Thursday Night "Date" Night

Thursday night has been, at my continual urging, set aside for the two adults in the house (Carl and I) to go to dinner and talk without the little one in the middle of us. For me, this is an opportunity to try a new restaurant every week (or a new tea place or dessert place.) Carl, bless his soul, is usually up for this but once in a while he wants something "known." This month, we've been back to Sanctuary Tea
(W. Broadway at Grand Street) for tea and salmon smoked in some kind of tea (which is great!). We've checked out Amai Tea House (17th/3rd), which is a tea house in the Japanese style with cookies flavored with Earl Grey, figs rolled in chocolate and other delicious things. I like it there; I love watching the neighborhood people come in with anticipation and leave happy.

We've also tried Barfry (50 Carmine Street between Bleecker and Bedford). It's Japanese-style bar food (a lot of tempura). We opted for a pumpkin-squash soup, tuna tartare, tomatoes in basil sauce, snow peas with wasabi, and a shared tasting of black sesame, bay leaf and green tea ice cream. In each of the dishes, the flavors built up to a medley of the different spices used (imagine mustard seed at the bottom of the tuna tartare).

Last night was Cafe Gray in the Time Warner building (59th/Columbus). Once a year we treat Carl's financial advisor to a FANCY dinner - and I of course love that!! Cafe Grey is interesting. I didn't expect to like the space but I didn't mind it except for the strange light bulbs in the ceiling (similar to the ones you find in dressing rooms at the theater). The kitchen is a big open room - positioned right next to all us diners. On the other side of the kitchen is the view of Central Park, which you can't see. I wonder what that means? Food is king? Anyway, in the brief moments that I was glancing around, I didn't mind seeing the chefs cooking away. Big Daughter ordered the entree of pork belly and cheeks and it was surprisingly good (almost creamy in taste). (Usually, when I see cheeks, I think of someone's face and imagine eating their cheeks, which of course is too weird and then I don't order anything with cheeks in it).

I had read some reviews about Cafe Gray so I suggested that Carl get the roast duck as it was highly praised by a few different different food authorities. He was in heaven. I didn't like the appetizer of Sashimi with Tuna; it was kind of strange looking (a pink slab of fish with some root vegetables dropped on top but who am I to say?). Carl ate my cod with rice flakes in a curry sauce and was surprised at his ability to eat two entrees, but he's really skinny so it doesn't matter. The desserts were pretty - and presented with a flourish - chocolate souffle with ginger, chocolate rum toast with raisins and bananas, and crystallized key lime pie with schlag and vanilla sugar donuts. I think the vanilla sugar donuts were the best, but I didn't like the chocolate dipping sauce or the vanilla one.

This probably sounds strange, but I found the atmosphere of the restaurant a little weird. The second tier servers (the servers and water bearers) were cool and had a sense of themselves, but the bartenders and the Maitre'd seemed a bit beaten down. Who knows serving people who don't really care about the food might do one in. I saw one woman snapping her finger at the Maitre'd as we were leaving and I was horrified. Earlier she was eating bread in a very strange way - one piece was just jutting out of her mouth like a little second tongue. I guess I'd get beaten down too. The experience made me think that of all the fancy dinners with the Financial Advisor (Daniel, Le Cirque, L'Impero, L'Cirque, Le Bernardin and Cafe Gray), the one which really stood out is Le Bernardin. From start to finish, it was a seamless experience and the staff exuded a palpable sense of excitement and pride, which gave the experience an almost magical feeling.

The only other restaurant that consistently recreates that same sense of a magical moment is Chanterelle (Harrison and Hudson Street - Tribeca. When I go to Chanterelle (not for Thursday night dinner of course because Carl would literally die. The poor man (he is actually not poor) refuses to eat "fancy" other than with his financial advisor once a year. I think the equation is that money=rewards. Or perhaps that's why he's not poor!! Anyway back to Chanterelle; when I'm there I forget everything that I am thinking about and I simply love the food and the person I'm with.(Carl are you reading this? Maybe you should go with me once in a while to Chanterelle!! and not talk sports to the poor man who was up for the next Sunday Salon).