A Much Needed Day of Bubbly
I will definitely talk about the wedding but I truly have to go back a little. A lot of nervous eating happened the week prior and it deserves some attention. One week before leaving for Mexico Mr. T and I just needed a break from life. Work was mayham, planning was making me panic and a good day relaxing in order. So Friday we took the day off and had a lovely little rendezvous in the city. First we met up with my friend David, who I've known since I was two years old. He was my next door neighbor growing up but he moved to Atlanta when we were about eight. Our families stayed in touch and lo and behold- he moved to Brooklyn and we reconnected.
Mr. T and I started out our day catching up with him and celebrating forthcoming nuptials over a bottle of Moet at Edwards in Tribeca. That champagne seemed to do the trick so after leaving David we walked up to Balthazar and decided to have some more! After all those early morning bubbles (it was only 1:00 pm at this point) some food was in desperate need and we ended up at our favorite place in the world- Gramercy Tavern. Usually we eat in the tavern room but we had a gift card from Christmas and decided to splurge in the dining room.
We ordered another bottle of champagne (believe me we needed it) and I started out with the Smoked Trout with Cippollini Purée and Pickled Onions. Now this may sound funny, it being a fish and all, but this was really refreshing. It’s no big surprise that pickled and smokey go hand in hand like bread and butter, but this was especially true in this dish. The cippollinni puree had a touch of sweetness that made my mouth pucker a bit alongside the tart pickled onion and really brought the whole dish home.
Mr. T ordered his Christmas favorite the Lamb Pappardelle with Olives, Lemon Confit and Swiss Chard. Nothing new to report here- just as homey and delicious as ever but maybe about twice the size! I’m not sure if they just skimped on our portion around the holidays or if they thought Mr. T looked a little wane but this was a huge portion for an appetizer.
My main course was Sea Bass with Squash, Pumpkin Seeds and Currants. I love how restaurants are using a lot of nuts in their dishes these days. It’s a newer trend and it really adds dimension to the food. The fish here reminded me of a Thanksgiving preparation, lots of bright berry flavors with a full rich sauce blanketing the delicate fish. It was comforting and light at the same time.
Mr. T went for a special that day of Bass with cauliflower purée and cabbage. His fish was a bit firmer than mine and certainly quite delicious. I enjoyed the clean textures of the cauliflower puree that just gave the fish a slight salty edge.
We were both bursting at the seams at this point but Mr. T felt dessert was in order (I used to be the dessert pusher, look who I converted:) I absolutely love GT’s German Chocolate Cake so I ordered that off the tavern menu instead of opting for our dining room dessert menu. It was just as good as ever but I was a little jealous I went the Tavern route when I saw Mr. T’s dessert of Peanut Butter Semifreddo and Chocolate Macaroon.
The waitress said this was for peanut butter lovers only and she hit the nail right on the head. It was like a whole field of peanuts had been ground down and condensed into one solid orb for our enjoyment. The peanut flavor was seriously intense and the chocolate macaroon was no joke either. There was no subtly in this dish, just big, bold flavors saying don’t stop- I’m incredible!!! It was quite the dessert.
They finished us off with a nice little tray of petite fours that neither of us could even try and sample. We paid our check and headed home where I quickly curled up for an afternoon nap. It was a lovely way to spend a Friday!
Mr. T and I started out our day catching up with him and celebrating forthcoming nuptials over a bottle of Moet at Edwards in Tribeca. That champagne seemed to do the trick so after leaving David we walked up to Balthazar and decided to have some more! After all those early morning bubbles (it was only 1:00 pm at this point) some food was in desperate need and we ended up at our favorite place in the world- Gramercy Tavern. Usually we eat in the tavern room but we had a gift card from Christmas and decided to splurge in the dining room.
We ordered another bottle of champagne (believe me we needed it) and I started out with the Smoked Trout with Cippollini Purée and Pickled Onions. Now this may sound funny, it being a fish and all, but this was really refreshing. It’s no big surprise that pickled and smokey go hand in hand like bread and butter, but this was especially true in this dish. The cippollinni puree had a touch of sweetness that made my mouth pucker a bit alongside the tart pickled onion and really brought the whole dish home.
Mr. T ordered his Christmas favorite the Lamb Pappardelle with Olives, Lemon Confit and Swiss Chard. Nothing new to report here- just as homey and delicious as ever but maybe about twice the size! I’m not sure if they just skimped on our portion around the holidays or if they thought Mr. T looked a little wane but this was a huge portion for an appetizer.
My main course was Sea Bass with Squash, Pumpkin Seeds and Currants. I love how restaurants are using a lot of nuts in their dishes these days. It’s a newer trend and it really adds dimension to the food. The fish here reminded me of a Thanksgiving preparation, lots of bright berry flavors with a full rich sauce blanketing the delicate fish. It was comforting and light at the same time.
Mr. T went for a special that day of Bass with cauliflower purée and cabbage. His fish was a bit firmer than mine and certainly quite delicious. I enjoyed the clean textures of the cauliflower puree that just gave the fish a slight salty edge.
We were both bursting at the seams at this point but Mr. T felt dessert was in order (I used to be the dessert pusher, look who I converted:) I absolutely love GT’s German Chocolate Cake so I ordered that off the tavern menu instead of opting for our dining room dessert menu. It was just as good as ever but I was a little jealous I went the Tavern route when I saw Mr. T’s dessert of Peanut Butter Semifreddo and Chocolate Macaroon.
The waitress said this was for peanut butter lovers only and she hit the nail right on the head. It was like a whole field of peanuts had been ground down and condensed into one solid orb for our enjoyment. The peanut flavor was seriously intense and the chocolate macaroon was no joke either. There was no subtly in this dish, just big, bold flavors saying don’t stop- I’m incredible!!! It was quite the dessert.
They finished us off with a nice little tray of petite fours that neither of us could even try and sample. We paid our check and headed home where I quickly curled up for an afternoon nap. It was a lovely way to spend a Friday!
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