Another NYC Restaurant Week Dinner with RQS

RQS mentioned that a restaurant in the Flatiron district had extended its restaurant week offerings, so that they end on the last day of the month.  Although this place (Sagaponack) had a $1/Oyster special for happy hour on Fridays, I suggested that we take advantage of the $45/pp Prix Fixe restaurant week offering on a Thursday.  This would be the second week in a row that I'd take the train into NYC to have a nice dinner.  But this week, I didn't feel bloated after dinner.

The restaurant week menu at Sagaponack isn't much different than its usual menu.  However, with Gambas de Ajillo (Shrimp cooled in a garlic and pimento sauce), Wagyu beef burgers and Peekytoe Crab Rolls on the menu, we just had to try the place out.  Although most of the diners simply dropped in for a table, we had made reservations for 7:30 pm.  Upon entering the place, RQS noticed that there were almost no males in the place.  (This would not be the case for long.)  And we were shown our way to the back to enjoy our meal.

Service was good, albeit a tad slow.  But we weren't rushed either.  Both of us ordered the shrimp for an appetizer, while RQS ordered the crab roll for a main course and I ordered the Burger.  If I say the shrimp were the best part of the meal, it's not because the other offerings weren't top notch.  It's because the shrimp had a wonderful flavor well above and beyond what we had a right to expect for an appetizer. Next came our main courses.  If I knew how good the crab roll would taste, I would have ordered that instead of the Wagyu beef burger.  Yet, the burger was cooked to perfection.  Dessert was either of two varieties of Panna Cotta.  It was a wonderful way to end a good meal.  We will certainly go to this place again.

RQS and I walked to Union Square holding hands all the way.  It's nice for two women to be able to openly show public signs of affection in NYC.  I don't think I'd ever want to leave the NYC region if I didn't have to - it's one of the rare places that allow people to be themselves if they don't harm others.  It's much better than any place below the Mason-Dixon line these days.

All too soon, I was on my way home.  It was nice to finally strip and get comfortable.

Fogo de Chão with RQS - NYC Restaurant Week

 

Fogo de Chão is a chain of Churrascaria restaurants which specialize in what I describe as Brazilian BBQ.  No, my description does not do this kind of restaurant justice.  It is the place for Atkins Diet feast!  Grilled meats keep on coming until you have to say "Uncle!  Food Won!"  And for NYC Restaurant week, I decided to take RQS to their Midtown Manhattan outpost to feast like there was no tomorrow.

One of the problems of taking the train into Grand Central is that it is awkward to make an easy transfer (in midtown) to a "B Division" subway line to access one of the former IND system routes' subway stations.  I could make it to  Grand Central Terminal easily.  But to get to a station associated with the 6th or 8th Avenue lines, I either have to make an awkward transfer involving a block's walk underground, an out-of-system transfer involving a 2 block walk underground, or simply take surface transit to the desired location.  Given that I had time to kill and mistakenly forgot one transfer point, I ended up walking from 42nd Street and Park Avenue to 53rd Street and 5th Avenue (give or take a few hundred feet).

My timing ended up being perfect - Both RQS and I arrived at the restaurant at 6:00 pm.  And from there, we went inside to feast.  RQS had forgotten that I had planned to get a Mani-Pedi earlier in the day, so she was a little surprised to see me arrive in Marian mode.  Yet, the dress I was wearing had grown on her a little.  (She said that if I buy more dresses like this, that I will have to try them on before committing to them.)  After getting enough salad and veggies to empty a farm (I have to mention how good their Caesar Salad is here - I could have feasted on that alone), the meat began to come. And boy did it come!  Chicken, Lamb, Sausages, various cuts of Beef all came around to our table, and within an hour and a half we were stuffed like Thanksgiving Turkeys.

All too soon, it was time to leave.  I went back to Grand Central the long way, and she was able to take one train home.  By 9:30 pm, both of us were at our homes and ready to go to bed.  Both of us enjoyed this mid week get together.  I think we'll do it more often if I can find a few excuses to do so.

Meeting up for dinner in White Plains

 

It seems like a long while since I've been to a dinner meetup - even though I was at one as recently as last week.  But then, my short term memory isn't as good as I'd like it to be these days. 😉

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As usual, I prepared for my meetup by finding a nice dress to wear, and refreshing my makeup.  (Do I ever go anywhere as Mario anymore if I can avoid it?)  Then it was off to La Bocca in White Plains.  Although I've been to meetups with this group before, I had not yet met tonight's organizer.  (I don't have much to say about her, as she is a pleasant person who I'd like to get to know better as a friend.) The conversation at the table flowed like water, as there were enough different topics for us to chat about without becoming awkward.

But I've neglected the most important past of the meetup - the food!

La Bocca is a mildly upscale Italian restaurant.  Being in Downtown White Plains, this restaurant likely has a high rent.  So it has to recoup that expense in slightly higher prices than I'm accustomed to be paying for Italian food.  But the food is worth every cent.  I had the Octopus Salad as a starter, consisting of various greens and thick, tasty tomato slices with several cooked octopus limbs on top.  Yum!  My main course was Chicken Scarapariello.  And it was served without bones.  YUM!  The only drawback to this place is the parking.  If one doesn't know White Plains, there is almost no on-street parking.  Instead, there are quite a few municipal parking lots squeezed in between office buildings which one must use.  This can be confusing for people not familiar with the area.

All too soon, our group finished dinner, and we were on our way home.  I figured that I'd register for some new meetups when I got home, and found out that I was taken off the wait list.  I am now scheduled for several more over the next two weeks, including one in NYC for its restaurant week.  (I won't say much about the NYC restaurant, save that it is known for a steak named after the restaurant.)

As you can guess, I'm looking forward to eating with nice people again....