what I learned last night

1. if you are going to try dutch food for the first time, the scholacks are the perfect people to do it with (you guys rock).

2. dutch food appears to consist solely of liquid smoke and pickling.

3. when new yorkers are given snow, they make an octopus.

second ave between 10th and 11th, nyc

i heart new york

does food taste better when it's free?

i think the consensus is yes.  it also doesn't hurt when david burke is responsible for the menu.

last night, seth and i were lucky enough to be invited to check out david burke's new restaurant in soho.   the restaurant, called david burke's kitchen and located in the james hotel on grand street, opens next week.  this is the week where friends and family get to come by, try it out and give their feedback.  in other words, someone wants to give us food and then listen to what we have to say about it.   why don't we do this more often?

all in all, the food and the service were good.   some dishes were outstanding.  only one fell flat.  the decor is cute but stylish.  it reminded me of a farmhouse - beautiful wood paneling, brown leather woven chairs, blue and white checked napkins and pretty topiaries at each table.    the full wine list wasn't available but the cabernet sauvignon blend they offered was really nice.  one of the managers also brought us a drink the restaurant is trying out called the good n plenty.   it is a rye based drink that knocked me on my ass (in the best possible way).   the mixologist (yes, this is a place that employs mixologists, not bartenders) managed to blend a drink to taste just like a good n plenty. free booze + giving my opinion = heaven.

now for the important stuff - the role call of dishes (apologies for the crappy photos, my iphone didn't cooperate with the lighting in the restaurant):

starters

salmon pastrami, pretzel, mustard - the favorite appetizer, as eloquently stated by seth "you could pastrami my hand and i would eat it"  well played, seth, well played.

bison tartare, egg salad, smoked tomato, mustard oil, fingerling crisps - i really liked this dish.  the egg salad is the strongest flavor on the dish, so don't order it unless that's your thing.

lobster soup, lobster dumplings, coconut fennel creme, red watercress - i found this dish to be a bit greasy (you can actually see the grease in the picture) and not that flavorful, seth liked it a bit more but didn't rave about it.  the dumplings were the best part.

mains

soy honey duck, foie gras corn cake, maitake mushrooms - all three parts of the dish were extremely tasty but didn't really mesh well to make one dish.  the mushrooms (yes, the mushrooms) were my favorite part, but only slightly.  the cornbread was great but i didn't think it needed the marmalade on top.  too much going on.

ribeye - seth demolished this steak.  excellent char, well seasoned.  cooked medium rare, but unless its raw seth isn't going to rave about it.

escarole, bacon, chili - the most disappointing dish, neither of us could taste the chili. 

the famous cheesecake lollipops with bubble gum flavored whipped cream - this doesn't even need description, david burke has perfected this dessert.  if you can get seth to eat dessert you know, you have done something well.  

altogether the meal was fun and the food was interesting.  i would go back and try the restaurant again once it opens and they work out the kinks.  the menu had a ton of options and i am sure there are some great dishes just waiting to be eaten by me. i heard that a few of the dishes were sad when i didn't choose them.  don't worry, i'll be back!

Chelsea, NYC

Dear Urban Outfitters

Thank you for making this t-shirt.   I don't even mind that one of your designers read my diary to get the idea.  

Best regards,
Jamie

P.S.  Don't you think Seth should buy this for me?

Do you think...

Steve Van Zandt is blogging about how he sat next to me at Minetta Tavern last night?

Yeah, I thought so too.

the equation for brunch at shopsins

12 c*cksuckers + 2 see you next tuesdays + countless f*cks = 2 delicious pieces of homemade cinnamon raisin french toast, scrambled eggs and 4 links of sausage.

the language is colorful, the tables are small and the waits are long but damn, shopsins makes the best brunch in new york city.  that's right, i said it.

dare to dream for mcqueen

i don't even see how anyone could debate this. (although fashion bloggers will basically debate anything).  this dress makes me swoon and michelle obama works it.   if i owned this dress i would wear it everywhere.   to work, to do laundry, to dinner and to make brownies.

did i just eat crack pie?

last night, i met some of my favorite ladies for dinner at ma peche, one of the momofuku restaurants.  i expected to receive a t-shirt or some kind of prize after i had finished eating because i can now say that i have tried all four of david chang's restaurants.   having tried all four, i can safely say that ma peche ranks last.  the dishes ranged from delicious (the brussel sprouts and ricotta gnocchi) to good (the shrimp spring roll and beef tartar) to just bad (that poor trout died for no reason).  the service was less than stellar (there is no excuse to wait for 30 minutes for a table when you have a reservation without even an apology).  i found that ma peche lacked the humor and light heartedness that i have found in the downtown momofuku restaurants.  for example, consider the following exchange after we had finished eating:

waiter:  would you ladies care for anything else?

the lovely ladies:  do you have a dessert menu?

waiter:  we don't serve proper dessert.

me: well, do you serve any improper dessert?

waiter:  stares at me.

me:  what?  that's a valid question.

waiter:  you would think you are the first person to ask that, but you are not.

me: check please.

after being put in my place by the mean waiter, we gathered our things and headed for the street.  as you leave the restaurant there is a small stand right by the door which sells desserts from momofuku milk bar, including the famous crack pie.   feeling brutally rebuffed, i decided to drown my sorrows by purchasing a piece of this pie.

behold:

as micol put it, "it tastes good at first, but then you realize that you can't stop eating it."  yes, it is that good.  i mean, anything where the first ingredient is butter can only be a heavenly heart attack on a plate.

doesn't it look quiet and unassuming?  like a tiny piece of pie that could not possibly change your life?

well, it's not.  don't let it fool you.   i fear that i will be selling off my bag collection in order to find money to buy slices of this pie.  pretty soon, i am going to move to full pies.   my friends will have to stage an intervention and i will end up on celebrity rehab, the pie edition.

today's obsession is brought to you by the letter R

hello rebecca minkoff bombe MAC clutch in almond with black trim.  please don't sell out before i can buy you.  i feel like we would get along smashingly. 

Will you be mine?

If you come home with me, I promise to treat you well. I will feed you and play games with you and even snuggle you. 

Love,

Jamie

P.S. The larger size would be lovely too. 

Can I please go now?

New Years, Miami Style

New York - December 27th

Miami - December 29th

Ahhhhhhh.

Despite some serious drama surrounding our flight, Seth and I managed to escape the four feet of snow that invaded New York City and make it down to Miami in time to enjoy a long weekend with the Hilzers.  We ate, we drank, we swam and most importantly, we just relaxed.   The trip was just in time to save us from early onset insanity.   Thanks Hilzers, for being hosts with the mosts!