American Traveler

P1010493, a photo by wjsvt on Flickr.

Very nice bed and breakfast

We spent a couple of nights, post Christmas, in Newport, where we stayed at the Clarkeston Inn on Clarke Street. originally, we were booked at the Melville, just down the street, but were upgraded to a room in the Clarkeston. They are both, along with several others on Clarke St., part of the Inns of Newport. Most are on the register of Historic Places. Clapboard, cape cod style buildings. Even though it was an upgrade, our room was a bit small, though it did have a working fireplace which made for romantic evenings. problem was, it was on the first floor, right sandwiched between the front door and the kitchen, and right across from the dining room so it was a bit noisy in the mornings. Breakfast there was good—pancakes, eggs, french toast, coffee, juice—though not outstanding. The location couldn’t have been better.

P1010467, a photo by wjsvt on Flickr.

How do you get to Radio City Music Hall?

Well you can practice, practice, practice. Or you can hop the Metro North to the Botanical Garden station in the Bronx for the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden. There you will find more than 100 replicas of iconic New York buildings and landmarks—the Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall—all made entirely from plants parts such as twigs, leaves, seeds, bark, and leaves. While vintage model trains run through the displays in the magnificent Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

i’ve been there before and count it as one of the must-see New York holiday attractions. This was the first time for Lauren and she could not get over it. “I feel like a kid!” she kept gushing. We say a lot of people there on the Thursday afternoon we attended, but didn’t see one without a smile.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children. you can purchase them online here.

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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

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?

Wow! What a great meal at Eataly’s rootop Birreria.

Here’s Lauren scraping the bowl of Cotta Cruda, a salad we shared at our first visit to Eataly‘s rooftop Birreria.

We took my daughter Zea to an early birthday dinner at Mario Batali‘ Birreria on the 15 floor rooftop above Eataly. It’s often referred to as a beer garden, but it’s much more than that. There is beer, of course, a few cask specials brewed on site. Wanda is brewed with chestnuts, while Gina is a traditional IPA. They have lots of other exotic brews on tap.But the real reason to come is the food.

The  Story of Daily News Columnist Mike McAlary

At the Rattlestick Theatre in Greenwich Village

Mike McAlary was a hard driving, egotistical, take-no-prisoners newspaper reporter in the mold of the great Jimmy Breslin and Pete Hamil. From Newsday, to the New York Post, to the New York Daily News, he broke stories and made news. He lived hard and died young. ‘The Wood’ is the story of an excessively tumultuous time in his life as he battled cancer and worked tirelessly to break the Abner Louima case, in which a Haitian immigrant was brutalized by an officer in a  NYC Precinct in Brooklyn.

TV, movie, and blog writer Dan Klores tells McAlary’s tale with drama and compassion in this new production at the Rattlestick Theatre. Maybe too much compassion as McAlary mostly seems as thin as cardboard despite his bluster. It’s difficult to demonstrate inner conflict in a character who is so arrogant and self-confident, but John Viscardi gives it his best. K is outstanding as Louima, especially during the hospital scene. (or one of the hospital scenes. The play is plagued by too many cross-cuts, quick cuts, and time warping, mind-bending, attention sapping cuts in general.)

Hot dog, homemade beef chili, gruyere, and sauerkraut. Delicious!

We also had the Turtle Crossing  signature chicken wings, homemade, fresh onion rings, shrimp kisses, mexican corn on the cob, and pulled chicken sandwich. It was a great lunch! filling and delicious. This is great pub food like with imagination and a twist.

Literati Under a Tent at the Library

Scores of authors, both local and national, sat  behind their stacks of books Saturday evening and patiently engaged in coversation with book lovers—and maybe sold a few books in the process. We had a nice visit with Alice Harris who brought the family out to support her and spread the word about her latest book, The Wedding Album. Sitting nearby was the totally charming Marianne Hagan, author of Victoria Hagan, Interior Portraits, a book about her sister’s interior design projects. We also visited with Robert Caro from whom i finally bought a copy of The Power Broker. I told him i had put off purchasing it before because the book was too thick and heavy to lug back and forth on the jitney.

Vivacious Danyelle Freeman, The Restaurant Girl, was also there with her book, Try This.

Danyelle Freeman's Latest

I also had a nice chat about one of my childhood heroes with Tom Clavin co-author of Roger Maris. Ex-Yankee Jim Leyritz was there pitching his new book.

Co-author Tom Clavin was at Author's Night

Also on hand were Martin Amis, Alec Baldwin, Dick Cavett, Robert Klein and many many more.

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.