Autumn in New York
The weather turned yesterday. The air was suddenly, blissfully free of the sodden end-of-summer heaviness and the scent of August — that heady perfume of sixteen million sweaty feet in sandals —...
View ArticleLittle Rascal
We went to the Lower East Side the other night to see what the young people are up to. Our son, Max, was playing a gig at the Bowery Ballroom with a great band called dinowalrus. They totally killed —...
View ArticleA High Class Lunch at Ai Fiori
The Big Dog and I lunched this afternoon at Ai Fiori, The Big Dog is my high-priced attorney. We were discussing some ultra-subtle legal maneuver that could only be fully investigated in a very, very...
View ArticleCapizzi
I’ve been in rehearsal this week for a reading we’re doing on Friday. It’s a fun piece called “Old Jews Telling Jokes” based on the website of the same name. All this is to say that this week I’m a...
View ArticleRuss and Daughters: A NY Favorite
If you have been to Russ and Daughters you know that they have 5 kinds of salmon, the best smoked fish, many flavors of cream cheese and then you have to pick a bagel, toasted or not: lots of choices...
View ArticleMañana
For someone who considered “nursery food” buttered tortillas with Jalapenos or cheese enchiladas, it is with more than just a foodie interest that I seek out Mexican restaurants wherever I live. It is...
View ArticleCzeching In
“I just need to get out of the apartment.” I whined to my friend Blaine on the phone. “It’s raining.” He replied. I looked out the window. It was just drizzling. “I don’t care. I need to do...
View ArticleRestaurant Prune
Did I read Gabrielle Hamilton’s Blood, Bones, and Butter? Yes. Is it why we went for dinner at Prune? Yes. Am I glad we did? Absolutely! Our taxis slowed down on a narrow street in NYC’s East Village...
View ArticlePrune, My Kinda Retro
The East Village is, was and always will be my hood in the big apple. Sure, I now stay on the Upper West Side and much to the dismay of my husband, I gravitate downtown. He will often say “downtown...
View ArticleDanji
I had an experience the other night that was right out of Larry David’s universe or Seinfeld’s. A classic. I’ll try to describe it for you. It was around 9:45 and I was at Danji, the wonderful Korean...
View ArticleSerendipity 3
Trips to New York City have become scarce over the years. (Maybe non-existent is a better description.) I don't have family, friends or business in New York. All past trips have been purely...
View ArticleVisiting Eataly
The word on the street is that Mario Batali has been losing sleep. He’s been seen pacing up and down in front of his various restaurants, wringing his hands and sighing – all because he heard I’ve been...
View ArticleThe Best Pork Dish in America
That’s a loaded statement so let me describe the dish before we go any further. It’s a pot of clam chowder — with a light cream base — with succulent, dinner-sized hunks of pork, rosy-pink and tender...
View ArticleNew York state of mind at Baumgart's Café
There's a place in New Jersey where you can have a New York milkshake with your sushi. Seriously. Baumgart's Café, name aside, is Asian with a quirky edge. I spent hours on their menu and I have to say...
View ArticlePizza by Certe
Would you eat there On a lunch break? Would you eat there For the earth’s sake? I would surely eat there on a lunch break I would surely eat there for the earth’s sake. How could you resist—green walls...
View ArticleKyotofu Dessert Bar
OK fine. I'll admit it. I'm the person who studies the menu online before going out to eat. I devour every edible word and let the taste bud anticipation work its magic. The moment I knew I would be...
View ArticleA Table at Rao's
We all know the few things in our lives that give us status above and beyond our own reality. Our dog, Buzz (an apricot poodle that bears an uncanny resemblance to Rod Stewart), always attracts...
View ArticlePrune, My Kinda Retro
The East Village is, was and always will be my hood in the big apple. Sure, I now stay on the Upper West Side and much to the dismay of my husband, I gravitate downtown. He will often say “downtown...
View ArticleMiss Macaron
I've never been the type to have a candy drawer or crave chocolate. Growing up, I would rather have a savory snack than give myself a sugar rush. There was one sweet spoonful that sent me swooning, ice...
View ArticleThree Fat Boys in Astoria
Call out the riot squad! Barricade the streets! Lock up your daughters! The Three Fat Unemployed Actors’ Lunch Club is on the loose again — this time in the far reaches of Queens at the wonderful...
View Article