My Day of Holiday Fun

I took the day off on Monday to do my annual Christmas day with myself. It’s always too crowded after work and on weekends to get near the tree and windows so a weekday off is necessary. But first I needed some food and once again a delicious tartare was calling my name. Since I was already planning to do a little holiday shopping in Columbus Circle, Porter House seemed like the perfect place.



My Filet Mignon Tartare arrived and the first thing I noticed was the absence of an egg on top. Surprisingly I didn’t miss it. The meat held together just fine with some mustard and oil. There was some chopped onion inside and some capers and condiments on the side for mixing.

 
When it first arrived the meat looked almost cooked on top but as you can see it’s a luscious red inside. This was absolutely wonderful-probably in my top three of all time. It was a classic preparation done well. A smidge less olive oil and it could have been perfection.  My lovely glass of Pinot Noir was a perfect match and I was completely content with my delicious lunch.




On a side note Porter House did many things very well including room temperature butter, wonderful service and great views. However the clientele was very strange. If you could slice the restaurant down the middle I think it would be 50% business men and 50% families with children. I literally saw a business deal being made with a baby howling in the background. Maybe it’s the holiday season? 

After my meal I spent about 2-3 hours perusing the holiday windows, the tree and shopping until finally a little pick me up called. Luckily I stumbled upon Michel Cluizel.  I ordered a macchiato and was a little shocked at the $5.00 price tag but luckily it came with a piece of his famous chocolate on the side.



However next time the Parisian breakfast would be the way to go.



I capped off my holiday tour back near home with a glass of wine at Union Square CafĂ©’s beautiful bar. It was decorated for the holidays and they had some great jazz music playing in the background.



A warm bowl of their famous rosemary dusted bar nuts was a perfect end to a perfect day.  I may have to make USC a part of my annual tradition.

Porter House NY

Union Square Cafe

Chocolat Michel Cluizel

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