dear friend (Jeanie Beanie) sends funds for splurge!

A dear friend, who used to live in Manhattan, sent me some "splurge-on-yourself" funds. So the evening restaurant when I arrive will be  Bocca Restaurant at 39 East 19th Street. It has very consistent high ranking reviews. About 10 minutes walk from the hotel.

Appetizer (sounds like a whole meal ...)

Polipo brasato con insalata di cannellini e soppressata (Olive oil braised portuguese wild octopus with cannellini beans and soppressata) 15.95

Entree

Salmone in padella con insalata tiepida di carciofi e emulsione di aragosta (Pan roasted organic Scottish salmon filet over a warm artichoke salad and a lobster emulsion} 22.95

Their whole menu all looked good, but those two items kept my attention.

I have also been looking at Boqueria. About 10 minutes walk from the hotel.

Txipirones $12

Baby squid a la plancha, arugula, olive, crispy radish, garbanzos

Coles de Bruselas y Chorizo $10

Pan roasted Brussels sprouts, house made chorizo

Paella Valenciana $29

Bomba rice, prawns, mussels, clams, cockles, chorizo, chicken

There were fancier restaurants around, but after going on line I found that of the 43 3-5 star restaurants within 1/2 mile of the hotel, none had room. That was going to be for 6 days from now. No room in 43 restaurants..... New York, New York. Now, if I only knew the right people!

Après Strand

Klong Restaurant
7 Saint Marks Place

Although the Klong Restaurant was recommended (and dissed) as a good (horrible), cheap place to eat lunch near the Strand, I became a bit nervous while looking at their website. Something creepy about walking under a steel ribbon ...

Upon arrival our customers enter under a curved, undulating, golden ribbon cast of smoothly polished steel.

The English grammar does hint at a possible DEMI (Double Entendre Menu Item) award. And the menu does sound just right ...only question would be ... which appetizer a or b?

a.Grilled Squid Legs $3

Served with fresh chili lime juice sauce

b.Pan Steamed Mussels Eastern Country Style $5

Lemon grass citronella chopped, shallots, basil, lime juice and mixed herbs

Mussaman Curry w chicken $10

Southern Thai spices blended in chili paste with potatoes, peanuts and onions simmered in coconut milk

Here are some reviews:

• "A better-than-average thai place at lower-than- average prices." - zagat.com
• "I recommend it to anyone looking for a great meal and a way cheap price." - citysearch.com
• Poor customer service that the cheap Thai food can't make up for. Not worth the aggravation from the nasty tactless waitress who insisted we leave a 20% tip for a party of 2 after telling us our 10% tip wasn't good enough for the service provided (which consisted her checking in on us once). She told us to never come back again, and trust me, we never will. reviews - zagat.com
• A better-than-average thai place at lower-than- average prices. The lunch special, at $6, is a great price but more important, there are interesting dishes, not found in many thai places. $3.50 for the fish/rice balls! reviews- zagat.com
• Klong heaps flavorful noodle dishes with the perfect intensity between mild and atomic. The usually on-par service outweighs the pitfalls (noise, crowds, and an overall … lack of space) -- common in any East Village eatery -from gridskipper

I will let you know if I get there.

Getting closer to NYC and ICE

2 weeks from today I fly out of Aspen and go to NYC. Excitement is building. I have found another restaurant to try out.

Momofuku Ssam Bar sounds perfect ... here is their lunch menu ..and I am overwhelmed by the fun, exciting things to try. Hope the budget and the menu prices meet.

prix fixe

sichuan beef tendon OR seasonal pickles OR buns
crispy skate OR spicy rice cakes OR braised beef brisket
grapefruit cream pie OR thai iced tea parfait

raw bar

kusshi oysters (can) – w/ kimchi
cracked jonah crab claws (me) – w/ harissa mayo
cured hamachi – horseradish, edamame
spanish mackerel tataki – kimchi turnip greens, kasha

small dishes

seasonal pickles
steamed pork buns – hoisin, cucumbers, scallions
bread & butter – sea salt butter (vt), whipped lardo
bbq rib sandwich (newman's farm, mo) – red onion slaw
sichuan beef tendon – green mango, peanuts
pork scrapple – fried egg, benton's bacon, fig mustard

country hams

broadbent's country ham (kuttawa, ky)
benton's smoky mountain country ham (madisonville, tn)
edward's wigwam country ham (surry, va)
calhoun's country ham (alexandria, va)

local/seasonal

market greens – xo sauce
fried brussels sprouts – fish sauce vinaigrette, mint, delfino
honeycrisp apple kimchi – jowl bacon, maple labne, arugula

large dishes

long island skate – old bay fingerling potatoes, spicy aioli
bev eggleston's pork shoulder steak – golden raisin, miso, baby spinach
braised brisket (creekstone farm, ky) – rice noodles, thai basil, cilantro
spicy rice cakes – pork sausage, chinese broccoli, crispy shallots
angus hanger steak (creekstone farm, ky) – romesco, cauliflower, marcona almonds

eating in NYC

I will have 2 nights free and two lunches free during the two weeks of cooking classes. I am pasting the map so you can see what I have picked out. The fork and knife shows a possible spot.

View New York ICE in a larger map
The restaurant to the farthest north (by the NY public library) is the
Szechuan Gourmet on 21 West 39 Street. This will probably be a miss, but a just in case spot. It gets mixed reviews from chowhound, but it is cheap and within walking distance. The next one, headed south, Woorijip on 12 West 32nd Street. Here is one of the big reviews:

This place is so great... I come here every other day! All the food is cooked fresh every day. There is a wide array of hot and cold dishes and snacks all ready to go in take-home containers. During lunch & dinner, they also have a delicious Korean buffet for only $6.49/lb. Best of all, the place is open from 6am-3am, so you can grab delicious fast food at almost any time of day!! Be sure to try the grilled eel lunch box... So tasty and only $5!‎

Nearby the hotel and the cooking school is Rickshaw Dumpling Bar on 61 West 23rd Street. They have very inexpensive, pretty good food.

There is Wichcraft on 11 East 20th Street. Their menu looks great for lunch, and word has it that the dinner menu is not expensive, either. I will be nearby book shopping.

I have left off two restaurants that might make the cut, Nisos and Lucky's Famous burgers.

Books to read

Before I went to Florence, Italy last year, I read about Florence. I also picked my hotel because it was near a used bookstore. There used to be lots of used bookstores in New York. Not so much now. Since there are only a few free hours between cooking classes  I choose to go to the used bookstores within range of the hotel and the few hours I have.

On March 7th I do not have a class until 6pm. Bookstore day!

There are four three   two used bookstores within a half hour's walking. So 1 hour getting to and from the bookstores. Be back at the hotel at 5.That leaves about 7 hours. Skyline Books (13 West 18th Street) was going to be the first, but I just found out they are going to be internet only. This was on their website  when I looked today:

   "Books, Rare and Well Done."

 LAST DAYS SALE!

ALL BOOKS 75% OFF!

Thank you for over twenty years of support! Godspeed!  See you on the Internet! 

-Skyline

  The Strand (828 Broadway)is the next one. Gotta give the Strand at least 4 hours. They advertise that they have 18 miles of books. And I know they do. I have lost myself in there many times.
Housing Works Used Books (126 Crosby St) is the farthest away from the hotel, about 39 minutes walking according to Google. Maybe two hours.
That only leaves and hour for the last bookstore,Twelfth Street Books (11 East 12th Street), but this was a comment.....12th Books is now Atlantic Bookshop in Brooklyn, and well worth the trip."‎ Shoot.
Ha. More hours at the Strand! But so sad.
Now to figure out what to read on the plane ...