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.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art just reopened its renovated American Wing, which displays, according to the Met, “one of the finest and most comprehensive” American art collections in the world. It has George Washington Crossing the Delaware, for one, and two galleries dedicated to the Hudson River School. The wing is organized chronologically, so you can watch the development of our nation as you move through the galleries, starting with European-style portraiture and moving on to the Hudson River School and Western art and then on to Impressionism and Modern. It’s a lot of fun — and a lot to take in. We’ll be back.
I got so many comments and “likes” when I posted this photo on Facebook, so I’m just gonna throw it out there before the jump. After the jump you’ll find a few more photos of art. We also have a few more photos of Sam, but here’s one of our favorites:
Greg is working on an article for The Valle y Table magazine about maple syrup in the Hudson Valley. So we took an afternoon and went to visit Bri Hart at his White Oak Farm in Yorktown Heights. He has 10 acres and last year produced between 400 and 500 gallons of maple syrup. He grew up on a farm in Northeast Connecticut and has been farming the land here in Westchester for about 35 years. We got a little tour of his sugar shack and Greg also took at look at the saw mill he has on his property. Great fun. Here’s a little slideshow of our visit.
In search of a good backpack, we headed to the new Ridge Hill shopping center in Yonkers, which has not only and REI and an L.L. Bean but also a Dick’s Sporting Goods. If you can’t find a backpack in those stores, there’s something wrong with you. (We did.) Since this is (ostensibly) a food blog, I will note that we had lunch at the Whole Foods there. The store, by the way, beats the White Plains one by a mile. So much more spacious, fewer people and lots more stuff. Bravo.
Greg made his own tacos from the “salad” bar. I got a panino. Srimp had milk.
I must have walked past the main branch of the New York Public Library a hundred times, but I’ve never been inside. Today, that all changed. We took in the sites, including those famous lions, a Gutenberg Bible that was on display inside, and, of course, the Rose Reading Room.
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?
Kris and Tom introduced us to one of their holiday traditions this year, reading “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote. We so enjoyed the story that Greg and I vowed to make it a Sour Cherry Farm ritual, too. Indeed, the next night, over at the Ranch, we took the story, and the whole family took turns reading from it — just as we did at Irene’s with Kris and Tom.
This being Irene and Kris and Tom doing the hosting, you can bet the evening was filled with great food. We started with Wassail, for which Tom baked apples to flavor the drink. Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of that, because it was really great. Warm, sweet and boozy. Just what you want on a winter’s night. So was Tom’s cotechino with lentils.
As was Irene’s brisket sandwich. Photos of that, as well as some more photos from the evening, after the jump.
With just two children opening gifts,the living room at the Ranch got just as trashed as if all seven adults and three children were participating. The joy of giving!
And afterwards, we had a reprise of what is sure to become an SCF winter classic: Joan Nathan’s brisket (recipe here). With a bit of creamy polenta? My god is that good.
More presents and dining, after the jump.
For a little holiday diversion, we took the kids to see the butterfly exhibit and the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan. Oh how Mae hoped a butterfly would land on her hand. Alas.
Everyone, however, was sufficiently wowed by the T-Rex and his cousins on the fourth floor:
Our annual Christmas tradition: tamale supper.
This year, we started with margies, too.
While Sam is happy and smiling, Greg predicts that things will change, and quickly:
And here’s Sam on her own, working on that magical smile:
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.
We took srimp — that’s what we’ve taken to calling her these days, srimp. No “h” — to the last outdoor market of the season in Pleasantville. We stocked up on all kinds of goodies.
Clockwise from lower left: celery, potatoes, apples, frozen blueberries, leeks, Tuscan kale, butternut squash, tiny onions, pea shoots, beets, apple cider, pear cider, celeriac, carrots, Brussels sprouts, garlic, turnips, onions, and, the in the center, pears.
Quite a haul!
Greg calls the photo below “Joni Mitchell shopping in 1973.”
A few more market photos, 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.
Greg made up a carol to sing to Sam. It kept her quiet while we were waiting for the doctor. In fact, we think she rather enjoyed it.
Here’s another cute photo of Greg and Sam.
Sam’s arrival put the kibosh on a Thanksgiving celebration out this year, so Judy and the gang invited us over for a pasta supper instead. It was pretty similar to Thanksgiving, except for the singing. And the turkey. We didn’t have any. Turkey or singing.
Irene came over and cooked dinner for us — a welcome and very appreciated gift. She made a delishy meal of scallops, which we ate with pleasure by the fire.
Sam with her stroller, car seat and bassinet for the stroller. This wonderful gear was donated to the farm by some very generous friends. Thank you Young-Yi and Amy!
A couple more photos of Sam, including a cute one with Daddy, after the jump.
For our simple supper, we roasted two chickens, threw some potatoes underneath and opened a crazy good bottle of wine, a gift from our friend Lettie some time ago.
A little lemon verbena under the chicken never hurt anyone. Greg is proud.
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.
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.
Our friends Pete and Jeannine stopped by to pay Sam a visit on Saturday morning. It was great to catch up.
After the jump, a few more photos. Of Sam. Of course.
It was a quiet night at Sour Cherry Farm. We roasted a turkey, made some mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and ate a simple dinner in front of the television. Sam had milk and rested in her bassinet.
Earlier in the afternoon, Grammy and Leighlo stopped by on their way to Les Gilberts:
We also had a nice visit to Rockland Lake. All the day’s festivities, after the jump.
Irene came over and made dinner for us on our first Saturday night home from the hospital with Sam. Roast chicken, kale and a mushroom-potato side. Delishy.
Yum! More photos, after the jump.
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:
Our book club met at Irene’s to discuss Tom’s pick: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. Since the book was set in 1974, Irene made an aspic. Of course she did.
From a sunny afternoon to magic hour, here’s a look at one of the top 10 beach days of all time. Thank you Amagansett!
We celebrated Grandmom’s birthday with a supper in the orchard: pork, corn and Doris’ cucumber salad. We had a plum cake to finish. An end-of-summer meal if ever there was one.
