We wanted to celebrate Bruce turning 13 with a trip, and New York was a destination we could all agree on. We used the Iroquois Hotel in midtown as our base, which worked out well.
Our goal was fine dining, so we tried to chase down a few of the celebrity chefs we’ve seen on TV. Our first stop was Centrico, Aaron Sanchez’s casual place. (He’s a guest judge on Chopped.) We didn’t want to extend ourselves on our first night, and this was a perfect choice. While some of us, more than others, sipped smoky margaritas, we enjoyed tiny lump crabmeat tostadas and short rib croquettes, followed by short rib enchiladas and two types of soft tacos, mahi mahi and beef. They were out of churros so we consoled ourselves with some tres leches cake.
Our hotel was just two blocks from the public library, which I’d never managed to visit before. We were even more delighted with Bryant Park behind the library, both of which were being enjoyed by New Yorkers hanging out. We thought it was very thoughtful of Tom Coliccio to put snack stands throughout the park and treated ourselves to some wonderful ice cream.
The next day was Father’s Day: Dave’s call. He chose the Staten Island Ferry, out of the blue. Excellent choice for a hot day! We got close enough to the Statue of Liberty, got in a stroll on the other side, and then headed back via Ground Zero. We had tickets to Billy Elliot that night, so dinner at db Bistro Moderne, right beside our hotel, was quick and easy. The standout here was a slow-roasted tomato tarte Tatin that tasted like the essence of all the best tomatoes you’ve ever had. Wow. Oh yeah, the show was great too!
Dinner Monday night was the highlight. We met friends at Craft, another Tom Coliccio creation, and had a fabulous meal. Bruce started with Naked Cowboy raw oysters (great NYC name!), then had scallops and gnocchi, and finished with fresh doughnuts. Dave was called by the crispy bacon (aka chunks o’ pork belly) to share and an amazing arugula salad, then sirloin on the bone with marrow on the side, and finally coffee/cacao bean ice cream. I had hamachi with an astounding lemon oil dressing, SO tender braised short ribs, with cipollini onions, and then a brioche pain perdu that was 1†high and even more tender. Yu-hummm!
We got in some sightseeing between meals: Central Park (above), the Guggenheim, MoMA, and lots of subway riding and walking. I have a better visit each time I come to New York, and we were delighted to share the center of the universe with our boy.