City Living

There are perks to living in The City, and the opportunity for excellent dining is definitely one of them. Midwest Medved was in town this weekend on business, and so we ate brunch at the Tribeca Grand (while we waited two and a half hours for the hotel to retrieve his rental car so I could move to Brooklyn). They had it all - omelette and waffle stations, a selection of breads and spreads, including lemon curd, Greek yoghurt and granola, breakfast meats and smoked salmon, delicious macaroni & cheese, fresh figs and an extravagance of desserts. The coffee was appalling, but I've almost given up that ghost anyway.

Later that day, having completed the move and secured new jeans for the entire party, we went back out for a late dinner at the Union Square Cafe. I had grilled tuna steak with wasabi mashed potatoes and gingered veggies, and MM had grilled smoked Cedar River shell steak with mashed potatoes and frizzled leeks. The flavours were so nuanced, and the service, perfection. For dessert, we had a warm chocolate tart with egg nog ice cream and their signature banana tart with honey vanilla ice cream and macadamia brittle. And a lovely bottle of 2002 Yamhill Valley Vineyards Reserve Pinot Noir. The wine was delish, I learned that when you order a two inch thick tuna steak rare, it arrives pretty close to seared, and they could charge $100 a pound for the macadamia nut brittle.