Thursday 13 November 2008
New York, New York.
What a city. A city of opportunity, of endless promise.
So much so, it actually sends me into a bit of a panic.
We have been fortunate enough to holiday there every year for the last four years. Every time I leave, I can't wait till the next time we visit.
You probably won't be surprised to know that on my daily blog read list are at least four or five New York based blogs, the reading of which enables me to update my 'list' for the next visit.
Sadly, the older I get, the smaller my stomach seems to get. Me Hobbit no more. It used to be I could factor in first breakfast, second breakfasts, elevenses, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner and then supper. Those were the days. Aaah..
Now it seems I have to content myself one one meal a day, whether it be lunch or dinner, with some snacks in between. So, in a city of such untapped promise this poses a bit of a problem. It helps that I run every day to burn off the calories, and with jet lag, my day starts at five am, but it still means I need to plan each day carefully.
So, over the year I cross reference Chowhound, egullet, NY Mag with my favourite NY food blogs: Amateur Gourmet; Wandering Eater;the girl who ate everything; NYC food guy and Flyboyz, which has sadly been put to rest. Armed with all this info I then create my 'list' which is refined and refined until the day we actually leave. I also create my 'map' which, thanks to Google maps, now takes a fraction of the time and a lot less sellotape!
Given we will be staying in the LES, a place which abounds with tasty treats, I map everything according to it's proximity to the hotel. It's also handy to plan things in areas, so a day's worth of eating in the LES, the UES, in Soho, Midtown etc. All this prep means that I don't need to worry about missing out, and means that no matter where we are I will know if there is somewhere worthwhile eating at or drinking at nearby.
This might seem a bit excessive and a slight tad obsessive, mock me all you like but I am not alone!! The girls from wandering eater and TGWAE make up spreadsheets of dishes they want to eat at places according to popularity and cost. Now that's dedication.
My wish-list/hit-list looks something like this:
Friday
Spotted Pig
Pegu Club
Arturo's
Saturday
Roasting Plant
Donut Plant
Russ and Daughters
Telepan
Bemelman's
Burger Joint
Death and Co
Ssam Bar
Sunday
Ino
Gramercy Tavern
angel's share
Grand Sichuan International
Monday
Yasuda
Employee's only
Babbo
Tuesday
Le Bernardin
Please Don't Tell
Casa Mono
Wednesday
Di Fara's
Balthazar
Bemelman's
L'Atelier
Thursday
best of the best.
To ensure I got all these reservations, my calendar was prepped and ready to go two months ago..
And yes there is a worrying sense of achievement from visiting all these places.
New York here I come!!
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2 comments:
A truly, truly tragic read.
You need help.
D
One of my favorites? Luzia's at 429 Amsterdam Ave. (it's way up there around 80th Street). We'll probably be there tomorrow. GREAT tapas and probably the best sangria I've had. Doesn't hurt that the waiter is hot, either. ;))
There's very little chance of being disappointed in New York. Though I say that and I remember one incredibly lousy meal at a Chinese place that I cannot remember the name of. So I just avoid all Chinese places around midtown. ;))
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