Many people have told me “You sure spend a lot of time talking about food on your blog”. Then there are others who say, “I sure love all the stuff you write on your blog about food”. This entry is geared toward the later group.
Yesterday we ventured toward Central Park to have breakfast at a restaurant recommended by our friend, Nancy. The restaurant is called Sarabeth’s (40 Central Park S, New York, NY 10021). When we arrived there was quite a crowd. Diners can choose to eat outside (we were quoted a 25 minute wait) or inside (a 20 minute wait). It was a bit warm and humid so we opted for the shorter wait inside. Before being seated we took a short walk around the area looking at the Ritz Carlton and Marriott Essex House hotels. Both are classic looking hotels and quite a bit more expensive than our room at the Marriott Marquis Times Square. Apparently this area is more geared to business travelers who don’t mind spending the extra dollar to be close to their meeting locations as long as they can pass the expense on to their customers.
When we returned to Sarabeth’s we were seated promptly next to a lovely couple who were visiting NYC on business. The husband was from Argentina and the wife was from Puerto Rico. We never pass up a chance to practice our Spanish but they quickly replied to us in English. I guess our Spanish needs some work.
Back to the cuisine. Patrice ordered the Lobster Roll against my advice. I explained that it is a Boston specialty. How could NYC match up to the lobster rolls we had at Neptune Oyster in the North side of Boston? The roll arrived and I scoffed at its small size and and larger price than what we had in Boston. Patrice let me taste it and I have to admit it was every bit as good and maybe even better. I had the salmon eggs Benedict which was also superb. The only thing I found lacking at Sarabeth’s were the napkins. Shouldn’t a classy place like this have cloth napkins? Apparently they don’t think so.
This morning we were feeling very guilty about our indulgence the previous day so we started today in the gym. No pictures of that since I looked ready for a 911 call and that was before I even started to exercise.
We then showered, got dressed and discussed what we should do today. How about MOMA? Or the Guggenheim? Rockefeller Center and the Empire State Building are always fun. What do you say we go to Junior’s instead? Junior’s won out over the others. When you come to NYC you have to eat a corned beef sandwich and a potato knish. LA’s version of these two dishes just does not measure up.
It was only 77 degrees today but with light showers earlier in the morning it was incredibly humid. While waiting to be seated I heard a woman suggesting that she and her family sit outside because “it is so delightful”. Obviously this woman has never been to LA. I was hoping for a table inside but willing to accept something outside because I was getting hungry. After being seated I told the waiter I knew what I wanted and ordered without looking at the menu. “I will have a corned beef on rye and a potato knish” I said. “We don’t have knishes” was his reply. “How could that be? Isn’t this New York? Isn’t this Junior’s?” “We don’t have potato knishes” was his answer. I settled for the corned beef sandwich knowing that there would be so much meat I wouldn’t have to eat for the rest of the day. Junior’s is known for serving sandwiches that have dislocated many jaws. When the sandwich arrived I saw that times had changed. That was not the sandwich I remembered but it still tasted good.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing in and around the hotel. At night we went to Caroline’s, a comedy club very near the hotel. We saw the “New York Kings of Comedy”. They were a group of 5 comedians who did their own stand up routines and also a couple of bits with each other. As Patrice likes to say, “It was good but not great”. I would say, it was not good.
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 