'Back to' London

New York

I did it again. Forgot to write things down. This is what happens when I enjoy myself too much. Not bad considering, I was not in a place that I expected to be. A last minute opening gave me the chance. I took it and found myself his sitting in Gordon Ramsay’s New York outpost Gordon Ramsay at the London.

This place is well worth a visit. Yes it is expensive but well worth the price. Certainly a good choice for a special occasion. And when you think about the fact that you save on airfare; you can 'justify' it even more.

The fact is Ramsay, who actually is very soft spoken, essentially up rooted his London flagship operation and brought the staff over with him. I am certain that I recognized a couple of faces from my visit. Some how despite an ever expanding empire (Never mind all the time taken up by his numerous TV ventures.) Ramsay has somehow been able to maintain the quality across the board. His food is excellent and the service exceptional.

I was impressed the first time that I indulged at his restaurant. I have never heard a bad word spoken about any of his other establishments. One can say what they like about the man's TV persona. true or false, love it or hate it. The man can quietly back things up

Pride or Brunch?

NEW YORK

I can accept the inevitable wait for a spot at brunch. But at what point does it go beyond reasonable. Does it at some point become a matter of Pride and principle that one continues to wait it out?

These are the questions that I was pondering yesterday morning at Sarabeth’s (1295 Madison). I’ve been there before braving the crowd and the wait-times for a crack at the Almond Crusted French Toast. People have raved to me about it. The truth is I’ve had it once did mind it but haven’t ordered it again.

I thought of this as I waited in the cramped narrow area. People piling in from the street but no one was leaving the dinning area. The fact that it happens al the time is a testament to the place they must be doing something right. Even Oprah knows about it. It was getting to the point where I was feeling less and less like eating. Heading for the door and clearing up some space seemed like a better and better idea. But I had come ‘this ‘ far I wasn’t turning back.

As luck would have it we had passed the brunch time. Breakfast items were still being serve but at a quarter to one I no longer felt like French toast or something along those lines. So I opted for a club Sandwich. Every thing was great instead of the customary bacon ham was used. The turkey was moist. The lettuce and tomato were both fresh. The bread used was a hearty whole grain. All of these elements in turn cumulated it a thick satisfying lunchtime meal.

At least it should have been but after the waiting experience I felt drained.