LITERARY devices: The Shakespeare

RER 6.3.15

Sometimes a catch-up session with one of your favorite gals can cure all, but a fat burger and thick fries and a yummy Pimm’s beverage most definitely can help. After a tasty drink and a not so tasty snack at The Archive, the gal pal and I headed to The Shakespeare for something a little more substantial (and delicious).

Walking down the stairs to the lower-level entryway felt like we were breaking the rules and crashing a secret clubhouse. Dim lights and hot hostesses greeted us, along with dark walls and a kind of inexplicable British warmth.  Tables crowded in close, creating an intimate space and communal conversation and spirit in the dining area. Pictures and paraphernalia took over the deep read walls, fighting for attention in harmonious contention. Candles dripping hot wax lined a congested mantle piece warming the room and emanating the feeling that it was dark and late outside.

Pretty punch hypnotized with Bourbon, mint iced tea and floral cucumber and sweet Pimm’s and Chambord with tangy sweet lemonade quenched thirst and amplified smiles.

RER 6.3.15

But the creamy rosemary and herb-laced pot of homemade ricotta swimming with olive oil and aged balsamic, soothed raucous feelings. The smooth cheese spread across the warm bread with sensual ease and filled the proximity with delectable aromas, pleasant and revealing.

RER 6.3.15

And then there was the burger—fat and stacked high on a little wooden board, accompanied by tall wide “chips.” Its toppings were dreams, mingling to create refined pub fare and complex bites, memorable and comforting. Thick rashers of super smoky bacon straddled white melted cheddar crowning a perfect house blend patty. Salty tart thin sliced pickles, pungent spicy rings of red onion and dark green strands of lettuce added brightness to the fatty meat and buttery sesame seed bun. It was more than a burger; it was catharsis and a feeling.

The Shakespeare offered ambiance and attentive service. It dished up lovely refreshing drinks and flavorful food evoking pub moments. It was perfect for gossip and support and hearty laughs.

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come

-William Shakespeare 

 RER

6.3.15

RER 6.3.15

NYCRW extended version : David Burke Kitchen

RER 3.11.15

Barreled ceiling, light wood, cool colors—rustic chic— starkly contrast the over-sized portraits of farmers and fishermen displaying bounty, lining the warm cream walls of David Burke Kitchen. As if the gorgeous dishes vibrant with freshness, color and certainty do not illustrate the farm-to-table concept enough, these portraits drive the point home.

RER 3.11.15

David Burke Kitchen had extended its New York Restaurant Week, allowing for a three-course prix fixe comprised of menu items. It was like freedom with supplements, no limits but few restrictions, a sampling of the seasonal menu.

Despite their allure on paper, the fancy drinks fell short. The pretty winter sangria was deep and dark and spicy, while the ice cubes in the ginger beer and bourbon cocktail clinked as they melted, creating just a wet drink. The pisco sour was frothy and proud, tasty but not quite worth it.

The food on the other hand, most definitely was.

RER 3.11.15

Textures tangled in the appetizers—slippery raw fish met with floral crunchy cucumber in the salmon tartar; crisp and flaky on the outside, the chicken grilled cheese was chewy and stringy and hot with cheese inside; the dumplings of the soup held tender lobster meat, sweet and buttery, while the vegetables added life, freshness and texture.

RER 3.11.15

RER 3.11.15

Classic pairings with refined twists and turns, morphed entrees into elevated memories. Succulent scallops, crusted with sear, settled nicely on soft cabbage and salty lentils littered with meaty bacon, while the extra thick pork chop was garnished with abstract apple sauce and mature tater tots, and the tender short rib, marinated with time, danced with a crispy brick of risotto laced with strong gorgonzola. Each dish echoed timeless companions championed through perfected partnership.

RER 3.11.15

Dessert brought comfort and exotic notes. The gigantic monkey bread, served with sweet ice cream, thick fresh whipped cream, and dense caramel sauce was warm like breakfast and studded with meaty pecans and soft bananas. Juxtaposing the overlarge monkey bread was the delicate tropical tart, exuding sunshine, lime, pineapple and coconut filling out a crunchy cookie shell.

The appetizers and entrees were aesthetically simple and contemporary, but the profiles were complex and varied. Produce and seasonal items were transformed into the visual, sensual and visceral. 

RER

3.11.15

RER 3.11.15

bonding over BRUNCH: Maysville

RER 1.31.15

Some things can definitely catch you by surprise, like how fast time flies. The years blend and bend until you have no concept of how long it  has really been. And then you all sit down, eventually—staggered arrivals—and the faces are so familiar and nothing has really changed, but at the same time, so many things have. It’s a feeling when you come together like time has forgotten to move but events have transpired and developments felt.

RER 1.31.15

RER 1.31.15

But it’s at that table at Maysville in the Flatiron District, eating super sweet and cakey citrus glazed doughnuts as an amuse-bouche to the amuse-bouche, drinking orange saturated mimosas, you realize it all feels the same. Immutable time.

Your brunch bites are secondary to the conversation flurrying around the table as future plans are divulged and pasts stay where they belong. Something about the crisp winter sun streaming in, reflecting in the mirrors, echoing the clean lines, has taken things out of context but each note is recognizable.

RER 1.31.15

Pretty French toast, sticky with honey, tangy like orange and smooth as ricotta tastes sweeter out of habit. Warm tones and thick slices bring comfort and a little piece of home, made special with golden honey and bronze orange marmalade.

RER 1.31.15

Bitter Brussels sprouts, gravy heavy sauce Mornay and salty smoked deli ham, comes to life with shared laughter and secrets. Taboo and leftover memories are eliminated with a thick brick of fried grits and its warm creamy center, echoing the textures of the crisp green leaves of the Brussels sprouts and the decadent sauce.

Chef’s Breakfasts are made less ordinary with birthday plans and getaways and stroller talk. Eggs over-easy, eggs scrambled— same difference, when there are more important details to discuss and crunchy potatoes to forget.

RER 1.31.15

You linger after the eats and mimosas are long gone and questions of ‘what’s next’ and ‘when’ cross your minds and reach your lips. No set plans in place, but you all know there will be a next time before too long, another chance to evade time and pick up where you left off.

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1.31.15

RER 1.31.15

baking with friend(s) is BEST

RER 1.19.15

To make up for a dinner cut short, my friend decided we would have a baking date. She deffo knows the key to my heart. Of course I wasn’t bothered by our truncated burger binge, but I am always up for whipping up some baked goods, taking photos and devouring the finished product.

RER 1.19.15

RER 1.19.15

So we started off with this recipe for chewy fudgy homemade brownies from Sally’s Baking Addiction and got a little bit experimental. We added a dash of pretty pink Himalayan salt in lieu of the normal variety, because we’re fancy like that. 

RER 1.19.15

RER 1.19.15

Instead of making some of that thick buttery frosting following the recipe or even some salted caramel frosting from a different recipe on the blog, we opted to be a little inventive.  To top our brownies, my friend created a caramel glaze with a hit of heat and savory. 

RER 1.19.15

RER 1.19.15

Our brownies were fun to make, but in the end something may have gone amiss. Maybe we added too much flour, resulting in fluffier cake-like brownies, not the gooey fudgy bars we were expecting. Maybe we cranked a tad too much of the pretty salt, leaving the treats a smidgen more savory than sweet. Maybe we mixed two different kinds of chocolate with two chocolate and sugar contents. Maybe we got caught up listening to Robyn and Oh Land and let the bad boys cook a little longer than necessary (I guess, “better safe than sorry” is not a phrase apt for brownie baking).

RER 1.19.15

RER 1.19.15

This was not about the maybes and things that could have been. It was about hang-time, gossip, and catching up. It was about bonding in a kitchen, playing with a pup, and inhaling the sweet smells of chocolate, sugar and butter.

RER 1.19.15

RER 1.19.15

RER 1.19.15

Breaking into that crust of firmed glaze and getting that perfect bite where the chocolate outshines the salt, and the heat and burned sugar come through, is pretty darn good. But baking with friends is best!

RER

1.19.15

RER 1.19.15