Saturday Dinners

A few restaurant notes of late...went with Nate and Neil last night to the Breslin at the Ace Hotel before a birthday party. It wasn't on my radar, but Neil knew it was the same chef/owner as the Spotted Pig. As the NYT put it in its June 2010 review:

This is the Breslin on a Thursday night, a warm, crowded and vaguely British barroom off the lobby of the Ace Hotel: a bedlam of gastrotourists and scenemakers. It’s Hogwarts for hipsters.

...

Nowhere in New York right now is the fetish for pork fat and dairy flavor more on display. April Bloomfield, the chef and an owner, is exhausting gallbladders nightly.


Ha, I didn't read that until now, but I couldn't agree more! It was really rich, heavy food -- kind of like the Spotted Pig. How do these places stay open all year? I only like this kind of fat food in the winter...
Anyway, we had several appetizers, including the scottish egg, and some kind of fried lamb dippers. There were some amazing brussels sprouts, I believe with caramelized onions and pancetta (it's been almost two weeks, forgive me).

 I had the blood sausage with egg, but it was way too rich, and I could not finish it...

The boys both got the lamb burger, which they each loved -- even though Neil remembered after he'd ordered he's not particularly fond of lamb. Nevertheless, they'd heard it was a signature item, and it met/exceeded their expectations.

At the party, they had macarons instead of cake. Our friend Ryan told me macarons seem to be "the new cupcakes." Believe it or not, I went home and read the exact same thing in Time magazine! So funny. Neil and I polished off a half-dozen between us and probably could have eaten more if we hadn't been minding our manners. They were so good!!

Actually, the next day I made a point of stopping at a bakery in SoHo that was mentioned in the Time article (Francois Payard Bakery), but their macarons were not as good as the ones at the party. I think the secret is serving them slightly chilled...

At $2.50 a pop, this is probably something one should learn to make but (a) that seems like a disaster waiting to happen and (b) it's more fun to try all of the different flavors.

Moving on...last Saturday night was dinner at Olives. Meghan and Drew were in town! Drew surprised her with a weekend getaway and made plans so she could see all of her besties. How sweet is he?? I was in charge of making a reservation...naturally I consulted with Neil, who'd recommended Olives when he and Nate ate there several months ago.

Christine had the pork chop...

 Meghan had the chicken...

 Christine and me...

 Meghan and Sophie...

 Jim (Sophie's hubby, who did a killer job on wine duty) and Drew, plus our sweet waiter...

My scallops on a turnip cake. Interesting! Kind of like a potato cake, but a unique flavor. All in all, it was an outstanding meal! There were some great apps, including two killer pastas. FYI, they have a pasta tasting for $59/person that I'd love to do some other time.

 Loved this dessert! Perfect for a group -- a plate of cookies and small treats for sharing.

Afterwards, Sophie and Jim had to rush home to relieve their babysitter, but the four of us went for a nightcap. Meghan and I were twinsies, so we made Drew get our picture...

As I've said before, I continue to be so delighted with the number of friends who come into town and keep my social calendar full!