a thursday in new york. part 1.

I wake up to sirens - and my first action is to have Clin call the front desk and get them to change us to another room. They say no problem. So we make a mad dash to pack the little that we un-packed. Shower, throw our faces on and we are out of there. The air on the elevator was a fresh breeze and the air of Times Square? Tropical. The trip is looking up.

Our first stop? Food! Clin's made a list of places recommended, and we set out to start checking them off of our list. Just south of Central Park was our breakfast destination. Sarabeth's.


This is what I ate. Lemony goodness, and the richness of the ricotta almost made them smooth and creamy. I think that Clin had an omelet. But I was so wrapped up with my food that I completely forgot to take a picture of his.

Bellies full, we headed up the east side of central park. The leaves were just starting to fall. The weather felt like a nice spring day. No. Warmer than spring. At 11:00 we took a break on a bench to call Mr. Letterman. Both of us spent 5 minutes or so trying to get through and Clin actually made it. The smaller the standby number, the better chances of getting in. I assumed we had no chance, because that's the realist that I am.

Mr. Letterman asked Clin if he knew the color of the announcer's hair. RED! Of course. And that useless bit of info, just sitting in Clin's brain, became useful as we got standby tickets #7 and #8. Still no chance - but we would see...


On to more intellectual pursuits. The Frick Museum. A beautiful mansion, full of artwork. I LOVED IT. I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE. The price of admission includes a headset. As you see a piece of artwork you can enter the number and the headset tells you everything you need to know. AND it tells you the history of each room. I actually liked it more than the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Crazy interesting and not overwhelming.

My only disappointment? The upstairs was roped off. I wanted to see the entire building.

Oh wait. My only other disappointment? Clin tried to get an educator's discount. This is how it played out:

Girl behind the desk: No, we only give discounts to students.
Clin: I have my student i.d.
Girl: Oh, are you a student?
Clin: I have my student i.d.
Girl: are you a student?
Clin: I have my i.d.
Girl: Are you a student?
Clin: I have my i.d.

This seemed to go on for.ev.er. I focused on the floor, willing myself to disappear, and finally nudging Clin to move beyond the skip in his brain.

After nourishing our eyes, it was time to move on to our next meal. Lunch. Jean George - Nougatine. Let me set the scene.

Jean George is a restaurant with multi-course meals for $150.00. Beyond my price range. But not beyond my dreams. Nougatine is connected to Jean George, kind of like eating in the kitchen. Similar food, from the same chef, but lower prices. They have a 3 course prix fixe lunch for $24.00. This is splurgable. But we had no reservations. We showed up and they sat us at the bar!!! We got in. They only had 2 seats...just for us. The following is a photo essay of our amazing meal.

We both got the soup. I should have ordered the salad just to taste everything, but this was gooood.



A word about sitting at the bar. We don't drink. Every one around us is drinking, and we are feeling a bit guilty. A bit out of our element. I quietly ordered tap water. I hate giving in to the guilt. I need to enjoy the crazy looks from the waiters. Clin ordered a homemade soda. $6.00. And it stunk! P.S. The glass that I'm holding was the best glass I have ever drank out of. The rim was so thin, delecate. I'm serious. We both noticed that it made our drinking experience different. So much so that I took a picture.


Clin ordered this. It doesn't look so great in this photo. The strange shape in the front is some type of mushroom. But I will tell you, the carrot puree? The best thing in both of our entrees. I would bathe in it. Lick the plate good. Honest.

Oh, and a side note? Clin was obsessed with looking for famous people. The entire trip. And he thought for sure we would find some at this restaurant. So he spent the meal looking behind him. And every time the wait staff came behind us carrying trays overflowing with beautiful food (meant for those at Jean George), he would practically scream for me to turn around and feast. I would have taken a picture but I really was trying not to be obnoxious.

My meal. It rocked. I loved it. The potatoes are under the steak. And I usually don't enjoy eggplant, but this seasoning had olives in it. Yum.

Clin's dessert. Pineapple Upside Down Cake.

My dessert. Awesome!

And that is where we will take a break. Stay tuned to answer the following questions: Will we make it on Letterman? Will we find food better than Nougatine? Will we meet anyone famous? Will we survive?