Annual (?) Epic Brunch 2016 Edition

What a difference a week makes. 

Last Saturday was a Blizzard - yes, with a capital B!

What a beautiful Blue sky.

It took months of scheduling but I was heading into NYC to my OTHER Upper West Side 'hood, near the former Mannes Library building, for brunch with Matt and Ruyi, friends from the Big J years. We're all over the place these days - geographically in NY and professionally, so we rotate neighborhoods for brunches. 

In previous years, we've had crepes on the Upper East Side, brunched at Sarabeth's on the Upper West Side, and brunched at home on the Upper East Side (see future post). Somehow though, I haven't persuaded them to come North to Westchester or to Caramoor/Katonah. ONE OF THESE DAYS! It is TIME.

I can't quite do justice in describing the hipster vibe of the southern pickle, biscuit, booze, and chicken place that is set in the middle of the Upper West Side, looking lost - as if it should be in Brooklyn. Even at 10:30, there was a line spilling out onto the street. Waiting list parties were paged by texts, hung out in front of wall freezers full of citrus and bottles of hand squeezed juices, and started drinking before they got to sit down.

Brunch portions were ... LARGE.

Fried - Artisanally, of course ...

with Beverages for the Boozy Folks and Bills Served in Mason Jars...

served by Waitstaff in Beanies, Man Buns, or BMIs that were too too low.

Ya'll -- Fried Pickles are good.

Heck.

Fried anything is good.

I think this is Matt's Sausage Gravy Smothered Fried Buttermilk Fried Chicken Biscuit Sandwich with a side of Cheesy Grits.

Ruyi's introduction to America's Southern cuisine, Biscuits and Gravy: Biscuits and Mushroom Gray with Scrambled Eggs

And - can we just talk about this Southern BLT?

I'll break it down for you - because that's how I had to attempt to eat this 8 inch tall "sandwich":

Nitrate Free Bacon

2 Panko-Encrusted Fried Green Tomatoes

Pickle Slaw (mostly coleslaw)

A Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast

a Biscuit

with a 

Side of Cheesy Grits

As we were being served, three different people (dudes, mostly), were asking me - WHAT IS THAT?

What is was, was a way to measure the pretention and hipster levels of my pretentious hipster brunch location aka HIGHER than this no-need to eat for the rest of the day meal. I didn't finish all the biscuit, slaw, OR grits. Or eat, for the rest of the day.

Also, to note - of COURSE we all took pictures and Instagrammed/Tweeted them. I think the fine print of the menu told us we had to, to tag the restaurant, to #hashtag the meal, and to Yelp it. I am POINTEDLY NOT mentioning the name of the restaurant, or a bunch of that other stuff. NO!

After brunch, on the way back to Grand Central, Ruyi and I looked back fondly at our time at Lincoln Center, 

 

 HEY! We worked near there!

 We were those goobers in the subway taking funny photos. Sorry locals. 

(Though to be fair, I looked enough like a local that I had two different people ask me for directions on my way to brunch. What is it about my face that says, Ask me for directions? -- Is the "L" on my forehead for "Librarian" flashing and I don't know it? I did help them out, however.)

I miss these characters. We need another meet-up soon. We didn't get to spend as long as we needed to catch up. Not like last year.
 

Artwork is part of Arts for Transit installations throughout the City:

This station has an artwork installed in 1989 entitled Westside Views by Nitza Tufiño. The artists are students of Manhattan Community Board 7 and the Grosvernor House. Scenes include 72nd Street, medians on Broadway, FDNY, kids at play, Ida Straus memorial in Straus Park, boats at the 79th Street Boat Basin, New York Buddhist Church Street vendors, and a New York City Bus. A poem entitled West Side Views by student Pedro Pieti is also featured.

per Wikipedia 

~ photos by iPhone

So This Just Happened ...

I can't make this stuff up. This really happened to me tonight.

I'm at the Chinese place on the corner getting dinner on the way home from the train. As I'm paying for my food and about to pick up my take-away sack full of food and hot mustard packets, the guy behind the counter really looks at me and says: "Where you from?"

Please note, English is NOT his first language. And I was NOT anticipating any personal interactions or potentially loaded conversations.

Not quite understanding, I give him a quizzical look.

He responds: "Where are you from?"

I very hesitantly reply, “America.” But my voice trails up, questioningly, because I have NO idea why he's asking.

He tries to clarify: "Where is your family from?"

I still have NO idea why he's asking, because ... Look, I just want my Chinese food and my sweatpants. I didn't know I was going to get an inquisition with my beef and broccoli.

I give him the easiest, briefest, least complicated answer: "England a long time ago. Why?"

 

He points to my head: "Because, your hair …"

Now, could I tell him that once upon a time in the '70s I did look like a little semi-ethnic child, with the flow of raven locks to the middle of back, or later in the '80s when I have my semi-bowl haircut that I might have been mistaken for someone possibly from Asia and not almost 100% European ... but again, this was just supposed to be about my beef and broccoli. 

Instead, I answer:"Oh. Well. Thanks? We think that’s maybe because of a native American ancestor."

And I quickly left.

I mean, I could try and explain a about the possible native American ancestor, or the possible Spanish relative, or very likely Black Irish or Welsh ancestry - but ... Do you expect a DNA test when you order your no-MSG meal?

So … That happened. At least he didn’t make a comment about the grey, I guess.

Maybe it's time to order the AncestryDNA kits and finally get the answers to the questions. Just so I can finally go back to the Chinese place again.

43 Ideas for Birthday 43: Delicious Deliveries

I don't mind grocery shopping, but lately, I hate the schlepping more than anything - and even thinking about what I'm making.

Oh Birthday Fairy - can't you just make my meals magically appear?

MMMM.

I wonder if there are services that I could use?

Like, say ... oh ...

Freshdirect

 

Or this new company which ships you pre-measured out items...

Blue Apron

 Meat = good

Omaha Steaks

 But actually - this is the closest service and one that I have used - all of twice.

Peapond

Nettie is super lazy when it's cold.

Thursday: Tending to Your Temple

Last night/yesterday's post took so long to type out on the iTouch and then to choke through the internet wifi that it was early Thursday morning before I tried to go to sleep.

Tried. Tired. Anagrams.

My brain wouldn't shut off, but when it finally did, something triggered a coughing jag of epic proportions. I am slowly getting over this flu, but am still hacking, sneezing, tired, wheezing, and nursing sore abdominals. I don't know when I finally dozed off, propped up and swaddled in blankets, but it was late enough to hear the winds roaring  and feel the temps dropping.

When I finally emerged in the morning, something  told me that I wasn't the only one NOT feeling our plan to head into the City-center to be tourists. I think my first words weren't "Good morning," but: "I'm a wimp, I don't want to be out in the cold today."

No one debated.  It was all of 10 degrees when I made my pronouncement. And 10 was warm compared to the rest of the country.

So, it was a lazy, stay local, kind of day.

Eventually we all got showered, dressed, read, putzed around and eventually headed over to "the pickle deli." Because what you do when you are from NYC the Land of the Jewish deli is come to DC, to go to a Jewish deli. Totally makes sense, right? But these Mormons down here, they love them this local hangout they've nicknamed the "pickle deli" because of the free pickled item buffet you can browse while waiting for your meal. www.theparkwaydeli.com on Grubb Street. I'm not kidding, Grubb Street.

And the pickling is adventuresome: 1st sampler by dad: sandwich sweets, beets, jalapeño, some krauts, and a pickle

Beets, good. Sandwich sweets, good. LOVED the jalapeño. The pickle was okay, but soured with continual bites. Also, I learned, at almost 43, I DO NOT LIKE KRAUT.

Sampler 2, by Mom: more beets, usual dill diner pickle, sandwich pickles, and deli spear, more jalapeños, and a test to see if I would eat the hot pepper

Those jalapeños were so good, and of course I ate the hot pepper. Just hot enough.

When at a Jewish deli you order a,

Turkey burger and fries, right?

Mom did.

Or a turkey BLT pannini with fries, right?

Dad did, which is weird because he used to be a pastrami or corned beef guy. I don't like either of those flavor profiles.

I am a brisket lady.

A warm brisket on rye lady with a side of onion rings dame

When in a Jewish deli...don't get a falafel wrap, I always think.

Maybe I should have gotten the matzoh ball soup and the brisket, but no. I am living pleasantly in my state of denial at least a few more days. (Plus, pounds equals insulation right now. Hello? It is cold!) As it was I had to defend my right to my precious rings. My preccccccciouuuses.

At least we didn't order any of the hammenstaten, or cheesecake, or fritters, or pie, or rugelach, or eclairs or cannoli  (!!!????) we saw in the cases on the way in and out.

Then it was a quick swing by the temple grounds and the visitors center to see some of the places Mom and Dad see everyday.

Hazy afternoon suns make for silhouette shots of the temple

I am trying to remember exactly, but I think it has been 25 years since I have been here. Unlike when you are small and then you revisit as an adult and everything is smaller, this place is actually bigger now, at least on the inside. Renovations, new technology, and underground expansions will do that.

Being greeted by this Christus hasn't changed, which is lovely.

Displays include:

Explanations of Old Testament temples, like Solomon's here

And how they relate to modern Mormon temples.

There are lots of theater and screens showing various clips, presentations, and inviting you to view the new feature film: Meet the Mormons.

Sit in the booth and find out about the Book of Mormon in a variety of languages.

I do remember seeing older films in smaller rooms like this one.

There are new displays about the Church's many varied international and national humanitarian efforts.

Not to mention a new homey setting where the Church's genealogical offerings are available to start people on ancestry research.

It actually a good thing we didn't go to DC, as it turned out the Center would be closed for the rest of my trip.

That would have put a shadow on things, for sure.

One of the displays still being installed is a very large display of the temple itself, with an open cross section of the interior, so visitors can get more of a sense of what goes on inside. Visitors can ONLY visit the Visitors Center, not the interior of the temple, so pictures, displays, and models are helpful. It is NOT like a cathedral or the Vatican, or even some of the big synagogues or mosques abroad. No tours. Ever. Except during open houses after they are built or remodeled and then, only before dedications. So visitors centers like this are important, especially in DC with so many international visitors and opportunities for religious diplomacy.

Rest of the day was pretty quiet. Mom and I did venture out for a quick walk up the block to visit the old church bookstore I remembered from early trips down to this complex to see Grandma Ollie though now in a new location/new management. We also ducked into some local shops, but quickly returned home.

It was cold enough to make Dad check on the truck,

The local "crick" to freeze,

And for Mom to burrow back under the covers again while others of us read.

We (Mom and I) keep saying we ARE going into DC tomorrow (really later today) ....

but... It's 1am NOW.

I should at least try and post this today.

~ post and photos by iTouch

Christmas Eve: with commas

Eats,

Shoots,

And

Loaves

Fresh out the oven: 1 Molly Mormon card , half earned

-iTouch