When a friend needs some cheering up, the thing to do is go out for a lovely lunch. It certainly does not cure all that ails, but it sure does take her mind off things for a while. How can it not when it’s at The Dutch and when it ends with this….
If you are a product of the 80’s, you’ll appreciate that a couple of the girls and I headed out to Jones Beach to see The Steve Miller Band and Journey. As tempting as it was to Aqua Net the heck out of our hair and wear feather earrings, we kept it pretty low key. That is, until they played “Don’t Stop Believin’”. How could we help ourselves? I still have a sore throat from that evening.
A couple of weeks of my favorite things would never be complete without some oysters. Maison Premiere gets it right with a capital “R”. Aside from décor and staff that makes you feel as though you’ve just stepped into a Toulouse Lautrec painting, their oyster list is as long as my arm. Ninigret Cup oysters? They’re on there. Blackbear Points? Yup. As well as a host of other obscure varieties.
Mollusk Madness was followed by dinner at The Elm. Chef Paul Liebrandt is masterful at combining interesting flavors and textures. Ocean trout with burratta followed by salt cod with gnochetti and broccoli rabe. I was skeptical too but sometimes you need to put your meal in the chef’s hands. Skilled chefs rarely disappoint.
Dessert was no exception. The Gold Bar (ganache, huckleberry, red fruit sorbet) and Japanese Cheesecake (coconut, pineapple, lime).
The week wrapped up with farmer’s markets, Pier 25 playground in Tribeca, some outdoor music and brunch at Locanda Verde. That is a week ended well.
