Bárður has come and gone. It was a gastronomical tour of New York.
After bible study Thursday evening, we dined at the Saigon Grill, a great Vietnamese place on the UWS. Good on a budget (good even if you have money to spare), the service is fast, the bathrooms are clean, and the food is wonderful. I went with the grilled eggplant, while Bárður had Bo Luc Lac (Stir-fried teriyaki steak cubes over high flame, served with tomato, onion, and baby green salad) which was amazing and will go into regular rotation on my food quests.
Afterwards we went to Cleopatra's Needle for some jazz and drinks. A dirty martini with Bombay Sapphire for me, while Bárður stuck with Amstel light.
Friday, after walking the entire length of Central Park, north to south, we ventured into Williamsburg and to Peter Lugars. Steaks, potatoes and creamed spinach: heaven with cholesteral. And Bárður saw his first Hassidic Jew. Thought it was a rabbi. Walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to settle the food. Then Grand Central and Bryant Park. In the evening we wandered Times Square, and finally headed over to the east side for a sausage platter at Heidelberg. Four different sausages, saurkraut, pickled beets, pigs foot, potato salad.
Saturday started with some bagels at Lenny's (which resells H & H bagels) and then down to Union Square where I sold pork for Flying Pigs Farms while Bárður headed off on his own. Met up again late afternoon and chilled watching Notting Hill, a chick flick a guy can like. Then to the East Village and the Ukrainian East Village Restaurant with some of the fellows. Obolon beer, pirogies, potato pancakes, chicken kiev, weiner schnitzel, ukrainian goulash, pork chops, stuffed cabbage, more beer ... another table with about 12 Ukrainian men drinking vodka and singing ... great atmosphere.
Sunday was museum day, starting at the Museum of Natural History, then across Central Park, through the Shakespeare Garden and Belvedere Castle, to the Met. Down to Chinatown where we ate ... somewhere, don't know the name of the place. Double delight -- duck and chicken -- and three type Lo mein, with a huge cauldron of wonton soup. With a stop in Greenwich Village to pick up some coffee, we headed back to the UWS and got ready for church.
Stopped at Fairway on the way home from church and picked up some bread, proscuitto, cheese and olive oil. With some Beringer Merlot, we had a feast and watched When Harry Met Sally, one of the most important NYC movies ever made. Which directly led to Monday's lunch at Katz's Deli, an enormous pastrami on rye, with a bowl of Matzah ball soup complimenting.
Finally, no NYC trip would be complete without a slice of pizza, which we procured in my neighborhood at Rigoletto's.
All in all, I'm exhausted from all the eating!
