Tuesday With Moi

Tuesday, October 30

Sitting in Restaurants & Losing Track of Time Edition

The morning started as any other, slowly.
The Redcoat and I tip-toed around the apartment drinking coffee and reading reports from the storm with our eyes wide and our mouths hanging open as we waited for my parents to get up.  Around 9:30 I realized Oh, it's Tuesday! and fetched my camera.

This is what my boots look like after our long and muddy walk through the Cotswolds on Sunday.

Mid-morning came and went.  I continued to scroll through the news as I finished some work.

Around noon I had a small bite to eat and prepared to leave for a day of playing the tour guide and eating a lot.  So so so much eating.  And drinking, too.

I haven't been using it as much as I ought to these days, but I still never go anywhere without my pen.

After walking through Hobbit Town, which my parents loved, of course, we stopped in a restaurant for a proper midday meal. 

Mum and Dad came here with the opinion that English food is terribleterribleterrible and thought they'd likely starve for most of the trip.  They're happy to report, however, that they've actually loveloveloved the food in the UK and are dining like foreign dignitaries.

(If there's one thing I can consistently deliver on, it's finding a good meal.)

The Redcoat and I left my parents to an evening of solo exploration and hopped on a train to London to meet some friends visiting from California.

We met them at the St. Martin's Lane Hotel.  Owned by the Morgans Hotel Group, the bar consistently delivers on both style and quality cocktails. We like that.

Somewhere around this time, I think I lose an hour, but bear with me...
Our friends, who are lovely, admitted that they hadn't eaten well since arriving in London.  They found the food mediocre and the restaurants unwelcoming.  David and I were appalled and decided to save them from another terrible meal by making a last-minute reservation for the four of us at St. John, a restaurant where I would happily dine every day for the rest of my life.

I get a little self-conscious whipping my camera out at dinners with people I've only just met, so I escaped to the bathroom for this shot.  I look vacant and terrible, but whatever.

My necklace and my camera strap are BFF. 

After a stunning dinner, David and I took our friends to the St. Pancras Hotel.

Perhaps you remember the stunning tequila drink I once had at the Booking Office?

Well, I asked the bartender to re-create it.  This was the first attempt.

And this was the second.  It was quite delicious but not as exemplary as the cocktail on my previous visit.

Like I said, we lost an hour somewhere, but I know for certain that I took this picture at 22:00.

After a night of much laughter, David and I made our way home where we promptly went to sleep after an ever-so-brief visit with my parents.

Happy Halloween, friends!  And, as always, thank you for reading!

Lately

Good food, good weather, good friends, and rainbows.

Sunday Lunch @The Hare

Yesterday, David and I laced up our walking shoes and strolled a couple miles down the road to The Hare where we enjoyed a beautiful Sunday lunch.  After our meal, we sat in the garden for a drink and dessert (rhubarb crumble with custard, yummmm) and all around us were families with children.  Many of these children took it upon themselves to find entertainment amongst each other, and they played in the field beside the garden- games of tag and cricket and whatever else English children do- and sometimes an adult would saunter over, beer in hand, and kick a ball around, too.  But usually the adults sat together in the garden, enjoying conversation and a drink in the sun with a few children leaning their heads on their arms, quietly listening in.  

The attitude toward child-rearing is far more relaxed here than in the States and parents seem to have a more harmonious balance between their own social priorities and the activities of their children.  Once a couple has children, their children do not seem to replace their social life, and I think it's great to see families together at pubs, groups of parents engaged in conversation as their children run off on their own.  At first I found the presence of so many youngsters to be tiresome and irritating, but the more I see it, the more I realize their inclusion in the 'adult world' is actually healthy and quite liberating.  Instead of sequestering their children at home with a sitter, they allow them to experience and observe the real world, and allow them to behave like children at the same time.  It's just one of those English things- like Sunday lunch and beer gardens- that I find sweet and charming.

How was your weekend, dear reader?  Did you do anything exciting/inspiring/relaxing?

Pasta Party

Last Saturday, our dear friends Skye and Scott invited us to a Pasta Party to recreate the otherworldly delights that we learned how to prepare last September on a trip we took to Italy together.  It was so special to again gather with our amazing friends, reminisce about the trip, and relive the flavors of freshly prepared pasta and Cupano Brunello.  It was a wonderful evening and a great way to say hello and, sadly, goodbye to our friends who we love so much.  I can't thank Skye and Scott enough for hosting and I can't communicate how much I want to bear hug everyone who came!

xox

@ Toki Underground

It's been a chilly and grey day in New England and I just can't seem to get warm.  I spent the majority of my afternoon in an empty ballroom at the Taj taking photos for a project I'm working on, and all day long my mind has been returning to a magical little ramen restaurant called Toki Underground.  Brent took David and I to this itty-bitty little place over the weekend and you guys, it was so good!  Oh what I would do for a steaming cup of hot ramen and a Toki Monster right now!  And yes, that badass little cocktail up top, that is the Toki Monster, and yes, it has a porkbelly garnish.  In case you're curious (of course you're curious!) it's made with Bulleit Bourbon, pepper honey liqueur, and a misting of scotch.  As you can imagine, they go down real real nice. 

If you're in the D.C. area, I highly recommend a trip to Toki Underground.  I wish I'd taken more photos while I was there because the space itself is super cool, but it really is a tiny place and you kind of have to see it to believe it.  Also, go early!  This place gets super busy which is testament to the fact that it truly is super delicious.

If you're a bartender, please start serving more porkbelly drinks.  And maybe some with fried chicken livers or something, too?  I mean it, meat garnishes are the way to the future... think about it!  Please?

@ Coppa

It's been a rainy weekend in Boston and all I wanted yesterday was to snuggle under the covers and sleep.  Lo and behold, our tummies and cupboards were empty so David and I bundled up and went out for a late lunch at one of our favorite South End restaurants, Coppa.  Though neither of us were the least bit hung over, we still took the liberty of ordering the Hang Over 'Za (complete with bacon, sausage, prosciutto, potatoes and two farm fresh eggs... AMAZING) and followed it up with a Nutella Panino and espresso.  Coppa is a small-plate Italian restaurant.  It's a cozy and intimate space with a staff that makes you feel welcome and familiar.  If you ever go, I cannot recommend their pizzas, small anchovy plate, and oysters* with prosecco and rhubarb compote enough.  

Today is still cold and rainy and I'm taking the day to sort through books, clothing and stuff, deciding what to donate and what to ship to the UK.  I have a rule in my life where I purchase things only if I love them (I'm not a compulsive buyer, thank goodness) so parting with my possessions can be difficult because everything has been purchased with care.  Regardless, there are plenty of things I've had for years that I've grown ambivalent toward, and it's time that I let go and move forward.  What a scary and exciting time this is!  

*I'm not sure if this is always on the menu, but if it is and if you happen to like oysters, order it!  I think it makes a delicious dessert.

Urban Survival

I'm currently playing a game of Urban Survival* and was forced to create this adorable toast torte with local honey and fresh blueberries for breakfast yesterday (I know, woe is me).  I usually eat a banana with oats and almond milk, but David bought whack-a-doodle things at the grocery store this week and I'm having to actually cook to feed myself most meals.   It's amazing how much deliciousness you can whip up in a kitchen when you push yourself to try things outside your normal food routine (for me that means turning on the stove).  So here I am, being domestic and making lots of delicious things, but none as beautiful as my toast torte. 

*Urban Survival is a game I invented in college when I got snowed-in right before I was supposed to fly home for Christmas.  If you remember back to college, you will probably recall the painstaking process of getting rid of all your perishable food before you and your roommates went away for winter vacation.  Our apartment's refrigerator was essentially bare and I spent three days living off whatever bizarre food was laying around my little Beacon Hill kitchen.   I drank a lot of gin in those three days and ate an astounding number of expired Pop Tarts and stale Halloween candy.  But I survived, and that's what's important.  

Lethargy & Toast

I'm feeling really lethargic and weird today.  I called into work and told them I'd work from home, which I promise to do as soon as my mind finds focus and stops jumping forward two (2!) months in an attempt to imagine what my life in England will be like.

Kate, you cannot predict the future.  Just let it come.  

On days like today, when I'm melancholic and distracted, I often find something bizarre to feel romantic about.  Today I feel romantic about hot lemon water and toast.  Toast with honey, toast with foie gras, toast with salted butter, cinnamon, and sugar.  I just want to sit and eat toast with David and snuggle.  No talking, just toast eating and snuggling.

Before I turn into the most pathetic person on earth, I should probably get out of my pajamas and go for a walk.  Yes, a walk would do me a world of good... And then I have to start (and really commit to finishing) my visa application so I can move to the UK in two (2!) months.  And whilst I fill it out, maybe I'll eat more toast.

The Wedding Diet is Up In Flames

I ended last night with a Gorgonzola Burger from Tasty Burger at 1:00 AM.  And that, friends, is all you need to know about that.

Breakfast in Bed

At least once a week, and usually on Sundays or Mondays when I have the day off and all the muscles in my body turn to jelly, I sit in bed and drink coffee all morning long.  When I get hungry, usually around 11:00 or 12:00,  I yell down the hall*, "David, doesn't a ______ sound really good right now?"  That's his cue to make breakfast (lunch?).  Yesterday, I was lying in bed being totally useless when I developed an insatiable craving for a grilled cheese sandwich.  15 minutes later, David delivered this to my bed:

Friends, I cannot even tell you the magnitude of deliciousness that is a broiled, cheesy, mustard and Worcestershire Sauce open-faced sandwich.   When you wake  up feeling the tiniest bit jaded, there is nothing better than one of these, hot out of the oven, to make you feel just right (along with multiple cups of coffee, of course!). 

This is how you make this breakfast of champions:
1. Lightly toast a piece of hearty bread (it is especially good to use an artisan multi-grain loaf)
2. Butter one side of the toast
3. Put a layer of English mustard over the butter
4. Generously layer on some grated cheddar (you can also use thin-cut slices of cheddar)
5. Put the cheesy toast under the broiler until the cheese is melted and delicious looking
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle Worcestershire Sauce over the cheese
7. Consume.  Enjoy.  Feel fat and happy for the rest of the afternoon.


*David is much more of a morning person than I am.  He wakes early and is productive while I doze in bed, blog surf, and drink hundreds of cups of coffee. 

Joseph Leonard

When I find a good thing, I grasp it tightly and never let go.  For instance: I still have (and regularly wear) clothes from high school, I've been using the same face soap and makeup for years, I refuse to write with anything other than a Pilot G-2 0.38 pens in black (though I cheat and use a Mont Blanc when I'm feeling fancy), etc.  Similarly, when I come across a restaurant or bar I like, I'm happy to frequent it all too regularly, sometimes without ever varying the dish I order.  When I lived in Brussels, that restaurant was Via Roma (I went often and had the same thing every time: salmon ravioli, the house wine and tiramisu for dessert, which I would share with my mother), in Boston it varies between Franklin Southie, Marliave, and Backbar, and if I lived in New York's West Village, that restaurant would definitely be Joseph Leonard. 

What all these restaurants have in common is that they cater to a neighborhood and have a comfortable vibe that immediately makes you feel at home.  What sets these places apart from other restaurants is the delicious food, the staff that remembers your name and the way you like your Manhattan, and the artistic detailing that makes their ambiance extra-special. 

We went to Joseph Leonard on Sunday night.  Our friend Oscar swears by it- says he goes every time he's back in NYC.  When we walked into the tiny corner restaurant, I immediately knew I'd love it.  I was charmed by everything from the chalk-board message to the open kitchen and soft light, and for the entire time we were crowded around our table, the world outside ceased to exist. 

It's been four days since our dinner at Joseph Leonard and I'm still dreaming about the skate with potato puree, onion jam, arugula and lemon-caper brown butter sauce.  Not to mention the side of roasted brussels sprouts topped with sriracha and the caramel mousse pudding (and I don't even like dessert, generally).  Everyone at the table was supremely pleased with their meals as well as the overall dining experience, and we're not incredibly easy people to please.  If you're in New York, be sure to stop in.  I know I'm already looking forward to going again (and again and again!) when I'm next in the city.