We went to Pies-n-Thighs, again to meet friends we'd never met.
If you live Anywhere Near Brooklyn [Williamsburg] (yes, Manhattan counts as near), you should go for the biscuits and gravy alone. Oh. My. Also, on my way out, I was given a free donut hole. What's better than that?
We then went to Greenpoint and saw this:
Hello, beautiful.
Second stop was my husband's hometown, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. We ate pizza from Gino's. Now, if you click that link, you get a very different idea of what Gino's is. Or what it was. It was a storefront. Just a counter, a brick oven, three guys and some awesome slices.
Luckily, all that is still there (we ate standing at the counter), in addition to the expanded menu, wood bar, and fancy napkins. I almost ate it without taking a picture. This was the most perfect piece of New York pizza I've ever had, so please forgive the first bite taken before I remembered to get out the ol' iPhone.
Again, people of New York, get your heinie on a train and go to 75th Street and 5th Ave and eat this pizza.
The evening found us wanting some Old New York. We met some of my oldest friends (like, I've known them since 1987, not that they're old) at The Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station. It is apparently beautiful in there, though it was so dark, even after being there for an hour, I had a hard time appreciating the details. For example, I just looked up that link, and had no idea the ceiling was that elaborate or that the bar stools were red. We drank fancy, ridiculously expensive cocktails. It was lovely to see them.
We then took a cab to The Plaza and had dinner at The Oak Room. (Click "Cuisine" for the menu.) Lovely. Pretty. Super Slow Service - when I say I need a minute to look at the wine list, don't come back in twenty. Also, when I'm done eating, you can take away the plate within fifteen minutes of my Very Obviously Putting My Fork And Knife On The Plate In The "Done" Position. Seriously.
We had an appetizer of Crisp pork belly with ramp kimchi, green curried cauliflower and green papaya that I honestly forgot we had until I just looked at the menu. Now that I remember it, I also remember that the scrapple at Momofuku and the pork belly at Piccolo in Minneapolis are both vastly superior. I think Bill had the duck breast with confit strudel, spring onion puree, favas (forever ruined by Hollywood), morels and mulberries. I had a ridiculously big 30-day aged Meyer natural prime New York strip with bone marrow crust, duck fat potatoes and sweet onion marmalade. (PS - does anyone know what "SUPP $15" on a menu means?) We had some sides, too. Creamed spinach with bacon and leek, sweet and sour Brussels sprouts with glazed apples, and truffled tater tots with peach ketchup.
Giant marrow-crusted steak with duck fat potatoes and asparagus.
That teeny drizzle near the cubes is the marmalade. Pretty much not worth mentioning it on the menu if it's that little.
No, I didn't finish it, and it took a lot to leave some on my plate. I have meat machismo.
Creamed spinach
Brussels sprouts
Tots
We skipped dessert (learning from our gelato experience the night before), and instead moved to the Oak Bar, had another glass of wine and watched the horse and carriages trot around Central Park.
One thing that was really great at the Plaza was the ladies room.
All White Marble.
I'm glad there's a changing table in here, but it looked so out of place... perhaps some stick-on bling or something?
So, I had a lovely three days of eating in New York. We did other stuff, too, like going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, walking through Central Park, Washington Square, Union Square, Bay Ridge Brooklyn... Here are some tourist shots. Hope you enjoy.
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