gastronomic birthday

it's been a week-long birthday. actually two weeks long. as luck would have it, i landed a 4-day weekend, followed by a 3-day weekend, this month as my work week was slowly being shifted from a friday-tuesday schedule back to a monday-friday schedule.

WEEK 1

so last week, i took advantage of the 4-day weekend to visit b & d in philadelphia. i took the chinatown bus and arrived in philadelphia in the early afternoon. b & d live on the philadelphia antique row, antique store after antique store down their block. the whole neighborhood is very cute and nice. after setting down my bags, we headed out for some pho, a perfect dish on a cold winter day. r & i have yet to find good pho in new york; we are starting to believe vietnamese is one cuisine that new york does not offer a good restaurant of. we ate vietnamese everyday for lunch while we worked in new orleans last winter. it's good to know that philly pho is phantastic, being just a 2-hour bus ride away.

d had some work to finish up so b took me to the liberty bell and independence hall. it was quite a day to go: the day after obama's inauguration, having become citizens so recently, this 2008 election being the first election b & i ever voted in. it became unexpectedly emotional. we took a tour of the independence hall, and our guide was awesome. she told the stories of our founding fathers with great enthusiasm and knowledge. i took some pictures which i will post in a later entry.

that evening, we dined at a vegetarian chinese restaurant, none of us being strict vegetarians. but the food was surprising and delicious. we ordered seaweed pancakes, not knowing what to expect. what came out to our table were literally seaweed patties that have been lightly deep-fried. the natural chewy texture of seaweed made it fun to eat. then, we had spicy tofu and a dish of vegetables. the food tasted very clean but flavorful. i don't think we missed meat at all during that meal.

the next day, we started at morning glory diner. it's a cool little joint where coffee is served in stainless steel mugs. they specialize in frittatas which are served beautifully browned on the top, with a chunk of biscuit and a small cup of cooked apples, and i chose a side of grits. nothing fancy, just plain goodness.

then, d left b & me to do some random strolling around the city. we threw in some shopping although we didn't make any purchases. we stopped at a small cafe for some tea before heading back to b & d's apartment for pre-dinner nap. b & d took me to cochon as my early birthday dinner. they went for the tasting menu which included a cauliflower soup, skate on fennel salad, lamb, and crepe. i selected an arugula salad with beets, suckling pig with lentils and brussel sprouts, and shared a creme brulet. it was a decadent meal. we were glad for the walk home after our gluttonous pleasure-taking and then spent the rest of the evening in delirium.

then, friday was the day i headed back to new york. but before leaving, we ate breakfast at sabrina's cafe. the entrees were a little fancier than morning glory diner's and were tasty. but i prefer simpler fare for my first meal. at least, the service was great. we actually had stopped in fitzwater cafe where we stood just inside the front door for about 5 minutes, watching the hostess chit-chat with a table, not once acknowledging our presence. we went to the spices, coffee, and tea shop in the italian market area and grabbed a couple of $1 bags of teas. then, we went back to b & d's apartment for my bag and headed for the bus. as much as i missed r, it was a wonderful break from new york city. also, i've missed b & d terribly and was glad to be able to see and spend time with them.

WEEK 2

chinese new year arrived the following week, and my birthday according to the chinese calendar is the 3rd day of the new year. unwittingly, my co-workers planned a cupcake surprise for that day. i don't like making a deal of birthdays, maybe because i didn't grow up with birthday parties. birthdays were always a more intimate affair shared with just family. so i had warned my co-workers to not do anything. also, i'm not a big fan of sweets. but i unintentionally discovered an email in the general work email account about cupcakes. i blew their cover and thought they would ditch the plan. wednesday was a very snowy day anyway. but they went ahead and surprised me with vegan cupcakes, knowing that i'm lactose intolerant, and everyone on the project singing happy birthday. candles and all. i started scraping off the icing, because it was too sweet, and everyone started yelling that the cupcakes were vegan. i had to reassure them that i was aware but just found the icing too sweet. i definitely appreciated the thought and effort behind it though.

friday was my birthday according to the gregorian calendar (normal calendar). my 3-day weekend started on this day. i slept in, leaving r to his own defenses for breakfast and coffee. taking my time to get the day started, i finally left the apartment at around 2p, for a bit of shopping. i traveled a little uptown to look for a specialty store in search of a gift for someone. i wasn't sure what i'd find, but two items jumped out at me instantly as the perfect gifts. i was very glad to accomplish the mission so quickly and effortlessly.

i continued my shopping spree to origins where i received a birthday discount and bought one item for basically half price. i hopped onto the bus that stopped on the block and got off when i spotted a body shop. i also received a birthday discount there and bought one item for basically half price as well. just a few stores away was a barneys coop. i've had a store credit on a barneys card for years, from my first film job in los angeles. so i decided to stop in, just to see if i could use the card that day. i found a pair of jeans in an unusual shade of dark blue, and they happened to fit. i will need to shorten them a little, but that is nothing unusual. they were originally priced at $178, on sale for $59. i thought i had about $45 on the card so i figured i'd pay $15 for a pair of nice jeans. when i got to the register, the sales representative told me i had almost $100 on the card. so not only did i walk out with a free pair of jeans but also still more credit to spend. i was in such disbelief at my luck that i had to call b immediately; i was on a shopping high. then, i went to soho to look for a specific shirt by uniqlo. they didn't have exactly what i wanted but something close. and it was on sale for $6, normally for $16. so i bought it. then, i made my way into chinatown and headed home.

that night, r took me to craft for dinner. we had a late reservation, for 9p. r got us a cab to the restaurant, a luxury for me. we arrived about a half hour early and waited at the bar. we were admiring the decor, which was very simple but luxurious and well thought out, and people watching, a lot of the new york rich. but although it was obvious the restaurant usually catered only the super wealthy, they were still wonderfully nice and friendly to us. the staff exuded a sense of warmth that was very welcoming, smiles that seemed genuine to have you there for dinner.

we were quickly seated at a table pretty much in the center of the dining room. the table felt a little big; r seemed far away. but the size of the table made sense once our food arrived. to start off, we were presented with an amuse bouche: spoon bread topped with virginia ham served in a metal spoon with the handle beautifully curved into a delicate oval to stabilize it. the bite was full of flavors that played with each other in your mouth.

we ordered quail and a beets and tarragon salad as our first courses. r picked the salad, and i picked the quail because r had never had quail before. the beets salad was wonderful, lightly mixed in a mysterious vinaigrette that was heavenly. it turned out to be well balanced with the quail, which was served deboned except for the shin, allowing you to pick it up delicately. it was lightly seasoned and moist, perfectly cooked, allowing the natural flavor of quail to do its justice. then, our main courses consisted of monkfish, my choice, and the flat iron of steak, r's choice, with sides of gnocchi (r), brussel sprouts (me), and trompet royale mushrooms (me). there wasn't any description on the menu so we were pleasantly surprised by what came out. the monkfish was wrapped in prosciutto and accompanied by a bit of cream sauce and another deeply flavored sauce. there was what i guessed to be either seaweed or odd mushrooms with it. the monkfish had a great meaty texture, and the prosciutto added a complimentary flavor to it. the steak was light and cooked perfectly, topped with beans and accompanied with a bone marrow. the gnocchi were served in a creamy sauce so i only tried a couple of them. they had a great density and flavorful sauce. the brussel sprouts were roasted with bits of bacon so they were wonderful. the trompet royale mushrooms were tasty and meaty. we, then, ended the meal with a meyer lemon tart with a mint syrup and hibiscus granita. the tartness was a perfect way to end the meal, considering we were stuffed and almost passed on dessert. the whole meal was divine.

we noticed how well run the restaurant was. one side of the restaurant was the wine cellar which hid the kitchen. we loved the mesh that held each bottle in the racks. the other side of the restaurant was a soft half-dome shaped by thick slabs covered with smooth leather, hiding the dish-washing. we loved the use of exposed bulbs with specially enlarged wires inside them. i didn't think of making a visit to the restroom just to check it out. but r went and informed me that real hand towels were provided, not paper towels, and then tossed into a basket. r only had one criticism about the decor: should use a planters box instead of vases.

to keep the decadence going, we took a cab back home.

the next day, we had brunch at benny's burritos in the east village, our favorite weekend brunch place because of their food and affordability. we tried to walk around the area and into soho, but the cold made it too difficult. so we went home. i took an afternoon nap. then, we went for korean dumplings in koreatown, at mandoo bar, continuing on the theme of deliciousness and affordability. b was right: the kimchee dumplings were awesome.

the whole birthday celebration is finally dwindling. i'm not excited about turning 30 nor am i devastated. birthdays are just markers for another year past. but this birthday has been great because of the people in my life. they are worth celebrating.