New Year's Eve re-cap:
I literally blinked and it was New Year's Eve. I couldn't believe how quickly the month of December had passed me by. Not only that, but the holidays just felt different this year. For the first time since living in NYC, I didn't see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center, go window shopping along 5th Avenue, or peruse the outdoor boutiques set up in Bryant Park and Union Square. Upon returning home from my two-week vacation spanning Hanukkah and Christmas, I had less than forty-eight hours to prepare for a house guest. Caroline, a good friend and sorority sister, was to spend four nights with me prior to returning home to Houston.
With Miss Caroline in tow, we successfully managed to eat our way through the city, literally. Please enjoy our culinary adventures beginning with New Year's Eve dinner and ending with an unexpected Saturday evening ride home escorted by New York's finest.
12/31: New Year's Eve dinner at Allen & Delancey
It was the first time that I would be in town (NYC) for New Year's Eve since December 31, 2004. Although I was stumped about what to do/where to go, I was certain that I did not want to pay an exorbitant amount of money to ring in the New Year with a "champagne sparkling-wine toast" amongst a crowd of suckers who shelled out $150 (or more) for standing-room-only at a cheesy venue. No thanks.
Since Caroline would be in town, I wanted to celebrate the birth of 2010 with slightly more extravagance than ordering pizza and watching the ball drop from my TV. And with that, I made a reservation for an 8:30pm seating for nine guests at Allen & Delancey. It was quite a relief to be able to cross this task off of my list prior to departing for South America; but it was even more of a relief to learn that A&D would not be serving a prix-fixe-only menu, which most restaurants do for big holidays.
In anticipation of our guests, Caroline and I arrived about twenty minutes shy of our 8:30pm reservation at A&D. After ordering a cocktail, we grabbed a seat at the bar. Upon observing the dimly-lit atmosphere, the first thought that popped in to my head was, "damn, I wish I had a boyfriend." Flickering candles as far as the eye could see, grand antique mirrors, rickety wooden shelves supporting random chotchkies and old books, exposed brick walls...you get the point. The space exuded romance from its every nook and cranny.
Caroline and I having a cocktail in anticipation of our guest's arrival
Unfortunately, that is where this fairytale ends. Because aside from the restaurant's homemade bacon bread (no chunks of pork, more of a bacon "essence") and the great service we received, I was underwhelmed by my entree.
Mmmmm! Bacon bread
Someone forgot to tell me that I wasn't dining at a German biergarten when I uncharacteristically ordered the Pork & Lemongrass Sausage. And no, "uncharacteristically" is not in reference to my Judaism, or lack there of (so sue me, I eat pork!). Served atop a bed of fragrant black rice, sauteed bok choy, and cilantro sprigs (so many that I couldn't see the bok choy underneath) sat the plump house-made pork link. My first bite rendered an overwhelming, almost offensive punch bitch-slap of lemongrass, which gave way to flesh that was drier and more chewy than the texture I was hoping for. I wasn't especially thrilled when I had to exert more strength each time I attempted to sever the link's thick casing with my butter knife...in order to take the next bite. However, in an effort to coat my stomach for what I knew would be many more glasses of something potent, I finished about 1/3 of my meal.
Let's just say that the pork & lemongrass link-of-love looked much more lovely than it tasted
Being that our table of nine was not seated until 8:45pm, combined with the fact that we took a leisurely amount of time to order, I rang-in my New Year at A&D. We toasted our prosecco-filled champagne flutes, kissed and hugged one another, and discussed our hopes and plans for the year to come. Unfortunately, receiving our bill was quite a sobering moment as it was evenly divided by the nine of us (most of whom ordered cocktails, appetizers, etc.). C'est la vie!
In conclusion:
- As it turns out, the dreaded restaurant "holiday prix-fixe menu" would have probably been less expensive than what I had to shell out on behalf of those who ordered much more than me.
- A&D is one of the most romantic venues in NYC
- ...however, on the night I dined there, I found the particular meal I ordered to be less than sexy.
- I plan to return to A&D. I've concluded that I simply chose the wrong dish. Speaking of choosing the wrong dish, take a look up at the picture of my entree. I still can't figure out why the hell the kitchen would accompany a pork & lemongrass sausage link with 1/2 of a lime. Did they really think that I was going to squeeze that tart juice all over my already-eye-puckeringly-sour citrus-laced pork? Come on now. And if the lime was there solely for decoration, the plate would have looked better without more green accents. The cilantro and bok choy were more than enough.
1/01: Finding a pot of gold at the end of Grove Street ~ A new favorite brunch item at Commerce
The last thing I remember seeing before my head hit the pillow was the teal-blue digital clock numbers on my microwave which read "4:03am." Not six hours later, Caroline and I both awoke in disbelief that it was New Year's Day. The first line of business? Discuss the events of our evening over some greasy food. "Carrie, I'm going to take you to one of my favorite neighborhoods in Manhattan called 'the West Village.' We can just walk down there and find somewhere to eat." And off we went.
The city was completely dead on New Year's Day, which was to be expected, though it eerily reminded me of the scene from Vanilla Sky when Tom Cruise finds himself all alone in Times Square. Most of the retail shops in the West Village were closed, except for a tiny pet store called "Le Petit Puppy." After almost buying a Brussels Griffon out of shear boredom and impulse, I decided that it was time we ate. Clearly, I was not thinking straight. As we meandered through the tangled streets of the charming neighborhood, I had to take a call. Caroline and I made a right on Grove Street, and just as I was ending my phone conversation, I saw her point towards a pile of what appeared to be unwanted items/trash on the opposite side of the street. As we approached, I remember being taken aback by what was staring me in the face. "Oh my God, Caroline! Oh my God! Do you realize what these are??" I gasped. Sitting right before our very eyes were three pieces of luggage (one was a hanging garment bag) with a very familiar "LV" monogram. "Holy shit," I squealed, "these are vintage Louis Vuitton suitcases! What kind of blithering idiot would throw these out on the street??" As I observed the surrounding pile of items more carefully, I saw a toilet-on-wheels hidden behind a discarded Christmas tree. Then, we found luggage tags with a name that matched the three gold monogrammed initials located on each bag. "I bet this woman died and someone must have just finished cleaning out her apartment. I think she must have been an elderly lady because of that toilet," I said. Leaving the least desirable piece of the three, Caroline and I each grabbed a suitcase and walked towards Commerce for brunch.
The Lunch Belle meets her Louis!
Caroline and I were definitely concerned as to where we'd put our bulky newfound treasure while we were dining, but the hostess at Commerce could not have been more welcoming and helpful. "Oh my! I can't believe you all found those on the street! I can store them downstairs while you eat. Does that work?" We gladly obliged before being whisked off to a two-top booth in the restaurant's bar area.
Now I typically don't review a restaurant twice (I have previously dined at Commerce), but I simply could not keep this eatery's best kept brunch secret a secret any longer. I have to applaud our waitress for doing a hell of a good job of up-selling, as it was she who strongly recommended that we start our meal off with an order of the homemade Cinnamon Rolls. I wondered: would the Rolls arrive piping hot with a messy drizzle of white icing, a-la-Cinnabon? Would they be served in a skillet? How many come to an order?
As it turned out, all of my assumptions about the Cinnamon Rolls were wrong. A small dessert-sized plate was topped with two large 2'x2' buns resembling messily formed snail's shells. A rich, warm sauce chock-full of cinnamon flavor and a roux-like consistency enveloped every inch of the delicate Rolls. I could taste all of the homemade elements, especially the pungent yeast, within the soft, almost doughy bread/Roll. I appreciated the fact that the sticky cinnamon sauce wasn't too hot, because I did not want to wait a second longer than necessary to take my next bite.
RUN, don't walk, to Commerce for their out-of-this-world homemade Cinnamon Rolls!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 10:06AM 
The dining room at 10 Downing Food & WineWithin approximately ten-minutes of waiting our turn to be seated, Anjie and I were whisked to our table pour deux. From my vantage point, I couldn't have asked for a more pleasant view of 6th Avenue. My only complaint, however, was the restaurant's deafening acoustics; practically requiring that patrons shout at one another in order to hear/be heard. 
Le menuAnjie and I chose to order our own entrees, having decided that splitting our meals would pose a problem, as neither of us could come to a mutual agreement on one dish: Anjie chose the Cinnamon French Toast and I ordered the savory Farmer's Market Omelette. While the assorted baked goods looked tempting, Anjie and I decided to forgo an appetizer in the hopes that we'd receive a complimentary basket of bread and butter shortly after placing our entree orders. And as luck would have it, the only additional items we received were a couple of refills of water. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait too long to be presented with our entrees. Wilted collard greens, caramelized onions and sharp cheddar cheese were folded in to the center of a fluffy, three-egg masterpiece that was accompanied by a simple radicchio salad lightly tossed in a mild vinaigrette. 
Farmer's Omelette: collard greens, caramelized onions, cheddar cheeseIn conclusion: Anjie and I each spent under $20 for brunch, which is a pretty good deal in Manhattan. We both thoroughly enjoyed our entrees and, despite the noise level, hope to return in the near future. Best advice to those who are interested in dining at 10 Downing for brunch: make a free reservation at www.opentable.com. This is one hot spot!
