Holding on

Working on my dresser at the moment.  There's a pile of crap a mile high on top of the dresser, as well as, the need for a deep declutter inside of it.

I am not being as hardline as would benefit me most.  But, I am not getting down on myself about it.  As long as, at the end of the day, I can live with it and breathe more easily and move on...it's fine for now.  Doing the best I can, you know the drill.

I love the shirt above.  I picked it up at Marshall's or T.J. Maxx in Sacramento.  I love the color, the fit, the style...it made me feel good to wear it.  Over a year ago, I discovered, to my horror (and honestly, it made me laugh, too), that the fabric of the shirt had grown two nipple outdentations.  I have never had that happen before!  Not surprisingly, I have not worn the shirt since.  I figured I could, the outdentations wouldn't be apparent while my nipples were occupying the spaces...but the fabric of the outdentations was worn and beginning to fray.  No good.

Le sigh.

Today, during this declutter, I have decided to let the shirt go.  My general rule is that if I have not worn an item in over a year, I should let it go.  I make exceptions to this rule, but this shirt, as exceptionally as it has served me, defied all bounds of these exceptions.  I took the picture to honor it and to remind me of my love for it.

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As I push myself towards cleaning up my food act now that "vacation" is over, I find myself remembering the fantastic food feast that was my night and day in the city with Mary.  I am going to document and round up the players...so that I may more completely let it go.

Friday lunch: Ippudo

Akamaru Modern ramen with kakuni added.  The broth (pork-based) was soooooo good.  Spiked with miso, garlic oil, braied pork belly (kakuni), pork chashu...the noodles, which were fresh and enjoyable, totally took a backseat to the soup and proteins.

Friday dinner: North Square

The amuse bouche was a tomato gazpacho soup served in an espresso cup.  It was good, but I didn't finish it.  I didn't want to waste precious digestive space.  I passed on the bread for the same reason.  The olives were super tasty.

I started with an arugula salad with pine nuts, glazed fennel, cherry tomatoes and Manchego cheese.  It was very good.  The salad was overdressed...the dressing was mild so it was not an issue flavor-wise, but it definitely was wetness-wise.  It was also very large and I did not finish it.

I had the herb-crusted rack of lamb with Brussels sprouts and bacon and a potato and leek galette.  The lamb was close to perfect and truly exceeded my expectations.  It was flavorful and juicy (medium rare).  The Brussels sprouts were solid (I love Brussels sprouts) and the bacon was surprisingly unsalty.  The galette I only had one bite of.  It was on the oily side and I wanted to save room for dessert.

For dessert I had the Meyer lemon coconut cake with sweet ricotta and roasted strawberries.  I ate most of it and enjoyed it...but it didn't really stay with me.  The lemon flavor was very mild with no punch.  The cake was wonderfully fluffy without being dry at all.  This was nice, as I almost never eat cake anymore.  The sweet ricotta was good...but just short of lovely.  The roasted strawberries were a disappointment.  They were gloppy and pink.  There was chili powder on the plate which I enjoyed.  It served up a burst of color, as well as, flavor.

The single shot of espresso that propelled me to Tribes was solid.

Saturday breakfast: Norma's

Saturday was Mary's birthday.  It was a rare and special treat to be able to spend her birthday with her.  Norma's is an outrageous breakfast/brunch place in Le Parker Meridien Hotel.  Perfect setting to celebrate the birthday of a dear friend who loves Manhattan.  My mom joined us, which added to the fun.

All of us decided the $1000 10 oz. caviar plate was too rich for 8:30 am ;-)  Mary ordered the chocolate waffle stuffed with warm peanut butter, my mom ordered the eggs Florentine, and I ordered the duck confit hash.

But, before our food came, our funny and delightful waiter brought a birthday treat to the table...

Chocolate Decadence: a brownie (wonderfully flavorful with no competing sweetness) smothered in an assortment of ripe and delicious berries with an enormous dollop of fresh whipped cream (again, no competing sweetness) and generous drizzles of chocolate sauce (that had hardened appealingly) and creme Anglaise.  It was the bomb.  I was very happy with two bites.  (Easily half of it went home.)

I found the duck confit hash lacking in flavor.  It definitely could have used some seasoning, but I don't think even salt could have brought out the rich quality I associate with duck.  The peppers were juicy and yummy.  Most of the duck ended up as leftovers in my mom's fridge.  I suggested it might be tasty reheated with some soy sauce.

My latte was excellent.

Saturday lunch: MoMA Cafe 2

I had lunch with Cara after we strolled and chatted through a sampling of gallery space.  I had never eaten in this cafe and found it quite satisfying.  We were mystified that it wasn't crowded at 12:15 on a Saturday, but we went with it.  I had a slice of mushroom tart that came with a generous serving of mixed greens that were dressed perfectly.  (I didn't finish the greens they were that plentiful.)  The tart was good.  Not bland, at all, but missing that elusive something something to make it sublime (not missing anything fancy...I've had more flavorful mushrooms at home, is all).

Saturday dinner: Carnegie Deli

Dinner in the city with Mary was unexpected.  Plans had remained up in the air till quite late in the day.  After MoMA I met Mary for a matinee of The Best Man.  Seeing James Earl Jones perform on Broadway turned out to be a bucket list item I didn't even know I had.

Afterward we walked back to my mom's and discussed dinner options.  Mary was jonesing for a cheese burger.  She chose Carnegie Deli for its history and reputation.  I couldn't comment on the burgers, but I had loved everything else I've ever had there and felt confident we'd have a solid meal.

She ordered the sliders and I ordered the chopped liver sandwich (I forewent the rye bread, iceberg lettuce, she took my tomatoes and red onions).  While we were moaning over the pickles, she spied a plate of onion rings being placed on a nearby table.  We ordered a side of onion rings.

My dinner?  The best onion rings I've ever had which acted as the delivery system for spoonfuls of wonderful organ meat protein.  A first for me and quite, quite satisfying.

For dessert, she had the coconut cream pie and I had "plain" cheesecake.  The cheesecake was incredible.  Pretty perfect.  (A tad, just a tad, too sweet for me.)  And a most pleasing end to a great meal in an iconic eatery?  Our sweet waiter offered us coffee refills "to go"!

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And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Peace and love.