Dave and I went to The Spotted Pig last night, an excellent restaurant in Greenwich Village. It’s like a gourmet English pub, and despite the name it serves more than pork! I had a terrific celery, fennel and watercress salad with bottarga in a lemony dressing, and pan-roasted guinea fowl with morel mushrooms. Dave had ramp soup and braised rabbit with ramps. We’d seen fiddleheads on the online menu and were eager to have some, but unfortunately they weren’t available yesterday. Oh well.
(It still seems a little strange to me that people consider fiddleheads food, considering they used to grow in the swamp behind my house in Florida!)
It’s been great to spend time with Dave, because he knows so much about food. He’s shown me a lot of things I wouldn’t have known before, and taken me to places I wouldn’t have gone. I guess that’s the way dating should work when it goes well, right? I feel like I’m learning a lot, and my Progresso soup bill has already been greatly reduced!
I, meanwhile, have taken him along on at least one street-art walk, with hopefully more to come. We’re doing the AIDS Walk together on May 17, and I have a backlog of movies and restaurants of my own to share. We have great conversations. There’s a lot of city to explore!
(Photo: Wall in Dumbo, Brooklyn, April 2009)
WOOHOO!
ReplyDeleteFunny, but when I visit, and all I want to do is walk around and look, you alwasy seem so surprised. Yet when you 'visit' your city, walking around for hours is your choice hobby.
Hmmm, maybe you don't want to be seen with your little brother after all! HA!
I guess I'm used to visitors having a defined agenda -- but I'm always happy to wander!
ReplyDeletejust checked out the rest of the menu at The Spotted Pig. The grilled fennel and radichio with speck and parmesan? Sounds like my kind of food.
ReplyDelete'Bonne continuation' in your savory discoveries - your readers are with you all the way.
I knew from your first description of cooking with Dave I would like him. He seems to be opening the world of food to you and I'm sure you are teaching him how to walk and observe. Sounds like an even exchange.
ReplyDeleteI want to know what bottarga cheese is. Never heard of it and I do know quite a bit about cheese.
I will know whom to consult about restaurants the next time I come to NYC!
Well, Barbara, I went to look up bottarga and found out it's not cheese at all! Apparently it's "salted, pressed and dried mullet or tuna roe." Who knew?
ReplyDelete(You can tell I'm not a gourmand!)
I edited the post to remove the cheese reference. Silly me!
Fantastic! I hadn't put it together that you're dating. EXCELLENT!! Bravo! Bring on the fiddleheads! Yes!!
ReplyDelete