2006, BUH-BYE!

All my life I waited until the last minute to do any assignment in school. Why change things now?
So , here it is. The ubiquitous, YEAR IN REVIEW 2006.


Let's just get on with it? All right then?

2006 began with a black Moleskine book that I was determined to scribble little things in about wine I tasted that I liked, delicious cheeses I encountered along the way, restaurants I would like to visit listed by city, etc. Mission accomplished. I also started a list. A very long list. I wrote down every meal I ate out. Truth be told I stopped tracking the $3.00 Oasis falaffels about 3/4 of the way into the year. Otherwise, I complied a very healthy list. What I really wanted to do was to prove to my husband that I do not eat out too much. After the first month it became a little obsessive and I was tracking what I spent. That had to be stopped about a quarter of the way through- TMI(too much information).

If I had the time I would transcribe the entire list. January 1, 2006 starts with brunch as CLINTON STREET BAKING CO.
You know when they say there are signs everywhere and we all have a third eye and to go with your instinct and all that crap? Yeah, BELIEVE IT!!! I can track mine through food. Are you surprised? Or just a little freaked out? Maybe a little of both!? Anyway, while we waited and hour and 45 minutes for our table we walked down to the then new Falai spot and I tasted the FOUR pastries the boys got to kill some time. That Iacopo Falai! How dare he! I kid, of course, as I love him and all that he does.
Now, if I continue to go through the list one experience at a time the whole year, this is going to turn into a book- uh-oh- is my mother reading this? I'll never hear the end of it...

Here are some highlights, low lights and in-between:

January 2006
VERITAS
Lord, have mercy on my soul. Even though they'll never hire me, I still love that Scott Bryan. Cheeky bastard! WHAT DID I PUT IN MY MOUTH THERE???!?!!! uuuuhhhhhh, red, red wiiinnnneeeeee QUERCIABELLA CHIANTI 2003- and some pork belly maybe and CHEESE.

February 2006
MOMOFUKU
My first time. I was a David Chang virgin. PIG PIG PIGGEDY PIG PIG. (I'm not talking about the owner anymore.) SEASONAL.
HITACHINO, my favorite beers.
Thank you, you pompous son of a bitch.
Others worth mention that month: Atlantic Chip Shop. I didn't realize there was CRACK in fish and chips.

March 2006
BLUE HILL
We got an offer to cook from the chef and we of course said in our finest Rockefeller speak, "F%&@# YES PLEASE". Only when the server asked what or if we had any dietary restrictions she misunderstood and thought we said vegetarian but we eat fish. I can only imagine that could have been the case as I am pretty sure I said I eat pork and there was no pig in my food that night. I am also pretty sure that I will never eat anything so elegant, clean, fresh, bright, and savory then what we had that night. But, no cheese plate. Two desserts. There is always next time. Did I mention they have the best wine director in the city? CLAIRE PAPARAZZO. Remember that name. Do you think it would be weird if the next time I went in for dinner I would wear a rhinestone shirt declaring, "I HEART CLAIRE"?

April 2006
PRUNE. TIA POL.
Sweetbreads!!! I ATE SWEETBREADS!!! With capers and bacon and butter. AND I LOVE THEM!!!
Looking back on this was a great food month. I spent time with some really fantastic eating companions. The visit to Tia Pol turned into a visit to Del Posto. Yeah, that was rich. At Del Posto the gentleman who took our order in the "bar room" explained a cocktail to me by declaring that it would, "knock me on my ass". There the eating and drinking continued. My husband ordered a dish of pasta and they sent out two others with it. One of them was tripe. The seasoning tasting like there was nutmeg or cinnamon in it. It was beautiful.
I also made my first trip to the newly opened Dressler in April. AND I NOW TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I SAID. (I returned in October and the food was MUCH MUCH M U C H better). Prune I wound up at after drinking one too many Champagnes after work. We sat at the beautiful bar and ate like kings. The sweetbreads changed my life and I think I might have cried a little. Monkfish liver- not so much.

May 2006
CHEZ M#$@%er F$)%@)* PANISSE
I ate out 18 times. I was on vacation in San Francisco so this counts breakfast. Speaking of breakfast, Bovolo. Bovolo is in Healdsburg, California. Slow food all the way. Black pig bacon, egg, carmody cheddar sandwich. (see above pic).
Chez Panisse was LOVELY. Stinging nettle pizza. I think I might have had an outer-body experience while I was there. The service was PERFECT. I wish I could go there every season.
(Birthday dinner at Hearth...what is the hype about and why is it so cold in there? And why did wine guy not talk to me about wine when I asked? Underwhelming.)

June 2006
The Birth of a Blog.
BEST of the MONTH: DEGUSTATION. People who own restaurants should go and learn from that couple on how to treat your guests. And the food was beautiful too. I have the menu somewhere...Anyway, we started out with a couple of cocktails at East Side Bar Co and made our way over there on a whim. We were greeted and charmed PROMPLTY and then given two glasses of bubbly. Just because. We had some far-out rose with dinner that was strawberry mineral bliss. The food was spot-on.
WORST of the MONTH: BLT Fish. shitshow. I can't even capitalize it. I prefer to think no further of the experience. Next....
I ate foie gras in June. I will never eat it again. I had to eat it because the chef/owner at Zoe in Seattle, WA sent it out. That was also a pleasant dining experience although I ordered poorly. I should have had the halibut but I got the pork. Great dining room. You can see the kitchen from most seats, which I love. Casual elegance is how I would describe it. Great service. Great food.
When I touched down in Seattle I made sure to hit SALUMI right off for lunch. We had a blast. Armando stuffed us like pigs and gave us the grand tour. He brought out the culatello and the PIG CHEEKS. Soup, wine, pasta. Another plate of meats. Mind you we had already ordered three huge sandwiches. I couldn't breathe when I left I was so full.

July 2006
Craftbar: Warm Pecorino Fondue with Acacia Honey, Hazelnuts
and Pepperoncini.

August 2006
mmmmmmmmmmm
Babbo
The Farm on Adderly
Al Di La
Blue Ribbon Sushi
I live well, what can I say. (that's not the only 4 I went to...)

September 2006
Thumbs up for Mr. Fish Sauce Packet's dish at Fatty Crab. You know the one, pork and watermelon.
Thumbs down for ALTA. Zero emotion, ambiance, warmth, etc at this place. Great intentions, no love.

October 2006
Dressler: The Francesca Comeback.
Craftbar: Why did I go back? Oh, because I got the cold shoulder at PAREA.
Dumont Burger: THE NEW CRACK


November 2006:
Sweetwater: Please get better food. PLEASE. And lower the music a hair. And talk to your really nice servers about the wine.
Lupa: Still Solid
Prune: Spaghetti Carbonara for brunch. I found Jesus, again.
DiFara's: 1 hour and 40 minutes for two slices of Sicilian pizza. WORTH IT.
The whole month of November I have five dates that I ate out. This is not counting Burriotville or S'Nice or Oasis before work. Still, it seems strange.

December 2006
Do you see the trend? My dining experiences began to plummet around July. Serious nose-dive. The whole second half of this year was full of nice meals but nothing like the first half. This month in particular was me just biding my time and spending $ on gifts for other people. I did have a lovely meal, my last of the year, at Aurora. We had grilled octopus with cranberry beans, cecci bean pasta with baccalao and black olives and a PERFECTLY cooked grouper with artichokes and cecci. Riccardo, the chef, invited me in the kitchen when he "caught me" peaking through the curtain while I was waiting for the bathroom. Very charming, of course. The staff there are all quite attentive and polite. When we got there the music was very loud and the thorns from the rose bush were pulling my hair(we sat in the heated garden). A few minor adjustments and all was well.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Good day to you! I hope you had a fantastic time last night, whatever you did or did not do. I personally had one of the best New Years Eve in a long time. Bubbles were a'plently and there were two standouts at the parties I went to:
Homemade LEBONESE CHEESE with cucumber. Now way I had never had this before. The hosts mother made it.
Homemade PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES. Perfect sweet and salty. The texture was the perfect balance of soft and crunch an the width was just right- not too thick and not wafer thin. The hostess mother made these.

Now I have to go get ready for some pork and kraut at Mrs. Valenta's house. Before that let me wrap up and start new. Last year I ate out about 126 times. That a good third of the year. This year will be a little different, I hope. I think I found a new eating companion. They don't know who they are yet. I think by March it may become apparent.
Some places I have to hit:

Little Owl
Little Giant
Parea
Perry Street
Jean-Georges
Marlow and Sons
The Tasting Room
Blue Hill Stone Barns

...any suggestions....?