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