Done with Mother’s Day

Yet another benefit of drinking – flower boxes!

Screw Hallmark – as far as I’m concerned, May 5th was my ideal Mother’s Day. No matter what happens next Sunday, I will cherish the day I had, from the scandalously late start to the fortified-with-an-afternoon-nap late ending – perfect! Let me be a little more specific…

Saturday night, I shot a SEEN gallery down at Prime 677.  The occasion was a fundraiser for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America and it was a lovely event.  The food was spectacular and the folks at Empire Wines rallied the troops to put on an extraordinary wine tasting.  It’s been noted by some astute Times Union readers that whenever an event involves wine, I’m usually there.  Guilty as charged.

I got home from the party working at about 10:30 only to find my little guy desperately upset that he had been denied a ‘s’more from the neighbor’s party, a situation I was able to correct with a soothing shower and some ice cream.  Tucking him in at such a late hour gave me the first gift of Sunday – he slept until 10:00, which gave me an incredibly quiet morning.  Soft music, strong coffee and the paper comprise my personal morning bliss trifecta.  So far, so good.

After the boys departed at noon for their Dad’s, I got busy in the front yard with mulch and some annuals.  The sun was glorious, birds were chirping and the simple joy of getting a little dirty made my heart sing.  I had a mid afternoon visit from the person I most love spending time with and the day moved along at a pace that was completely enjoyable.  I accomplished some other chores, including eating a fantastic lunch salad, and punctuated the afternoon with an indulgent nap on clean sheets. But, wait – there’s more.

Caesar salad with shaved Romano and grilled asparagus

As the day cooled down a bit, I tied on my running shoes and hit the streets for a 5-mile lap through the neighborhood.  I had intended to go a bit further, but contented myself with not pushing myself too hard and tried to just enjoy myself.  Done.  A shower, a quick visit with the neighbors for a glass of wine and then home again for finale of the only reality show I would ever want to be on, The Amazing Race, and I was in bed by 10:15, thoroughly relaxed and satisfied with my day.

There weren’t any tulips or handmade crafts, but nonetheless it was a lovely day with a wonderful mix of boys, friends, productivity, relaxation and good food and wine.  Mother’s Day 2013 is a done deal, as far as I am concerned.  Any additional gifts are truly unnecessary, although I do have a fondness for the imperfectly made card along with a hankering for a French lilac bush.  Just saying.

What makes a perfect snow day?

Yesterday was the first snow day my district has had this academic year – and it was well worth the wait.  I understand that we don’t all have the luxury of a delayed start or the cancellation of our work day due to the weather and think you should know I am very appreciative of this career perk.  I was so very thankful for yesterday’s surprise (2″-4″ was the forecast, I’d say 6″ or 7″ was the reality) snow day that I just might send my superintendent a thank you note.  You know how I like to do that.  Or, as my snow day, cross-country skiing partner in crime suggested, perhaps I should send that note of gratitude to the superintendent of my children’s district for not giving them the day off.  I certainly have enough appreciation to spread it out, trust me.

As I spent my found day doing fun things, I realized that I had experienced a perfect snow day.  Here are the factors which led me to that ultimate conclusion:

• The day off was completely unexpected.  I would have been more than contented with a mere delay.
• Speaking of delays, the fact that the boys were delayed and I was off was an incredible gift.  We had an easy morning and then there was quiet.
• Coffee with my favorite fellow was another unexpected treat.
• Skiing with one of my best hardcore exercise girls at Capital Hills on a day with incredible light and eventual warm temperatures.  Spring skiing rocks!
• A terrific lunch at the golf course’s Club House.  Seriously, the food was really good!
• Getting my Saturday chores done a day early.  It almost feels like I was given 2 days!
• Afternoon coffee with my favorite fellow
• Making pizza with my boys
• A hot bath
• A reasonable bed time
  

  The secret to homemade pizza? A HOT oven.

I hope you were able to enjoy the recent (bonus) snowfall but, if you didn’t, I think I had enough fun for both of us.  You’re welcome!

12 days of Christmas ~ Dining DelSo

On the second day of Christmas my second born was thrilled to receive two freshly filled cannoli from Cardona’s Market.  This child, who doesn’t even like cheese, could not consume the lovely Italian pastries fast enough.  I mean, the powdered sugar was flying as he gobbled them down, no joke.  In addition to their delicious baked goods, Cardona’s offers everything necessary to make a slamming meal. Antipasti, high quality meats (Murray’s chickens!) and cheeses, soups, canned and packaged goods and a full spread of prepared items are all available.  And the smell of the place!  My goodness, you could practically satisfy a minor hunger with a lungful of Cardona’s succulent aroma!  Whether it’s the ingredients for a fantastic lasagna recipe, some speciality items for a favorite hostess, (hint, hint) or a thoughtfully prepared lunch or dinner, Cardona’s is the perfect place any day of the year.

Woodstock!

A couple of weeks ago, I realized it was starting to feel like I hadn’t seen my bestie in a long time.  Within hours, an indication of how psychically in tune we are,  I got a text from her requesting a get together.  We decided on a date and a destination and I immediately began to breathe easier.

Woodstock, one of our favorite girls’ rendezvous points, was our meeting place for a few hours of shopping, talking and eating.  We arrived on a Sunday afternoon which had just transitioned from overcast to gorgeous – a perfect day to walk and talk at a relaxed pace.  The Woodstock Film Festival was wrapping up and town was bustling with parking at a premium.  We usually park for free, but on this beautiful day, parking set us back $5. After parking, we set out to hit up some of our favorite spots beginning with Jean Turmo.

I have a thing for good quality bath soap and I love soaps from Pre de Provence.  I find it really difficult to find my most favorite fragrance (eucalyptus) but I also adore their sage, oatmeal and coco butter versions so I stocked up with a few large bars of indulgence.  Pricy at $7.19 a bar, but they last for a long time and give me pleasure, so they’re worth the expense to me. The makeup counter at Jean Turmo is pretty awesome – they make their own line of cosmetics and I really like their lipsticks, so I added a new shade to my fall palette.  Another thing they available is a line of shampoos and conditioners which you can have scented with essential oils to your personal specifications.  One of my sons is a big fan of the tea tree oil conditioner and I plan to pick up a bottle for his Christmas stocking on my next trip down.

I was ridiculously pleased with myself that I remembered to bring along a necklace which I had originally purchased at Timbuktu, a lovely little shop in town.  The beautiful beaded necklace had suffered from a run-in with a piece of furniture and had broken and strewn itself all over my dining room floor.  I had collected as many of the beads as possible and had them restrung locally by my friend, Elissa, but I missed the original design and was hoping the artist could replicate the necklace’s former appearance.   The jewelry maker, Jaime Surgill, was great and I hope to have my new/old necklace back in a couple of weeks.

Our lunch choice required a short drive south of town to the Little Bear, a Chinese restaurant that shares a parking lot with the Bear Cafe and the Bearsville Theater.  I was concerned that they might be crowded because of the Film Fest but their location provided a buffer to the events in town and we scored a great table overlooking the stream without a problem.  The food at this place is consistently great and the scallion pancakes have forever defined this delicacy for me.  They are served piping hot with a delectable crisp exterior and are full of flavor.  We also enjoyed a pot of house special soup (with pork and chicken and shrimp), an order of har kow and pork chow fun.  Each item was delicious and our over-ordering indulgence provided me with Monday’s lunch.

Here – feast on these photos from our fun, delicious and productive afternoon:

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I don’t know Pho, but Yum!

More rolls, please!

Early in the summer I had a craving for an inexpensive, light lunch and remembered that Linh Diep from My Linh, had opened a place right in the area I happened to be.  I am a huge fan of the simple fresh flavors of Vietnamese food, although I can’t claim a wealth of experience or knowledge of the cuisine.  One of my favorite quick meals is a fresh summer roll from Kinnaree.  I love the soft rice paper roll filled with chilled shrimp, basil and crunchy sprouts – especially when I dredge through some of that delicious peanut sauce.  Oh, yes, good stuff!

That day in June I found a couple of things I really like at Pho Yum, one being a friend whose familiarity with Asian food far exceeds my own enjoying lunch, and the other being a terrific example of a fresh summer roll.  Perfectly fresh, beautifully presented and exactly what I was looking for in a quick lunch.  I knew I needed to get back there to sample more of the menu.  The opportunity presented itself as summer, sadly enough, drew to a close when three of us, post-pedicures, stopped in for a tasty lunch.

A sandwich I feel good eating

Linh was on premises, as I imagine she often is, and she came to our assistance as we perused the menu.  We ultimately went with a couple of summer rolls, (because I can’t imagine not ordering those) two versions of pho and a banh mi, all washed down with beautiful rich and creamy iced Vietnamese coffee.  Everything we ate was balanced and perfectly seasoned.  The food was hot, temperature-wise,  and able to be spiced to individual preference.  And fresh, remarkably fresh, as a matter of fact.  Our server was sweet as she struggled with English, but still served us with grace and competence.  There were no complaints, only happy sighs at our table and I very much look forward to getting back there as the season turns .  I imagine pho must be one of the great comfort foods of a cold winter and I hope to warm up with the version that Pho Yum offers.

Addictive coffee

A note about complaints: it seems as if some of the Yelp reviews take issue with the pricing of what it essentially “street food.”  I found our lunch for three to be very reasonably priced for the quality and quantity of food we were served.  It is naive to think that “street food,” when served in a storefront, sit-down restaurant, complete with utility bills, dishwashers, servers and linens can compete pricewise with a menu served from a truck or cart.  Come on, people, you know that.

Check payable: Mario Batali

I’ve written before about Lupa and its status as my favorite place to eat, specifically their bar, when I’m in NYC. It would be misleading though to deny my absolute love for pretty much all Mario Batali does, food wise, in New York City. A recent overnight trip illustrates why I have often joked that I should simply write a check directly to Mario Batali to minimize the number of times I have to take my wallet out when I’m eating my way around New York.  Here, I’ll show you what I mean…

I was traveling with my bestie and we had nothing but time so we began at Eataly’s amazing rooftop beer garden, Birreria.  Although I’ve been to Eataly a number of times, this was my first occasion to visit this hip hangout and I will definitely head back there again.  The elevator to reach Birreria is a bit hidden, but well worth finding.  I was committed to drinking grape rather than grain, so it was a pricy and pretty rose’ for me – Fontana Fredda Langhe Rosso 2008 $18, 250 ml.  Refreshing and tasty.

We found our way back down to 23rd Street and enjoyed a leisurely walk down 5th Avenue to the West Village and our destination, Lupa.  Yes, I know I was just there barely a week ago, but it was Sunday and Sunday’s Piatto del Giorno is hands down my favorite $20 entree in the city, Braciola alla Cacciatore.  I mean, look at this plate:

In addition to this plate of gorgeousness, we enjoyed two salads, Escarole, Walnut, Red Onion & Pecorino ($11) and the Panzanella ($12) to start, and an order of dynamite Sweet Corn Cappellacci  ($18).  The pasta was incredibly tender and light and absolutely epitomized the wonders of using the freshest seasonal ingredients in a sublime and simple fashion.  Fantastic.  We ate at the bar, natch, and thoroughly enjoyed the friendliness of the other guests and the staff.  Perfect.  I had a couple of glasses of wine, a rose’ to start and a red which was selected by our bartender and completely met my request for something earthy and smoky.  I was a tad beyond taking notes at that point, but I intend to get there again Labor Day weekend and will try to not get too drunk remember to get the name.  So much fun!

Monday morning was a lazy, slow starting day for me.  I did a little wandering around and met a friend for coffee in Union Square before making my final stop at Eataly for some provisions to bring upstate.  I have a friend who has been quite particular about his favorite brand of gorgonzola recently and I thought it would be fun to have a little blue cheese tasting to broaden his horizons while simultaneously constricting his arteries.

With assistance from the cheese guy, I ended up with a domestic blue cheese and two imported varieties made from an array of milks – goat, cow and raw cow.  Our absolute funky favorite was the gorgonzola cremificato guffant – it was beautifully creamy and pungent and was perfect with our accompaniments of rustic bread with olives, 24-month aged prosciutto and Ligurian olive oil.  The simplest of foods, each perfect and flavorful, made for a lovely evening’s repast upon my return to the DelSo.  But prior to catching my train to leave the city there was still lunch to be had…

I wasn’t feeling anything in particular for lunch, other than a desire for something kind of light.  Eataly’s fairly new restaurant, Pranzo, had a menu that fit the bill.  The philosophy of this place is a marriage of food and education and each month they focus on a particular region of Italy.  I went with the $27, two-course prix fix and started with a fresh salad of arugula, strawberries and pecorino followed by pasta with basil and blistered tomatoes.  The seating is a combination of individual tables and communal seating and my server was cutely enthusiastic about what she was serving.  A nice meal served with friendliness is always a good way to say arrivederci, don’t you think?  It will be interesting to see how this place evolves and I like the idea of a menu which changes at predictable intervals.  Maybe I need to try to make a monthly trip for educational purposes?

So, 2 days and 3 distinct Batali restaurants, as well as a retail splurge…yeah, let me just get my checkbook, Mario.

Lunch at Union Square Cafe

Crémant de Bourgogne Rosé, Parigot & Richard, Burgundy $15

There are a few places I return to again and again when I’m in NYC and  Union Square Cafe is one of them.  The location is really convenient (just off of Union Square Park) the bar is comfortable and the food is always solid.  Restauranteur Danny Meyer has a well-deserved reputation as  being masterful at creating an environment that offers simple yet sophisticated food with a front of the house staff that is known for their warmth and competence.  All true, as confirmed by my experiences over the years, whether I was here, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, The Modern or Tabla.

That being said, I’m not really a fan of the bartender who took my lunch order on my most recent visit.  He has been there many years and I don’t have a real beef with him, I just don’t find him to be particularly warm. Aside from his slightly sour personality, my lunch was everything I had hoped for – fresh, creative and delicious.

Oyster menu

Oyster tasting

I opened with my own little oyster tasting.  There were three varieties offered so I went with one of each.  I’ve never directly compared oyster varieties before and it was pretty trying to discern the differences in flavor and textures.  If you’re an oyster eater, I highly recommend this little indulgence.  The Duxbury was briny in a delightful way – there was no doubt this was a gift from the sea.  The Barron Point was saltier than the Duxbury and also had a firmer texture, a bit toothier, I guess you could say.  The Fanny Bay was more mild.  It reminded me of a piece of white fish sashimi, less sea-centric, shall we say?

$22

I followed my oyster fest with a wonderful yellowfin tuna burger, rare as I requested.  It was served with a carmelized onion and cumin-scented cole slaw which was fantastic.  I haven’t been eating my burger rolls much these days and I felt guilty about wasting this one – it was eggy and perfectly grilled, but I was saving myself for dessert.

$9.50 – worth every cent.

I knew this was going to be my main meal of the day, so three courses seemed an appropriate indulgence.  I really love key lime pie and USC really kicks it up with a coconut meringue and graham crust – amazing!  And, yes, I ate the entire thing.  Who says eating out solo is a bad thing?

My lunch was lovely, although next time I find myself in the neighborhood I might see who’s working the bar prior to settling in with a menu.  Gramercy Tavern is nearby and perhaps I’ll give that a shot if the grumpy barkeep at Union Square is behind the bar.  I don’t mind spending $75 on lunch, but it would be nice if it was served with a smile.