A Weekend in New York
How easy it is to remember the carefree and directionless nature of life in your twenties, when you’re riding the subway, headed up town for bagels, after a raucous night out. As I am no longer in my twenties, the intention is to help digest the late night drinking I partook in with two of my very best friends. Our only planned destination is a bench in Central Park, to enjoy our carb bounty and then some wandering to see what we find on the Upper East Side. The day is cloudless and the feeling of fall is everywhere. One of us is considering how to best keep down that 1:00 am crème brulêe and Frites we enjoyed in the lobby of Nine Orchard the night before. We were sitting in a booth behind Maria Bello and Cameryn Manheim, a sighting that peppered itself into most of our conversations for the rest of the weekend. Post-sighting we crammed all three of our bodies into a queen bed, packed like sardines, because sometimes life only gives you one choice, and you take it. Another one of us is on the phone with the common denominator that brought us all together. Helping her work through the logistics of what feels like the 10th NYC Wine & Food event we’ve planned together. The third has quickly and naturally turned into a New Yorker and is navigating the Saturday line at Zabars. Put together as a trio, we are a scene.
Let’s rewind to the beginning. Insert a classic movie squiggle sound, stopping at Little Goat Diner in Chicago, year 2014. We were young birds, making our way in a wild industry. Lucky for all of us we carried an insane stamina for “making it happen” and a deep love for food. It didn’t take long for our paths to cross, as we all filled a role with very few limits and when something needed to get done, one of the three of us were almost certainly called upon. For me it was anything kitchen related, for Tara it was all things front of house with a brief stint in the milkshake making department and an incredible digital design talent (thank you for my SP logo), for Shannon if the public saw it and loved it, she had thought of it. Our camaraderie was instant, but our lifelong friendship has been a slow burn, growing and strengthening through all the storms, moves, life fuck-ups and calls with good news. They facilitated my engagement to Aaron, taking me out for a never-ending dinner at Two (RIP). I never suspected a thing. It was just a regular dinner with my pals and the surprise was all the better because they were there to celebrate with us. Many highlife’s at Aberdeen Tap, many more bottles of Rosé and even still more oysters have been shared over the years. Life put distance between us, making our usual “meet ya on the corner” less usual but we always find a way back to having a good time.
This time it was in NYC and it was not a bust. We started in Brooklyn, Shan’s new-ish neighborhood. Walking through the drizzly fall streets to June, a perfect little neighborhood haunt. A near instant order of Dirty Martini’s said “let the elegant gluttony begin”. We snacked on prosciutto, Comte and caramelized chicory (recipe below), whipped ricotta with charred eggplant and Chili oil (recipe below) with ample bread. We ordered a bottle of wine that our server shrugged at and said, “I’m going to bring you something else to taste”. She was right and now we all follow her on Instagram. The night was perfect for watching a bootlegged version of Don’t Worry Darling – don’t come at me for the bootleg or my opinion but this movie did not rise to meet the hype. The next day took us to Manhattan. A quick check in at the hotel and off to Via Carota for lunch. We had Cynar Spritzes and a perfect Anchovy and Butter on Sourdough. Yes this dish can be that simple and still be perfect, it’s probably why it’s perfect. My dream salad – all shaved fennel topped with pecorino and anchovy dressing (a theme!, also recipe below), some crispy chickpea fritters topped with a pile of parmesan and herbs and a very silky cacio e pepe. A perfect midday Italian lunch. We took a quick walk a few blocks over to Anton’s. This place is special and maybe I’m biased because the owner was my coworker and fellow newby-female-in-the-kitchen at my first ever cooking job. The restaurant she’s built with her husband is a darling of a space. It’s chic and welcoming and the menu reflects a clear vision that’s well studied. We were only there to drink and have an unexpected catch up with an old friend from Australia. The entire afternoon was taken in through rose-colored glasses. It was perfect.
We walked off our gluttony and did a quick wardrobe change before heading off to Frenchette. This place is like walking through the door to a 1940’s Parisian bistro. It’s classic and understated in the best way. We had oysters that come with tiny little boudin blanc-style sausages. A perfectly rich pairing. Smoked trout beignets with ranch’ette, pork liver terrine with toast and jam, duck frites, a leafy green salad with shallot vinaigrette followed by a perfect Pistachio Paris Brest (recipe below - a holiday showstopper for sure). It was all so French and so perfectly done. A wine bar, drinks at the Bowery, Le Dive where we of course got ourselves some highlife’s and back to the hotel. Things got hazy and my jeans got tight but it was one of the best nights out I’ve had in years. Our final dinner was at Laser Wolf in Williamsburg. It’s Israeli food and it was so phenomenal. Dips, spreads, pickles and grilled meat all with fresh pita.
Clearly our friendship is built on food and an eagerness to explore new places and if that isn’t a natural pairing then one doesn’t exist. Life offers you perfect friends when you least expect it, and it’s tainted me because I am a bit selective on who I keep on for the long haul. I need to know you’d be willing to shovel shit out of the trenches with me if the time came and in return, I’d fly across the world for you if you needed my support. Friends like that don’t pop up every day. They are bred from special circumstances that create mutual respect and understanding. Truly a gift as this crazy world proves to be a hard place for forming real, lasting connections.
The only album we need right now - Midnights (3am edition)
A Snacking Menu:
Whipped Ricotta with Charred Eggplant and Chili Oil
Comté with Caramelized Chicory