Fresh Tart

Love New York

FreshTartSteph — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:50:20 PST

Whew. John and I are back from a whirlwind trip to NYC, boy did we have a great time. There's always way too much to do, of course, to the degree that I go a bit blank trying to decide. Do I want to shop? Go to a museum? Walk in the park? Am I hungry for pizza? Bagel? Chinese? Lobster salad? Luckily the traveling part is pretty easy from Minneapolis. It's only a 2 1/2-hour flight, the Northwest terminal at LaGuardia is small and manageable, and once on the ground, it's a 15-minute cab ride to John's parents' apartment. Given that, we were unpacked and ready to hit the streets by 3:00 pm on Thursday. So we went...nowhere! What can I say? We were tired, and it's comfy-lovely at my in-laws', and we knew were out the door at 5:30 pm anyhow...

...for a pre-theater dinner at Esca, followed by an off-Broadway play called Becky Shaw (which was great, enjoyed it thoroughly). Our dinner was so lovely - Esca (which means 'bait') is an elegant Itaiian trattoria specializing in the freshest of fish. We kicked things off with prosecco and a split of linguine with briny clams - salty, chewy, spicy, fabulous. We followed with a whole-roasted branzino for two. The fish was baked and presented in a salt crust, then whisked off to a sideboard where the server cracked open the crust, gently removed the bones and skin, and plated the pure-white, silky fillets in a little pool of the best olive oil I've ever had. Bright green and bursting with fruity-spicy flavor, it was the perfect, simple foil for the fresh, sweet fish. We ordered spicy cauliflower and tiny little roasted new potatoes as sides, both fantastic. Needless to say, quite a meal. So not-Minnesota. And as such, just what the doctor ordered. After the play, we took a long (surprisingly cold!) stroll home, through Times Square, along 5th Avenue, and straight into bed. Great start.

Friday we got up slowly, read about the Pierre Bonnard: The Late Interiors exhibit at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in the NY Times, and walked out the door to check it out. Love New York. Exhibit was fabulous, and tiring in that special way that only museums are (what IS that?), so we blew out the door (literally; it was quite cold and windy) and grabbed a quick lunch at E.A.T. The lunch was tasty, but the people-watching was better - a fine display of plastic surgery, over-the-top furs, and the biggest damn diamonds you have ever seen. Love New York. Fortified by hot soup, we braved the chill for a walk in Central Park, because that's what we love to do (who doesn't?) and we couldn't not walk in the park just because of the cold. It was lovely, very quiet, blanketed in snow. Bits of greenery peeked through and warmed my color-starved heart. Love New York.

We eventually made our way back home to rest a bit before our dinner group gathered - my brother and sister David and Etta; my friend Michelle; David and Etta's cousin Marett and her boyfriend Ian; and John's brother Tom, wife Valerie, and son Cameron - and headed over to Il Riccio (79th & Lexington) for a raucous meal. Man did we laugh. And eat good food. And drink good wine. The evening flew by, without nearly enough time to really catch up with everyone, but it was great anyhow. Tom, Marett, and Ian walked away, while David, Etta, and Michelle piled into cabs. And then poof, everyone was gone, and John and I walked home and slept like rocks.

Saturday we lazed around a bit more (nice!), then motivated to grab a fantastic slice of pizza (Zorba's, 93rd & Lexington) before we borrowed John's parents' car and drove out to Pound Ridge, in Westchester County, to spend the day and night with our friends Bartley and Maud and their daughters Catherine and Natalie. We arrived around 3ish to find Natalie with an apron on and the house smelling fantastic (chili bubbling away on the stove). We chatted around the fire until the Kimmel family arrived, then chatted around the fire some more (for proof, see Maud's blog, pretty funny) while Bartley and Maud put the finishing touches on a beautiful meal. Chili, barbecued ribs, corn bread, roasted sweet potatoes, green salad, and a decadent chocolate cake that Barbara baked, topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Incredible.

Needless to say, we again slept like rocks, this time in Maud's airy, cozy studio. We woke to such beautiful light - Westchester County is stunning. The trees and rocks and hills, the twisty-turny roads, all just one hour out of the city. Pretty perfect. We had just enough time for a cup of coffee, and a thick slice of Natalie's banana bread (yum), and then we had to say good-bye to the Bryts (thank you, thank you!), drive back into the city, grab a (quick, still-warm) lunch bagel at H&H, return the car, grab the rest of our luggage, and cab it to the airport. After all that, we actually made it home in time to pick up Chinese take-out (Tea House) and watch the Super Bowl with Nathan. (Or, in my case, post trip pics on Facebook while pretending to watch the game, ha.)

And so here I am, already reminiscing. We are so lucky to be able to sneak away like that, not to mention to have a lovely place to stay and so many cool family members and friends to visit. Fantastic weekend.

Love New York.

We're Still Celebrating...

FreshTartSteph — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:36:19 PST

Holidays still going strong here at the Levy Hacienda... Let's see, we've pretty much been celebrating since Sunday when my bro and sis David and Etta accidentally arrrived - flying from NYC to Billings, MT, through Minneapolis, they missed their connection and couldn't secure another flight until Wednesday morning. Woo hoo! Well, not for them, but for Stacey, John, Nathan, Sasha, and me, it was a sweet little present. I had planned latkes for dinner Sunday night anyhow, and since latkes are a bit labor-intensive for just four people, it worked out quite perfectly to double our group (Stacey, Cooper, plus David and Etta) and have ourselves a little latke feast. We garnished with sour cream, skipped the apple sauce, and enjoyed every greasy, crispy, salty, glorious bite. Happy Hanukkah!

Monday we set out for some late shopping and stopped for a lovely meatball sandwich lunch at Broder's. Monday night I made one of my very favorite soups - Gourmet Cookbook fish soup with croutes and rouille. I don't think there's a better soup on the planet - brothy, spicy, bright, hearty-yet-light, it hits just about every possible note. It's also simple and pretty. Pretty perfect.

Tuesday night we feasted on glorious take-out from Taste of India. Then Wednesday morning David and Etta were off for Billings, sniff, and I switched into Christmas Eve mode. Stacey, Cooper, Bowen, and Mom joined John, Nathan, and me for a simple dinner and lots of presents. I stuck to a loosely Greek theme, with grilled pita, eggplant spread, olive spread, and raw veggies for a pre-din snack. For dinner I made a simple shrimp and orzo dish, recipe via Bon Apetit. And for dessert, a warm lemon souffle, big hit. Perhaps my all-time favorite dessert.

Christmas Day John and I made what has become our annual drive out to my aunt Mary and uncle Bruce's farm, about two hours west of the Twin Cities. We enjoyed a gorgeous, snowy drive and arrived to find the usual merriment - Mary and Bruce, of course, plus their sons Craig and Michael, and Michael's wife Amanda. Also my aunt Marge and Uncle Jim and their daughters Kim and Kelly. Also wine and appetizers and a roaring fire and two pretty trees and all sorts of good smells and conversation. Dinner 'round the giant table (top pic) was prime rib of beef, sour cream mashed potatoes, Harvard beets, and green beans sauteed with red pepper and pine nuts. I contributed crusty no-knead bread. And Marge contributed her perfect cheese cake, with strawberries, on plates lit by little candles (LOVE those candles!). After dinner we opened gifts (I laughed until I ached at my cousin Kelly's gift from Craig - James Lilek's Gastronomalies book, beyond hilarious) and played team Trivial Pursuits and then John and I drove home. (Honestly, John drove home and I dozed - I'm such a good travel companion....)

And then today, to keep the merriment going, John and I dug into one of my many beautiful presents, a tin of ca-vi-ar, oh yeah. I flipped crepes, minced some onion, and boiled and sieved a few eggs. John popped a bottle of champagne, pried open the tin, and we dug into a little slice of post-Christmas heaven. Holy Roly Poly Moly. I'm digesting as I write, then we're off to our third movie of the weekend (opened with Frost/Nixon yesterday, then wandered home to watch The Counterfeiters, then this afternoon we're out the door to see Milk). A champagne-n-caviar-fueled movie marathon? Um, yes.

Hope you're relaxing and enjoying your guests and presents and treats and the end of 2008 as well!

FreshTartSteph — Wed, 21 May 2008 08:43:00 PDT

Well hello sunshine! It is some kind of gorgeous outside this morning, wow - bright green, bright blue, crisp and fresh. We forget that a few times per year, Minnesota is where it's at. Take that, New York...

Right. I'm kidding, and only attempt the flabby jab because that's where we were Sunday through yesterday. Oh, New York was definitely cold and soggy - no crisp, no fresh - but it didn't much matter, because it's New York, baby, the greatest city in the world, and it can be whatever the hell it wants.

Especially when it's my experience of New York, ha, the vacation version, completely devoid of reality (per the photo, below, from Sunday's New York Times; fabulous.). Hassle, hustle, grime, crime? Pshaw! In New York, I do what I never do - completely relinquish control. The bossy (er, real) me goes right out the airplane window, and I get...quiet. New York is not my town - it is John's, totally and completely. Which, I suspect, is exactly what makes it so damn fun. I'm just along for the cab ride, relaxing in my in-laws' beautiful apartment, eating the incredible food, strolling through Central Park, watching (and watching and watching) the people... Doing my best to to take it all in. Impossible, of course.

Although this trip I gave 'er the old college try. Literally! We were in town to celebrate to my sister Etta's graduation from Barnard College, of which the actual ceremony was yesterday (Tuesday) morning. In 48 hours I had the pleasure of seeing not just John's family, but my own as well, together in NYC. Way cool.

John and I flew in a bit early, Sunday afternoon, and stole some time to chill with my in-laws Dot and John. Then we all four met John's brother Tom, his wife Valerie, and their kids Allegra and Cameron for dinner at John's beloved Chin Chin. It was an embarrassing feast, I think we ordered damn near every dish on the menu, all delicious. Eggplant in garlic sauce, salt-n-pepper shrimp, dry sauteed string beans, spring rolls, steamed dumplings, crispy beef, soft-shell crabs in black bean sauce, on and on and on. Just...outstanding. We rolled out the door and into (hard-shell) cabs and into soft beds. City noises? Never heard 'em. I slept like a baby. An abusively stuffed baby.

Up and at 'em on Monday morning (still full, by the way, definitely a sign of immoderation, ack), first for some hang time - a rare drive! - with Tom, then for the graduation's opening ceremony... A fabulous cocktail party at (my siblings) David & Etta's light and airy apartment. Stacey was there, and Dad & Susanna too, and we all got to meet a few of David & Etta's fun friends and check out their (twenty-something) Scene in the City. Shrimp, quiches, crab cakes, and cheeses (from Whole Foods, I believe) made for yummy nibbles. After a fair amount of wine and chat, just the fam whisked off for dinner at Il Cantinori. We covered homemade pastas, veal chops and scallopini, shrimp...all lovely. More cabs, more soft beds...

And then yesterday, the big day, Barnard College's graduation ceremony. Despite a little chill and damp (we were thankfully under a tent), it was a beautiful and impressive event. Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivered the keynote - relaxed, charming, funny. Thelma Davidson Adair, Billie Jean King, David Remnick, and Mayor Bloomberg all received medals of distinction. And then the money moment - diplomas! Etta was beautiful, of course, in her pale blue cap and gown. And just like that, it was over. Dad & Susanna breathed a sigh of relief - all of their kids are officially through college. Woo hoo! Congratulations Dad & Susanna! And of course, most of all... Congratulations Etta! Well done!

After the ceremony, John and I rushed back to his parents' to pack and head for La Guardia, pausing only to wolf down a one-handed Zabar's feast - toasted sesame bagelwith chive cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, and tomato. The. Friggin'. Kill.

So today, back in the Minnesota sunshine, bagel-less (sniff) but glad nonetheless to be home. My town, Minneapolis. That means...the beyotch is back, feeling her bossy oats. Sorry, man.

Moderate it: the best way I know to moderate in NYC is to get the heck outta there and just come home. No more Chinese, no more bagels, no more slices on the street. Done.

FreshTartSteph — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 09:21:00 PST

Dida!

Merry Christmas again! Last night we had our very last Christmas celebration, with Dad & Susanna and David & Etta, home from NYC. Stacey & Cooper were there too, as well as John & Nathan. And of course Jake-a-saurus (my parents' adorable spaniel). We opened presents right away, as we're learning (remembering!) that it's tough for a one-year old (Coop!) to face all that excitement post-dinner, dangerously close to bedtime. The star gift was Dida, an orphaned baby elephant that Dad & Susanna sponsored in Nathan's name through The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Four-week old Dida had fallen into a man-made water hole, poor little sweetie, but is now healthy and settled at the orphanage with other young elephants. Nathan will receive monthly updates on Dida's progress, as well as photos of her with her caretakers. Read all about her and her lucky rescue here.

For dinner, Dad shot and Susanna prepared - I'm not kidding - Christmas goose! Not a roasted goose per se, but something rather more fabulous - a Julia Child, rustic French preparation of goose breasts over whipped potatoes and sauteed cabbage, napped with a rich, long-cooked brown sauce of onions, vermouth, and salt pork. Gorgeous, festive, and of course absolutely delicious, especially with crusty, grainy bread to wipe up every drop. Of that amazing sauce! For dessert, I made an old stand-by, cream puffs filled with whipped cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Pretty darn tasty. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

After lots of goodnight "kisses" for Cooper (you can tell he's tired when he starts "fuzzing" his little earlobes), and a very interesting look - on Nathan's new world map - at exactly where in Germany our family is from (Ostfriesland), we packed up our spiffy new gifts and made our way home for an early bedtime. Had to try for extra sleep because...

...tonight, we gather yet one more time, but more on that next year...

FreshTartSteph — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:35:00 PDT

Swimmin' & swimmin' & swimmin' some more. Splash! Wow, what a hot streak, days in a row of sunshiney hotness and we're taking every advantage. We had my nephew Cooper Cuteness (aka Triple T, or Teeny Tiny Turducken) in the pool on Wednesday, and Cooper and Stacey and Etta in the pool on Thursday, and my friend Polly and her son Charlie in the pool today. Splash! NICE! Nathan's getting positively blonde and I'm getting downright tan (which is not my favorite thing to be, but it's happening anyhow). Somewhere in there I DID offer food, namely to Polly and Charlie who were here for lunch. Hot dogs and salad and my Grandma Meyer's uber-moist and sweet sour cream chocolate cakewith berries and whipped cream (recipe posted in comments, below). And then, yep, back into the pool... Splash!

And tomorrow? If we're lucky and the sunshine holds, Napa Pals Stu the Wine Genius & his wife Debbie and Rudy Maxa & Ana Scofield here for MORE swimming. And wine. And snacks and big steaks and all sorts of tasties. Splash! Yeah, baby!

And Father's Day? Yep, more pool time, this time with Johnny, whose Father's Day desire is to plant himself poolside, with his music, and a book, for the entire afternoon. I think we can oblige... Splash!

FreshTartSteph — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 22:24:00 PDT

Wouldn't you know, a damn snowstorm did us in yet again?! Unbelievable. This time on the east coast, preventing my brother David and sister Etta from coming out from NYC for the weekend, as well as Bowen's sister Sara and her husband Romero coming from Vermont. Damn! Boo! Damn! Luckily Bowen's parents Hal and Suzanne were able to make it from Palm Beach or we would have had a a bust of a dinner party tonight. As it was, we lucked into very nice, with Bowen's parents, my dad and Susanna, Stace, Bowen, and Coop, and the Best Helper Evar, aka Nathan. I borrowed a page from my father-in-law John and made Veal Scallops a la Danoise (with cucumbers), a lovely dish, made lovelier by the fact that you can prepare it ahead a bit and finish it off right before dinner; Deluxe Do-Ahead Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, to which I added a generous amount of minced chives; and blanched asparagus with gremolata (minced lemon rind, parsely, shallots, and olive oil) to cut the richness of the veal and potatoes. A hearty-and-yet-almost-springy menu, it worked quite nicely, I think. Cheeses, cardamom bread from Turtle Bread, and sips of Sauterne and coffee for dessert. And now? Bedtime, fo sho!

It's all for you, Cooper Doo, One-Whole-Year Old! Tomorrow is his big party day...

FreshTartSteph — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 16:26:00 PDT

Well, Hello Spring! My goodness, it's 64 degrees out there right now! How fabulous! (We could use the cheering up, frankly.)

I'm making Savory-Sweet Pork Tenderloin Stew for dinner. With couscous. And a big salad of some sort, haven't decided yet.

Friday we're having a big, big dinner party here at the hacienda, a pre-Cooper Birthday Party celebration. Cooper's paternal grandparents, Hal and Suzanne, will be visiting this weekend, as well as Bowen's sister Sara and her husband Romero. My brother David and sister Etta are coming in from NYC, their second flight out here in a week...

...since they were here last Thursday night, en route to Billings, Montana, along with Stacey, our dad, and myself, as we all made our way to their grandmother Shirley's memorial service. What with putting Sigmund down on Sunday (sigh), I haven't had a chance to say what a perfectly fitting service it was, last Friday, at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Sheridan, Wyoming. My brother wrote and read the most unbelievable send-off, he brought down the house, truly. Afterward my stepmom Susanna and her brothers and sister hosted the loveliest reception. Susanna's nieces Marett and Farley assembled photos from their grandmother's life for a slide show. Man, Shirley lived a lot of life in her 83 years, pretty inspirational. It was great fun to see her dancing on tables as a new wife and hostess, wrangling four kids in four years as a young mom, talking horses with her business partners, handing out polo trophies, hosting a couple of generations of weddings and christenings and graduations, reigning over ever larger family gatherings, and in her last days, visiting with her baby great-grandson. As is always strangely true at funerals, it was actually really fun to see everyone, especially Susanna's immediate family and long-time friends. Shirley would have been pleased to see the happy consumption of lots of ice-cold chardonnay, double-chocolate brownies, and powdered-sugar-dusted lemon bars. Cheers, Shirley.