Nothing was quite catching my eye (or Cynthia's for that matter) from the menu, so I inquired of our server about specials. (Shouldn't he have told us already?) He pulled out his pad and read the specials, line-by-line from the cardboard side of his pad, without any eye contact with Cynthia or myself. One of the specials was a zucchini asparagus soup. I asked how it was prepared: "Are the vegetables puréed? like in a cream-based soup?"
"No."
"Too bad," I thought, "I would have liked that."
At a loss, I ordered the Home Made Tortilla Chips with Salsa and the Pork Chop Special (and I also ordered a glass of their Pol Deau, sparkling Blanc de Blanc).
Turning to Cynthia: "I asked him about the specials because they usually have some good ones on their specials chalkboard."
With our food order in, I left Cynthia for a moment to wash up for lunch. On my way back, I noticed on the specials chalkboard (which was out of viewing range from our table), Fish & Chips--which our server did not mention to us.
"I knew there had to be other specials on that chalkboard--they're serving Fish & Chips! That would have been perfect!"
"Our server sucks."
"Ouiais..."
A few minutes later, a food runner came out with Cynthia's zucchini asparagus soup and my non-exciting chips & salsa. Cynthia's soup was, in fact, puréed--exactly what I had been craving. And my chips, which according to the menu were "home made," were less than thrilling (they weren't even appetizing).
But here comes the real kicker: After I finished my first glass of Blanc de Blanc, our server asked me, "Would you like to upgrade to a Moët or Veuve, or just stick to the house white?"
Was he kidding??
"No thanks, I'll just stick to the low-end stuff."
Next, on our thus far unpleasant luncheon, came the main course, my Pork Chop Special.
It was o.k. The potatoes, stuffed with bacon and rosemary, were not bad, but I wish there were more than just two smallish ones.
And my server never even brought me a steak knife.
I had previously told Cynthia I'd share half of my pork chop with her, but I shamefully dispatched every last bite... I was desperately seeking solace.
As my cleared plate laid before me, untouched, our server asked as he was passing by, "Can I get you anything else?"
You mean aside from clearing my plate away?
He never did and I finally just moved it to the side.
"We should have just went to Blue Ribbon. Every time we try to stray, something goes wrong."
"Agreed."
After a stroll eastward, into Alphabet City and making a pit stop at The Summit Bar to visit some friends, Cynthia and I headed west for Blue Ribbon.
I told Cynthia that the night before I was at Blue Ribbon and had their Smoked Trout appetizer, which I've oft been curious about, and it was wonderful! I was also craving the Salt and Pepper Shrimp because in a recent conversation about shrimp-eating-etiquette with one of their servers, I was told the tail is the best part. (I always eat the skin, but I'd never eaten the tail. Was it possible for the Salt & Pepper Shrimp to get even better??)
Cynthia and I saddled ourselves up at the bar while bartender James poured a cava for myself and fixed a St. Germain Elderflower Martini for Cynthia (she let me pick out her drink). While we waited for our dishes to arrive, Cynthia and I noticed behind the bar, the newly released Blue Ribbon Cookbook. James handed it over to us and we flipped through until we found the recipe for Beef Marrow and Oxtail Marmelade (serves 6-8). Cynthia and I are making it this summer.
Our Smoked Trout came out first and was, as it was the night before, wonderful. It came with a side of fresh tartar sauce and a few slices of (lightly pickled?) beets.
An understated, yet brilliant dish.
(I know, not very good-looking here--I always forget to take the picture before I start eating.)
Next was the Salt and Pepper Shrimp. (Oh, how I missed that smell!)
I cut into my first morsel, exposing the shrimp's thick, white meat (they're amazingly big!) and after the first two cuts, reached the tail end. I asked Cynthia why the tail was the best part and she explained to me: "It's not that it's the best part, but it's not to be wasted."
Along with the last bit of meat of my first shrimp, I gobbled up the tail whole.
Cynthia was right, the tail is not to be wasted...
Saturday, I stopped in for some lunch/brunch at Bar Boulud, near 63rd Street.
I had some shopping to do for a bridal shower I was going to the following afternoon and beginning at Card-O-Mat at 112th Street, I walked all the way down to Kate's Paperie on 57th. Before I arrived at my final shopping destination, I became a little peckish and decided to pop into Bar Boulud for a quick charcuterie platter.
I decided on the Fromage De Tête Gilles Verot (head cheese terrine) and a glass of their Gonzalez Byass Nectar, Pedro Ximenez.
"You know that's not cheese."
"Ouiais."
May I upgrade my server, please?? > >
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