Mad times in Manhattan 1960’s. Train from Springfield, dining car with formal tablecloths, waiters, silver, china. First plane ride on a PamAm prop to Idlewild from Bradley. Lunch at TootsShor watching an already drunk Jack Lescoulie at the bar during a day of buying men’s clothing at the Sperry Rand building at 1290 Avenue of the Americas. Jack was Dave Garroway’s sidekick on the Today show.

Sardi’s for dinner, then Jilly’s singing around the piano bar with Nancy Wilson into the wee hours. Memories of trips to New York with my Dad. Priceless.

Copa Cabana to see Sammy Davis, Jerry Vale, lots of other Italian singers named Frankie or Johnny or Tony. The bocce court at Il Vagabondo. Cousin Joey DiVito and his wife Tootsie (really) took care of me. P.J. Clarke’s, Elaine’s. Those were the days.

Daddy Joe always acted as if he were in his dining room at home. They responded in kind. No wonder restaurants have always been the center of my life.
Happy Birthday, Dad. 8/30/30

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Side Treks

Back roads thoughts. Hipster branding. Logo re-treads.Can you have a funeral for a house? Do dwellings have souls? Next door neighbors moved to Boston yesterday. Home is empty after five now-grown kids were raised there. Do memories reside in the walls, or…

First day of Summer today? No. Despite 80-degree week. Vernal Equinox. Spring. James Beard finalists. La Grenouille-NY and Boulevard-SF endure. Peyton supplanting Tebow. Is there a god?

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Happy To Me

Best birthday in many many full moons. Spent with my favorite people. In my favorite place. Wining. Dining. Zero whining. Now, that’s a perfect birthday.

Springtime in New York. Crocuses up. Italian marketing at Eataly after a 70-degree afternoon stroll with Dr.H through Madison Park. He fêted me with a wonderful dinner at ParkAvenueWinter: PithyV, Original MadMan, mAdBen, Joey3Sticks, Alicat. Joy and laughter. And lots of Sancerre. Lots.

GemQueen and BlogisQueen enjoyed the mid-day sun apres dejeuner at ABC Kitchen with Meryl Streep and hubby just a couple tables down. My lobster was a succulent, sweet treat. Best part was being there with BFF. Then, Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill, superb Southwest supper with Ben. And…DimSum lunch at Hurricane Club with Betsey fun across from fab Giraffe.

Plus great gifts. A Victorian glass dish, handmade fan, valise with ducks!

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Morning Blahg

How does Santorum’s sweep change Republican race? “Anybody but Romney. Connecting and charisma are not in his DNA. Compared to Mitt, Barack seems like Mr. Warmth.” JackCaff last night. Morning Joe, Ralph Reed. Really? Regression therapy. Pro-life until there is a life born. Then let them eat cake.

Hot eateries in Manhattan to date: Joey3 @ Sandro’s, Cafe Boulud, Upper East. Melba’s Harlem for Alicat’s bday. With mAdBen @ West Bank, 42nd & 9th. Betsey fete soon @ Lincoln Center Ristorante. PrezO will be @ ABC Kitchen on March 1, to test the food and give us a review for our March 8 lunch there.

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Table’s Turn

Ending the year on an up-note. Family trek to New York produced several excellent dining experiences. The best was Ciano on Park Avenue South, a few blocks from our still favorite hotel, The Giraffe. Ciano has a farmhouse cozy warm ambience with fresh simple fare. Monkfish loin, Berkshire pork tenderloin succulent, cooked perfectly. Wine “program” a little much and it’s pricey, but worth it for a change. Lure remains our consistently fun FishBar stop in SoHo.

Enjoyed a quintessential bistro steak frites lunch with Betsey, who savored every morsel at Bourdain’s original Les Halles. Earlier lunch attempts at Zinc in New Haven and Alta in Lenox less satisfying, but nice just to be together with family and friends over the holidays. Happy healthy New Year to all SideTrekkers.

Buy Table’s Edge on RecipeDetours page.

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NovEnder

28,000 visits to The Side Trek. Yonder, yo. No November snow. Bracing for December blow. NBA will play. So. JLo shoots Fiat Bronx ad in L.A. Nay. ‘Savage’ Stacey from the block will save the day. Real Housewife’s dead husband still starring on Bravo’s Beverly Hills show. Not that I’d know.

What restaurant serves an $18 roasted beet salad which consists of a few sad wispy side dish flat greens with red beet-like chip strips and a couple dollops of goat cheese? Fitzwilly’s. Geez. Quality down, prices up. Everywhere.

 

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Table’s Tilt

Stellar restaurateurs once converged in Northampton and made it a dining destination. Those shining stars have lately dimmed. Freshness, quality, service have disappeared into a black hole. I don’t want to pay less for three courses of frozen cardboard food. The economy is bad, true. So, put fewer choices on the menu and make sure they’re fresh and good. If you disagree, enlighten me.

A former bright local, Unmi has returned to open a new restaurant “Coco” in the former Easthampton Venus venue. Will try it soon. ‘Til then cooking at home.

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May Trek’d

Beautiful Memorial Day weekend-perfect weather, fun times with family. Jake met brothers, more cuzins, Aunt Jean Jean. Wonderful porch talks with Jame and Ben. Great party, hamburgers, hot dogs, all the fixin’s thanks to Deb, more in freezer for next barbecue. Sunday with Sylvia, went to old hippie throwback for lunch in Great Barrington, “the Gypsy Joynt”, homemade food and music nitely.

Joe will launch the re-make of “My Three Sons” as Steve Douglas (Fred MacMurray), Wes will play “Bub” and Gary as Uncle Charlie.  The updated version will have Alison as Steve Douglas’ trophy wife with whom he has the youngest son “Chip”.  Deb will produce, CP will write. Yay, now we all have jobs.

Looking forward to Hornet’s Nest this week al fresco, t.v. in heavy re-runs and weather too nice. Here’s to a great May, welcome June. Birthday shout-out to Kimmy Pants manana, miss the old Finn tourney.