Friday Photo Favorite: a piece of Berlin in New York City

Early in 2013, Frau A and I spent a few months (for work, not vacation) in the U.S.  Most of the time was on Long Island, but some in New York City.  Even though I had lived there for four years, it still had a few surprises waiting.

One discovery:  a section of the Berlin Wall.

We walked right by it one day, stood processing for a minute, then immediately snapped some photos... 

Of course later, I spent some time online to learn more.

I had no idea that Wikipedia had a long page listing segments of the Berlin Wall throughout the world.
And on that page, I learned that New York City has "at least three" different secions of the Wall:

"At least three segments of the wall are located in New York City. One can be found between Gateway Plaza and the North Cove marina in the World Financial Center near the World Trade Center site. A second segment can be found in the gardens at the United Nations headquarters, among the sculptures. A third segment exists on 53rd Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues."

So we had found the segment on 53rd Street, between Madison & 5th.  It has been there since 1990.  I worked in an office building just a few blocks away (53rd St and Lexington Ave), but never happened to see this before.

A March 2013 NYT news article indicated that one of the segments (a different one) was removed recently.

Who knew that there was so much Berliner Mauer activity in the Big Apple?

Remembering friends' visit from 9 years ago

Our friends from the Atlanta area finally headed home; we were sad to see them go.  But it was great to host them here in Munich, especially the boys (how they grow!).  With that in mind, I did some searching on the hard drive...

...and found photos from when I (Herr J) was living in New York City, and they came through town one July.
We met in Central Park for a picnic, and I got to meet their oldest son, maybe 1 year old at the time (it was 2004).
So S & I said hello, and played abound a bit on a blanket in the shade.  (Wow, I had facial hair back then!)

A couple of the other kids in the group wanted to get in on the action too.  I'm always up for it!

Now look at the boys, in front of the Rathaus on Marienplatz in Munich.  Hope you see you again soon!

 

Restaurant Heaven: Le Bernadin

Having lived in Manhattan and worked as a consultant (translation: Lots of business dinners at great restaurants) for many years, Herr J has been to many of New York's top restaurants. We've tried unsuccessfully a couple of times to visit some of his favorites. While we did have an amazing steak frites lunch at Les Halles, a Christmas blizzard forced us to cancel most of our reservations. 

So, when we went back to the US in May to finalize some wedding plans, we decided to celebrate with a visit to somewhere truly special - Le Bernadin. 

Herr J had raved about this place. I was slightly skeptical, since I'm not the biggest fan of haute cuisine and fancy French food. (Not that I don't like French food...I just go for the simpler and less rich dishes). But Le Bernadin surpassed all my expectations. 

With 3 Michelin stars, it's not surprising that we had to take a 10:30pm seating to get in on a specific Friday night. After a few days in Charleston planning and after an afternoon visit to Long Island to pick out wedding bands, we were finally able to relax and unwind over a fabulous dinner. 

We started in the bar area, with a glass of prosecco and their tasty snacks. The trio of snacks had candied walnuts (likely with a little fish sauce for that great salty/sweet taste), rice crackers, and popcorn with bits of dried seaweed. I could have happily stayed there and just had the bar snacks!

But it was time to move into the dining room for the main event. 

As this was a celebration for us, at the end of a very hectic week, we decided to splurge and do the tasting menu with wine pairings. There generally are two tasting menus available, all consisting mainly of seafood. Yes, this was where I was suprised....while it's fine French dining, there isn't much cooking and there's a strong Asian influence.  You can, of course, order a la carte and find some lamb or steak, but the real treat here is the seafood. 

Before the first course came an amuse bouche, consisting of a trio of salmon, lobster, and a bisque with parmesan crisp. All excellent mixes of flavors and textures.

The first course - Fluke sashimi with jalapeno lime broth - was probably my favorite. Every dish came out perfectly arranged; then the waiter poured on a light sauce. All were very flavorful, without overwhelming the fish. This one was a great mix of mexican and Asian flavors, and my first time eating Fluke. 

This next picture does not do justice to the perfection of the fish.  Whoever so perfectly seared the yellowfin tuna and then cut it in such thin slices is truly an artist. Not only did it melt in my mouth, it looks like candy!  

After these first two courses, we kept being amazed by the tastes and presentation. And the wines were so well paired. We're certainly no wine experts, but this was one of those times where the wines were so perfectly matched to the food that you just say "wow!"  The diversity of the wines was impressive too, and that most were from smaller, local vineyard.  Next up was a lovely decorated seared escolar (in kaffir-lime and lemongrass). Not only two of my favorite aromas, but I adore escolar sushi. You don't find it often, but there's a sushi restaurant in Austin that serves it and it's outstanding. 

After the lighter fish, we start to get heavier and more cooked, with a still very lightly seared salmon in a lightly buttery sauce. This one still was excellent, but not as outstanding or unusual as the others. However, it was paired with a fantastic Swiss wine. There aren't many Swiss wines, and very few of them are exported, so we were excited to try one.  This one was a white wine from the Amigne grape. For more on Swiss wines, see this NYT article. 

Which brings us to the final dish, and the only one that really was cooked. (Not at all a complaint....I LOOOOVE sashimi and sushi....but it was not what I expected from a top French restaurant. And it was great!!). The sauce with this crispy black bass was made with black garlic and Persian lemons, for a really subtle and tasty accent. You see a chunk of black garlic on the left side.  This one was paired with a very light red wine - our only red in the tasting. 

After these main courses, we cleansed our palate with a glass of pink champagne and roasted pineapple sorbet. I will definitely be trying something like this in future kitchen experiments, since roasting the pineapple first really enhanced the flavor and cut down on the sweetness. It was a more mellow pineapple flavor. 

And for the final course (or, so I thought), we had a "Black Forest" trio. Very appropriate for two visitors from Germany!  Apparently the new pastry chef likes to do some deconstructed dishes. I just enjoyed the different textures, temperatures and the chocolate and cherry flavors.  This dessert course was paired with a dessert Riesling from the Mosel valley. 

And if that weren't all enough...with the check comes another plate (each) of sweet bites. 

This was the perfect treat to us to have finished our wedding planning and to relax for a night. For me, it was also celebrating surviving a really hard 6 months at work. We finished our busy season that week, so this was a double celebration for me! 

It's hard to know if restaurants live up to the hype, but this one does. The food, the service, the wine...everything is perfectly done without being too stuffy.  You can definitely tell the work that went into every aspect of the meal, starting with whoever went to market and picked out the fish.

In traditional fine French style, there is a huge staff, all of whom have very specific duties.  But they were all friendly and eager to answer questions or provide more infomation. We learned quite a bit from our sommelier - she was quite happy to tell us more about the grapes and vineyards and how each wine was unique. 

With the wine pairing, it's quite a feast and a big splurge. But I'm hoping we can pop in for a smaller taste of the experience next time we're in town. They do serve much of the menu (and the full tasting menus) in the bar area. I would be perfectly content with a glass of wine, those tasty snacks and a small plate or two to share.  And if we're really being honest, that "Chocolate-Peanut" concoction on the dessert menu is calling to me...Madagascan Chocolate Ganache, Peanut Mousse, Salted Caramel Ice Cream...mmmm....

Autumn in NYC

I had the good fortune to spend a couple of weeks in New York in September.  Though most of the time was spent working in our offices on Long Island, I did get into the city for the weekend.

I didn't take many photos, but here are a few random shots that captured the beautiful New York fall.

Inspired by Herr J's earlier photos:

Dusk among the skyscrapers: 

Yes, I did do a little of this....(Bloomingdale's, not LV!)...and am in love with my new red winter coat! 

A perfect early fall day in Central Park: 

Wish I had video of this one...After spending time with the huskies in Finland, I realized this one is just playing around and wants to be dragged. I'm guessing this guy's walks often go like this.  It would almost be worth living somewhere cold to get to have huskies. Such great dogs! (I did say almost, Herr J!)

And the reason for our morning in the Park - Race for the Cure. I was so happy to have the chance to walk the NYC Race with one of my closest girlfriends. We did the Dallas one together several years ago, so it was special. And a perfect morning for a walk in the park, some swag (snacks, coconut water, pink flip flops, etc), girl-talk, and capping it off with a great brunch at a diner.

I was amused to discover that my hotel was around the corner from some (American-stylized) Germanity.  First, Schnitel & Things:

And the Hofbräuhaus! Herr J and I will bring our trachten next time we're in town and show them how Oktoberfest is supposed to go! 

Hot Chocolate Month!!!

I WISH we were in NY right now...it's Hot Chocolate Month at City Bakery. Including both regular and adult hot chocolate...mmm...Bourbon Hot Chocolate....

These look so delicious that I'm goign to have to try to make a few similar ones. 

I'd love to be there for Caramel Hot Chocolate (3 Feb), Fresh Ginger Hot Chocolate (9 Feb), and Creamy Stout (11 Feb). Also intriguing are the Sunken Treasure (20 Feb) and Mouling Rouge (16 Feb). I can guess the Sunken Treasure has something in the bottom, but no idea what the Moulin Rouge could be!

Check them all out at The City Bakery.

via Newyorkology

If you're in Chicago, check out Hot Chocolate in Wicker Park. Their Sunday brunch is outstanding, as is their Mexican Hot Chocolate!

Holiday Travel Wrap-up

It's been an interesting year in travel, to say the least....stranded once by the volcano, diverted a second time by it, a few bags "lost" and later returned, one broken, and one still missing....

So, it shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone that travel issues once again changed my holiday plans!

Thanks to the winter storm, our flight to NYC was cancelled a couple of times, so we were not able to visit all the restaurants that Herr J had planned for us. Instead we stayed a few more days in coastal South Carolina.

Low Country Cuisine at 82 Queen

Our last night in South Carolina, we went to 82 Queen, for some great food. I had shrimp and grits (with bacon and cheddar topping!) to start, followed by crab cakes with red rice and green beans (also with bacon). And Herr J had She-Crab Soup, then a dish of mussels and shrimp. Excellent!

I love all the fresh seafood in South Carolina, and had crab cakes more than once. I miss crab cakes and good big shrimp here!

We did finally make it to NYC...in time to arrive late to our 10pm reservation for a fabulous meal at Asia de Cuba. We were on the balcony upstairs, overlooking the large communal table below.

Asia de Cuba

I can't recommend enough the Beef Dumplings Two Ways....one type looked like normal (large) fried dumpling but had the delicious spicy stuffing  of an empanada; the other a steamed dumpling in a sweeter soy based sauce.  The Miso-Glazed Black Cod was also wonderful, as it usually is at places such as here, Tao, and Nobu. I always have a hard time resisting that dish!

After a long day of travel, we had an unexpectedly entertaining show put on by a neighboring table in the bar area. The short version is that we first see a guy and a girl kissing, then a second girl comes arrives. We find out that the guy was meeting the second girl (whom he met on MillionaireMatch.com) there, but the first girl coincidentally was there and came over while he waited for his date. After many cheesy lines from this guy, some posturing and cattiness by the girls, he left with girl #1 while girl #2 thankfully had some self-respect and ended the date there. I only wish I could have seen the SMS's she was sending after he and the other girl left! 

Since we had less than 24 hours in the city, we had to prioritize and had time to run a few last errands (where Herr J was introduced to Sephora) and spend some browsing around B&H...a happy place for both of us! I finally found a good camera bag to replace the one South African Airways lost (the camera was not in it!) and a new filter for my 24-70mm lens.  This left us with time for an amazing lunch as Les Halles, which I had been looking forward to for a month. American beef, French style definitely works! If you're looking for a good steak in New York, try here. It's a deceptively simple meal, but with tender, melt in your mouth beef, and perfect crisp twice-fried frites. Yum!

I hope we can make another trip soon and catch up on everything we had planned for this trip!

Steak Frites at Les Halles

These vagabond shoes...

Yup, they're longing to stray.  Want to wake up in the city that never sleeps... you know the words.

Frau A and I have made some travel plans for the holidays, and it includes a few days in New York City, between Christmas and New Year's Eve..  I’m excited – I visited as a teen, then lived in the Kips Bay neighborhood and worked in the Citicorp building from 2000-2004.  So maybe I don't have the little town blues (although I tease my Munich friends about how small it is here) but the movies are right - Christmastime in NYC can be nice.

Good memories:  my apartment was on the 20th floor of a 70’s-era building.  Looking left out the windows, you could see the Chrysler Building and just a nick of the Met Life Building – overall a decent view of Midtown from the southeast:

Looking straight out the windows, that’s 2nd Avenue.  Luckily, there is an Armenian church right across the street, so there are no tall buildings blocking the view.  Plus, the Queens-Midtown tunnel was right there as well, so it felt quite open and provided a good breeze:  (Of course lots of traffic noise, but it’s New York.  Whatevah!  I didn’t notice it.):

Finally, looking right out the windows, it gets crowded but the East River is only a block or so away.  NYC launched the July 4th fireworks from the pier there, so the “booms” shook the windows and you could see not only the real fireworks but reflections off the windows of the facing buildings.  The booms would echo too.  A real home-entertainment experience.  Here's the "view":

But the real excitement is the chance to take Frau A to some interesting restaurants while we’re there.  I've already booked these restaurants, and can recommend them to anyone visiting The Big Apple.

Frau A is not the biggest cheese eater, but I’ll try to change that here.   Artisanal lies on busy Park Avenue just below Midtown, the interior was designed by noted architect Adam Tihany… but you come for the cheese that they age in their own “cave” (more than 200 varieties) and endless wines available by the glass (over 150).  Food is great (get the gougères appetizer), I love the skate main dish (hope they still have it), and you’ll never get a better cheese plate for dessert – you pick ‘em or have the Fromagier select them for you.

This place is the perfect Sunday brunch spot, but we'll settle for a weekday lunch with the business crowd.

Here's the interior and a example of a cheese plate:

        

Frau A & I like to eat Indian here in Munich, so this is perfect.   Tabla is unique with an Indian/fusion menu, and it’s a nice balance between dressy & relaxed.  Location is lovely too, near Madison Square Park downtown.
I just checked their website – they’re shutting down after at year end!  Glad I get to go one more time.   Wonder what happened?

Here's a view of the 2-story inside and some dishes with nan:           

You might have seen chef Anthony Bourdain on television - he's the resident smart-ass on Food Network (or was... don't get it here on German television).  He has some cookbooks too, that have the same attitude.  Love them.  The motto at Brasserie Les Halles:  American Beef, French Style.  Translation:  the best steak frites in the city.  French fries are fried twice.  Oh yeah.  And there is always room for my favorite chocolate mousse dessert.  Also on Park Avenue, but opened a newer downtown location too.

Here's a view of the restaurant and the famous steak frites:

      

 
Here's the chef (who's really never there anymore) and his book about sex, drugs, and rock & roll in a NYC restaurant kitchen, plus the Les Halles cookbook:

             

Tao is the ultimate example of a guilty pleasure.  It’s like a cross between Sex and the City & Disneyland.  Ladies dressed to the nines, everyone drinking like crazy, a 16-foot tall buddha statue dominating the room and a roving sax player that jams with the pulsating techno music.  Oh, the food?  Not truly gourmet, but actually very respectable Asian/fusion - a bit on the pricey side though.  Definitely a weekend dinner place to take in the scene, but get reservations or wait for hours.

Here's the inside with the buddha statue:

Blue Smoke has some of the best barbeque in the city.  Ribs are lean and smoked for hours, burgers are juicy, and even the desserts are excellent (yup, they have a pastry chef!).  Sometimes you can smell the meat smoking on the street... yum.  I’m curious how Frau A will compare this BBQ to her experience from Texas and the South.  “Jazz Standard” is their downstairs jazz club, so the music is great too.  Perfect for relaxing lunch or cool dinner.

Here's a view of the artists at work with link to Serious Eats:

Combine Asian and Latin food ("eclectic"), served in a fashionably modern/hip environment?  I think Frau A will love it.  I tend to be skeptical of hotel restaurants, but this one really works.  They have a unique, long "common" table in the middle where a few dozen people sit together, which ironically is how things work in Germany.  A couple looking for seats just needs to ask occupied tables to join them if they see two free seats.  A conversation starts up, and you have new dinner friends.  We'll get some good spice here - maybe Frau A will blog what she thinks...

Here is a view of the decor:

Well, we won't have time for all my favs.  Have to catch these on the next pass through:

• "Restaurant" founded on making homemade peanut butter and the best PB&J anywhere.  Only in New York
• Most famous steak in NYC
• 3-star French/seafood that is truly one of the finest in the world