Reader, I’ve been keeping a secret from you. A delicious secret.
Jen was here. For a whole weekend.
It was wonderful.
We met that Friday (10 days ago already!) for dinner at Peasant, which was both simple and complicated, tasty and strange. Our waiter was very pumped about the food and drink, which was great. We had cuttlefish (pretty tasty) and a grilled tuna salad (lovely) and goat lasagna (for me) and fettucine with ragu for Jen and a 2007 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico that I could drink every day of my life (if I had to; but I don’t).
Peasant, for those who are considering going, is a romantic tribute to rustic Italian cuisine. It’s not out of this world, but it’s good. I would go again — especially if I could talk them into some of their homemade bar olives to go.
We woke up Saturday morning (Jen first, of course) to watch the Australian Open women’s final. (Jen admitted to being newly “obsessed with tennis.”) We met her NYU peeps for lunch at BareBurger– rerouting everyone to the Greenwich Village location when we realized the 2d Avenue branch wasn’t yet serving alcohol. (Jen wondered whether she should be ashamed that she refused to eat lunch in a place that didn’t serve beer. I was too busy being ashamed for them.) We were not wowed by (either) BareBurger. If you’re really itching for an ostrich burger, though, hit the 2d Avenue branch. They should be serving beer in another week, and their wait staff is far superior to that at the other location.
After we addressed the no-beer fiasco, Saturday unfurled like this:
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Jen left her neck-warming device (a Christmas gift from her little bro, who assured her balaclavas are cool) at the first BareBurger
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Having determined in the morning that Hugo in 3D was probably our only cold Saturday afternoon film option (given our other Big Plans), we hoofed it to Union Square, only to learn that Hugo in 3D was the best everyone else could do, too, and the showing was sold out
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We returned to BareBurger number one to reclaim Jen’s gator; they gave it back to her even though we had dissed their beer-free menu
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We had some time before we could politely appear at Tri and Andy’s, where we were expected for dinner, so (of course) we stopped for beers at Tom & Jerry’s (after a visit to the Freitag store to see what reclaimed vinyl is retailing for these days (holy sh*t!)) where many had gathered to celebrate the marriage of Pat and Dan after 20 years together
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We made our way home and then to Tri and Andy’s, remembering to bring Andy’s purchases from the North Fork (that were resting at my house), but not – ugh – an additional couple of bottles of our own because we are apparently heathens
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Tri and Andy made us lots of delicious homemade pizza all the same
The next morning we watched the first part of the men’s final, then made our way to Vinegar Hill Housefor a very good brunch with Rian and her new man – only her new man didn’t appear. After poking around DUMBO and treating ourselves to some Jacques Torres, we (following some of our own scheduling complications, not helped by the F train’s limited and schizophrenic route that day) we barely made it to see Hugo in 3D – meh: it had its moments – and then for delicious drinks and very delicious burgers with Rian (whose man again did not appear, although Rian presented reasonably credible photographic evidence of his existence) and Anthony at Madam Geneva.
Then we went home and stayed up until 1am watching the rest of the men’s final.
It’s been a week since she left. I’m not quite over it.
