Sunday, January 31, 2010

terrible brunch at berimbau

oh my god, you guys. the day started with justin sending around this in preparation for brunch. we went to berimbau. there was one girl to make all the drinks, take orders, run food. basically everything took ages AND the place was advertised as having a free drink with brunch but then we get there and they're like, "oh, not anymore, sorry!" i order a veggie omelet (tomato, mushroom, asparagus, pepper onion and goat cheese). BUT this fucking omelet comes and it's dry as shit and has only tiny cubes of carrots and green beans in it. like the frozen kind from a bag. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! never ever go to this place. it's terrible. but we were drinking caipirinhas and they were strong, we had two each. we then thought it was a great idea to go across the street to cabrito for jalapeno margaritas (again, two each). oh god. THEN we went to kettle of fish and i think had beer? and then went to fat cat and a few PBRs each and stole some pool table from a birthday party that had reserved it. and then went to some other place that i never even got the name of but our friend knew the manager who bought us vodka sodas and then i knew the bartender who bought us more beers. WASTED and at like only 11pm we head to the local hell's kitchen diner and then to rudy's for another beer. suffice it to say today has been rough. really really fucking rough. colin ended up at kenny's castaways and the barenaked ladies were there and gave a surprise acapella performance! GAH! i missed it. 

looking at my phone this morning i found 20 or so text messages from people that i responded to but don't even remember reading. invites to super bowl parties. justin's name in my phone was now "hora hora from bora bora" which i vaguely remember colin being responsible for at some point. questions about my increasingly crazy status updates (many with egregious spelling errors), texts from the bartender telling me how i left without saying goodbye, maybe some pictures of my boobs sent to the cuban drummer boy who says they've got gigs in nyc next month and can he just bring my blazer back to me instead of mailing it? ugh. also, that he wants me to come to cuba with him next time. right. my friends keep joking that he'll wear it onstage at the grammys. something that would be hysterical but he's not going to the grammys so isn't a possibility, however funny. 

Thursday, January 21, 2010

movie night at cabrito

i've done the math and figured out that i will actually end up with a net loss while working down here because there are so many awesome restaurants. i've stopped into the grey dog cafe every morning for overpriced lattes and breakfast. on monday, bernadette and i discovered movie mondays at cabrito. we drank with the bartender until last call and i see myself becoming a regular there quickly. i mean, i've been there once but i think i might be a regular there already.

locanda verde trufflepalooza

truffle monday at locanda verde! black truffles this time. am bringing colin with me, again. i feel i've been cheating a bit on locanda with joseph leonard. i'm a woman torn between two lovers. locanda has the ricotta. joseph leonard, the brussels sprouts. locanda, the gorgeous open space. joseph, the cozy bar. locanda, the cute hosts. joseph, the chatty bartenders...what's a girl to do?

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Liveblogging Lunch: Del Posto

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Stool for my purse!

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del posto lunch

you all know i'm an eleven madison park devotee. that my lunches there when i'm between cases and have the rare weekday off, are blissful. i knew 4 stars would change that. what i didn't predict was the fact that they'd stop participating in restaurant week. that, never again, would i get 3 courses for $24. EMP, i love you but you've priced me out. i can't afford your dinners and i found a much more satisfying place for lunch.

when i read this post, lunch at del posto jumped to the top of the list. AND, LO, IT WAS GOOD. i mean, HOLY HELL: YES.

service is beyond gracious. really proper without being stuffy. billie and ella and edith and nina played in the background. i had the bastianich sauv blanc because it was from friuli and i'm slightly obsessed with his tocai (or friuliano or whatever it's called now, available by the glass at esca! sit at the bar with victor!). my server (though i don't think they're called servers. maybe head waiters?), though not flirty, was italian so he pretty much oozed sexiness. it's the italian swagger and i love it. he greeted me with a hearty "buon giorno!" and recommended the duck. and then did NOT ask me come come out back and get naked but in my head, that's what ALL italian sounds like. it all sounds like, "let me make love to you, bellissima"

tre amuses and one hell of a bread basket served with both lardo and butter. lardo, for those uninitiated...think gourmet bacon fat. but bacon fat so good that you briefly think of eating it with a spoon. or bathing in it. but then you remember that 5 minutes ago someone came over with a brocade stool for your purse. a chair! for a purse! i mean, how silly! but also: fancy. which is what stops you from rubbing said lardo all over your face. 

i started with the roasted vegetables because i'm a sucker for robiola. and though you'd think i'd be truffled out, i am not. my favorite part was the slice of apple  (granny smith?) on the far side of my plate. i ordered the duck. OH MY GOD. it was gorgeous and so tender, the skin so crispy. it's the best dish i've had in a long time. (i mean, it might have been better than the ribeye from carnevino, incidentally another batali place that pam recommended, which cost an arm and a leg and was my birthday dinner out in vegas.) people, i seriously moaned every time i took a bite. it was transcendent. there are no words for this duck. i'm totally wasting my time trying to convey how incredibly awesome it was. if i could have sex with meat, i would screw the crap out of this duck. i would propose. i'd move into its brooklyn apartment even though i SWORE i would not leave the borough of manhattan.

mark ladner was in the house. and joe bastianich also arrived as dessert was delivered. i asked for a skim latte and was told "we do not use skim milk" which, you know what? that's fine by me because whole milk tastes so much better and i never order it because i've got some female guilt that i'm sure i got subconsciously from looking at skinny models on magazine covers in the grocery store checkout aisle. i respect a restaurant that full on refuses to give you something they know doesn't taste that great in favor of the stuff that tastes better, even if it may be fatty (mmmmmm.....lardo......)

dessertCHESTNUT Cake Warm Plum Macedonia, Crushed Chestnuts & Yogurt Gelato. i liked dessert but i liked all my little amuse desserts better. i'm not a real sugar person anyhow so might have sweeted out with them prior to even dipping a fork in my cake. delivered on a cheese grater were a teeny tartufo on a stick, an eensy lemon tart, a baby beignet, a sliver of truffle and something else i can't remember. so twee and perfect. and they also brought over a glass of moscato, gratis. i love when restaurants do that. bring over a free glass of something to the nice lady who came in to eat all alone.

but people: the food was only $29. that is bonkers and, as seen with my dear EMP, who knows how long it'll last. so GO. NOW. ORDER THE DUCK.