I’m thirty now and it feels pretty awesome. A big part of that is not experiencing anxiety about changing the first digit in my age much less having someone thoughtfully point that out to me. The great feeling also comes from a sense of learning from the mistakes I made in my twenties - what some people refer to as living - and applying those lessons learned to…
Actually, what it comes down to, is that I had a great birthday. I was surrounded by friends (some traveling from Chicago and Austin) and family (my father was in town on a well-timed business trip). I was spoiled with gifts, most of which should benefit any AAPL stockholders and employees. And I received a lot of birthday cards of which my favorite was enclosed in a translucent yellow envelope procured in France. Of course, the experiences was what made it fun.
Hill Country
This place can’t seem to get any negative reviews and/or press in New York and why should it? It’s objective is to serve one of the finest styles of cuisine in the world: Texas BBQ. Of course, after having my fill of Texas BBQ in Texas the weekend before, I wasn’t aggressive on the menu. But it does taste a little bit like home which maybe is worth $20.00/lb for the sliced brisket. Which is the perfect place to have a happy hour/dinner with all of your close Texan (and honorary Texan) friends. Maybe that’s why it is our De facto go-to for such occasions. Also, I don’t know who that sound engineer guy is working at Hill Country thinks he is but he needs to cut out the Kevin-Barnett-imposter-act because it’s pissing me off.
Perilla
Okay, I picked this restaurant at the recommendation of some New York editors and because the executive chef won the first season of Top Chef. As one of the newest and notable restaurants in town, it has received some stellar press and reviews. But what it comes down to is the food and service. Both were impressive. I loved the simple menu (read: not being overwhelmed by a menu adds to a dining experience) and the food really did seem to focus on whatever fresh ingredients were available at that moment. If this is what results from a reality television show, I say bring on Season 4.
Dominick’s
Ten years ago, my friend Luke visited New York with a college friend from Connecticut. When he requested italian food one evening, the friend’s parents drove them to Dominick’s on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. That night resulted in a legendary meal story that I have been curious to re-create ever since moving here. Finally, I was able to do that with Luke visiting along with his wife, sister-in-law and a group of mutual friends. We all took the North Line out of Grand Central to the Fordham University stop and made a 15 minute walk to the restaurant. There were no menus, only “Pasqi” making recommendations and asking us to tell him what we wanted. What ensued was a multi-course meal (antipasto, calamari, stuffed artichokes, veal marsala, chicken picatta, eggplant parmesan, etc.) and enough wine to get us all ubriaco. Considering what we ended up paying before tax/tip ($425 for 8 people), this may have been the best meal I’ve had in New York City.
Fresh Salt
AKA There Will Be Booze. I was surprised at how many people trekked it down to the South Street Seaport zone. We took over the entire bar, DJ’ing off my iPod with just the right amount of space to keep us cozy with room to move around. Two unexpected guests included a neighborhood regular who also shares a Feb 27th birthday (yeah, weird) and his pet Komondor (awesome hair). It made the evening even more special considering the service was excellent, drinks were stiff and the company was A-class. We had fresh baked cupcakes. From there it gets fuzzy.
The next day was not as awesome. But completely worth it. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.
I was just listening to Ghostland Observatory - Robotique Majestique