Terroir, a wine bar that first opened in the East Village, has a newish outpost in Murray Hill. Owner Paul Grieco, wine geek extraordinaire, is known for his passion — but also his crazy-good wine lists with encyclopedic descriptions and fun storytelling.
We didn’t get much of a chance to peruse the list like a good book, but we did choose a good wine (not hard to do; we found a nice Bordeaux) and ordered some delicious small plates to go along with it. The meatballs were especially good.
Another visit to the Museum of Modern Art? Sure, we’re members, so why not. As Greg points out, MoMA is a convenient way to spend time waiting for cocktail hour to begin. While I was spending my time, I enjoyed this piece. I wouldn’t mind emulating its layout in my rogue’s gallery on the wall of the staircase, too!
And taking Greg’s advice, after the viewing of art, the drinking of cocktails began. These are at The Modern, the Danny Meyer restaurant at the museum.
A martini, left; and The Heights, a special on the cocktail list, right. More art, and a few snacks at the Modern, after the jump.
On the way to the city, we stopped to get a coffee — oh, all right, I got an ice cream, too — at Lighthouse, a new-ish coffee bar near the Tarrytown train station.
It’s pretty cute: a couple of marble tables and wicker bistro-style chairs; a gas fireplace; lots of wood. And a nice coffee bar with a couple of impressive espresso machines:
Ice cream, and a gorgeous photo of srimp, after the jump.
It had been way to long since we caught up with Matt and Vanessa. Things get in the way, but the great thing about a new baby is that she can often help bring friends back together, too.
Apparently there’s a new chef at the Hudson House. I haven’t called to get the scoop on his name or credentials, but from the few things Irene and I tasted, I’d say we’re in for a treat with his cooking!
This was the Green Goddess salad, which was a little like a greek salad, but more sophisticated. Olives, endive, arugula, onion… all delishy!
The Hudson House is undergoing renovations, so we ate in the upstairs dining room, which is really quite cozy and comfortable. There’s a cute little bar in the back, and a raised area that has served as a stage during performances there (and also was used to seat the wedding party at Sarah and Wilson’s rehearsal dinner!).
Henry’s at Buttermilk Falls is a super-chic resort in farm country in Ulster County. Right near Milton, N.Y. — almost adjacent to Locust Ridge Farm, where we once purchased 30 pounds of sour cherries to make preserves for our wedding favors — and along the bank of the Hudson River, Henry’s is a restored old inn with a spa, restaurant and hair salon on the property. There are also several private cabins that can be rented for overnights.
We met our friends Janet and Jerry, the publishers of The Valley Table magazine, there for lunch Friday. The drive, the property and the company were terrific. The food, unfortunately, was just average. But there’s a new chef in the kitchen, so our fingers are crossed the menu will get better as he settles in.
That’s the seared shrimp over braised red cabbage. The cabbage was quite tasty, but the menu promised a combination of cabbage and fennel, and the fennel was missing. At least we couldn’t find it.
Gastropub? Sounds great. Korean? Sounds great. Small plates? Yes, sounds great. All three, in the same restaurant? Sounds really great. And it was — sometimes. Like now:
Spicy yellowtail sashimi, cho jang, jalapeno
And now:
Bo ssam: braised pork belly, scallion, dehydrated daikon, kimchi cabbage wrap
And now:
Bulgogi beef sliders
Sam and I joined Kelli, Sarah and Hugh for an early Friday supper at the OVI. The kids had cheeseburgers and grilled cheese. Kelli and I had pizza and wings. Sam had milk.
My favorite part of the evening was when Hugh asked me whether I was going to take a picture of his food. Of course Hughie! His grilled cheese, after the jump.
We just meant to stop by for a drink. But Samantha was sleeping all snug as a bug in rug, and the new menu just looked so darn good. So after a Manhattan and a martini, well, we ordered dinner. Delicious as always.
Maybe it was the rice and beans from Maura’s the night before, but I had a hankering for Harry’s. And the weather was so gorgeous that we decided to make an afternoon of it. We walked down the long way, stopped for lunch, walked a bit more, stopped for coffee, and then headed home. Come along and share our outing!
Harry’s chilaquiles, which are top-notch.
A Peruvian place with terrific roast chicken opened in Nyack recently, and we’ve had a few meals now and loved every one. So when Kelli and Patrick came over — and no one wanted to do the cooking — we called for two chickens, rice and beans. We’ve could hardly have been more pleased.
I don’t have to tell SCF fans how often we go to the Olde Village Inne in Nyack. A ridiculous amount. But since Sam came along, we hadn’t been once. We had to remedy that situation — and fast.
We both had wings. A bad photo of them — and a nice one of Caroline, the owner — after the jump.
For our New Year’s celebration, we headed out to Palisades to buy some Weleda cream for the baby and have a hamburger at The Filling Station on Route 9W. Then we went home to hang out with Sam and watch a movie. Oh, if the club kids could see us now!
Seriously, though, the food was excellent. Really top-notch. The burgers are made from natural Black Angus beef with no hormones or antibiotics, and it’s a special blend of brisket, short ribs and hanger steak. Best of all, they’re cooked perfectly. The Filling Station is now my new favorite burger joint in Rockland, hands down. Maybe Westchester and the city, too. You know what it reminds me of? Taylors Refresher (now known as Gott’s Roaside) in Napa!
Yes, we’re back. We thought it would be a fun spot to take Sarah and Chris and the kids. Indeed, it was! We got a table by the ice rink and sat under the heat lamps, enjoying burgers and soups. We even got to see Boo, who was able to join us last minute. What fun!
Jane stayed home, and Mae was beside herself about being alone with her Mommy in the city. “I don’t even have to share my hot dog!” she exclaimed. What’s better than that?
What a terrific find in Ditch Plains. It’s kid friendly, cool looking, and, best of all, the food is great. It really was a perfect fit for lunch after our morning at the museum.
My curry mussels and frites, above. Delishy. More food and photos, after the jump.
The last of the forbidden pregnancy foods has now been checked off the list. At Grand Central Oyster Bar: Belons, Christmas Coves, Chincoteauges and North Havens. A platter of cold, briny oysters that tasted of the sea and brought a shudder of happiness to our hearts.
Our trip and other seafood dishes, after the jump.
Greg, Samantha and I took shelter from a sprinkle under a canopy at the bar called the South Porch at Bryant Park. The park is all decked out for the holidays, complete with an ice-skating rink and a big blue tree.
We think Sam enjoyed her first trip to Manhattan.
More pics, including of a big, cozy fire pit, after the jump.
I haven’t had a burger out — that is, one I didn’t make — in all of 2011. Being pregnant, I just didn’t want to risk it. So I was really looking forward to having a great burger. And after our market trip, that’s just what we did. We headed to BGR, which opened a couple of months ago in Mount Kisco.
It was a worthy re-entry into the burger world, for sure. More, after the jump.
Having a hankering for pizza — good pizza, that is — and having found ourselves in White Plains, we went to Anthony’s. A chain, sure, but a high-quality one, and one where the prices is nice and the service is quick. Both bonuses, but especially the latter when Sam is involved. And the pizza? Darn good.
That’s Greg’s. Sausage with caramelized onions. Seriously. The onions were cooked before the pizza was. They were sweet and delicious. The sausage had a nice fennel flavor. It’s how sausage on pizza should always taste.
Irene’s sister, Carol, is in town for her annual December visit. Kris and I met the sisters for a supper at Velo. The food was so good we all decided we need to go back more often. The cocktails, especially, were super. Irene and I loved our Manhattans and Kris’ martini was out of sight.
We all had rich, hearty, wintery food: short ribs and pastas. Irene’s Handmade Ricotta Cavatelli with Sausage and Fennel Ragu and Grana Padano was especially delishy.
Mom, Leigh and I took Sam out for her first Sunday brunch at Cafe Barcel this weekend. I had a great latte –
— and a terrific dish: Barcel Benedict, with poached eggs and Serrano over brioche.
Sam had milk.
For Sam’s first trip to the mall (with Gregory!), we had lunch at a brand-new food court stand called Cheese Boy, and took in a 2 p.m. showing of The Descendants. First, the sandwich.
A well-made sammy with good bread, butter and fresh ingredients. We were happy indeed. I also got a tomato soup. Photos of that, and Sam in her stroller for her first mall experience, after the jump.
The last time we were at Wasabi was the night before I got pregnant with Sam. We knew chances were I wouldn’t be eating sushi for a long, long time, so we had a bit of an extravaganza. Appropriate, then, that for my first meal out after Sam was born, we should head back to the scene of the crime! Sarah and Kelli came along, and we stumbled into another tasting menu prepared by Doug. We loved every morsel. Here’s the scallop ceviche:
For Sam’s first restaurant outing, we walked downtown to have coffee and lunch at Art Cafe. It was nice enough that we could even sit outside.
My rice bowl was delicious, too.
Sarah and Greg laugh at something funny on the phone:
Coffees and more, after the jump.
You’d never expect to find great food in a strip mall near the railroad tracks in Blauvelt. But there you have it. At Lanie Lou’s, they roast their own turkey, bake their own bread and make desserts from scratch. And it shows. The food is just terrific. Simple, but terrific. Here’s my roast turkey sandwich on country bread with hand-cut fries:
Apologies for not posting much these days, folks. I promise to update the happenings at the farm as soon as I’m able. In the meantime, a fun new holiday feature just, ahem, arrived in Arrive.
I got the chance to interview the Northeast’s four James Beard Award-winning chefs and wine director from 2011 for a feature about their favorite holiday traditions. It was fun to see that most of what they all love is just what we all love, too: being with family, eating good food and having fun.
Check it out below — or, as always, you can find articles, podcasts and more from Greg and me on our professional page: Our Articles, Videos and Podcasts.
Holiday feature on the Northeast’s James Beard Award-winning talents from 2011: Michael Solomonov, Belinda Chang, Tony Maws and Jose Andres. “Family Style: The region’s top chefs and wine director share their favorite holiday meals and traditions.” Nov.-Dec., 2011.
Click here to read the PDF:
We love Mimi’s Plate in Tappan. The food is so darn delicious. My breakfast burrito and Greg’s breakfast sandwich were a real treat:
Greg’s prayers have been answered: We now have good Chinese food in Nyack. We couldn’t be happier that Baumgart’s, a Chinese mini-chain from New Jersey, opened at the bottom of Main Street across from O’Donoghue’s. Finally! A place that makes Chinese food with fresh ingredients, good technique and lots of care.
But, but… it’s called Baumgart’s, you say? Yes. Here’s the deal: a family owned a soda fountain in the 1950s. Ice cream, floats, sodas, sandwiches, the like. When they decided to sell, a Chinese family bought it, and brought their recipes to the menu. For a while, they operated as a soda fountain during the day and as a Chinese restaurant for dinner. But then they decided to combine the two concepts. To this day, there’s still an old-fashioned ice cream parlor at each of the four Baumgart’s. Well, make that five, now.
Sounds like it should say Breakfast at Tiffany, doesn’t it? Not quite as luxurious, but every bit as special. No photos of the food today, but here’s a look at the cast. Liz and Susan:
