Vincent's Clam Bar

The one on Old Country Road, NOT to be confused with the one in Little Italy, which, although being the original, is gross.

Michael and I went to Vincent's (http://vincentsclambar.com/) Monday night for dinner.  Holy crap was it crowded, but they managed to have a table for two in about 15 minutes.  We shared baked clams oreganata (which are not anywhere near the quality of Don Peppe or Carmine's) but they weren't bad either; calamari arrabiata (with cherry peppers, yum); a grandma pizza (their's is personal sized but enough for two).  I also had an espresso cup of their lobster bisque which is really good and a perfect size, just enough. And Michael had a bowl of what The Shack in Centerport calls "Long Island" Chowder which is a mixture of New England and Manhattan clam chowders.  That's really good too. Not too creamy-potatoey and not too tomatoey.

This week at home I've made chicken soup (Michael is a bit under the weather) and today I am making wedding soup-because it's become my favorite and I want to eat it everyday.

Friday night we are having dinner with Dina and Dmitry at Sanford's in Astoria and Sunday we are closing the cabana for the season. Boo Hoo!

Marianella's Taqueria

Last night after Michael's championship game (which they won) we went to Marianella's Taqueria (http://marianellas.com/) on Continental Avenue.  They have a nice bar area, the bartender and the counter persons are very nice and accommodating.  There is no table service and the food is average.  We had:  A grilled chicken salad with no shell, nachos supreme with no ground beef and a cheese quesadilla with guacamole and jalapenos.  Michael rode his bike home, while I walked along the sidewalk. 

Hope to BBQ at the beach on Sunday!

Oktoberfest

Last night after Michael's game we walked over to Manor Oktoberfest with Lenny and Steve, and were later joined by Jill, Evan and Rick.  We had beer and shared a Super Sampler Platter: A generous portion of pierogies, potato pancakes, onion rings, hot wings and mozzarella sticks.  The onion rings were great. Everything was fried. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Later, I had a turkey club and Michael and Lenny shared a burger. I walked home! I needed the exercise.

Holy Crap It's Been a Long Time!

Sorry.

• So....since August 16th...I went to visit my brother and he and his girlfriend made lobster on the grill. It was yummy! 
• We went to see Ryan in his summer intensive Joffrey performance.  He was fabulous!  Then we went to Katz' Deli on the lower east side for pastrami, corned beef, pickles, Dr.Brown's soda and heartburn.  But it was worth it!
• We went to a party for our friend Leslie's nephew who is going into the Marines.  I got sick with a throat thing and went on antibiotics for a week.  That's always fun. 
• We packed up Jesse and drove to Ithaca to stay with Margo before we moved him in...which was delayed a day because his landlord is a nut.  The place was dirty! I cleaned! Michael hung shades, curtains, put in door and window locks.  That was a fun day!
• Michael left Cortland on Wednesday night and Jesse and I went out to dinner with Mike and Margo in Ithaca at Just a Taste (http://www.just-a-taste.com/).  Ryan was working as a bus boy.  We had:  Warm Brie with Melon and Crostini; Deep Fried Russet Potato Wedges with Chipotle Aioli; White and Portabella Mushrooms Sautéed with Garlic and Thyme (two orders!!), Garlic Braised Greens with Walnuts, Tomatoes, Sherry Vinegar and Point Reyes Blue Cheese; Clams Steamed in White Wine with Lemon, Onion, Tomatoes, Garlic and Bay leaf; Deep Fried Salt Cod Fritters with Garlic Aioli and Mixed Greens; Lamb with tomato and chick peas in curry; Warm Chocolate Soufflé with Chocolate Ganache, Whipped Cream and White Chocolate Shavings. I had a flight of Spanish wines.  EVERYTHING was great! Wish the place was closer!
•  Ryan and I drove down on Friday because hurricane Irene was coming.  Michael picked me up from Purchase.
• Saturday I made lasagna and Lenny and Brett came for dinner. Garlic bread was really good too!

And here we are, back on schedule...cooking, cleaning, shopping, cleaning, laundry, cleaning, laundry...etc...just like that :)

XO!

D.U.M.B.O.

Barbara and I were exploring D.U.M.B.O. (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) the other day.  We drove in, found a metered spot on the street and started walking around.  There are restaurants, bars and shops.  No celebrity sightings though.  We especially loved the park by the water.  The views of Manhattan are incredible both during the day and at night.

We ate at Water Street (http://www.waterstreetrestaurant.com/).  First of all, they have the coolest bathroom we'd ever been in.  It is circular, single occupancy, seems to be built inside a metal container of some kind.  There are paintings on the walls to seem as if you are in an old library at someones home.  There is even a fire place painted on the wall and a small iron grate was placed in front of it.  The floor is tiled black and white.  The rest of the restaurant is very nice also :)  Dark wood, flowers on the tables.  We shared Coconut Kitty Fingers: Battered Catfish Strips Deep Fried with Orange Citrus Marmalade.  Barbara had: Hickory Spice Slow-Cooked Rack of Ribs with Cinnamon dusted Sweet Potato Fries and Collard Greens.  I had:  Down & Dirty in the Delta Homemade Crab Cakes - Chef Reggie’s special. Topped with Remoulade, served over Dirty Rice and Collard Greens.  Everything was really good.  The catfish fingers could have had more flavor but the marmalade was great.  A couple of Blue Moons and a slice of Red Velvet cake that actually had its chocolate flavor and all was well. 

After dinner we walked back to the park and sat and took in the magnificent views of Manhattan, watched the kids play in the water, the tourists take photos and I even stepped into the water.

Barosa with Friends

Michael and I were joined by Joe and Denise and Jill and Lenny for a 50th birthday celebration dinner for Michael at Barosa on Saturday night August 6.

Joe chose good wine for us to share. We also had:  Seafood stuffed avocados, Fried calamari Arrabiata (with yummy cherry peppers) and Barosa chopped salad.  Dinners were:  Sea bass Oreganata; Spinach risotto; Chicken Scarpariello; Rigatoni Barosa (with sausage and broccoli rabe) and Chicken cutlet Milanese (covered in chopped tomatoes and mozzarella chesse). Dessert was my homemade Tiramisu (which was really good-if I do say so myself).  Some cappucino and sambuca and we all had a good time.

Tonight Michael and I with Jesse, Michael's mom Chris and our nephew Ryan are going to El Quijote for...you guessed it...garlic soup, arroz con pollo and lobster.  Wait, I forgot the pitchers of red sangria. Can't forget that :)

And, as usual, we will peruse Eataly afterwards because we are 1) creatures of habit and 2) love that place.

Jesse's 19th birthday is tomorrow! Happy day Jesse!

Fifty Years!

Not me :)

Michael will celebrate his 50th birthday on Sunday August 7th.  Part of our celebration is Family Beach Day on Thursday August 4th at our beach club.   It has become an annual tradition with our oldest friends and we all look forward to it.  This year we will have a shared cake for Michael's 50th, Glenn's 50th, Joe's 49th and Jesse's 19th!  The weather does not look particularly fabulous, but rain is NOT in the forecast so that's a huge plus.  We share drinks, laughs, dinner from Mother Kelly's and a special day with great friends.

In addition, Saturday night we are going to Barosa to celebrate with Jill and Lenny and Joe and Denise.  I am making Tiramisu to bring along for a special treat!

We couldn't seem to get our act together to have one big party with all of our friends together.  Maybe, when our terrace is finally back to us, we will have a Polikoff Margarita party, like we used to do.

I made Jill's Grandma's Wedding Soup today.  Maybe a bit too wintery for some, but I love it and would eat it every day if I had a pot of it (and now I do).  Teriyaki steak and broccoli for dinner tonight.  Past dinners have been:  Chicken francese, roasted lemon chicken and take out from Dani's.

Happy Birthday Michael!