Cigar Parties and Room Service

Day 36 of the T-90 Project:

MissHockey invited me to the annual Sergeants Benevolent Association cigar party at SushiSamba. I went with her to the event last year so I was better prepared this go around. We were two of the only females -- not counting the scantily clad "models" who were selling raffle tickets -- and every move we made we had about a dozen suits, retired cops and donors smiling, winking, nodding and gawking at us.

This year I glued myself to some of the older gentlemen I bonded with last year and we sort of just sat and made the booze, hors-d'oeuvres and faces come to us. The food selection was slow to get going but they finally brought out a huge sushi plate after just serving countless plates of tuna tacos and sliders.

I met a new friend who was about to retire from the force to start cooking school. I will definitely be keeping tabs on him from the west coast. As soon as my skin started to smell like smoke I decided to call it a night. Adam Graves was there and MissHockey was freaking out, though I had no idea who he was (sorry, NovaCat). I told MissHockey to message me when she got home safe that night and I got the following text:

"I'm home. I may have a date."

Curious...

Day 35:

BeanieBaby was in town for a wedding dress fitting. We were trying to meet up at some point before she, her mom and sis went downtown to have dinner. I was hoping to give her a tour of NYAC over a glass of wine in the Tap Room, but then I remembered the awful dress code - no jeans allowed - so that was out of the question. There was a tornado of rain that day so we quickly scrapped our attempt to be creative and I landed in the Pierre's hotel bar.

The drinks were refreshing, but the highlight for sure was the chips and olive dish. I was about to say my goodbyes when Mrs. BeanieBaby asked me to head up with them for room service. Um...absolutely!

We had a fun girlie party in the room - BeanieBaby flaunted some of her shoe choices for the dress - we all helped her whittle it down to one - and we enjoyed our glasses of vino before food. The short smiley man who delivered our dinner set up a table for us that rivaled a seat at Le Bernardin. What a night for T-90. Thanks, BeanieBaby!

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Bubby's Revisited

Day 37 of the T-90 Project:

The morning after one of the most insane days/nights in New York I've ever had -- I drank from 8 a.m. until 12 a.m. essentially -- my parents texted me at 8:30 a.m.:

"We are going to bibby's at 1030. Join us?"

%$#^@&!

I almost dropped my phone. I knew my dad meant Bubby's because I'd recommended it to him a couple of days before. My parents had a couple visiting them from their days living in Tokyo. They raged Saturday night (hopping from *Keens to **Gascogne to ***Billy's Gay 90s) and were meeting for breakfast.

It took me all of three seconds to write back, "I'll see u there!"

"Outstanding."

I invited my future roommate in Los Angeles along because she happened to be staying at our apartment that weekend for LarchmontLass' 30th birthday and even more surprisingly she was awake. I figured my parents would love to meet her since I'd be living with her in a new strange city.

Bubby's was everything I remembered it to be. The biscuits were warm and crumbly, the service was outgoing and friendly and everyone was pleased with their entrees. The out-of-towners couldn't stop saying how much they loved the place and how happy they were that I brought them. Whew!

The only downer was I couldn't wait to get their bloody Marys and on Sunday they can't serve alcohol until noon. It was a huge bummer, and my mom and I contemplated sitting around and ordering two rounds of breakfast so we could actually try them, but it didn't work out.

I regretted not saving room for the rhubarb-strawberry pie floating in a dream cloud in the revolving display case as we left. So, like throwing a penny in the Trevi Fountain in Rome, this just means I'll have to get back one more time before I go.

*Keens is my favorite steakhouse in the city. Go there. Now.
**Gascogne is an adorable French bistro in Chelsea. Highly recommend it.
***Billy's Gay Nineties is a piano bar that, if your parents come to visit and like a good time, you should seriously consider taking them here. You won't regret it.

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One Fine Day

Day 38 of the T-90 Project:

7 a.m. wake-up call
8 - meet BYOWino for a rooftop mimosa at his apartment
8:30 - Norma's for breakfast with Bob. BYOWino's pancake Benedict was a little disappointing - the pancakes were the size of half dollars, but my gallette was incredibly tasty. Bob, our server, stole the show as usual. He's been waiting tables there since the first time I ate breakfast at Norma's back in 2005 and he's still awesome. Request his table if you go.

9:45 - Fashionista's apartment to load on the birthday party bus (full review TK)


9:45 - 6 p.m. - a blur of fun, dancing and boozing
7 p.m. - only the strong survive and make it to The Frying Pan
9 - only the stronger survive and make it to The Rusty Knot, where LarchmontLass was celebrating her 30th birthday as well
11 - leave in search of dinner with the Varsity squad (as coined by TheRookie) and land at a table at Cowgirl
12:30 a.m. - PASS OUT

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Morrell Wine Bar

Day 39 of the T-90 Project:

I have a confession. I have a big question mark on day 40 of the countdown so I'm skipping ahead one day.

I got a text from BermudaBabe that she was in the city for a meeting and wanted to grab a drink. BermudaBabe lives in Connecticut and I rarely get to see her so I jumped at the chance. We tried the Rink Bar at Rockefeller Center and it was a total disaster. It was crowded and there were no seats so we quickly came up with a plan B.

I hadn't been to the Morrell Wine Bar in ages and when we walked by I knew it had our name on it. FoxyLady was getting off work so she came and met us... making for another perfect day on the countdown. We ordered several glasses of rose before we called it a night. We had LarchmontLass' 30th birthday to go home and celebrate!

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Penelope Cafe

Day 41 of the T-90 Project:

FoxyLady texted me that she finished jury duty early and she was eager to participate in the T-90 project. We were meeting FunStar later for dinner at Penelope Cafe, but we wanted to squeeze a fun activity in beforehand.

I asked some friends at work for some recommendations. Madame Tussaud's came up as a possibility, but in my heart I really wanted to go to the Empire State Building. It didn't matter to me that it was super cloudy out -- I have seen my fair share of beautiful Manhattan rooftops. The ESB was one I'd never been to, however, so I wanted to check it off the U-Haul list. FoxyLady was up for it so we met on Fifth Avenue.

The whole building was eerily quiet. It felt like we were getting on an amusement ride at Disney World. At every corner there was a guide in uniform pointing the way -- which door to open, which elevator to get on and which red rope line to follow.

We learned that you can buy your $20 ticket and not use it that day. Note to others: if you want to get a ticket for a big group of family or friends coming into town, I highly recommend doing this on a cloudy day. The ticket is good for at least a whole year, maybe two. The neon sign said in big red letters "Zero Visibility," but after a little back and forth, we decided to go up anyways.

After two elevators and a fight with an annoying group of Chinese tourists, we made it to the 85th floor. I believe FoxyLady said it best when she said, "We're in a cloud." It was freezing and all you could see was white nothing. Only I live in New York for five years and save going to the Empire State Building on a cloudy and cold day. My mom and I had the same foggy luck in Ireland too. The Cliffs of Moher were cliffs of fog when we drove through Ireland last year.

We thought about trying the new bar at the base of the building, The Empire Room, but the prices scared me so we just headed straight to Penelope. We knew we had an hour or so to kill before FunStar would be able to meet up, but we left in search of a pre-dinner appetizer and a coffee.


I walked into Penelope and immediately fell in love. It was so cozy I wanted to pull up a chair and spend the night, which we did pretty much anyway. We got there at around 5:30 and walked out about four hours later. They were awesome in letting us sit down and eat and drink while we waited for our third party.


Instead of going right to the vino we had a cup of coffee and shared the artichoke-spinach dip appetizer. It was fantastic -- one of the best dips I've ever had in the city.

FoxyLady tried the mac and cheese. It was baked with fontina and white cheddar and topped with tomato and served with greens. I wish I hadn't given up carbs that week because a bite of this was not enough (another best in the city).

FunStar ordered the spinach pie with "rich cheeses" and a flaky filo dough. It was like a really dense quiche. They served two giant slices of it and FunStar brought one home with her.

I tried the salad called "When Veggie Met Sally." Cute name, though not as exciting in flavor. It had a chopped up veggie burger on top. The idea is great, but the salad itself was pretty bland. Could use a better dressing and some more vegetables.


I was shocked that Penelope wasn't a critic's pick on NY Mag. I am sad I didn't know about this place sooner or I'd have become a regular. A girl at a table next to us had dinner as she read her book and I imagined myself doing the same thing. Like Kitchenette, Penelope had a display case of desserts and sweets and I was tempted, but stuck to my guns and my diet. Thanks, FunStar and FoxyLady, for a fun night!

159 Lexington Ave., at 30th St.
212-481-3800

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Comedy at Caroline's

Day 42 of T-90 Project:

LilBee's mom passed away from ovarian cancer when she was a teenager. Since then her family has been passionate supporters and members of the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. There are several fundraising events held each year and I have been fortunate enough to participate in some of them with LilBee and her other friends. One of these events is the annual comedy night at Caroline's to commemorate Madeline Kahn who passed away from ovarian cancer in 1999.

LilBee couldn't join us that night, unfortunately, but FoxyLady and I went in her stead and had a wonderful evening. We flipped when we noticed our table was front and center. I was carrying on a conversation with Joy Behar in the middle of her routine. I felt like we were buddies because of her ABC connection.

Triumph the insult comic dog was sort of a letdown. He got more gasps than laughs.

My consistent favorite of the evening is always Jessica Kirson. The other laughs included Susie Essman, Judy Gold, Robert Klein, James Smith and Rich Voss.

My goal was to get to at least one comedy show in the city before I left so I consider this mission accomplished!

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Agaves and Danke Schoens

Forgive me, I'm a little behind and trying to catch up to present day...

Day 48 (5/5) of the T-90 Project:

My cousin GreenThumb flew in for less than 48 hours and he was just in time for Cinco de Mayo. I'm a huge fan of the holiday, despite my having absolutely no Mexican blood in me whatsoever -- the only time I do is when I'm drinking margaritas. TheDude recently teased me at FTDC when he tried a year ago to schedule a dinner on Cinco de Mayo and I frantically pleaded to have the date switched via e-mail, "Can we do it on any other day but Cinco de Mayo?!"

In honor of the Mexicans defeating the French in 1862, Fashionista and BYOWino found an agave tasting event at the Astor Center for a measly $25. I told GreenThumb about it and he was all aboard. Fashionista and BYOWino had gone to Astor's bacon and bourbon expo recently and had a blast so we figured this one was equally as promising.

For $25 it was a great deal. We drank serious booze for about two and a half hours, though the agaves were a little tough on the novice palate and there was not nearly enough food to calm the liver. Agave went straight to our heads and it ended up being a fairly early evening. Below is a snapshot of the only bottles we thought were drinkable (hat tip Fashionista).

NovaCat and her boyfriend were there drink for drink with us until we left in search of food. We stumbled upon a loud, boisterous Mexican place, Pinche Taqueria, with people spilling off into the sidewalk. It was just down the road on Lafayette and when NovaCat looked inside, she winced as if she'd seen the insides of a slaughterhouse and ran the other way. The rest of us were psyched and Fashionista immediately won a free taco for naming (with the help of a smitten drunk DJ) the year Cinco de Mayo originated and that was that. There may or may not have been an extra Corona consumed at home on the couch with my cuz. It was such a great idea at the time.

Day 47:

As this round of ABC cutbacks came to a close, I received dozens of farewell emails from coworkers -- some I've sat next to and some I've never met -- from all corners of the network. One such e-mail appeared in my defunct BlackBerry while I was on vacation in California. It was from one of my beloved bosses D- and her last day was to be Friday, May 7. I tried responding immediately in shock, but couldn't because my stupid inbox was full. I painfully had to wait until I got back to New York to voice my surprise.

We met briefly the day before her last at the office and I'm thrilled I got a few minutes of face time with her. Multiple heads of departments were stopping in all week and holding court. It was impressive to see. I barely recognized half of them. It's tradition at ABC for everyone to go out the eve of someone's departure so Thursday was our scheduled drink night. GreenThumb was going to join me after he had dinner with our uncle.

Below is an amusing snippet from her goodbye email (subject line: "Danke Schoene") sent to the entire network which included memories and flashbacks of her 21 years with ABC:

"Answering the phone my first day at ABC News as a World News Desk Assistant (not having done my homework) and not understanding why the voice on the other end was so agitated when I asked the man to spell his name. I repeated after him: 'R-O-O-N-E A-R-L-E-D-G-E.'"

We all met at my favorite wine bar on the upper west side, Riposo 72. Sadly my friend Aaron doesn't manage it anymore, but it's still a great place for a solo glass of wine, a party or even a date. GreenThumb showed up at around nine o'clock and instead of letting the party fade and allowing us go home to our beds at a decent hour, he became best friends with all my co-workers who were still standing, ordered at least two bottles of wine and all of the sudden we had a raging Thursday on our hands.

D- got a kick out of GreenThumb, as did everyone who met him that evening. She started telling the story of one of her favorite nights out with coworkers -- a night I missed because I got too drunk from margaritas at Santa Fe (a theme of mine). She and about four other people went to Marie's Crisis and sang the night away. As soon as D- mentioned that to GreenThumb it was all over.

"Ohhhh, we're sooo going! Mona, don't even think about getting out of this."

"I dunno..."

"T-90?! Give me a break! We're going..."

Four hours later it was 2:30 p.m. I'd sung my heart out with a piano player named Justin and I had to wake up and be at work by six. But it was worth it.

"I am what I am, I am my own special creation..."

Day 46:

I was struggling to come up with something to do on one of the worst hungover days I've had in the office ever (make that a month). I was supposed to go to The Breslin with FoxyLady, the founder of Hook, Line and Skillet and his wife, but at around 10 a.m. my prayers were answered. Hook's wife was unable to make dinner because of back pain and I felt like the heavens had opened. Instead of struggling to make it past three o'clock, I could go home and fall asleep on the couch while watching television for eight hours.

I forced myself to walk home from work that day, as I often do as a sort of self-punishment, and passed the Natural History Museum. I was drawn inside and when I went to grab my wallet to pay for my admission to the live lizards and snakes exhibit, I realized I'd left my wallet in my pocket in my jacket on my chair. Back to the office it was, all 17 blocks, then back to the museum. At that point the lizards were dunzo so instead I went to go see the live butterfly exhibit.

I thought I'd see nets or cages of live butterflies. But no. You walk into an enclosed, tropical room and butterflies just fly all around you like you're in some sort of fairytale.

I walked in and this was the first thing I saw. My hair stood on end:

It was magical, it was spectacular, it was frightening, it was sad, it was moving. It was one of the most memorable moments I'll ever have in New York City. I stood in awe of the hundreds of butterflies swarming around me as I stood there in plain sight (and yes, I was a little on edge that the nocturnal moth the size of an eagle would land on my head).

Some were as big as sparrows, some were as big as crows. Their beauty made me sad learning that day that they only live to be a few weeks old. How can any life be so short? What's the use in that? Butterflies are whimsical and remind me a lot of my childhood. I loved anything and everything with butterflies on it - still do.

This little guy just would not let go, after he migrated from my navy back to my bare arm:

A docent kept telling me, "Just blow on him, just blow on him and he'll flutter off."

I couldn't bring myself to blow on him so she just grabbed his wings and away he went.

Day 45-Day 44:

I was not in New York City these days -- I had a birthday adventure followed by a Mother's Day Sunday at home in Connecticut. Mom loved her hand-painted piggy bank from Make so I'd call it a success. We even got to have a wonderful dinner at our favorite French spot in Greenwich Le Figaro. They let you bring in your own bottle of wine and there's no corkage fee. What a treat!

Day 43:

Though MaineMan thought this didn't really count towards T-90, I thought it was acceptable. On my walk home from work I picked up a new local wine favorite of mine from the Whole Foods wine store, Macari. I treated myself to one glass now that I'm on a new low/no-carb diet and it was delicious.

In other news, I am less than halfway there...

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Gotham Bar and Grill

Day 49 (5/4) of the T-90 Project:

My mom bought my dad "TASCHEN'S New York" for Christmas. It's a beautiful brick of a book from Anthropologie on New York City restaurants, hotels and shops. The photography is stunning and Angelika Taschen's write-ups are concise and spot-on. The restaurants she showcases may not make New York Magazine's list of "Where to Eat 2010" or Time Out New York's "Best New Restaurants of the Year," but they are New York City dining icons. I don't want to leave Manhattan without having eaten my way through the classics portrayed in this book. Sure most New Yorkers and Changoholics may be killing themselves to get into Ma Peche, but Taschen's list inspired me to visit old souls who have aged gracefully with a few wrinkles under their belts. Though not on her list, Gotham Bar and Grill fit this new M.O.

The dinner club I created with the help of TheDude, Fat Tuesday Dinner Club, is just over two years old. We've gone on 25 dining adventures and they've all been wonderful. I have a list of our spots archived and I will post that at some point because it's a great blueprint of New York's finest spots. The club will replace me when I move (I think I have a pretty good idea of who it will be) and if they don't mind, I may create my own sister club in Los Angeles. This month marked the last time I'd get to pick the spot and I think I chose wisely.

Gotham Bar and Grill has been around for over two decades and when you experience it, it's no wonder why. My fellow FTDC-ers love to check out menus ahead of time and it's common for them to know what they're going to order before they even sit down. I prefer to be surprised, but this time I took a sneak peek. I was alarmed at Gotham's prices and sent out a frantic e-mail apologizing for my expensive choice about an hour before we were supposed to meet. Luckily none of us are frugal when it comes to food.

TheDude and I showed up first, which made us both laugh since we're usually the tardy ones. He was sipping a gin martini at the bar and I was about to order my own when TheRookie and Fashionista came in and we were seated. The table was right at the front window, kissing the bar, and I had to squeeze into my seat behind a man standing and drinking with his friends. Immediately I was uncomfortable. The window was beautiful, but I wasn't there to be at a sidewalk cafe.

"Are you all OK with this table?" I asked cringing to my friends. I felt like we'd been banished to the kiddie table, away from everyone else so we wouldn't disturb the grownups in the dining room.

"Yeah, it's fine," TheDude responded. "I mean, there's a huge dining room back there, and it'd be kinda nice to be where everyone else is, but this is totally cool," he added.

"I'm looking at it as though they think we're good looking and they want people outside to see cool people eating at their restaurant," said Fashionista.

"Ha! OK!" She made a great point.

I wouldn't have minded had I not felt like the guy behind me was going to deck me with his elbow every time he gesticulated, but I pushed my chair in as close as I could to the table and got over it.

We sat for a few minutes without menus. I liked this. It gave us time to unwind, decide on cocktails and enjoy them for a moment before we felt rushed into picking our food for the evening.

"Oh man, I love our server's accent," said Fashionista.

We are both suckers for accents.

"Yeah, but I bet it gets old after a while," said TheDude.

"Uh-uh, mister," I said, shaking my head with a devilish grin.

There was a short debate about where our server John was from. I knew he was British, while TheDude and Fashionista thought he was Aussie or Kiwi. One of us would ask him before the end of the night.

After enjoying our cocktails we ordered a tuna tartare dish which was exquisite in taste and presentation. The yellowfin tuna was served with Japanese cucumber, shiso leaf and a sweet miso-ginger vinaigrette. We each dabbed our tuna in the spicy droplets on the cucumbers and scooped up a piece or two with the crostini. It was a fight to the finish.

After they cleared our plates we talked to John for a few minutes. He was indeed from south London and had been in the U.S. for several years. I was jealous of his expat life. I will always fantasize of living in London.

A server came to the table a few times with a basket filled with four different types of bread. I think I tried all four and each was soft, warm and delicious.

The more we drank and ate, the more comfy I was at our special table. The place had huge ceilings that seemed to go up and up forever. The space was simple and elegant, if not bordering on the side of too fancy for me. The white table cloths would have scared my dad away in a hot second. It reminded me of Eleven Madison Park and Craftbar and was sort of a cross between the two. My favorite part of the decor were the huge white cloth chandeliers. They were like giant upside-down cloth lampshades.

We glanced at the wine menu and were intimidated by some steep wine prices. We usually go with one round of cocktails and then switch over to wine, but at Gotham the consensus was stick to the drinks rather than spend a fortune on wine. There were a few under $50, but none that tempted us. This would be my one note for the suggestion box, in addition to making sure guests don't mind sitting at the lone star table in the front.

For my entree I ordered the miso-marinated black cod with bok choy, shiitake mushrooms and sticky rice in a soy-lemongrass-ginger sauce. I couldn't remember where I'd been turned onto cod, but TheDude remembered it was at Fashionista's last FTDC pick, Yerba Buena.

"Yup, I think you're right. Damn, it's so good."

I was worried it would taste too much like a boring plate of sushi, but man, I was in heaven. Even the sticky rice was delectable. The soft white meat with the crisp black skin on top gets me every time.

TheRookie next to me ordered the Atlantic halibut. It was served with Oregon morels, ramps, fava beans and fingerling potatoes in a white wine emulsion. He generously shared some with everyone and we all loved it. Look at that foam!

Fashionista and TheDude ordered the pork and duck, respectively. The Berkshire pork was served with wild onions, petit pois, horseradish and fresh bacon confit in a dry sherry reduction. Fashionista seemed very pleased with her choice.

TheDude got Muscovy duck -- a type of duck I'd never heard of before -- and one TheDude told us he loved. It was served "curry spiced" with seared foie gras and basmati rice in a toasted cashew and apricot chutney. A server came to the table to specially pour the garam masala sauce on top. I stared in awe as I was secretly envious that I couldn't sink my teeth into that plate. Duck used to be one of my favorite carnivorous meals.

We were entirely too stuffed for dessert, but to our surprise, John brought us out a neat array of bite-size dessert nibbles (two of each kind). From a chocolate souffle the size of a nickel to a cubed jello-like substance, to a fruit crumble the size of my thumbnail to truffles I swear were spiked with some sort of alcohol. Props to the pastry chef Deborah Racicot. What a finale to a great meal.

I read that Gotham is the only restaurant in New York City to have received four three-star reviews from The New York Times. This is an incredible, mind-blowing feat. It may have put a decent dent in our wallets, but it was a night and meal to remember. As a dog has its life measured in dog years, restaurants in New York with their fast-as-lightning lifespans should have something similar. One year to a restaurant's life in Manhattan should be equal to at least four years in a human's life. That puts Gotham at just over 100 and let me tell you, it still has it after all these years.

12 E. 12th St., near Fifth Ave.
212-620-4020

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Marathon Days

Days 61 - 50 (4/22-5/3) of the T-90 Project:

For the last week I've been in California and therefore unable to continue my New York City U-Haul list. Tonight the mission to try new things each day before I move west continues with FTDC at Gotham Bar and Grill. An old friend once called it his favorite restaurant in the entire city and since then I've been intrigued to discover why.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a few photos from my trip.

To those who were losing sleep wondering if I finished the marathon, I did finish it, though not without pain and experiencing every emotion known to man within the span of our 4 hours and 31 minutes on the hills of Big Sur. I was nothing but hyper-excited smiles in the beginning and I was a weepy, weary mess at the finish line. I hugged my mom and the relief and agony just exploded via my tear ducts.

We went out like champs, holding sub-9:30-minute miles for the first 20, and then I hit the Big Sur wall. I cried because the pain was so unbearable until I was picked up by not only MaineMan (who barely broke a sweat), but by strangers we met along the way. One father and son team approached me after for a hug at the finish area and thanked me for the cheering. I in turn thanked the dad because it was his words, "Just put one foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other," that got me running from a crippled walk somewhere during mile 23.

Congratulations to all those who did any distance of the race, especially to my parents and their friends for completing the 10.6-mile walk with a blazing time, my brother for finishing the entire 26.2 even though he was only supposed to run the first leg of a relay and to MaineMan for insisting on running by my side throughout the entire race, despite my trying to push him off to a faster finish.

runners prep (5:45-6:45 a.m.) at starting line of BSIM

the marathon medals

the view from dinner at The Mission Ranch, Carmel, Calif.

meet the lovely post-sun shower rainbow

Tucker tries to snag someone else's food off the counter

Carmel Beach, Calif.

names in sand

liquid courage before surfing, Zuma Beach, Calif.

discovering a hidden beach for a picnic, L.A.

the view from Mulholland Dr.

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