2008 – A Year in Review

I’m trying something new.

A few of my more  industrious friends  send an “end of the year” letter in which they recall the triumphs, tribulations and mundanity of their personal years.  Some of these, I’ll admit, are incredibly boring; others are rather enlightening.  Having never written one myself, I figured this is as good a year as any to try to write my own.  Follow me over the fold for “2008 – A Year in Review.”

Our Dinner at Per Se

For my Christmas gift, Erin made reservations for two at Per Se, Thomas Keller’s four star restaurant at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan. We had an incredible evening.

Here is Erin’s detailed account of our experience:

As Brian wrote in the guest book at Per Se last night “In a word – Wow!”

So, as background (mostly for my mother who is reading this!), Per Se is one of only five 4-star restaurants in New York City. Chef Thomas Keller is the brain behind the restaurant, creating Per Se in 2004 as a take-off of his award-winning restaurant in Napa Valley, The French Laundry. Per Se is on the fourth floor of the Time Warner Building, which is on Columbus Circle overlooking the southwest corner of Central Park.

When we walked up to the restaurant, we saw these big beautiful blue doors (a trademark of The French Laundry, which was purposefully included in the design of Per Se). But when we got even closer to the doors, all of a sudden – Swoosh! – two clear sliding glass doors on either side of the blue doors slide open for our entry into this somewhat exclusive evening! Our coats were promptly removed and we were led through the bar area into the dining room. There are only 15 tables in the entire dining room, spaced very well so as to disallow eavesdropping on your neighbors for the three plus hours you are there! Our table directly next to the windows overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park. But we didn’t have much time to look at the view when we were about to embark on an amazing culinary orgasmic experience (yes, my mom is still reading)!

Our meal started with a little amuse bouche, not technically included in the 9 courses touted by the chef’s tasting menu, but much appreciated! Brian received a little dollop of salmon tartare set above a cone, reminiscent of a little ice cream cone, filled with creme fraiche,! And I, as a result of telling the waiter about my aversion to raw seafood, received a tiny little curved chip with a baby spoonful of a green chick pea relish inside. Great first bites! I almost didn’t want to take a sip of our first wine, an Austrian Grüner Veltliner (similar in taste to a sauvignon blanc, but more complex in body), for fear the flavors would dissipate! But, alas, I did! And the wine was a perfect match in my mouth! So much so that Brian and I decided to add a similar Gruner Veltliner to our wine registry!

Soon thereafter, our first official course was served. Brian’s was Per Se’s specialty of “Oysters and Pearls”, an oyster sabayon made of tapioca-like beads and black cavier. And I can’t go on without mentioning the fact that Brian ate his Oysters and Pearls with a petite spoon made entirely of mother-of-pearl! For my first course, the chef prepared a dish not on the menu because of my previously-mentioned aversion… a unique and utterly delicious black truffle-infused “substance” (because I have no idea what it actually was!) served in an eggshell. So much fun!

100 Things

My friend Amanda Martinez, part of my daily lunch crew at Rockefeller and easily one of my favorite people, did a list of “100 Things” about her on her MySpace blog. I enjoyed reading hers, learned a lot about my friend, and immediately wanted to do one. Amanda’s boyfriend Jorge referred to it as “a good exercise for the mind and soul.” I agree!

In no particular order of importance, here are my 100 things:

1. I genuinely love my life right now.
2. I have two brothers – Matt, who is 26, and Kevin, who is 24 – who are both very different from me.
3. My favorite sports teams are all Philadelphia-based, even though I have lived in New York for 8 years.
4. None of them have won a championship since 1983.
5. This makes me very sad.
6. I DVR Molto Mario every weekday, and usually watch it when I come home from work.
7. Cooking shows make me happy.
8. When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor, a weatherman, a broadcast journalist, and a sportswriter.
9. I didn’t want to be a singer until I was a senior in high school.

Parlez-Vous Montreal?

The following is a not-so-brief account of my trip (with Erin) to the fantastic (and fantastically nearby – 6 hour drive) city of Montreal, Canada. It is like visiting a European city, but one that’s within driving distance – and without that pesky Euro! Erin and I had a blast. Here’s our trip, in words and pictures.

Departure – Saturday, August 19, 2006 @ 6:00 a.m.
With the best of intentions, we set the alarm clock for 4:15 a.m. (!), but really only woke at 5-something.

Arrived in Montreal about 12:30. It was too early to check in, so we found a cute little spot for brunch, Cafe Cherrier. We had only been in Montreal for about 20 minutes when Erin thanked our waitress with a confident “Grazie.” Guess she thought we were in Venice or something.

Still too early to check in, we then sat in Square Saint Louis. At 3:00 p.m., we checked into our hotel, Hotel Kutuma. NAP TIME!

Thought Purge in a Heat Wave

Jesus Christ it’s hot out there!!! 100 degrees is expected today. I just hope our friends at ConEd can keep the juice flowing.

Speaking of Jesus Christ and his #1 fan, everyone’s favorite Lethal Weapon/Braveheart/anti-Semite/drunk Mel Gibson has himself in just a touch of hot water these days. I guess railing on about Jews after driving almost twice the speed limit on the Pacific Coast Highway, and then calling a female police officer “sugar tits” is the epitome of conservative Catholic behavior.

Two of my favorite sites, The Superficial and What Would Tyler Durden Do, have become my primary sources of information on the subject. But even CNN is getting in on the act with some fantastic drunk shots of Mel.

Come to think of it, maybe it isn’t so nice to make fun of a guy who has an obvious drinking problem?