American Traveler

A Traditional Montauk Feast

It was the first time in many years that i hadn’t cooked for Thanksgiving–either with my daughters, or for my mother, or with friends. But since i was going out with my wife, Lauren,  i don’t think we could have made a better choice for where to dine. We joined hundred of others in the restaurant at Gurney’s, a sprawling ocean side resort in Montauk. The service was outstanding, all of the diners seemed to be smiling, and we engaged in friendly conversation with several near us. It felt like being with family. I went for the traditional dinner of the day: turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. the turkey was moist and flavorful, the stuffing was light and juicy. The Riesling was perfect. Lauren dug into a huge broiled lobster with gusto and pronounced it he freshest ever. We finished off with a selection of mini pies, chocolate cake and other pastries.

The Dessert Table at Gurney's in Montauk

Or, an enchanting evening out in the West Village

Jesse Eisenberg shows his acting AND writing chops

It was a night of surprises for Lauren and me. The first was culinary as we stopped for a pre-show bite at the Mermaid Oyster Bar in the West Village. We got there early enough for Happy Hour. Dollar oysters and little neck claims? Count us in! WE enjoyed a dozen of each, followed by  shishito peppers and broiled shrimp. hey were all great, fresh and tasty. Oh, and we got a complementary taste of the Lobster Mac and Cheese. Wow!

Then we scooted off to the Cherry Lane Theatre for “Ascuncion” the new play by – and starring – Jesse Eisenberg. We weren’t sure what to expect except that we would see the young actor up close and personal in the small Cherry Lane space. Small yes, but bigger than the Rattlestick sown the street which was the producing theatre.

Really, I wasn’t prepared to enjoy a play written by a 28 year old neophyte. and it that, i was surprised. the dialog is witty, sharp, and on-topic. It’s current and stinging. In the play, Eisenberg skewers young, liberal, hipster types. and he does it with vigor and sass.

Eisenberg plays the clueless, politically over-correct Edgasr

Camille Mana is endearing as the innocent, fun-loving title character. (I think i missed my chance to use the word ‘eponymous’ here.) While Justin Bartha is sufficiently smug and stoned as Vinny, Edgar’s mentor.

Directed by Kip Fagan, it’s a the Cherry Lane until December 18.

On a beautiful October Saturday, the entire front of 75 Main on Main St. in Southampton was thrown open in welcome. Couples dined casually at the sidewalk tables, drinkers imbibed at the large square bar in the center of the front dining room.  We arrived early for our reservation and were seated promptly at a table overlooking the street.

The appetizers seemed so appealing, we started with three: Poached Shrimp; Tomato Tartine; and Roasted Littleneck Clams, and especially enjoyed the large, fresh shrimp, and the spicy salty broth in which the clam were served.

For mains at 75 Main, we went for the sauteed Branzini and an exotic Lobster Salad with mango and hearts of palm. I loved the braised fingerling potatoes served with the Branzini. But the highpoint of the meal was desert: choclatey Tartufo and perfect Creme Brulee.

A bright casual atmosphere, good service, contemporary cuisine… what more could you ask for on an October evening?

Great dinner at East Hampton’s newest steakhouse, the Beachhouse. Even the small seafood platter is huge. Grilled asparagus was crunchy and delicious. Coffee and donuts desert sent us home happy.

We’ll be back for sure for their earlybird Lobster Bake, a good sized lobster, plus, clams, corn and potatoes for $25. They also have a happy hour special of a dozen clams on the half shell for $5!

Oh, by the way, service was terrific.

Saturday Evening in the Garden

We were fortunate to snag an invite to the annual Benefit for Longhouse Reserve on Saturday honoring Dale Chihuly. Even though the artist was not able to attend, it was still a glorious evening, highlighted by a dazzling perfomance by principal dancers of the New York City Ballet. Of course Jack Lenor Larson was there. So was Edward Albee. Ran into Mark Drucker from Plum magazine, whom i worked with at Garden Design back in the day.

John Leguizamo does it again with his electric one-man show at the Lyceum. For more than 2 hours he prances, dances, and rules the stage, holding the audience totally rapt with his funny, exuberant, poignant stories. He even throws in a hilarious Al Pacino impression. IN rat-tat-tat style he chronicles the ups and downs of his career and personal life. I didn’t cry, but i laughed out loud at his family portrayals. What energy! What smarts! Go see it before it closes in July.

110416-morgado-132, a photo by wjsvt on Flickr.

The 21 Club in NYC did a fantastic job of hosting our wedding. They gave us a separate room (the Remington) for our ceremony and put us in the Jack room for dinner. The food was great from the shrimp appetizer to the beef short ribs and salmon.

Weiner Schnitzel, a photo by wjsvt on Flickr.

Yum! Lunch at Borschadt in Berlin. It was our first day. The weather was beautiful and we ate on the terrace. Lauren enjoyed the fruit de mer.

Goulash at UZK, a photo by wjsvt on Flickr.

A big bowl of goulash with potato pancakes and dumplings, plus a salad, plus some kolbasa, plus potatoes. That’s the ways we roll in the Czech republic. The place was in a basement filled with museum quality stuffed wild animals. Crazy!

We enjoyed the white chocolate mousse and the tiramasu at La Petite Maison.

Had a wonderful dinner at the elegant La Petite Maison on 54th St. in NYC last night.

The service was impeccable; the room was elegant and the food was delicious.

We started with  squash blossom beignet and tuna carpaccio.

For entrees we had broiled jumbo shrimp and branzino with artichokes and mushroom.

Everything was fabulous.