Escape to New York City

Last week we had the pleasure of dining out with some dear old friends while we were in NYC. Our trip was hectic and filled with dates to see family and friends in a whirlwind visit. With a short window on Tuesday we headed over to have lunch with the Callahans at Manetta's on Jackson Avenue in Long Island City.

This is a favorite spot for our friends and we immediately understood why. Warm friendly greetings - a place where everyone knows your name - and some really good food to enjoy. I had an arugula salad that was perfectly dressed followed by grilled shrimp and asparagus. Yes, I was trying to eat light given all the road trip fast food we'd consumed on the grueling two day ride.

Hubby had a shrimp Parmesan sandwich and our friend had a customized salad - yes they'll make you anything you want - they are there to please. The Tuscan Red wine was the perfect accompaniment to my meal and of course I let them twist my arm and indulged in a cappuccino to wash down the awesome Biscotti that appeared with the check. Truly, the best part of the meal was the company - catching up with old friends over a good meal is delightful and we are so glad we made the time to spend with them. How lucky they are to be a short walk from this charming neighborhood eatery. Oh, and they bake all their own bread and desserts on premises!

Long Island City has exploded in the last 10-15 years and what was once an old industrial district has flourished with condos and restaurants and shops into the very lively neighborhood it is today. Just a couple of train stops and you're in Manhattan, and hey, on this side of the river LIC residents get the view of the Manhattan skyline!

Manetta's, 1076 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101, Phone number (718) 786-6171

Carmel Cafe and Wine Bar

This is a story of what happens when Hi Tech meets a bunch of senior citizens out for a relaxing evening. This month we decided to steer clear of Tampa once we heard it was Bollywood weekend. So Carmel Cafe in Sarasota was our choice.

Let me start off by saying the food was wonderful - and that's really all that matters - or is it? What about the experience? And here is where we had a bit of a disconnect.

Ever seen one of these?

Brace yourself cause this is the wave of the future and I'm not quite ready for it. Our very charming waiter brought four iPads to our table and explained brightly we'd be ordering from them. He also gave us paper menus but did his best to dissuade us from using them. Now every one of us has an iPhone so its not as if we are technology deficient, but truthfully the order process wasn't made any smoother with these.

PRO: you can see actual photos of the food you are going to order (sort of like when you go to the Chinese take out place and they have them hung on the wall). One hopes the actual dish will come out looking just like the photo and at these prices they better!.

CON: the iPad is heavy; you have to wonder if it was disinfected since the last user; you have to share them since its not practical to put 8 iPads down on the table, so that takes longer; the waiter still had to make adjustments for separate checks and by the way, he lost out a bit since the iPad didn't automatically add 18%-20% gratuity which would be normal for parties of eight.

I did a little research on this new technology and most of the reviews echoed our own - that overall they weren't worth it. And there's a problem with theft - our waiter explained that each iPad had a GPS so the restaurant could track down wayward equipment. Many restaurants have ceased using them on their outdoor dining areas to limit the risk of theft. Again, is it all worth it? Don't we have enough people of all ages glued to their electronic devices in solitary trances? The purpose of our monthly Great Escape is to enjoy the company of our friends over a glass of wine and a satisfying meal. Now they're trying to take that away from us in the name of progress!

A note about the service - our waiter was perfectly sweet and accommodating. Drinks and appetizers appeared in short order and were quickly followed by the salads. But I was only half way through my salad when the entrees were laid before me. And I'm a fast eater! When we were settling up the check, hubby asked the waiter, "do you realize its less than an hour since we first sat down? Frankly, we feel rushed." And its not like they had a long line of people waiting to get in and needed our table - the place was empty. So did the technology speed things up to our disadvantage? It would seem so. The order went so fast from the table to the kitchen that wham.....it was served at lightning speed. So for service the waiter gets an A but the iPad/Kitchen gets a C. As for the venue itself, it was very pretty as these photos will show and I especially like our table set up in front of a gigantic wall of wine.

We didn't stick around for dessert as we'd been invited back to one of our homes for good old fashioned ice cream sundaes and coffee. Hey, have you ever heard of 'wet walnuts'? They're a dessert topping made from walnuts and maple syrup. A nice way to end the evening!

http://www.carmelcafe.com/

The Clam Factory - Bradenton

Hubby was hankering for Clams on the Half Shell - a Raw Bar - something that was readily accessible when we lived in NYC. But down here in sunny Florida they are hard to find as most establishments feature only Oysters on the menu. So a quick internet search led him to The Clam Factory in Bradenton. Now don't be fooled by the rather dull and sad looking exterior you see in this photo

as believe me you can't judge a book by its cover. Located near the historic Cortez Fishing Village, The Clam features live music, great seafood and house smoked barbecue. It's run by co-owner John Medico who greeted us warmly and told us not to be fooled by the decor - he and his partner came from a fine dining background and the food would be great. And it was!

Sorry I didn't get a photo of the dozen clams served on a bed of ice (chilled and appetizing as they should be) - you see we laid into them so quickly they were gone in a flash. You'll have to go see for yourself. We lucked out by arriving on Steak Night at The Clam - a confusing concept to find steak in a seafood place...but these guys do it right. With a gigantic smoker grill set up outside the restaurant, you park your car and are immediately assaulted by the most appetizing grilled meat aromas. They offer Prime NY Strip from Bradenton's own Chop Shop - a 12-14 oz. steak with baked potato and salad for only $15.00.

Half our group went for it and the meat was absolutely delicious. One even stated that it was the best steak he'd had since he moved to Florida - wow.

There's music almost every night and the band was just setting up when we were leaving - the crowd looked ready for the fun night ahead. Alas loud music isn't our cup of tea any more but that didn't mean the night was over for us. It was back to our house for coffee and dessert and a lively round of our favorite new game - Guesstures, a Charades game that we've had so much fun playing lately. A nice way to end the evening with lots of laughs and frankly some light exercise as we run around the living room gesticulating wildly in an effort to get our teammates to guess right. And yes the girls won AGAIN. But we were all winners for this Great Escape and you can bet we will be going back to The Clam Factory very soon!

http://clamfactory.com/

Libby's Sarasota

Notice anything about Libby's Logo? Check back on my previous post for O'Bricks in Bradenton and you'll note that the logos are almost identical. Hmmm....so either they are owned by the same corporation, or they've used the same graphic designer. Take what you will from that - perhaps I'll investigate further.

Our Escape this month led us to Libby's where we enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and each others company. It must be stated that whether the restaurant is a hit or a miss - our company is always a hit. This Sarasota neighborhood is lively and filled with restaurants and bars clustered within a few short blocks. I'm always delighted to discover these pockets of cool, hip eateries. Libby's is a large beautiful place with additional sidewalk seating where you can dine alfresco even on a cool evening as they are equipped with some futuristic groovy furnace towers.

We were able to get a round table which is always our preference as it promotes conversation for all. I had my once-in-a-blue moon Lemon Drop Martini and as we got there before happy hour ended at 7 pm we scored. The menu is varied and interesting, including a whole section of Gluten Free options - a growing concern for many people these days including two of our group members. So it was nice to be able to accommodate their needs while not compromising the needs of the rest of us. Taking your group's dietary concerns into account can make it challenging to find a restaurant that will please all. Libby's did it beautifully.

I had a flat-iron entree spinach salad, hubby a flat-iron steak with pomme frittes. Two of our group had the special - meatloaf made with beef, veal and pork and topped with a fried egg, a generous portion accompanied by green beans. The food earned high points from everyone, even though it was pricy. Be prepared to spend but know that you'll enjoy the food. (Hey that's why we do this splurge only once a month!)

O'Bricks Irish Pub & Martini Bar - Bradenton

Our original Great Escape pick last Saturday had been for a restaurant in Tampa and we’d all looked forward to it until someone remembered it was Gasparilla weekend. A couple of years ago we had found ourselves gridlocked in Tampa’s most celebratory weekend and vowed to forever more avoid the pirates and pirate lovers. We quickly changed the venue to O’Brick’s Irish Pub & Martini Bar in Manatee. Sometimes last minute Plan B’s work out great and this was one of those times.

I confess I have driven past Manatee Avenue and 12th Street (Old Main Street) a hundred times on my way to Holmes Beach and Anna Maria Island. So it was with surprise and delight that we found ourselves on a charming street of restaurants, bars and lounges that reminded me very much of NYC’s Greenwich Village (ah the good old days). I encourage you to explore those little side streets as you never know what treasures you’ll find.

O’Brick’s sounds like an Irish Pub but really doesn’t feel like one. I had a dear Irish girlfriend who introduced me to Irish Pubs in NYC when I was in my twenties, so I know the difference. O’Brick’s interior has brick walls (hence the name?) and there are quite a lot of stylized paintings and plaques of fish. They do have Shepherd’s Pie on the menu. But there the similarity to an Irish pub ends.

This deconstructed version of Shepherd’s Pie was surprisingly delicious according to a fellow in our group who regularly orders this in Irish Pubs. He really liked it even if it did come with a fancy flower on it.

My grilled salmon with Balsamic Glaze was perfectly cooked and the roasted potatoes and al dente green beans were the perfect accompaniment.

O’Brick’s offers a myriad of martini’s (mmm). I had a Lemon Drop that was quite delicious but they had dozens of flavors to pick from.

The service was very good and our waiter was extremely nice. Note that while groups of 6 or more customarily get 18% gratuity added to their bill, at O’Brick’s it is 20%. Not a bad thing as we’d tip that much anyway for good service. But I’m guessing you’ll see this small increase at other restaurants soon. http://obricks.com/main.html

NO GREAT ESCAPES FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

With the holiday season upon us our group is taking a break for November and December as Escape seems impossible. We'll spend these months doing more entertaining at home as family and friends come from near and far.

I'm flexing my long dormant 'chef' muscles and find that when I have enough liesure time to spare I actually enjoy doing some cooking. Hold on hubby I'm not ready to take back my apron full time - you're still the master of the kitchen. But I've been preparing one meal a week and enjoying it.

I make killer black beans, wicked good hot dog onions, GREAT pizza, yummy quesadillas. I'm not fool enough to try my hand at one of Jolly's specialties. I focus on things he doesn't cook and am so pleased when he likes them. Validation.

Recently we invited a friend over who wanted to learn how to make hubby's Eggplant Rollatini - a dish that has earned him high praise through the years. I filmed it for our kids to enjoy but its too long to share here. I will say that looking at him perform his culinary magic through a camera lens helped me focus squarely on his incredible precision. His style is so regimented that he does it almost on auto pilot with culinary muscle memory. Viewing it back on film even he was struck by how calmly he went about his process. I think that's the mark of a genius cook. I'm more likely to get distracted and forget that somethings on the stove.

I've made my mother's bread pudding recipe twice in the last two weeks but haven't been happy with the results. I had asked her for years to please give me her recipe and she couldn't do it. So I set about ammassing all the ingredients and invited her over to make it for me. As she put it all together I followed her around with pen and paper and wrote it down for posterity. I lost mom just a couple of years after this and so I treasure this recipe in her memory. Bread pudding is one of those things that changes each time you make it depending on the ingredients at hand. I'm ashamed to say these two efforts didn't cut it and its because I took liberties with her recipe thinking that's what I was supposed to do - make it my own. So this weekend I will try again and this time stick to her recipe. That's what hubby does and why his dishes always come out exactly the same - delicious. Lesson learned.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah and Happy New Year to all!

The 4th Street Shrimp Store

It was my turn to pick the restaurant and the 4th Street Shrimp Store was a last minute spontaneous choice for me. You’d think with the hundreds of restaurants in the Tampa Bay area I shouldn’t have a problem choosing one for my Great Escape. But I was having diner’s block I think. A couple of weeks ago the universe had me stopped at a light right in front of this charming bungalow on 4th Street in St. Petersburg and so I decided to give it a try. Sometimes you have to be daring and take a chance, right?

The atmosphere is Kitchy Key West fun with seaside memorabilia scattered all around. I laughed out loud at a seafaring bloke peering into the painted on window – so realistic it gave me a start (it was either Trompe L’Oeil or maybe I’d had too much to drink ;) We eight were a little crammed into a table more suited for six but we settled in and ordered a round of drinks.

Some tips for dining out in groups – if possible, stop by the restaurant before you book it and see where you’ll be seated. When you make your reservation for eight people, ideally you want a round table so conversation flows evenly. Do specify that you don’t want a high top table (unless you do). Most restaurants will try to accommodate you especially if you mention that you’re a dining out group. We have some in our group with bad backs or knees and being cramped at a table can put a damper on the whole experience. (Alas we boomers are holding on by a thread but putting up a brave front). For those times when we are seated at a long table we ladies have contrived a seating plan that allows us to put our heads together and chat in the middle while our husbands each take a corner. Our chatty communication requires close proximity - our hubbies indulge us.

The gal who seated us recommended the Clam Chowder – and she was right – it was delicious. Just the right amount of creamy and lots of clams and potatoes. I had shrimp over a salad of field greens and wasn’t wowed with the shrimp which were steamed then chilled and had lost some of their taste. Hubby had a shrimp hoagie and complained the shrimp was frozen and tasteless. Some of the others fared better with blackened scallops or shrimp – perhaps the seasoning helped revive the taste. I must say the service was impeccable. Very friendly and attentive. I could be persuaded to give it another try and order something different, maybe the crab cakes. But hey, there are so many restaurants to choose from that it’s not likely we’ll be back any time soon.