Suzy Says

If you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to the past couple of days – and I know you have – the answer is simple: eating. Eating one fabulous meal after another:

Friday: Lunch with my long-time friend Richard, to celebrate his birthday (even though birthday was actually a week or so ago, but we’re both in such demand). For the next couple of months, he’s older than Me*. Yay! Discussion ensued on how many years one should take off one’s age. He thinks 3. I think more. But it’s fraught with problems, like reminding my brother that he is now older than I am. Anyway, we had a great time. It was nice enough to eat outside, so we did, at B44. We had a delicious and authentic paella, preceded by a salad of wild baby greens and accompanied with a wicked glass of wine. Especially wicked since we both had to go back to work afterwards. Richard was shocked that I ate the salad with my fingers, but I think if you do something with enough confidence, you can get away with it.

Saturday: Dinner at Le Petit Robert with my stepmother, Margaret, who is visiting from England. Discovered that they had changed the menu more than usual (no more grandes assiettes other than the special of the day), and sadly, they had also run out of the excEt Olivier Morin white burgundy. But they still make the best kir royale in town, and the Sonoma Cutrer chardonnay was up to standard. Standouts included the grilled asparagus with toasted hazelnuts and tangerine, the duck breast salad, and the Meyer lemon parfait with fresh strawberries.

Sunday: Brunch at the legendary Greens, a vegetarian restaurant with such good food that even the most dedicated carnivore would be happy. Not to mention the stunning view over the sunny Bay to delight Margaret. We were joined by our always-late friend Adrian and his wife Jacci, whose presence was so charming and sparkling that their lateness was, as usual, forgiven instantly. Margaret loved them so much that she invited them to stay in her house, which is a rare thing.

Margaret is a tireless shopper, so my sister Megan and I took her to Union Square. I am amazed to report that I didn’t buy a thing. We restored ourselves in the most civilized way possible, with afternoon tea at the elegant Rotunda restaurant at Neiman Marcus, under the century-old stained glass ceiling. Not, of course, like a real English tea, but wonderful nonetheless: little finger sandwiches, melt-in-your-mouth scones, countless delightful cakes and pastries. And of course, tea.

Now this presented a bit of a culinary challenge, since we finished tea around 4:30. We will not be able to eat dinner tonight, at least not at a reasonable and non-European time on a school night. The solution? The French bakery, of course, where I got some caramelized onion tarts with roasted peppers and a walnut baguette to go with the selection of cheese and olives I already had. So that with a few glasses of wine should do it to end the weekend of indulgence.

*Less than three shopping months left!